(My) Birthday weekend 14 & 15 November 2015

Given that it was my birthday yesterday (Friday 13, unlucky for some, not for me!) I had some sway on when we left for Inglewood today, so of course I chose early.  Not ridiculously so, but just this side of 9am.

Justin, Fraser and I went, leaving Mad in Melbourne as she still had one more VCE exam to go.

Left the clouds and drizzle of Melbourne for the clear skies and warmth over the Great Dividing range.  Despite there being a downpour on Oaks Day the previous week, it certainly looked drier than ever.

The oiled floors upstairs were dry though - which was a relief, as Justin planned to put on another layer

Lunch was at the Royal, all three of us had a po-boy.  Nathan the chef (who had worked with Jamie Oliver) had gone, but his successor made it pretty much the same way. Was very good as always.

Maile and David dropped in on their way to the Bendigo Swap meet, I invited them over on their return - for "prosecco o' clock" drinks on the veranda.

Pottered around a bit after lunch, doing some stuff in the garden.  And then went for a planned bike-ride to Kingower.  Justin had some work to do, and Fraser said he had to study, so I went by myself.

It was a very windy day, and quite a hard slog riding up the Inglewood Kingower Road, directly into the wind.  It actually wasn't very enjoyable, and it was supposed to be fun, so I took a right at Green Hills Road.  Wanted to try somewhere different.

First up saw a dam, with water lilies - quite picturesque.

lovely dam

A bit further on was a defunct bridge with what looked like a long dried out creek bed

rough and ready bridge

There was a bit of water on the other side

not flowing

And a few rather small wild flowers

teeny wild flower

country road signs (had got onto Old Res Rd last week on my walk with Alex)

 And life is tough in the country, came across numerous bones

kangaroo vertebrae

And the dessicated hide

literal skin and bones of the kangaroo

Finally got to the hills (not so green though)

not so green hills, pretty though

And some more bones - look how sandy the road is.  At times I had to walk the bike, because the tyres didn't get enough traction, and I almost fell off

sheep?

That lump in the middle of the below photo is a dried up dead sheep - there were a couple more in that paddock too.  No live ones that I could see (yet).

dried dead sheep

pretty, but desolate

another dead sheep

another hill

a downhill stretch

Startled an escaped sheep - no idea where it came from (sort of chased it on the way back, as it kept running in front of me, didn't seem that clever)

escapee sheep

And discovered a lot of big old olive trees - laden with flowers

huge old olive tree- wonder what sort?

And some more flowers

tiny little orchids?

 And a prickly pear flower

quite benign flower

but rather prickly leaves

a row of flowers

Rode down the hill until I got to some cross roads (no, no devil to sell my soul to, as per Robert Johnson).  Had gone far enough, so turned around for the trip home.  Of course, google maps couldn't find my location.  Thought I'd also call Arlene & David, Terry, Damien & Nicole for drinks too.  The more the merrier! Terry also told me about a straw bale house to the right of the cross roads, but I was already part way back up the hill, and needed to get back before they arrived, so gave it a miss. 

As per always, it was quicker on the way back, so I also dropped in on Michael & Michelle.  They'd put in the kitchen floor, looked fab,and also got a reconditioned wellburn stove with water jacket - all very good.

Got back to the house, and saw that Maile & David's car was there, but not ours.  Justin had got a bit worried and gone out to find me on the Kingower Road.  I tried calling him, but didn't get through.  No David & Maile either, just Fraser.  So I went to the IGA and got some dips, crackers and cheese to go with the wine, and ran into Maile & David on the way back.

Maile & David and some of my red hot pokers

Justin arrived soon afterwards, a little cross, but not really.  Terry had told him I'd gone down Green Hills Road, so he drove down it a bit too, thought I might have got lost.  As if!  Doesn't he read this blog and know that I have an infallible stick system for when I go walking, would do it on the bike too, but it was pretty much just the one road that I rode down.

Anyway, showed David and Maile our labours upstairs and then went out under the tree to set up for drinks.  Was a bit too blowy for the veranda, and also Justin didn't really want us up there, as he had vacuumed and was going to put another oil coat on tomorrow.

Justin vacuuming the hallway (earlier in the day)

Fraser, not wanting to be in the photo

Arlene, June & Terry arrived soon afterwards (no David, he was playing tennis, and I assume that Damien and Nicole weren't around)  Terry brought the French bottle of bubbles that we had given him a couple of weeks ago to share with all of us.  Very nice of him to do that.

So ate, drank and chatted and laughed - lovely evening.  Turns out it was Maile's birthday a couple of weeks ago, and Terry's the week before that, so we toasted all of us Scorpios.

Arlene et al had to go back for dinner that they had prepared, so Maile & David joined us at the Royal for dinner.  As is our want, Justin & I shared a parma - so as not to eat too much!

Maile & David left us after the pub, and Justin, Fraser & I settled down to watch a movie - In Time - with Justin Timberlake.  Had been a big day, and I unsurprisingly fell asleep, so obviously didn't see all of the movie.  Had to take myself off to bed.

 

Went for another walk in the morning - another light variation on my usual way - this time a circuit which was just under 6km long.

Came back for a modest breakfast, and heard 2 x kookaburras laughing in our big tree.  Haven't seen kookaburras here before.  I took a photo of them, but even if I expand the photo to extra large you can't see them, so I won't bother including that photo.

I read the papers for a bit outside, and then watered the garden (Fraser helped) and tidied up to get ready to go.  Justin and Fraser did more work/study.

And Justin also put another layer of oil on the floors upstairs - they look lovely

3rd or 4th coat?

3rd or 4th coat? #2

Red room 2nd coat #1

Red room 2nd coat #2

Little yellow room 2nd coat

The plan was to go to Mt Koorong for a picnic lunch (for my birthday, and we'd been there last year too on my birthday weekend).  I made some sandwiches, got some drinks and nibbles and packed a couple of bags.  No chocolate though, would have melted

It was a nice sunny day with a bit of a breeze.  Nothing like yesterday luckily.  Arrived via a different entrance, - best way yet, straight into the picnic ground area.  

Fraser led the way galloping up the hill.  We told him to stamp and be careful if there was long grass. He did see some large holes/burrows and looked in one, not too closely.  Thought he saw something slither away, but it may have been his imagination.

I kept on needing breaks to get my breath back, as it was a pretty steep climb, and although not a hot day, the sun was warm.  

walking up the hill

me

me #2

Justin and Fraser approaching the top

The very top!

 

having our picnic lunch

having our picnic lunch #2

 

Fraser in the distance

So dry #1

so dry #2

so dry #3

Fraser #1

Fraser #2

Fraser #3

Fraser #4

multiple Frasers with a panoramic shot

So, had a nice picnic, the bags were obviously a lot lighter on the way down, and no getting out of breath on the way down either.  Much quicker and easier,  Bit harder on the knees though. 

Working Bee #2, Melbourne Cup Long Weekend Saturday 31 October - 3 November 2015

Given the success of our last working bee, I thought it a good idea to have another one, and take work off the Monday before Cup Day.

Karen had already volunteered Mark to come and help us (she couldn't come til Monday night, as she was working on the weekend, and couldn't take Monday off either), so hw as an able and willing worker, as well as Justin & myself.  Alex volunteered for the 2nd half of the weekend, so another good worker there.

Our first job of the day (Saturday)was hammering in floor nails in the red room, and small yellow room upstairs.  Actually the real 1st job was emptying the rooms of all the furniture, the 2nd was sweeping/vacuuming the dust from the yellow room, and then finally the hammering.

Anyway, it was very noisy, the hammer blows echoing in the empty rooms.  Justin had obviously anticipated this, and had equipped the 3 of us with earmuffs.  I had already hammered in the nails in the yellow room , and had  got Justin's approval for them, but obviously my initial hammering wasn't deep enough to take into account the warped boards.  However following his hallway experience, Justin realised that they had to be a lot deeper, so back to the drawing board.

Justin & Mark hard at it (actually looks as though Mark had mopped down the floors prior to hammering also)

Justin & Mark hard at it #2

We did it pretty quickly, so Mark swept  (whenever you bang the floor hard more dust comes up from the crevices between the boards, or from behind/under the skirting board, it's very dusty) and mopped it down, and then onto the red room.  We surprised Justin by working so quickly, as he had told us how long it took him to do the upstairs hallway.  Mark mopped again, and because both floors were damp, we couldn't really start sanding

Mark #1

Mark #2

It was too hot for overalls

gloves are a good idea, as the hammering is jarring

Justin also decided that it was a good idea to clean out the dirt encrusted filter on the water tank.  He thought that leaning out of the window with a long stick was the best way to do it

cleaning the water tank filter

While I was taking a photo of Justin I noticed that there was a dead green parrot camouflaged on the ground under the tank.  See if you can see it in the below photo

can you see the dead parrot?

Given that the floors were damp, I had the brilliant idea to go and visit Terry, and give him a nice bottle of wine as a token of our appreciation for fixing up the banjo ukulele.  I had previously checked to see what he liked with Arlene, and she had suggested various champagnes.  Justin bought one of these (I forget which one), and we took it up to him purposefully not chilled, as we didn't want to look like we were giving him a nice bottle of champagne just so we could drink it all together.

We also dropped some black bamboo canes across at Arlene's on the way, as the other ones that I'd given her previously had died.

Onto Terry's, and drinks were indeed offered.  I was hoping for a coffee (as Terry does in fact make the best coffee in Kingower), however the very hospitable and gracious Terry offered not just coffee or tea, but wine also.  I guess by this stage it was around 3pm? or so.  Justin looked interested at the wine idea.  I reiterated what a fine coffee maker Terry was, and said I'd have a coffee.  Justin and Mark went for the wine, so my arm was twisted and so I had both (Mark ended up having a coffee also.  And Terry had even assembled an antipasto platter for us - cheese, crackers, salami, Anne & Phillip pistachios - just fabulous, and done very quickly without having to go to the shop as there wasn't time to nip into Inglewood and back.

Terry then brought out the renovated banjo ukulele which Justin played for us, and then he played another guitar of Terry's.  And becuase we had been working and had planned to go back to wortk (after a brief visit to Terry's) we were still in work clothes 

Justin playing the ukulele

Justin now playing guitar

Shockingly, somehow 3 bottles of red were consumed, there must have been holes in our glasses. Obviously we didn't go back to wield heavy machinery, (ie the sanders) preferring instead the less dangerous watering of the garden.

Once again with the 3 of us it went remarkably quickly.  Normally when I water I have one large bucket filling while I water a plant with the other one.  I have to walk more quickly back to the tap, the further away the plants are ie the furthest olives from the tap, and the furthest yuccas etc. the faster I have to walk back.  However with the 3 of us we could do the front and the back at the same time.  Fabulous!

Mark also reminded me that it was the 31st of October - Halloween, and that we should have some lollies in case trick or treaters came.  Therefore I rushed off to the IGA to stock up when we returned from Terry's.  Actually while I was watering, and when I had come out the front, there were some kids on the front path, sort of hovering around the front door.  I told them to wait a minute, and then came back with my big bowl of lollies.  The smaller kids asked how much they could take.  I told them to go for it.  We then left the bowl on the doorstep in case we got any further visitors while we were out.

Halloween lollies

 

Dinner was at the Royal.  All 3 of us had the Burger Royale - which was pretty good.  Justin had wanted chips, so ordered a separate side of them, however the burgers all came with chips (of course)

my burger

Justin & burger

Mark looking thoughtful (texting Karen?)

Had a good night there, and chatted with Paul (Bryn's Dad), as Bryn was away on holiday in Ballina.

Back to the house, and sat in the dining room for a while, before a relatively early night.

Woke up early, it was a lovely morning, so went for a walk into the scrub. I was surprised by how the landscape and vegetation changed.

looks pretty desolate

road to .....?

different sort of trees

white quartz

Given that there are lots of tracks, I made sure that when I came to forks in the road that I put a stick down pointing in the direction I was supposed to go

didn't want to get lost

I also came across old building sites, who knows what they were

the outline of an old building

scalloped edges

the posts that alerted me to a an old building

The walk was about 6km return, as I had my sportstracker on my phone.  Mark was up when I returned and we had some breakfast/coffee, and Justin soon joined us.

Alex and April came up in the afternoon, and Justin got into the sanding of the floors (very dusty)

My phone's photos were playing up a bit, so I don't have any photos from Sunday.  Mark did stuff in the garden ie rejigged all of the brick circles around the trees and refilled them with mulch.  Justin had scathingly said that it looked like Xavier and Michaela had done the brick circles originally.  I was a bit miffed at this, as it had been me and Mum,  however Mark really did a stirling job.

Good job Mark!

Given Terry's hospitality yesterday, we invited him around for dinner tonight (Sunday).  I'd made up 4 x pizzas, but didn't think that would be enough for the 7 of us, so roasted up a chicken from the IGA also, as well as a salad.  As it was there was enough pizza (couple of slices left over), but better safe than sorry.  And another good night was had by all.

Monday morning and another nice early walk.  This time it was sunnier.  Went a slightly different way at the start, but ended up on the same path.

looks nicer in the sun

wildflowers - some sort of bottlebrush?

other wildflowers

And also saw some strange looking ant mounds?

looks like coral

more ant mounds

Kept my eyes peeled for gold nuggets,, as there were a lot of diggings around, and also rivulets in the track where the water had run (it had rained last night).  Unfortunately didn't find any nuggets, or even specks.  Did wander down one path, to look at something, and then came back to my main path , and was surprised to hear and then see two old blokes walking down the path towards me, maybe 50metres away.  Gave me quite a start, in the middle of no where.  I raised my arm to wave hello, but I guess they weren't looking as they didn't wave back.  I didn't stick around to find out, and started walking again briskly.  I didn't want to freak myself out, but was starting to have some paranoid type thoughts, and wa listening intently for the crunch of gravel/dirt behind me. Obviously nothing happened, but I was a little concerned for a while.  Already had my psychopath thoughts re people with wheelbarrows and bodies, luckily they didn't have a wheelbarrow!

Got back and was surprised to find Justin up and about spraying the path with some poison that Alex had brought up

justin poisoning the path

After breakfast it was back to work - Alex and April donned work clothes too, filling in the holes we'd after we'd hammered in the nails

actually an odd shot with an odd perspective

that looks more believable

Justin had also wanted to move the cubby house under the big tree.  He figured there were the 4 of us here, so we should be able to move it.  Well, it was a bit heavy, so I went for further help.  Weren't enough boys at the butchers, so tried the Royal.  Paul was sitting reading out the front, so I tried to Tom Sawyer him into it. He said he'd close the pub, but I didn't want him to do that.  So he called down his chef  Nathan who came and gave us a hand.  Good, strong and helpful Nathan was better than I was, and they moved the cubby house easily under the tree.  Will still have to steady it, but it looks a lot better there now

Old Tooronga Rd cubby house now in position #1

Old Tooronga Rd cubby house now in position #2

Poor old Justin was still sanding and sanding, I don't think the other blokes really liked doing it, and I wasn't invited (or I assume allowed to do it)

looks like he's getting sick of it

he's exhausted

Meanwhile Mark toiled away in the garden, dismantling the old tank stand at the back in order to get more bricks for the circles around the trees. And spreading more mulch.  All according to the grand plan in my head.  I don't like that old tank stand so if it can be re-used in a useful manner all the better

dismantling the tank stand

re-mulching and re-circling the heritage orchard trees

re-mulching and re-circling the heritage orchard trees #2

I did more gardening/weeding, and decided to throw away my old boots, whose soles had disintegrated, and come away from the top of the shoe... Sad day when that happens

farewell old boots

And I was also emptying out the scullery, and filling the shelves in the shed.  This is also part of the grand plan, as Justin wants to make some doors for the shelves, and then transfer the kitchen crockery etc to the scullery so it's closer to the dishwasher.  Took a lot longer than you'd think


Clancy and Julie, our neighbours in Glen Iris came to visit followed by brother Casey with wife Helen, and sister Pam with husband Luigi.(as they were making a weekend of it with their cousin @ the Bridgewater Hotel).  I was still filling nail holes in the yellow room when they came, so Julie came up and kept me company/supervised

Julie inspecting my work

And here's a photo of one of the sanded floors, looking lovely and pristine

how good does it look?

Once done, we joined the others downstairs, and had a well earned glass of bubbles, and then the others came, and we all had a lovely time under the tree.  They even brought their own dips and cheeses and drinks which we all shared - very convivial

A well earned thirst! #1

A well earned thirst! #2

A well earned thirst! #3

And back to us

 After they left I went and had a well earned shower, was lovely to rinse off all that sanding dust, garden dirt, and general country grime.  Oh, and by this stage Karen had also joined us, as it was Monday night

Had dinner at the Empire tonight

having fun #1

having fun #2

Having fun #3

Having fun #4

having fun #5

having fun #6

Tuesday morning of Melbourne Cup Day, and I went for another walk.  Alex had said he would join me, so the 2 of us set off.  Went the same way as yesterday, but a bit further, and came to a road

not exactly sure where we are

just an empty road and 2 shadows

Wasn't sure where it would go, but followed it and eventually arrived at a familiar spot for me, so had gone in a huge square....Unfortunately not sure how long we walked, as I hadn't hit the start button on the sportstracker.  Oh well.

After breakfast eventually got the scullery empty and clean (well swept at least)

empty scullery #1

empty scullery #2

Also discovered a suspected mouse/rat hole

looks like some sort of rodent hole...

And the shed was now filled and organised

look how organised

I spied Justin and Mark discussing my proposed rose bed.  I want more formal shapes, and Justin more organic (but remember he got his way with the removal of the fake wall/little room onto the veranda upstairs - which incidentally EVERYONE thinks looks a whole lot better!)

surveying the proposed rose garden

looking at me accusingly on the veranda

Not sure what Jutsin is doing here - bt of remedial work I expect

corner work

looks good doesn't it

And I was pleased to unpack a load of dishes from the dishwasher - will be even btter when we can put them directly into the cupboards in the scullery

nice clean dishes

All in all a very tiring  and satisfying weekend, got a lot of things done, (still have a lot of things to do (new toilet upstairs that I've been harping on forever), but I was very pleased, and I also think everyone enjoyed themselves.  So I look forward to the next working bee.