Christmas in July 13 & 14 July 2019

Firstly had  an action packed Saturday assisting in a CWA Pasta Masterclass at Umina

Which meant that I didn't leave til late afternoon

I wouldn't normally have left this late, however it was Christmas in July, and I didn't want to miss it.

Got to Kingower around 7pm after a brief pit stop at Inglewood to grab some wine and a warm jacket, and turn on the new heater in my room

Terry and the others had set a lovely table in the Church for about 20 of us

Introductory nibbles of smoked salmon/salami etc on croutons

I realised that it was the first time that I hadn't helped with dinner preparations for a long time! However I did assist in plating up.

Entree was avocado and prawns with pickled carrot

Main was huge! and the below photo didn't even have everything on it yet. ie 3 x meats - turkey, beef and lamb, jacket potato, cheesy broccoli/cauliflower, pumpkin, peas/carrots and gravy.  I think that was it.  It certainly covered the plate!

And dessert was a ginger cupcake with ginger sauce and cream - delicious

So, ate, drank (not too much) and was merry - and then drove home

Was thrilled by how warm my room was upon my return - nice and cosy!

Read for a bit, and then lights out

Awoke for some reason rather early, so switched the heater back on, and then went back to sleep

Was once again rather pleased by how warm the room became

Normally in Winter when I wake up my face is rather cold, but the rest of me is warm.  This time I was all warm. Photo below with the heater, to the left of the bed

Given that the last few weeks had been quite hectic ie CWA afternoon tea etc - I thought I'd take it easy.  Made myself a modest breakfast in bed - toast and coffee and stayed put til around 10am -- how decadent!

Had thought about doing some gardening, but it was really quite miserable, spitting and then raining.  Managed to get the trestle tables from last weekend into the car, and also inspected the trellis fence that Troy had put up before the CWA weekeend

Around 11am  went and had a leisurely coffee with Denise eat the bakery, which is now under new management

Went back there an hour later to pick up a green chicken curry pie for lunch - yum

And saw that there is a vintage steam train ride to Sealake in few weeks. could be fun

More reading, and just pottering around after lunch - a thoroughly lazy day!

CWA Metro meets Country July 5 -7th 2019

This was the long awaited CWA weekend....

I guess I had bored/intrigued some of my Ashburton CWA gals about Inglewood, so some of them  were curious about it.  I suggested they come up for a weekend, and then perhaps rashly suggested that I contact some of the local groups in the area, and see if they wanted to come along also.  To try and make it a city group meets the country groups type event

I guess I expected maybe 10 or so to come....

Well, at first there was not really any response, but then RSVPs started to come in, and I figured that there were close to 40 rural gals, and 7 of us from the Ashburton group.

Initially I'd thought I'd have it in the dining room, with an open fire, and a couple more trestle tables.  And then if it were a nice day, I could have it outside.

Well the expected numbers were too much for that....with a final 33 expected to come

When the first few RSVPs came through, and they offered to bring some food, I told them no (hopefully graciously) as I was inviting them, so I would cater for them.  However as the numbers increased, if they volunteered to bring something, I gladly accepted.

Cooked up some goodies on the Friday - onion tart, sweet potato and bacon fritatta, lime yogurt syrup cake, and the shredded chicken mixture for sandwiches

And then the dreaded task of packing the ute.

Got Fraser to help me - and also discovered at this time that some inconsiderate and dishonest person had run into the back of my car while I was parked at the local shopping centre.  Didn't leave a note, and either we pay the $1800 repair bill, or we claim on insurance and increase our premium. Not happy!

Anyway, packed 4 x trestle tables, 2 x foldup chairs, 4 x new panel heaters in their boxes, tablecloths, more crockery, the food etc

It was a lot, ute was full!

Left around 3.30pm, but there was traffic, so arrived in Inglewood around 6pm

Unloaded (took a while), and realised that I'd left a crucial box of cups behind (got Margaret to pick them up for me on Saturday morning)

And then had dinner - leftovers and a glass of wine

Texted Terry to see if he could lend me some cups (had discussed this with him the previous week anyway)

And he then rang me, and invited me to Arlene and David's - so off I went (otherwise would have just watched some Monarch of the Glen episodes)

Had a very pleasant evening, and Arlene lent me some cups and saucers also

Saturday morning, and I was up and at em...

It was quite cold though - with frost on the ute cover

Quick breakfast, and then a chair audit.  I had 31 possible chairs (now expected 33 people), so only needed 2 additional chairs if I used the 6 kitchen chairs. and then up to Terry's to get the additional tables.  He had suggested that with that many expected guests that I have 12 tables 6 long x 2 wide with 3 chairs per table.  And he also lent me some additional cups and saucers

He also volunteered to come back to Inglewood and help me set them up - which I initially declined, saying that I could do it, but then readily accepted, as these things take longer than you think

So, he came back and helped me unload, and also set up

I had my calico tablecloths which weren't quite wide enough for the double width tables.  He suggested that I come back to Kingower and borrow his, and also get his additional chairs, which we had forgotten to pack earlier

He left, as Margaret and her partner Rob arrived.  ( I later commandeered Rob to put the wheel stands
on the 4 heaters that I'd bought, he kindly did so)

I also needed an egg for the red velvet cupcakes that I was making (wanted them fresh for today,m syrup cake an other things could take being a day old).  I had been up to David's and he hadn't collected the eggs as yet.

So I drove up to Kingower yet again, borrowed the table cloths, got the chairs and nicely asked for an egg.

Back to Inglewood, and by this stage, most of the other Ashburton CWA crew had arrived.

Advised them of their rooms, and cracked on with the cupcakes.  Kaylene came and volunteered to make up the chicken sandwiches

And the others continued with the tables outside - arranging the chairs, putting out the plates and cups and saucers etc

We were lucky it was such a brilliant day.  Terry had said it was the best day for 2 weeks. And it really was - sunny and blue and still.

Back to the cupcakes, and I was slopping the mixture around a bit when putting into the patty pans.  Kaylene ordered me to go away and sit down, have a cup of tea, she and Anne could finish up, so I did, and so did they. I really appreciated that, as I felt like I had been an energiser bunny rushing around for hours. 

Scrounged up some leaves and flowers for table decorations.

Had 2 tables for the food in the shade (after all it was a sunny day)

 
And then another table with an urn that I'd borrowed from Kim, and coffee, tea, multiple coffee plungers and teapots


And then, they started to arrive....(the first one 15 minutes early!).   And pretty much all of the rest of them by 2pm

So we ate

We chatted

And some of us posed

 And if I do say so, it was a great success!  I told them I might even do it again next year, although would probably do so in the Spring rather than Winter again

a lot of them were interested in having a look at the House, so I gave them a tour also!

Had a photo opportunity on the veranda

And then another one down below from the veranda

 Anyway, they left around 4 or so, and then us Ashburton crew cleaned up and up and put everything away - obviously so much quicker than just me and Terry!

And speaking of Terry he'd invited us up to the Village Green for the 1st Saturday of the month get together

Given that we were all packed up, and that it was still a beautiful late afternoon, off we went with a few bottles of wine (and Terry's tables and chairs to give back in time for next week's Christmas in July)

Terry had also set up a fire in a brazier, so it was very cosy

 

 Stayed til around 7pm, and then back to Inglewood, and the Royal for dinner

Margie welcomed us warmly, and we had a lovely dinner.  Most of us having her delicious porterhouse steaks

 And then back to the house where I made a roaring fire in the dining room, and then board games, more wine, and some port were broken out

Also had one of the heaters on in the dining room, and it seemed to work rather well.

Sunday morning, and a late-ish breakfast in the dining room.  Despite it being such a sunny blue day yesterday, it was overcast and threatening rain.

Given that the rain was supposed to come later.  I suggested that we go to Melville Caves first, which we all enjoyed

We then dropped in on Maille and David who of course had invited us up last night.  Some of the gals were interested to see how they lived off grid

Couldn't stay too long, as Margaret and Rob needed to meet some friends in Bendigo at 2.30

Had a look around, admired the views and the citrus, and then back to the house

Some of the gals were also interested in going to a winery- so I suggested Water Wheel

As it was, they ended up all being interested if we didn't stay too long

So off we all drove to Bridgewater

Peter C was there, and regaled us with amusing anecdotes.  He said that he wouldn't normally be open on a Sunday during Winter, but had a few chores to do (luckily for us)

And luckily for him also - as I think all of us bought at least a few bottles after a few tastings

Then back to Inglewood and the Bakery to get some pies for lunch

Had them in the dining room - with the heater on, and then some of yesterday's goodies for afters, and by this stage the rain had set in

The gals left in a few waves after lunch

And I was left in the now empty house, exhausted, but very satisfied with my weekend

Catch up with Lesley & Chris, and a tidy up June 27 and 28th 2019

Fraser and Basil and I drove up in the near constant rain on Saturday morning, and met Justin at the house.

Everything is so green, and there are puddles of water, luckily not in the kitchen this time

Let our cat Basil out of his travel cage, and he wandered around, re-exploring the house.  Fraser closed the door into the room above the kitchen as he likes to get in there, and then burrow down in a hole he's made at the bottom of one of the mattresses - bad cat!

However, he is still strangely reluctant to cross the doorway into the scullery.  I wondered if this would change after having got rid of the ratty old lino, but no he still doesn't want to come in and then through to the kitchen.

Justin took a bit longer to arrive - lots of rain on the way from Geelong also.

Once he arrived, we set off for Bendigo to meet Lesley and Chris for lunch at the Wine Bank on View Street.  They had gone to see the Royal Portrait Exhibition - from Tudors to Windsor

Had a pleasant lunch, although the coq au vin could have been  cooked in more vin - actually it didn't seem as though it was cooked in any wine at all.  Was still nice though

Given the weather, and the company, whiled away some hours here, and waited til it had stopped pouring before we left,

Fraser drove back, and we worked out what we were going to have for dinner before going up to Kingower for the movie

Given our large lunch, we decided on simple bacon and eggs

I ended up giving J & F a "hall pass" re the movie, as it was a bit of a miserable evening, so they stayed at home while I drove there very slowly - around 60kph

Arrived at the church, and it wasn't too cold, in fact there was even a bit of warmth.  Terry, Arlene, David and June were there, and Terry presented me with a gavel and base which he had so kindly made for me during the week.  I was really touched, and very appreciative

We waited a little while, and a few more people came - Chris & Mark, and Jan & Geoff

The movie - the Man who Knew too much - was pretty good (bit corny at times).  Terry had chosen it in tribute to Doris Day who had died a few weeks ago

Hung around and chatted for a little while, and then back down the Kingower Road at a stately 60kph - and no kangaroos

Had a little bit of a sleep in on Sunday (took a while to fall alseep)

Toast and coffee for breakfast, and did a bit of planting - some poppies from home, and also a loquat

I hope the loquat survives, as it will be about the 3rd one I've planted (luckily all self seeded from home)

And, the jonquils have just started....hopefully more will be in bloom for my CWA weekend next week

Went up to David and Arlene's around 11am, as David had bought a Mirror dinghy, and Justin had volunteered to help him rig it

Seemed to go quite well, although perhaps a few pieces were missing

Back to the house, and Justin and Fraser chopped up some firewood

And I tidied up inside - and they came and helped with that afterwards, as I wanted it as good as can be for the CWA....