Uneventful drive, arrived, unpacked and positioned the furniture, looked good, had a look around the garden, at the underpinning etc, as Justin hadn't seen it since it was done.
Also - of course pointed out my section of brickwork that I had fixed up. These bricks actually stand out a bit now, as I had washed them down so repeatedly that they are cleaner/redder than the surrounding bricks.
Christened the rotunda with our first meal in it - a poke bowl type lunch - tuna, tomato, pickled turnip tops etc. The day was cool, but lovely and warmish in the sun.
I had also organised for another handiman to come and have a look at fixing up the sash windows (as they had not been done properly when we had them "fixed" some years before hand). He told me that the wrong cord was used for the large windows, and that also you can adjust the length/tautness of the cord to ensure that they open and close properly. I also spoke to him about doing fly screens - once again properly with a rounded top. He comes recommended and seems to know what he is talking about - pity then that he's not available til next year....
Did some gardening after this, and also filled a large hole that had been dug out under the side dining room window
You can also see my patch of clean bricks that I repointed in the below photo
Had enough around 4pm, showered/warmed up, and made up some mulled wine to take up to Kingower for the 1st Saturday of the month (which was the first one in a long time)
Justin elected to stay at home, didn't feel like braving the potential cold out on the Village Green
As it was, it was much warmer than inside the house, as Terry had a brazier going with a lovely hot fire. And it was a lovely blue sky day - with no breeze (we have gone before when there's been a fire, and ended up with smoke all over us due to windy conditions)
That said, the remaining mulled wine was very nice - and warming, as was the fire. and it was lovely to see all (most of) the old gang again - Terry, Maile & David, Damo and Nicole, Anne L and various extended family members etc. I was also offered more wine, but declined as I'd told Justin that I'd be back by 6.30pm
So, once back home, we had a warming dinner - which was a variation on what I'd had there earlier in the week ie kidney beans, salami, tomato egg - was more liquid than last time, but still pretty good with a couple of pieces of toast
And then to bed. Justin was tired, so didn't feel like watching anything. I started with WE, but got a bit bored with it, so just read
Sunday morning, and it was cold.....Neither of us wanted to get out of our nice warm bed, but Justin eventually did, and brought me some toast and a coffee to have in bed which was very nice of him. I had requested instant coffee, which initially puzzled him. The reason being was that it was hotter than than the nespresso machine coffee, and I wanted to be warmed up
Once we eventually did get up we did some tidying up/sweeping/dusting around the house, as it was quite dusty from the underpinning etc - and a bird had got in at some stage and pooped indiscriminately around the house. Justin eventually found it - under one of the beds in the room above the kitchen. It was an Indian Miner
I had invited Sheryl from CWA and her painter/decorator husband John for the weekend. Reason being was that I had chatted to John a few weeks ago to ask him if he might be interested in doing some wallpapering/plastering etc. I tried painting him a word picture, but then said it would be much better if he could see it, so asked if he and Sheryl might be interested in coming for lunch one weekend, or staying overnight.
They were, so no time like the present - they came up on the Sunday of the Queen's birthday weekend
They arrived around 1pm, and Sheryl was feeling a bit dizzy/wobbly for some reason - so needed John to help her from the car, and she then had to sit down once in the hallway.
She rallied after a few minutes, and Justin gave them the "tour" while I made up a simple lunch. Tuna, corn, mayonnaise, red onion mixed together as a sandwich filling.
Put a bowl of this, some crusty bread, wine, plates and glasses on a tray, and we went and had lunch out on the rotunda - lovely! and yes it was a lovely sunny blue sky day.
Sat and chatted for a while, and then I took them on a tour of the local shops - which had opened for the first time in a long time - due to Corona Virus
Back to the house 5ish, and I started organising the dinner - Inglewood pork, sweet potato mash, and some greens
Given that the kitchen was the only "public" room set up, I had suggested to Justin that we part open up the dining room - ie set up the dining table for 4, and put a couple of arm chairs in front of the fire.
So that's what we did. Justin set up a fire, Sheryl and I sat in front of it, and we had some champagne and lovely cheese, nuts, dried fruit and biscuits that Sheryl and John had brought
Very civilised
Dinner afterwards - unfortunately didn't think the pork was quite up to scratch - yes it's from the same producers, but Jim had said that he used to inject it with apple juice - I wonder if they are doing that still?
Anyway, dinner was not bad, and had some chocolates afterwards
Justin was first to bed around 10.30, then John, while Sheryl and I stayed up a bit longer to chat. I had also said that we like to have a lie in on the weekend, and that we would be up at 9am for breakfast. Hoped I wasn't too prescriptive
Anyway, that's what we did , and they were up soon afterwards
Were going to have breakfast in the kitchen with the heaters on - but it was much nicer in the dining room with the sun streaming through - so did that
And once again it was a lovely day, I suggested that we go up to Melville Caves and have a look around - as they hadn't been in this area before
They loved it - it was another clear blue sky day, so the view was lovely. Quite a few people there (for Melville Caves)
Suggested showing them the crystal mine also - which they enjoyed and we collected some fancy rocks as keepsakes. Mine looked a bit like fools gold, and then the back roads through to Kingower
By this time it was well after 12, so lunch was out in the rotunda again with the rest of the tuna mix, cheeses, and smallgoods etc
Very leisurely until it wasn't....we had intended to leave after lunch as Justin needed to be back in Melbourne for a guitar lesson at 6pm. However chatting and post lunch coffees put paid to that, as suddenly it was 3pm, and we still needed to tidy up and pack.
Did that in a hurry - left, and yes, Justin did get to his lesson on time despite there being a few pockets of end of long weekend traffic on the way back
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