A lot of weeding Friday 26th - Sunday 28th September 2025

Well, Shane hadn't come over to weed/fix up the turf between when were up last weekend and now - so I came up to Inglewood Friday afternoon

It was (AFL) Grand Final Day - a public holiday - Justin stayed home in Melbourne

As always I had wanted to get up earlier than I did 

Got to Inglewood at 5pm - changed into my overalls and weeded til around 6.30 - and once again I was getting cold

This is what it looked like on Friday at 5.15pm

On Saturday morning I only did minimal puzzles, and minimal reading of the Saturday Age.  I did have breakfast in bed though

However I was out in the garden in my overalls (and puffer jacket at the start as it was cold) weeding at 9am

This is what I had accomplished within 2.5 hours at 11.30am - you can certainly see the weeding demarcation line

 

and this is what I still had to do

I basically stayed weeding all day til 6pm with 1/2 hour off for lunch

I did have 2 sets of visitors - Maile and David who asked where they could buy tickets for our garden party.  had to tell them that it was sold out

And Terry also visited to say hello

I kept right on weeding while chatting to them

And this is what it looked like by 6pm

 And a slightly different view when I commenced at 9am again on Sunday morning

Yes, it looks nearly done - but there was still more to do around the pomegranates, and also the pathways - I want it looking really nice for the Garden party.  I know that people probably won't look that closely - but I want it done

Carolyn came over to help mid morning and stayed til late afternoon

I despatched the acanthus which had pushed through the gravel near the back door.  I really had to dig it out - hopefully have all of it - but probably not...

Then I filled in the hole, and poured water over it 

Voila - hopefully will be ok -ish

Carolyn and I worked like navvies - I offered her lunch - but she said she doesn't really eat lunch, so I didn't either today - just worked through (did have another coffee each though)

My last self imposed job was the back driveway to the garage - looked awful....

 

But we did it - and also piled up all of the other weeds onto a pile on the driveway.  Didn't look that big.  But I had filled the bin again

I think we finished around 3.00pm or so - I was exhausted and stiff from crouching down for 2 days.  But very pleased that we had made it look so good.  Now all Shane has to do is mow the grass

Michelle also sent me a text to invite me to her Art opening next Friday - and said the invitation was in the letterbox

Merry Wives of Windsor and a Canadian visit 19 - 21 September 2025

Drove up with Justin on Friday night

Dinner party leftovers for dinner  - fancier than normal leftovers

Saturday, and a leisurely lie in  - I made us a modest breakfast in bed, as we were having Peter and Margaret from Winnipeg come and visit and stay for lunch

Pulled out a few weeds before they came 

Gave them a tour of the house - while Justin went to the IGA and got more bread and some smallgoods

Had pate, red dip, a variety of cheeses, ham, salami, salad  etc - one of our typical grazing lunches

   

We ate in the dining room, as it was a bit too windy outside

Was very pleasant

Margaret gave me a very specialised Canadian  cookbook because it was about Manitoban cuisine

After they left back out to the garden for me - have to get rid of the more noticeable weeds - need everything looking as good as possible for our upcoming garden party

Stayed out til after 6pm, and was getting a bit cold

So a bath was in order - Justin brought me in a G&T and some cheese and crackers - very nice

Watched a Jennifer Lawrence movie on Netflix - was quite amusing 

Another lazy Sunday morning - Justin said we should have a sign made up - no callers before 11.30am

However there was one - we sort of pretended not to be there - as we were still in our pajamas. But then my mobile phone rang....

It was Clancy our neighbour from Melbourne, I'd forgotten that he said he might drop in on Sunday, on his way to Mildura ...

Anyway, we opened up for him, and showed him around - as he hadn't been up for ages

Had a cup of coffee and a piece of my banana cake - and then I got dressed into my overalls and back outside to the weeding 

Am a little concerned that there may be another leak (or the pipe wasn't fixed properly) on the side of the house

It's permanently damp and moss/algae is forming - and the ground is dry and hard elsewhere

But bloody weeds are growing in the ground - which are now hard to pull out - not happy!

Started on the turf too -  at least these weeds are easy to pull out.  Shane said that he'd take care of it - but its less than 2 weeks to go, and I don't want brown spots, I'd prefer to hand weeds them out.  Although I have already filled the bin with weeds

Justin also came out and raked up the debris on the paths

Found a dead crow almost hidden by the weeds in the turf

Well I certainly made a difference with just a few hours - had to leave the weed piles there - as there is no room in the bin- 

Finished up around 1.15pm, as I needed to go and have a shower and get dressed for the Merry Wives of Windsor Show which was on at the Town Hall at 2pm, and the doors opening at 1.30pm

We took seats in the second row, Justin didn't want the first row - Rachel and Terry came and sat with us I also saw Anne L, Irene & Neil from Bendigo, Thomas and Simone from Langham Estate, and Jim from Black Wallaby

There were 2 intermissions - during one of which Terry told me that he didn't think the logistics of my run sheet for the Garden party worked - ie needed to open the gates earlier and have more time to serve food

I think it will work - so we tacitly agreed to differ....

Went up onto the veranda as we heard voices, it was Thomas, Simone and Louise from the Hub.  Thomas will be bringing a show to the Town Hall as well as St Augustine's next year for the Keys of Gold festival - sounds great!

Unfortunately we were a little late to the 3rd act - they'd already started 

Well it was a fun show - and pretty much a full house - so hopefully Jamie will be pleased

It finished close to 5pm, we had to rush off and finish up inside our place

Rachel wanted to drop off some further props for the show ie maypoles, some more silverware, a music stand etc. I helped her with them, while Justin finished off the dishes 

I guess we left around 5.30 and got back to Melbourne