Ghost bunnies and smart mice

Mad and I drove to Inglewood this weekend (9th April), while Justin and Fraser followed in the ute.

Past the Marong turnoff there were lots of dry tumble-weeds blowing across the road.  In some places there were huge drifts of them.  I thought they looked like "ghost bunnies" frolicking and bouncing across the road, Mad took a photo through the windscreen, and you can just see a few as blurs...



ghost bunnies (blurs on the road)

Got to Inglewood around 1.30 (would have got there 1/2 hour earlier - but the Bolte Bridge on-ramp was closed - so had to get off at Todd Road and in effect u turn back onto the freeway heading east and onto citilink again that way)  Picked up Elise, and then onto Nimmitabel.
Unpacked Helen's doona, J's guitar, the water heater thingy etc.  Had some more passers by stop for a chat and ask about the house.

Went up to the IGA to buy some supplies, and J & F arrived in our absence.  J discovered that mice had discovered our treasure trove of dry food.  I thought it would be safe in a wire mesh cupboard.  J had heard one 2 weeks ago, and had plastered up a small hole in the back of the cupboard,  However they had pushed through this (eaten the plaster?) and had attacked a bag of coconut, appareently a whole packet of noodles, some chips etc etc.  Not happy!

mouse mess!

J and I then unloaded our latest ebay purchase, a large reproduction bookshelf.  Was quite heavy, and we found that the floor in the dining room isn't quite even at the walls - as it leaned forward a little alarmingly.  J said that we had to get a thin piece of wood to prop it at the front.

Anyway, I went to buy some local eggs and ended up buying them from the local hardware store operated by our neighbour David.  He  keeps chicken, so sells eggs, I also asked him if he sold bits of wood - it was that sort of shop where it looked as though you could buy anything.  Anyway, he didn't have thin strips, but did give me a couple of small wedges (which he uses for axe handles) And yes, they did the trick. 

Gordon was there when I got back, whipper snipping out the back, he had also sawn off the old mulberrry branches and ivy - so it was a lot more spacious out the back  It really was amazing how thick the ivy was

mulberry branch to the right, ivy =3 x smaller branches on the left

 By this stage it was quite windy and a bit of rain was whipping up also.  I had thought of doing some work in the garden, but that's about as far as I got, as it was quite unpleasant.  So I read the paper on the veranda.

I also returned to David's store for some more wedges and a couple of mouse traps

So, we straightened up the bookshelf and it looks quite good (also filled it a bit)  Gordon left as the weather was unpleasant for him also

new bookshelf

new bookshelf #2

Justin had invited Gordon back for a drink he he returend an hour or 2 later - and we all adjourned to the veranda - with some Italian white wine ( I had asked for some chilled local white at the IGA - but they didn't have any, did have some non chilled white though) and some dips, biscuits and olives.  Although still relatively warm , it wasn't as nice a day as a couple of weeks ago when we were up there with Becky.

Gordon told us how there were plans to turn the Town hall into a community hub, and he said that people wondered if we would mind, being directly opposite.  We said no, it would be great,  - we'd be pleased to see the town hall used again and done up.  By the way, the clock chimes weren't working again.  Wonder what the story is?

Becky arrived around 5.30 or so - and we offerd her a red (were out of white by this stage) Gordon left soon afterwards, and then the 6 of us walked down to dinner.  Bucking the trend we went back to the Empire as Fraser hadn't been there yet, and was keen to try a Chicken Kiev after M had said how good it was.  Was raining a bit walking down there- should get ouselves some Nimmi umbrellas.

Despite F wanting the chicken Kiev, he had a Hawaiian chicken schnitzel, Mad had a parma, J had a rancho chicken schnitzel again, and I had the Spanish chicken schnitzel

waiting on dinner...

still waiting...

.. and here it is...Fraser's dinner

..and my dinner with inelegantly placed cutlery, hastily
put down in order to take an inpromptu photo

Had a bottle of 2003 Old Loddon Merlot & Franc - rather good - we'll drop by the winery next time and see if we can buy a box.

The kids surprisingly didn't finish up their dinner, so the waitress put the meat  scraps in a plastic bag for us as yabby food for tomorrow. The kids then went home before us.

We followed a little later, J and I had to run through the rain, a police car drove past us, and we wondered if we looked suspicious running, but they didn't stop.

Becky joined us, and we sat and chatted in the kitchen.  J donned his round John Lennon sunglasses, and played his guitar for us.

Blind boy Justin

The kids were watching Harry Potter in the dark on M's laptop - and by the away - she found her mobile phone charger - hooray!  It had been missing for a month!

Kids watching Harry Potter in the dark

So stayed and chatted in the kitchen for a while, and Elise had a sleepover.  J set the mouse traps before bed - peanut butter to attract them.

Unfortunately Nimmi mice are just too smart, they licked off the peanut butter and did not set off the traps.  J had  to adjust the traps to make them more "hair trigger" - reset them before we left - so we're expecting some dividends when we return on Saturday

Had our traditional breakfast of bacon and eggs on the bbq.  Elise had cereal.

J also fired up the water heating mechine so that we could mop down some of the floors. What a boon to humanity (or at least us) that machine is- it even generates steam!  He hooked it up to the large tub he had bought to catch the water from the leaking roof

"barrel girl" demonstrating water heating machine

And then he started mopping, and I of course had to take some photos of this ....



Dining room - mood lighting mopping



around the corner mopping

mopping with movement



Mopping with chess players in background

with sunlight streaming through window

Chees players by falling down wallpaper

As you can see in the above photos Fraser and Elise were playing chess while J was mopping and I was taking photos.  Not sure what M was up to at this stage.

I also took some more photos of that spider in the garden near the bay window.  It has a huge web, and is huge itself.



outisde the dining room



jacaranda as background

 Also during the morning a man dropped in and gave Justin a photocopy of an old photo of the house - and said that he had the original - which we hope to be able to scan and get a proper copy of (as he lives close by in Hawthorn).  What a beauty!  Wide gravel paths, "islands"  of garden, white picket fence after the more formal wrought iron fence.  J is keen to re-create the formal garden on that side in a similar manner.  You can even see peole on the veranda, and also someone in the doorway down stairs.  Tiveys we presume...  also no sight of that enormous cedar tree.

Anyway, we were keen to hurry up so that we could go yabbying - with our leftover meats from last night.

We all drove up to the reservoir and let the kids off near the lookout path.  The kids went off yabbying and J and I walked up to the lookout.  Took my camera and the binoculars this time.  We could make out the town hall tower and that was about it! (can't really see the tower in this photo though - maybe if it was bigger)

View towards Inglewood - where is it?

View towards working gold mine? (could hear the machinery)

Started raining a bit, so went back to the kids.  Unfortunately no luck with the yabbies, had put a few lines in, and Elise had spied a dead yabby.  But no bites at all, maybe they're not so fond of cooked meat....
Anyway, we tried....

Madeleine hamming it up for the camera

Elsie and Fraser trying their luck

Anyway, we had to call it quits around 11.45 or so, as F and I had to leave by 12 noon at the latest in order to be home by 2, and at footy by 2.30.  So we packed up, and dropped Elise back home.  J and M followed a little later in the Ute. I'm looking forward to coming back next week for a longer time frame - ie 5 days or so  - should be able to get a lot more done....