Pre Easter 2011 Monday :- Weeding and more weeding

Very cold this morning also, walked down to the IGA for the paper again, and walked back along the main street.  Saw that the butcher was open (7.15am) so went in and looked around.  Had a little chat, he asked if I’d enjoyed my meal the other night at the hotel.  He must have seen us there.   I bought some sausages for tonight, and also some tomato and zucchini chutney and some Italian parmesan and rosemary biscuits that we’ll have with the Hoppers to re-live our Casa Lucati experience.  I’ll go back again tomorrow for dinner supplies with the Hoppers and then again for lunch with the in-laws.

 

Came back and made us all a George Foreman grilled cheese sandwich for breakfast – everyone loved it – in fact J & F had 2.  

Took Fraser up to Becky’s around 10, with an Easter egg for Elise, but she was having a shower – so Fraser came back with me.  Stopped at Nevins to see if it was open – it wasn’t, so came back home. 

 

Walked up to Bendigo bank around the corner, as Gill from Passing Clouds had told us that the Old Loddon Wines person was a lady who worked at the Bendigo  Bank.  So I walked in with Madeleine, and saw 3 people there :- 2 ladies and a man – who looked familiar.  I placed him either at the IGA or the pub – it was the pub – Stewart also worked at the Empire as a barman. I then asked if the lady associated with Old Loddon Wines was there – she was – but was on the phone.  Once she had finished I explained how I had gone searching for her winery yesterday – and asked if she had any of the 2003 Merlot Franc left.  She did – and said she’d deliver it later today –how’s that for service?  Came back and did some weeding – got the kids to come out and help also – weeds outside the front fence- a bit of an eyesore. 

Becky came back with Elise, and also Brian who we showed around the house.  He then took Elise off to Port Fairy for Easter, and Becky returned home.  

More weeding etc and also trimmed dead fronds off the palm tree at the front

, and then we went to Bridgewater for lunch.  Stopped at the Red Couch cafe and F and I had the burgers with the lot, M had a chicken parma, and J had a foccacia – all very good.  Then onto Wheelhouse Garden Supplies where we ordered some mulch.  J always gets cross with me if I weed and then don’t mulch/cover the bare ground – as he thinks it’s a waste of my time.  They said that they would deliver tomorrow afternoon.  We then thought that we would drive onto Dunolly –as Jill from  Passing Clouds had said that there was a very good produce shop there.  Well, Dunolly was  a lovely little town – with a Georgian looking mansion – Bell House.  Unfortunately the Wright on Broadway was closed, so we only really drove through – without stopping.  The kids basically slept right through it.  They really are sleeping a lot here – fresh country air – no noise etc .

Road home from Dunolly

Came home and did a little more work, and went to the IGA to get the kids a promised drink (as they’d slept through Dunolly.  I also wanted to buy a lemon tree and put it in the front where the cottoneaster had been. Unfortunately they didn’t have any regular lemon trees, they had dwarf trees – that didn’t say how tall they would become, and there were limes, oranges, cumquats and grapefruits – but no lemons.  They might get some in later in the week.

Came home and then started up the hot water machine for our 1^st showers here – but first had to scrub down the bath.  Having a shower seems to be a 2 person job – one person manning the machine, and the other wetting themselves down, and then turning off the water (as we don’t have infinite water supplies)  then soaping up, and lastly turning the water back on and rinsing off.  It felt surprisingly good and luxurious to have a warm (not hot) shower – and lovely to be clean – after the dirt and dust of gardening.

Everyone had a shower  - kids kicking and screaming a bit.

Once all scrubbed, J and I retired to the veranda and had a gin and tonic – lovely!  The other lovely thing was that it was quite mild, unlike the previous night where we froze.  

Had the sausages with the chutney, some boiled potatoes and salad for dinner – simple but good.  The kids had also wanted to get a dvd – to watch on the lap top. We relented, as although they had been horrendous in the morning – arguing and being quite rude to J & I – they did knuckle down and became helpful with the weeding.  F and I walked down to the IGA and F chose The Other Guys – a mismatched cop buddy film with Will Ferrrel & Mark Wahlberg..... it was quite funny.  We all lounged  in the  King sized bed and watched together.   Kids went to bed after this, J read and I watched an episode of Tangle, and then read a bit myself.