Easter 2016 :- Thursday 24 - Monday 28 March 2016

Well, as they say....best laid plans...

I had intended to paint the upstairs (blue) room, but Mad and Fraser came with us for at least part of Easter, so the paint brushes were never picked up.  Justin had rightly suggested that we should try and make it "fun" for them - as opposed to doing chores.

Anyway, Mad drove up on Thursday night after dinner, in order to get her driving hours up so that she can get her P plates. Was a bit hair raising for me in the back seat, but we made it there in one piece.

Although I said we didn't pick up the paint brushes, Justin actually did to oil the wood on the new fence

very careful painting

Madeleine came to supervise - while eating

supervising

more painting and eating

She also liked my old overalls for some reason - and so wanted to wear them - to help Justin paint

Mad in my overalls

Meanwhile, Fraser and I decided to "play" tennis - that is we had tennis racquets, a ball, and a tennis court, just no net.

We  hit the ball around a bit on the netball/tennis courts, and then had a "game".  Any controversial shots ie might or might not have gone over/under the net were replayed.  Had fun though (and Fraser won)

Fraser

Me

Given that it was Good Friday, I made up a very nice fish pie for dinner, and we watched Collateral (unfortunately I fell asleep, but no surprises there)

On Saturday, I thought I'd be nice and get everyone a modest breakfast in bed.  Toast for all, plus coffee for Justin, and banana milkshakes for the kids

mobile and breakfast in bed

taking Mad's breakfast tray

After breakfast we thought we'd see if the golf course was open and have a hit of golf.  Fraser drove us there (he's on his L Plates also), and we had a brief wander around, but there were no flags in, so we assumed that it was closed.

We then drove over to the footy oval, and started hitting shots there.  We all hit some surprisingly good balls and had a lot of fun.

Fraser teeing up

Justin examining something

Justin teeing up

Then back to the house for some lunch out in the garden

antipasto lunch

The kids then played a bit of totem tennis - which is a favourite

Totem tennis isa lotta fun (from the old ad) 

Totem tennis isa lotta fun (from the old ad)  #2

Totem tennis isa lotta fun (from the old ad) #3

But, back to the golf - we had so much fun earlier,  that later in the afternoon, Justin, Fraser and myself hit practice golf balls in the garden, and all did very well then too.

Justin swinging

Justin has just hit the ball

Justin took quite a few photos of myself and Fraser - and because of the time lapse?  the golf clubs seem bent in some of the photos

Four!

look at that concentration

 

four again

getting ready

almost

what a shot!

and again

and again for Fraser

So, we had a great time - unfortunately Mad didn't come out, so we're all much better golfers than her now!  Also didn't have to worry about making divots in the grass - because there wasn't any!  In fact, believe it or not sometimes we missed the ball, and so sent up plumes of dust - unfortunately for Justin he didn't get any on the photos of this ( I did cheekily say we could have staged a shot, and Justin, ever the purist wouldn't hear of it.)

Despite all the dust - there were also some glimmers and teases of green grass

some tentative green grass

The kids wanted to catch the 5.30pm train back to Melbourne on the Saturday night, so we drove them into Bendigo, and dropped them at the station.  And I think (or tried to persuade them) that they had had a good time.

Bendigo station

Bendigo station #2

Justin and I thought we'd have dinner in Bendigo, but didn't realise that there was an Easter parade with people lining up and down the main streets in position some hours before the parade started

pre parade crowds #1

pre parade crowds #2

pre parade crowds #3

Apre parade crowds #4

So, we wandered around trying to find somewhere good to eat. The restaurants on the parade path were pretty busy, so we also looked in the side streets. Ended up at a Turkish place which was pretty good.

part of our Turkish dinner

Watched a little bit of the parade when we finished dinner - lots of local fire engines and I assume fire crews marching.  Unfortunately for me, Justin's not much of a parade person, so we only stayed a few minutes, and then drove back to Inglewood (luckily no kangaroos)

Bendigo Street parade of fire engines

you can see the fire engine now

Sunday, and Jan and Peter joined us for lunch (left over fish pie and salad - delicious!).  Showed them around what we had done since they've been here last ie sanded and polished floors upstairs, new lights, bedside tables etc.  They were very kind and complimented us on how much we had done ( we don't think we've done that much at all really)

Also put up some of Justin's Granny/Grandpa European paintings in the yellow room

Granny/Grandpa paintings

And took a photo of Basil making himself very comfortable on the new chaise longue

Basil making himself comfortable

Anyway, had a very enjoyable afternoon and went for a walk in the scrub/bush later to show them the eucy iron wrecks etc - and continued on a circuit that I've walked before

walking through the scrub

Found some large bones just by the side of the road - one hopes and assumes not human

unidentified bones

Dinner - and we had yummy homemade pizzas.  I'd done the dough in the bread maker, and then assembled the fillings, while Justin cooked them in the pizza oven.  Sarah had joined us by then, and we had a lovely dinner under the tree

not such a good one of me - oh well

Monday, and it was Easter Monday which meant only one thing! The 146th Rheola Show,.  Peter being an old country boy was keen to go to an old fashioned real country show.  And he wasn't disappointed.  We actually arrived very early, almost as they were setting up - 10-ish.  I made a beeline for the cake stall and snaffled 2 x yummy CWA sponges.  One for me and the kids, and the other for Helen and her kids.  Left them at the stall, as I didn't want to put them in the hot car, nor carry them around all day.

me and the cakes at the end of the day, on the way back to the car 

Given that we were early, the sheep dog trials and wood chop hadn't started yet, but the mystery steam machines and vintage cars were there for us to look at.  Justin had taken 2 x short videos of one of the machines clanking along -  which I have tried to insert as per below.  But it doesn't look very hopeful - I can't get it to work here.  Maybe Justin will be able to figure it out for me.  Helen and the kids found us there at Rheola, as they were staying on for the school holidays, while Jan & peter were back to Ocean Grove after this.

a still of the above hay bale making machine

Hay bale making machine #2

a nice symbol on one of the vintage cars

And then there were the tractors - sadly no old Oliver again this year

 

tractor pull #1

Tractor pull #2

tractor pull #3

Also some skeet shooting



There was the Rheola Gift and children's races

Here is Michaela

and Xavier went in a race also

And tombola games - I won one! - some plastic toy that I gave to the kids.  Had to hook a bamboo hoop over the prize of choice






Of course the sheep dog trials

And Michaela also had a bit of fun non an old fashioned slide

And that was pretty much it, Left Rheola after 1 or so, back to the house to tidy up etc, and then back to Melbourne.