Painting with Alex 13 - 15 May 2022

 Am very late in writing this up.... (more than a month late)

Anyway, Alex picked me up on Friday night - and we stopped in Kyneton for dinner

We tried Miss M's Lounge again - but we couldn't get in with out a booking

Went across the road to the George Hotel, but they didn't really do meals anymore - so looked elsewhere.

I asked a bloke standing out the front if he could recommend anywhere - and he suggested the Oaks Grill just down the Road, or else Fook Shing which was a little further

Given that it was raining, and I was still using a crutch for my hip - we elected to go the closer option ie the Oaks Grill  - got the below photo from the internet as it was well and truly dark by the time we got there

Was large and roomy inside - looked like a converted barn

The food was great - had the wagyu burger - delicious

Then onwards to Inglewood - no kangaroos, so all good, stayed up for a while to chat, but then an early night

In the morning - checked out the painting done by Fraser & Rileigh - pretty good.   

But more needed to be done  - ie the skirting board, the windows, and another coat on the cornices

I also noticed that the large central window has a new huge crack running down from the top left of it. Not impressed

Anyway, Alex and I decided to do more painting - and changed into our overalls - had to move some more carpets/furniture

Alex went up the scaffold and ladder

 I couldn't really because of my leg, so I stayed at ground level - firstly putting blue tape along the top of the skirting so as not to paint over the yellow of the walls that Fraser had painted

But he did miss some spots

I used Dulux acrylic 

And got going

Even got quite warm - with the sun coming in - so I was in short sleeves

Had a pie and half sausage roll for lunch on the back deck

And then back to it 

I reckon I did a pretty good job with the skirting boards

Given that we were working, I didn't really feel like cooking dinner - so we thought we'd go to the pub.  also invited Terry - so the three of us went 

I'd booked a bit late, so our "table" was the other end of another "table" - with a guy sitting there eating by himself. I got to chatting to him, and we got to talking about plants - he seemed to know a lot of the botanical names. 

Turns out he did horticulture at Burnley, and he said he'd bring me a book about plants at Maldon - which would have a similar climate as Inglewood.

Anyway, we had  a nice chat, and then he left, and the 3 of us continued on with our meals - which incidentally were pretty good, and came quite quickly.

Back to our place for a little more wine, and then another relatively early night.  

Alex went for a walk in the morning - and took some lovely photos.

Had some breakfast when he got back (meanwhile I was reading in bed while he was walking)

Alex then did some more painting - ie the 2nd coat of the cornice after having done the first coat of the windows yesterday.  I was planning to do the 2nd coat for the skirting - but Justin didn't want me to - didn't think it would be properly dry given that its enamel - so I found other things to keep me busy.

Given that the garden was getting very overgrown - and I'm working full time, so don't have as much time to devote to the garden, I wanted to find a new gardener - to help tidy up, and also do some design etc work ( the previous bloke actually never got started)

I found a new contender on the notice board at the IGA

He came over later on Sunday, and I showed him around, we had a chat, and he seemed pretty good, I thought I could trial him for 10 hours or so, and see what he achieves in that time 

I pottered around cleaning out paint containers/trays - which F & R had left a bit of paint in 

It was acrylic - so came out a bit like rubber

 

 I also filled in a bit of Vic's plastering around the servant bell in the dining room

We went and had lunch at the new cafe - was ok 

When we got back there was an envelope under the door - with a book in it - yep the bloke from the other night had brought me the gardening book that he had mentioned. How lovely of him

Anyway, Alex finished up the cornice, took the blue tape away from up there, and also touched up the yellow of the upper walls, where the paint had come off from the blue tape

And I guess we packed up and left soon after