Summer Holidays :- Boxing Day 26 December - 2 January 2020

Caught a lift with Helen and the kids on Boxing Day ( Thursday), as it was going to be hot at Inglewood for the next few days  -ie High 30's - mid 40s.

Justin was going to come up on New Years Eve (Tuesday) when it was only supposed to be about 26 degrees

Anyway, on the drive there Helen said her back was hurting, and she ended up lying down when we arrived, and taking it easy.  Was also feeling nauseous, and had a few small vomits.  No idea what was wrong

We left her to rest, and I walked up to the pool with the kids for a well deserved cool down

Water was lovely and refreshing, stayed there a few hours - and did at one point manage to be the only person in the pool for a short period of time, about 6.30pm

Walked back, the kids had a shower, and I had a G&T in the garden under the tree.  (swapped G&T notes with Justin back in Melbourne)

Helen was still feeling a bit poorly, so didn't really have any dinner.  The kids and I had Christmas leftovers - turkey, ham, onion tart and salads

Kids went to bed, and Helen and I watched La La Land - which I'd seen before - but thought it was quite a lovely film

Friday, and another hot day - stayed reading in bed til around 8am, then a quick breakfast, and watered my parched citrus trees.

Played Trouble with the kids - and told them the secret to my success - ie if given the choice, do not go in front of your opponents - as they might then have the opportunity to capture you.  Michaela started winning after this.  Previously I had pretty much always won!

Pies and pasties from the bakery for lunch - none for Helen as she wasn't hungry (still had the back pain)

And then off to the pool with the kids again after 2pm.  Helen remained behind, and made an appointment with the local doctor - who diagnosed a kidney infection, and put her on antibiotics

After the pool another G&T, this time on the veranda

The kids and Helen also came out to join me

More leftovers for dinner - and then we watched Life Itself, as Helen had wanted to see the film that I had seen with Karen and raved about

She also loved it

Saturday, and another very hot day. More watering by me in the morning, and then dead heading the dried poppy heads and collecting the seeds

Xavier helped me

Invited Terry over for an Iced Coffee frappe which we drank in the dining room.  Made some iced chocolates for the kids. And gave Terry some of the poppy seeds.

And then his time Helen came to the pool in the afternoon, as she was feeling better.

The kids were playing with their friends there, and Michaela asked if her friend Addie could come over for a sleepover - so she did - after dinner - as our leftovers were getting pretty sketchy by this stage, and I pulled some stuff out of the freezer ie dolmades that Terry and I had made a while back.


Sunday, and it was supposed to be a very hot day - around 42 or so.  Did my watering, and then given that the top veranda rail was very dry, I gave it a quick sand, and a 1st coat of oil.  You can see in the below picture where I have oiled, and where I haven't.

Helen still wasn't feeling well, so after oiling the rail, we went into the Emergency Department in  Bendigo.  This was another very hot day -so the only good thing about wasting more than 4 hours of waiting there was that it was air-conditioned

Finally after 4 hours and 20 minutes (we got there at 11.48am, and they saw us at 4.10pm) - Helen was seen by a doctor - who basically couldn't see what was wrong.  But she didn't think it was kidney related, and advised her that she may as well keep on taking the antibiotics, and also to take some painkillers for her back - 2 tablets of paracetemol 4 times a day, and 2 tablets of ibufuron 3 times a day.  She didn't do this, preferred the advice of the Inglewood doctor.

Anyway, got back to Inglewood well after 5pm, had a quick change, and back to the pool for an hour and a half or so (closes at 7pm)

Monday 30th,  and another scorcher - however, given that it was a funny overcast sort of day, ie no radiant heat yet, I called up Terry to see if we could come up and do some yabbying in his dam

The answer was of course

So, we went and bought some bait, and drove up there - but by the time we got there the sun must have broken through the light cloud, and it was already around 35 degrees (in the shade)

We assumed that we wouldn't be yabbying for that long - and Helen actually stayed in the cool of Terry's house

Terry came out with us, and thought that the chicken was not very good bait...had thought that red meat with some blood would be better 

Took a while to catch something....and Xavier was the first - catching two at once!

We caught about 25 all up, and put them in a bucket filled with water

At the end - Xavier caught one with his hands...ie from the string without a net

Given that we only caught 3 or 4 larger ones, we decided to free them all

Went back inside to Terry's after this - was pretty hot by this stage - over 40 degrees

Terry offered us cold drinks - and I drank a very welcome icy G&T - delicious.  He then asked if we'd like to stay for lunch - we did. So he warmed up a yummy spinach and filo pie in the oven which we had with some salad

Helen and the kids were in raptures

Given our late lunch - around 2pm - we left around 3, and I had a nap on our return. Was lovely.  And then back to the pool

I had suggested the pub for dinner - the kids were very keen, but we weren't even that hungry given our largish lunch at Terry's.  So we ordered some nachos and wedges to share, I had a entree size calamari, Xavier had a full size parma, and Michaela had kids chicken nuggets and chips.  Helen grazed on the nachos and wedges.

Steve also gave the kids some icecream - which was nice of him

Back to the house, and we all watched Pitch Perfect together - which the kids found quite amusing - particularly Rebel Wilson

Tuesday 31 (New Years Eve) and only supposed to be 28 degrees or so. We had some kid visitors - who played with Michaela and Xavier. And I finished off with the 3rd coat of oil on the veranda rail  

We were expecting both Justin and Michelle separately.  

They arrived around 1pm and we had a lovely leisurely antipasto lunch under the big tree. Also invited Terry

   

It was really nice, and afterwards retired for a bit of a siesta

The kids and Helen went to the pool, I didn't this time

Made some tuna patties and simple salad for dinner - and had them under the tree again

Wednesday 1, and we used our Christmas present from Sarah - a fancy new 4 piece toaster - worked very well

  

Thought it would be nice to show Michelle Melville's Caves and then go to Waterwheel.  I called Waterwheel first to see if they were open. Peter answered, was only there doing paperwork, but he said we could go. 

Once again he amused us with his stories, and I bought a case of shiraz (excess stock for the Chinese) and Michelle bought some whites  

We were there for quite a while, as Peter was quite the raconteur.

And then onto Melville Caves.  Was a lovely clear day, and not too hot 

Back to Inglewood for lunch - and more of the same antipasto lunch as yesterday - under the tree.  And once again very nice.

Off to the pool, Michelle and Justin elected to remain behind.  The tree guy from Bridgewater came and provided an estimate to Justin to cut down the dead bunya pine - around $700.

Dinner was the remainder of the tuna patties for Helen and Michaela and I made up a simple Patak chicken curry (Michaela had some and loved it)  Once again under the tree.

Upstairs after dinner - and somehow we ended up having a bit of an impromptu concert.  Justin started singing, and was on guitar, and  Helen on the drums.

This of course woke the kids up (probably weren't asleep at that stage) - and Xavier and Michaela then had a shot on the drums.  Michaela and Michelle danced, and I filmed some of it on my mobile. Was a lot of fun

Not so sure about the musical ability, but we all enjoyed ourselves

Lateish start on Wednesday - Michelle and Helen and the kids left before lunch.  Justin and I pottered around, I was making good use of the hammock under the tree, and we left around 3.30

Kingower Christmas night 21 & 22 December 2019

Well, a year to the day that Mum died on 21st December - the day after her birthday

We raised a glass to her yesterday, and then again today ( a couple of times)

J and I got to Inglewood around lunch time - and as per our now established routine had a bakery pie for lunch.

I volunteered to go and get them, but was apparently about an hour, as first I'd bought eggs from David who was chatty, the dropped in on Denise and Steven, then up to the IGA to get some cold beer and milk, and then finally the bakery...J was wondering where I was

So, lunch out the back under the tree, and then into the hammock also under the tree to read - thought I'd take it easy until Karen and Tom arrived around 3.30pm

And the garden was still very dry... the stupid watering system still didn't seem to be working properly.

A few of my new citruses were especially badly hit. Below is a very parched cumquat in the front garden

Justin had to fix up the system yet again - not sure if the water pressure is too low, or what.  Granted it had been about 47 degrees on Friday, so even if it was working properly, that would have been heat shock enough.

Of course I had to hand water the effected plants before my hammock reading.

And, we seem to be winning the battle of the ants, as there are far fewer in that big nest outside the orchard.

Karen and Tom arrived around 3.30, and Karen gave Tom a tour of the house, and then the town.  I selfishly remained behind,as I wanted to finish my book

Was G and T time around 5pm, so we arised a glass to Mum then, under the tree.  wasn't that hot today, so maybe we could have been on the veranda, but it was quite windy

Karen went to close the curtains in the red room, and the whole shebang - pelmet and curtains came tumbling down

They therefore took the upstairs green room

Left for Kingower around 6.20, and there were the usual suspects there

Terry had a large portable oven hooked up, where he warmed up a glazed ham, and  also cooked a couple of butterflied lamb legs - delicious, I had brought up an onion tart, and others brought up salads and desserts etc

 

Was still a bit windy, but a lovely night nonetheless

Sunday morning and a very slow start by our guests.....after 10.30, we were getting hungry, so had some breakfast and a cup of coffee before they got up.

I did some more watering too, and J saw to the ants again

After they had breakfast, Karen Tom and I went up to Melville Caves for a look see (Tom hadn't been there before) - sat and admired the view for a while

Then back to Inglewood, and some more bakery pies for lunch

Back from the Ghan 7th and 8th December 2019

Got back from our marvellous Ghan and Darwin trip on Sunday night

And, we haven't been to Inglewood for a month!

Had organised to get there by lunchtime,as we were meeting Karl from Cole Clark (Guitars) to see if he might be interested in our dead Bunya tree for making into guitars

Sadly, he wasn't, as there were too many knots etc - even down the bottom of the trunk

He was an interesting bloke to talk to though, and he stayed a while to chat, but didn't want anything to eat or drink

Had a bit of a lazy Saturday, reading on the hammock etc.

But also had to fix up the watering system AGAIN.  seems to have been turned off AGAIN!, and looks like 3 of the kiwi fruit plants have died, which I'm pretty annoyed about, and the new citrus and other new fruit trees were looking pretty dry also

That said, one of the grape vine cuttings has sprouted by the back deck, so I'm pleased about that

 
The vegie garden was pretty dry also - no more artichokes, just the flowers now.  Lot of bees around and in the flowers

Went up to Kingower around 6.30, for the 1st Saturday in the month get together

The usual suspects were there, and it was very nice to catch up.  Terry had a small bowl of cherries that he'd picked from his tree (his entire harvest) and shared them around - delicious

I then realised that I hadn't seen any cherries on my tree when I'd watered it earlier today - bloody birds!

It was a very pleasant evening, sunny, blue, warm, and still -we stayed til about 7.30, and then back to our place to have a picnic dinner, and watched Always be my Maybe -  an Asian /American rom com, which was quite amusing.

Sunday, and a slow start, and then I went to visit Terry for a coffee.  We'd discussed it last night, as we were going to also brainstorm food for the Christmas get together.  Stayed an hour or more, then dropped off a cd at Arlene's and then dropped off the Wedderburn book at Pauline's - and she invited us to their New Year's party if we were up and not doing anything.  Might just take her up on that!

I'd also called Justin in transit, and suggested that I get us a couple of pies for lunch, so finally got back to the house well after 1pm

After lunch, I thought I should do something, so, given that my poor plants were parched - and probably hungry, I busted out some chicken poo that I'd bought from David some years before hand (would have been well rotted down)

Spread it around most of the fruit trees, and then watered it in

And when I was watering the cherry I noticed a glimpse of red - was thrilled to see 2 x surviving cherries - one pecked at, the other intact - which I promptly ate

I'll have to net them next year

I also planted a geranium cutting that Terry had given - the flower was a glorious crimson colour, and I had admired and commented on it while having my coffee.  Hope it survives

And Justin also attacked the ants again (both on Saturday and Sunday) - this time using termite poison...this time it looks like its working