Enforced Relaxation Thursday 6 January - Saturday 15 January 2022

 

Well, after Christmas at Alex's and cruising around Tasmania for close to a week 

 

- it was back to Inglewood.

Arrived on the Thursday afternoon - and it was hot and pretty much remained hot the whole time

Vic (our new plasterer) and his partner dropped by on Friday - so he met up with Justin, and I showed his partner around the house, as she is interested in old houses.

Vic thought that he would be able to start in a week or so. 

However, later in the afternoon, Justin developed a sore throat.  Didn't think too much of it, til the morning, when it was a decidedly sorer sore throat.

Given the omicron variant of covid was raging through Victoria, we asked around our local friends if  anyone had a RAT that we could buy off them.  No luck, so we went into Bendigo to a drive through covid testing clinic.

Luckily only had to wait just over an hour, and they told Justin that he might have to wait 5 days to get a result, and that he would need to isolate until then.

They wouldn't test me, as I had no symptoms.

I was also allowed to be out and about - as at that stage Justin was not known to have covid, only maybe, and to be honest, we thought it was just a cold.

So, we got back to Inglewood, and I went and did some shopping for food supplies.

And then we just hung around the house.

I watered the garden - as it was very dry. Those poor citrus trees had almost needles for leaves they were so curled up.  

I think there must be something wrong with that watering timer, as I had programmed it last time I was there, yet it was turned off when we arrived.  The others still seem to work okay. 

That said, - the kiwi fruit were looking a lot better (its timer seems to work)

And the grape vines are just going from strength to strength

I also asked Shane to come back as he was going to fix them all up, and also provide us with a plan of where the new paths will be.    

Further garden activities were collecting up the latest batch of bindis - about 10 or so

And picking off the compromised/diseased apples from the 3 x apple trees (fruit fly, or some other nasty)

That said the apple tree that Helen gave us years ago was absolutely laden with apples

While the plum tree near the cistern hardly had any plums on it, last year it was full of fruit.  It's a pity as I had been collecting nice gin etc bottles in anticipation of making more sloe gin.  

And apart from this and the watering in the cool of the morning or in the less hot late afternoon/early evening, we didn't really go outside.  It was just too hot.

We had a pretty relaxing time inside, lots of reading, some naps, but also some work.  I read a lot of the Australian Country magazines which Clare and Nin had given us a subscription to as a Christmas present the previous year - felt very decadent just lying around.

Justin was sick of all of the dust so vaccuumed/swept/mopped a number of rooms to try and make it nicer/cleaner.  I must admit I never walk around in the house bare foot, because there is always a layer of dust/grit, from the cracks in the walls, from the gaps under the skirting and from the fireplaces etc.

Anyway, Justin did a pretty good job - doing the hallway, kitchen, scullery etc

Another of his self imposed jobs was to clean some of the doors. 

And given that we were stuck in the house, meal times became very important, and where to eat/drink was almost as important as what to have.  We didn't go wanting, particularly as we had lobster on the first night. 

I had also put out a bowl of water, and one lunch time we watched a magpie drink from it 

Luckily Basil didn't see....he seemed to make himself comfortable on the dining room window sill

I did do some work as - my inside goal was to empty out the bee room, and make it ready for Vic to get started.

It took ages...first I had to remove the books

I had been collecting boxes, so used up all of them, and then had to use some shopping bags

I sometimes had a quick look at the books that I was packing.  There was one which said it was lent to Francis Lewis in 1945 (or so), and he obviously never gave it back.  I unfortunately didn't take a photo of that fly leaf, so its somewhere in one of the boxes...

I did however take a photo of Frank's law exercise book and notes, as I thought that Madeleine might be interested in them

I also took most of the "stuff" out of the upstairs hallway, putting a lot of it in the little yellow room, which is now uninhabitable

Justin had to help me with the furniture from the bee room ie the table, desk, day bed  etc - and we put some of these in the upstairs green room

But now the hallway is pretty clear - and looks a lot better

And that also means that Vic and co can move the very heavy tv cabinet, green couch, huge carpet, and bookshelves into the hallway if he wants to (or he'll just put them in the middle of the room while he works on the plaster)

We were supposed to go to the First Saturday drinks up in Kingower, however because Justin had been tested, and had symptoms, we thought it best to both stay at home.

And as it was - a good thing too, because 6 days later - on the Friday, he finally got a text saying that he was covid positive.  It shocked me, I must say, as I really thought it was just a cold.  

And that meant that now he was positive that I as a close contact had to isolate for 7 days....

I had already been isolating since Monday afternoon, so we counted it from Tuesday - so Sunday was my day 6 to get tested.

We left Inglewood on the Saturday, and Justin's brother Alex gave us a RAT which I took on the Sunday, and I'm pleased to say that I was negative, so I could go out and about on Monday.

However before we left we took the mantle piece uprights and the corbels from the shed - as Chris had wanted them so he could part assemble the mantle piece back at his place.

And we also took some photos of our old jacobbean lounge suite - as we want to re upholster it - with better colours

 

 

  

 

 

Quick visit and more weeding Sunday 19- Tuesday 21 December 2021

 Drove up late Sunday afternoon, and got to Inglewood around 7pm.  

It had obviously been hot in our absence, as some of the plants looked quite droopy ie the kiwi fruit

The grape vines were going gangbusters though, one of them now reaching the veranda roof

 Gave everything a water, and tried to program the watering computer - as it was suspiciously turned off  Managed to work it out via the internet, so was quite pleased with myself

And the mulberries are ripening, ate a few, but they should be a bit riper for optimum taste and sweetness.

Monday, and I did some ringing around to see if I could match some etched glass for the bathroom windows - a glass place in Bendigo has some - so we'll probably get it from there

I had also texted Vic to see when he wanted to start on the plastering - in the New Year, and he said he could replace the window panes also.

Had a morning coffee with Denise at Charlie's, and coincidentally saw Vic there also.

And then back to the garden, and more weeding and trimming.

Listened to a talking book called a Gentleman in Moscow Gentleman (which Matt D had recommended)

 

I also planted some succulents that I had brought from Melbourne

Lastly, I did a plan of the front garden sprinkler positions - to give to Shane, s they are not really working properly, and I'd like him to fix them up

Terry dropped by on Monday late afternoon, so we had a pleasant G&T in the dining room

Tuesday, and more of the same....

Went home via Castlemaine and dropped in on Carolyn and she gave me a delicious dinner - duck breast on bean mash and rocket

 

Gardening and scratched arms Saturday 4 - Tuesday 7 December 2021

 Arrived in Inglewood around 4pm on Saturday and started weeding...

The front had been neglected for months, and there were mountains of weeds that needed to be pulled out

Alex had suggested that I just poison them with the weed wand that he got me a while back.  That might have worked some months ago - but these weeds had seeds - so I needed them out

It was a mammoth task

Here are a before and after shot

I was disappointed to see that all of the cherries - minus one split and ant covered one had been eaten and were gone.  You can't really see the ants all over that cherry, as my mobile phone  focussed on the netting

And the reason was that the netting was open at the back - what a pity, the birds could easily get in and out.  However this cherry tree must now be on the bird map, as I saw another cherry tree in the main street - lots of lovely red cherries and no netting at all.  The birds haven't discovered it yet - luckily for that owner

But, back to the weeding. which I did for a few hours, then showered and had a quick leftover dinner

Then up to Kingower for the first Saturday get together 

It was sunny when I left, and still sunny when I got there, but the wind was up, and it became a bit cool

Terry had the brazier going so that provided some heat, but because it was windy - at the end of the night my hair and clothes smelled of smoke.

Was a good night though - I stayed til close to midnight

Sunday, and what can I say - more weeding - still out the front

My arms were getting all scratched up, but at least I had gloves on.  It was also getting warm

While weeding I listened to Shuggie Bain on a talking book - set in Glasgow in the 1980s

Arlene and June came and visited around 5.30 on Sunday afternoon to see our renovation progress.  they made all the right noises, and we had a G&T out in the rotunda

Monday, and before weeding, I went and had a coffee with Denise at Charlie's.

Whilst there, Charlie introduced me to a mate of his - Vic who has done a lot of restoration work.  We chatted for a while, and I invited him to come over and have a look.  Thought he might be able to do the plastering on the stairway landing.  Anyway, we'll see - could be good, as Stuart has been hard to get hold of to come back.

After the coffee, back to the weeding 

Before

After

In the later afternoon, I made an onion tart for our Inglewood Town Hall Hub Asset Committee meeting - the last one of the year. (this is the reason that I came up on Saturday, and stayed through til Tuesday)

It was ready around 4, and I was going to go back out and do some more weeding.  However it started spitting, and then raining more decidedly, so I didn't go back out. If I'd known I would have gardened more, and then made the tart later - oh well.  But as least I had finished off out the front.  I felt a great sense of achievement. 

Anyway, walked across to the Town Hall just before 7pm, and we had our meeting, and then some nibbles and a few drinks afterwards

One of the items discussed was the old theatre chairs currently housed under the stage- we might take some, as they would be great for our outside movies.  Just depends if 2 rows of 4 would fit in our little shed, and then how heavy would they be - to move them - as they have cast iron ends  

Tuesday, and more weeding/trimming etc, this time inside our property.  I must admit that I feel like getting the council to supply mulch, or do the weeding out the front, or even just make the garden area smaller, as I takes me hours and hours - and its not even our garden. 

It was back to lovely weather

And a very full trailer and more for Gordon

Had a quick lunch, tidied up, and back to Melbourne