Easter 2023 Thursday 6th - Monday 10th April

Given that it was a long weekend - there was no point leaving before 5pm, as the traffic would have been horrendous, so we left Melbourne around 6pm, hoping that the traffic would have quietened down a bit.

It had, but there were a couple of car breakdowns/accidents so that slowed us down

That said, we arrived in Kyneton around 7.45 - 15 minutes late for our dinner booking at Fook Shing.  They didn't mind.  Had the banquet again - and it was delicious - and very good value for money.  I want to go back again - soon!

Left Fook Shing around 9.15pm - and so got to Inglewood around 10.30 - I was driving and it was rainy, so I drove slightly below the limit

Good Friday, and I firstly sanded the ensuite wall parallel to the hallway, - using George's borrowed face mask

After sanding I had to go outside, and beat the dust off my clothes - Justin helped

Justin then painted, and I went into the back hall area to strip the wallpaper.  Cam had thought that we wanted to keep it  - no - so I thought I'd remove it and see if the existing hard plaster was good enough to keep/patch up - seems ok to me 

 

I also wanted to see if I could see Justin in the upstairs hallway and the red room window from the street.  Couldn't really see into the red room because of the fly screen, and could only really see into the hallway when he was standing right by the glass   

Anyway, I continued with the wallpaper stripping - the ceiling was harder than the walls

We can probably patch up the cracks in the walls - but there were also reasonably large gaps in some places between the wall and ceiling 

We also plan to re use the little corner coat hook rack - put it above the basin for hand towels,  Have put it in the hallway with the other timber for safe keeping

And then lunch in the rotunda

We went around to Damo's for drinks in the late afternoon, and met some more of their friends.  JJ was a home gin and beer maker - so it was interesting talking to him

 

Back home for dinner 

Sunday, and Justin did the final coat of the ensuite

And then we drove into Bendigo around 11.00 - to get to the Wine Bank by 12 - figuring we'd have to park 10-20 minutes away

Sat with Terry and his family/friends - ordered some drinks - and the food kept coming ie very good chips, pizzas, arancini balls, lobster rolls, peking duck pancakes etc  

It was supposed to be a rather cold day (The BOM said it would be the coldest Easter in Melbourne for 80 years), so we came prepared, but it wasn't too bad

The  Easter parade rolled on/marched by - concluding with the famous Chinese dragon - the largest one in the Southern hemisphere,  There were marching bands, community floats etc 

A very pleasant way to spend the afternoon

And then on Monday, it was another iconic event - the 150th Rheola Easter Fair (which hasn't happened since 2019 - because of covid)   

We arrived early - around 10 or so, and there weren't that many people there yet.  

Started at the sheep dogs - as they still seemed to be setting up the other activities

Then a wander around the vintage cars - didn't take any photos there

Watched the equestrians

Followed by the tractors

And watched a few tractors competing in the tractor pull

Then back to the sheepdogs, and by then the wood chop had started up

Thought the little kiddy train made out of oil barrels was pretty cute

Saw a few people that we knew - Damo and Nicole, Steve the publican, one of Justin old work colleagues, and one of mine.  Missed a few though - didn't see Rachel or Connie 

Anyway left around 12 or so - back to the house to tidy up, and then back to Melbourne    

Painting En suite 31/3/23 - 2/4/23

 Am a bit behind (it's now 16/4/23)

Anyway, we drove up on the Friday night as per usual - there was a bit of traffic which was annoying

Had our customary lie in on Saturday morning - doing Wordle/Quordle/ and reading the Saturday Age on ipads

Heard the Ivans arrive around 8am - as they had come to do some more plastering

Noticed that there was a leak in the ensuite - so let Cam know via WhatsApp (as he's in London for his brother)

Admired the yuccas on the back fence - they really are like a wall  

And also the pomegranates 

Was annoyed to see that some inconsiderate person had left a shopping trolley in the garden bed outside our place - so I walked it back to the IGA (actually it was from Maiden Gully IGA!) 

Meanwhile the Ivans (father and son) continued working

Ivan the younger was working in the proposed powder room

And also making a new skirting board where the door into the bathroom/ensuite was

 

Meanwhile - Ivan the elder was fixing up the plaster above the hearth in the kitchen

And he also did some finishing touches in the ensuite

Ivan the younger also gave the walls in the ensuite a quick sand, (apart from the newly plastered wall) while Justin sanded the ceiling and became coated in white plaster dust

My job was to sweep up as much of the dust as possible

And then we started painting - bottom/top/corners first

 And then Justin used the roller

And then on  Sunday we repeated the process

The Ivans also finished off the hard plastering in the kitchen 

It was a nice day, so I sat in the hammock and read, while Justin pottered around inside

I was surprised when he came out and told me that Mark's patient from Mildura had dropped in - and given us a 10kg box of delicious red seedless grapes!

And the leak stopped/dried up - Ivan the younger had tightened the grey thing below - and that seemed to fix it 

And we almost finished painting the bathroom - just not the hallway side wall - where Ivan the elder had done some additional plastering

It looks a bit yellow - but it's Dulux China White - and obviously we didn't paint where the tiles are going to go