Dear
Friends, we spent a very quiet Easter Sunday after the excitement of Patto
& Kate’s wedding the night before. There were 6 of us at breakfast and both
Judi & Barbara had brought plenty of Easter goodies, which was very
thoughtful. The rest of the day was occupied in watching footy games, reading
the weekend’s papers and recovering.
On
Monday, I drove to Strathmore early to visit Leanne, bearing Easter eggs and
custard tarts, both of which she enjoys. We had a good morning together and she
wanted to know all about the wedding, as well as catch up on news of Lauren,
Greta & Celia & their partners & children. Afterwards, I drove to
Simone Pérèle in Brunswick, where I bought some new underwear. I had been
waiting until my scar was healed before being fitted and discovered that Gwen,
the woman who has been fitting me for the past few years, is a five-year breast
cancer survivor.
Lovely photo of Danny,
me & Wes at the wedding – thanks to Rob Lowery
When
I arrived back home, Wes cooked some Atlantic salmon which he served on a bed
of sweet potato & peas – very yummy and attractive to boot! I settled in to
watch the big clash between Geelong & Hawthorn, while Wes spent time downstairs
on the computer writing more short stories.
Leanne’s cat, Smokey
looking very comfy indeed
We
had a bit more energy on Tuesday and I took Bilbo for a walk around the Botanic
Gardens, while Wes headed off to the Daylesford Cinema for another showing of
‘Trumbo’. Afterwards, I washed the dog decking and gave it another coat of
paint with the roller, before cooking up the last of the tomatoes and preparing
fried rice for lunch. Wes had volunteered to show the 6pm film ‘Lady in the
Van’, so he spent his few hours between shifts working on Ancestry, and I
removed the last of the tomato plants from the front garden beds.
Sleepy Bilbo getting
up close and personal on our bed on Tuesday night
On
Wednesday, Wes and Bilbo walked early in the dark before Sandra arrived to
clean everywhere to within an inch of its life. I had arranged to meet Judi for
a stroll around town & lunch, so caught up on bills, emails and phone calls
before going out. We started at the new Salvos shop in Howe Street, where we
bought books, before wandering in and out of most of the shops along the way to
Larder, where we stopped for a tea break.
So
many shops are the same and only a few, such as the galleries or the places
specialising in preloved clothing & wares, really have much to offer. We
had decided to finish up at The Convent where we planned to eat lunch and
wander around afterwards. We arrived to be greeted by name by the owner, Tina
Banitska, who has been a tireless worker for over 20 years, turning a formerly
derelict convent & school into an iconic destination for locals &
travellers alike. We started lunch with seductive champagne cocktails and these
were followed by very yummy mains of beef bourguignon pie for Judi &
roasted mushrooms with kefalograviera (a hard goat’s cheese) & salad for
me.
We
spent ages wandering around looking at the main exhibition by Basil Eliades, a
smaller showing by Mary Grace Gambin (a Maltese-born artist that we like very
much), Leon Pericles (an old favourite) and a Melbourne artist, Diana Jackson,
who impressed us with her stunning landscapes.
I
walked back home to relax for the rest of the afternoon and evening, while Judi
visited a couple of shops we had missed on her way home. Wes had been in
Brunswick for the funeral of a former Brunswick Rotarian, Rev Eric Gowers, at
the Brunswick Uniting Church. Eric’s partner, Margaret, was delighted with the
turn up from Brunswick Rotary, and Wes enjoyed catching up with some old
friends, as well as paying his respects to someone with whom he spent a lot of
time over a number of years.
We
were due to have a day out on Thursday and had planned to spend it in Ballarat
while the Mazda 6 was serviced and airbags replaced. However, that was
postponed until next Thursday, so we opted for gardening instead. Wes had
brought back bags of horse manure the night before, so I spread that on the 4
vegetable beds in the front, covered it in soil, then in newspapers, which we
hosed until saturated and finished with a topping of moisture manure which
helps retain water.
After
lunch, I finished painting the dog decking & 14 stairs – all the little
awkward spots that the roller couldn’t reach, and am very pleased with the
result. Next is the main decking, which will be a much bigger challenge.
We
all had a sleep in on Friday and after the shopping, I took Bilbo to the Wombat
Gardens to meet Judi & her two, Maddy & Major, for a lovely walk and
cuppa at The Food Gallery afterwards. We were even able to have all three dogs
in the back of the station wagon together. I had planned to do some more
outside painting, but the wind was so strong and there was so much dust, that I
postponed that chore and settled in with DA’s cryptic crossword in the Age
instead. Wes worked hard in the back garden without the help of the
under-gardener and then cooked Atlantic salmon fillets, which he served with
green beans.
On
Friday night we watched the Collingwood & Richmond game together until half
time, when I got too tired and went to bed. Halfway through the last quarter,
when Richmond had a good lead, I decided I could go to sleep. Imagine my
surprise when I woke yesterday morning to discover the Pies had won by a point.
I kept reading the score on my phone in disbelief, then watched the last 2
minutes a few times, also in disbelief. Fortunately there was a replay at 6am,
so I watched that, which left me running late for the Farmers Market, pumping
water and Tonna’s, but I got all those things done before everywhere became too
busy.
Wes
went to Blue Bean Love Café last night to meet up with Peter Russo and listen
to some music. He really enjoyed the night and the music and brought Peter back
home for a nightcap – sadly, I was already in bed, however, Peter has promised
to join us at breakfast, so we can catch up shortly.
Today
marks the end of Daylight Saving in Australia for another 6 months – we are
always pleased when it finishes as it is so dark in the morning, however we
will miss the longer evenings and by the time the 2nd of October
comes around, we will be more than ready for the extra daylight. We have had a
few encounters with the natives this week – I disturbed a possum this morning
as it tried to come into our house via the front door; I thought one night that
I had a spider in my hair (which we laughed off the next morning, until I
spotted a largish spider sitting quietly on the skirting board next to my side
of the bed), and a kookaburra sat on the fence watching me paint and laughing as
they do.
Rohan Fell being
awarded a scholarship by the International College of Management in Sydney with
Warwick, Liam, Brian & Paun Fell – a very proud moment for all the family
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