On Monday we were very sad to say goodbye to Lewis & Morse as they went into doggy holiday camp for two weeks. They will miss us dreadfully, but fortunately they have already tried out Eureka Kennels, back in November/December 2019 and Lewis will certainly remember all about it.
Lewis & Morse having their last comfy sleep for a while!
As Glen had offered to do our watering, I invited her in to walk around our garden after Wes took the boys. We finished with a cuppa sitting in our lounge chatting, and when Wes returned we moved next door to Glen's place to look at all she has done in her cottage & garden - which is quite a lot. We sat under her weeping cherry tree with a glass of sparkling red, and all agreed it would be perfect if Rob & Dene could join us, which they did.
Top - Dene in one of Glen's elephant chairs, Middle - Glen with Nellie & Bottom - Wes
On Tuesday morning, we were delighted to have a sleep in before attacking the jobs that we had set aside for these days. I sanded and gave a first coat of stain to the downstairs table & chair, while Wes swept & washed the main decking prior to giving it its first coat. I had painted all the decking, table & chairs about 3 years ago, only to discover I had used internal, not external paint and it started wearing almost immediately!
The next day, while I did my usual deliveries and had a fringe trim with Lyndal before playing Mah Jong, Wes watered front & back gardens thoroughly in the hope that Glen wouldn't have to worry too much while we were away. We can see the zucchinis are flourishing & a second wave of cucumbers are emerging, as well as some dwarf green beans.
On Thursday we had plenty of time before we left and filled it easily - Wes did some more watering before he started packing, and I changed the sheets & towels & did the ironing, as well as giving the study table one more coat of stain, which has made all the difference.
We had a very easy trip to Moonee Ponds and checked into our Quest Apartment in the Might & Power block. We had been given a two-bedroom instead of a one-bedroom, which meant we had plenty of living area. After unpacking, we headed into Puckle Street to do some grocery shopping. As usual, we both had reactions to the litter in the streets, the long waits at pedestrian crossings, the numbers of people and the enormous size of Coles Supermarket.
That night after sitting on our deck looking across at Moonee Valley Racing Club, Wes decided to cook our tuna steaks for dinner. We were both feeling too tired to do justice to a meal out. He started by spraying the fish in oil, which turned out to be Glen 20, moved along to not being able to get a hot plate or the oven hot enough to cook these very clean steaks, and ended up using the inverter microwave (something we had never seen before). They cooked perfectly and we enjoyed them with a green salad & a glass of excellent red.
We thought you might enjoy seeing what happens when Wes offers to replace our worn-out flags & finds the items on e-Bay. Apparently dimensions weren't considered & the Eureka flag is tiny, compared to the enormous Collingwood flag.
On Friday morning we set off early to walk around Queen's Park, but it was too dark for either of us to feel safe, so we strolled the perimeter instead, before heading into Puckle Street to find a newsagent open & get the day's Age newspaper. Next step was to buy some flowers & visit the butcher before driving to Strathmore bearing gifts for Leanne with whom we were having lunch.
It took about 7 minutes to get there, instead of the usual 90 from Daylesford. Leanne was thrilled to see us, and we were delighted to see her. She looked very well, the dining table was laid and tea & coffee were ready for us. While Leanne put the finishing touches to the vegetarian Indian curry she had made, Wes drove her car to the cemetery to visit our parents' graves and reported they were all in good nick. I did a few updates on her laptop for her, but there was very little that needed our help, as her NDIS assistants have been taking good care of her.
While we were eating lunch, Premier Dan Andrews announced the 5-day lockdown that started yesterday. We decided to come back here to Daylesford, so left Leanne with the cleaning up to do, and went to Quest Moonee Valley to pack up & check out. We now have a credit for 9 nights there! Everyone was doing the same & we felt sorry for all the hospitality businesses that are going to suffer with such a busy weekend - Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, Australian Open tennis etc.
Wes drove while I sent messages to the 30+ friends we had hoped to visit during our Melbourne trip, letting them know that we were returning home, rather than sit it out in our hotel apartment. We thought we had chosen a good time to travel, but could never have guessed that a nebuliser would have set off the latest spate of COVID-19 infections.
Since arriving back, we've had a drink with our neighbour, Glen, who now is released from watering & bin duties. Yesterday we did two laps of Lake Daylesford & enjoyed the clean air, before deciding to have a relaxing day & worry about painting & staining & other home chores today!
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