Well, we have been back home since early Tuesday morning,
with so much to think about, so much jetlag to recover from & so much
washing to do! The garden is desperate for our attention and we’ll get to it
when we can. Christmas cards are running late for a change & won’t be in
letterboxes tomorrow morning!
Our last few hours in Venice were wonderful. We set off on
Saturday night to find Scuola Grande dei Carmini, where our Vivaldi concert was
being held. Of course, we couldn’t find it and when we did, it was hidden away,
and the building was under scaffolding! As for the restaurant, Lounge Bar
Samurai, where we were to have dinner (part of the package), it is the only
restaurant in the square with no name or number shown. After this unpromising
beginning, we were pleasantly surprised by our meal, the service & the
number of locals meeting there for drinks and/or dinner.
The concert was delightful, 4 violins, 1 viola, 1 harp
& 1 ballerina who entertained us for 60 minutes with some wonderful music
& dance. Getting home was easy & we slept well after our lovely
evening.
On Sunday, it was raining, and after breakfast, (where we
finally managed to get medium-boiled eggs cooked), we packed our bags &
were collected at the side entrance by a water taxi that took us to the parking
area where our driver was waiting to take us to Marco Polo Airport.
Our first short flight was wonderful – great staff, good meal,
a couple of films (That Good Night
with John Hurt & Please Stand By
with Toni Collette) & no sleep. We arrived late in Dubai but had time for
quick showers before boarding one of the grumpiest flights we have ever
encountered. A couple of the staff were friendly, but the rest seemed
distracted & snarly. I slept through breakfast, but woke for lunch, which
was cold salmon & hot salmon for those of us not eating meat! We made up
some time & arrived at 11pm.
The airport seemed in some sort of chaos - there was no-one
to give us our duty-free goods for some time; they were inadequately packed
with no protective sleeve, which means the first time we put the bags down, one
bottle hit another & broke; no-one seemed to be helping with passport entry
for those unfamiliar with recognition technique; we were ordered into the
naughty line with all those suspected of lying on their customs declarations
(which we have never done), and eventually emerged a little worse for wear, but
with our reputations intact.
Our Emirates driver took us to Strathmore to Leanne’s
place, where she had the car ready for us to drive back home. It was an easy,
uneventful trip at that hour & we were in Daylesford just after 1.30pm.
No aqua alta on the
way home!
We unpacked a little, put the first loads of washing on
& went to bed with cups of tea. I couldn’t sleep, so got up around 5.30am
& read The Age (bliss), showered & dressed & finished unpacking
& washing. I also picked some roses as there are so many. Around midday, I suddenly
needed to go back to bed & Wes was emerging as he had promised to visit
Barbara.
Wes started feeling unwell that night & spent Wednesday
in bed, mostly sleeping when he wasn’t coughing, poor boy. I had a haircut
& manicure & retreated back here to balance Reckon, do the ironing,
relax & think about an early night.
On Thursday, Wes got up & showered & sat in the
lounge for a while until he had to go back to bed. I did the shopping &
spent some time with Judi catching up on each other’s news. Back home my brain
was working enough to handle the few issues out of the mail & get
up-to-date with emails etc.
Friday was a busy day. Wes had promised to help Barbara
take Bobby the cat to the kennels and went straight back to bed on his return
from Ballarat. That afternoon we had been invited to Chris Soper & Malcolm
Boadle’s wedding at the Convent Gallery.
We frocked up and joined nearly 100 others, mostly locals, to celebrate this
happy union after 31 years together. We were delighted to be welcomed warmly by
so many friends who had followed our trip on Facebook or via my Dispatches.
Chris & Malcolm
looking very happy
Yesterday morning, Wes went across to Barbara to help her
pack for her trip. I headed into town for the 67th Annual Daylesford
Highland Gathering Parade. I am so proud that our little town can host such an
event and yesterday there were more bands than I have seen in some years.
from the top: The littlest leader,
an interesting mix of bushman & kilt & stunning bearskins worn by
Castlemaine band
I went home to make the Christmas
pudding, which is always fun, and I was grateful to Gillie for giving me 6 of
her chooks’ freshly laid eggs to use.
Wes spent the rest of the day asleep and seems to be better
than he was. His coughing has settled down & his temperature is normal. The
big plus for him is that he hasn’t been hungry & has lost at least 3kg and
probably more. We both lost weight on the trip, although we ate well, we walked
between 10,000 & 20,000 steps per day. Walking is one of the best things I
can do, provided I stop when I feel tired.
This morning Wes got up at 2.45am, showered, dressed &
headed across the road to Barbara to do her morning care & drive her to
Melbourne Airport. Almost on cue, the heavens opened, rain came down in
torrents & we lost all power. I can only hope they managed everything
before the power went & that they didn’t get too wet.
I headed off to the Sunday Market at 8am & was warmly
welcomed back, which was very lovely indeed. It is two months since I had been
there, but the weeks melt away once you are back in routine.
Sunday Breakfast has turned into brunch, so that Wes can
join us on his return. We will be a very small group, perhaps 3 or 4, but it will
be lovely to visit Boathouse again
& see Jan & Janine.
A final photo from
Venice – this beautiful bookshop suffered badly from Aqua Alta as it was about
a foot under water for much of the day – a retailer’s hazard indeed!
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