The last day of being totally in charge.

First stop was Kmart to buy a warmer top and some longer pants as it was quite chilly this morning and had been raining.

Today was the last full day we have with her before her parents and sister arrive tomorrow so it was a TWO doughnut day. This was the second. The first was identical.

Himself joined us as we explored the chocolate shop. She was rather taken with the 2.5 kilo freckle at $70 but settled on this more reasonable version ...

Himself then took her to play mini-golf and I came home and enjoyed the peace and quiet! They came home and she played on her ipad for a bit before asking if we could go to the beach and the playground.

And who am I to refuse.

Initially we went to the lake and she was happy to have a paddle before she needed the loo which just happens to be next to the path to the main beach ...





... so of course we went ...

My nifty phone allowed me to edit out the other people in the photos. I wasn't letting her frolic in the ocean all by herself and the flags were out and the surf lifesavers were in attendance or she wouldn't have been anywhere near the water. Not on my watch!

Granny was getting a bit twitchy as the grandchild was getting more adventurous and the other swimmers were oblivious to her (she wasn't part of their group so was thus invisible - a common tourist trait, sadly) so it was strongly suggested we return over the footbridge to safer play.

Water but no waves ...

... and she had a ball and made some friends and we were there long enough for Granny to regret not bringing a hat. 

Eventually the other children's parent decided it was time to go (thank god) so we also came home. 

As we were driving into our street she noticed planes in the sky. It was the Roulettes who are based in Sale which is not far away at all if you are an aeroplane. I assume they were practicing for Australia Day celebrations.

We are lucky to see them quite often but today I was driving so all I could capture on my phone was the aftermath - I am sure you get the idea!

Herb and garlic sausages for dinner (her choice), a 20 minute shower and some quiet time before bed. 

I think it has been a relaxing holiday for her and she has had lots and lots of fresh sea air and exercise.

We are all looking forward to Three, Amy and Alice arriving tomorrow.

Chips and icecream

First of all I just want you to know that I am reading comments but have limited time on the computer so don't reply, but thanks so much for all the lovely words.

I woke to an 8 year old playing quietly on my computer (permission given prior, of course.)

Today's breakfast was a doughnut for said 8 year old and a coffee for Granny. Himself stayed home. 

Then we went to the playground as requested instructed ...

We had a quiet afternoon with some craft and the highlight for a wee lass was being allowed to walk around the block (really not very far and mostly in view) with my headphones on her head and my phone in her pocket being very cool as she listened to music of her choice.

Her request for dinner was the "fancy restaurant" (aka the pub) that I knew Himself would agree to as soon as he was asked. Wrapped around a little finger?

She loves being given coin to go and buy an activity book ...

... we had a delicous meal (fisherman's platter for he and me and chicken nuggets for her) ...

... and she helped finish my chips ...

... before her ice cream arrived (again - the joy of being given money and ordering it herself) ...

She is an absolute delight but I am so pleased that she is also homesick. I would be worried if she wasn't.

Tomorrow is her last full day with just us and I am sure doughnuts and minigolf will be involved.

Another fun day

Doughnuts for breakfast followed by a trip to the shop we bought our fridge from. We were expecting a replacement mid-January but received an email on Monday saying it was now mid to late April or we could have a store credit. We have decided on the credit and a Fisher and Paykel fridge/freezer model that we had both in Bonbeach and Langwarrin. 

After that Sally and I went to the playground. Always a great view ...

... they have tubes that kids can play music on ...

... while I make friends with some of the locals ...

 

... no food so they didn't hang around for long.

I had my regular coffee group so Himself and Sally had a game of mini golf. Himself played "rather poorly" I was told later. A trip to the local book/games shop where Granny spent too much money on a puzzle book that was completed in less time that it takes to drink a gin and tonic (Sally doesn't drink G&Ts in case anyone was wondering - she's a water only kid).

After being allowed to go to the little playground up the road from us by herself (watched closely from the window) we had lamb chops for dinner (as requested) followed by icecream with lollies, oreo biscuits and sprinkles ...

.

A long shower, teeth cleaning and quiet time in bed and a small girl is fast asleep.

Granny is not far behind!

In pictures

After a very early start (everyone else had to be at work or daycare) we stopped at the cafe in Yarragon at her request for breakfast. Last time she didn't like the fruit toast - too artisan for her, today she spied english muffins with nutella on the menu so she had that with a hot chocolate.

They gave her a huge bowl of nutella which had to be finished with a spoon because ... nutella!

After a couple of wrong turns leading to some unexpected exploring of the glorious countryside that is Gippsland we made it home

We have been to the library where she borrowed three Enid Blyton books and made a tie-dyed bag, played at the new playground where she sustained a couple of friction burns, visited the chemist for cream for said burns, have consumed lollies (sweets/candy) and a lemonade icy pole (ice lolly) and she is now sitting quietly playing on a computer game. She is a delight to have and the next few days will be very busy.

She does love being on Lakes' time as she calls it. Time for chilling and recharging - and playing mini-golf, eating donuts and icecream and exploring the parks and playgrounds. 

 

A wee break

I know I had planned to post every day in January but I am about to head down to Melbourne to collect Sally and she will be with us until next Monday. Her parents are coming up on Saturday.

I will be busy!

If I can I will pop in here otherwise I will see you all next week with lots of photos (if I remember) and stories to tell.

A walk

I went with Himself when he walked the dogs this morning.

Wander with me ...

I walked further than I have for a long while then sat and waited for him to come back. This is the view from the table looking right ...

... and left.

Came home and the Mermaid rang which turned into a two hour chat. I told her I was coming down to Melbourne on Monday to collect Sally which has turned into a visit to her as well. I shall have to leave early in the morning to make it worthwhile. I need to pick something up from One's place so I am hoping that can be done on Tuesday morning as we head off. 

It has been windy and so far, no whistling from the resealed windows. I did hear some from our bathroom but it turns out the window in the loo was just ajar - enough to create a whistle which I would expect. 

I am over planning meals and cooking so have decided to take a break for the next week and a bit and shall get back into it after Three et al have returned with Sally after the long weekend (Australia Day). Of course we will still eat but it won't be following the F800 plan and Himself can cook some meals. 

I am currently reading "A Year of Marvellous Ways" by Sarah Winman. I can't remember why I am reading this author - I bought three of her books in 2022 - but just love the way she uses words. "He came with bluebells behind his ears and ramson stalks in his mouth and was trailed by lovelorn bees who knew the scent of a good man".

Time for a gin and more of a read before Himself cooks dinner!!

Snaps from my house

We call her Dorothy. Dot for short. When you touch her head it wiggles from side to side. We have had her for over a quarter of a century. 

Here is one of my most loved things. Those paws. That face. I have probably shown him before but you can never get too much of toes, ears and a tail!

I had a phase of collecting coloured glass. These are not fancy urinals but how fun if they were. They do, however, display a single bloom to perfection. 

I dabbled with resin art a few years ago. I loved the process and the result but it's expensive, messy and smelly (and probably not that good from a health perspective) so this is my one and only creation.

Without doubt my favourite kitchen appliance. My only regret is wasting money on cheaper versions and then eventually buying this. 

 We had vietnamese style pork in lettuce cups for dinner and bloody delicious it was.

Arguable a lazy post but it was fun. Pick the constant ....

Silence is golden

It has been windy today and the windows have remained quiet. 

Jinx and Murphy were in sync. 

Falafel with harissa vegetables before it all went in the oven and very nice it was when it came out of the oven. 

The latest ALDI catalogue which set my grammar teeth on edge.

 

And while searching for a clip to match the title I found this. So many memories and then, as I was listening the harmonies sounded like the bloody whistling windows!

Twas a busy day

First up was U3A registration day. The other committee members are longstanding and all had their roles. I was designated door person to greet and guide to the correct station (pay fee, register courses). As a shy person this was a challenge but it was lovely to meet fellow course participants from last year and get to know some new people. Unfortunately my ear decided to block again and the hall was very echoey which made hearing conversations hard. 

Sometimes it's good to step out of your comfort zone.

Home for a quick lunch then off to the Wednesday coffee group. This was at the bowls club as we seek a regular venue for this year. Pickings are slim. Next week will be another cafe and hopefully we will find somewhere that will suit us and us them. The bowls club is ok but large, therefore noisy and not conducive to conversations.

Whilst at coffee group the rain started with some spectacular thunder and lightning. I do love a good storm. On the plus side, the windows have remained silent but I am not convinced the wind was coming from the right (wrong) direction. I need some good windy days to be convinced the problem has been fixed.

Himself had a doctor's appointment at 5pm to address a longstanding, ongoing issue with cramping in his hands. Xrays and blood tests but I doubt they will find anything other than arthritis, a bit of gout and damage from his footy days back when Christ rode a bike. His father suffered terribly with hand spasms due to similar issues and I think this is in the back of Himself's mind. We shall deal with it as we need to. The sad news is that our new doctor who we both really like (as do many in the community) is finishing up on Friday as the commute is just too much for him. Damn and blast. Hopefully the clinic will find another good doctor who can stay. This is very much the downside of rural life. Although, to be honest, it was getting hard to find a decent doctor in suburban Melbourne. 

Dinner was a warm chicken and avocado salad. The chicken fillet is wrapped in a slice of parma ham and roasted, then sliced and served on a bed of cos lettuce, cherry tomatoes and avocado with mixed seeds, parmesan and an oil and balsamic dressing. Followed by mango and passionfruit with Greek yoghurt and dessicated coconut. 

And some chilling in front of the telly. Still watching Breaking Bad.

The rain has started again so I am going to head to bed with my book and snuggle down listening to one of the best sounds in the world.

Ginger makes everything better

I caught up with Prue and her sister Trude who is down for a few days.

We shared a couple of bottles of bubbles with dips and biscuits (crackers).

It was getting late when I staggered  walked home so I was pleased I had prepped dinner. Chicken Tikka Masala and very nice it was with crunchy pappadums and green veg.

I found this in the supermarket the other day. Add it to white wine with some soda water and it makes a very quaffable drink on a hot day.

We had the Metricon warranty people here and they have "fixed" the whistling windows. We shall wait for the next windy day to test the fix. They looked at our other issues and made encouraging noises but we shall see what eventuates. I am not holding my breath.

A busy day tomorrow so I shall head to bed.

Insert title here

River asked for the bread recipe. I like to give credit where I can so re-googled why my bread rises unevenly and found the site. In a nut shell, your water should be 63% of the weight of the flour, the yeast 1% and the salt 2%. I haven't used the salt ratio yet but the yeast and water seem to be working well. I also use a lame ...

... (which came with the bread knife) to score the top and that seems to help release steam or something which has stopped my bread looking like this ...

... not my loaf but that is exactly what they were looking like and that image led me to the site I've linked above.

I went to the supermarket later this morning than I prefer and it's interesting to see the difference in the demographics as January wears on. Two weeks ago the tourists were hunting in packs, now it's obviously grandparents with little ones. I am assuming the grandparents are the locals and the little ones are being farmed off having a wonderful holiday. This will be us next week.

I like to think I am fairly tolerant but today I had to shake my head (and might have scowled). Two older (as in older than I) people were walking through the supermarket with a dachshund on a dog bed IN THE SUPERMARKET TROLLEY. I have no issue with service dogs but in the name of all things holy how the hell did they think this would be OK? If the dog needed attention then surely one of them could stay with the dog while the other did the shopping. Emotional support dog? Please stop using that as an excuse to take your precious *shudder* fur babies shopping. I don't know how far they got with the expedition as I was heading to the check out having had more than my usual interaction with humanity.

I put in a couple of hours with U3A helping to tidy up our new home and then went to the doctor with the ear issue. I am glad I took my kindle as I had to wait nearly an hour past my appointment time but it is tourist season and some appointments take longer and to be honest, it was nice to just sit and read and not feel I should be somewhere doing something.

To my dismay, my ears are clear. I was hoping he would find them full of wax and give them a flush and all would be well. He said the left was slightly inflammed so has given me drops. If things don't improve I will need a hearing test as he can't see any reason for my deafness. 

Bugger.

Lazing on a Sunday afternoon

We have rain. Nothing like that which Melbourne experienced earlier today but still, it's wet and the garden must be loving it. 

I still had to water the tomatoes as they are in the rain shadow created by the house and if I move them into the rain they will fall over as they are somewhat top heavy. I just hope I get some ripe ones soon and then I will feel that I have acheived a long awaited dream and won't mind if the rest don't make it. Next year I shall see if the woman I bought these seedlings from will be in Lakes again and I will buy fewer seedlings and larger pots!

We are currently watching Breaking Bad. Yes, we are very late to this particular party but thanks to Three sharing one of his streaming services we can finally get to see it. I am thoroughly enjoying it. The humour is almost British/Australian in its subtlety.

Himself was reminded that we had inherited a mobile (cell) phone from one of our parents and dug it out ...

... glasses for perspective! I doubt we have the charger for it but it will be fun to show the grandkids one day.

I baked a loaf of bread. I was googling why my bread wasn't behaving and came across a site the gave very specific ratios of flour to yeast to water. I tried this and made a slightly larger loaf and was very happy with the result. It's not as beautiful as Mary's but it tasted lovely with a bowl of broccoli and ginger soup for lunch.

For those who hadn't heard of the Marsh family (and those who have) here are two clips. The first  was produced before the US election and the second afterwards.