Just as things seem fine life comes up and gives you a whack across the back of the head!

I will try to be brief.

Last Monday was the 50th anniversary of our meeting. We went out to dinner at a restaurant we have been to once before a couple of years ago (during our visit when we bought the block of land) and have been meaing to go back to. I am glad we booked as they were turning people away. 

I had oysters with parmesan, chilli and garlic ...

... Himself had baked camembert ...

... and I followed with the catch of the day (gem fish)

... and he had the seafood crepes.

Earlier that day I went back to the shop that sells those amazing planters and upgraded for this spot ...

Lots of other things have happened and life is good and I have photos to share but The Aunt rang and everything got rather messy. 

This is my mother's 93 year old sister who lives in far north Queensland. Australians will know that FNQ has been inundated with torrential downpours resulting in horrendous floods. The Aunt lives in an area that is particularly susceptible to flooding during cyclones but heavy rain isn't usually an issue so I wasn't too concerned.

Until it is and I was.

I found out about this several days after the event due to power being out and phones not working.

The volume of rain was such that parts of her house were flooded and her washing machine, a fridge and freezer and her car are all stuffed. The washing machine has been replaced, the fridge and freezer were superfluous to her needs and not having a car could be a blessing.

Just to add some spice into the whole situation, The Aunt is showing signs of early dementia and can't remember what people have done for her and what needs to be done and who she has spoken to. Throw stress into the mix and her cognitive and emotional states are not good.

She still knows to call me, though, so I was trouble shooting from a distance of approximately 3,000 kms.  

She is very well supported by amazing friends and neighbours and I am in contact with them and she is now coping a bit better. I will head up there in May or thereabouts once I know the outcome of some specialist appointments for Himself (he does come first) but it has been a challenging week.

Shit going down around the world makes most of our issues pale into insignificance so I will leave you with a recent Marsh Family video. They say it so well.

Dealing with Aunt stuff right now.

I'll be back soon.

All in all a great weekend.

Yesterday was lovely. I picked up a friend and we drove to Lindenow to the Long Paddock which is in a lovely old bakery. The Lionesses were having a social lunch (as opposed to their fundraising work) and it was great. So many laughs and the food was excellent. I will go back with Himself one day.

It had been a very socal/stressful week so by the time I got home I just zoned out in front of the computer.

Himself roasted a piece of eye fillet with veges.

I do love a good roast dinner ...

I bought two slices of lemon tart from Long Paddock for dessert. They were delicious. Very light and very citrusy. Sometimes lemon tarts can be heavy and sweet.

As I was sitting at my desk this morning I heard the sound of a hungry baby magpie. Spring is usually magpie season but I learned at my bird watching group last Thursday that if the conditions are right some species of birds will have two litters clutches a year. 

This little fellow was obviously looking for tucker but his parents weren't around so he had to fend for himself. 
 

I don't know how much nutrition he would get from a dead kangaroo paw but I guess it does look a bit like a worm.

He hopped off and I assume he found something tastier as he hasn't been back.

Dinner tonight was leftover roast which sometimes is even better the second time around. And I didn't have to cook so a bonus!

We finished Breaking Bad a week or so ago and are now watching Better Call Saul which is, I think, even better. There is an underlying level of humour which balances the darkness of the subject matter.

As we watch telly I knit. Currently on the needles is a pair of socks for Himself as his feet get cold. Here is one I prepared earlier!

For some reason Max has taken an intense interest in the yarn to the point I have to bury it under something else to stop him drooling and nibbling.

Rain set in late yesterday and has been on and off all day. It is still raining as I write and looks like continuing into tomorrow. We have had isolated thunderstorms and I couldn't be happier. I do love the sound of rain on the roof with the occasional grumble of thunder. 

Here's to a great week.

A good day

Today I had the absolute pleasure of coffee with Penguin. It was a glorious day and the cafe doors were open to the elements and I forgot to take a photo. Dammit. Photo of the view, I hasten to add, as Penguin is very private.

Home to a bit of a wasted afternoon. I had planned to sew up the cardigan for the Mermaid's soon to arrive granddaughter but ended up vacuuming, faffing around on the computer, attempting more cryptic clues with complete blanks and a couple of AHA moments. 

I then remembered I needed to bake some bread so got that started and then the Mermaid rang during the second proofing and I forgot the time and it expanded to massive so had to bash the dough back and give it a third proof. I actually think it worked quite well. I might do this on purpose next time and see if it was a fluke or really made it better. I scored the top - it is meant to look rustic.

Dinner was falafel with harrisa veges. This is them going in to the oven. Imagine them browner and you get the gist of the finished product. Always a good meal with heaps of flavour.

There is a business here that is seasonal. The owner rents a premises and showcases local artists. When Three et al were down purchases were made and I was rather envious. Facebook informed me time is ticking so I popped in this afternoon and splurged a bit.

This is a hoya (from memory). The spot is an alcove between our bedroom and the ensuite and I used to have an artificial plant in there (hate them but long story for another day). The position makes it hard to get a good photo but you should get the idea. I am hoping it survives so I can train it up or down or sideways.

This looks just right ...

Remember the chain of hearts debacle and my attempts to strike more? I gave in and bought one someone had prepared earlier! This should guarantee everything will take and I will be overrun with chains of hearts!

 It is now nearly midnight so time to shuffle off to bed before I turn into a pumpkin.

Cryptic answers and a busy day.

The answers to the cryptic clues:

The first or last word are generally the definition and the rest of the words are word play.

Foxtrot by Romeo has to produce disapproving looks.(6 letters)

Foxtrot and Romeo are used in the military phonetic alphabet F and R respectively. Foxtrot by Romeo suggest they go together so we have FR. "Has" is a synonym for own so if we put '"own" after FR we get FROWN - a disapproving look.

Russians supplying bags for lettuce? (8 letters).

A type of lettuce is a cos and another word for bags is sacks. COSSACKS were a type of Russian warrior. 

Last night I cooked salmon with broccolini and cherry tomatoes. As I was dishing up one of the tomatoes burst and spurt everywhere!

The meal was delicious as always - one of our favourites - and almost looked like the photo in the book!

This morning I was up early to be at U3A bird watching by 8.45. It was a very pleasant way to spend an hour by water in the bush. Apparently we heard or saw 36 different species. It certainly made me aware of bird sounds that we often hear but don't register. It also made me aware that I need practice with binoculars!

After that I went to a talk at the Slipway given by a local Aboriginal woman. It was really interesting to hear some of her history and her family's history and to see a selection of artifacts from local communities. She is Aboriginal but she said we are ALL Australian and should celebrate that. Such a refreshing change from some more radical folk.

Lunch was another home grown tomato on toast - this time with cream cheese. If they all drop dead tomorrow I have had two tomatoes and that is a success in my book! Next year I will do things differently.

Tomorrow I am meeting our favourite feathered friend, Penguin, for coffee. It will be great to catch up. On Saturday I am going out for lunch with the Lionesses. I hope Sunday will be a day of rest. It's been a very busy and up and down week.

The day after

I woke to an email from the VCAT member with his ruling in our favour and then by late morning I received another email indicating that the real estate agent had initiated our bond return. For the first time in a long time I actually feel a reduction in my overall stress levels - I didn't realise what a toll this whole process was taking on me. And I am still gobsmacked at the lies the landlord told although with her history over the 12 month tenancy I shouldn't be. 

Anyway, today was a new day and I embraced it.

First off was cryptic crosswords. The brain worked really well and then it didn't and then it sort of did and if I look at the clues now I won't be able to understand how I worked things out. The joys of cryptics!

Here are a couple for your frustration entertainment:

Russians supplying bags for lettuce? (8)

Foxtrot by Romeo has to produce disapproving looks (6)

Sometimes you can get a lucky guess but I want to know how people work them out so please explain your reasoning if you have a go.

After cryptics I did a quick supermarket shop then went to coffee group. There are a couple of ladies with very green thumbs who keep giving me cuttings and seeds. So far I have had no success but one of them has confidence in my ability to strike a chain of hearts plant. This is my second attempt. The first time I buried it in potting mix and it died. This time I have broken it into pieces and will see how it goes in water. As soon as I  see any sign of root growth I will plant them out. If all else fails I will buy a bloody plant as I do love them.

Last night Max the magnificent was ... well ... magnificent. The little turd doesn't purr, frequently bites me when I stroke him and demands food loudly and often but he is too gorgeous to be angry with for long.

 

Considering all that is going on with folk around the world I wonder which lion you identify with?

Right now I am number 8

VCAT day

As today got closer my anxiety levels hit the roof.

I wasn't hungry but figured I should have something before heading into Bairnsdale. It is also bloody hot today.

I found a tomato that was ripe ...

... and had it on a slice of seeded sourdough with butter and salt and pepper. There is nothing like  tomato fresh off the vine. It was so good.

We got into the court half an hour before our session time as advised on the VCAT website only to find they close between one and two for lunch! Country court vs city court I guess!

Did I tell you it was bloody hot today? Himself was wearing slacks, a shirt, and boots and I was wearing slacks and a shirt and dressy shoes. We haven't "dressed up" in forever. Another bonus of country life. We found a spot of shade to wait in and a chap came up and introduced himself. Our property manager is unwell so he was taking her place. He was actually the property manager we had in Kalimna who commented on how well I left that property. The landlord was also present.

We went through security and into the court room. The VCAT member was at the top bench. A clerk of courts (or similar) at the bench under him and we sat at each end of a very large oval table - landlord on the right and us on the left. It was all very intimidating and I was shaking like a leaf. Oaths were sworn and the member started by asking the landlord how old the carpet was. That question suggested it was pretty much a done deal. She said that the carpet was 30 years old, argued that it was in perfect condition, said that friends of ours had cleaned the carpet and she couldn't get in touch with them to give it another clean.

I responded with her ex-husband's email saying that the house was built in 1985 and the carpet was cleaned in 2018 which only made it worse, quoted from the email from the property manager saying that as the carpet had been cleaned there was no point in cleaning again and said that the carpet cleaner wasn't a friend but Zippy Carpet Cleaning, a local Lakes Entrance business and at no point had we been contacted for a second clean.

Whenever she tried to argue something he would counter with the fact that it was a 30-40 year old carpet. 

At the end he told her that he would submit his report in a day or so and we would get our full bond back. Told us we could contact the rental tenancy bond people or the real estate agent for help if we need it. 

She was not happy.

We were.

I hope she's learnt a lesson not to lie and bully tenants.

We came home just as this was being delivered ...

 

... the vodkas smell interesting and I can't wait for Three to come down and taste them. 

I now have the beginnings of a pounding headache as the adrenalin rush abates.

But we won.

Catching up

It's been a bit of a hectic week what with one thing and another.

Three and his lot were down for the long weekend. He made me a gin cocktail using a rosemary infused simple syrup and very nice it was, too.

Last year Sally showed interest in the bouncy floaty contraption but chickened out at the last minute. This year she was game.

She had to be accompanied by an adult so Three stepped up to the task (nursing a massive hangover from a night of unusual drinking and discussing politics with his father). The groups have to have a safety briefing and Sally and Three are in there somewhere (I can see them if I look hard enough) ...

 

Alice was obviously way too young but Amy promised her a boat ride. She loves boats and anything water related.

Setting off ...

... away they go ...

... cruising around the back of the bouncy floaty thing trying to see Dad and Sissy ...

Sally was a bit perturbed when she realised that she was actually going to get wet. I have no idea what went through her mind when she was told she had to wear a life jacket! Also there are a LOT of jelly fish in the lakes at the momentthat were quite offputting but eventually a good time was had by all. She came off before the hour was up and Three went back for a bit more without having to keep an eye on her. 

Ice creams were consumed afterwards and the kids slept very well that night.

The official U3A term starts this week but a couple of classes went back last week and I started cryptic crosswords which have always fascinated me (my father used to do the Times crossword IN INK!) and I had a great time so that will continue.

On Thursday I was invited to a Lioness' meeting which was a morning tea instead of the usual evening one. Another great group of ladies and I will think about joining them.

Friday was coffee with Prue and then in the afternoon I was up at the new digs for U3A showing a couple of facilitators how to use the tv which Himself and a friend's husband installed on Thursday. 

The big event on Friday was the delivery of our new fridge. We decided to take a store credit as the replacement was put back til the end of April and we went with the same model we had in our previous two houses. A Fisher and Paykel french door with a water dispenser in the door and an ice maker in the freezer. We had no problems with this model in the past so fingers crossed the trend continues. 

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours with the secretary of U3A to learn what I have to do in my role as publicity person that I somehow volunteered to take on at the last meeting. Turns out she used to know our ex landlord. They haven't been in touch for quite a few years but she was still a bit surprised and disappointed in how things have been managed.

On Thursday Himself got a call from the property manager saying the landlord would accept $500 and would withdraw the VCAT claim (which is on Tuesday). We said that was an unreasonable amount for a 40 year old carpet in poor condition. I really hope VCAT agrees with us!

It's hot today so of course, I am baking bread and biscuits (cookies). The biscuits are to take to our first U3A classes tomorrow and Tuesday. We are in for a very hot few days this week. Thank goodness for airconditioning.

If I don't get back before Tuesday, keep your fingers crossed for us.