A WEEK AWAY

I REALLY NEEDED TO SEE SUNNY  before she has the baby.  So i headed off a week ago, via the grampians where i stayed with don and visited jenny and art next morning.  it was a cold frosty night and very nippy foggy morning so coffee by the fire was a perfect start to my drive to melbourne.

beautiful skies as i left

I drove down to look at Lake Lonsdale before arriving at don's, there were lambs everywhere, gambolling as the sun set over
Briggs Bluff,  little sweeties :0)

young rosellas at don's

Jenny and Art have a fire pit made of a circle of bricks stacked
three high.  I'm thinking i could easily do that myself at home

I had a beautiful dinner with sunny and luke and saw
all the baby things they've collected,
the apartment is
all organised and looking just great.

I'm so glad i went, as i write i'm awaiting news from the hospital and it's a very tense time.
so i'll spend the time posting pics of the trip.   sunny and i had a walk next morning before i headed down to geelong to take susan and jenny to lunch by the bay for their birthdays, our annual sisters' get-together. 

It was a perfect sunny day, the bay was sparkling and the wharf shed upstairs has been renovated into a light spacious restaurant with bay views on three sides and a large outdoor dining area.   Covid meant spaced seating, and staff run off their feet with all the extra cleaning duties required.  but nothing could be faulted, we had a lovely time.
I stayed at Gail's and we had thursday night drinks in person instead of on Zoom.   it was great to talk to everyone face to face, Zoom has it limitations, conversations are stilted and vision is lacking animation although it serves its purpose, we're all glad to see each other each week.

Friday gail and i drove to barwon heads and had lunch with janet at Orange, i had a superb seafood linguini.   we all had great food and strolled into a couple of shops before driving back to gails for a quiet night of scrabble and a movie.
saturday i headed off intending to drive straight home but i realised there was no pressing reason to hurry, so i dawdled my way thru wool shops and op shops as far as St Arnaud and stayed the night at La Cochon Rose where i've stayed before.   that town is so lovely, all the shopfronts in the main street are original and a local artist has been painting murals on some of the long blank side walls of buildings in laneways and back streets.  Unlike the silos, they add to the town - the artist has used monochromatic tones and the images blend in with the streetscapes.

next day i travelled along my beloved silo train, the sunraysia highway has a lot of unsullied silos, only one has been painted and it's in very muted colours.  I hope they leave them alone.

Home again and it's hard to believe its almost the winter solstice.  days are balmy and sunny, sunrises and sunsets have been gorgeous because there's been some cloud. 

I have two resident black ducks at the moment, they spend time strolling about the grounds and yesterday were high up in a redgum. they seem to do this at a certain time each year.   It's always a surprise to see a duck up high in a tree

I have two resident wood ducks at the moment, they spend time strolling about the grounds and yesterday were high up in a redgum. they seem to do this at a certain time each year.   It's always a surprise to see a duck up high in a tree 

i've been home now for a couple of days, lowkey days knitting and watching rake as i wait for news of sunny.