TWO WEEKS HERE

FIRST THING I DID - GOT CROOK!!  Both sunny and gail (who stayed the first night) had light coughs left over from bugs they'd had and i got it.  and i've had a slightly stuffed head and morning chesty cough ever since.  i don't feel bad but i'm not 100%, to be expected after six months of working my butt off 

PICS FROM THE LAST TWO WEEKS

Lovely to see the white-faced heron here

some lovely moon shots - the full moon shines through the kitchen window

through the kitchen window

GAIL CAME TO STAY again after a week, we had a good walk out on the 

St Leonards pier.   There was large seal out on the rocks, fast asleep

LOVELY to see the little red rumped grass parrot here too - familiar faces

      A BIT OF LOCAL HOME DECOR

   

THE MOON

One of the great

 constants in life

 the wonderful  company of

 the moon  wherever i go.

 

Full moon on Wednesday

and here it rises over

the bay.  I'm looking

 forward to that but in

 the meantime a few

 shots in the middle

 of the night

MOVING

MOVING DAY was only made possible by sunny's arrival, i don't know how i could have finished up everything without her with good old bob taking away the last minute stuff, and dee cleaning after we left.

one last look at the lock and thegoa lagoon before we leave

ONE LAST SIT ON CAPT. JOHN EGGE'S LAP

    

'bye boxes, see you in indented head

the guys arrived at 9 and by 11 sunny and i left.  it was a nine hour drive and we'd missed our dinner booking at the portarlington golf club by the time we headed thru geelong half an hour later than planned.  monday night and nothing open in geelong so hallelujah when we found a little pizzeria open in drysdale.  it was heaven  -  a really fresh delicious pizza and a glass of wine then a five minute drive to the motel which turned out to be a large room with three beds, table and chairs in the middle and a u-shaped kitchenette as well.   really good 😊

all the major 

food groups -

coffee and a 

beesting from

the Birchip

Bakery :0)

looks like we had a tiny stowaway

next morning we had a few hours before the removalists arrived so walked along portarlington and indented head beaches and drove around st.leonards.   My beach is Half Moon Bay, the prettiest part of indented head and only  5 minutes from home.

My section of beach, the old Ozone wreck off Half Moon Bay

 Nice to have a view of the You Yangs, the beach faces east - full moon in two days :0)

the guys arrived 

and unloaded - 

said they had lunch 

from the local 

fish'n'chippery and 

it was great.  

good to know

In the afternoon luke came down with etta.  the afternoon was slipping away so i encouraged sunny to go down to the beach with them before it got too cold.  i can't even remember why i didn't go but i was  busy doing something. my head has been so full of things, i can't think straight.  but it's great to be here, the unpacking can take as long as it takes.

it's sunday now and that was tuesday.   the house is still full of cartons in every room but the rooms are slowing taking shape.   gail came to stay first night which was wonderful, then jenny came over next day to help with unpacking and cleaning.  yesterday jenny and rob did a delivery of half my big plants and pots and today jenny and freddie are doing the same.

last night as i was saying 'bye to jen and rob after dinner at the st leonards pub we met the neighbours, a lovely young couple Chris and Fran, who have three kids and use the house as a weekender.  it's a holiday house on the other side too so very peaceful, no yapping dogs or revving motors :0)

Right now i'm coming down with a  throaty thing, the first in about three years.   and no wonder, my body is finally allowing itself to relax and i'm simply tired.   now if i can just find a plug the right size for this bath, i'll be truly happy!!!

I'M HERE ON THE BELLARINE

IT'S BEEN A CRAZY TWO WEEKS  but now i'm in my new home at Indented Head and it feels good. too busy to do a lengthy post now but will do in the next few days

PROGRESS

WELL, AFTER SUSAN AND SEAN'S VISIT i had jen and rob come from thurs to sunday the following weekend.  

We started off with a morning walk on the island in perfect weather

in front of one of the huge old redgums that came down after the
fire on the island about eighteen months ago

We repotted and loaded up most of the remaining large plants and pots into their station wagon.  also carried out some larger items of furniture i couldn't manage, things to get rid of.

Bill Wheeldon came with his ute and trailer to look over what i had to give away and insisted on paying a small price for everything he took.  he brought his 'buying book' and listed everything. 

      missed getting a photo of the full load driving out the gate - magnificent!!

 all fine so bill and rob set to loading up and i joined jenny where she was doing what she does best, lighting a fire.  we burned the old rotting cane chairs that have starred in so many sunrise photos. they made another fine photo as they became a brilliant inferno - a conflagration :0)

When we checked on the boys they'd completely loaded up the ute and trailer to the gunnels, bill took EVERYTHING except one sad white plastic chair and the futon.  $200 cash - i would've paid him to take it.  

jen, rob and i sat around the fire and burned the rest of the junk then heaped up the coals for a bbq tea.  the weather's been perfect, chilly nights and clear sunny days, no wind at all.   We stayed till after dark, a lovely night and a very satisfying day.

GONE - my last visitors from down south until sunny comes to accompany me on the drive down to indented head.

that was a great visit :0)

not impressed! the white faced heron
minus his elegant neck and beak

All the young pelicans are gathering down at the fallen trees and feeding in a beautifully balletic display of syncronised swimming.  watching them every day this week i'm amazed at the way they perform everything in unison.

almost finished etta's colourful jacket and now will knit a matching hat, knitting is a wonderful way to unwind after days of still packing, cleaning, chucking and just getting my head around what else needs doing.

 A BEAUTIFUL FULL MOON - the last i'll see from here.  talking to sister jen yesterday she said it had been a super moon, huge and golden as it rose from the horizon.  i missed that and only saw it higher, still beautiful and reflected in the water at the lock

beautiful western sky as well

I CALLED INTO ARTS MILDURA's new space in Langtree Ave and the lovely sonja showed me around. the space is great and i'm so pleased to see all my unwanted furniture put to such good use

I'M SURROUNDED!!

BOXES BOXES EVERYWHERE!!  Susan and Sean are here, we've been beavering away since they got here on thursday afternoon and it's been great.  they've bubble wrapped almost all the work on the walls and in the studio, got down all the things from cupboards and shelves that are high up to save my shoulder some work.  filled up the back of the spacious van with stacks of my biggest plants and pots and been great company at the same time.   it's sunday morning now, they'll be leaving before lunch with an overnight stay in St Arnaud in the way home.

when i got home from the post office on thursday morning i found this huge round loaf of beautiful fresh sourdough bread left by glenis in thanks for the lemons i had given her.  it was absolutely superb and perfect with the vege/lamb soup i'd made for dinner

 

  sonja came out with her friend dean and they've taken a lot of furniture from the airbnb and the big solid tables and sheets of glass  to set up the print studio in mildura.  Arts Mildura now has the etching press from the Art Vault and now it's all set up with my furniture in the old Ishka building.  feels good to leave it there.  

as i cleaned up susan and sean's room after moving out all the furniture for sonja and dean, there were delights by the shovel load behind it all.  eek!!

all the white furniture is now in the arts mildura print studio - it'll be great for Mildura to have this access to printmaking again. 

these solid old tables are so much more useful here.  i can make do with folding tables with my sheets of super thick pool glass on top

Sean's cleaned up the whole carport and put all the unwanted outdoor furniture and shelving in one big group to give away or take to the tip.   I feel i can manage now - it's three weeks till sunny gets here for the weekend before monday's move on july 4.  cupboards are mostly empty except the kitchen, the studio is half gone. 

Last night we made the most of the sunset, sat out until dark under a very 

starry sky