Stella's Visit to the Hospital and Autumn Morning Light

Well now. That was an interesting few days.

I went to visit Stella on Thursday afternoon, to find her in some considerable pain in her hip and back. No real idea why. She was also quite a lot more confused than she usually is, but that might have been because of pain and pain killers. She had slid off her chair a few days before, but hadn't seemed to come to any harm. However, no-one could think of any other cause for sudden severe pain

Wendy came up on Friday while I went to work. Stella was in great pain and was definitely Not a Happy Little Vegemite. They consulted with her GP and took her off to hospital for scans and tests, in case of a fracture or small crack. Stella has said that she doesn't want to go to hospital under any circumstances but the general consensus was that we needed to know what was going on, even if no invasive action was taken. Wendy went with her in the ambulance and I arranged to come home from work after the lunch breaks.

I don't know what was going on on the freeway, but there was a great deal of traffic when I got to Rockbank and the satnav took me off and along a really lovely route of back roads. Some of them were new to me, some I had occasionally been along and the twisty, winding, steep road in Rowsley is one I drive sometimes for fun (although it requires considerable concentration - it is not unlike the roads into Rowsley in Derbyshire). I didn't ever get back onto the freeway

It turns out that Stella hasn't fractured anything but she does have an enormous haematoma hidden in her buttock that she had been sitting on. No wonder she was in pain!

She eventually made it back to her place just after 9 in the evening. Wendy did not go home. She came to my place for an impromptu overnight stay. She would have been very late home if she had attempted to get back by train.

We went to the Smythes Creek Farmgate Shop (formerly known as the Ballarat Mushroom Farm) on Saturday morning, followed by the Zoo Drive market. We had tried to go there first but there was absolutely no parking anywhere. There was parking on our second attempt but the market was still very busy. (This is not a complaint. Busy markets are a Good Thing). Wendy took the lunchtime train home.

Stella was in her bed when I got there in the afternoon. She was still in her bed, sleeping, when I got there yesterday afternoon. She was once again Not a Happy Little Vegemite, largely because the staff had changed her bed linen and she was not best pleased about being rolled around while they did it.  Chucked a proper little tantie, apparently 😂. Lindsey, now back from three weeks in Canada, changed her nightdress. Stella did not yell at Lindsey, though she did clearly let us know that it hurt. She admired the toy raccoon that Lindsey had brought back for her, drank a cup of tea, ate a maple syrup cream biscuit and was looking much more alert when we left.

I'll go and see what's happening with her this afternoon.

It's a beautiful morning. I might even get my seedlings planted. They've only been waiting for six days!

Morning light:

A Birthday, a Framing and a Roast Vegetable Stew

It would have been Jim's birthday on Tuesday. In my mind, it was his birthday, as in it was the date of his birth, which will always be the case. He just doesn't get any older. But for anyone who wonders, he would have been 82 ( my fingers made that 832, which would have been a Very Great Age Indeed 😆 )

In honour of the occasion, I went to the Formosa garden centre and bought some curly kale, sprouting broccoli and mini cabbage seedlings and another packet of broad bean seeds so I can have successional sowings of both broad beans and peas through the rest of the autumn and into early winter (depending on the weather). Jim would have approved of those as a birthday present, although I would probably have also bought him some local microbrewery beer, had he been here to drink it. I don't know anyone else who regularly drinks microbrewery beer so there didn't seem to be any point in buying any, given that Jim isn't here to drink it.

Then I went out food shopping, assembling the ingredients for my take on a typical British pub Steak and Chips meal. Steak, obviously. I already had potatoes. I went to Wilson's and picked up a Mystery Box, plus a few bits and pieces. The mystery box produced mushrooms, an onion, some tomatoes for my "pub" meal. I also acquired some frozen peas, which the pubs would definitely have added. 

I plated the meal on my Totoro plate that Lindsey got for me at Noritake when we were there last March and which she gave me for my birthday (or Christmas - sometime in December) and which I have used for special occasions until now. Following its birthday outing, it has joined the usual dinner time plates:

It was very close to a British pub plate of steak and chips, except the steak was quite a lot smaller. And there appears to be one ingredient missing. (It's not the gravy. There was gravy, I just hadn't poured it when I took the photo.)

 I opened a small bottle of wine to have with the birthday dinner. A bit more celebratory than the château de boîte that I usually drink.

I had hoped to be able to show you the seedlings all planted and the grass all cleared away - alas, the weather has not been kind for planting seedlings. I think it should be better at the weekend. Not warmer, necessarily, but perhaps not as coldwetandwindy.

This lady has been everywhere with me since 1991. She came to the library where I was working in 1990, as one of a monthly series of posters to celebrate the International Year of Reading or perhaps Literacy. At the end of the year, when the posters were all thrown away, I rescued her and took her home. She has been in every home I have had ever since (although I don't remember how she moved from here to England in 1996 - but she did). She was laminated as part of the library display but at my places has always been put up with blutack or "rent safe" sticky tabs, or drawing pins.  Yesterday, I finally bought her the frame I have always promised her. And I have hung her in the loo, where visitors will see her. She was in the dining room in Tupton, but in Mount Helen she has been in rooms that only I ever go into.

She seems happy:

This is what I did with the many red capsicums, and the oyster mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and kale that came in the mystery box. The lemons came from Gillie's garden. It looks very tasty!

What happened at the weekend?

Nothing much, is the short answer!

It was a fairly quiet weekend. I didn't do very much or go anywhere much. No exciting things happened.

I did clear up the empty vegetable beds out the front, and planted a small number of snow peas, a bigger number of garden peas and some mixed vegetable seeds (I don't remember now what was in the little tub of seedy odds and ends - they may have been better kept until spring, but too late now.)  There's another bed ready for a second sowing of garden peas. Oh, and I've planted one lot of broad beans out the back. I am hoping to have at least two more beds of broad beans, possibly three.

I think I figured out how Whiskey was getting out of the front yard into the driveway and I've blocked the gap off. So far, it seems to be working.

As you can see, I need to cut the edges, tidy up the dead grass and prune back the flowers and shrubs along the fence. I also want to put down some more red mulch. But it's been raining since my sudden burst of garden activity and I have been driven inside.

I had separate burst of indoor activity and deep cleaned the laundry and toilet. There were unnecessary numbers of spiders' webs and spidery detritus, especially in the laundry cupboard. The bathroom is next on the cleaning hit list but I seem to be very reluctant to do it! Instead, I stuck stickers on the tiles around the laundry sink.

I went to the IGA and got milk, pasta spirals, frozen veg and a rotisserie chicken and then made Hugo's pasta meals for this week. He did have to share the chicken with me, but I didn't tell him that and he didn't seem to mind. I have also made a mince and vegetable stew for me and some chicken stock.

Hugo, his teddy and the River Wye from 
the English side

I have been to visit Stella:

Wearing her new linen trousers that Lindsey
gave her for her birthday
and a new jumper that she bought when
we went shopping

The weather has turned autumnal. Drizzly rain, clouds, mist and on the cool side. The local deciduous trees are changing colour. The clocks have gone back to standard time. Winter is coming!

In hibernation mode!

Easter Weekend

Dawn, Easter morning 
from my front door

It was a busy, foodie and sociable Easter.

On Friday, Stella and I had been invited to my friend Pat's place for lunch. Also there were Pat's Sister in Law Margaret and Neighbour Lynn. We had a very delicious lunch; the main course was fish mornay in vol au vents, as befitted the day. I hadn't met Neighbour Lynn before and haven't seen Margaret in a very long time. It was a good day.

On Saturday, Wendy came up from Melbourne. We went out to the Mushroom Farm (now the Smythes Creek Farmgate Shop) and to Dan Murphy's where I bought quite a lot of non alcoholic supplies and no alcohol! We went to Big W and to the IGA. We visited Stella. We had salmon and chips for dinner.

On Sunday, Stella, Wendy and I hosted Easter lunch. Freyja and Simon came. So did a few other relatives. We had (not enough!) roast potatoes and potato gems. We had salad made with tomatoes, cucumber and capsicum from the garden. We had lots of vegan friendly food, omnivore friendly food, merriment and non alcoholic beverages. But not enough roast potatoes!

On Monday the balmy, warm, pleasant Easter weekend weather broke and later in the day the heavens opened. Wendy and I went to Melbourne late in the afternoon and I got to the flat just as the rain caught up with us. It had been chasing us down the freeway but we were just ahead of it until I dropped Wendy off at her car, when the first wave reached us. By the time I got to the flat it was positively torrential. The temperature has noticeably dropped. It may almost be time to get out the long sleeved shirts. And to find the umbrella which is usually in the car and which seems to have disappeared.

Stella, Good Friday

Pat, Good Friday

Simon and Stella, Easter Sunday

Freyja and Cheeky Chops Stella,
Easter Sunday

Do you remember the possum, who so upset Brandy a few nights ago?

I was pottering around outside on Friday in the early evening, when I heard a clicketty, clicketty, clip, clop, click. I looked around and there was what I assume was the same possum walking along the side fence, towards the little apple trees. I really didn't want it to come down into the back garden. Once it got in there it almost certainly wouldn't be able to get out again and that really wouldn't go well. I persuaded it that it would be in its best interest to head back into the little woodland.

On Saturday, at about the same time, it was back on the fence, pottering along, contemplating running down the apple trees into the backyard. Once again, I persuaded it that this was a very bad plan. Wendy tells me that after I had gone to bed, she saw it having a happy bath in my bird bath out the front. 

I don't think it can be particularly well. It certainly has a damaged foot, although that doesn't seem to be impeding it much. But I wouldn't expect a country possum to let me get quite this close to it. It didn't seem to be perturbed by me at all - although I wasn't rushing towards it chasing an angry cat.

I hope it hasn't decided to move in. Possums are protected so I can't force it to move on but I don't really need a resident possum. I'm sure it would be much happier somewhere else!

I was at work yesterday (which is why I was in East Melbourne on Monday night - I didn't fancy leaving home yesterday morning at 5:30 when I could leave the flat at 7). I am not at work today. It is a bit disconcerting being at home on a Wednesday morning!

Hugo, Brandy and Whiskey, enjoying the Easter break:

Wendy took this photo of Hugo

Ziggy is back

 

The last you heard of Ziggy, I think, was when it went in for repairs after it sounded an alarm and then it broke down in Mount Clear at the beginning of February.

It was taken to the My Car in Delacombe where they would fix it, but not for a few days.

I rang them a few days later and was told it would be ready to collect later that day.

I was JUST about to hop on a bus to go and pick it up when someone else rang and said it wasn't ready and, in fact, there were significant (and expensive!) problems that would need addressing.

But I was told this morning .... No, that was a mistake. The person was taking about an entirely different car.

You can understand that I was very suspicious about this. I said I would have to think about it. It was a lot of money, and really much more than was worth putting into a 12 year old car.

After much thinking, researching, and discussion with people who know about cars I decided to have it repaired.  I could have borrowed the money to buy a new car, but ideally I would like to buy a plug-in hybrid. These are still very expensive and I couldn't justify borrowing that amount of money. If I bought a new petrol car, I would never get my plug-in hybrid. I couldn't see any point in buying a second hand car. I might just as well use the money to repair the one I already had.

And now, some weeks later, Ziggy has come home, all fixed up. It's nice to have it back. Although I do rather miss some of the features of the Audi which I had borrowed over the past few weeks. The reversing camera was extremely useful, as were the lights on the side mirrors, which alert you when there is a vehicle alongside.  On the other hand, Ziggy is much smaller and fits into tight parking spaces, and costs half the amount to fill with fuel (although it also needs to be filled more often)

Lunching

Wendy was in town on Thursday and Stella thought that we might perhaps go out for lunch. It was a lovely day so we bundled her up and walked down to the Midland shops and went to Espresso District for lunch. It's less than a ten minute walk.

She didn't eat the toast,
but she ate every scrap of the bacon
and eggs!

I must admit that I hadn't ever thought to walk from Stella's place down to the cafe so I haven't taken her there unless we were coming back from somewhere else. It's much too close to justify getting in the car, so if we are minded to have lunch we've gone somewhere further afield. And the cafe does good food, nice coffee and has excellent, friendly service.

🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍🛍

Stella wanted to go shopping. To be fair, Stella always wants to go shopping. She loves shopping for clothes. I do not love shopping for clothes so we only go occasionally. Yesterday was one of the occasions.

We drove out to Stockland, Wendouree and started the adventure with lunch in the Wildseed Cafe.

Happy to be out and about

my Thai style pork belly salad

Pulled pork and poached eggs
on toast for Stella

And then we went shopping. Stella's favourite shop, Black Pepper, doesn't have a branch at Stockland. There is a branch in  Bridge Mall, but it closes early on Saturdays, isn't open on Sundays and isn't especially easy to get to during the roadworks. So we made do with the outlet shop at Stockland, where Stella bought a number of jumpers, ready for winter. We had a quick look in Sussan's, window shopped a few other shops and had a wander into Kmart where we bought Easter eggs for next Sunday.

We came home via a drive around the lake, so Stella could satisfy her wish to "see the sea". I know the lake isn't actually the sea, but it is a lovely body of water which was sparkling in the sunshine.

Stella seemed happy enough - although I strongly suspect that when she got home she had an afternoon snooze!

The weather has definitely taken a turn towards autumn. Cool/cold, misty mornings, sunny afternoons and cool/cold evenings and nights. I lit the fire last night, just for a short time, and I have put a snuggle blanket on the bed. I have worn long sleeved shirts this weekend, and even jumpers during the morning and evening.

Sunset from my garden

Misty dawn from Hugo's house,
looking as though there is 
an inland sea

Autumn cosmos flowering 
in my front garden

There's a Dragon in the Garden

I was peacefully watching television at around 9:30, 9:45 on Thursday evening and contemplating going to bed. Brandy and Whiskey had already retired and were sleeping on my bed.

Suddenly, Brandy came belting down the hallway, yelling loudly. He ran to the front door, jumped up and down by the window next to it and declared forcibly that there was a dragon outside, wanting to come in and devour us all.

This seemed improbable to me. It was much more likely to be the neighbourhood cat who sometimes wanders through our front or back garden.

I went and had a look. Couldn't see anything. Assured Brandy that there was no dragon to be seen and opened the front door.

Brandy bounded outside, yowling loudly, and stopped short by the chair I have on the front porch next to the door. And there, minding its own business, sat on the back of the chair was a small possum, about half Brandy's size. I don't think it was necessarily perturbed by Brandy but it was definitely perturbed by me, apparently rushing at it - and it took off towards the cucumber plant which is growing up a trellis in the middle of the garden.

Brandy took off after it. I took off after Brandy, caught him and brought him inside. I closed the door and we both watched the little possum, now hanging from the cucumber plant. Brandy was not happy and continued to yell loudly.

I took him back into my bedroom and came back to see the possum hanging upside down on the plant and nibbling on the last remaining cucumber of the season. The next time I looked out, it had gone.

No photos. Even with the outside light on it was still too dark for me to get a photo through the window and I didn't want to go back out and cause the possum to panic.

I went and joined Brandy and Whiskey in my bed (they were on it, rather than in it).

I was up early yesterday. Hugo had been on his own overnight, which doesn't happen very often. Someone needed to give him his breakfast. I got up there just after 6, to find him sleeping on the couch where I had left him on Thursday evening. Not sure if he had moved at all overnight! He was definitely surprised to see me at the time of the morning. He did reluctantly get up when I mentioned the Breakfast word, but I think he would have been perfectly happy to have stayed "in bed". Some of us, however, had to go to work and didn't have time to linger in our beds, although I did have a cup of tea with him before heading into Melbourne

Mostly Food (and a bit of garden)

The Sunday Lunchers gathered at Macedon yesterday. We were celebrating Irene's 70th birthday and making the most of a glorious, early autumn day.

We ate magnificent food, much of it from Chris and John's very productive garden:

John, Gillie and my hat admiring the vegetable garden.
Thanks to Irene for the photo

We had prawn cocktails, followed by Greek style lamb backstrap, enough roast potatoes to keep the navy afloat and a fabulous salad. We finished with a nectarine and sour cream cake and raspberries on the side.

It was a great lunch and a very convivial afternoon.

Next time we're meeting at my place. Not sure what to offer which will match that.

I had cheese and biscuits and a peach for supper!

I came home with a big bag of lemons from Gillie's garden

Jigsaw dogs

I mentioned a some time ago that there is a Hairy Bikers' chicken stew recipe that I made many, many times when we lived in Tupton and which I hadn't made at all (that I can remember) in Australia. I made a batch a few weeks ago, following the recipe closely, since it was a long while since I had made it. And I really didn't like it all that much. I ate all the servings so as not to be wasteful but I was puzzled by the fact that I had to make myself eat it. What was different from the delicious stew I used to make in the UK? Then I realised. The difference is the cider, which is the main flavoured liquid. I do not much like Australian cider and in the UK I used Somerset or Norfolk ciders, both of which I do like.

I made the chicken stew again this week, using white wine instead of cider. And it's lovely. I will do that again. I might try it using apple juice but I would have to buy apple juice specially and I usually have some sort of white wine in the house.

I am beginning to get the garden ready for autumn and winter. I have pulled the pumpkin, zucchini and cucumber plants, all of which had stopped producing. I have left the beans and tomatoes - they are still producing. And my silverbeet plants are extremely happy. I am now going to prepare the beds for autumn sowings, which I hope to get to around Easter. Oh - and to my surprise, my fairly new, miniature peach tree produced two peaches this year, both of which ripened and both of which were delicious.

Patio

This was the patio last Saturday:

If you remember, I said at the time
that it needed sweeping

And now I have swept it:

I would never want to get rid of the trees in the tiny council-owned "woodland" over the back fence (although a couple of saplings may need to be sacrificed for the sake of the fence - they are growing very close to it) but they do produce a LOT of leafy rubbish in my garden! I have half filled the garden rubbish bin already, and I haven't even begun to tackle the grassy bit of garden, not to mention the back walkway, which I haven't done anything with for a very long time.

When Jim was here I used the small study all the time, for working from home, online Japanese lessons, anything where I needed to be undisturbed. Even when he got sick, he still knew that if I was in there then I was doing something that he shouldn't interrupt. Now that he is not here, I don't really use it much at all. I have colonised the dining table for working, studying, messing about on the internet - pretty much everything, really.

This is the view from the dining table:

And in the evening:

You can see why I don't use the study very much. All it looks onto is the back fence. I might need to rethink its use. One day. In the fullness of time. Maybe.

Sunday and Monday of the Labour Day Weekend

I celebrated the commemoration of the 8 hour working day legislation by doing - not very much!

It was quite hot over the two days, although not especially humid so the weather was mostly quite pleasant in Ballarat. It was hot overnight, though and, despite having a fan in the bedroom, I didn't sleep very well. So I was quite sluggish during the days.

I did weed most of the grass out of the bed with the peach, lime and apple trees. A nice and easy little  garden job. I have shifted some soil around into an unused (this year, at least) garden bed out the front. I need to fix up the far end of it and let the soil settle and then I'll put some autumn sowing vegetable seeds in. I did not sweep the floors or clean the kitchen or do any of the other household and garden tasks that are usually on my Long Weekend List of Things To Do. I did do a Japanese class on Saturday morning, which was rather fun. I went and visited Stella yesterday afternoon.

But mostly, I spent two days in what might be seen as wasteful indolence. Or perhaps as a restful holiday weekend.

The weather has changed today. It's in the mid 20s and much more humid and very cloudy. It feels as though it might rain, although there is no rain in the forecast. I have now cleaned the kitchen and swept the floors. I have done some washing and ironing. I have swept the leaves from the patio and raked the leaves from the back lawn. The garden bin is ready to go out for its fortnightly collection. And shortly I need to go and take Stella to her GP appointment, and then go and play with Hugo and give him his dinner