Yes we are cleared for launch,... Just got formal confirmation overnight and have been making travel arrangements, but for various reasons we were unable to finalise the booking last night. So on our way into town this morning to finalise things. All this means we should be on the road this Sunday. The next installment will be from "over there". YAY, had enough of this waiting lark.
Anyhow late last week I arranged for us to spend a couple of days in Daylesford. We picked a hire car up on Thursday and drove down to Daylesford to spend a couple of days at Mum n Dad's bush retreat. We took residence in "Heath Cottage" alongside the main house. Mind you the drive down was interesting - not having lived in Melbourne for 20+ years my navigation was a bit up the spout, and as we were both getting a bit short and scratchy it made for an interesting drive. Further heightened by the filthy weather, I'd reached the point of questioning the wisdom of not paying an extra $24 a day in insurance well before we rounded a corner to find a tree down on the road. Only delayed us a few minutes, as this being the country there was a 4wd with tow rope attached to said tree and ready to go. Of course me being me I had to get out and break branches and straighten roadside markers before driving off.
We did however make it safely through to Porcupine Ridge. At which point we retreated inside and stayed there until Friday morning.
Mmmmm. Time out and relaxation, something we both desperately needed - or was that simply a new environment where we were uncontactable. Yep there aint no mobile reception out there for us city slickers. Vodaphone country coverage - nuff said.
Not bad for an owner builder project, using rocks from the block and fittings from clearance sales. It's even more speccy inside! Ok if you insist, here's an inside photo as well...
So a day was spent trawling "antique" shops, which I have to say resulted in purchases. I upped my Biggles collection by two! Unfortunate all the others are in storage. And then the main event, we went to the Hepburn Springs bath house and spent a rather relaxing couple of hours soaking in spa water. The big pool, the spa pool (with spa lounges - strategically placed over water/air jets), the salt pool, the monsoon shower, the steam room - rinse and repeat! Some time later two bedraggled and rather wrinkled critters emerged from the bath house and wended a rather boneless way back to Mum n Dad's. Well and truly in time for a dose of Miss Phrynne Fisher's Murder Mysteries. Rather topical this week as we were in fact somewhere between Melbourne and Ballarat, for Murder on the Ballarat Train. A rather pleasant evening with Mum N Dad.
On the way back to Melbourne we stopped at Macedon to visit Antoinne and Lara, old time SCA people we hadn't seen for a few (maybe add a few) years. A pleasant interlude and much to catch up on. We were a bit surprised the following day when being loose end we cycled from Ashburton across to John Knight Memorial Park to to watch the Monthly Bash and much to our surprise ran into Antoinne and Lara who had decided to attend their first event in years. Mind you we did catch up with quite a lot of other people there as well.
Would seem that I have neglected my stretching for a little too long as the combination of that, the spa and walking (more being towed by) the dog has resulted in my lower back going out. Ahhh ouch came on big time as I walked around bits of Melbourne with my father in-law Ray, while Katrina went to a quilters meeting with her mum. Katrina won a raffle prize - a little quilting kit, well she did need things to do in Oman once the thesis is finished. So back to Ashburton and a slow afternoon with the back and some stretching. It is on the improve.
And so finally we are on the brink of the move..... And once again just in time for me to not realise my ambition of going to an F1 Grand Prix.
The retreat looked lovely.
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