Chez C & C

19/4/2018.  Thursday.  R & R slept well enough and in again despite being aware of T arriving for work.  Eventually, they got out when to the loo, had coffee and followed it with breakfast.  They showered as they had not been inclined to have wet hair at bedtime the night before.  About 9:00am, T offered them a cuppa so they did not decline and chatted a while.  They offered him a lone of “Left for Dead” in case he was interested.  Then, they really had to get into gear to pack the camper down, taking everything they needed for their stay with C and CH, RA’s brother and sister-in-law, as they had agreed to arrive about midday.  R & R left Dandenong South at 10:40am bound for Greenvale which is a distance of 73kms having studied the Melbourne UBD and set the Navigator.  No sooner had they started than the Navigator directed them to Eastlink which is tolled.  Immediately, they had to rely on the UBD in RA’s hand.  Fortunately, she had studied it and had picked straight lines like Princes Hwy to Burke Rd, Heildleberg/Rossanna, Grimshaw, Settlement, Keon/Mahoney/Camp/Johnstone, and finally Michelham etc. to C and CH’s.  Burke Rd was quite busy, close to the city, very slow with tram lines and single lane in many places but it was a straight line and avoided the city, tolls and freeways.  They made only one small choice of a wrong lane but it was easily resolved at the next turn.  Eventually, R & R arrived at 12:45am … 2 hours later.  They were glad of the chance to stop and go to the loo.  Naturally, it was lovely to see C and CH both alive and well, though C’s wife had picked up a flu on her recent boat cruise with her sisters.  They all chatted for ages before a late lunch at 2:00pm after which R & R brought their stuff in from the car.  Everyone had a very lazy afternoon chatting, having coffee and watching a bit of TV.  In between RA put a wash in and RL helped hang it out.  At 5:00pm, R & R went for a walk along the very pretty creek line at the bottom of the street.  CH cooked dinner while C and RL watched news and RA wrote diary.  Everyone thoroughly enjoyed CH’s soup and her version of egg and bacon pies.  After dinner they all watched an interesting show about fussy eaters before R & R retired about 9:50pm.  It had been a lovely afternoon with family … and a feeling being at home.

20/4/2018. Friday.  R & R slept really well and in, except that RA had vivid (not distressing) dreams probably due to the pastry.  They got out of bed at 7:30am, breakfasted and read for a while, a little impatient for their son, Z, and his fiancé, B’s wedding time to arrive.  C and CH came down, breakfasted and had already set the laptop to the TV.  The preview was still displaying and all of them were anxious to not miss a moment of the wedding.  By way of explanation, Z & B had eloped to Las Vegas for their wedding but were having it live streamed at 9:00am EST (Aust) so that everyone would be able to see it.  9:00am arrived and almost immediately the wedding began to display, with first Z and then B arriving for their vows.  They looked fabulous, with Z in a very smart dark suit coat and B absolutely beautiful in her lacy white dress.  R & R saw their sister-in-law, L, and recognized R, Z’s friend, who they had previously met in Darwin, as a couple of the guests present.  It certainly was a different way of participating in a wedding but it was lovely for RA and RL to be able to see it and see it with family.  R & R received lots of messages from relatives who had watched it and received a photo, via H, their daughter, that Z & B had posted.  About 10:30am, R & R went shopping with C & CH at Roxburgh Park which is a great shopping centre nearby.  Shortly after noon they were returning from shopping and were eating chicken and avocado in bread rolls for lunch.  They sat around chatting, fetched the washing in and had quiet time for a while. About 4:00pm, RL and RA went for a walk one way down the creek line just to see how far the path went so it took a little longer than half an hour.  CH had prepared a lovely fried rice dinner (so they were all in communion with the siblings together in Perth celebrating Z & B’s wedding) while RL helped RA read a draft for the blog.  After dinner RA posted the text and photos while the others all watched TV.  R & R had their orange and drink of water before quitting.  It certainly had been an unusual day with a wedding of a different kind … but R & R were happy to think that Z, their son, looked so happy.

21/4/2018.  Saturday.  R & R were awake and out of bed about 7:00am with Melbourne city in the distance way below completely shrouded in smog.  They read for a while and did a little orientation of Melbourne city maps for Tuesday’s excursion down town. They had breakfast about 8:00am and had no sooner finished that C and CH were down for theirs.  By way of explanation, C and CH live in a lovely big double story house on the top of the hill to the north western edge of Melbourne not too far from Tullemarine Airport. That explains why a look out of an upper story bedroom gives such a good view of the city and why it is necessary to come down. C and RL worked on a small table and pair of chairs.  They were adult sized, and of no good use anywhere, so CH wanted them cut down to suit the grand children who were too big for the toddler set they had been using and yet too small for the big table.  RA edited some text before heading down to see how they were going.  She was able to help by removing the covering off the old chair seats.  Everyone had a cup and chatted a while before lunch and more chatting.  It was delightful to all be just sitting around when J, C and RA’s sister, happened to call at that time.  After lunch, everyone all worked on the chairs a little more before inspecting the shed.  Here C brought out the whippy snipper so that the guys could check out why it had raced and stalled last time C had used it.  RA was able to wash a couple of deck chairs for keeping in the back of the car.  With the spark plug removed and cleaned, the whippy burst into life and C did the edges with it.  RL returned a call to E, his sister, about 3:30pm and he and his wife headed off for a walk about 4:00pm.  It being shortly after lunch in WA, G, RL’s brother, rang and chatted a while before heading off for the evening milking.  R & R returned, their daughter, S’s, missed call and chatted happily all the way through their 40 minute walk.  Everyone ate peanuts in the sunshine in the back yard with their next drink before heading inside to prepare dinner, write the diary and watch some evening news.  After dinner they were all too tired to do anything much so they watched “The Voice” before getting seriously side tracked by a documentary on Cleopatra. H, their elder daughter, rang briefly to ask about foot padding for a rocker in the lounge room at home in Barker as they had arrived there safely for a few days holiday.  It was just a little weird for the grandparents to think of the grandchildren in their home without being there themselves … but at least R & R knew all was well there.

22/4/2018.  Sunday.  R & R were out of bed before 7:00am and had breakfast before doing the dishes that didn’t get done the night before.  Leisurely, everyone showered and dressed for 9:30am Mass at St Carlos Romero parish.  Sunday celebrations are held at the school in the chapel which has concertina doors that opens into the gymnasium with chairs being put out and returned each weekend.  C likes going to Mass in this parish because the singing is good and they are starting to make connections there.  After Mass, C drove to the airport viewing area where they all sat quite a while just watching the aeroplanes coming and going.  When the planes take off and fly directly overheard the noise is very loud. Along the way, they went past Woodlands Nature Park, a beautiful building called Sherwood which is a reception centre, the Ponderosa which is a large cattery and dog kennels and Living Legends, a retirement centre for old race horses.  About 11:30am, C drove back from the airport, out, and up to Mt Riddley Lookout which is about 35kms from Melbourne city. On a clear day they would have been able to see much more as it is a very high vantage point.  C drove home to Greenvale, via Aitken Hill and the Greenvale Reservoir.  Throughout the drive they were able to see how this north eastern edge of the city has grown over the last few years and is still growing, creeping ever outwards with houses being built in between pockets of farmlets.  They had lunch about 12:30pm before a quiet time/cat nap.  K, RL’s sister, rang and then he rang H, his daughter, while having a cup of coffee.  Shortly after 3:00pm, C and CH took R & R over to Bundoora (about 20 minutes away) the see CH’s daughter, A, and her partner, J, and enjoyed afternoon tea and a catch up with them.  Back about 5:00pm R & R went for a walk for just over the half hour before dinner.  Again everyone watched “The Voice” before bed. Interesting how sometimes you feel so tired doing very little … could just be the body’s way of catching up.

23/4/2018. Monday.  R & R were awake about 6:00am but didn’t get out until 7:00am just in time to see C on his way out to work.  He has a 2 day/week contract with RMIT even though he is officially retired.  R & R had breakfast and chatted with CH when she came down for hers.  By 8:00am, they were all waiting with anticipation for L’s arrival back from Vegas and the wedding so they filled in time.  RA did diary from yesterday that she hadn’t gotten around to and RL began the task of removing the remaining spot light from the front of the car with the intention of replacing them with a new set that he’d picked up in Mt Barker SA at Home of 12 Volt.  Shortly after 9:00am, wondering why L hadn’t turned up, CH messaged her.  Seems somehow the dates were mixed up and L wouldn’t be arriving until Wednesday.  With that in mind CH set about some domestics and RA hung a wash before helping RL with the lights.  The kit was missing a couple of screws which was a real dampener.  Over a cup of coffee, it was agreed that they all go out shopping.  Shortly before noon RL drove to ARB to enquire about screws and to Spotlight for some navy blue upholstery material for the little table and chairs.  The guy at ARB was able to help with one of the two screws but not the other while CH was successful in finding suitable cloth at a good price.  They had late lunch together before, reading while waiting for another wash, hanging it and having a bit of quiet time.  R & R went for their afternoon walk a little earlier than usual and a little further so that they could see where the walk/cycle path went.  It comes to a junction and can take several different directions of varying lengths including a couple of kilometres from the junction to Greenvale shopping centre.  When they got back they fetched in the washing before RA wrote diary and did some preparations for tomorrow’s excursion into town.  Once again they watched “The Voice” with little motivation to much else …and a little excitement for the next day’s trip down town.

24/4/2018.  Tuesday.  R & R were both a little restless in anticipation.  RA was aware of not wanting to sleep heavily enough to miss C’s wakeup call and make him late for work.  C too, was restless for some reason.  Anyway, everyone ready and away just before 7:00am for the short drive to Roxburgh Park and train ride into the city which all took about 45 minutes.  At Melbourne Central at 7:45am, R & R made arrangements to meet C at 5:30pm at the Francis Ormond statue and headed off down Swanston St while C headed for work.  R & R walked over the bridge and read most of the monuments on their way to the Shrine of Remembrance where they had a cup of coffee.  It was not an ideal day for photos because preparations for ANZAC day services meant that there was tape and bollards and porta-loos and trucks everywhere.  Continuing down St Kilda, past Kings Way, they walked to Albert Rd for their appointment with B at Newhaven.  As always, B was friendly and did his best to explain what he was planning, how it worked and to answer our questions.  He had a form to sign which made it much easier than doing it electronically. He had a great cup of coffee brought in for them.  It was warm enough but threating to mist/rain so R & R did not change into shorts as they had planned.  By 11:00am, they were sitting along St Kilda Rd eating a pear for the hike back to Federation Square.  They spent about an hour in the Koori centre looking at the indigenous art work and artefacts and thoroughly enjoyed the “Listen to Your Elders” stories.  They ate their lunch on the steps of Federation Square during the noon hour and watched the comings and goings of this central hub, surprised at the number of students in uniform wandering around with pizzas and drinks.  R & R saw the #35 City Circle tram and were on their way, on the free tour with guided commentary about 12:45pm.  The older trams used on this service rattle, clatter, screech and lurch and are not the most comfortable but it is an experience in itself and not to be missed.  A commentary highlights all the places of interest and attractions where tourists are able to step on and off at different venues.  J, their son, messaged just before they returned to Federation Square so as soon as they got off, they rushed for shelter on the steps of St Paul’s to chat with him and have a coffee break.  By now it was misting heavily enough to get damp and for the concrete to be slippery. AC/DC mall and others with street art on the walls was on the list so at 2:30pm R & R walked up and down some of those lanes on the eastern side of the city, stopping off for absolutely ages to choose an opal bracelet at Johnston Jewellers. From there they wandered round the Chinese and Greek Precincts before walking up and down the Burke St Mall and a couple of its arcades, ready for a cup and snack on the steps of the State Library about 4:30pm.  Here people play chess on the pavers with giant pieces and others gather to watch.  R & R made a quick dash upstairs in the Library to the Dome Galleries, nowhere near long enough time to do it any justice but it was definitely enough time to make sure to put it on top of the list for another time.  The collection on Levels 4 & 5 deserved more than a glance!  By 5:25pm R & R were waiting at the appointed statue for C to make the train trip home.  CH, despite the fact that she had felt really unwell all day had prepared delicious sweet and sour pork ready for dinner which everyone enjoyed.  They all watched “The Voice” and were intrigued with Charlie Teo’s journey on “Who Do You Really Think You Are?”  RL and RA went to bed at 9:30pm having been on their feet most of the day promising that they would tidy up in the morning … in anticipation … of L’s arrival back from USA.

25/4/2018.  Wednesday. ANZAC DAY R & R slept well, waking about 6:00am and went downstairs for a cup.  Because it was everybody’s intention to say quiet for a while they went back upstairs and RA wrote the diary which she had been too tired to do the night before.  About 7:30am they went back downstairs, breakfasted and washed up after last night’s dinner, another thing they had neither the energy nor motivation for last night. They chatted while waiting for L to arrive and then chatted a whole lot more when she did.  Mid-morning everyone headed off to Anzac Service at Hume City council gardens.  The memorial there is a massive design in three panels each depicting the different forms of armed forces: army, navy and air, relief worked on what appears to be terracotta tiles matching the brick work.  The service was great and they had a sausage sizzle afterwards. The service and snack were well done.  Naturally, they were not ready for lunch so they chatted more, with L showing photos and the gifts that Z, their son, had sent with her for everyone.  Everyone enjoyed leftovers for lunch about 1:00pm though it looked more like a smorgasbord or a banquet and followed that with quiet time though L was determined to stay awake so that she could re-arrange her sleep pattern after the flights.  C and CH wanted to go shopping but R & R had no need so RA asked her brother to drop them off at the Greenvale Reservoir so they could have a look and then walk home.  For some reason the entrance was locked, so they walked home without being able to actually see it.  Shame because it looked huge on the map and RA was sure it would be impressive.  While they waited for the others to return from shopping, they rang S, their son, but he didn’t pick up so they rang S, their daughter.  RL downloaded his photos and he looked at the music he had in case C was interested.  RA helped CH prepared the vegetables for dinner before writing some diary.  R & R rang S, their son, for a chat before being called down to dinner.  RL and RA made everyone sit while they tidied up after dinner.  Together they all watched “The Voice” followed by some of the Royal Birthday Gala Performance. C & CH had been such gracious hosts.  It was sad for R & R to think they were leaving family … especially since L had only just joined them with news and gifts from Z and herself.