Lara Wetlands to Capella Wild………

It was a sunny morning as we packed up and left Lara Wetlands to continue our journey north.  Our first stop was Barcaldine where we had a coffee and did some shopping.  We checked out the Information Centre to decide which way to go and this rather colorful painting caught my eye.  It is an artistic version of the local shire map.

We decided on a new route from here and were soon on our way to Jericho where we camped overnight at the Redlands Rd campground beside the river.  A delightful little park costing just $6 per night.  Before we left the next morning we had a look around this little town.  It is said to have the smallest drive-in still operating in the country.  Just 35 cars and then some deck chairs if you can’t drive in.  Right next door to the lovely old Town Hall.

We crossed the road and had a look at The Crystal Trumpeters sculptures said to be an interpretation of the biblical story of Jericho.  An interesting feature none the less.  A little further down the road we found the wire and wood sculpture of The Trumpeter.  In the library just a little further on was a miniature village made of clay and wood.  Some very intricate work here which would have taken hours to make.

Our next stop was to visit Alpha.  This tiny town is known as ‘the little town of murals’.  We only saw a few of the 28 said to be around town and unfortunately those we did see were very faded.  As we went to leave we discovered that we had a flat tire on the van, the first one ever.  A few before on the car but the van has remained unscathed until now.  Bill changed it and we called into the local service station to see if it could be fixed but it was not to be.  A large truck tyre valve had pierced sideways through the tread and the tyre was ruined as the guy tried to remove it.  He did sell us an old odd one to get us going but we decided to go straight into Emerald and get two new ones.

We stayed overnight in one of the van parks in Emerald, packed in like sardines and not our idea of fun but they did have an on-site fish and chip shop and they were delicious.  The next morning we got the two new tyres fitted and balanced while we had coffee next door at the Fairburn Bakery.  Once finished we left town again and returned to our original plan of checking out the Central Gemfields.  We found a home for two nights at the Sapphire Caravan Park.  What a gorgeous place and so different to last night.  We set up and immediately went back to the office and extended for two more nights.  

A drive that afternoon took us down the road to Rubyvale where we had coffee and strudel at Muggachinos.  Absolutely delicious.  Now it’s here I feel I have to mention that only one of us had strudel and he didn’t like to share!  The gardens here were truly a tropical oasis in the very dry and dusty landscape. We became regular visitors for the four days of our stay.

We spent the days looking around the area.  Visiting the many Gem Shops all selling wonderful sapphire jewelry and other bits and pieces.  One day we visited the Miners Heritage Centre and did the underground mine tour.  It was very good and so interesting to learn all about the life they lead here.

Sapphires were first reported in the gemfields here by John Archibald Richardson in the 1870’s.  Commercial mining began by 1890.  Mines were dug by hand using picks and shovels in open pits or trenches.  It was incredibly hard work in isolated spots in harsh conditions with a lack of water. 

In the early days the main buyers were Germans, Russians and other European nationals.  A decline happened after 1935 until the 1960’s when tourists fossocking and recreational mining became popular.  By 1970 the price of rough sapphires had increased, and large scale mechanized mining resulted in huge amounts of sapphires being bought by buyers from Thailand.  During this period Australia produced over 80% of the world’s sapphires.  The market slowed down in the ‘80’s with an increase in production from Asia and Africa.  

With an active tourist industry from then sapphires are still being found if you are crazy enough to give it a go.  I have to say it’s not for me!

When we arrived our first visitors were a couple of Lorikeets.  It seems these birds are quite a feature here.  Each night there is bird feeding for the kids to participate and so Bill has got some lovely pictures of the beautiful Lorikeets all taken before the kids came down.  The cockatoos have decided they like the feeding too and happily join in as well though the kids aren’t keen if they come too close to them.

Our four days seemed to pass quickly and it was soon time to pack up and leave again on Monday morning.  We drove into Clermont where we did some shopping and then made our way to Capella Wild where we spent three wonderful days with Alex, Brenten and the four kids.  It has been three years since we have seen them and the kids have all grown up so much.  Now 9, 7, 5 and 3 they are all delightful kids who kept us entertained.  I was taken for a walk out to the paddy paddock where I met their paddy calves, Frank, Fergus, Flicker, Ferdinand and 2 more little ones whose names escape me now.  Bike riding, acrobats and bedrooms were all proudly shown off to us over the time we were there.

Alex took us out with Weylan and Josie one day in the buggy to check the water tanks and we saw a great deal of the property and the many cattle on it.  We had wonderful view of the Peak Range as we drove out but no pictures.

We had to drive back to Emerald before we left for Bill to get his 4th Covid vaccination.  All went well and he had no side effects so we were very happy.  While there we had a walk around and found this lovely sculpture outside the Art Gallery.  It depicts all the disaster relief workers who came out to help in times of need.  A beautiful piece.

And so at the end of another delightful visit with Alex, Brenten and the kids we said farewell again and made our way still further north.  Still looking for the warm weather.

until next time……….

Cunnamulla to Lara Wetlands……….

We decided that we would go to Charleville and stay for a few nights to let Bill’s eye heal properly.  We stopped on the way in and made lunch at a lovely big park where there was a lot of new landscaping work being done.  I loved the gorgeous Brolga sculpture in the garden there.  Soon after we drove through town and found a home at the Bush Camping Ground.  Owned by the CMCA this is a self contained campground and is a great place to stay while exploring Charleville.  Didn’t like the forecast though as the cold spell is continuing and the overnight temperature is 2 deg.   Brrrr!!

The heater was on as we thawed out the next morning and we soon left to find coffee in town.  We found a fabulous cafe called Charlottes Nest and that was our go to for the next few mornings.  After a look around the shops we returned to the Graham Andrews Park and checked out The Big Red Seat. No amount of research tells me anything about this other than the fact it was one of Qld’s Big Things of which there are about 18 on the list and growing.  

While trying to find out about the chair yesterday I had discovered that the park was also home to The Vortex Canons.  So we returned agin the next morning to see these.  The sun was shining but at minus 1 earlier it was still freezing.  These canons were brought here by Clement Wragge in 1902 to break the terrible drought at that time.  Used all over Europe to break up hail in the vineyards it was thought they could shoot the clouds here and make it rain.  It didn’t work but the drought did break soon after. Wragge went on to become the senior meteorologist in NSW.

After lunch we went out to see the Cosmos Centre.  The interactive displays there were fun and informative and next time we might brave the weather and book into the night sky viewing but with a zero deg forecast that wasn’t going to be tonight.

On our way to visit the RFDS Visitor Centre we found the WW11 Secret Base.  Apparently a large number of US Personnel were stationed here in secret.  As this was part of a tag along tour we’ll have to wait until next time to check that out.  The RFDS Centre was very interesting and we enjoyed our visit there.  They certainly had some challenges to face in the very early years.

The next morning was even colder and our heater struggled to warm up but with temp dropping to minus 2 I’m really not surprised.  We packed up and after a final coffee we were back on the road again.  Hopefully this cold snap will end soon.  We did come in search of warmer weather!

Our lunch stop was at the little township of Augathella where we found a new painted water tower.  Another very bright artwork depicting local scenes.  Sheep, Wool, Cattle, Galahs, Emus and Sunsets all featured though it was a challenging one to photograph.

After lunch we continued on to Tambo where we stayed the night in one of the caravan parks there.  That night we walked across to see the big event in town.  Ben’s Chicken Races were well advertised and we decided to go and have a look.  It was the funniest thing I have seen for a long time.  Held at the The Royal Carrangarra Hotel these 8 chickens dyed with food colour are auctioned off to race which raises money for charity.  A remote control car with feed on the top is then sent around the ‘racetrack’ and the chickens are off and running.  Not always in the right direction.  The winning chicken wins its ‘owner’ half the money and the other goes to Little Windmills, a charity helping sick children.  Tonight’s race raised $345 for them.

After the race we changed venues and had a delicious dinner at the Tambo Tavern down the road.  The Lamb Shanks were so good.  It was a great fun night but we were soon back home with the heater cranked.  The next morning was a little warmer but not much, we had a walk along the street but only Tambo Teddies was open.  The wooden sculpture of Potorooooooo was a bit quirky.  He was a famous 18th Century thoroughbred racehorse who won over 30 races.  Made by Pip Reardon it took over 50-60 hours to make, weighs over 300 kg and was constructed from wood picked up locally. 

From here we drove to Blackall where we stopped for lunch then continued on to Barcaldine.  On the way though we saw a sign for Lara Wetlands and thought why not!  We have never been here before so in we went.  Wow, what a beautiful place to stay.  Our two nights changed to four and even then it was hard to leave.  A well run campground around a natural lake, lots of birds, a thermal pool, showers and toilets available if you want them and beautiful sunsets.  What more could we want.

Bill spent his days happily taking photos of the birds that were there.  The little Black Tailed Native Hens kept us amused for hours as they all had babies and they spent their whole time running around to feed them.  As you walked around the lake different groups had bigger chicks so obviously they had been having a very successful breeding season.  

We found two different Dotterels as we walked around and I must say the say The Red-Kneed Dotterel looked so much better dressed than the Black-Fronted Dotterel.  They were both lovely and very obliging when it came to having their photos taken.

It was very hard to leave this lovely place but after four days of sunshine and birds it was time to pack up and move on again.  Next time we are up this way I’m sure we won’t be driving past.

until next time…….

Time to go bush again………

The time had well and truly come to get back on the road again.  With perfect timing the sun had shone in the morning making it easier to pack up than if it had been raining.  Soon we were all hooked up and leaving a much soggier park than when we arrived.  They will certainly have some maintenance work to do on some of the sights damaged by heavy vans.

We headed out of suburbia and made our way straight up to Dalby.  Our usual spot at Bowenville was still closed due to the rains so it was the Dalby Caravan Park for us.  On arrival we set up and had a walk into town along Myall Creek where we found the cute little ’Dalby Dude’.  One major downside of all this rain was the abundance of mosquitoes and it seemed that here they were big enough to carry you away.  No point covering up as they just bit right through the clothes.

The next morning we stopped for coffee at The Urban Paddock before hitting the road again.  A quick stop for lunch at Moonie where I had a chuckle at the poem on the wall.  Moonie Madness.  Then it was onto Westall where we camped for the night.  The next day saw a quick stop at St George, where the Balonne River was the highest we had ever seen it, before continuing on to Bollon where we stayed the night at Wallam Creek.  Leaving the next morning we made our way into Cunnamulla where we were two days early for our booking at Bowra.  

The drive in from Dalby was really lovely as we had lush green paddocks beside us most of the way.  The rain this year has certainly been welcomed up here as they have been in drought for the last 13 years.  There was still alot of water lying along the roadside and many paddocks looked like lakes still.  The dams were all full.  Arriving in Cunnamulla mid afternoon we found a home at the Warrego River Caravan Park.  We had never been here before and what a little gem this is.  Spotless bathrooms and beautiful gardens with large secluded drive thru sights.  Just the place to relax in the sun after our 6 days in the rain.

Bill got up early and went for a walk with his camera.  Wrens, Finches, Honeyeaters, Red Winged Parrots and Spotted Bowerbirds were the order of the day.  In town a bit later in the day we found some gorgeous wall art in a lane way.  This was done by Samantha Meurant, a local artist, who owned and worked from this shop.  We met her the next day and she is an absolute delightful young lady.

It rained during the night on and off but cleared in the morning.  The wind continued all day getting stronger as the afternoon wore on.  Seems like we are in the grip of a big cold front and are in for a very long cold spell.  We packed up and headed out first of all to Alan Tannock weir.  We had a couple of hours to kill and found the Warrego River running fast and the weir spilling over.  From here we drove the few km through town to find our new home at Bowra.  On arrival we checked in, set up but no birds today as the wind was blowing a gale, gusting and cold.  Bird call in the old shearing shed that night was freezing.

And so began our seven day stay here at Bowra.  Bill came and went with his camera returning with a smile sometimes and other times not so happy.  With all the rain there were many tracks closed and the birds much more spread out as there was water everywhere.  Still it was fun and we did find lots to keep him busy.  Meeting up with 21 Emus one morning gave him a bit of a surprise.

We also caught up with  Marilyn who was staying there for the week as well.  It rained on the last two days we were there so all the roads were closed again other than the main track to the gate so we had to go to town of course.  Time for coffee and bread at the bakery.  While having a walk around we found this lovely artwork in front of the Medical Centre.  It was done by a local indigenous artist and is called 5 Fires depicting the five groups of people in this area.

As always Cunnamulla is a busy little town each day with dozens of caravans coming and going.  Watching from the bakery it is just a constant stream and you wonder where they are all going.  This year the fuel price has been unbelievable and we watched fascinated as people filled up each day at $229.09 and on the last day it jumped to $235.09.  Just over the railway line it was $214.09 where we got ours.  Don’t know if they didn’t know about the other one or didn’t care.  We did!

Finally our week was over and it was time to pack up and head off again.  At this point we really didn’t have a plan other than just to find somewhere warmer.  But there was a little hitch as Bill had woken up with what seemed like an infection in his eye.  In town he stopped by the Medical Centre and was able to get an appointment later that afternoon so we stayed another night in Cunnamulla lucky to be able to get a site out at Warrego again.  He saw the Dr that afternoon and was diagnosed with Conjunctivitis so drops for the next few days.  Easing a bit overnight Bill was happy to drive on the next morning and so we said farewell to Cunnamulla for another year.  So now all we need to do is make a decision - which way.

until next time……

Getting cold here, time to make like a bird and migrate north……..

as we do each year.  The forecast didn’t seem too promising for the first week but we left on the 10th May and headed up the Hume Hwy.  We stopped in Glenrowan for coffee, lunch at Lake Hume, which was looking very full, and kept going till we came to Yerong. Creek.  Last time we passed here they were painting the water tower in town so we we stopped today to check out the finished mural.  

Called ‘Through Their Eyes’ and painted by Melbourne Artist Heesco it looks great and depicts stories of the local district through the years and stories of the Widadjuri people.  It is very colorful and a great addition to this little town.  We continued on and camped our first night out at The Rock.  Usually we are on our own here or just one or two others but tonight there were 6 or 7 other vans here.  Certainly more people around this year.

The night was much warmer here than at home and it was still fine early morning but we were expecting that to change sooner rather than later.  We drove on and stopped at Harden to have a look at the ‘Bill the Bastard’ sculpture we saw last year in the studio.  It is now in position in the Main Street and looks wonderful.  A truly amazing work and equally amazing story.

After lunch we continued on to Mont Eagle where we stayed the night at Touts Park.  The rain had started during the afternoon so our spectacular view of the valley had disappeared under the clouds and we had a quiet night here.  The drive out the next morning was very soggy as it had rained all night.  We kept going until we arrived at Cowra for a walk in the rain.  From here we kept on until we stopped at Bathurst where we camped at the Showgrounds.  The grounds here were soaking and the caretakers were having a fun time putting people in places where they wouldn’t get stuck.  We settled in for another night inside with the heater.

The next day was fine and we had decided to stay for two nights.  The blue sky and sunshine was delightful as we drove into town to have a look around.  Great coffee first at Piccolo and then a walk around Kings Parade.  Opposite The Courthouse there is the Boer War Monument and the very stately Carillon which commemorates the 1st and 2nd World Wars, Vietnam War, Gulf War and East Timor, Iraq, Afghanistan Peace Keeping Operations.

At the other end of the Parade was a sculpture of George William Evans who discovered the Bathurst Plains in 1810 and is known for the opening up of the west.  From here walking further along the street and around the block we found the very impressive Presbyterian Church and a Public School built in 1874.  This building is now the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum.  There were many more lovely old historic buildings as we walked the streets but far too many to mention here.

The sun was still shining the next morning as we left this lovely town but the clouds soon gathered as we arrived in Orange where we stopped to pick up some bread and of course a coffee.  Even though the rain threatened it didn’t happen so we stayed dry.  We continued on our way to Gilgandra where once again we stayed at the Bowling Club.  And no cooking for me as we headed in for a delicious Chinese meal.

We left the next morning just as the rain arrived and lunched at Coonabarabran on the way to Narrabri where we were staying two nights at a farm stay just out of town.  Shanty on Naomi is a lovely campground right on the banks of the Namoi River which was very high at the moment but the ground was all dry.  Lots of birds here so this should keep Bill smiling for a while.

We had a look around town the next day and found it appeared to be a smaller place than Bathurst and it didn’t look quite as prosperous.  The Masonic Lodge opposite the Courthouse looked very impressive and is said to be built in 1892 and is in near perfect condition.  It has lead light windows bearing the  Masonic symbols and a bright blue sun below the year.  Back at home Bill spent the afternoon with the birds and his camera.  This Red Browed Finch was happy to pose for him.

The next day was my Birthday and we were off for our last day in NSW.  The sun shone and we had a good trip from Narrabri to Goondiwindi stopping along the way to wander around Moree.  With no border issues this year we had enjoyed our much slower drive up same route we did last year in six hours.  We arrived at the Showgrounds and found a spot, made coffee and relaxed until it was time to go and find somewhere for dinner.  I was getting spoiled for my birthday.  Our choice was the lovely old Queensland Hotel.  The sign said it was the first hotel in Qld but we still don’t know if that meant it was the first one you came to or the earliest one here.  Still trying to find that out.  We had a delicious meal and while there I snapped these pictures of early floods in the area.  Rather fitting for what is happening right now.

The next morning we checked the road conditions at the information Centre as we were wanting to drive to Dalby and stay at Bowenville.  We were advised that there were some road closures in that area so we would best to travel to the Gold Coast through Warwick so off we went.  Along the way we passed through the tiny town of Yelarbon and found this gorgeous Silo art.  Titled ‘When the rain comes’ it is painted by Jordache Castillejos, Jordon Bruce and Steve Falco.  It is said to be the longest silo art in the state and used 1,000 litres of paint to complete it.

The roads were all okay, some with evidence of the heavy rains just recently, but nothing to worry about.  We stopped for a look around Warwick before driving on to find a spot to stay the night.  We found a little rest area just this side of Cunningham Gap and set up for the night.  A little noisy with all the trucks passing but we managed.  Leaving here the next day we drove down the very steep Cunningham Gap before stopping for a look at the next town we came too.

Boonah was a lovely little town with some very quirky sculptures throughout the town.  The most interesting of these was the old Blumbergville Clock.  Boonah was previously called Blumbergville when it was settled by two brothers.  It was changed to Boonah in 1937.

After we had a good look around we left and made our way through some very interesting routes, thanks to the GPS.  Who would have ever thought we would pass through a little place called Wonglepong!  Perhaps this is why you should sometimes throw caution to the wind and follow blindly!

Our final stop was the Treasure Island Resort and Caravan Park on the Gold Coast where we were staying for 6 nights.  So that ends our first 10 days of travelling.  It has been a mixed bag weather wise but otherwise very enjoyable as we have settled into our usual routines of life on the road.  Bill is attending a Birdlife Photography Conference here and I’m going to have a look around if the dreadful forecast doesn’t come as planned.  We’ll have to wait and see.

until next time……..

Life gets busy……

 post Covid I took a bit of time to get back in the swing of things and for the first few weeks I couldn’t manage to get out to do the markets on a weekend.  This made things a little harder for Bill but we managed and soon I was back where I should be albeit a little more slowly.  We had a few outings for coffee with friends at The Nest and Fare Enough.

My first big day out was with Bill to check on stock and while in Chiltern we called in to see Lisa Bishop who is a fabulous artist with a great shop in the Main Street.  A few years ago she did a painting of the Chiltern main st and produced it as a microfibre tea towel.  I have been going to get one for ages and each time they were sold out.  Today they were not so now at last I have my very colorful tea towel.

We have been checking out Galleries in other areas as we travel around and loved the exhibition which replaced Bill in the Kyabram Town Hall.  The Northern Plains Basket Makers had some interesting pieces on display and it was certainly different from Bill’s birds.  That day we also checked out a few galleries in Echuca.  It was a good day out and we enjoyed the different types of art that we saw.

We spent a delightful afternoon with Genevieve and Greg when they invited us to their place in Strathbogie for a barbecue lunch.  Together with Sue and Tony we all enjoyed the day.  At home Bill has been busy when not designing next year’s calendars.  He has decided to transfer all our music off the computer and make it so we can take it and listen to in the car.  It’s been a long job but great now it’s done.

Another fun night out happened when the Euroa Photography Group had a treasure hunt down at the creek.  Armed with a list of items to photograph they all set off to find and capture them.  Judi and I joined them afterwards for a barbecue tea in the park.  

We called into the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) one day for lunch and then had a look around.  Now in its new home it is a lovely space and we saw some great items on display.  As always a few that made one scratch their head in wonder as well.  Another visit to Shepparton saw us visiting The hospital as Bill had an appointment with the physio.  While there I found this gorgeous mural of the ever present Cockatoo and couldn’t resist snapping it.

A bit of excitement at the museum one day as I was indexing the rate books.  We had a visit from the Postcards crew who were doing a story on Euroa.  We met Todd Woodbridge who was hosting that episode.  He was very interested in what I was doing and it was nice to meet him.  No filming for that though so I’m not to be the star just yet!

Line Dancing, the museum, Family History, Trivia and helping out at The One World shop are all keeping me out of mischief while Bill continues to work away with new design ideas for cards, calendars etc.  As we start thinking about getting away this year Bill has been kept busy with getting the car serviced and the van has been taken to Shepparton to have some work done.  

The week before Easter we had a surprise visitor to Melbourne and joined the family at the Chelsea RSL to catch up with our gorgeous niece, Shanae and her partner Travis, who were visiting from Brisbane.  It was so nice to see them as it’s been a long time.  Lovely to be able see the rest of the family before we head off again.

Our last month of markets have been busy.  We are looking forward to a break but before we do we have one more big one to go.  The Mansfield Easter Bush Market is on Easter Saturday and we drove up on Friday and stayed at Shelley and Darren’s cabin again.  The 5.00 start for set up is very early but necessary as the market starts at 8.00am.  We had a great day and we were very grateful to be able to stay in the cabin for one more night and rest up before heading home the next day.

The following weekend we returned to Mansfield to catch up with Shelley, Darren and Kyan.  We spent the morning enjoying the sunshine on the deck and then drove to a small nursery just out of town for coffee.  This quirky little place has it’s coffee shop operating out of an old horse float.  Returning to Euroa that afternoon we joined Judi and Peter and a few of their friends at their place for a late lunch.  Delicious home made pizzas, good wine and great company made for a fun finish to the day.

At last we collected the caravan from Shepparton and now we have to clean and pack in readiness for our winter escape.  The weather is getting cooler and we certainly feel like it’s time we weren’t here.  I have finally been able to get my third booster shot so hopefully will be safe as we travel around.  A few days later I got my flu needle as well so fingers crossed.

But first we have to catch up with a few people.  We had a delicious dinner at our new Indian Restaurant with Judi, Peter, Bethany and Neil one night.  Another delicious meal at Northern Republic with Janet and a really delightful day at Baileys Winery in Glenrowan with Marion and John from Benalla.  Pizza and wine in the garden with lots of catching up was a very pleasant way to spend some time.  We’ve snuck in a few coffee dates as well with Rae and Wayne, Joan, and just us a couple of times.  Loved popping into to celebrate little Zara’s 1st birthday and catch up with a few other people I hadn’t seen for a while.

Finally it was time to get serious and finish packing the van.  Tomorrow is the day we head off.  Watch this space to see where to next.

until next time…….

2022 begins……….

 with a fervent hope that things would improve and Covid-19 was going to become a memory relegated to history.  As time has gone on this is not the case and as new strains emerge we see huge numbers being infected each day and more people dying.  Having said that life has returned more or less to normal as each state has opened borders, both national and international, and done away with the majority of restrictions.  It really is up to each individual to take care and keep up with the recommended vaccinations. 

For Bill and I we had a day of rest on the 1/1 then got straight back to work with a drive to Stanhope to see Deb at Many Makers Gallery.  It was time to do the rounds to pick up any unsold Christmas cards and calendars.  Not very many left at all which was good to see.

The next day was ‘Meet the Artist’ at Bill’s exhibition at the Kyabram Town Hall.  Still technically a Public Holiday we didn’t know if anyone would even come.  We were pleasantly surprised as quiet a few people dropped in to check it out and talk all things photography and birds with Bill.  It was lovely to see people appreciate his work.  We had a surprise visit from Ben and Jen who drove up from the city to see the exhibition and us.  It has been many years since we had caught up so lovely to see them both again.  We also caught up with Kathy and Russell who dropped in with some friends.  They invited us to come back to their place after we had finished and we ended up staying for dinner.  The delicious roast lamb and vegetables were a real treat. 

The next two days were busy as we drove first to Mansfield to catch up with Shelley, Darren and Kyan and then Bill did a day on his own out to Yackandandah, Beechworth, Chiltern, Rutherglen, Glenrowan and Benalla.  I spent a quiet day at home.

With just three more days to trade in Pop Up Arts Euroa for this season Bill and I opened up and had a fairly quiet day with just a few sales.  Carmel’s earrings were the popular items sold today.  The last two days were reasonable and on Saturday afternoon and Sunday we packed up the shop and saw most unsold items returned to their makers.  Once again it had proved to be a great success and we look forward to doing it again next year.  We finished the season as we did last year with a breakup barbie during the week.  Valerie, Carole, Ross, Ali, Melanie and Simon all came round and we enjoyed a fun night with a simple barbecue, good wine and great friends.  Going to bed at one o’clock that night made me ask the question how on earth did I do this every weekend for a number of years.  Old age must be setting in - surely not!

I joined Roma at Cafe 56 the next week with some friends and family to celebrate her birthday and we all had a lovely time over coffee and scones.  We had a few trips to Shepparton the next week as I had to have 3 different medical procedures all on different days.  I think the car could go there on its own!  The results were all good when they came in but I have been referred to a specialist in Shepparton to follow up on my surgery in Cairns last year.  Things don’t seem to have settled down as they should have but good to know all is well otherwise.

We returned to Kyabram to check out the exhibition and were pleasantly surprised to find that four pieces had sold.  With just two more weeks to run we decided not to replace them but just did some rearranging instead.  Bill returned to take it all down at the end of the month and was very happy with how things had gone.

We drove to Alexander and Yea one day.  Outside the Yea Wetlands Discovery Centre we found this new sculpture titled Gurrong dharrang, The Scarred Tree.  With the artwork by Taungurung artist Sammy Trist it is a Eucalyptus tree featuring Indigenous line art and the Taungurung totems, Bundjil the wedge tailed Eagle and Waang the Crow.

Leaving here we continued on to Seymour where Bill had booked us into Blue Tongue Berries for lunch.  This little blueberry farm has a lovely cafe on site where lunch is a set menu consisting of two servings of yummy dumplings followed by the most decadent blueberry tart, said to have a punnet of blueberries in each slice, served with a delicious blueberry and bush lemon ice-cream.  Totally scrumptious and as neither of us could eat all the dumplings we brought them home and ate them for a very late dinner that night. 

During January only Violet Town and Euroa markets are on and we attended both of these and were very lots of happy with the results.  It was good to back out there and the weather was nice both days.  We have had lots of catch-ups, coffee and lunches with friends in town.

We spent a lovely morning in Benalla one morning with Bill taking me to meet Marion and John who live on the Broken River just out of town.  While Bill spent some time taking photos of the birds along the river I had a nice walk with Marion around the property.  Afterwards we all had coffee and a long catch up inside.  A thoroughly enjoyable morning.

Now here is where my sad tale of woe begins.  That afternoon I started to feel unwell with a nasty sore throat developing and a very bad headache.  Together with more of a cough than usual I was more than a little worried.  We were due to leave for Mansfield the next day for the Australia Day Market on Saturday. That night I went to bed early but got worse through the night with fever and I suggested Bill stayed in the spare room as we didn’t know what was wrong with me.  Of course during January there were no RAT ‘s available so we could only guess what was wrong.  The next day as I was no better we decided that Bill had better go to Mansfield on his own and I would stay here and hopefully recover.  He did and though tiring had a very good market.  He stayed the extra night as planned and came home on Sunday.

He’d rung me before leaving and as I was still bad he called in to a testing site on the way home.  They would not test him as he had no symptoms but gave him two RAT,s to bring home.  I tested immediately and straight away it showed positive.  I had Covid!  Bill showed negative but had to isolate now for seven days.  I reported my results as directed and the next morning had a phone call from GV Health who did a thorough medical check over the phone and decided that my age and BP put me into a high risk group and as such I had to go to the hospital and get an anti viral infusion.  This was to prevent me getting pneumonia and having to go to hospital.  Bill drove me over and while I was there he managed to get a PCR test which came back negative as well.

As you can imagine our next week was very quiet.  We lived at different ends of the house and Bill stayed in the spare room.  While Bill worked on all sorts of new ideas for the market I watched lots of catch up TV and slept alot.  At the end of the seven days and still showing negative Bill was free to go out again so the first thing he did was go and get his third booster which had been due the day after I tested positive.  Because of the treatment I had been given I couldn’t have mine for 90 days.  Still feeling quite unwell I didn’t venture out for a few more days and then wore my mask wherever I went.

So hopefully from here on 2022 will be free of drama but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

until next time………

Back at home…….

 again after a very different 4 months on the road and it was absolutely a case of Groundhog Day.  Victoria was still in lockdown though being in Regional Victoria we didn’t have the 5km limit.  After a leisurely breakfast we went down the street to buy a coffee and find a seat in the sun to drink it.  We did a bit of shopping and then went home to attack the washing.  The next few days were more of the same catching up with friends, socially distanced of course, and getting ready for Bill to hit the road again to see how the shops had fared.

The next week Bill started his rounds and over the next few weeks we had done trips to Yackandandah, Beechworth, Chiltern, Benalla, Bright, Glenrowan, Stanhope, Elmore, Alexander, Yea, Mansfield, Violet Town and of course the newsagents here in Euroa.  

Very soon after Bill and Melanie started to plan opening Pop Up Arts Euroa again for 2021.  As well as the people who joined them last year we welcomed two new people.  Carole with her jewelry made from vintage buttons and Carmel with her jewelry made from beads.  The next few weeks were very busy as they set up the shop and got ready to open in October.  We were able to hold an opening night event when we did open.  Jenny from Maygars Hill Vineyard came along with her award winning wines on the night and the money raised from the purchase of wine went to the local Fire Brigade.  A very successful and fun night was had by all who attended.

As well as preparing for the shop Bill also had to get ready for his new exhibition due to show at Bush Gatherings in November.  We had been hoping for a Covid free run this year but it was not to be.  Metropolitan Melbourne was still restrained by the 5 km limit so once again we started the month with just Regional Victoria being able to travel.  It was just the last week when the restrictions eased and we saw a few folk from further afield.  Once again Bill was happy with the exhibition and very happy that people are excited about buying his photography.

Of course now we were back at home it was time to get back to work at the markets.  Unfortunately due to the new Covid strain all but one of the October markets were cancelled so we had to wait until November to get back into the swing of things.  Once we did life became very busy again each weekend as we ran up to Christmas.

Before we went away Bill had been offered the chance to hold an exhibition in the gorgeous old Kyabram Town Hall.  There are four amazing spaces and he was looking forward to showing in another gallery a lot larger than he had done before.  It meant that more pieces had to be prepared and these were printed and framed in record time once he had the final pieces chosen.  With just one week between taking the Bush Gatherings exhibition down and the new one going up life was certainly hectic for a while.  

Opening at Kyabram on the 8th December the new exhibition looked amazing and we hoped that many people would stop by and see it.  Rather than host an opening event Bill was holding ‘A meet the artist’ day when the gallery reopened in January after a short recess for Christmas and New Year.  We were thrilled with all the publicity Bill received for both exhibitions.  Local radio stations interviewed Bill and local newspapers had run articles after seeing the exhibition and talking to him.  

While Bill was flat out with all his birds, I had returned to my activities once restrictions had eased.  I was enjoying Line Dancing and my indexing at the museum.  Trivia nights with our team brought mixed results as we had been out of practice for so long but we still did well and stayed off the bottom most of the time.  Family History was fun too as I attempted to trace both sides of our families.  It’s been very interesting.  Thankfully a couple of our Aunties had done a lot of work previously and shared this with us.

While we were busy with the shop and the markets we still found time to catch up with friends and spent some time enjoying delicious meals at the Butter Factory with Melanie and Simon.  I had a lovely lunch with the girls from the One World Shop, Sue, Genevieve and Ruth.  A dinner at the Seven Creeks Hotel with Judi and Peter and a fabulous afternoon of fun when Shelley, Darren, Kyan Julie and Craig came to visit and Connie opened our local Chinese Restaurant just for us to have lunch.

And then it was Christmas!  We made the usual drive down to Parkdale where we enjoyed Christmas lunch with the family.  Anne and Paul had decided to stay as the borders hadn’t been opened in time for them to get back to WA.  After living beside the Murray for two months they were now back in suburbia to enjoy Christmas with their grandchildren and family.  It was lovely for Mum to have her four children able to celebrate with her after so many years.

Bill and I opened the shop for it’s last three days in the week between Christmas and New Year and then it was time for everyone to collect any unsold items and say goodbye to Pop Up Arts Euroa for another year.  Once again it had been a very successful enterprise for all those concerned and we look forward to welcoming everyone back again next year.  

For now at least it’s time for a few days rest before we start the cycle all over again.  We wish you all the best for coming year and I’m sure we are all hoping for a much better year as far as the pandemic goes.

until next time…..