AUGUST 2019

After the brief interlude that was our aborted trip north, settled back into making changes about the place, to put our stamp on it.

John wanted more space for his vegie growing. The gravelled area in the back yard – perhaps intended to be a lawn – was crying out for a more productive use. Solution – raised planter boxes. Their construction was easy for the woodworker, then he carted in some trailer loads of soil and mushroom compost. The height of the new beds would make it easier for ageing bodies to do the garden work.

New garden box beds – all planted and thriving

Two new gas bottles for Bus were bought. John fitted one, and that all seemed to function normally. He put the other new bottle aside for future use – for something. It was good to know the problem had been so easily fixed, though I admitted to a lingering slight distrust of it all, now.

John’s brother turned 90 and hosted a dinner to celebrate at a Melbourne club. Since it was an evening event, necessitating an overnight stay down there, I elected to stay home with the dog! John stayed with friend M at Croydon.

Friend M came to visit again, and we went one day to view an exhibition at the marvellous Bendigo Art Gallery. This gallery was making a real name for itself staging unusual and special exhibitions. Back in 2016 there had been the unique Marilyn Monroe feature one. In 2019, the special exhibition was portraits of British royalty; the British theme extended to city decorations and events. A tram, painted with the Union Jack was lifted into the town centre, to be a temporary café and promo. We had been going home one evening, after a meal at the wonderful Malayan Orchid restaurant near the town centre, and found it hard to believe, as we came around a corner, that we were actually seeing a red, white and blue flag painted tram, swinging on the end of a crane. One of those “How much wine did we have to drink?” moments…

Apart from the blockbuster exhibitions that only happen every two or three years, the gallery has a regularly changing program of smaller features, ensuring there is often something of interest to visit.

The display that M and I wanted to see was of batik style printing on silk fabric done by aboriginal artists of Central Australia.

There was an outline of the development of this form of art in the central desert, since about 1950. The display was excellent.