SEPTEMBER 2019

Welcomed our first spring time in Central Victoria. Driving from our home on the western edge of Bendigo, into town, became an even greater joy with the flowering of the local wild wattle varieties. Usually scrubby, nondescript roadside bushes burst into yellow, for a few weeks. The same happened in the surrounds of the local oval, scene of our dog walking.

This became a riot of yellow in spring

It was rather a relief when the moptop trees began shooting again, from the dead-seeming stumps that they were through winter. We were still learning about these strange trees and had been told that they should be cut right back each autumn, which we had duly done – and hoped we weren’t killing the things.

Moptops in winter mode, pear tree in early spring mode

Having worked hard for nearly a year in the gardens, to remove large areas of plastic weed mat, and eradicate lots of unwanted spear grass, I was now able to spread trailer loads of euca mulch – and hope this would serve to discourage any more weeds.

Spreading new mulch

A sense of grandma duty took me to the biennial drama production of the 7 year-old’s school. This was a big undertaking, involving every child, in the Junior Aladdin show. Actually enjoyed it much more than I’d expected to. Grandson’s role was a standing-around one, attired in a vaguely Middle Eastern costume.

Much more interesting, however, was the Ulumbarra Theatre venue itself, built around the original Sandhurst Jail. Bendigo was once called Sandhurst. In one foyer/corridor area, we walked past some of the old cells, and the materials of the new parts of the theatre merge with the stone sections of the jail. This was built in the early 1860’s and operated until 2004. Ulumbarra Theatre opened in 2015. I thought it was an interesting and innovative use of an historic building.

The Sandhurst Jail entrance area of Ulumbarra Theatre

Main entrance to Ulumbarra Theatre

Less fun was the head cold that was a legacy of mixing with lots of little kids – germbags, all!

Friend M headed overseas again, this time to tour Bhutan and significant Buddhist sites of Northern India with a Buddhist friend.