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Published: November 27th 2011
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Sunday 20th looked a little better weather-wise so I got some washing on and hung it on the line to dry. Graham spent some time discouraging mad Micky from swinging on the new blind. We had it in mind to visit Yering Station, a well known vineyard on the outskirts of Melbourne and the likely location for brother David’s forthcoming nuptials.We set off at about midday, a little later than planned, to cover the 40 kilometers or so just beyond the suburb of Lilydale. Traffic moved well and we were soon approaching the vineyard.What we hadn’t bargained for, though, was the monthly Farmer’s Market which must be the best attended Farmer’s Market we’ve ever been to.The normal car parks were full, cars were parked everywhere, albeit in a very orderly fashion, and we were directed to an area which was just inside the main vineyard, about a 10 minute walk away.It was easy to see what the attraction was.The location is absolutely superb with far-reaching views of Yarra Glen.The Yarra Valley is a very prestigious wine making area and Yering Station is one of the leading lights.The Farmer’s Market was an
excellently arranged affair with top quality produce of all varieties on display.Because the market was due to wrap up at 2:00pm, and time was going on, we made a point of doing some shopping first before we explored the main Yering Station buildings.When we did get around to exploring the buildings we were not to be disappointed.There is a top class restaurant, a gallery currently displaying sculptures from the famous Heide Gallery, a wine-tasting area, beautiful gardens and a wonderful large, outdoor patio type area with the magnificent views in the background.We don’t know yet, of course, what form the wedding will take but the location couldn’t be better.We dashed back to the market just in time to sample some pies, coffee and ice-cream for lunch before returning to Daphne’s in Barkly Street to get ready for our evening out.We had been invited to Grants for tea and we needed to make sure we had enough time to don our best bib and tucker (which for us means our tidiest camping clothes!!).
We arrived at Grant’s soon after 5:00pm and he was already busy cooking up a feast.The girls, Amy and Charlotte and their Mum Anna were also there to greet us along with the two dogs Daisy and Henry. Like his Mum, Daphne, Grant is an excellent cook and enjoys creating a variety of tastes and tonight was no exception.Barbecued meats cooked in Indian and Greek styles were accompanied by salad and hot, sliced potatoes in a cheesy sauce.Much of the conversation revolved around either our forthcoming trip to Rye, where we’ll be staying in Anna’s parent’s beach house, or David’s impending wedding for which Anna has become the main organiser.After some attempts to contact David by phone, during which Anna and Mele had a lengthy chat, we were able to arrange to talk with David via Skype and more details of likely requirements and probable guest lists began to emerge. Anna will certainly be kept busy but she seems to be relishing the challenge.Our wonderful evening continued but was interrupted by a phone call from Bert.A bit of a catastrophe had occurred back at Daphne’s house involving part of the large pergola in the back garden which had fallen, probably disturbed by recent strong winds, and had gone through one of
the back lounge windows.Daphne was understandably anxious to see precisely what had happened so we said our farewells at about 10:00pm and hot-footed it back to Daphne’s.By the time we arrived, Bert and Kim had cleaned up much of the internal mess and, fortunately, had been playing with mad Micky, the kitten, in their room at the time of the incident so he had not been in a vulnerable spot.His food bowls and litter tray are usually kept right by the smashed window so had he been there at the time he might well have been affected by the events.Bert and Graham managed to secure the “opening” with some suitable bits of wooden board but proper repairs would have to wait until the morning.None of us felt tired following the various excitements of the day and at about midnight, our time, I was able to contact Rod in Calne on Skype and we chatted at length about his and Tania’s trip over to Aus for the wedding.They are planning to spend time in New Zealand on the way and to see a bit of South and Western Australia before they return to the UK via Hong Kong.They were also able
to confirm that John, the last of that generation of the Jackson clan to throw his hat into the ring, would also be coming over for the wedding which was brilliant news. We planned how we would tackle the window repairs in the morning and how we would arrange our trip to Rye given the disruption but, with luck, everything should fall into place nicely.We managed to get off to bed at about 1:00am!!!!
The morning of Monday 21st November was, of course, over-shadowed by Daphne’s attempts to get the broken window repaired.Her insurance company took charge of arranging for a glazier to call but a time couldn’t be determined. In the meantime, we did what we could to get everything ready for our trip to Rye.Kim had told us that she would be home at about 1:30pm today and would take care of things from then on so we knew we could get on down to Rye during the afternoon.The glaziers rang eventually and spoke with Graham to confirm that they would call at some time during the afternoon but they couldn’t
be more specific.So when Kim arrived, and we had already had a bit of lunch, we were able to leave and head for the new Freeway (which isn’t actually free as it’s a toll road!).We made excellent time and arrived at Bill and Helen’s holiday house at about 2:45pm.The house is fantastic and the weather was brightening up so we looked forward to a relaxing few days in Rye. It took us a while to decide who would have which bedroom (amazing to have a choice!) but eventually the choices were made and after settling ourselves in we made a brew and sat on the rear verandah enjoying the lovely rural outlook. We had brought plenty of food with us from Daphne’s but the chicken galantine was still frozen when the time came to consider dinner.So although we said we wouldn’t buy fish and chips, that’s exactly what we did.At about 6:00pm, and with the sun still shining beautifully, we drove the short distance to Sorrento where Daphne knew of the location of a chippie.We found a splendidly sited picnic table and ate our meal with a glorious view over the bay and in the company of a million seagulls.Afterwards
we strolled down to the water’s edge and enjoyed a splendid walk before returning to the house in Rye to relax for the evening.Graham, who was visibly tired, had an early night while Daphne watched a bit of TV and I processed the Peterborough blog before a surprise Skype call from David and Mele kept us amused for some time before we finally turned in.
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