Making Progress

Eric began feeling better as the allergic reaction receded and his incisions healed so he was ready for an outing. We visited the Art Gallery to view A Portrait of Australia: Stories Through the Lens of Australian Geographic. When we were in Singapore we were fortunate to see the National Geographic display of their most popular front covers. This photographic exhibition celebrates the bush, the outback, the coast and the people who live there. We were impressed by how often the composition of the photos was so simple, with lots of negative space, but expressed so much. We weren't allowed to take photos so this is lifted from their advertisement. This one depicts a person walking the Birdsville Track. We felt pretty smug about how many of the scenes we had observed first-hand ourselves, through our travels across this mighty country, just hadn't photographed them this well.  

Monday was cold and windy again. We'd had a terrific storm with thunder and lightning most of the night; reminiscent of the NT wet season storms. In the afternoon we headed off to puppet show rehearsal expecting the venue might be changed to higher ground, but never thinking we might not get there. At our gate we found the remains of a tree that had fallen across the driveway. Fortunately for us it had already been cleared by Harrie and Christine who share the property access. We certainly didn't have the tools to have done it ourselves. Too big a job for our trusty reciprocating saw. Kate does own a chainsaw for collecting firewood but like the whipper snipper, we haven't been able to start it.

On Tuesday morning we got a call from Peter and Maggie who were on the road from Canberra to Bendigo and wanted to catch up for lunch. We met them in town at Pre Vue on the banks of the Ovens and from the comfort of our indoors table, watched as a power of water flowed by. Later three of us ventured over the footbridge. 

We've had the Pest and Building Inspections completed and the house stacks up well but the garage is dodgy. We had a talk with the agent this week and have negotiated with the vendors. Otherwise, assuming all goes to plan, we have organised for a Heat Pump to replace the gas HWS and that means not having to connect to gas at all. This is due to be installed on the 9th Dec; one day after settlement and the same day all our furniture is booked to be delivered. We've also nailed a solar panel and battery system to be installed in time to join the Mondo Edge Project. Their objective is "to allow businesses and homeowners the opportunity to work together to meet Australia's net zero target by 2050 by managing their own energy consumption through solar power and discharging their energy back into the grid through Distributed Energy Resources (DER). Mondo’s Project EDGE is currently running in Victoria’s Hume region testing DER." It's good to be part of the solution and there are valuable discounts involved in getting to be part of it. Final testing will take place at the end of Feb and then it will go live.

Last Thursday (still chilly in the morning but it developed into a beautiful afternoon) we joined the Bush Regeneration Group at the Glenrowan Seige Site. This is actually where Ned was captured. With no golf due to the wet fairways, Eric couldn't come up with an excuse not to turn up too. We weeded along the banks of the little Glenrowan Creek which is very often dry, but like every other waterway in Vic at the moment, flowing quickly at present.  

On the weekend we ventured over to Swanpool, between Benalla and Mansfield, to visit the 1950's style cinema. For 20 years, from 1991, it was run as a commercial business, and when the owner retired local volunteers stepped in to operate it as a not-for-profit community venture. So for more than 30 years now the cinema has been screening art house and quality movies, usually as a double feature on Saturday and Sunday nights with occasional matinees. It has been upgraded to digital equipment but has retained the old projectors so can show the old classics as well. We saw Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom.  The story is based on the real life experiences of a young teacher sent to Lunana, Bhutan - one of the most remote schools in the world. His dream had been to emigrate to Australia and this was the last posting he wanted to fulfil, but as it turns out he learns a lot about himself and the spiritual strength of the villagers. Teachers in Bhutan are highly respected as "they touch the future". Everyone, all over the world, wants better options for their children. 

At interval we had a light supper available in the tuck shop and then watched One Second.  This story is set in China during the Cultural Revolution of the 1970's and revolves around a mobile cinema touring remote Chinese villages. One of the leads is a prisoner who has escaped from a labour camp after being told his teenage daughter appears in a newsreel being shown at the start of the film – he's desperate to see her. The second lead is an orphan who wants the roll of film to fix a lampshade so her little brother wont be further targeted by bullies. So much injustice! These two have an ongoing tussle but the main theme of the whole show is how important film and storytelling are to people everywhere. The third lead is the village projectionist who rallies all the locals to meticulously repair the film for viewing. We didn't enjoy it as much as the earlier film as it was a bit far-fetched and then the drive home was horrendous through dreadful weather. 

As this last week progressed we at last had some sunshine to enjoy. We went cherry picking at an orchard in Glenrowan. This brought back memories of my first job after the old HSC exams. Eric enjoyed a game of golf while I weeded the banks of the Oven's River in town with the Bush Regeneration Team. The sunshine has also encouraged the wildlife to come out and play on the lawns. 

Then on Friday night we enjoyed seeing Neil Simon's 'Barefoot in the Park' presented by the Wangaratta Players. This amateur group have a 70+ year history and perform in a small, intimate theatre with raked seating giving the place a lovely, cosy atmosphere. 

On Saturday we visited the Milawa Market. This was held at the newly renovated Community Hall which has the most beautiful Tasmanian Oak floor. John and Yve then joined us for lunch at Kates, so we were able to share beautiful sourdough and cheese from the local suppliers in Milawa and cherries from Glenrowan. 

Next week we look forward firstly to a visit from Laurie (Eric's brother) and Sue who will be on their way back from Sydney to Maryborough. Then on Wednesday Luke is due to arrive. He is driving down from Darwin with the dog while Tahlia, her Mum Yvonne and the kids will fly on Friday. So looking forward to seeing them all, but just Luke and Xina will suffice for this week.