Monday, August 07, 2006

Oh what a weekend!

It started out with a (sounds of trumpets, drumroll, and Val swooning in ecstasy) WIN BY THE CARLTON FOOTBALL TEAM!!! Oh, happy day! Unfortunately I had forgotten my hand clacker when I really needed it (it was by the back door in readiness for bat duty), and my hands were hurting from all the clapping I did when Carlton goaled and the boys totally outfoxed the opposition. I must have been yelling louder than usual as I was almost without voice by the end. And then - glorious tradition for when your team wins - I had my team scarf flying out the car window all the way up to Kyneton (90 minute drive).

Awaiting us at Kyneton that evening was a wonderful dining experience at the old Royal George Hotel which we hadn't been to before. Fabulous food in comfortable surroundings. To top it off, we DIDN'T hit the kangaroo that insisted on jumping out on the road as we were driving on the pitch black back road up to our property. The next day brought beautiful clear skies and we did a walk around one of the goldfield areas. We followed a gully for a while and found an old humpy that someone had lived in for a while and abandoned. It was difficult to tell when it was built.















We had lunch out on the track.














Luckily we had that doona with us, as the second night we stayed, it got very cold indeed. Water in the kettle froze, as well as the liquid soap, and there was even ice on the dam. Everything was covered in frost, and we tried to get a photo of it but the cold had slowed down the battery in the camera and we had to wait until it warmed up before the lens would operate. This was the best we could do.

Still, it did NOT stop us from having breakfast outdoors on top of the dam wall, so we could be in the sun. Ahem, that's me seen through a very smokey haze. Dinner was good though! The Man Who Cooks does the campfire cooking, I do the dishes. That's the deal.











These last two photos are other ruins we found. The first is the remains of a wattle and daub hut. The wattle branches are on the collapsed bit. And the last photo shows the remains of an old stone hut in the middle of the bush.

12 comments:

Alice said...

Sounds like an exciting though chilly weekend. When you see those remains of bush huts do you wonder who lived there, when and why? Or am I just an irrepresible stickybeak?

Merle said...

Hi Val ~~ Looks like you had a great weekend apart from Carlton winning.
Nice to see the photos, and glad you had your doona. We have had some cold nights
but it is getting a bit warmer. The photo through the smoke looks good.
C'arn the Blues. Take care, Merle.

Sandy Hatcher-Wallace said...

Your holiday started out fantastic with your team winning. I love to look at ruins and wonder who once occupied them and I wonder how they lived. Glad your camera came back to life so that you could take pictures to post.

Susie said...

Great post, I totally enjoyed reading of your getaway. So glad you were able to avoid the kangaroo, although it's quite hard for me to visualize one hopping down the road!!

Carole Burant said...

You get kangaroos crossing the road, we get moose and deer! lol Loved hearing about your little getaway and how I would have loved being with you to see those ruins...I love anything like that and always wonder about their history!

lindsaylobe said...

Hi Val ~~ What a great win by the boys in blue. I heard snippets while playing golf at the Heritage, very exciting and it was fairly close at times!!Looks like you had a wonderful weekend, I also often wonder about abandoned humpies, who was there and what was their past history!!

best wishes

Meow (aka Connie) said...

Looks like a lovely weekend away. Nothing nicer than being outside with nature, even when it is really cold. And, haven't we had some cold nights/mornings lately. Yesterday(Monday) morning was a doozy ... my black car was white with frost, quite thick, too!! Glad you missed all the roos ... pesky critters, when they jump over the road whilst we are driving. We always get heaps at dusk when we go to Bonnie Doon. Scary, they can do so much damage.
Thanks, by the way, for the great email.
Take care, Meow

Kali said...

It's been a pleasure catching up with your weekend getaway news. I find it very exciting find old ruins...makes you stop and wonder about who lived there and when...It's always a real peaceful pleasure being out in the bush, and your pictures are good.
heh heh, at the visual of you with your Carlton scarf blowing out the car window, all the way to Kyneton.

By the way...I had a problem with an other blog, suddenly getting a message come back saying that my message was undeliverable...it's since has stopped.

I hope you're having a lovely evening Val.

Pear tree cottage! said...

Val, I see you did very much enjoy your weekend from start to finish.......

Now I must tell you, You will not believe this :o) but our son-in-law works with the carlton boys and when they have a barbecue at their home or a birthday party for the kids etc. etc. guess who comes yep! the team or many of them. our grandson 4year old munchkin! knows them all as friends. :o)

just wanted to tell you that lol lol lol lol.

The photos are fantastic and you never know we may see it for ourselves one day.

I have not been to the Royal George since they took it over, locals feel it is a bit too expensive but I am sure it is very nice. I like a cook old fashioned country pub meal and you know the kind were the steak is bigger then the plate. I hear the RSL has a great meal now it is all done up.

next time you stop for a meal in Kyneton let me know we could meet and have a meal together if you like.

Thanks for your email I will chat with you soon.

have a great week

DellaB said...

Val - I REALLY like your style!
Lace tablecloth indeed... or is that the hand of the Man Who Cooks?

Val said...

Can't believe a week has gone by since we did this walk. With this weekend's weather it would have been good to be there now. But I'm off to the Carlton-Hawthorn game today, and hopefully will be able to fly the scarf (from the tram stop to home). No roos to worry about either! Hubby's car still shows the results of one run in we had with one a couple of years ago.

The lace tablecloth, like so many of the things we have at our bush retreat, is an ancient cast off from home. Holes have been added to the lace over the years - we have to double it over to cover most of the card table. No, the MWC's skills do not run to lacemaking, although I have no doubt he'd be able to do it if he put his mind to it!

Kerri said...

How lovely to see the Aussie bush Val. And a bit of history too. Sounds frosty indeed!
You look good through a smokey haze. That's meant to be a compliment, although it doesn't sound like one :)
Glad your guys had a win. Hooray!!
Our road is a favourite with deer. One ambled out in front of my car the other night on my way home. Luckily my headlights caught the eyes and alerted me in plenty of time to slow down. They can be a real menace, just like your roos. It's sad when they get hit and bad when they damage cars!