Icy Iso

 So we are back in Lockdown again.  We know the routine but this time the mornings are colder with the morning walks at 0 degrees and ice on the grass.

Not many cars on the streets and I am sporting my Burglar Chic outfit for the occasion.

The Final Fling

 The Inchleys were heading back to Sydney and our long delayed New Year celebrations were coming to a close.  We had originally booked at Qilan restaurant in The Glen but Covid lockdown cancelled New Year for us.  On this occasion we almost missed out again as the new seven day Covid Lockdown had just been announced.  The restaurant had already had a number of cancellations but the meal was exemplary for our final meal together.

Yarra Glen

 Another day, another restaurant! Today we caught up with Kaye and Ian who came down from Yellingbo to meet us at the Yarra Glen Pub.  Our previous few attempts to meet up had been scuppered by the Covid crisis but today it all worked for a very convivial lunch.

Phillip Island

 While the Inchleys were in town, the Russells set up a mini holiday at Phillip Island.  Our first stop was at Coldemede Farm for lunch where the plastic cow made Claire look like she was 3 years old back on the farm.

Our visit to Churchill Island put us in contact with my favourite breed, the Scottish Highland cattle although we did not see any black cattle in Scotland.

We did discover a number of excellent restaurants at Cowes.  The Italian Pasta was excellent (as were the cocktails).

No visit to the Island is complete without a visit to The Nobbies.

One of the vineyards puts on a particularly good Lamb Shank lunch. It was just as well we booked in.

The Swan Lake reserve was new to us.  Although water levels were low, there was an abundance of bird life and wallabies.

There was also an abundance of Senior Grey Hairs making their way along the tracks.

The Island has a wonderful coastline that can be seen from many locations, this view was at Grossard Point.

Our final night was spent at Russell Manor around the fire and with a game of cards (the Reids dominated!)

New Year Dinner

 It has taken a while but we finally had our New Year Dinner in a teppanyaki restaurant.  The inchleys had been unable to come to Melbourne for New Year as a result of Covid restrictions so we were obliged to hold the celebrations rather late.  The dinner lost nothing for the delay.

Cooper's First Concert

 Tonight we were able to attend Cooper's first school concert.  He has only had his trombone for a couple of months but they put on a great show.

Concert photography is always fraught however I got a few shots around other heads!

Pt Leo Sculpture Park

 Our visit to the Point Leo Sculpture Park was, of course, preceded by lunch at the Flinders Hotel.  While the lunch was convivial, the fare was somewhat pedestrian.

We moved on to the sculpture park located in a winery.  As with all contemporary art, some we loved and other pieces left us scratching our heads.

Jack's Family Celebration

 Although he had his birthday a while ago, the family finally got together to celebrate Jack's fifteenth.  The Inchleys were invited and they were happy to catchup with the crew.  They had hosted Jack's first birthday in Yarramalong NSW so this was an opportunity to see how things had changed!

Peninsular Bound

 When Rhondda is down in Melbourne, she takes the opportunity to catch up with her brother and sister who live near Mt Eliza. On this occasion we all met up at the Heronswood Estate for a wonderful lunch in the old house that overlooks the Bay and now serves as a restaurant.

We then moved on to the Giddy Bullfrog Gallery at Red Hill.  The gallery is owned by friends Chris and Gavin that we had not seen in some time so it was good to catch up.

A Day At The Gallery

 Weather predictions were not good so we decided to check out the National Gallery of Victoria.

We spent time in the National Gallery looking at some of the older paintings in the collection including the Rembrandts.

Following an excellent lunch in the Gallery we moved to the Ian Potter Centre where there was an exhibition of Australian Impressionists.  This was a massive collection of Australian paintings brought together from many galleries and including all the iconic Australian masters.

I was particularly taken with a painting of Gardiner’s Creek by Tom Roberts in 1885.  It was most likely painted within a couple of kilometres from my childhood home and I had spent time as a boy playing around in this creek.

Rippon Lea

 We had intended to visit the Rippon Lea Estate in Elsternwick for many years but it took a couple of Sydney visitors to kick us into action.  It is an amazing property now owned by the National Trust. Of course the visit had to start with the obligatory coffee.

The house and grounds and mature garden in 14 acres is quite magnificent.

Inside the mansion is just as extraordinary. The wall paper was handmade by Japanese artisans and is generally still in good condition

The massive grounds have a huge fernery and lake.

The day finished with a traditional Fish and Chip dinner with Peter and Jill.