Monday, February 15, 2010

cool change











Like I say, in Melbourne they call it a heat wave, here in the north-east its just summer!

Dropped the kids off at the bus-stop in front of Boynton's winery between showers, what doesn't kill them WILL make them stronger. On the way home (a dirt track), noticed quite a few cars between the rows of grapes, which means Kel has either started picking, or doing some heavy pruning. Gapsted have already started, so I'm sure they're feeling the heat! Much cooler weather for it anyway, and my tomatoes are loving the rain, although I notice they split after a big downpoue, does anyone else get this? Grosse Lisse loveliness.

So, getting back to Boynton's, was being dishpig in the kitchen the other day, when the chef handed me a glass of Kel's latest creation, unreleased as yet. He got hold of some over fermented grapes, fortified them, and has turned them into something resembling a divine port, very yummy!!

Follow me on this one.Got a rejection email from a retailer for Brett's tracks badges(see image from blog 2), and get this, the last line was something like "Oh, and by the way, some feedback, the image was very small ". So how do you know you like it if all you saw was the thumbnail?? Can't even tell what it is. Just weird. We'll keep trying and update y'all on our progress. We will find a Melbourne retailer, even if its Camberwell market. (I reckon they'd sell really well there, actually).










As a destination for bands, the music scene is fairly non-existent in the Ovens Valley (for some reason we don't get any bands at all, save for some travelling folk/blues minstrels not known to many, and without much talent).
Thankfully some incredibly resourceful Wandiligong residents have started their own scene, which is basically the best open-mic night once a month I've ever come across. It is the strangest thing to get to Wandi Pub, and see Sam the florist, Frog, the local council grass cutter, Stuart the tiler, Vanessa, one of the kinder mums, one of my best buddies, Jayne and half a dozen other people I'd met in the street, belting out beautiful tunes, with superb guitar work. They are seriously talented. And they just like to entertain each other. Chris, who's a mum, plays basketball, lovely girl, turns out she's got a voice like a soul mama from Stax records! the whole band set up at her Woodstock birthday party, where she belted out Aretha Franklins' Chain of Fools. Amazing.

I can hear Brett making big noise in the shed, he's building a piece of furniture for a show at Yackandandah, will keep you posted, and hopefully a photo soon!!

Gonna paint the kitchen green today, wish me luck!

Monday, February 8, 2010

badges and cake
















Where did that time go? Got out of the valley for a while. Apollo Bay and then to the top of Mt Buffalo camping for a week, gorgeous. Started some work at Boynton's winery, for second job, gotta pay off C/C somehow!

Brett designed these brooches he calls "tracks badges", and we've sent this image to some stores in Melbourne, hoping they will stock them. Bit of a Melbourne thing methinks, recycling old vinyl records, Brett cuts out central label, puts clasp on the back, and voila! For music and vinyl enthusiasts, or just a chick who likes pretty colours. Nice on boys too!!


                   

















Sunny had her fifth birthday. Love hanging with kids generally,
but just can't stand birthday parties for some reason.
All went well though. Check out Brett's catty cake!

 Kids started school, Sunny for the first time, Luca 
 in Grade 3.

Plan to work on the house up here a bit this year, 
put in carpet, and "bag" the interior brick walls in the
lounge. Those things we don't get time to do when
we just come up here for holidays.

That's all for now, meeting friend for coffee


 till next time