Throwback Thursday

My father Jack on the left, Beryl his sister in the middle and Les his younger brother to the right.
Both Les and Beryl passed away many years back.
My father is now 94 and the oldest surviving member of the family. I guess that makes me the second oldest in our family tree. Scary stuff.

Autumn in Melbourne - Wednesdays in France

You may have noticed the new masthead - its autumn in Melbourne and our big tree is dropping leaves all over our back yard. Never mind, I just remembered its Wednesdays in France so here's our back yard and a past France photo.

AUTUMN IN MELBOURNE

WEDNESDAY'S IN FRANCE

In Thenay - near Montrichard on the Cher.

Trentham - a sleepy little hollow

One of our recent readers asked, "Where are you going?" - that's a really good question. Our minds change constantly, after all its probably for the rest of our lives. We have several friends who live in France, having left family and friends behind to live where they will spend the rest of there lives. Its a big decision.

Our thoughts have been with Launceston Tasmania however we have been to a different area that has been quietly tripping around in the back of our minds as a posssibility.  A previous post has mentioned Daylesford and Kyneton but close by, in that triangle is Trentham.

Trentham is midway between Daylesford and the town of Woodend which is serviced by the V-Line train that runs to Melbourne. By car, Trentham is a little over one hour away from Melbourne via a fast flowing major freeway with a maxiumum speed limit of 110 kph. It has a growing population, currently at 1400 and projections of 5000 over the next 10 years may not be out of the question. It sits at the top of the Great Dividing Range in Victoria and on the edge of the Wombat Forest. It is an old gold mining town known more commonly  now as being in spa country. The area is riddled with mineral springs and there are many day spas and health retreats in  the area. Also a foodie mecca. We had a coffee at the local store that sold a good range of local and international wines. The proprietor who had lived there for close to 8 years loves the place and said that  in all that time, he's never had to lock the door to his home. He suggested that we should come back in the middle of winter as it has a reputation as one of the coldest places in Victoria during winter. There is snow or sleet on an average 13 days per year. Brrrrrr.....

Sue says;
If we do this, we're thinking we will build. We have found a house we both love. We like old fashioned charm coupled with modern convenience, comfort and little maintenance. This house has it all, and with a style we like. It has an old looking facade that will fit right in with the other buildings in town.
Here are some pics that Leon took yesterday of parts of it. We had a chat with the builder. Scary!

From the brochure

Walk through the doorway

And you are greeted by the long passageway that leads to the kitchen and family room.
To the left is a formal sitting room followed by the study and library.
To the right is the generously proportioned bedroom.

Looking from the kitchen/family room to the front entrance.

Behind me is a large family area, just perfect for entertaining vistors from the city.

Sue needs a walk in pantry

The bedroom has a walk in robe and to the left is the generous en-suite

Main Street Trentham - 1920s

Throwback Thursday

Hard to say what year it was,

certainly in the 50s.

Always had a love of the bike

it took you places, gave you a sense of freedom.

Nothing has changed!

I'm several decades on now

but still like to hang out 

with the young dudes on the bike.

Where have we been?

That's a good question Leon and Sue - where have you been?
Hard to say really. one week goes by, then another and that becomes a month. The house renovations and then my father arriving for three weeks while my sister who cares for him went on a well deserved cruise. Jack turned 94 while here, me 65 and my daughter Carly celebrated her 42nd all in the space of 4 days.

While working, house reno, celebrating, the Blog has been neglected but we promise that we will get back on track now that life is settling just a little now.

The House:
The lounge room is now almost completed and then we move on to the dining room update. Once the rooms are all repainted we then can have the floors sanded and stained. Then we revamp the en-suite.
That's pretty much the inside of the house but then it's the fences and garden. The deadline is September so we can put the house on the market.

Although Launceston, Tasmania has been at the forefront of our favourites, Sue has been looking at a rural township of Daylesford. Its the centre of Spa Country and the town itself has lots of eateries (a Sue priority).
The town was established as a Gold mining district around 1852. It's located a little over 100 kms from the Melbourne CBD and today it has a population of 2600. Most of its income is from tourism and its Spa baths and water. The town hosts many festivals and markets. Looks like we may take another visit on my Friday off this week so we'll keep you informed.




April is our busy birthday month and with my father now 94 years old, we treasure each visit. All his compatriots are now long gone and family is his main focus. He's seen many changes over his lifespan, many things he doesn't quite understand or for that matter, doesn't care to understand.
He's proud of his Australian heritage and his family.

Jack 94 - Leon 65

Jack gave up riding his bike at 90 and today does 30 mins on a stationary bike.

So that's our first post in three weeks but we'll be more consistent from now on.