There and back again

I just got back from mum's last night. Chris and I had a nice relaxing time up there, on Thursday his parents and sister came up, we had a lovely lunch together with my mum at one of the cafes in Castlemaine, Then Chris and I took his mum to see the hotel that they used to film the exterior shots for Blue Heelers at, before heading back to mums to see the Christmas decorations. It was a very quick tour of the house due to his mum's cat allergies, then we all moved outside for a cuppa and chat before they left to go back to Melbourne. They have now gone back to Townsville.

On Friday Chris and I went to see the latest Bond movie at the Castlemaine Theatre Royal, which is this gorgeous old theatre that has been running since the 1850's. It still has a stage and hosts live concerts and shows as well as movies, with cinema seating up on the balcony and tables and chairs downstairs for those who want to wine and dine. Admittedly the screen size is less than ideal for those who have grown accustomed to cinemaxx style movie theatres, but the place definitely has its charm. After the movie we went for a short wander through town and had a coffee before heading back to mums. That night we went to the Five Flags Hotel for open mike night. The entertainment was somewhat varied, and included mum and her belly dance teacher getting up for a couple of dances. The food was good and the drinks kept coming, so one can't complain.

Saturday was mum's birthday, so the three of us headed over to her friend Robyn's for afternoon tea. It was a very pleasant afternoon, Robyn's place is beautiful, and has spectacular views. The food was wonderful too, especially given that my allergies are not easy to cater to. I even had cake specially for me for the first time in ages. Mum and family friend Maz discovered a cafe in one of the neighboring towns that caters specifically to special diets, and Maz apparently insisted on buying me a couple of little cakes. The one I tried yesterday was carob and walnut, and was very moist and rich. I actually struggled to finish it because I'm not used to that kind of thing anymore, but it was very yum. After we left Robyn's we headed back to mum's for dinner, and then off home.

Today got off to a spectacular start with me burning my wrist trying to get the bread out of the bread machine. The burn was sufficiently bad to send me to the chemist for advice on dressings, but I will live. The burn is 6cm long (going by the dressing length which only just covers it) and about 3cm at it widest point, and puffed up very nicely. As I am prone to scarring I will be taking very good care of it.

The day has improved since then, I walked up to The Glen for a bit of grocery shopping. It is about 2km each way but preferable to finding parking on a Sunday 8 days before Christmas (yes, it is that soon), and besides, it is a nice day for a walk. On return I made lunch for Chris and I, and went to pick him up from work for his lunch break. Lord help me, I've gone all domestic. Bah. Anyway, usually we would eat out but we have been doing that far too much lately and both need to start watching the money. Besides, on a Sunday the only options are pub meals which, while good, are pricey around here, or going somewhere in Chaddy, which this close to Christmas would take most of his lunch hour to find parking. So little ol' me made ham, salad and (for him) cheese rolls and (for me) mountain bread wraps, and dutifully picked him up and took him back to his place. My Nonna would be proud. Those Italian make-sure-your-man-is-fed-a-proper-homemade-meal-at-all-costs genes must be coming through. I'd better watch out, next time I might find myself *gasp* cooking for him. Well actually I do cook, but cooking specially to take it to his work is very different than cooking when he's here, or taking leftovers, mind you the main reason for making something cold was that we hadn't decided where we would go to eat it.