Yet another weekend away

I complained about having to go away on the weekend, after all we'd only been home from WA a week. I haven't even told you all about Margaret River yet!

Anyhow, go we must - hubby had a conference - one of those non-negotiable types - and so I begrudgingly organised another weekend's accommodation for Audrey, our beloved family hound, and we piled into the car on Friday to travel to Lancefield, a wine growing region between Melbourne and Bendigo. I wasn't expecting to have a good time.

Of course, we did.

It helped that we were staying here:

There were beautiful ducks on the lake...

...alpacas and long haired cows in the paddocks...

...along with my favourite highland cattle.

Jemimah fell in love with the pet rabbits...

...she investigated the humongous fungi...

...and enjoyed the tingle of the electric fence.

Now all this was good - great even, but wait - there's more...

As Ruby so kindly pointed out last week, I am a 'Book Tragic'. there is nothing that makes me as happy as an independent bookshop. I found four on the weekend. Yes, four. This area of Victoria is a bibliophile's dream!! (Bibliophile is a much nicer term for Book Tragic!)

Woodend Bookshop was best. At this marvellous secondhand bookstore I discovered:

• Pastures of the Blue Crane by Hesba Brinsmead
• A lovely illustrated version of Little Lord Fauntleroy by F H Burnett published in 1909
• The Little Girl at Capernaum by Enid Blyton
• Sun on the Stubble by Colin Thiele
• Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes - Poetical works of Adam Lindsay Gordon
• Around the Boree Log by 'John O'Brien'
• The Adventurous Four and The Adventurous Four Again, both by Enid Blyton
• Van Loon's Lives by H W Van Loon.

I also bought a new book. It is called 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. At $65.00 it cost more than all of my secondhand book purchases added together and then some, but it is truly marvellous. I am so excited! Oh, I am such a Book Tragic! To buy books about buying books is truly sick.


We travelled home last night, detouring through Kyneton and visiting the Boggy Creek Mineral Springs on the way, and I couldn't help reflecting on what a wonderful weekend it had been. I may still have suitcases to unpack from WA, but who cares in the long term? It will happen eventually, and that is probably soon enough.

Contented sigh, I love my life.