Friday, December 1, 2023

Rochester 2

Saturday morning we brunched at 7 Beans Coffee. Neither of us were very hungry so we shared a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich. By chance I discovered nearby Iddles Lane, with this series of murals featuring the life and times of retired homicide detective, the well known Ron Iddles who was born in Rochester. Victorians may well remember seeing Ron on tv for media appearances. The artist is Tim Bowtell. 


Ron was one of twins and his twin brother Barry is a successful and entrepreneurial chef of world renown. He owns a couple of restaurants in Queenscliff, near Sister. This is a broken website but the text is still there.





We crossed the main street, past this park and over the railway lines to another park to see...


some silo art. The artist is the well known Dvate and the murals are excellent.



A closer look at the park we walked past.


The table and benches are strange with a roof like structure that is open and would let the hot sun through, and rain. Style over substance.


The extended family of our Hairdresser Friend are buried in this cemetery about half an hour's drive away, including her father. We met my two brothers there and spent about half an hour wandering the cemetery until the flies drove us away. The flies seemed very attracted to the personal insect repellent I had applied to myself. 



Rumours of the death of James O'Brien are exaggerated and I doubt he would want be buried here. 


James died a little short of his sixtieth birthday.


This old masonry grave was given a renovation at some point with tiles added. The glue was not great. 

We were returning to our motel but ended up driving straight past and on to the local bakery for cake and coffee. 

Back at the motel R napped. When he woke I suggested a spa. It was too small for two, I went first. There were a couple of tubes of lotion to pour into the water. I was going to see if one would be enough but R said to use both. It was ok at this stage but once in and the spa jet function turned on, the foam was growing alarmingly. I just kept pushing it over the tiled side and let some water out to lower the level. I won the battle, but only just. When R took his turn, he couldn't get in because the water was too hot. That was after I'd been in and the jets had blown cold air into the water. More water was drained and cold added.  The foam was starting to reduce by now. Good fun.

It was back to Step Mother's where my brothers were cooking roast lamb for dinner. Tradie Brother looked after the meat and ABI Brother, the vegetables. I set the table and R made gravy, while Step Mother's partner got in the way in the kitchen. Five men in a kitchen to make one roast meal. Step Mother remained in her usual lounge room chair and ate her meal there. She was terribly interested in the tv and although I wanted to talk to her properly, it just wasn't the time. After dinner we again fled said our goodbyes and she thanked us for visiting. Her partner really enjoyed having the company. 

It is a sad situation for them, and just like Mother, they did not  set themselves up early enough in comfort before they became too old. I expect Step Mother will go into care a long way away in Latrobe Valley near her daughter, and her partner will stay in the house as long as he can with increased services. 

41 comments:

  1. There is a lot in this post. I am glad that you could make this visit. Sadly that sad story is repeated often. I really hope that I/we don't follow that same sad path.
    I really like the murals - amazing that the twin Iddles brothers followed such different paths - and were both successful. I love the bird sculpture too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. EC, I don't know really. I doubt they would change anything if they had their time over. Yes, the bird sculpture was terrific.

      Delete
  2. Well, you had me at roast lamb.
    After reading your post, though, I am hoping that we haven't made a huge mistake moving into this place at our retirement. As much as we love it, we may come to regret it when one, or both of us, starts to fail.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't get too excited JayCee. Tradie Brother bought it because it was cheap. It was cheap for a reason. I only suggest you don't leave it too late to change to somewhere easy. While one of you is still able, you can manage.

      Delete
  3. The murals are well done though I do not enjoy the shows about his solved cold cases on channel 7 (something to do when I was bored on Sunday nights).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roentare, I've never seen the show, so I don't know.

      Delete
  4. Step mother has got it right. Why would you want to waste time chatting with a human being when you can watch telly? Impressive work by Tim Bowtell.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YP, especially someone as boring as I am. I feel a lot has been left unsaid, but it was the same before my mother died.

      Delete
  5. The Iddles mural is art AND education; good job.

    Love the silos art as well.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The murals are fantastic and I like the wood carvings - so clever.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JB, I loved both. At times I wish I was artistic.

      Delete
  7. This homage to the great detective, while amazing, strikes me as a bit creepy. Perhaps they're too realistic, causing that uncanny valley effect. lol The nature paintings and those carvings are beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry about the situation this aging couple faces. That's tough to witness. I totally understand your need to escape. Be well, Andrew, and best wishes to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I understand what you mean Darla. Thank you.

      Delete
  8. Maybe you're not very interesting to her, Andrew. Couldn't resist. The hot tub adventure does sound fun, including all the bubbles and foam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Five Men in the Kitchen--that could be a comedy TV cooking show series.

      Delete
    2. I am rather boring Strayer. The hot tub was fun. R and me don't have a good laugh between us often enough.

      Somehow when Tradie Brother was carving with a blunt knife, meat juices ended up everywhere. Cleaning up wouldn't make good tv.

      Delete
  9. I saw great silo art in Western Victoria and photographed everything in November, but I didn't see you in Rochester :) Some of the historical museums in the small rural towns were also great. But most important were the coffee shops.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hels, wouldn't that have been strange, to meet at silo art. To my regret, we didn't visit the local museum in Rochester or Echuca when we last visited there. They often have very restricted hours of opening. Decent coffee is essential.

      Delete
  10. I hope to do the silo trail next year with a friend.
    Thank you for the link to James O'Brien - I really enjoyed his writing and will delve further.
    You and R did a good thing visiting Stepmother. It is never easy to deal with people like this as they age.
    I wish there were more like Ron Iddles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Merlot, that trip will be great. I am slightly envious of your plans but oh the driving distances gets to me now. We've met James a couple of times and he is a nice guy. We were pretty shocked about him becoming an amputee.

      Delete
  11. You stepmother and her partner are slipping into a very predictable path. It is sad. Sadder still is the thought that their story is not uncommon. R's spa sounds a bit stressful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debby, at a worst case here you would go into decent nursing home care paid for by most of your old age pension and the government. The spa was good fun. No one will die from a foam overload.

      Delete
  12. thecontemplativecat here. Wow. So impressive.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love the murals and your spa adventures.
    It is sad about your Stepmum. I've been through the aging parents journey and it isn't fun. Makes me nervous for myself down the road.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat, I am at the age of thinking about the last years of our life. It is going to be very hard for one of us.

      Delete
  14. Great lane way and silo art. Your Step mum and partner sound hard to converse with. Well done again doing your duty.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Diane, she is not the person she once was, as her partner said too. Frankly, it was a duty.

      Delete
  15. This homicide detective is unknown to me, but he certainly looks like a formidable character.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Really excellent murals and the carved tree birds. We have had Ron Iddles on our TV recently, talking us through the ways he has solved cold cases, usually murder. Sunday nights I think it was and don't know if it is still on, since I am now binge watching (evenings only not all day) the NCIS series so I can be caught up by the time the new season starts next year. I am enjoying the 1% club quiz show though which has now been moved from Sunday evenings to Mondays.
    The spa sounds like good fun with all the extra foam.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. River, I kind of wish I had seen him on tv, but not desperately. We've been watching the English version of NCIS I think. I don't know that quiz show. Thinking back, the spa was fun.

      Delete
  17. Rather like that TV show with Ron, and what a good liking to him is that mural. The other murals are just perfect and having been to Rochester a couple of times I've never taken photos expect for the large hotel on the corner, beautiful building when we passed through.
    Fun with the spa..lol good to have some fun, something to remember you trip by.
    Your step-mum and her husband, gosh, getting old or being old for some isn't fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. As I have noted in tomorrow's post, thanks for hotel mention. The spa was fun. At least Step Mother's welfare is not my responsibility.

      Delete
  18. The Ron Iddles mural is beautifully done. I've seen him on TV recently on Sunday nights. The silo murals are fantastic too. Your step-mother didn't seem to keen on conversation, rather more interested on the tv, lol. It's sad to see our elders age and of course we will get there too...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sami, thanks and yes, we will all get there, but given the shared internet communication we now have with some understanding of the ageing process, hopefully we will adjust in a better manner.

      Delete
  19. There was a woman I visited in her aged care facility a few times, I didn't know her super well but well enough to know she wouldn't be getting visitors. She was always in such a hurry to get to the dining room, long before the meal was served. I eventually decided she wasn't interested in my visits and stopped going. I still wonder if I was too harsh.
    Anyway, thats just to say their worlds seem to shrink to exclude a lot

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kylie, you just have to call it at the time as you see it. If it didn't work for you, it sure won't for them. You tried.

      Delete
  20. I would have made a quiet exit from the kitchen.

    ReplyDelete

Friday Funnies

I've never quite learnt the definition of memes and I can't be bothered, but I think these are memes? I've gathered them from di...