Birchip to Horsham - 30 Sept. 2016

Now this was a busy day, zig-zagging across the Mallee. But first stop before leaving Birchip was Sharp's Bakery – a last-ditch attempt to get another vanilla slice. Still in the oven. How long? 10 minutes. 30 minutes. Hmmm, what to do? First, admire the fascinators in the next door shop, getting ready for Melbourne Cup Day.

The two places I hoped to visit required a phone call first to check if they were open. So I went and sat in my car to make the calls. Both OK. When I said where I was in reference to how long it would take to get to Yando, Marilyn at Simply Tomatoes asked if I could pick up half a dozen vanilla slices for her too! LOL Luckily, by the time I'd made my arrangements, said goodies were available and I was able to set off with my half-dozen +1.

Did I mention both of these places are at/near Boort - another of my 'B' towns.

Lots of water in the Avoca River ... and it had a lovely bridge to cross!

On the (wrong) road to Yando - but not a problem at this point

I intended to go to Simply Tomatoes first but taking the wrong turn and following Google maps to the wrong end of the road, I was confronted by a stretch of road that had been overtaken by Venables Creek … and I'd left the car's water-wings at home. So back the way I came and now, running out of time, first I went to see the SpannerMan, John Piccoli, who makes the most amazing sculptures out of spanners. At one point I thought I might not make it - thought I might get bogged when the car went slip-slidey in some mud. But all OK, thank goodness!

The Spannerman (yes, in a wheelchair) and one of his creations

Eagle and prey

Marlin on the line

The SpannerMan also collects birds and although he has some rare, colourful varieties unknown to me, but I must admit that wasn't what I came to see.

After a tour of the birds and gardens, with history and explanations, there was time to wander at leisure, which I did before heading off to the right end of the road to reach what had originally been planned as my first destination.

My favourite ... and this thistle would fit in my garden too!

Simply Tomatoes was fun!  As I handed over the vanilla slices, I apologised for mucking around with the times and Marilyn apologised for blurting out her request - which I didn't mind in the least ... you couldn't say I went out of my way!
I caught the tail end of some other customers buying wool products because the other half of this business is making quilts, pillows, heat pads, you name it from wool from local farms. All very interesting. Then Marilyn brewed coffee and prepared my own personal tasting plate of the farm's tomato products. Yummmm!! Breakfast!

I bought a few samples then it was off to see the kitchen where all the processing is done (so many tons of tomatoes processed in what looked a tiny space to me) and to have a look at the shipping containers, buried in the ground, where the processed tomato products are stored at a constant temperature prior to sale and export.

Looking down into the underground shipping containers

Not to mention the beautiful homestead and the too cute geese!

This was all fascinating but I had such a lovely time because of the personal touch of doing the vanilla slice errand – which, of course, was no trouble at all. Just shows how little things can make a big difference.

I have to wear 2 kg weights on my ankles for some of the exercises at my balance class. This was the opposite. I left there feeling like I was buoyed up by soft, fluffy clouds.

It was handy that I felt like that because I had a bit of a drive ahead of me in indifferent weather. There was water on the roads in some places but thankfully, not enough to cause me trouble … and the rain held off pretty much the whole way to Horsham.

I don't think all that water is supposed to be there!

Not too far down the road, I stopped at Wycheproof for lunch – at the Bakery on Broadway. Loved this place! Wouldn't mind if it were my local!! It was chockers, much of the day's goodies had been sold already, and the staff were run off their feet – one of the few places open for miles around on account of the day-before-grand-final public holiday.

Bakery on Broadway at Wycheproof

Right next door was an industrial art “showroom”.

Not so sure about these in my garden. Hmmm?

Then it was the steady drive to Horsham, just beating the rain and just arriving at the caravan park before the office closed for the day. En route I passed through Murtoa so I knew where I'd be heading the next morning.

Sun and rain clouds fighting it out

I knew I'd found the place when I saw caravans in the street. I drove in, not realising that those caravans were queued to book in. Oops! I might have unwittingly jumped the queue but as I'd booked a cabin, it only took a minute to sign a bit of paper and get the key.

Then, instead of the RSL for tea as planned, the caravan park operators directed me to the local sports & social club. A group of locals got together some years back and decided, if pokies were coming to town, they'd make sure the money stayed in town. Smart move! And the pork wasn't bad either! .... Finally, back to the cabin in the caravan park to polish off that vanilla slice :-)