Dear Friends, this will be my last Dispatch
for a while as we are heading off on Sunday for 6 weeks in Scotland, England
and Iceland, and I may be just a bit too busy next Sunday to write, so I’ll be
in touch as soon as I can from Scotland.
We’ve enjoyed a lovely week here in spite
of the cold and rain, and lately the frosts, although they herald sunny days! It
was a cold & wet Monday when we headed to Ballarat to see The
Great Gatsby in Gold Class ($22.50 including a hot drink & a slice
– bargain) and we loved it. I was ambivalent about going as I was so sick of
the trailers, but I am pleased we went as it was totally engrossing & very
true to the book. The acting was superb, and as it was shot in Australia, there
were plenty of Aussies in action, both acting & behind the scenes.
On Wednesday we went out again – this time
to visit Barwon Park in Winchelsea. It is a 42-room bluestone mansion built in
1871 for the Austins who started the hospital of the same name in Melbourne. We
have joined the National Trust as we will be entitled to entry into lots of
castles and homes in Scotland but thought our first venture should be somewhere
local. I had played Mah Jong in the morning and Wes joined me, Gail & Dot
& John for lunch at Harvest Café, before we set off. We
didn’t realise it would take 95 minutes driving each way, but it was worth it
as there were more volunteers beavering away than visitors.
On our way back we received an invitation
from Glenn Mack to join him at the Daylesford Hotel for a drink, which
was just what we felt like, so found him and Michael Ivanchenko settled into
the snug in front of the open fire. We decided to have an early quick meal
there with Glenn, but Michael was off to Terry’s place to watch NSW
unexpectedly win the first State of Original Rugby League match, so he didn’t
join us.
Frasers
Snr & Jnr at Barwon Park earlier this year
Wes has done a lot of driving this week as
he has been stocking up on manure and straw to make sure our garden beds are
all at their best before we leave. Bilbo & Frodo aren’t sure what to make
of the straw, but laziness wins and they come inside for a sleep after acting
as assistant gardeners for a while….sous-cheffing is much more their style.
On Friday afternoon Wes drove Barbara to
the MCG to see the Carlton & Essendon game which was attended by over
82,000 people. It was a fantastic game to watch on TV and the atmosphere must
have been electric. Sadly for the Blues supporters, the Bombers were too strong
in the finish and won by 5 points. It was nearly 1am before Wes fell into bed
exhausted.
We drove to Melbourne yesterday for me to
visit Viva and Wes to spend time with Joan Testro. The roads were quite icy
early, so I drove extra carefully until we were past Woodend and the danger of
black ice. Viva was looking good and pleased to see me and Leanne was able to
spend three hours out without having to worry. I cleaned all the glass &
mirrors and did some reminiscing with Viva, before Wes arrived and we spent
another hour delving into the past. Wes had enjoyed his time with Joan and came
back with some lovely stories.
The glamorous Joan Testro at the Opening of Testro
House 1960
One of the things that has always puzzled
Wes has been his name – Warren, which was his father’s second name. There is no
record in the family of any forebear having this name, but this week he finally
obtained a copy of Ray’s baptismal certificate (family lore said he was
baptised at St Pat’s Cathedral, but in reality it happened at St Francis
Church, which is why no-one could find proof and why Ray had to be baptised
again on his wedding day, so he could marry non-Catholic Doris in the Catholic
Church). Ray’s godfather was a jumps jockey/bookie named George Warren (Jock) Woodburn
– perhaps that is the answer to the question!
This coming week will be busy – we are
hoping to catch up with Lauren, Travis, Myles & Rosie Kennedy, who are on
holidays here in Daylesford; I have a U3A lunch to attend; we both have
haircuts and medical appointments, and at some stage we have to pack……
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