Dear Friends, we’ve
had a busy time, like you, since I last wrote. The days leading up to Christmas
were spent by Wes getting the garden looking wonderful, winning the war with
the weeds and the lawn, and putting the pond motor on notice that it had to
work or else! Bilbo had a bath and his bedding was washed & aired, which
was a source of much annoyance to him. He enjoyed all his Christmas treats,
including home-made dog biscuits with peanut butter from Aunty Leanne, a new
black & white squeaky toy, a new soft, cuddly friend, and more doggie
delights than he can reasonably expect to eat!
We usually get our
windows cleaned around this time, but last December, the window-cleaner was the
one who left our side gate open, which meant the boys escaped and Frodo
subsequently never recovered from the stress. Jason keeps avoiding me in the
street, which is very sad – all he needs to do is say ‘sorry’ and we’d have him back here like a shot. It is now
impossible to get out of the side gate he used and the other one has a chain,
which you can’t avoid putting back on as you leave.
Wes continues to
chat to people about the ideas we had for Lake Daylesford while we were away.
He has improved on them of course and tries very hard to get enough people
interested in having a vision for the future that will be sustainable and will
last a little longer than the next twelve months.
We had a Christmas
drink with Glenn Mack at the new re-opened Boat
House Café on Lake Daylesford. It is very comfortable and we enjoyed
looking out over the Lake, seeing boats on it again, and admiring the beautiful
trees, but Chris & Wayne need to improve the service if they are to get
repeat business. We watched people being served meals but no cutlery; people
being given the wrong meal; people wondering where the menus were, and people
waiting for someone to serve them, not realising it is serve yourself menus and
order at the cash register. Lots of locals are there giving it a go and with a
bit of luck they will give the right feedback and perhaps the boys will get it
right eventually.
On Christmas Eve I
was walking around the garden picking roses for our bedroom & bathrooms,
when I heard a strange noise and was just too late to see a Labrador leaping to
get to the unripe pears on the tree. He didn’t do it while I was watching, but
launched himself again once I had turned my back – needless to say the unripe
pears are left on the ground, and no doubt he goes back again every day to see
how they are getting on.
Wes and I were able
to sit outside and eat oysters, prawns & smoked salmon for our Christmas
Eve meal with a bottle of sparkling Shiraz as the perfect accompaniment. We had
given each other a combination bird bath/fountain as our gift and while I was
at the Test Wes had it up and operating in no time at all, as anyone on
Facebook can testify. The magpies love it and are forever giving themselves a
bath in it – we hope some of the smaller birds find it soon as well.
We had planned to
sit outside for Christmas lunch, but made a decision mid-morning that the wind
was too strong & there were too many flies to make that an enjoyable
experience, so I set the table and whipped the cream (for the non-brandy butter
lovers) while Wes cooked up a storm. He made a fish & potato pie using
salmon and a lamb pie using Tuki lamb straps and lots of tomatoes. He also
steamed broccoli, long beans and baby carrots, which accompanied these dishes
very well. We were a small group – Warren’s sister, Denise; her partner, Barry;
her middle son, Leon, and Barbara, so there were lots of leftovers. We had
hoped that a couple of friends who were separately on their own for Christmas
might have joined us, but they didn’t.
Barbara & Leon
above
Barry,
Denise & Barbara
During the morning
I was able to ring my siblings, Terry, Peter, Leanne & Paun and either
spoke with them, their partner or left a message. I rang or left messages for
members of the Breakfast Group and Wes left a message for his friend, Deane
Wells. Jon Stevens rang us, which was a lovely surprise – we do miss our
Christmas breakfasts and the chance to see so many dear friends, but now that
we provide lunch, it is just too hard to do both, although we did give it a try
for a couple of years.
That night we
watched the Royal Command Performance for the first time ever and were very
pleasantly surprised and entertained. We particularly loved the compére, a
comedian named Michael McIntyre, who had us laughing until we cried, and felt
very privileged to see both Shirley Bassey and Bette Midler as well.
On Boxing morning,
Wes walked Bilbo before we gave him a very big bone and headed off down the
highway to the MCG, where I was able to pop into the MCC Members Area and get a
perfect seat in the back row of the Balcony, next to another Collingwood
supporter. Once we were issued with our seats, I left my bag there and Wes and
I drove to The European for our
traditional breakfast with Peter & Anka.
They had bought me a
black & white Christmas gift as usual, and as usual, it is something I hadn’t
seen before and didn’t realise I needed – Jock the Magpie Pillow! Wes scored an
autographed copy of The Mandarin Code,
by Steve Lewis & Chris Uhlmann, and Bilbo was given two black & white
squeaky toys, which he will love.
We all found The European quite different from usual
(it changed hands some months ago). None of the regular staff was working there;
the meals had increased in price and decreased in value, and the service was
not up to its usual standard. As well we discovered that our feet were sitting
in water, which had been caused by a dishwasher overflow during the night,
which no-one realised had made its way onto the restaurant floor.
After breakfast,
Wes did his usual chauffeuring trick – took Peter & Anka back to the Park Hyatt; dropped me at the MCC gates;
collected Peter & Anka again and dropped them at the Great Southern Stand entrance;
checked me & my bag into Rydges Hotel
in Exhibition Street, where he paid the bill and ordered The Age for me, and then drove to Caulfield North to make a
surprise visit (bearing flowers) to Joan Testro. He had a lovely time with her
and she was delighted to see him.
After that he
headed to Fawkner Cemetery, where he left
flowers on his parents’ graves, my parents’ graves and those of the Griffiths
family. No doubt he tidied up the sites as well. Finally he stopped at Pascoe Vale
South for a coffee with his nephew, Leon, at his home, before receiving an
email from our lovely next-door neighbours to say that they had brought in all
the bins, and could hear Bilbo crying. As if he hadn’t already done enough, that
night Wes took Rob from next-door and Barbara for a drive around Daylesford etc
to see the Christmas lights before he fell into bed for a well-earned sleep.
Meanwhile I had a
lovely time at the cricket, where it was cold, but entertaining, and made my
way around to the Great Southern Stand to see Peter and Anka during the lunch
break. That night I had a quick meal of chilli prawns at Westlake, before falling into bed myself and watching some of the
Twenty20 game.
Jane & David
Knox had spent Boxing Day driving to Melbourne from Sydney and we caught up for
breakfast back at The European the
next morning. We three had a much nicer experience than the day before with a
very attentive waiter and yummy food. Then off we walked to the MCG and took
our seats on the ground level, where we were out of the sun and not too cold. During
the tea break we met up with their friend, Geoff, and had a couple of glasses
of white wine each in the Terrace Café.
That night, after our
entertaining day, we three went to the Yum Cha Café, across the road from our
hotel, for a very yummy meal of chilli squid, steamed fish & vegetables and
tofu, with bean paste pancake and ice-cream for afters. We were all in bed
early and watched some more Twenty20 cricket, which is just what you feel like
after a big day.
Day 3 was breakfast
for 7 – catching up with Lovely & Malcolm, as well as Geoff & Narelle,
who are friends of Jane & David from Newcastle. Once again we were at The
European and once again we had the very attentive waiter from the day before
and everyone enjoyed their breakfast. In fact it was all David & I could do
to leave for the cricket. We walked there and Jane was given a lift. Our seats
were once again out of the sun, but David was upset that the etiquette of not
moving during an over was not observed and decided to sit up on the 4th
floor, where he was colder, but had no-one in his eye line. He eventually
joined me again at the tea break as he couldn’t find the Terrace Café again to join Jane, who was meeting Patrick, Gordon
& Tim from our past Cricket Tours. During the lunch break, David Lazzaro
came and sat with Jane and I and we had a lovely chat and catch up with him.
Meanwhile in
Daylesford, after the Sunday Market shopping was done, Wes took Barbara out to The Boat House for breakfast and gave it
the thumbs up – apparently access was excellent for wheelchairs & the food
was good.
That night we
wandered around looking for somewhere to eat and found Sempre, an Italian café near the top of Bourke Street, where we
could sit outside, drink an Italian pinot and have three very different but
most enjoyable meals and share a couple of desserts afterwards.
Jane & David outside Pellegrini’s
where they grabbed coffees before heading back home to Sydney on 29th
December
While Jane &
David were heading home, I had an early Bircher muesli back at The European, before taking a leisurely
stroll through the Treasury and Fitzroy gardens to the MCG. I had wanted to
show David in particular the beauty of the Fitzroy gardens as it is some years
since he has come down for a couple of days of the Test, but each morning we
didn’t have enough time to dally. I wandered through the Conservatory which was
full of glorious fuchsias among other flowers, admired the new Visitor Centre
next to Captain Cook’s Cottage, and poked my head into a couple of secret
gardens with pools on my stroll to Gate 2.
Once again I was
back sitting in the last row in the Balcony with an Essendon supporter for
company. Loud Gayle and I finally caught up for a couple of glasses of bubbles
in the Long Room, where we were engaged in conversation with some of the male
members, whose attitudes varied quite considerably when it came to women and
equality! Gayle had met Shane Warne in the lift on Day 1 and shown him where he
could get a pie safely without being mobbed – she even encouraged him not to
have a second...pointing out the statue of ‘Fat
Shane’ could be seen from the window behind the pie stall.
The fashion of putting witches
hats on statues is alive & well outside the MCG
Meanwhile back at
home Wes had invited Rob McDonald & Brian Nash for an afternoon of cricket
viewing & party pies and possibly a drink or two, which they all enjoyed.
Rob & Brian discovered all they had in common and are now firm friends.
Somehow Wes cooked pasta for Rob, his wife, Marg, and Barbara, that night...by
the look of the level in the whisky decanter, it was a very big call.
That night I went
back to the Yum Cha Café, where I had Hunan style chilli prawns, which were
sensational – can’t wait to take Wes there and share a few more of the delights
of the current menu there.
Yesterday I was up
early again, chatted to both Wes and Leanne on the phone, before packing and
checking out of my hotel. I wandered back to The European for a last Bircher Muesli & tea and strolled
through Treasury Place and the Fitzroy Gardens again across to Gate 2 and a
short wait for the gates to open. This time I was seated next to a Hawthorn
supporter, with Carlton in front, and Essendon to the side. It was another
entertaining day at the cricket, and Mitch Johnson’s off-cutter that got Pujura
was worth coming to see!
Wes very kindly
picked me up after the game and we collected my suitcase before driving back
home listening to the wrap-up of the game. Bilbo wasn’t at all interested in me
and only had eyes for Wes, who had been doing all the feeding, watering &
walking. Wes made us a yummy pizza each, while I unpacked and we watched a bit
of Endeavour before heading to bed.
Bilbo with his newest friend
This morning I have
been catching up on washing & ironing after doing the early walk with Bilbo
and letting Wes have a well-earned sleep-in....suddenly I am on Bilbo’s radar
again. Wes has taken Barbara for a big shop and a hot chocolate afterwards so
she could tell him all about her day with Andrew & Syd, who visited
yesterday.
We have decided to
give the New Year’s Eve Parade a miss this year and have a quiet night together
at home. It is Glenn Mack’s birthday and he and Denise are offering drinks and
cheese under his walnut tree, so we will join them for a while and hope to see
Judi & Michael & Gillie and wish them all a very Happy New Year, as we
do you!
New Year roses with the reindogs
We hope it is a safe,
healthy and happy year all over the world in 2015 and thank you so much for
reading these posts this year.
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