Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 26th July 2015

Dear Friends, Wes and I ended up having a very relaxing day last Sunday after breakfast. Neither of us had much energy, so I amused myself with knitting & crosswords and Wes read all the National Gallery magazines from the last two years and became inspired with how much there is to do in Melbourne. We watched the very exciting and emotional Adelaide & Port Adelaide match, followed by the equally emotional Richmond & St Kilda game before the cricket started. Like everyone else, we were shocked when Chris Rogers became wobbly and dizzy – perhaps it is time for him to retire. I was 14 when I was knocked off my bike and unconscious for about 20 minutes and after all those years, I still suffer from dizziness if I move my head too quickly or try to lie flat.

Our icy pond – as Wes said on Facebook ‘no Princesses would be kissing frogs today’!

We woke on Monday to discover that the Poms had capitulated in unlikely fashion, being all out for 103 and giving everyone a well-earned day off. It was cold & frosty here, so Wes decided not to walk early and I took Bilbo to the Wombat Gardens after gym. We are so lucky to have these beautiful gardens, which were designed by Baron von Mueller and planted in 1863. They are on Crown Land owned by the State of Victoria and are on the Victorian Heritage Register because of their historic and botanic significance to this State.

While we were walking, Wes managed to cut the lawns and break the ice in the fountain, so everywhere looks beautiful again with lots of green grass and flowing water. I had a short break when I got home then washed both cars as the sun was shining and they dried quickly with the help of the chamois. Meanwhile Wes got creative with lunch – black bean & pumpkin soup with muffins.

We were busy on Tuesday – Wes and Bilbo walked early in the dark and then we had breakfast at ‘Jackie’s on Vincent’, which opens at 8am and offers a great selection of yummy dishes. After that, I dropped Wes at the Daylesford Cinema to get everything ready for showing ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’, which attracted a good audience of 30. I loved the film, thought it was well acted and beautifully shot. 

Afterwards I went to EKO and spent a couple of very relaxing hours with Emma. Meanwhile Wes caught up with Glenn Mack at ‘Cliffy’s’, before spending the rest of the afternoon in front of the computer. My friend, Valerie Lefel, in Castlemaine, has been missing Mah Jong while Dot is away and invited me to her place for lunch on Wednesday. After gym that morning, I walked Bilbo around the Gardens, before driving to see Valerie. We spent a very pleasant 90 minutes or so together, but I was very tired when I arrived back here and Wes suggested an afternoon in bed would be perfect and it was! I caught up on episodes of ‘Lewis’ and had the company of my very best friend, except for a short interlude usually known as dinnertime for dogs.

Bilbo watching Lewis with me – he has the better view!

On Thursday, I was up bright and early after Wes and Bilbo went walking and drove to Strathmore to spend time with Leanne. The temperature stayed at 0° and there was fog until after Woodend, but when I arrived at Leanne’s place, the sun was shining and the temperature was 5°. We had a good time together and I drove back through beautiful sunshine and much warmer temperatures until Woodend where it was 8° but dry.

Wes had made a very yummy prawn risotto, which I could smell as soon as I got out of the car. He had been working hard during the morning and entertained Judi who dropped by for a cuppa and chat after her exercise class.

We were fogged in completely on Friday morning – couldn’t see in front of our faces. It was also raining, so I abandoned all thoughts of the Bushwalking Group, much to Bilbo’s dismay, did some shopping at Coles early and, after getting out the dastardly DA cryptic crossword on Friday, caught up on computer work and house chores. I am trying to wash in the dishwasher everything that was hand-washed while we didn’t have one and you can really see the difference. After lunch, Bilbo and I walked up to the Post Office and back, which satisfied our need to get out.

View from our decking at 10.30am

I have started knitting beanies, as there are some itinerant men in Daylesford at present, so that occupies me when I need to just sit and rest. I found some interesting yarn in the $2 shop as I had run out of blokey wool. It is good to be doing something other than squares for a change.

The footy was absolutely horrible for Carlton supporters as they had their worst ever defeat at the hands of the all-conquering Hawthorn. Wes gave up halfway through the first quarter, after begging Hawthorn supporters to give the Blues 22 goals start. He was fairly prophetic as the margin was 23 goals in the end.

Yesterday Wes set off for Melbourne early to attend Day 2 of the ALP National Conference. It was cold, wet, and foggy, but he arrived at Ballan Station safely. I put Bilbo in the car and drove to Ballarat to stock up on Edradour whisky at Dan Murphy’s. They have been out of stock for a while, and Wes has been happy to drink Jamieson, but, after the footy, I thought he had earned an Edradour or two. I noticed that Kathmandu was having a sale, so dropped in to get a pair of walking pants, as I can’t get them in Daylesford. I was successful there as well and we drove back here through mist, rain, and cold. I had planned to walk Bilbo but decided it was too cold to do either of us any good, so we lit the fire and spent the afternoon watching footy instead.

Lovely photo of David Knox with his daughter, Emily Knox, who marries Alan Kinnear today in London. We’ll be thinking of you all and are with you in spirit.

  

Wes had a frustrating day at the Conference – although there were some wins on Climate Change, the vote to turn back refugee boats was lost, which is so very disappointing to say the least. Wes finally arrived back here just before 8pm and we had a very late dinner watching Boomer Harvey play well in his 400^th game in Brisbane.

On Friday, my oldest nephew, Liam Fell, graduated from Wollongong University. Paun & Brian closed ‘Cliff Place Café’ in Tathra and drove there to be with him and celebrate the achievement. Liam is flanked by his brothers, Rohan & Warwick, his girlfriend, Pip, Paun, Brian and a friend.

Sadly, our dear friend, Victor Borg, is quite unwell, and his daughter, Laura, is flying home from Thailand to be with him. We are thinking of all the Borg family – Terry, Georgie, Laura & Ben.

This morning is quite cold and dark. Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market soon and have to add dog bones to our usual list of purchases. Afterwards we will have breakfast with Barbara, Judi, Margot & perhaps Aileen, before Wes drives me to Ballan Station. I am off to see Collingwood play the Western Bulldogs, my first game in quite a while and I am very excited about it. David Lazzaro will be at the game and we hope to catch up.

Wes is then off to help his sister, Denise, celebrate her 70^th birthday. Two of her sons, Leon & Shaun, are providing lunch at her place, and Wes has been told he doesn’t have to contribute anything. We have been promised snow sometime soon and I hope it holds off until I get back home after the footy.

 New owners of Gracenotes Café - Lisa and Jackie in front of the welcoming open fire......

                                                                                                               

..... Fawlty Towers in the wintry weather this week

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 19th July 2015

Dear Friends, we missed out on the snow on Sunday, but Janine Hawker, who lives at Musk, proudly showed us photos of her home completely covered in the stuff when we met for breakfast and Danny sent a message to say he loved driving through Bullarto on his way home where there was oodles of it. You may remember that we had enjoyed a very long lunch the day before, so Wes, Judi, Danny & I all tucked into breakfasts that suited our moods and, apart from Danny, who had to drive to Melbourne and go out for dinner that night, the rest of us spent a quiet Sunday indeed and we were early to bed again.

Monday dawned cold and wet, so Bilbo had a sleep in and I took him out to pump water and then walk around the Botanic Gardens after I had been to gym. I thought the Gardens would be less muddy than the Lake and hopefully not as cold. We have had over 40 mls of rain in the past weeks, so mud is the order of the day. Wes had to drive to Brunswick to see Peter Russo about Joan Testro’s estate and he arrived back around 2pm where I had a yummy pasta dish ready for him. Until Wes first started being appointed Executor of various Wills, I hadn’t given it much thought, but I am now aware that it is a big responsibility, that can entail quite a bit of work, even for the simplest estate, and it is usually a labour of love, which is the main reason why we have asked Peter Russo to be our paid Executor.

Stunning photo of the Preston family – Callum, Mo, Heath with Charlotte, Sarah, Marilyn holding Ruby & Robert

That night Warren stood down as President of the Daylesford ALP Branch and arrived home delighted that all Committee positions had been filled and that the new Executive was raring to go.

The next morning was quite cold, so Bilbo and I waited until 8am to walk around the Lake, while Wes prepared for his morning at the Daylesford Cinema showing the film ‘Jurassic World’, which wasn’t on my must see list. It was very peaceful at Lake Daylesford with very few walkers and only one other dog. The weather deteriorated as the day wore on, so indoor activities were the go.

On Wednesday I did gym early, walked Bilbo around Lake Daylesford, visited Gillie for a quick cuppa and catch up, and then drove to Melbourne to spend time with Leanne. I got home before the dark and Wes made yummy pizzas for dinner as we had both missed lunch. Wes had spent the morning helping Barbara before driving to Ballarat to see the hearing specialist, who suggested that this intermittent hearing might not improve and wants to see him next month.

The next morning was bitterly cold, but Wes and Bilbo walked early and Wes tried to potter in the garden, but the wind was just too icy, so he retreated indoors. It was a good excuse to do a bit of spring cleaning, knitting and watching again of the film, ‘Gosford Park’. That night we were treated to a stunning sunset, which made the cold day worthwhile. We were able to watch the first session of the Second Test at Lord’s and were thrilled to bits with the great start by Chris Rogers & Steve Smith.

The view from our decking with a glimpse of the sky reflected in Lake Daylesford

Judi & I had planned to walk to and around the Wombat Gardens on Friday morning, but it never really stopped raining all day, so that was shelved and we caught up for a cuppa at ‘Gracenotes Café’. This is now in new hands and about to become ‘Jackie’s on Vincent’, offering lots of the old favourites, but with the addition of dumplings & rice dishes.

Wes had a meeting with David Reilly later in the morning and they visited the café as well. Wes arrived back with some fresh trevally for lunch, which he cooked with a Parmesan crust. After lunch, we drove to Sailors Falls to spend a couple of hours with friends, John Meir & Karen Harman, who live on 5 acres in country splendour and quiet. We admired their chooks, their lovely home and peaceful surroundings. However, like all of us, they are finding it difficult to manage the large block and rely on a Ned Kelly wood stove for heating. We discussed the difficulty of downsizing and made a couple of suggestions of properties that will soon be on the market that might suit them. John is a photographer and pianist and Karen is an artist, so their home is perfect for their creative endeavours. John had made scones, which we enjoyed with our cuppas.

Once again, the cricket was very exciting – such a different game from the one we saw live a couple of years ago, where England was in total control after the first session. Yesterday morning we woke to discover that Steve Smith had made a double century and that the Poms were reeling at 4/85. It was a cold, but clear day and Wes was able to walk Bilbo early before settling in for a relaxing day. I did some shopping for Leanne and drove to Strathmore to spend some time with her again.

Cousin Leigh & Simon at Château de Bernateau amongst the vines

In the afternoon and evening, we spent a very frustrating time trying to get our preferred teams to win the footy, to no avail. Collingwood finally managed a dishonourable loss instead of a win, and Carlton stayed within touch of Fremantle until the last quarter. We watched the cricket until lunch and were pleased to find this morning that we had the Poms out for 312 and that we were batting well in our second innings. Fingers crossed we can build quickly and dismiss them cheaply in their second innings.

We woke to find Daylesford covered in frost and -2°. Fortunately, we had all agreed last night to have a sleep in, as it would have been very cold and slippery trying to walk around the Lake at 5.30am. A beautiful day is expected, and Wes is hopeful that he can make a start on the lawns, which are quite lush these days. Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market shortly and then breakfast with friends upstairs at ‘The Food Gallery’. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 12th July 2015

Dear Friends, there was a big turn-up of 12 at breakfast last Sunday – Margaret & Noel, Anne & Eddie from New Zealand; Judi & Michael, Gillie, Janine, Aileen, Wes & me. Unbeknown to the rest of us, Wes had organised a Death by Chocolate cake, which Toni made, and Barbara seemed delighted with the extra attention. Judi found a sharp knife and doled out the slices after the candle was blown out.

Barbara & her cake with L-R Aileen, Judi, Janine, Michael & Gillie; Noel, Margaret, Eddie & Anne

After breakfast, I walked Bilbo up to the Wombat Gardens and back home while Wes took Barbara, Margaret & Noel on a tour of the Shire. He was away for nearly 6 hours, having driven everywhere, including a visit to the Chocolate Mill, and a tour of the Mill Markets. I persuaded him to have a small whisky, fed him some minestrone and sent him to bed. He slept for nearly 12 hours and looked much better on Monday, although his hearing was not improved.

When he visited his doctor, there was still no solution, so an appointment was made for Tuesday afternoon with a specialist in Ballarat. Meanwhile Bilbo and I had a walk around Lake Daylesford, where we met two unpleasant dogs, but lived to tell the tale. I spent most of the day washing & ironing, while Wes worked on the computer and made risotto for lunch. Mid-afternoon Barbara, Margaret & Noel arrived with rum for Wes, gin for me and the remnants of the cake, which Wes, Noel and Barbara enjoyed. It was a short visit, as Margaret & Noel had to pack and drive to Melbourne in preparation for an early flight the next morning. That night Wes went to bed early again after a bowl of minestrone and slept for 10 hours – not sure if I can take the credit with the minestrone or if it was the slices of chocolate cake.

On Tuesday morning, I walked Bilbo at 7.30am and we met no dogs and only 4 other walkers. Barry the fisherman was still around, so I was able to catch up with him and let him know why Wes hadn’t been walking early. Wes set off to the Daylesford Cinema to show ‘Woman in Gold’, followed by ‘Inside Out’, while I stayed home to catch up on various jobs while waiting for the phone call to say the dishwasher was on its way. Of course that call never came!

Wes arrived home at 2.30pm with time for a mug of soup before heading to Ballarat. Barbara had been to see ‘Woman in Gold’ and discovered that the hoist for her wheelchair on her car wasn’t working, so Wes offered to drive her car to Ballarat to get it fixed. This was probably far too much in hindsight, as he was already nervous about his appointment without loading himself up with an extra job. He couldn’t find the place to get the hoist fixed as he couldn’t hear 

anything on the GPS. However, the visit to the specialist went well and he arrived home with better hearing than when he had left. He has to do some exercises and go back next week. We celebrated with fish and chips for dinner – a rare, naughty treat.

Bilbo sitting patiently by the Honey Stall at the Sunday Market, waiting for me to return after putting bags into the car – you can see bits of cabbage leaves around him – his weekly treat from John & Yvonne. This photo was taken by Ken Rae of Spring Park Nursery without our knowledge – a lovely surprise to find on FB

On Wednesday, Wes had offered to help Leanne, so drove to Melbourne early as he had promised to be there by 8.30am. It was a cold, still morning when I headed off to gym, which was followed by a fringe trim and then a walk with Bilbo, which got him out of Sandra’s way while she was cleaning. Wes arrived back in time for lunch and a rest before tackling paperwork downstairs. That night we lasted until lunch time in the cricket and went to sleep thinking the Aussies were in control – which wasn’t the case at all as we discovered the next morning.

Finally, on Thursday morning our new ASKO dishwasher arrived and was installed. We delayed lunch until it was done and did enjoy stacking it after one of Wes’s yummy pasta meals. I now feel I want to wash everything we own through it, as hand-washing doesn’t produce the same sparkle. That night Danny Millman arrived for a three-night stay and we did our best to get the Pies over the line against Port, but fell at the last hurdle.

The Bushwalk on Friday was at Tarlita Creek, off Sawpit Gully Road in Dry Diggings area. Bilbo and I enjoyed a good stroll through the bush with 4 others, while the larger group did a longer version. Danny had given us a very generous Gift Voucher to use at Kazuki’s Restaurant, so we set off for lunch in high expectations, which were not disappointed. We had the degustation menu with matching wines, chosen brilliantly by Martin yet again.

Pre-lunch drinks, Danny looking mellow, and exotic appetiser with even more exotic butter for the rolls

  

 Needless to say, we had a very quiet evening with lots of water being consumed as we tried to encourage Carlton to play slightly better footy against Richmond, but to no avail. We all went to bed during the 3^rd Quarter and watched the cricket instead, which wasn’t much better.

Yesterday we had a big lunch party with Judi & Michael, Rob & Dene as our guests. We promised plenty of hot food, good wines and a roaring fire, as the weather was so cold. Lunch lasted for 4.5 hours, which suggests that our guests enjoyed themselves. I put 10 empty bottles in the recycling bin afterwards, mostly reds. Rob popped home at one stage to collect a bottle of ‘Laphroaig’ which he offered around and had a couple of takers. We provided a couple of small plates of antipasto, before Wes excelled himself with turkey breast, rack of lamb, fish pie, roasted vegetables, beans & peas. Don’t ask how he managed to fit everything in the oven! Judi & Michael had brought a very generous cheese platter, which we sat over for ages before coffee and chockies, and more wine.

Once again, we were all in bed early. I looked up from hand washing the wine glasses, (we had used our best Riedel glasses and I wouldn’t dream of putting them in the dishwasher), to discover both Wes and Danny had fallen asleep watching the footy. We all slept well and awoke this morning to discover that we missed the snow, which fell overnight around 2 or 3am. We also read that the Poms won the 1^st Test, so the Aussies are going to have to improve their bowling if we are to retain The Ashes.

Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market shortly and then we will all go to breakfast at The Food Gallery. I suspect that Wes and I & Bilbo will have a very quiet Sunday indeed. Danny wants to go home after breakfast – we will miss him, as he is the perfect guest – perhaps when he is retired we will be able to persuade him to stay over more often.

More photos from Kazuki’s – me with Spanner Crab omelette and Wes with scallops in lime juice and below the seafood course.....and the famous Icelandic jumper!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 5th July 2015

Dear Friends, when I last wrote it was Sunday morning and we were heading off for our usual activities. Aileen joined us at breakfast for a while and we were pleased to discover that her mother, Dorothy, now has hearing aids that fit & work and that she is feeling much better as a result. We discovered that Margot is over Helen Mirren, Judi Dench & Lisa McCune – if Warren had been able to hear what she was saying, he would have been horrified by the first two, but in total agreement with the third.

After breakfast, I dropped Wes home and drove back to the Wombat Gardens where Bilbo and I did a circuit. I was keen to do another but Bilbo was very happy to go home instead. In the afternoon, in front of the fire, we were able to watch Carlton record another win. The footy wasn’t fantastic and Wes kept apologising for the standard, but at least the Blues won even if their opponents are injury-ridden and bottom of the ladder. Afterwards we had homemade pizzas for dinner and an early night.

Wonderful photo of Danny & his family on his birthday. Clockwise – Danny, Lauren, Travis & Rosie, Celia, Cory with Isla (hidden), Penny, Harry, Greta, Myles, Patrick & Kate

When Wes got up on Monday morning he felt very giddy and unwell, which gave him quite a fright. He came back to bed and I persuaded him to lie on his back on two pillows until he started to feel better. Fortunately, he fell asleep and only woke when I let him know he needed to get up for his doctor’s appointment. We saw Adam Rouse, who is new to both of us, and he confirmed that Wes had an ear infection and needed strong antibiotics to help clear it up before having an ear syringe. So we made an appointment for that on Thursday and started on the amoxicillin, which could be taken four times per day.

Bilbo and I went for our walk after we got back home. It was a beautiful day after another cold start, so we went up the back of our street, along Queensbury Street and into the gardens, which were peaceful and quiet, even though it is school holidays. When we got home, I heated up the rest of the minestrone for lunch and Wes enjoyed sitting inside with the sun streaming in as he read for a while. He spent much of the afternoon on executor matters that just can’t wait, before agreeing to a relaxing small whisky before an early night.

There have been a few things happening locally – both the ‘Farmers Arms Hotel’ and ‘Gracenotes Café’ have changed hands after quite a few years under excellent ownership. We were horrified to learn from Janine at breakfast that Chris Sinclair, co-owner & chef at ‘Gracenotes’ had undergone a quadruple bypass last week. The timing for the sale of that business couldn’t be better. Also, the large vacant area in Howe Street, that used to be the bus terminal, is being redeveloped and turned into shops, shops, shops, about 7 of them – what a surprise. God knows what new and exciting goods are coming to Daylesford, but the shops are quite small, narrow & long with very little, if any, natural lighting.

Fascinating Japanese sculpture from Rob & Dene’s travels

We all woke feeling much better on Tuesday as Wes had slept well and was starting to look more like himself although his hearing was still poor. I dropped him off at the Daylesford Cinema to warm up the theatre and took Bilbo for a walk before heading back to see the much-anticipated film ‘Inside Out’.

The cinema was well over half-full with lots of families to see the film. I enjoyed it very much and thought it was the usual excellent Disney fare trying to give kids a simple understanding of what makes up a personality and how a person’s mood can be affected by joy, sadness, envy, fear or anger. Wes said that most of the feedback he received was positive, but that there was a dreadful mess to pick up after everyone had gone. The next film to be shown was ‘Woman in Gold’, which would have attracted a very different audience.

Afterwards I met Gail White for lunch at ‘The Food Gallery’ where we both enjoyed their seafood chowder, which is tasty and filling. They were run off their feet, which was good to see. Gail updated me on their travel plans, which include a South-East Asian cruise in October with Terry’s three sisters & partners. Just before they leave there will be a 20-year Anniversary get-together to remember their son, Matthew, who died in 1995. Most of his friends have stayed friends and kept in touch with Gail & Terry & their two daughters who live in the Blue Mountains. Gail assured me that it doesn’t get any easier to cope with as time goes by and that they miss him and regret the life he was unable to have because he succumbed to leukaemia.

On Wednesday, I went off to gym and on my return took Bilbo for a walk around Jubilee Lake. It is a lovely stroll, although a little slippery when it has been raining. Wes went over to spend time with Barbara helping her get ready for her visitors and arrived back about 4 hours later absolutely exhausted, as he hasn’t done much physical labour since he has been sick. I fed him special fried rice and sent him to bed, both of which helped his recovery. I had spent the rest of the morning putting our car insurances with RACV. We have stayed loyal to OAMPS, but their new owner, AJG, didn’t bother sending out renewals until I emailed them asking where they were, and those renewals didn’t arrive until after 4pm on 30^th June, when the insurances were due.

Our lovely waitress, Kerry, at the Food Gallery, showing off the vine-ripened tomatoes that Wes received for breakfast for a change. He said they were very yummy indeed.

Wes got up briefly but was easily persuaded to go back to bed and slept well all night, which was good as he had a big day on Thursday.

First stop was Strathmore to deliver some good plastic storage containers to Leanne, as well as 6 eggs from Gillie’s new chooks. Then off to see Peter Russo in Brunswick before driving to Malvern to talk with the estate agent chosen to handle the sale of Joan’s house.

Finally he drove back to Northcote where Danny Millman was hosting a ‘Boys’ Card Night’ with Robert, Tom, Squiz, Fraser, Mike & Ged.

Wes laying down the law to the boys – he might as well hold the floor as he couldn’t hear any objections!

Meanwhile I went shopping early to Coles before taking Bilbo for a wettish walk around Lake Daylesford. We arrived back home in time for me to change clothes and get to EKO for a manicure with Alanna. I came back to discover that our dishwasher was going to cost $700+ to repair and we were in total agreement with Barclays that it would be madness to proceed. They decided not to charge us for their services in return for us not pursuing them for the repair of the downstairs ceiling that became discoloured and distorted when Wayne, the repairman, didn’t turn off the tap fully; an oversight that I didn’t discover for 24 hours, by which time the damage was done.

After lunch, I went to Bi-Rite where Tim spent about 30 minutes with me helping me choose a new dishwasher. We settled on ASKO, which he and John highly recommend and I was able to buy an extended warranty, which will give us 5 years cover. The new dishwasher has the flexible cutlery tray that was a feature of our old Bosch and I much prefer it to the cutlery basket. We should have the new one early next week and Garry Wilkinson, the plumber, is on stand-by to install it for us.

Friday was a cold morning again with a beautiful full moon above low-flying clouds, which cast an eerie light around 7am. Bilbo and I pumped water at Leitches Creek before joining the Bushwalkers for the short walk. There I heard the shocking news that Phil Walsh, coach of the Adelaide Crows, had been murdered by his son overnight. Our walk was tinged with sadness as we all tried to come to terms yet again with the fragility of life. We traced some of the steps taken by ‘The Three Lost Children’, who died when they got lost after going for a walk during the gold rush days. Two new walkers, Andy & Jan, from Trentham, swelled our numbers to 8 and there were at least 20 doing the longer walk.

Footy scarves in one of our bedroom windows in honour of Phil Walsh

In 1983, during the decade I was Treasurer of the Ladies Committee, Phil came to Collingwood to start his VFL career and played every game that year on the wing. I remember him well as a stunningly good footballer, who was poached by Richmond the next year. These two teams were busy hating each other and trying to attract each other’s stars to defect. The best thing that came out of this period was the move of David Cloke from Richmond to Collingwood & later he and his family decided that all three of their sons would play for Collingwood, not Richmond, under the Father/Son rule.

Wes arrived home late in the morning after taking Danny to breakfast at ‘Foxtrot Charlie’ in Brunswick to thank him for his hospitality and allowing him to stay overnight. He was quite tired and slept on and off most of the day before making us a yummy dinner and watching the first quarter of the Collingwood vs Hawthorn game at the MCG. We were both moved by the AFL’s sensible decisions to cancel Sunday’s game between Adelaide & Geelong, to ask the other teams to play but to tone down their pre-game entertainments, abandon the playing of theme songs & running through banners, and to forgo the usual post-game singing of the song by the winning team.

However, I don’t think the AFL quite expected this to happen after our game, when Alastair Clarkson, coach of Hawthorn, moved with Nathan Buckley, coach of Collingwood, to bring all players together for another minute’s silence after the Hawks had won a hard-fought tussle by 10 points. I had turned off the TV and missed seeing it live, but was able to watch it yesterday morning on Facebook.

Wes seemed much better yesterday morning when he woke up and could even hear a little better. I took Bilbo for a walk at 8am and we met Wes at the Daylesford Farmers Market an hour later. We also caught up with Gillie & Judi with her dogs, who had been walking around Lake Daylesford. We came home for a quiet morning as we were off to Barbara Simpson’s 60^th birthday lunch at ‘Mercato’ with 12 others. We even passed Barbara in the street as she pulled up with her sister, Margaret, and husband, Noel, on their way to a light breakfast at ‘Gracenotes Café’.

Outside the Rotary Stall at the Farmers Market – Bilbo is looking for another snag in bread from Alan, while Judi’s two dogs, Maddy & Major sit obediently at her feet

Lunch went well – Barbara enjoyed having her family & some friends with her at Mercato’s best square table, while Wes, Glenn, Denise, Janine & I were at a smaller side table. John & Jan Smith had driven up from Sandhurst, while Gail White was on her own as her husband, Terry, was working. We had a beautiful meal – those of us who had the soufflé entree were in awe! The service was excellent and Barbara’s visitors from New Zealand would have gone away thinking we are very lucky indeed to have such a wonderful restaurant in this little country town.

Last night Wes and I watched the Carlton vs Bulldogs match, which was an amazingly poor game of footy. Perhaps the players were all affected by Phil Walsh’s death or maybe it was just one of those nights. We had earlier seen the Gold Coast Suns play stunningly good footy to run all over North Melbourne and record their second win for the season. What a difference it makes when the captain and best player in the AFL is back in the side! Interesting all game so far have followed the trend started by Collingwood & Hawthorn and players & coaches are forming a circle on the ground after the final siren.

This morning Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market followed by Sunday Breakfast which will be a big one with 12 of us in attendance. Anne & Eddie have to leave after breakfast to fly back to NZ, but Wes is going to take Margaret & Noel on a tour of the Shire for a couple of hours before coming home to rest as he is still not 100% and still can’t hear properly.

Lovely photo of David & Jane Knox freezing in the Blue Mountains this week. They are getting ready to visit London for their daughter, Emily’s wedding to Alan, on Sunday, 26^th July.

New Year’s Eve Fireworks in Iceland – I know it isn’t that time of year but I have only just seen this stunning photo and thought I would share it.