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 400th 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 70th
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
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