Dear Friends, things
have settled down now we have been home for just over a week. Last Sunday there
were only 5 of us for breakfast, but everyone had plenty to say and we enjoyed
hearing about what Barbara, Judi & Margot had been doing over the past
fortnight as well as sharing a few of our stories from our trip. Bilbo was
particularly thrilled to be given his usual Sunday treat of toast with
leftovers from both Margot & Judi.
This week’s vase of roses – pink,
yellow, red & purple
I had set the day
aside for making the Christmas pudding, so spent most of the day watching the
large pot to make sure there was plenty of water covering the top of it as it
simmered for 6 hours. By mid-afternoon, I was tired again and retreated to bed,
where the ceiling fan and air-conditioner were both very welcome indeed.
The next morning we
ordered new tyres for the Mazda 2, which has already driven 55,000 kms, bought
some shade cloth for the greenhouse to keep plants alive over the next few very
hot weeks, bought paint & brushes for me to give the outdoor setting a new
look, and replenished our supplies of potting mix and seedlings from Wombat
Hill Nursery.
On Tuesday, it was
another hot day, but I walked up to the Daylesford Cinema to see ‘Spectre’, the
latest James Bond film. My favourite Bond has always been Roger Moore, followed
by Sean Connery, and Daniel Craig seems to lack that spark both those actors
had. The film was long but entertaining, although the jury is out on whether
Ralph Fiennes is the right replacement for Judi Dench at ‘M’.
Stunning flowers on the cacti in
our backyard
Afterwards Wes and
I had special fried rice for lunch at ‘Jackie’s on Vincent’, where we greeted
other locals and were especially delighted to see Bob White having a meal with
his friend, Rick Youssef. Barbara had let Wes know that another good friend,
Rodney Peacock, had been rushed to Epworth Hospital where he was to undergo a
quadruple bypass that evening. We were very shocked indeed, as we had both seen
& spoken with Rodney on Saturday morning during the Highland Gathering
street march. Rodney is recovering slowly in Epworth, after ‘dodging a bullet’
according to his sister.
We woke to a cool
morning at last on Wednesday, so Wes and Bilbo had a good long walk early and I
started painting two of the outdoor setting chairs that Wes had sand-papered
for me. We are pleased with the result and I hope to get them all done well
before Christmas Day. Our final Mah Jong for the year had to be cancelled as
Valerie was unable to come and Dot wasn’t feeling wonderful. One of Wes’s
cousins, Gary Testro, drove to Daylesford to have lunch with him at ‘Daylesford
Royal Hotel’ – Gary is a plain eater and this seemed the best place to feed him...and
it was.
The next morning I
took Bilbo for a stroll around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, which is always
beautiful and usually peaceful. Afterwards I did some more painting before
heading into town to buy cat & dog Christmas gifts, have a fringe trim with
Lyndal and finish the morning with a relaxing manicure with Alanna at ‘EKO Skin
Care Spa’.
Lovely Peanuts cartoon
I arrived home keen
to watch the cricket, but we had lost our free-to-air stations again, so I made
do with the ABC radio, which is always entertaining. Wes spent the morning with
Barbara as she needed his help and when he arrived back and had eaten some
biscuits & cheese for lunch, he rang Foxtel to see if he could get the
problem sorted. Eventually around 4pm, Foxtel agreed to send us a new set-top
box, which should solve the problem, but only for one TV. We will have to beg
for another one once the first arrives and has been installed.
Wes set off at 5pm
to spend time with Margot and her computer and then went to the Convent Gallery
for ‘Ancient Carols’ presented by Danny Spooner in the chapel. It was a
well-attended and very special event and he was so pleased he went. We Micks
don’t do carol singing very well and he was outsung by the Methodists,
Anglicans & Presbyterians in the audience.
Friday was Leanne’s
birthday and we set off to visit her at Strathmore bringing morning tea of
Boston bun & custard tarts, as well as some roses & herbs from our
garden. We had a lovely morning together, chatting, watching the cricket &
with Wes able to help her with some computer issues that had arisen. We had a
late pasta lunch when we arrived home to strong winds and intermittent rain.
Leanne & Karen with Boston
bun birthday cake
Yesterday was an
early start with a walk in the cold (4°) for Bilbo and Wes, followed by
cleaning of the barbecue, more sandpapering & painting of outdoor
furniture, much reading of ‘The Age’ while listening to the cricket, risotto
lunch, computer work and a long phone call with Jane Knox to catch up on their
news.
Photos from last weekend’s
Highland Gathering – bands above & Karen & Bilbo catching up with
Di Lyttleton & Scottie outside The Food Gallery
All our wine has
arrived so Wes also spent time yesterday morning putting new racks in place to
hold it all under the house. Everything is very well ordered and easy to find,
and we can’t wait to taste some of the exciting wines we bought, especially
from Crabtree Watervale Winery & Grampians Estate.
This morning Bilbo
and I are off to pump water at Leitches Creek before heading to the Sunday
Market where we will stock up on food, eggs & dog bones. Then breakfast,
which will be our last chance to wish Judi a Happy Christmas as she is heading
off to Caloundra to spend 10 days with her mother, Mavis, and sister, Sue; as
well as catch up with friends and other family members.
Then I will get
stuck into some more painting – there are 4 chairs and the underside of the
table to be done. Wes is hoping to do some more gardening – he has been pruning
the lavender, tidying up the roses, propagating, weeding, staking, moving the
fountain & birdbath & finding new spots for seaside daisies. My
contribution is a daily tomato count (17), while we wait anxiously for them
& the zucchini to ripen.
Beautiful view from the cliffs at
Robe – perfect spot for a seat!
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