Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 30th June 2019

We started our week with a lovely breakfast at The Food Gallery, where we enjoyed seeing our new neighbour-to-be, Glen Tandberg, who found time in her busy life to join us. Conversation flowed & time flew by as we enjoyed our yummy breakfasts.

Before that the Maloney family had gone to the Sunday Market & for those of you who have never had that experience, here are a couple of photos that Wes took.

Me giving Yvonne vegetables to weigh

 Morse & Lewis waiting for their cabbage

When we arrived back home after breakfast, the fire was still smouldering, so we banked it up & let it burn for the rest of the day. The smell of a wood fire through the house is so evocative and enjoyable, it’s a shame that carting logs of wood is such a pain.

As I had run out of energy, I had a very quiet day, reading the weekend papers, doing all the crosswords & knitting, while waiting for the Collingwood match to start on TV. I had planned on attending this game but didn’t have the drive to get there & back. As David Lazzaro said in a text after the game, I made a wise decision, as it was probably the worst we have played all year (until last night). We were lucky that the Bulldogs were so inaccurate in front of goal, as that kept us in the game & ultimately we won because of our superior accuracy.

On Monday, we both decided a day in bed was called for & that was exactly the right thing to do. Wes very kindly brought meals & hot drinks & occasionally let Lewis & Morse in to say hello. I felt much better on Tuesday & able to face the world again, although I didn’t let myself get carried away.

Lovely photo of Cheryl Metcalfe & her sister, Marilyn Preston earlier this month. Marilyn & Rob flew to Sydney for the day as a surprise to celebrate Cheryl’s birthday.

On Tuesday Michael Ivanchenko returned our wooden ladder, which he had repaired by putting a new top step where the old one had split in two. I bought the ladder in McEwen’s in Bourke Street, Melbourne, in 1977 & brought it home on the tram. Our beautiful house in Brunswick Road had a floor to ceiling library & we were desperate for an indoor ladder. Thanks to Michael it is now as good as new again.

Dot & I met up on Wednesday morning at Muffins & More, where we enjoyed a two-hour session of Mah Jong. It was so good to be playing again and catching up over hot drinks in the very welcome atmosphere of this locals’ café. Meanwhile Wes was developing a head cold, which came upon him very rapidly & meant he couldn’t spend much time with Barbara. He hoped it would disappear as quickly as it had appeared, but no such luck.

He spent most of Thursday in bed, catching up on sleep. I had planned to visit Leanne but had managed to pull a muscle in my back, so we were a pair of crocks for the rest of the week. Leanne was very understanding and happy to wait another week for a visit.

On Friday, Wes was able to sleep most of the day. I made a pot of my minestrone soup (it seems to be the only one I feel like making these days) and that sufficed for lunch & dinner. Although the boys missed out on walks, it was easy in the fine weather to keep them happy by encouraging them to play chasey outdoors.

Yesterday it rained from go to whoa (90mls) and we were keen for them to stay indoors rather than get sopping wet. They were due to have baths, but that was going to be a complete waste of time, so we lit the fire & spent much of the day in the lounge enjoying the warmth. At 10am we listened to the Coodabeen Champions; our usual Saturday morning footy fare & watched the various games that were on. I had hoped to get to the Collingwood vs North Melbourne game at the Docklands, but trains on the Ballarat line had been replaced by coaches for two weeks, so I decided to give it a miss and watch from the comfort of the couch instead. And what a good decision that was as North completely outclassed us.

Morse & Lewis sleeping in the lounge in the sun early in the week.

Snoopy & the life of the busy dog

After our usual activities this morning, we are very excited to be catching up with our Godson, Matt Spiteri, and his wife, Sara. They have been spending the weekend in Daylesford & we are hoping to take them to lunch after they meet Lewis & Morse. It is foggy as I look out towards Lake Daylesford, where Wombat creek has broken its banks with all the rain.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 23rd June 2019

Once again, we had a surprise guest at breakfast last Sunday, when Rhonda Lubin arrived for a coffee & chat. It is always lovely to see her & catch up on her latest news. The Food Gallery was delighted to have 9 of us at the big table at the back, and even though they were still recovering from the very busy Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend, they were smiling & patient & breakfasts were yummy as usual.

I spent the rest of the day sewing up beanies & making pom poms so I could deliver a big bag of goodies to Keeping Daylesford Warm. The match between North Melbourne & GWS in Hobart kept me entertained.

Some of the beanies, mittens & scarf I delivered on Monday

When I went to gym on Monday morning, I discovered that my 8am Wednesday session has been cancelled as most of the participants are away either overseas or further North seeking warmer weather. I may end up going to the 7.40am class on Fridays instead.

I also had two more boxes of books to give to the Daylesford Primary School and found the nine boxes we had already donated were still sitting on the table where I had left them. It was very easy to add to them instead of having to traipse through the school to the gym as Judi did.

David Castles has requested that I correct an error in last week’s Dispatch, where I claimed he hadn’t been to the footy for 30 years – that should have read 57 years & guess what, he enjoyed the game & would love to go again!

As this was a busy week, I went to gym again on Tuesday morning & caught up with lots of old friends there – Ian & Josie, Malcolm & Ruth, Rodney, Robyn & John. I arrived back home in time for a quick change of clothes before we headed back to the Regent Cinema in Ballarat to see the film, Tolkien, which we loved. It was a portrayal of Tolkien’s early years seen through flashbacks when he served at the Somme in WWI. We both found ourselves wanting to read The Hobbit & Lord of The Rings, now we are armed with an insight into Tolkien’s influences.

About to tuck into scones, jam & cream in the Gold Class café before the film

We arrived back to find that our very muddy boys had been sleeping while we were away, and the dirt had dried & fallen off them – Thank God!

Nick came to give me a long overdue massage & I was able to ask his advice about my foot. I thought I had strained a ligament, but he assured me I had bruised the bone, which explained why it was painful & that I should continue resting it as much as possible. I do miss our early morning walks with Lewis & Morse.

On Wednesday Wes went to his first meeting of the Reconciliation Committee at the Council offices. This will be an interesting project for him and promises to provide good outcomes for the Hepburn Shire.  Meanwhile, I had a catch-up cuppa with Judi at Muffins & More, before heading to Hepburn Springs for a manicure & pedicure with Alanna.

Bob White visited in the afternoon on his way back to Trentham from Ballarat. He was delighted to meet Lewis & Morse & they gave him a wonderful welcome. So good that we had to put them outside, so we could chat & enjoy our afternoon tea in peace!

Judi had told me about a Crime series on SBS called Trapped, so we found it that night & started watching it. We are entranced. It is set in Iceland & the first episode shows the heavy snow. We visited this amazing country in Spring, and although there was still snow on the peaks, we didn’t encounter anything like the harsh conditions that typify Icelandic Winters. We are spending our time recognising landmarks & roads we drove along, as we spent half our time away from Reykjavik in an isolated area.

Wes spent Thursday morning with Barbara, while I did the shopping at Coles & Tonna’s and had a long overdue haircut. That night was an ALP branch meeting at the Daylesford Hotel, and Wes joined a few other friends in planning for the future.

Friday was very busy indeed. Wes bathed the boys after their walk before packing & setting off to catch up with old friends over lunch in East Melbourne. He picked up Bob White in Trentham and they drove to Danny’s place in Northcote, where Wes stayed overnight.

L-R: Fraser, Tom, Bob, Malcolm, Danny, Bobby, Brendan, Wes, Squiz, Mike & Ged

Back at home I spent the day doing umpteen loads of washing & ironing. All this rain has meant muddy dogs, which means muddy owners & it seemed like the perfect day to stay at home & get everything clean again. The boys were very happy to have my company & coped without their Daddy, although they kept looking for him & were quite sure I had hidden him in our bedroom, which is off limits to them.

Snuggled up under their blankie as we watch the footy on Friday night

Yesterday, we three woke to a cool, but dry morning. I decided not to try and walk Lewis & Morse, as my foot is still not 100% and they were content with an early breakfast, a game of chasey & a big sleep, while I cleaned the bathrooms & kitchen. (Sandra, our cleaner, is in Bali having a well-earned holiday, so we are coping without her for a month).

I was a little surprised that I hadn’t heard from Wes after his lovely catch-up lunch, but his message yesterday morning explained it all. When he, Squiz & Danny arrived back at Danny’s place after lunch, they went two doors’ down to Danny’s friend & neighbour, George, for a dinner party. Just what they needed – more eating & drinking! Wes thinks he got to bed around midnight and woke yesterday needing lots of cold water.

He sobered up enough to have breakfast with Warwick Leeson at Barry, a popular café in Northcote, before driving to Strathmore to spend time with Leanne, who can always do with some help. When he had finished there, he collected Bob White, who had stayed over with his daughter, Natalie, who also lives in Strathmore.

Needless to say, when Wes finally arrived home, he was delighted to find the fire roaring and Lewis & Morse in tail-wagging overdrive. We caught up on all the stories from lunch & dinner, before he retired to bed for a restorative sleep.

This morning we are off to the Sunday Market, all of us in our coats as it is quite cold & frosty outside. Then breakfast with 5-7 others and a quiet day back home with Collingwood playing the Western Bulldogs. I had planned to go to the match, which is at the Docklands, but I feel too tired to cope with the train & the crowds & the closed roof.

  Morse & Lewis enjoying their first ‘real’ bones courtesy of Rob & Dene our next-door neighbours.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 16th June 2019

We started our week with a lovely breakfast at The Food Gallery, where Janine was a surprise attendee, just back from a trip with family on The Ghan to the Northern Territory. She had some good stories and we enjoyed sharing them.

Our whole weekend had been based around listening to the results of the ABC Radio Classic 100 composers and we had to forgo much of our usual footy listening as we were spellbound hearing the wonderful music being played. Beethoven won & was celebrated by an hour of his works. We had both picked Tchaikovsky as our number one & he wasn’t disgraced coming in at number 4. Most of the ten I voted for made it into the 100, although Lėo Delibes, creator of the exquisite Flower Duet from the opera, Lakmė, was a surprise omission in my view.

Back: Warwick, Rohan, Terry, Liam, Brian & Anthony                        Front: George, Michelle, Chiara, Michael, Mikaela, Paun, Mary & Dante

Paun, Brian, Liam, Warwick & Rohan Fell all came to Melbourne to celebrate Una Fell’s 90^th birthday in Lang Lang. As well they fitted in a visit to Michelle & George, who had invited everyone to their place for a catch up.

I headed off to the MCG on Monday for the Queen’s Birthday traditional game between Collingwood & Melbourne, which was enhanced by the Big Freeze slide. This year the sliders were retired sportspeople, mostly AFL footballers & Nick Riewoldt raised the bar with his wonderful performance as Freddie Mercury.

The Pies played well enough to beat the Demons, who sadly couldn’t make the best of their opportunities.      I caught up with David Castles, who was attending his second game – the first was 57 years ago!

Afterwards I went back to Northcote where I was staying over with Danny Millman. We headed out for a yummy Vietnamese meal and shared a bottle of Rutherglen red to celebrate.

The next day I visited Leanne in Strathmore, where we caught up on news & were able to get some things done before I headed home for a joyous welcome from all three boys. Wes had done a great job being father & mother for 30 hours.

On Wednesday it was probably the wettest day we can remember in the Hepburn Shire. Our rain gauge showed 50mls and there was water everywhere. Sandra came to clean & Wes & I headed to Ballarat to see the film, Red Joan, starring Judi Dench. This turned out to be an interesting & provocative true story set in Cambridge.

We had booked lunch at Tuki in Smeaton to celebrate our 49^th Anniversary and what a great decision that was. The fire was roaring, the welcome was personal & special & we enjoyed Tuki trout & lamb washed down by a bottle of St Ignatius Cabernet. Thanks to Jan & Rob Jones for another memorable visit.

On Thursday, Wes caught up with Barbara, who had agreed to the change of day, and I spent some time with Judi, who had lots to tell me. We were at The Food Gallery and knew just about everyone who was in there – one of the joys of living in a small town. In the afternoon I had a facial with Emma, which is always a luxurious pamper at EKO.

On Friday I had set myself the goal of renewing our insurances, which are all due on 1^st July. I had been very happy with the insurers we were using until our renewals arrived & the total cost was $600 more than last year. We hadn’t made a claim, & our car are devaluing rapidly, so I decided to shop around. I was impressed with the policies & prices offered by Seniors Insurance Agency and moved all three covers to them, for $100 less than we had paid in 2018.

We both took our eyes off Morse during the morning & discovered he had been getting muddy again

Yesterday we started the day with breakfast at Cliffy’s where Wes had porridge & I enjoyed baked eggs with spinach in a tomato sauce. We came home to chores – Wes washed & vacuumed the cars, while I did millions of loads of washing, mostly dog towels after our very wet week.

We had hoped to get to the local footy in the afternoon, but I was too tired to venture out and baked a fruit cake while watching St Kilda have a narrow win against the Gold Coast in Townsville.

That night, Carlton was playing the Western Bulldogs, a team they had beaten earlier in the year, and by the sound of the crowd at the Docklands Stadium, expected to beat again. The first half was awful from the Blues point of view, but they had a wonderful 3^rd quarter & were in front for a while. In the last quarter, the Doggies ran all over them & we turned off the TV, after checking the World Cup cricket, with about 10 minutes to go. When we were finally in bed, I looked at the footy score to discover that Carlton had owned the last 10 minutes, kicking 5 goals, 1 behind & went down by only 3 points. We’ll have to watch the replay of those minutes as it must have been very nerve-wracking.

Big excitement all round as Carlton kicks an important goal!

We’re off to the Sunday Market shortly & then are joining 6 others for breakfast at The Food Gallery. There is more rain expected, but not until this afternoon, so we might both get a chance to do some gardening before it arrives.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 9th June 2019

This week has been incredibly wet with the rain gauge full to overflowing, especially after Sunday night through Monday where the rain didn’t stop & was accompanied by strong swirly winds. Our backyard is now officially a mudheap covered in oak leaves from the two trees next door. Every time the boys went out for a loo break, they returned looking like bedraggled guttersnipes!

Lewis & Morse cosy under their blanket at night

After breakfast last Sunday, we drove to Castlemaine & enjoyed 90 minutes with Marie Anderson. We chatted about mutual friends & updated each other on all we could as it has been some time since we caught up properly.

Back home we watched St Kilda & Port Adelaide playing in Shanghai, which was a disaster for the Saints with some players & the coach falling ill, the remaining players not sufficiently acclimatised to the heat & faltering & captain, Jarrod Geary, back from injury appearing to break his leg when he accidentally kicked it instead of the ball. I didn’t think anything could be much worse than that, but Carlton provided very little opposition to Essendon, and on Monday, the club finally sacked Brendan Bolton, as the Blues have gone nowhere in the 3.5 years with him at the helm.

We’ve had a very special week with lots of highlights:

•         An overnight visit by cousin, Amanda Testro, who came bearing gifts, fell in love with Lewis & Morse, tried to persuade us to drink Margaritas, chatted happily & was delighted to be taken on the inexpensive Daylesford tour which included visiting the sites where various ancestors lived, worked & are buried.
•         Breakfast at Cliffy’s where Wes indulged in his love of porridge & I did the same with a very yummy omelette. Cliffy’s is such a good spot to visit now that Liam Thornycroft, son of Donna & Jeff, (who run the local nursery & florist next door) has taken it over.
•         Another breakfast, this time at Chaplin’s in Trentham, where Mel Thomas runs a brilliant café much frequented by locals. We had mushrooms & spinach with poached egg & home-made feta. Mel & Bettina came over to chat & we had hoped to see our good friend, Bob White, but were probably a bit early for him.
•         Cuppa at Muffins & More with Dot, catching up on all her family’s news.
•         Pots of tea & muffins with Judi, again at Muffins & More, as we had lots to talk about & this is a perfect spot to do it.
•         Phone calls to friends celebrating special birthdays.
•         Open fire to ward off the chilly mornings & nights, which involves moving the boys’ beds in front of the TV cabinet.

Me & Wes at Cliffy’s

Me training Lewis & Morse & glorious colours of Rob & Dene’s oak trees

On Friday afternoon, we delivered 9 boxes of books to the Daylesford Primary School for their Book Fair on the first weekend in August. It was a Corrrections Day at the school with no pupils in attendance, so we could drive up to the front entrance, which made delivery easier.

Yesterday we had a lovely visit from our neighbours, Rob & Dene, and shared morning tea with them. Much to everyone’s surprise Lewis & Morse appeared to be more interested in Dene than Rob, even though they usually give Rob all their attention.

In the afternoon we were thrilled when Carlton overcame a slow start to beat the Brisbane Lions at the Docklands in front of a good crowd of 30,000+. Wes was delighted, as were all our friends who support the Blues. And overnight, Australian Ash Barty, won the French Open, her first Grand Slam title. She took a break from tennis to play Big Bash cricket in 2014 (aged 18) & returned to tennis two years later. I was amused to read that she prepared for the Final with an impromptu game of cricket yesterday.

It’s the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend in most of Australia & tomorrow I am off to the footy to the now traditional game between Collingwood & Melbourne at the MCG. For the last five years, this match has also included The Big Freeze, where well-known people connected with footy have been persuaded to launch themselves into an ice bath. The cause is in aid of finding a cure for MND, which afflicts so many. Neale Daniher has outlived everyone’s wildest expectations as he continues what he started in 2014 when he was diagnosed & decided not to ‘go gentle into that good night’ (Dylan Thomas). Fight MND has raised millions of dollars and every year the run of special beanies released sells out before the game.

We are off to the Sunday Market shortly and it is cold enough for the boys to wear their coats & attract even more attention as they hoe into their shredded cabbage. Then breakfast at The Food Gallery with Barbara, Judi & Jan.

Hope you enjoy this Snoopy!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday., 2nd June 2019

We were joined by David & Sandy, Jan & Janine for breakfast & talk centred around Sandy’s recent trip to Russia, which she organised for 97 female artists from around the world. We are most impressed with her skills and enjoyed browsing through the catalogue of paintings which she brought with her. Before breakfast we had walked the boys around Lake Daylesford & watched the mist come down everywhere. At the Sunday Market everyone was delighted to see Lewis & Morse in their coats (which once belonged to Bilbo & Frodo, when they were fully grown, not 7 months old).

Back home again, we revved up Saturday’s open fire, I made a big pot of minestrone & we stayed inside & let the fog & rain do whatever it pleased. Sadly, the Blues didn’t do the right thing by themselves or their supporters & after a promising start, let the Saints dominate the game. Wes was most disappointed yet again.

We were thrilled to have a few falls of snow on Monday morning. It was so cold when we walked around the lake, we were convinced that snow was imminent. Wes had hoped to spend the morning in the back garden but that was impossible in the rain. I went to gym, where everyone was moaning & planning their Winter breaks in warmer climates.

When it was foggy and raining again on Tuesday, we headed to Regent Cinemas, Ballarat, as we were very keen to see the Kenneth Branagh film All is True. We were so pleased we did. We arrived in time to have a hot drink in the café before joining about 10 others in a very comfortable Cinema 2 just before the film started. We were spellbound for the hour & forty minutes, enjoying the stunning acting of Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh & Ian McLellan. It was a great storyline, beautifully written, directed & acted.

On Wednesday, Wes spent the morning with Barbara as usual. Dot couldn’t play Mah Jong, so I went to Muffins & More after gym for my usual muffin & pot of tea, allowing Sandra to clean the house without me under her feet. It’s bad enough having to work around Lewis & Morse, who love her to bits.

Andrew Mengyel & his partner, David Smith, drove up from Melbourne to have lunch with us & Barbara at Boathouse. We enjoyed lovely meals, non-stop conversation and yummy drinks, including mulled wine, which was perfect for the very cold day. Andrew is looking well & is very happy again after losing Syd, his partner of many years.

When we arrived home, Lewis & Morse were thrilled to see us & punished us for leaving them by doing their own decluttering of the library shelves. I heard a strange noise coming from their bedroom & was in time to rescue one of my many versions of Robin Hood. Sadly, the Golden Book version had already been torn to shreds outside!

Thursday saw Wes drive to Strathmore to help Leanne before then visiting Dee Bonavia, who is in Epworth Hospital. I caught up with Judi over pots of tea at The Food Gallery and she let me know that a film being shown at the Town Hall that night (for which Wes was projectionist) had been cancelled. This took some pressure off him to get home & eat dinner before going out again.

Yesterday I caught the train into Melbourne to see Collingwood host Fremantle. Our next-door neighbour, Dene, was on the same train, so we enjoyed a good catch up chat before I met up with David Lazzaro in the MCC. We celebrated 40 years of going to the footy together and watched a very exciting close game that the Pies didn’t deserve to win. Freo overcame injuries & a partisan crowd to take the four points.

Selfie taken by an inexperienced camera person – moi!

This morning after breakfast we are off to Castlemaine to visit Marie Anderson. She & her late husband, Joe, were very special friends when we first arrived in Daylesford & we miss her since she moved to a warmer climate & the train line.