We were a small group at breakfast – us, Barbara, Judi, Janine & Glen. The Food Gallery was busy with lots of locals & visitors as there was plenty on in the Shire to attract weekend & day visitors. After breakfast, Judi & I drove to Regent Cinemas in Ballarat to see the latest Shaun the Sheep film, Farmaggedon. We were the only patrons until just before the lights dimmed & then three people came & sat right in front of us. We moved back to the last row, which was for wheelchair patrons & their carers & had a lovely uninterrupted view. It was a fun film to watch – a bit too much science fiction stuff for me, but I do love the cleverness of the Aardman company, who also produce Wallace & Gromit.
Wes had been busy washing floors, cleaning up & gardening while I was away, and it was lovely to come back to a clean home. That night we tested my tummy with our favourite meal of spaghetti with cooking salmon, olives & red capsicums & all was well – thank God!
A delightful Peppermint Patty cartoon especially for Wes!
We woke on Monday to find that Thiem had taken Djokovic to 5 sets, which is a wonderful effort in the 2020 Australian Open.
After walking the boys on our own around Lake Daylesford (not even Barry the fisherman was out), we came back home just before it started raining gently. I headed off to pump water from Leitches Creek and then gym, which is back to normal hours.
We enjoyed our first home-grown beans with fish for dinner that night – these were planted from seeds marked Dwarf Beans – imagine how big the giant ones are! I was able to pick another crop for dinner on Wednesday night & it looks as though there will be plenty again for tonight if beans are required. As well, our strawberry plants, courtesy of Bill & Sue Longley, are producing in small, but steady numbers – just need the tomatoes & zucchinis to get a move on.
On Tuesday morning I was able to chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire via Skype. I am pleased to see her looking so much better than she was. Being a fulltime carer for someone you love is very demanding & you don’t realise how exhausted you are until you stop. We had a good talk about Kev, about her, about her formidable mother, Doll, and some laughs about the changes wrought at her home by her wonderful son-in-law, Simon, who cooked the meals & cleaned her car – tidying things up in the process.
Wes spent some time with Barbara, as he has every day since she burnt her foot. The good news is that the bed-rest is working & it is most unlikely that Barbara will need a skin-graft. While he was doing virtuous things helping others, I had my fringe trimmed & a great chat with Lyndal Conroy, followed by a delightful facial & even better chat with Emma Ford at EKO Skin Care Spa.
Wednesday saw the return of Dot to Mah Jong and, although she didn’t win any games, she played well & could see the tiles much better than before Christmas. Hopefully her eye will improve even more & she’ll be back to wiping the floor with Judi & me. After we had finished I walked Maisie, the Irish Water Spaniel, as she was having a day home alone. She was thrilled to see me (nothing to do with the liver treats) and we enjoyed the perfect day up at the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens.
Wes visited Leanne on Thursday morning & fixed a laundry door, as well as various other small items that needed his help. Back here, I had a cuppa with our neighbour, Glen, at Pancho, where we were able to sit in the courtyard and chat for an hour or so. Afterwards I took her to the Information Centre, which she hadn’t realised was full of info for locals as well as visitors.
On Friday morning, I met Wes & the boys outside The Food Gallery for our regular socialising. This is what Wes wrote to our dear friend, Terry McDonald in Sydney, giving him a glimpse of our lives in Daylesford:
“Sitting in the Village main street on a Friday morning with the boys is now part of the ritual as we chat to all who pass by – Jude (one of our naughty ex-nuns) popping into the optometrist, but wanting to pat the boys as she has just lost her 16yr old dog; Fiona & Annie wanting to chat about the fun of their train ride yesterday to the Big Smoke to see “Chicago” and what age you need to be to get offered a train seat; Big George (the Scottish frame maker) complaining about charcoal artists who don’t properly seal their drawings; Peter (the current Australian Gay Games Ten-Pin Bowling Champion) showing a photo of his work in progress for the Archibalds (Max in gold leaf dress highlighting kidney dialysis needs), and Pasquale (the Italian Opera tenor) describing the correct way to prune olive trees – Such is life on a Friday morning in Camelot”
I wish I had his gift of painting a picture – it was fun & everything he said was true.
Yesterday we were back at Pancho Café, this time having a breakfast catch-up with our neighbours, Rob & Dene. They were impressed with the coffee & the service, and hopefully enjoyed their breakfasts, as we did ours.
About to drink a lovely bottle of Penfolds Bin 389 – with thanks to Peter & Anka!
Women’s footy is back & Carlton had a good win on Friday night. Fingers crossed for the Pies against the Eagles this afternoon. While I was watching yesterday afternoon’s matches, Wes visited Bill & Sue Longley at their home. Sue was glad to have him there so she could pop out & visit a friend & do a few chores.
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