Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 26th April 2020

When I left you last week we were heading off to the Sunday Market, where Yvonne was organised & waiting for us with dog fruit & vegetables & all the things we normally buy packaged & ready to go. I put these items into our own drawstring washable bags for her to weigh & then for me to wash once we get home. It’s a great system that we had instigated before the onset of COVID-19. Wes bought us croissants for breakfast, which is fast becoming our new Sunday morning tradition & a loaf of wholemeal sourdough (both from Stella’s bread), which he shared with Barbara. We’ve still got plenty of dog treats & bones, even though Jeff isn’t at the Market, as he delivered a big order to us a couple of weeks ago & will do it again if needed. We just have to find a new supplier for eggs, as we used to get free-range ones from Jeff.

We’ve had another week of keeping in touch with friends & family, as well as knitting, crosswords & reading – me; and gardening, reading & cooking – him. Our Monday morning class was to get our heads around Zoom in time for Wes to have a chat that afternoon with Danny, Tom & Bobby. We did have an excellent School, using a You Tube tutorial by Steve Dotto, which explained Zoom simply & easily, and Wes was pleased to catch up with old friends afterwards.

The link to Steve Dotto’s tute if you are interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5VU8cmEnTs&lc=z22airczmparinwfuacdp43ak31qkqwmabft1bha2s1w03c010c

Lewis learning to love his new friend – Bilbo’s favourite soft toy. Not sure it is a big success yet!

During the week, tree fellers got stuck into some dead gumtrees in the back yard of a house in King Street. The trees were blocking our neighbour, Glen’s view of the Lake, and partially obstructed our once sweeping view of the Lake and up into Vincent Street. Glen & her daughter, Sarah, have just discovered Cornish Hill & the maze of walks behind us and are enjoying exploring a new area when they walk each day.

I had my first telephone consultation with my doctor, Greg Stewart, who decided a couple of weeks ago to stop seeing patients & work from home via the phone only. As he had a serious heart attack a couple of years ago & is in his 60s, this is a very sensible decision. I was able to get my Seretide prescription; tell him how I was faring in the lockdown; reassure him that my asthma & tiredness, although both more prevalent than usual, were manageable, & be congratulated that all my various tests were up-to-date & none needed to be done again until next year at the earliest. Once again, the system worked well & the prescriptions appeared in my MedAdvisor app the next day.

This beautiful red teapot arrived unexpectedly this week addressed to me at 80 Duke Street, which is Rob & Dene’s address. I checked with them & much as they would love the teapot themselves they hadn’t ordered it. According to the docket I had ordered & paid for it & it was shipped from England on 29^th March. Neither the supplier nor the store can tell me who bought it and I am reluctant to use it until I discover that it is actually meant for me! Can anyone throw any light on this mystery for me?

We’ve been trying through this period of being at home to limit our drinking to Thursday through to Sunday. We have had mixed success – some weeks it is easy, on other weeks, we get to Tuesday & are desperate for a glass of red wine. I hear from friends that this is a common complaint & we are certainly being told that it isn’t ideal!

On Thursday, after his fortnightly chat with Paul Jackson, Wes learned how to balance our credit card on Reckon. He did very well, but wants to do it again next month, as there is so much to remember. Our dear friend, Tom Tyrrell, taught me Quicken many years ago & I am so grateful to him for giving me that skill.

Here is our neighbour, Rob Griffin, working from his study next door. He has a beautiful view on three sides with trees galore wearing their Autumn colours.

And he can see & be seen by Lewis & Morse, who love him dearly.

Barbara’s car needed to spend 24 hours in Ballarat, so Wes accompanied her there on Wednesday & Thursday. They visited Officeworks & Wes was most impressed with their set-up that made shopping very safe. He found the driving tiring after 6 weeks or so of not driving anywhere much, an experience that many of us can relate to.

We were pleased to see our friend, Robert, who had a bad fall two weeks ago, back walking around Lake Daylesford early. He has stopped walking in the dark, but still doesn’t have a mobile phone, so Wes gave him our whistle to put around his neck. I bought it many years ago when I first joined the Bushwalking Group here – some of our longer walks were done by only 3 or 4 of us & we were advised to carry a compass, map & whistle at all times.

  

I took this photo at dawn on Friday morning trying to get the beauty of the late Autumn colours as well as the cuteness of Morse & Lewis (who is on the right with his silly sit)

We decided to honour ANZAC Day by listening to ABC Classic at 6am when they played the Last Post. At the same time, Christ Church bells rang out around Daylesford. Lewis & Morse were happy to stop walking & observe a minute’s silence, especially when given a treat afterwards. We were blessed with the most amazing pink sky as dawn broke.

Wes had another Zoom chat at 9am with Gerard Lazzaro & Malcolm Stevenson, his first as the host, and is feeling very confident about the technology.

Later we observed another minute’s silence at 11.30am during the Coodabeen Champion’s radio programme on ABC Grandstand. Finally, I watched a very moving montage from the MCG at 1pm when a Lone Piper played the Last Post to an empty stadium and images of the previous 24 years of ANZAC Day Collingwood & Essendon matches were shown. We did miss going to Eganstown at 9am for the delightful & very personal service there, which finishes with tea & home-made ANZAC biscuits. How glad we are that we visited Gallipoli some years ago & have a much better idea of what our servicemen encountered on landing there.

Gallipoli rosemary growing in our front garden. We gave sprigs to our neighbours yesterday

In the afternoon, we watched a replay of the 1995 game between Collingwood & Essendon that attracted a crowd of just under 95,000 people & resulted in a draw & no doubt ensured that this fixture would continue. I have been to every one of the past 24 games and look on it as a highlight of the AFL Calendar. The atmosphere is electric & the day is not so much about the footy, but respecting those who have served their country in both Australia & NZ.

This morning we have woken to constant rain, wet enough to cancel the walk, which meant the boys were fed very early, which always suits them. We’ll head off to the Sunday Market around 7.50am & I am planning on making minestrone soup on our return.

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 19th April 2020

Once again, we were blessed to be able to visit the Sunday Market & get our fresh produce including plenty of goodies for Lewis & Morse. It had been misty and cold when we walked around Lake Daylesford, but the sun was shining & the stallholders were cheerful. Wes bought croissants for us & Rob & Dene & we delivered Easter egg thank yous to Ken & Yvonne, both of whom were delighted. Later that morning we received chocolate bunnies from Rob & Dene with a delightful Power Point card.

Here I am with Rob & Dene’s Hot Cross buns, being watched eagerly by Lewis & Morse – as if they are going to get any!

Back home, we unpacked & washed everything, put it away & proceded to demolish our croissants, before ringing family & friends to wish them all a Happy Easter. Some more goodies arrived at our front door – Easter eggs from Judi & Michael; a cyclamen & eggs from Glen, and a dozen bottles of red from Woodstock winery via Rob the local delivery man.

On Monday, our “school” was me teaching Wes how to use Reckon (aka Quicken). He is used to obtaining reports, but have never inputted transactions before & learnt how to balance it with our NAB Internet Banking. The hour flew by & we both enjoyed it. Wes felt very empowered afterwards, so I have suggested that he balance the Nab Visa card when the statement falls due next week, which will give him an even better understanding of how it all works.

We’ve enjoyed some perfect Autumn days this week – cool to cold mornings, followed by slightly warmer mornings & positively balmy afternoons of 19° or so. Wes has been in the garden most days & we’ve each made phone calls, as well as cleaned out cupboards or files or boxes that had been put away for a rainy day.

My special project for the week was cleaning out the cupboard under our internal stairs, which opens into Wes’s bathroom. I knew some of the things that were there, but was surprised to find a huge plastic container full of dog towels that I had forgotten, as well as a box of soft toys, some of which had belonged to Bilbo & others were gifts to Lewis & Morse, when they were too young to do anything other than tear them apart. I produced two of the toys that night & they weren’t sure what to do with them, especially when we put them on their bed at night. Next morning the toys had been deposited on the dog decking!

Wes, Morse & Lewis in front of our favourite Lake Daylesford maple

We are really enjoying our catch ups with friends. Apart from chatting to see how they are, we think it is important to recognise & remember  Birthdays & Anniversaries, especially now when celebrations are low-key.

·        Leanne & I speak every second day & I re-introduced Skype so she can see & chat to Lewis & Morse

·        Kathy Lazzaro & I have a 20 minute chat each week & never fail to be grateful that she & Ged got home from Spain when they did.

·        I speak with Judi & Michael most weeks, often about which books Michael would like to have delivered to their front door on Monday mornings after our walk. In the past I have delivered Traveller & M from our weekend Age newspapers, but, as there is no travel, I am sending Good Weekend & Sunday Life instead.

·        We are receiving unexpected but very welcome calls from people like Ted Bailey, who was a friend from Brunswick Rotary days. He & his partner, Wendy, have moved into The Breeze, a brand-new retirement complex in Point Lonsdale. He moved out of Queen Street, Melbourne, just in time.

·        Wes is ringing or hearing from old friends like Tom Tyrrell, Danny Millman, Squiz Murray. John Hardwick & Bob White, as well as Daylesford friends – Aileen O’Reilly, David Hall, Jeff Bain & Joe & Glenda Rozen. He & Ben Lazzaro are keeping in touch too. He is having regular chats with Paul Jackson in the Cotswolds via Skype.

·        Wes has also spoken with his sister, Denise Anderson, & his nephews, Leon & Shaun.

·        My sister, Paun Fell, and I are speaking most weeks and I chat with my sister-in-law, Mary Saundry and my brother, Peter Saundry, occasionally. We also chat with my Aunt, Jeff Hoolihan, in Lincolnshire on Skype regularly & our cousin, Leigh Murrin, in Luxembourg. As well, I have been playing telephone table tennis with Gayle Gibson & Karen Stevenson, occasionally getting the latter when she isn’t watering plants on the roof!

·        I’m keeping up to date with Dot Smith via Skype messages & the occasional phone call & seen her husband, John, at Coles; have spoken with Cathy O’Toole & spotted her husband, Peter Widdop, also in Coles. Ditto Ellis Ebell, rejoicing in an outing to Coles, while his partner, Frank Page, regales us daily with stunning photos of Lake Daylesford. I am also chatting to Annie Smith & her daughter, Fiona Groundwater regularly.

·        Of course, we see our neighbours, Rob Griffin & Dene Roberts, on one side & Glen Tandberg on the other. Wes visits Barbara Simpson across the road every day & keeps in touch with her via Skype as well. We also spot Gillie Gough when we visit the Sunday Market & have a long-range chat with her. 

Unbelievably we still have enough blooms to fill two of our vases & one of Dene’s each week.

On Wednesday morning, after our walk, we delivered a big bag of jumpers (thanks Di Lyttleton), beanies & berets to Jodie Duckworth who is managing Keeping Daylesford Warm. She has been liaising with Springs Medical Centre, the Pharmacy & Sallie Harvey, at the Food Bank & hopes to be able to distribute warm things via these three options.

Sandra Frost came to clean & did a wonderful job. Wes spent the morning across the road with Barbara helping her pack boxes, as well as doing some shopping for her. It used to be easy to stay out of Sandra’s way as I would be playing Mah Jong, but these days it’s a matter of moving from upstairs to downstairs & back again. Lewis & Morse love her visits & run around outside our house trying to see which room she is in, so they can watch her as they count down the minutes until she gives them each an apple before she leaves.

I keep forgetting to tell you that we have lots of kookaburras laughing at us as we walk around the Lake each morning. It is such a beautiful & unique sound & we feel very lucky to hear them, even if Morse would rather they didn’t frighten him when they suddenly start laughing in stereo above his head.

 Two stunning photos of Lake Daylesford courtesy of Frank Page – we saw the incredible sky above, but were too early for the perfect mirror image below, which was the day before.

When I went to Coles Supermarket on Friday morning, I was delighted to see that there were very few shoppers and plenty of stock on the shelves. I had been unable to buy cornflour, but that was available and the only items that were low were rice & flour & handwash. I wear cotton gloves that I wash when I return home & feel very safe with the procedures in place at Coles. Ditto the Post Office and pharmacy.

This week I was due for a fringe trim & manicure. Fortunately I had a proper haircut with Lyndal 4 weeks ago & it was easy to snip a little off my fringe. My nails had grown long, so I chopped them off & did my best to give myself a manicure. I do miss Alanna & our chats, ditto Emma when it is time for a facial again next week. Not sure I can easily replicate that!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 12th April 2020

It was very wet last Sunday morning when we went to the Sunday Market, but Yvonne was there, very organised with a box full of stuff for the boys including a big bag of pears which we have been using instead of treats or apples this week – Lewis is fine about it, but Morse is quite confused. Stella’s bread stall wasn’t there because of the weather, so we bought Hot Cross buns from Twofold Bakery instead.

When we got home I made a pot of vegetarian minestrone & baked a fruit cake, so we were well provisioned and Wes had a rare day off cooking. I picked fresh bunches of roses, which continue to flourish & when I was chatting with Kathy Lazzaro, she told me that their bushes were doing the same. Later we had a Messenger phone call with cousin, God-daughter & good friend, Leigh Murrin, who was celebrating her birthday in beautiful Luxembourg, where she & Simon live these days.

Next morning, we wondered if the usual walkers would be back early now that Daylight Saving is finished. However, apart from Fran & a runner we had never seen before, there was no-one & the carpark was deserted. It is lovely to be able to see where we are going after the first 20 minutes or so & daybreak over Lake Daylesford is very special indeed, with the pink sky reflected in the water & the overflow crashing down like a mini-waterfall on its way to join the creek.

Morse & Lewis posing for the camera

It was Wes’s turn to host our Monday morning “school” & he explained our investments through First Samuel with the use of excellent graphs & spreadsheets. Like most people, our fortunes have taken a downturn lately, but we are in better shape than many others & will just have to be more careful, especially when the COVID-19 threat is less and the temptation to travel becomes very pressing. Thanks to everyone who emailed me telling me what their companions have been teaching them – it is lovely to think of us all taking this time to do so many of the things we have been meaning to do & finding reasons not to. Now there is no excuse – it makes good sense to be learning as much as we can teach each other about our lives together.

The rest of our week followed its usual pattern – walking the boys each morning; chatting about our day each evening around 5.30pm once the boys have been fed; ringing & emailing friends; doing chores; gardening; shopping; collecting & posting mail; making meals; reading; watching programmes we have taped on Foxtel etc.

As well Wes has had a busy week helping Barbara – he took Bobby to the vet for his annual injection; took her car in for service; did some odd jobs & gardening, and helped brighten each day as she continues to rest her foot in the hope that it will recover 100%. Wes had his first phone consultation with a local doctor & that went well – his new prescriptions turned up on our MedAdvisor phone app the next morning.

I am speaking with Leanne most days & she is coping well as she can – most of the NDIS helpers are no longer visiting, but her cleaner, the IGA home delivery, the pharmacist home delivery & the gardeners are still available. We chat about Lewis & Morse and their latest tricks, which never fails to amuse her.

On Thursday night, we had some excitement – we had just finished dinner & Wes got a text from neighbour, Glen Tandberg, at the same time, as I received a message from David Castles in Porcupine Ridge asking about a fire in Duke Street. We went outside to discover there was a small, moving fire in the gully between the end of our little piece of Duke Street & Macadam Street. I knocked on Rob & Dene’s door to alert them, but they had rung the Fire Brigade, when their home filled with smoke. While we watched, three big appliances roared up Macadam Street looking for the fire, which they couldn’t immediately spot as it was in the gully. Perhaps someone had been burning off or smoking & the fire had gotten out of control. We weren’t in any danger, and fire was the last thing we were expecting after all the rain we have been enjoying.

We look forward to Good Friday – Hot Cross buns, a long walk, usually around the old Trentham racecourse, and sitting in front of the fire if it is cold & wet. We achieved the buns and the fire, but it was drizzling early & we decided it would be silly to drive to Trentham, which is the only place in the Shire that we know has cases of COVID-19. So we cancelled the second walk as well as the first, which suited everyone. The boys were happy with an early breakfast & lots of cuddles. Wes sent out some lovely Easter e-cards to friends & family & we received lots of messages back. Thanks to Rob & Dene for their very tasty Hot Cross buns.

Morse & Lewis doing what they like best – sitting with Wes on his lap – more comfy for them than him I suspect!

Yesterday we had a long walk – twice around both sides of Lake Daylesford & got back into the car just as the rain started. It was quite cold & Wes was unable to get into the garden as planned. He also postponed washing Lewis & Morse as it was too cold. They were quite pleased with this decision & enjoyed their Saturday morning dried bones. I had the energy to clean some more kitchen cupboards, while listening to the Coodabeen Champions on the ABC radio. I learnt the fascinating fact that the Black Diamond Challenge Cup, which was made in 1887 for the Northern District Football Association (Aussie Rules) is the longest continually running trophy in Australia. It is based around the Central NSW Coast including Newcastle – amazing!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 5th April 2020

Once again, last Sunday, we were thrilled to be able to shop at the Daylesford Sunday Market, which was very well organised with lots of sensible signage, hand sanitiser & social distancing policed. Yvonne was very organised with our fruit & vegetables & had already packed boxes with the stuff for the boys & the stuff she knew we usually buy, which made our visit to her stall quick & easy. Except, that when we arrived home, I discovered we had no cucumber – Hendrick’s gin tastes magic with tonic & cucumber, so we had to go back! We ordered up big from Jeff, the dog treat & bone man, and were pleased we did, as he will not be attending the market any more in the forseeable future. We also bought some pumpkin & polenta sourdough & croissants from Stella’s, and Ken carried my biggest basket to our car for us.

We enjoyed our croissants sitting out on the decking with our pots of tea & coffee, thanking God that we live in such a beautiful place with our stunning views across Lake Daylesford & over to the Wombat Forest. Lewis & Morse stayed with us for a while, then Lewis slid open the fly-wire screen door & they adjourned to their more comfortable bed in the lounge with pillows & fell into a deep sleep. Dene next door baked a New York style cheese cake & Rob delivered a generous slice for us to enjoy that night.

On Monday morning we had the first of our tutorials – me teaching Wes NAB Internet Banking. I had prepared well with a list of instructions & he was an excellent pupil. We managed to survive the session without an argument and I am pleased that he can now cope with Internet Banking if I should be unable to do it, for whatever reason. I hope I will be as good a pupil next Monday, when I learn about our Investments! Later in the week I contacted the NAB & discovered how to give Wes his own NAB login, which pleased him very much.

With the new rules coming in that night, limiting contact to 2 people, I collected an order from Tonna’s; visited the Post Office & was delighted to discover two parcels of wool from Kathy Lazzaro’s friend, Maree; picked up cards from Brian Nash, and filled up with petrol. Most people were behaving correctly & most places were properly organised to cope with customers. Wes did some gardening before making his usual visit to Barbara & taking Maisie for a walk. He brought her back to spend the afternoon with us.

Meanwhile Jan Pengilley & I enjoyed a Skype call, which enabled us to see each other & her to see Lewis & Morse up close, which she loved. They haven’t quite grasped the concept of Skype and I suspect they will find Zoom completely bewildering!

Wes did the tutorial on Zoom & was most impressed with its ability to have you in touch with multiple people at the same time. We will stick with Skype for one-on-one, but there may come a time that we need to network & Zoom will be perfect.

The week seems to have flown by with all the usual activities – gardening, computer work, walking Lewis & Morse, feeding birds, picking roses, checking for mail at the Post Office, putting bins out & bringing them back in again & staying in touch with friends and family.

Tall arrangement of various roses

Wes has bought some potting mix, manure & top cover for my garden beds & I’ll get cracking as soon as the last tomato & zucchini plants die. The chillis & peppers are profuse and most of the other herbs are doing well, except for the parsley, which is sparse. When it & the chillis die off, I’ll redo those planter boxes in preparation for post Winter planting.

Wes always has more projects than hours in the day, whereas I have slowed down since the onset of chronic fatigue. However, I have decided my long-term project will be to change all our passwords. I do this every two years in June & often am still going in July. So starting now won’t hurt & hopefully I’ll be finished by June!

  

Once it started raining, this is the only place they wanted to be!

We got 25mls of rain during Wednesday night & gentle rain continued for most of the day. Nobody wanted to be outside for very long, because the rain was quite invasive! Wes had a lovely long Skype chat with our friend, Paul Jackson in Oxfordshire; & Jeff, the dog treat man, delivered a box of dried bones to keep the boys going until he can return to the Sunday Market.

On Friday we did the walk from Twin Bridges (so called because there is a bridge on either side of the Ballarat Road – well, one is a metal bridge & the other is a series of large rocks placed in the water as a replacement for the bridge that was washed away in a storm) to Tipperary Springs & back. It is a beautiful walk & we had never taken Lewis & Morse on it before. We did our earlier walk around Lake Daylesford, which had a touch of drama to it – we arrived at the parking spot off King Street which leads to the shorter Lake walk & discovered Robert, the very early walker, had fallen over next to the passenger side of his car, and was lying unable to move, calling help in his loudest voice. I stayed with the boys & Wes went to help in the pitch dark with his torch. Another man walking along King Street also heard the cried for help & fortunately arrived to help as well as Robert was too heavy for Wes to get upright on his own. At this point, all thoughts of social distancing go out the window. Robert was able to drive himself home (he lives about 1 minute’s drive away) & we hope he isn’t too shocked & can resume his regular early walks with his stick, his torch & his shuffle.

Morse & Lewis with me on the stunningl walk from Twin Bridges to Tipperary Springs – at its best in Autumn!

Yesterday it rained heavily all night, but we were able to walk early without getting drenched. Wes made chilli scrambled eggs for breakfast, and we spent the rest of the day sitting in front of the fire, listening first to Greta Bradman on ABC Classic, followed by The Coodabeen Champions, then back to ABC Classic. Lewis & Morse were very thrilled to be inside out of the cold & wet.

Before COVID-19, we had planned to be at the MCG watching Collingwood & Hawthorn. I had intended to go into the ballot for a Long Room pass for Wes & we were going to have lunch there. So last night instead, we ordered take away dinner from Jackie’s on Vincent & enjoyed our favourite meals – calamari for me & Mongolian lamb for Wes, plus Grandmother’s sweet dumplings for afters. The meal was piping hot & of the quality we are used to experiencing at Jackie’s restaurant. We opened our last bottle of Cofield Sparkling Shiraz & watched an episode of Deadwater Fell, which we are enjoying.

This morning it was wonderful to walk around the Lake - with Daylight Saving over, we could all see where we were going after about 20 minutes or so! Now we are off to the Sunday Market in the fog.