Everyone was very cheerful at the Daylesford Market last Sunday – even
though it was icy cold, the sun was starting to shine & the stallholders
were organised and excited to be seeing their regulars and making an income. We
noticed a few more dogs than usual, not that we will be bringing Lewis &
Morse again until social distancing is no more. Wes bought currant buns for
Rob, Dene, Barbara & us. We had croissants for breakfast while reading the Sunday Age. I was starting to feel tired & realised I
had to put in a quiet day – no gardening, phone calls or housework!
Some last glimpses of Autumn from King Street – you can just see our home
in the bottom two photos
Sadly, this lethargy persisted through until Wednesday. Wes reminds me it
is the pattern – I try to do too much one week & pay for it the following
one. And apparently, this often happens in May! You would think I would learn.
So, I missed out on making a few phone calls, but will catch up with them this coming
week, I hope.
At lunchtime, Rob arrived saying Dene had made a stunning Morello Cherry
Genoise with Chocolate Ganache, and they wanted to share it with us. We
couldn’t wait to try it, added some sour cream, and enjoyed every mouthful.
Wes continued to cut away the ivy this week & is hoping to plant
roses & lavender along our front shared fence with Rob & Dene. Rob is
going to plant some maples on their side, which would be very pretty indeed.
Wes also had a highly successful Zoom meeting with his Reconciliation
Committee. As well he visited Barbara daily, chatted with old school friends,
old friends & some not so old ones. He also did his usual amount of writing
& research in Ancestry and had to do the lion’s share of dog-walking,
cooking & cleaning, for which I am most grateful.
During the week, Wes put up the 1960 signage for his parents’ milk bar at
195 Hope Street in the FB group Who Grew Up in Brunswick and was delighted to find it was remembered fondly by some of the group.
Some said how friendly his mother, Dot, had been, and others just wanted to
talk about buying Cobbers & Licorice Blocks.
Our other neighbour, Glen, has been unpacking boxes & offered me the
choice of some wonderful DVD series. I have started re-watching Inspector George
Gently, the books of which were
a big disappointment, but the series is so good with Martin Shaw & Lee
Ingleby in the lead roles. I have discovered that we missed the first series,
so there is plenty to catch up on. As well I am enjoying Poirot, most of which I have seen twice already.
However, David Suchet is so perfect as Poirot, and in the short stories, Hugh
Fraser does a wonderful job as Captain Hastings. I especially love all the Art
Deco buildings & furniture and the beautiful old cars.
For everyone who loves seeing photos of our boys – here are Morse &
Lewis comfy under their day rug
On Thursday we heard that our old friend, Bill Longley, had died
peacefully in St John of God Hospital in Ballarat. I first met Bill, (a Pom),
when I joined the Bushwalking Group back in 1999.
Lovely photo of Sue & Bill back in 2003 - enjoying a PAWCPIES picnic
Bill taught me lots about safety in the bush, identifying birds &
gold mining. He & Sue met Wes early on too and we spent some fun times
together as a foursome or with groups. Bill was working as a potter as he had
done in England and I use the salad bowl we have of his nearly every day. Then
he & Sue turned their home into a B&B, which made for some amusing
& not so amusing stories of how their guests behaved. Finally they retired
to Elsbeth Court, where they were generous hosts and shared their produce with
everyone – I’ve never seen two lemon trees produce as much fruit as theirs, and
as for their strawberries – our patch came from one sucker that Bill potted up
for me. Bill had a wonderful sense of humour, was an excellent storyteller and
had an eye for a good red wine. He will be missed.
We feel extremely fortunate to be attending Bill’s funeral tomorrow at
Verey’s, in Daylesford, where Sue has asked Warren to read a poem. It is lovely
to be able to say goodbye.
Shortly we will be off to the Sunday Market as usual. We’ve walked the
boys, who had a bath yesterday & who dried off by tearing around the back
yard getting muddy. They eventually fell asleep from exhaustion & we were
able to listen to the Coodabeen Champions in peace. I haven’t missed footy nearly as much as I expected as my
weekly dose of their humour keeps me feeling connected to the sport. This is
their 40th year on air & they are celebrating by writing a book
& putting on a live online performance this Wednesday night. We have bought
tickets & will be watching with great pleasure.
Thanks again for everyone who contacted us this week or thought of some
way to make our time in isolation better. You are all much appreciated.
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