Sunday again, and already we are
in May. We started last week with our usual successful & fun visit to the Sunday
Market & came home to find that Wes’s computer had crashed. He
tried everything he could, but eventually got some good help which put him back
on air. Meantime I made a batch of minestrone soup, which was perfect for our
dinner with fresh wholemeal sourdough bread from Stella’s. We
shared the loaf with Rob & Dene, as there was more than we could eat.
Most of the rest of the day was spent
by Wes downloading his programmes again and I entered the fray with Norton
& sent him a link for Microsoft Office 365, which wouldn’t work &
required technical assistance. We chanced upon a very helpful chap who went
into the computer & made it all happen. Needless to say we were pleased to
sit down with serious drinks at 5.30pm!
We don’t often see
Rerun in Snoopy cartoons, but this one is a beauty!
The Government launched their
COVIDSafe app to help track the virus and we immediately downloaded it, however
it wouldn’t accept our mobile numbers. I emailed the developer & within a
short time had an email reply and we were able to enter our mobiles &
register. It was very heartening to see the rate of take up was much higher
than had been expected.
On Monday we did two complete laps
of Lake Daylesford, to make up for missing out the day before. Lewis &
Morse were exhausted afterwards & spent much of the day lying in the sun in
our lounge, with very occasional loo trips outside. Our School project had been
to network share our computers and we failed. I was able to share with Wes, but
he couldn’t open anything without permission & his computer couldn’t find
me to share with me!
We eventually conceded defeat
& had a quick family drive up to Wombat Hill Nursery to
collect our Erlicheer bulbs, which we had ordered as part of a community
purchase of 15,000 bulbs. We paid for 150 bulbs, which was enough to share with
friends, which we did. All around Daylesford, people were collecting bulbs
today & as well as sharing with friends & neighbours, we had all paid
for a community planting, which will be done in consultation with the Hepburn
Shire. This is such a lovely idea and Donna & Jeff Thorneycroft are to be
congratulated for thinking of it & their son, Liam, is also to be thanked
for publicising it. The bulbs were sold in 3 days flat!
We are trying to keep in touch
with more & more friends each week, especially those living on their own,
for whom this is quite a challenge. We are both thrilled that you are thinking
of us also & sending emails & texts, ringing us on our home or mobile
phones & taking part in Skype & Zoom calls. I am still on my L-plates
with Zoom, but getting used to the technology which is so much more
sophisticated than Skype. Although we both think the Skype picture is better.
One of the local businesses
helping people in need is the Good Grub Club, which is delivering
hot meals, as well as boxes of provisions to people who can’t go shopping, but
would like to cook their own meals. Sallie Harvey, a wonderful local singer, is
spear-heading this group & has been so successful with publicity that she
rated a mention on the ABC National Radio News last Sunday morning.
Our local fruit, vegetables &
deli shop, Tonna’s, has been doing a great job filling our
orders. I put in a request on Tuesday morning for collection on Thursday, but
was rung that afternoon to say that everything was ready & I could pick it
up. You park near Tonna’s & approach the trestle tables, give
your order number, pay by credit card & walk away with your provisions –
takes about 5 minutes & is very well run. We particularly like Tonna’s
excellent Italian pastas, their range of dried herbs & spices, their
home-made muesli, large jars of anchovies, breads, juices, cheeses as well as
their wide variety of fruit & vegetables. The shop, run by the Maltese
family, has been in Daylesford for longer than we have (22 years) and some 15
years ago moved out of the Vincent Street shopping strip into a huge warehouse
that used to house dog & horse food. They are still in Vincent Street, but
next door to the BP Service Station & have heaps of parking.
On Thursday morning I had my first
multi-guest Zoom chat with dear friends, Kathy Lazzaro & Karen Stevenson.
Our husbands had all chatted on Saturday, so we thought we would give it a go
& I hosted it to give me experience. Both the Lazzaro & Stevenson
families are very familiar with the technology as they have both children &
grand-children & have enjoyed being able to keep in touch that way. We were
all pleased to see each other & I found we rarely interrupted the flow. We
promised to do it again soon. Meanwhile Wes had a good chat with his cousin,
Amanda, in Yarraville & brought her up to date on family news. He also
taught Barbara how to use Zoom & they are communicating that way to give
her practice.
Wes with Kathy
& Ged in London in 2010 – such a lovely time catching up overseas!
On Friday afternoon, I received a
phone call from my sister, Leanne, saying she couldn’t wait any longer to know
if I had received the parcel she sent me. Leanne was the kind person who sent
me the red teapot, because it reminded her of our tea & coffee breaks some
years ago when she was able to visit the Napier Street, Strathmore, strip of
shops & we would stop at Edward Abbot before we came back
home. She didn’t realise that by removing her name from the paperwork, I would
be unable to guess who had sent the parcel. She is relieved that it arrived in
one piece & I am grateful to be able to thank her! Yes, I have used it &
it keeps the tea very hot, which is the prime function of a teapot for me!
Here are Karen (AKA
Lovely) Stevenson & I catching up in December 1979 at Squiz & Jan’s
wedding under the trees
We weren’t able to walk the boys
on either Friday or Saturday because it was so very wet. They were happy with
early breakfasts & games of chasey before settling down in front of the
fire….and so were we, without the chasey!
Yesterday we had lots of
leftovers, so I made a big pot of soup, which will keep us going for a few
days, and has emptied the crispers in time for reinforcements this morning at
the Sunday Market.
Wes had arranged for his
Daylesford Boys’ Film Group to catch up on Zoom & included Jan Pengilley in
the group. She would have enjoyed seeing everyone & laughing over memories
of fun times, when the ‘boys’ spent an afternoon together, drinking &
eating & watching specially chosen films. Jan’s late husband, Warren, AKA
Secundus, particularly loved these occasions & after he died, Jan was
invited to attend in his place. I’m not sure she was able to consume quite the
same amount of fine whisky & red wine, nor need the lift home afterwards!
Jan & Warren at
Remembrance Day, Daylesford 2013
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