Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 30th August 2020

Once again, we had a very successful & easy visit to the Sunday Market after I had sent last week's Dispatch. Everyone was cheerful as they are now very used to the system. We were able to buy everything we needed except Dutch Cream potatoes & Yvonne's half cabbage & half pumpkin were so huge, we shared them with our neighbours. 

We still feel guilty about our first three labs - Trashcan Oscar, Toby Jug & Samuel Snugglepot the First, who didn't have pillows!

Wes had a busy afternoon with a long Google Meet chat with our new neighbour, Ellie Bonnett, who wanted some advice, and a Zoom chat with Peta Hawker, who needed some computer help. I spent my time watching footy games and keeping the boys amused, when they woke from their slumbers.

On Monday, we were finally able to have a good walk again, so we did two complete laps of Lake Daylesford without meeting another soul, except for Barry the Fisherman, who had just caught his equal heaviest fish ever. Barry weighs the fish & takes a photo before returning it to the lake. We duly admired the photo & wished him well for the rest of his stint.

We had decided to do a refresher at School & Wes followed my instructions to balance our Visa account on Reckon. He did very well and was pleased that he had remembered much of it once he got into the swing. We are going to let him balance next month's Visa as well, which should solidify the procedure. 

We are all feeling a bit like this at the moment I suspect

Afterwards, while Wes emptied one of our tanks, which was overflowing after all our rain, I went to Mitre 10 to chat with Tim about buying a safe, which I then ordered. Judi & I had our regular Zoom chat and caught up on each other's news. Wes then watched a funeral service for our friend, Moshe Goldberg, who died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Moshe & I were playing online Scrabble up until 2 days before he died. 

We were rather delighted that Collingwood was able to beat North Melbourne that night. I had put our last bottle of Cofield Sparkling Shiraz in the fridge just in case and Wes ordered & collected another seafood pizza from Sophie & Bill's place. It was very yummy and we feel so decadent having take-away - it's not something we often do in normal life, let alone during the COVID-19 lockdown. 

On Tuesday, I had a very busy Zoom morning - chatting separately with Leanne, Jan & Terry. Afterwards I walked to the Post Office and later collected an order from Tonna's including $10 worth of small, fresh, red chillies, which should keep us going for a while. We had ordered another bag of Dutch Cream potatoes & were able to share them with Glen & with Nick & Robyn. Wes filled three big bags with garden clippings & weeds from the front garden and I could really see the difference. 

That night the ABC news told the story of our new neighbour, Ellie Bonnett, who has made the tree-change here from St Kilda. We thought the story had been ditched, as it was three weeks ago that Barbara's estate agent came to see if Wes was agreable to the ABC filming her home. Wes had custody of all the keys until he handed them over at settlement last week. He said yes, the crew filmed & that was that - until that night, when Ellie was the face of Victoria's changing demographic. If you would like to read the story, please follow this link - https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-26/regional-city-property-markets-covid-urban-tree-changer/12541598

On Wednesday, I delivered spuds & papers & jars to Nick & Robyn; had a fringe trim; bought a huge bag of dog biscuits; collected the mail, and hosted a wonderful 40 minute Zoom session of old friends - me, Kathy, Lovely, Marilyn, Squiz & Joyce.  

Wes spent the morning fishing. He went down to Lake Daylesford to a secluded spot where he was hidden from view & enjoyed a very relaxing time fiddling with his fishing gear & getting himself organised for the next time. No fish, but one big bite I hear. Lewis & Morse missed him dreadfully, but had bones to occupy them for some of the time. When he arrived home there was a letter for him from young Jack Lazzaro, who sent him a note & a block of chocolate as Wes won the goal-tipping for Carlton's last game. 

Wes seemed to spend Thursday on Zoom - started with his regular fortnightly early morning(our time) chat with Paul Jackson in the Cotswolds, which now includes Barry Hansen & his friend, Mike Hodson. Mid-morning was a long hook up with members of the Reconciliation Committee, and in the afternoon a most enjoyable chat with old friends, Danny Millman & Tom Tyrrell. Apart from a long phone call with Fiona, I spent the day washing, ironing, gardening, reading & relaxing. 

On Friday, which was a beautiful day, we did two complete laps of Lake Daylesford with the boys, followed by poached eggs on English muffins for breakfast. While Wes did wonders in the garden - mowing, weeding, trimming etc, I collected our safe from Mitre 10 & picked up some varnish to put fresh coats on our dining room chairs. 

Yesterday, after our walk, Wes washed the boys & we watched them cavort around the yard playing chasey with each other & the birds until they were dry & able to come inside again. I enjoyed listening to the Coodabeen Champions once again and watched footy on & off all afternoon, interrupted by chores, eating & drinking!

Carlton & Collingwood play each other this afternoon and it is the Blues best chance to beat the Pies in a while. They have come good at the right time of year, while we are only playing well in patches. I think I might need these rosary beads that Wes gave me last week.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 23rd August 2020

We started our week well with a very successful trip to the Sunday Market. Yvonne had everything we needed and we were able to get Glen's spelt & gluten-free breads, as well as eggs from Peros. We wore our new masks, chatted with stall-holders & friends who were queued up, & enjoyed croissants when we got home. 

Me wearing a bright mask to offset my black clothing - thanks again, Glen Tandberg

We overdosed on footy for the rest of the day - watched the replay of Carlton's amazing last kick win; saw the Doggies smash the Crows after an even start; ditto the Saints over the Bombers, and when the Eagles were doing the same to the Hawks, we watched the first episode of the new series of Last Tango in Halifax. I didn't think there could be any more twists and turns in this brilliant series, but of course, there were plenty, with much more to follow. 

Our neighbour, Rob, delivered some scones fresh out of their oven, with jam & cream during the afternoon - a very welcome unexpected afternoon tea, which we enjoyed. 

On Monday, School was all about Ancestry. I had asked Wes to explain & show me what he does. I discovered he uses a programme called Family Tree Maker, which he has bought outright & syncs it with Ancestry.com, which is owned by the Mormon Church, which has final say on usage. I was most impressed by all the work he has done, although discovering that Bad King John was an ancestor of mine wasn't so impressive! Wes is going to download his Family Tree programme onto my computer so I can check for corrections for the Saundry family. 

Afterwards I delivered my latest crop of knitting to the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre, where beanies, jumpers, scarves, berets, gloves & rugs are available to be collected by anyone who needs them. Meanwhile Wes took advantage of the sunshine to bathe a pair of very dirty Labradors, before putting some bread, cheese, tomatoes & flowers across the road at no 77 in time for our new neighbour, Ellie, who was arriving later that day. 

Ellie's cards & flowers

That night, after Wes hosted a very successful chat with 14 other St Bernard's Secondary School old boys, we shared a large prawn & scallop pizza with chillies, which he collected from Bill & Sophie's Pizza place. They have taken over the old Town Hall Café in Vincent Street and everyone has been raving about their pizzas. We were very pleasantly surprised by the quality & quantity of the food. We were keen to support local businesses by ordering takeaway meals & we'll definitely have one of these pizzas again. 

Morse & Lewis snoozing after their bath!

I look forward to Tuesdays as I usually have a few Zoom calls to make starting with my sister, Leanne, then friends such as Jan Pengilley or Terry Borg, and this week I had the bonus of a lovely chat with another old friend, Marilyn Preston, who is in Torquay with her husband, Bobby. 

On Wednesday, it was wet, so I let Wes walk the boys on his own, while I cooked rice & pumpkin for Lewis & Morse, got a load of washing on, washed my hair & had our house ready for Sandra's arrival at 7.30am to clean. She was thrilled that our new neighbour appreciated how sparkling her house was when she arrived. We took the boys out for a couple of hours to give Sandra a good chance to clean - delivered goodies to Nick & Robyn, pumped water at Leitches Creek, visited the Council to organise a new green bin (has to be done online), picked up some punnets of pleasure at Wombat Hill Nursery...and arrived back home in time for Sandra to give Lewis & Morse red apples before she left.

That afternoon, we enjoyed a good chat with Mike & Linda Kirby in Queensland. They are living a very different life from us - able to mix with friends, go out to restaurants, use swimming pools, get suntanned etc etc. 

On Thursday it was raining again early, so I stayed home while my three boys walked. When I visited Coles supermarket around 7.15am it was very quiet & shopping felt safe. Kathy Lazzaro & I had a Zoom chat booked, but I was coughing a lot so we didn't talk for long. When the rain stopped I walked into town to the Post Office, as we are still expecting the masks we ordered four weeks ago. No sign of them yet - thank God for our neighbour Glen's thoughtfulness in making us three masks each - we are very appreciative and grateful. 

Some of our beautiful daffodils on the dining table

We were able to do two complete laps of Lake Daylesford on Friday to make up for shorter walks in the rain and the boys spent most of the day sleeping, except for when they helped Wes & I in the garden. We had some long pots just crying out for colourful annuals - I did the planting & Wes positioned them on the fence out of the reach of Lewis & Morse. I chatted with Leanne & local friend, Sue, while Wes had a very social 24 hours with Zoom chats with old friends - Bobby, Danny & Tom, and later with Ged, Malcolm & Squiz. 

During the afternoon we had heavy rain, hailstones & sleet but no snow, although some parts of Daylesford were lucky enough to score some flakes. That night Carlton beat Gold Coast in a very inaccurate game in the Top End in front of a vocal and excited crowd - most of whom were barracking for Eddie Betts!

Yesterday morning was far too wet to walk, but we did get snow. I drove through it to the Post Office, where everyone was smiling & enjoying the sight. 

Wes took this photo after the snow had stopped falling in the backyard 

We declared it a sitting in front of the fire sort of day - listening to the Coodabeen Champions in the morning, and watching footy games (4 in total) during the afternoon & evening. I made a batch of vegetable soup using up all our leftovers, which was perfect for dinner, after Wes had served poached eggs on toast for breakfast. 

This morning it was far too wet to walk again, so the boys had an early breakfast, which they love & I went back to bed with a pot of Jasmine tea & The Sunday Age crossword. Bliss. We're about to brave the elements & visit the Market.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 16th August 2020

It was a freezing cold wintry morning last Sunday. We survived 50 minutes walking around Lake Daylesford before Lewis directed us back to the car & warmth! Then off to the Sunday Market, where the stall-holders were struggling to set up their stalls & were wearing twice as many coats as usual to stop the shivering. Yvonne had very kindly put much of our stuff to one side for us, so I was able to shop quickly, but we couldn't get Glen's Spelt bread, or Dutch Cream potatoes for us. Wes did buy croissants, so we warmed up with them, some of Nick's fejoa jelly, and hot drinks as soon as we got home. 

The Blues did their best later that day against the West Coast Eagles, but couldn't quite beat them. Wes was thrilled with Carlton's performance, but thought the Eagles got all the luck & benefit of umpiring decisions. 

We were very pleased to read that the 2 new COVID-19 cases attributed to the Hepburn Shire had been reassigned, which means we have no known cases at present, and hope it can stay that way. I noticed on my walks into the Post Office this week that more people were physically distancing, and those who had undergone difficulty with masks were now wearing shields. 

Monday was a beautiful day - a promise of Spring being around the corner. Wes spent much of it over at Barbara's house, doing a last sweep, water & clean up. He was going to mow the lawns, but Brad was prepared to do it on Tuesday, for which we are very grateful. It is a big job with quite a slope. 

Our school project was redoing our Wills & Executor Dossier. It was five years since we had looked at either & there were so many changes to be made - beneficiaries had died or moved home; medical, home & car insurances had altered, and we are now receiving the pension. We had lots of information to update with our solicitor & excecutor, Peter Russo.  

We've both had lots of catch ups with friends this week - Wes has spoken to an old school friend, Leo Jeffers, who lives in California; as well as his cousins - Mandy, Gary, Glenn, Ronda & Lexie; young Jack Lazzaro & his father, Ben; Barbara Simpson, who is out of quarantine now & living with her sister, Margaret for a while; Paul Jackson & his mate, Barry Hansen, and a big group of past Mayors that he became friendly with through the Victorian Local Governance Association. 

Meanwhile I've chatted with God-daughter, Greta, and her father, Danny Millman; my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire; my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore, and brother, Peter, in Wollongong; our friend, Terry Borg in Burwood; old friends - Kathy & Karen from Public Service days, and local friends Judi & Jane.

We bought a 5kg bag of Dutch Cream potatoes at Tonna's, and as our neighbours were fine for spuds, shared them with Nick & Robyn Massaro. I delivered them on my way to Leitches Creek to pump mineral water & we received some lovely home-made mulberry jam in return. We had woken that morning to constant rain & heavy fog & it was even worse in Musk, when I was getting the water. 

Fog & daffodils at 11am on Wednesday

Wes did a lot of work in our garden, as well as Barbara's. He will be so pleased when settlement occurs tomorrow & his responsibility finishes. No 77 looks good from the road, and I am sure it is as spick & span as it will ever be. Some of Barbara's larger pots have found spots in our front garden, and Wes has also taken our beautiful weeping Japanese maple out of its pot & planted it in a sheltered spot, with a gardenia for company. 

Our neighbour, Glen, presented us with two more masks each yesterday - beautifully made and much appreciated. As an Essendon supporter, she finds she has very little black & white, or navy blue material, but she has done her best.

Collingwood has played two games of footy - one on Tuesday night against Adelaide, (in Adelaide), and the second last night against Melbourne (in Brisbane). The first game looked like being a disaster, but we got our act together in the third quarter & ended up winning by 4 goals, helped by very accurate kicking for a change. The second game was a shellacking - the Pies never looked comfortable & Melbourne had an easy win. Carlton then played Freo in a scrappy game. Both of us were in bed well before the end & couldn't believe that Carlton had won when we woke this morning - a great goal from the boundary by Jack Newnes sealed the game with 18 seconds to go. Wow!

We feel very lucky to be living here at present - Stage 3 restrictions are manageable, and we are happy to do whatever it takes to stop the spread of COVID-19. It is such an insidious germ as is shown by the re-emergence in New Zealand, after 100+ days without a new case. How frightening if it has arrived with overseas freight. 

Yesterday was another morning like this - we walked in complete fog & didn't see another person in 75 minutes. It was too wet to bath Lewis & Morse, and they didn't mind one little bit. We've had so much rain this week that I think this cartoon of Charlie Brown & Pigpen expresses it better than I can. This is what the boys do as soon as they are washed. 

Wes assures me that we have less mud & more grass than last year, when the Labs were only babies, and we definitely have more daffodils as Morse doesn't seem to want to bite their heads off the minute they come into bloom anymore. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 9th August 2020

Last Sunday started well - after our early walk, we headed to the Sunday Market, which was well-organised & very safe & came home laden again with fruit & vegetables. It's official, Lewis & Morse account for more food than we do! 

After a very yummy breakfast at The Food Gallery (our last for some time), I turned some of the vegetables into minestrone for that night's dinner, while Wes caught up on emails. I was on the phone to Leanne when we lost connection to the NBN and it wasn't until 2.15pm before it came back. Wes was able to go into the garden, with the help of the boys, and moved a few more pots from the front to the back.

Wes about to tuck into scrambled eggs & spinach

We were anxiously waiting the news from Premier Daniel Andrews & it wasn't until 2.30pm that he held his press conference, announcing the latest restrictions. While Greater Melbourne has gone into Stage 4, country Victoria has gone back to Stage 3, which is very manageable. We can still walk the boys, get our groceries, collect takeaway if we are running out of ideas for meals, and attend the Sunday Market. 

Our neighbour, Glen, delivered a pair of beautiful hand-made masks for us - shades of blue for Wes & predominantly black for me. They are comfortable & much appreciated. We wore them the next morning when walking Lewis & Morse around Lake Daylesford & of course, didn't meet a soul. 

We've all had nights like this!

Judi & I met for the last time for a while at Harvest Cafe, where we had breakfast and thanked the staff for all their care. Then Wes picked me up & we drove to Ballarat to get cash, and pick up stuff that he needed for Barbara's home repairs before settlement. We drove back via Ballan looking for chicken manure, which is always available, but wasn't on the rare occasion we needed it. We discovered later that the bird flu outbreak near Geelong meant no chicken manure anywhere for a while! Lewis & Morse came with us & spent most of the trip asleep and happy to be with us. 

On Tuesday morning, it started snowing while we walked and continued to do so for a while. Nothing too heavy, just beautiful floating snowflakes, made even more magic by the light of the full moon, which glowed hauntingly over Lake Daylesford. We were so pleased we had decided to walk even though it was spitting rain when we set out. After breakfast, Lewis & Morse played chasey for about an hour & managed to churn up the lawn and cover themselves in mud before they tired out & fell asleep.

Our daffodils are slowly emerging and the camellias won't be long behind. With the addition of Barbara's pots, we now have even more healthy plants to enjoy and it promises to be a beautiful Spring here. 

This is for everyone who tells me how much they enjoy seeing photos of our boys - Morse in front & Lewis snuggling up on a cold Winter's day

Wes spent a whole day in the garden after we walked on Thursday morning. After shopping at Coles early and while loads of washing & drying were underway, I walked to the Post Office to send some birthday cards. Everyone, except for one young woman, who is making a statement by blatantly not wearing a mask & by being highly visible each day in Vincent Street, seems to be doing the right thing. We now have two cases again in the Hepburn Shire - don't know where & it doesn't matter - the important thing is that we have to obey the rules, which means masks, 1.5 metres distance from each other & hand sanitising. Putting our lives in jeopardy by not doing those three things seems foolish and very short-sighted. 

That night we watched a dreadful game of footy between Collingwood & Sydney, the only saving grace for the Swans being their accurate kicking, and the highlight for the Pies was the goal by Josh Daicos, which brought back memories of his father, Peter, who kicked goals from impossible angles before it became the norm. The Pies were lucky to walk away with a win from the plucky Swans who are in a rebuilding phase & will be a force to reckon with again soon. 

Latest knitting - jumper, beanie & scarf set - thanks to Barbara for the wool

On Friday we managed two complete circuits of Lake Daylesford, which meant the boys slept most of the day & night. It rained off & on, and again yesterday, but was too wet for us to walk. Wes spent time at Barbara's house, where Sandra was doing the final clean before settlement, and the rest of our day was inside, listening to the Coodabeen Champions & watching footy. 

We did enjoy having a Zoom chat with Mike, Linda & Lauren Kirby during the week - even Lola the dog & Ming the cat entered into the spirit of it. The Kirbys live in Queensland and must have found it most amusing to see us rugged up to the nines, while they were lightly attired. Wes also had a long chat with Bob White, and I caught up with Sue Longley, as well as my sister, Leanne and sister-in-law, Anka. I exchanged lots of texts with footy friends, which is usually good fun - thanks to everyone who entered into the spirit of it. 

We're just back from our walk and shortly we are off to the Sunday Market, which will be food & drink only again until restrictions are relaxed or lifted, hopefully in 6 weeks' time. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd August 2020

Dear Friends, when I left you last Sunday, we were heading off to the Daylesford Market, which was very well organised & included a few more stalls than the week before - including Jeff, the dog treat & egg man, which enabled us to stock up on Lewis & Morse's favourite goodies. Yvonne was much happier with a side table as well as her front one and both bakeries had plenty of stock. 

Me masked & gloved with a boot full of goodies from the Market

Afterwards we went to The Food Gallery, for a delightful breakfast. Pasquale & Toni are only open from Friday to Sunday at present as lots of their regulars live in the Shire, but outside of Daylesford & they are choosing not to travel, which is very understandable. 

Wes about to tuck into scrambled eggs with spinach & toast

When we got home, Wes went over to spend time with Barbara, helping her get ready for their trip to the airport the next morning. He had planned to supervise the Allied Pickford packing that day, and as he wouldn't be able to do that, he collected everything that wasn't to go with the removalists & brought it here. 

His next activity was to collect Denise & Barbara to take them to Jackie's on Vincent for Denise's birthday lunch. He had hoped to have taken Barbara there before she left, but ran out of time. He was sure Denise wouldn't mind the extra company. Meanwhile, I made phone calls, did some chores & gardening & looked after Lewis & Morse. 

On Monday we got up at 5am to walk the boys around Lake Daylesford, before Wes did Barbara's care and they got ready to leave for the airport again. The removalists arrived about 30 minutes earlier than expected, which threw a small spanner in the works, however, Rob & Dene were happy to look after things there to let Wes & Barbara get on the road. Fortunately, everything went without a hitch & Barbara texted Wes, me & Rob to let us know she was in her seat & drinking bubbles at midday. 

Meanwhile I went into Vincent Street to meet Judi for breakfast at Harvest, going to the PO & pharmacy beforehand. I had enough time to walk up & down Howe Street as well & bemoan the loss of a couple of shops, mostly boutiques, which have not survived. Judi & I had a good catch up sitting in the little room with an open fire & no-one else for much of our time there. Afterwards, I walked Maisie, to help out Hugh, who is looking after her at present. Maisie was thrilled to see me, as she had been when Wes walked her last Friday - we both come equipped with treats and she sits up waiting with a big smile on her face. 

Lovely Maisie, Annie's Irish Water Spaniel

Wes arrived back home with a big bag of Dutch Cream potatoes from a farm near Trentham. He was so relieved that Barbara had been able to board her flight & she texted him later to say she was in her hotel and preparing for 14 days isolation.We all went to bed quite early after our 5am start.

Wes has spent much of this week over at no 77 - as Barbara was unable to take her pot plants & hanging baskets, they are now ours & there were quite a few items like stamps & foodstuffs & cleaning stuff & grog that we have gained as well. The packers left a mess of paper when they left, so he vacuumed all that up in preparation for the carpet cleaners this week. As well, he had his second dental appointment & came home most impressed - cost us $47.50 for 90 minutes & very clean teeth - 4 fillings to come. 

I seem to have had a very Zoomy week - apart from my weekly chat with Leanne, and my fortnightly catch up with friends from the very early seventies, I also chatted with Terry Borg and we have made this a fortnightly event. Wes joined me for that one, which was a lovely surprise for Terry and we had some good laughs as well as some serious talk. 

I was also due for some pampering & enjoyed a very special facial with Emma & later had my nails done by Alanna. I rang friends for birthdays, caught up with my younger sister, Paun, and left messages for my younger brother, Peter, & his wife, Anka. We were in touch with many of our footy friends with messages of good luck before games & commisserations or congratulations afterwards. Collingwood put up a dreadful peformance against West Coast Eagles, which made our coach, Nathan Buckley, liken them to the Harlem Globetrotters losing to the Washington Generals back in 1971.

Morse & Lewis waiting for Sandra to finish cleaning our house & give them apples as she leaves

When Victoria had 723 deaths on Thursday, Premier Dan Andrews announced that the wearing of masks would be compulsory statewide. I had been thinking about that alot this week, when wearing my disposable mask (still waiting for the ones we ordered to arrive). I feel so much safer wearing a mask & I have been finding that everyone gives me a much wider berth than they were before. It just makes sense to cut down the transference of droplets as much as you can. I don't go anywhere without gloves, which also helps. We are both pleased that we started mask wearing seriously some time ago & will find it easy to comply with the rules. 

I had to cancel a few things towards the end of the week when I woke with a cough and had absolutely no energy. Fortunately, Wes was able to pick up the slack, and I am now feeling much better after a couple of days in bed. Carlton were disappointing against Hawthorn after a good start & most of the matches have been one-sided, which is very sad for the supporters of the losing teams. Collingwood plays Fremantle later today and I've got my fingers crossed that we put on a good performance.