Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 28th February 2021

 
We started our Sunday with breakfast at Pancho with Judi & Janine. The service was lovely, and we enjoyed sitting outside, but it is very busy, and, although our meals were yummy, drinks were lukewarm. We must remember to ask for hot drinks next time. We are not sure that Pancho is the answer for a permanent home, so are going to try a few more places, starting with Gary Thomas's Woodshed café across the road from the Sunday Market. 

We were very excited to get the boys back on Monday lunchtime, and thrilled with all we achieved while they were away. Wes did most of the railings around their decking before running out of paint and we hope they appreciate it. I bought some new mats for the front & back & laundry doors & everywhere looks fresh & loved again. 

Front ramp & dog decking 

While neighbour, Glen, and I caught up over cuppas in Muffins, Wes drove to Ballarat to collect the boys. I had to get the house ready for them - put out all their soft toys, beds & pillows & fill umpteen water bowls that are dotted around the place. When they arrived home, the boys were wildly excited & enjoyed exploring their yard once again. 

Happy to be home with peanut butter treats!

On Tuesday, I had an appointment with my podiatrist in Ballarat, after lovely Zooming with Leanne & then Terry. I have been looking for chair pads (chair cushions with ties on them) for some months & decided to try a few shops in the big smoke. I wandered into Bed, Bath & Table, and there they were - green, the right size & half-price! The service was wonderful, and I ended up buying some bathroom items as well. After Victoria Armstrong, my wonderful podiatrist, advised me that my walking boots were wrong for my feet, I headed back to Faull's, where I had bought my everyday shoes last year. Once again I got excellent service & came out with a pair of red boots, which are most comfortable & stylish as well. Wes had been painting & gardening while I was away, and all three boys welcomed me home joyfully. 

Judi & I played Mah Jong on Wednesday after I did my newspaper delivery to Eganstown; Epicure & jars drop-off at Porcupine Ridge, & visited Annie & David's graves with a fresh bunch of rosemary. Dot had a specialist appointment, so couldn't join us. We enjoyed a good chat, as well as a few games & I think we each went home with at least one win. Wes had been painting again, only interrupted by an expected visit from our Financial Adviser, Simon, who was in the area & popped in. 

On Thursday, while I had a turn painting the dog decking, Wes attended a U3A Class on Cool Climate Wines at Rob & Marg McDonald's Sailors Falls Estate winery. He collected Judi on the way, enjoyed the presentation & came home with a mixed dozen wines. Prior to his outing, he had hosted the fortnightly Zoom chat with Paul, Barry, Mike & Bill where they discussed India's place in the world. Wes had put a lot of time & effort into this presentation & was very pleased with the result.

Friday morning we had fun - for some years we have had a competition to guess the number of cars parked in Lake Daylesford's main carpark when we have finished walking (not including our own car). These bets are $1M each & I have gotten as far ahead as $22M (& been tempted to call it in). Because we did an extra long walk on Friday, I guessed 10 cars (there are usually 3-5) and Wes took a risk & suggested there would be 11 (which is quite a lot, even for 7am). We turned our final corner & discovered 15 cars - there was a fund-raising bike ride about to happen! We had to laugh - our scientific reasoning went out the window - how can you factor in an unexpected event?

These wonderful photos show Jack & Olivia Lazzaro excited to get pancake mix, chocolate sauce & blueberries from us, to make up for missing out on a kick of the footy at Princes Park, when we were in Melbourne & had to return home quickly.

School this week found us sitting on the deck talking about what needs doing immediately around the house and we divvied up the jobs. I bought 3 new doormats & asked Judi if she would mend our latest hole in the wall as she is an expert. I've also got to find someone to replace our bathroom skylight and Wes is contacting Fells to get the bedroom ceiling lights fixed (possums have been unplugging the fittings), as well as sourcing a new dog door flap & the best way to wash our windows. 

We were invited to lunch by Di Lyttleton & Jeff Bain, along with Judi Allen & Michael Ivanchenko. It was quite exciting - our first visit inside a home for a meal since we had a Christmas celebration with Glen in Rob & Dene's home next door to us. Di produced a stunning meal, beautifully balanced & full of yummy flavours & colours. Judi brought along the befores - a huge platter of smoked salmon blinis, which we demolished with glee. 

Judi's blinis & our generous hosts, Jeff & Di

Yesterday morning we headed to the Daylesford Rotary Farmers' Market and were very pleasantly surprised. There was a great selection of stalls selling fresh food, vegetables, seedlings, cakes, chooks, paintings, Emu Oil products, waffles, wine, gin & chocolate etc as well as the traditional Rotary Sausage Sizzle offering gourmet Istra sausages as well as your common or garden variety. 

I did some more painting on our return before retiring inside to read The Age & complete the crosswords. Wes worked down in the study and produced a precis of his India Zoom chat, as well as some notes for me to study before School tomorrow, where we will look at our finances and options. 

 

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 21st February 2021

 

I've put these cartoons in especially for Wes - he just loves Peppermint Patty - reminds him of Morse I suspect!

When I left you last Sunday, we were in Day 2 of lockdown. We had walked around Lake Daylesford early & I'd been to the Sunday Market & arrived home with two croissants as well as our fruit & vegetables. I asked Ken Matheson if he knew anyone at the market with croissants & he proceeded to give me two from his secret supply!

We took advantage of no Labradors to continue doing indoor & outdoor jobs that just can't be done with helpers. I stained the legs of our big dining table, which is over 40 years old, and has been many things during those years, including a work space for Joyce & Lovely in the days of Maloney Insurance Brokers (we ran our business from our 2-storey 1886 terrace home in Brunswick Road). 

We spent some time enjoying Zoom & phone chats. The first was on Sunday with Rosanna Margarelli & her partner, David Millward, and their very sleepy dog, Cooper. When we ran MIB, Rosanna was the only person we employed that we didn't already know. She came highly recommended & we were so pleased to have met her & her daughter, Danielle. We have stayed in touch, and had planned to visit Rosanna & David during our stay, so this was the next best thing.

Rosanna & David on her birthday last year

We also had a long chat with Terry Borg on Monday, when we had hoped to be seeing her. She told us of all the biscuits & treats she had made for us that she was now eating herself & we were extra sorry to have missed out on the catch up.

I also chatted with Leanne & with Judi on Tuesday morning & they were both most enjoyable Zooms. I found time to ring local friend, Sue, to see how she was coping & she had also been painting & was glad of the break. Wes had a chat with some of his old School Friends to see how they were coping with this short lockdown. In between, we gardened, cleaned drawers, threw out junk, picked produce etc etc.

We were quite keen to return to Melbourne if the lockdown was lifted, but after listening to Dan Andrew's press conference, decided we would be much safer & happier staying put in Daylesford, at least until the remaining 9 days of COVID quarantine had expired on the current cases. We both felt relieved at that decision, and most friends we contacted were in total agreement. We left Lewis & Morse at Eureka Kennels, which gave us a few more days to get things done. 

Mitre 10 rang to say they had more paint, so Wes collected that & got started on the front steps & ramp, as well as doing the outdoor table & 8 chairs. He found time to do a second coat on Friday morning, while I was Zooming with Leanne & doing the ironing early before the heat. 

We had planned a trip to Ballarat to buy a market umbrella as we are sick of the cantilever one we bought some years ago. It is very susceptible to wind & feels quite dangerous on our decking, so it has been relegated to downstairs & the garden only. When Wes was in Mitre 10, he spotted the perfect umbrella & brought it home, where we enjoyed sitting under its shade. 

Wes looking very pleased as he sits on the newly-painted deck at the newly-painted table with our brand new Market umbrella!

Yesterday we decided to forego our walk & paint early as we were expecting a hot, humid day. I did the lavender paint at the front ramp, as well as the slate skirting board on the main decking & we were very pleased with the result. Wes was going to do some of the dog decking, but it was too hot in the front, so he retreated to the garden & weeded furiously. I'm sure he was dying to use his new grass trimmer, which he collected when picking up paint on Friday, but resisted.

Both our AFLW teams had good wins yesterday. The Blues held off a very determined Tigers outfit to snatch a 5 point win & the Pies were able to keep the strong Kangaroos team to 4 points in an exciting game last night. We would have enjoyed being at either or both of those matches and hope to get to a game once we feel safe back in Melbourne. 

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 14th February 2021

 

We started last Sunday with a very quick trip to the Market, mostly to give Yvonne a list of goodies that Glen will collect for us on 21st February, the day we were due to arrive back from our Melbourne visit. Then breakfast at The Virgin Café. It is quite a noisy place on a Sunday morning & you have to queue to order & pay at the bar. Wes did the honours, remembering everyone's hot drinks & breakfast requests. We did miss walking into The Food Gallery, where everyone knew what you had to drink & you could just sit down & wait for it to arrive. We had some wonderful chats, and agreed that Judi would contact Pancho, to see if we could book their upstairs table for future breakfasts. 

On Monday we were very sad to say goodbye to Lewis & Morse as they went into doggy holiday camp for two weeks. They will miss us dreadfully, but fortunately they have already tried out Eureka Kennels, back in November/December 2019 and Lewis will certainly remember all about it. 

Lewis & Morse having their last comfy sleep for a while!

As Glen had offered to do our watering, I invited her in to walk around our garden after Wes took the boys. We finished with a cuppa sitting in our lounge chatting, and when Wes returned we moved next door to Glen's place to look at all she has done in her cottage & garden - which is quite a lot. We sat under her weeping cherry tree with a glass of sparkling red, and all agreed it would be perfect if Rob & Dene could join us, which they did. 

Top - Dene in one of Glen's elephant chairs, Middle - Glen with Nellie & Bottom - Wes

On Tuesday morning, we were delighted to have a sleep in before attacking the jobs that we had set aside for these days. I sanded and gave a first coat of stain to the downstairs table & chair, while Wes swept & washed the main decking prior to giving it its first coat. I had painted all the decking, table & chairs about 3 years ago, only to discover I had used internal, not external paint and it started wearing almost immediately!

The next day, while I did my usual deliveries and had a fringe trim with Lyndal before playing Mah Jong, Wes watered front & back gardens thoroughly in the hope that Glen wouldn't have to worry too much while we were away. We can see the zucchinis are flourishing & a second wave of cucumbers are emerging, as well as some dwarf green beans. 

On Thursday we had plenty of time before we left and filled it easily - Wes did some more watering before he started packing, and I changed the sheets & towels & did the ironing, as well as giving the study table one more coat of stain, which has made all the difference.

We had a very easy trip to Moonee Ponds and checked into our Quest Apartment in the Might & Power block. We had been given a two-bedroom instead of a one-bedroom, which meant we had plenty of living area. After unpacking, we headed into Puckle Street to do some grocery shopping. As usual, we both had reactions to the litter in the streets, the long waits at pedestrian crossings, the numbers of people and the enormous size of Coles Supermarket. 

That night after sitting on our deck looking across at Moonee Valley Racing Club, Wes decided to cook our tuna steaks for dinner. We were both feeling too tired to do justice to a meal out. He started by spraying the fish in oil, which turned out to be Glen 20, moved along to not being able to get a hot plate or the oven hot enough to cook these very clean steaks, and ended up using the inverter microwave (something we had never seen before). They cooked perfectly and we enjoyed them with a green salad & a glass of excellent red. 

We thought you might enjoy seeing what happens when Wes offers to replace our worn-out flags & finds the items on e-Bay. Apparently dimensions weren't considered & the Eureka flag is tiny, compared to the enormous Collingwood flag. 

On Friday morning we set off early to walk around Queen's Park, but it was too dark for either of us to feel safe, so we strolled the perimeter instead, before heading into Puckle Street to find a newsagent open & get the day's Age newspaper. Next step was to buy some flowers & visit the butcher before driving to Strathmore bearing gifts for Leanne with whom we were having lunch. 

It took about 7 minutes to get there, instead of the usual 90 from Daylesford. Leanne was thrilled to see us, and we were delighted to see her. She looked very well, the dining table was laid and tea & coffee were ready for us. While Leanne put the finishing touches to the vegetarian Indian curry she had made, Wes drove her car to the cemetery to visit our parents' graves and reported they were all in good nick. I did a few updates on her laptop for her, but there was very little that needed our help, as her NDIS assistants have been taking good care of her. 

While we were eating lunch, Premier Dan Andrews announced the 5-day lockdown that started yesterday. We decided to come back here to Daylesford, so left Leanne with the cleaning up to do, and went to Quest Moonee Valley to pack up & check out. We now have a credit for 9 nights there! Everyone was doing the same & we felt sorry for all the hospitality businesses that are going to suffer with such a busy weekend - Lunar New Year, Valentine's Day, Australian Open tennis etc. 

Wes drove while I sent messages to the 30+ friends we had hoped to visit during our Melbourne trip, letting them know that we were returning home, rather than sit it out in our hotel apartment. We thought we had chosen a good time to travel, but could never have guessed that a nebuliser would have set off the latest spate of COVID-19 infections. 

Since arriving back, we've had a drink with our neighbour, Glen, who now is released from watering & bin duties. Yesterday we did two laps of Lake Daylesford & enjoyed the clean air, before deciding to have a relaxing day & worry about painting & staining & other home chores today! 

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 7th February 2021

 

I couldn't resist this Snoopy cartoon which I found on FB during the week - hope you enjoy it too

What a wonderful breakfast we shared last Sunday - there were 8 of us and the conversations flowed. Wes & I had to debrief afterwards as we were sitting at opposite ends of the table & had enjoyed completely different topics.

On Monday, after School, which involved clearing up our main set of stationery drawers, I met neighbour, Glen, for a cuppa, at The Food Gallery. Glen has offered to put out bins & water our garden, relieving Judi of both those jobs. I also wanted to ask her if she would collect our usual order from Yvonne at the Sunday Market on the day we return home from Melbourne. She was happy to do that as well, for which we are most grateful.

Lewis asleep on top of Morse

We've been busy getting the garden in shape so that there won't be too much for Glen to worry about. All our flower & herb pots have been mulched; everything that can be attacked by a hedge-trimmer has been; everywhere has been fed & watered, and the lawns mown several times. I have picked our first cucumbers & zucchini, as well as a few strawberries. 

On Wednesday it was lovely to finally play a few games of Mah Jong with Dot & Judi after 11 months without getting together to play. We were rusty to start with, but quickly hit our straps & each of us had a win. Judi & I stayed on for lunch afterwards & were pleased to see that Muffins & More was very busy. They offer inexpensive, home-cooked meals, including quiche, pies & sausage rolls & are fraternised by tradies who need food at regular intervals!

I'd love to say this was a daily pick, but it isn't - however 4 tomatoes, 3 zucchinis & a cucumber isn't a bad haul on a warm Thursday morning

This has been another busy week with Zoom chats - I've spoken with Leanne three times; with Jan Pengilly; with Kathy Lazzaro & Karen Stevenson; enjoyed a Messenger call with Jeff, and shared a Zoom with Wes & Mike & Linda Kirby. All these chats have gone for much longer than usual & we've really enjoyed catching up on each other's news & finding out how each other is doing. 

Victoria is back wearing masks indoors, except in our own homes, which is fine & makes lots of sense. We hadn't really stopped wearing them when we were out shopping or visiting cafés, so we don't mind them being reintroduced. It is a very small price to pay to be safe.

While I was shopping at Coles Supermarket early on Thursday morning, I received a text from Pasquale & Toni to say they had decided to close The Food Gallery indefinitely. They haven't been able to find a buyer as far as I know & they are tired after 9 years. We have many wonderful memories of times spent there & will miss them both & their staff, especially Neeto & Paola. So this morning we are heading off to the very popular Virgin Cafe @ Bellinzona in Hepburn Springs. 

Here is David Castles, properly attired at The Virgin Cafe, trying it out for lunch with his wife, Sandy, (who ate all his chips we believe)

We had a very quiet day planned for yesterday. Rob & Dene were expecting a house inspection next door, so Wes bathed Lewis & Morse & we put in the dog door keeping them inside, in case they should bark when strangers visited no 80 Duke Street. Just after 10am, Rob arrived to tell us the inspection was cancelled. He & Dene came in for a cuppa & chat & walnut bun and we were still talking when Glen texted asking if we would like some plums from her tree. We all said yes!

I collected a big bag of plums from her as well as some heirloom tomatoes. Dene & I fought over this produce, and I kept some plums, but gave him one of our cucumbers & a zucchini in return. As well, we were able to give Glen a zucchini & a lemon to help with her cooking. I found myself making 3 jars of spicy plum chutney in the afternoon, as we had all the ingredients.

This is what happens when Wes sits in his chair - both Lewis & Morse join him & promptly fall asleep in awkward positions!

We have watched some AFLW matches this weekend including a close game where the Doggies just beat the Blues; a good win by the Pies over the Cats, and an easy win to the Demons playing the Tigers. We saw half of the BBL10 Final last night & went to bed thinking the Sydney Sixers looked more switched on & discovered this morning that they had won. As well we've been keeping an eye on the Test in Chennai, where the Poms are 8/555 in their first innings. We Aussies dream of that sort of score against the Indians, especially in India. Joe Root was finally out on 218 - what a batsman he is!