Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 24th October 2021

This is rather topical with the UK recently taking the very backward step of abandoning their move to metrics - when I worked at the Australian Standards Association in the early 70s, the Poms were way ahead of us with Metric Standards in print

We started our week with our usual visit to the Sunday Market, where we caught up with a few friends, parted with $60 & came home with 4 bags & 1 basket filled with fresh fruit & vegetables & home-made yo-yos for afternoon tea. The boys love the visit & happily sit in the car watching the passing parade after they have seen Yvonne & eaten their shredded cabbage.

On Monday I finally was able to join my three boys on the early morning walk & we were all thrilled. It wasn't too cold, there was no wind & we didn't see another soul, just the latest brood of ducklings being ushered away from us. School was looking at playwrights and we started with the incomparable Alan Bennett & one of his 1978 offerings Doris & Doreen starring Prunella Scales & Patricia Routledge with a cameo by Peter Postlethwaite. This 80 minute film is available on You Tube & we highly recommend it, especially if you have ever worked for the public service or similar large organisations. 

We both got into the garden after that & planted our zucchinis, some cucumbers & some chillis. I also put a couple of tomatoes in pots away from the frosts to see if they will work outside our bedroom window, like last year. Wes weeded, mowed & staked & we can't wait for the roses to bloom, especially as we have only one tulip & one iris so far. 

Above - zucchinis planted in bottomless pots to protect them from snails & slugs & below, Wes's favourite azalea doing its thing in the front garden next to the pond

On Tuesday, I spoke with Leanne & then Terry Borg, both of whom were pleased with the easing of Greater Melbourne restrictions which came into effect on Friday. Lewis & Morse were keen to say hello to both of them - getting a reward of a treat at the end is more than enough incentive! Afterwards, we watched the film The Broken Shore, based on a book by Peter Temple & featuring a who's who of Australian actors. We both really enjoyed it & thought it was provocative on a number of levels. 

We were able to spend time in the garden most days this week & so were most people in Daylesford I suspect. Wednesday was a perfect day & gardeners everywhere were mowing, clipping, weeding & cleaning up. Judi had given Wes a bag of baby hellebores and he found a number of shady spots just perfect for them. 

I'm rather thrilled with this photo which is true to the colours we saw when we walked around Lake Daylesford early on Thursday 

After I had a good Zoom chat with Kathy Lazzaro & she told me about the wonderful red sky in Burwood, Wes & I went to the local Mitre 10, to buy a replacement drill. He used to have a drill, but loaned it out & can't remember when or to whom, so we needed to replace it as there are a few jobs around the place that need it. We were lucky to get Tim to serve us & ended up with the perfect drill, some new kneepads & a couple of planter pots to replace those that have turned into toys for Lewis & Morse! Speaking of which, here's this week's lovely snap. 

 Sorry, this photo is no challenge - most feet & tails are visible!

On Friday, we were advised that the Foxtel technician we had been waiting 10 weeks for would be arriving between 8 & 9am. He eventually surfaced at 10.15am & discovered water in the conduits of both TVs which is why we have been unable to get ABC & SBS on our bedroom set. We toyed with the idea of removing Foxtel from that room, but it is so handy for watching cricket & footy in bed that we decided yet again to keep it. 

The other big drama was that my teapot & teacup both went to God that morning, so I was standing outside the door of The Magic Pudding Homewares when Chris opened at 10am, to get replacements. He sold me a better teapot which doesn't have any weak points & I was able to get a beautiful cup with magpies on it. Wes is relieved that he won't be asked to glue bits of this teapot back together. 

Yesterday we watched the races on WS Cox Plate Day. We reined in our spending & ended up losing about $30. We were both full of memories of Cox Plates spent with friends at the lovely Moonee Valley course. 

Here are Greta & Danny Millman ready for the races back in 1998