Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 24th September 2023

What a week! It started with a great trip to Strathmore to see Leanne, who was thrilled that we were there, as I had missed the last two scheduled visits. We chatted about lots of things, Wes watered the garden, and I checked the computer was up-to-date. We went home with a new friend for Morse, as well as homemade biscuits.

Morse with his new friend

On Monday morning I successfully obtained a reserved seat in the 50-year member bay at the MCG for Friday night's game against GWS. Once that was done, we drove to Officeworks in Ballarat to return the Lenova laptop and choose a new one. Of course, the one we preferred wasn't in stock, so we were given a refund. While we were at the desk, being well looked after, dear friend, Kim Lyden, was at the next counter and we made arrangements to meet for hot drinks at Café Lekker, a short distance away. It was delightful to spend an hour or so catching up on each other's news.

Wes washed the cars on Tuesday, after we got a chai latte for Glen, who was finally feeling well enough to manage one. I had a good Zoom chat with Leanne, and later delivered batteries, plastic lids, a toothbrush and some bread tags to the recycle area at the Duke Street Council Offices. The blister packs go to the Pharmacy, and corks are collected by the kindergarten - so much better than putting them all in landfill. 

That afternoon, Wes finally found a good deal for a replacement laptop, and we chose a 15" HP with Windows 11, which should arrive this week, in time for me to take it to Melbourne with me when I visit for the Grand Final. Sadly, I missed out again on a reserved seat for the big match, but I am sure it will be much easier queuing at the 50-year member gate. 

On Wednesday, Judi and I played Mah Jong, after a yummy brunch at Muffins & More. Les was in and out most of the week fixing the wet wall in the downstairs bathroom, and has done a wonderful repair job. Wes managed to vacuum and wash floors around Les's visits.

We both had Zooms on Thursday morning - Wes, dressed in navy blue, chatted with his Overseas Friends, and Paul Jackson was joined by his Australian friend, Rod McDonald. Rod, and his wife, Joan, have been on a wonderful European trip, taking in Portugal and France before catching up with the Jacksons in Oxfordshire. Joan took a Richmond scarf to give Paul, and I got stuck into him, as he already had a Collingwood scarf that I gave him back in 2018.

Paul with divided loyalties!

Afterwards, I caught up with Kathy, Karen, Joyce & Lib and wore my Collingwood scarf & cap to give our chat a footy flavour as well. At lunchtime we watched the Cate Blanchett film, Tar, which we had missed at the Cinema. What a wonderful acting performance, and what a terrible person she portrayed. We wonder now if the conductor we saw in Brussels, who was not loved by his orchestra, might have shared similar traits to Lydia Tar.

Last of the daffodils, erlicheer & daphne

On Friday, we left Daylesford at 3pm, and drove to the MCG for me to attend the Preliminary Final. Wes dropped me off at the Pullman Hotel, across the road from the ground, where I spent a very pleasant hour catching up with David, Helen, and Daniel Lazzaro, and David's best mate, Matt, over from Tassie for the game. Once inside the ground, I found Gayle Gibson, and we shared a glass of bubbles and a good chat before I went to my seat and waited for the game to begin. 

What an exciting match it was, with Collingwood winning by a point. I don't think I have ever received as many messages as I did that night - from overseas, interstate and close by - thank you all so much for your wishes & thoughts - much appreciated. Wes had spent some time sitting by the Yarra, where he used to fish with his good friend, Tom Frank, many years ago. He still has all the fishing gear that Tom left him when he died. 

Lovely photo of Tom in 1992

We arrived back home at midnight, and woke up Morse, who had coped very well with our long absence. He was most understanding when we slept through the 5.20am get up time, and was very happy to have breakfast around 7am instead. 

Last quarter action with Pendlebury, Ginnivan & Maynard flying the flag for the Pies

Time to decorate the house - now for the balloons & streamers

Later that morning we made our last trip to Rob & Dene's home in Ballan to leave them some welcome home lilies and water everything that needed it. They should arrive there sometime today after their wonderful six-week trip.

Carlton started their Preliminary Final against Brisbane in fine fashion at the Gabba, with 5 goals in the 1st Quarter, before the Lions got into gear, and kicked the next 9. The Blues rallied in the last quarter, but the Lions were too good and won by 16 points. Wes is disappointed, but very proud of his team for getting this far. 

The result of nervous knitting this past fortnight - beanies & a beret!

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 17th September 2023

 
Don't you just love Lucy!

We started our week last Sunday with a delightful visit to the Daylesford Market, dropping papers & magazines to Judi along the way, and catching up with a few friends while we were there. Morse was in heaven - there were no other dogs, and everyone gave him a pat or made a fuss. Then, while I unpacked our week's fruit & vegetables, he and Wes drove to Ballan to check out Rob & Dene's home, make sure plants were watered and that there was no damage from the storms of the past week. 

I spent the afternoon watching AFLW games and was delighted when Collingwood beat Freo at Victoria Park in front of an enthusiastic crowd. Carlton weren't so lucky, finding scoring very difficult against North Melbourne, who must be early favourites for the flag. Essendon played their first home game at Windy Hill and were well-supported there as they beat the Saints. 

On Monday, it was a beautiful day after a cold start. We had decided to spend School seeing if we could follow the instructions to reset our laptop and we couldn't. Wes emailed them yet again, telling them that we would like them to reset it, or give us a new laptop. I am quite sure we won't be touch Lenova again, as they have been slow to assist and happy to throw it all back on us even though the laptop is faulty and still under warranty. They eventually agreed to refund our money and we hope to return the laptop to Officeworks in Ballarat & chose a new one tomorrow.

Morse & friend catching up on sleep

I started Tuesday with an early chat with my aunt, Jeff, and cousin, Leigh, in Lincolnshire. It was wonderful to see Jeff looking well again, and to catch up with Leigh and hear about the latest holiday she & Simon had. Afterwards I had a good Zoom with Leanne, and we made plans for our visit today. It's been a while since I've been to Strathmore, and it will be good for us to see each other, and for me to help with a few jobs. Meanwhile, Wes went back to Dr James to have his ears syringed clean again, and he is very relieved to be able to hear properly. 

Les came to install our new skylights in the upstairs bathroom & toilet, which involved him wearing an Akubra while he spent ages up on our roof. The original skylights had diffusers, one of which had collapsed and broken, and the other of which was about to do the same. He still has some more work to do in the downstairs bathroom, as well as touch up painting and fixing a reluctant sliding door. 

On Wednesday I took Morse with me when I delivered newspapers to Spring Park Nursery, followed by Epicures & The Local to Nick & Robyn, finishing with pumping mineral water at Leitches Creek. He just loves going in the car, and is very obedient. I arrived home in time to enter the MCC Reserved Seat Grand Final ballot, and was delighted to see that 50-year members have a dedicated section. It has been some years since I fluked a reserved seat & my fingers and toes are crossed, especially if Collingwood are good enough to get there.

 

Fragrant Erlicheer flowering in the back dog graveyard - Casper, Frodo & Bilbo are all buried there, while Lewis is in the front

Wes vacuumed and washed the floors, which dried quickly in the Spring sunshine, before having lunch at the Daylesford Royal Hotel with old friend, Bob White. Judi & I were busy playing Mah Jong or I would have asked to join them both. 

On Thursday I enjoyed a good chat with Kathy, Karen & Lib and we caught up on Lib's news as we hadn't been able to speak with her last week. Meanwhile, Les was busy patching woodwork in the downstairs bathroom, and Wes was out weeding, mowing & tidying the back, which all looks great with plenty of yellow daffs still waving their heads. I bought some punnets of pleasure - dwarf marigolds & chain of pearls lobelia, which I have planted in two of the boxes on the decking. 

Nothing quite matches the beauty of Glen's plum tree next door

We decided to have breakfast at Pancho on Friday morning, in case the footy went badly that night. James, our neighbour, at #80, was here on his own, and was thrilled to be invited to join us. We spent a very happy hour chatting over our yummy meals, and learnt about his far-sighted parents, who left Edinburgh in the early 60s with his older sister & brother, for a better life in Australia. Amazingly, James's father ended up a sub-editor at The Age, at the same time as Glen's husband, Ron, was the main cartoonist, and they would have known each other. 

That night, Carlton played Melbourne in a close, tense game in front of 96,000+ and won it by 2 points with an amazing goal in the last minute. Wes was delighted, as were all his Carlton friends, and many non-Blues fans, as it was such a good win. Carlton were 15th on the ladder at Round 12 this season, and now they play Brisbane in a Preliminary Final next Saturday for a place in the Grand Final. 

The Carlton scarf and Morse in position for the footy

Yesterday was another lovely day. We allowed ourselves a sleep-in after the late night, and after giving Morse a bath, Wes drove them both to Ballan to check on Rob & Dene's home for the last time this trip, as they arrive back next Sunday after a wonderful holiday. That night we watched Greater Western Sydney beat Port Adelaide by 4 goals at the Adelaide Oval. GWS will now play Collingwood on Friday night for the other place in the Grand Final. 

Finally, we were very sorry to hear of the death of Ron Barassi. He has stood tall in the landscape of Australian Rules football - firstly as a player with Melbourne, then a playing coach for Carlton, a coach at North Melbourne and Melbourne, as well as at Sydney, at a time when all these clubs benefitted from his influence. He is remembered as a huge influence on the game, and one of the most important in the history of the AFL.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 10th September 2023

I love Linus!

We started last Sunday with a good trip to the Daylesford Market, with lots of laughter and chats with friends. Ken had forgotten to put out Morse's pears, so Wes had to walk Morse around until it was done. Ken was so annoyed with himself, he gave Morse extra, which of course he couldn't finish!

The giant pear apology

We were both tired after our wonderful trip to Blackwood Ridge Garden Restaurant the day before, but Wes & Morse drove to Ballan to check out Rob & Dene's home for them, and I had a lovely visit with Glen, before we took it easy for the rest of the day. I must confess to being delighted to see Chloe Molloy kick the goal that gave the Sydney Swans AFLW side their first win in footy. It was an exciting game with a loud & appreciative crowd at the North Sydney Oval. We miss Chloe at Collingwood, but understand that a 5-year contract with Sydney was too good to pass up.

On Monday, after supermarket shopping and a visit to Glen, I joined Wes for School, which was cleaning our ceiling fans, air-conditioning filter and the outside of doors & the decking. I stayed inside and cleaned the kitchen and the lounge cupboards, and we were both pleased with our efforts. Les arrived later on to work on the downstairs bathroom, much to Morse's delight. 

Looking good in our front yard - it's a shame we live in a dead-end street!

This has been a busy week for Zooms & other catch-up chats - Wes has spoken with Barbara in NZ twice; with his Godson, Danny, in Brisbane; with our long-time friend, Jenny Beacham in Hepburn, and with the Overseas Friends. I've spoken twice with my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore; as well as Old Friends - Kathy, Lovely & Joyce - where we discussed the footy as well as a few other topics.

Wes in footy finals mode

On Thursday morning, we both had appointments with Dr James at Springs Medical. Mine was first, to get my stitches out and discover the results of the biopsy. The news was good on both fronts - no signs of cancer, and the wound was healing well. Wes has had blocked ears for a while and his appointment was to give them a good clean. He has to go back again next week. 

That night the Pies managed to beat the Dees in a nerve-wracking game at the MCG in front of 92,000+. I have never received so many messages of support as I did before the game - so many friends, Doggies, Saints, Cats & Bombers supporters, a North Melbourne fan and even a West Coast Eagles member sent me texts and emails. Thank you all - it made the game all the more exciting to have your encouragement. 

On Friday night, Carlton withstood a late surge from the Sydney Swans to win a thriller at the MCG in front of another 92,000+ crowd. After 10 years of no finals, it is so exciting for Blues fans to be playing a second final, with the big game against Melbourne next weekend. It was another day of wild weather in Victoria, and we were one of many households that lost power. Fortunately, it happened around lunchtime and only lasted an hour.

This week's vase of daffodils & daphne

Yesterday we watched lots more footy - AFLW games were on before the remaining two finals. St Kilda were disappointing in their game against Greater Western Sydney, who seemed much more focussed and played a better brand of footy to run out winners by 24 points. In the evening, Brisbane were far too good for Port Adelaide and won by 48 points. 

Today, we're about to head out to the Daylesford Market, then Wes & Morse will go to Ballan to check out Rob & Dene's place. Both our AFLW teams are playing this afternoon, so we'll have another feast of footy to enjoy.

Beautiful pink & white camellias floating

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 3rd September 2023

Poor Sally - she had been dreading it too much to enjoy it!

Happy Fathers' Day - Morse was very thoughtful to Wes and gave him a card & book - hope all the Daddies are being well looked after today. 

Last Sunday was quiet after the initial excitement of the Market, pumping mineral water, making deliveries etc. I watched footy most of the afternoon, and we were both surprised when Carlton couldn't beat Greater Western Sydney after starting off well. We now have a weekend with no AFLM, which is the perfect time to start AFLW. 

On Monday, we decided to use School to see if we could solve our laptop issues. This wretched, brand-new laptop has been back to Lenova, and returned to us, and we still can't use it. After an hour of trying, we decided to issue an ultimatum - fix it or replace it!

Daffodils, snowdrops & daphne

I was thrilled on Tuesday to be able to chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, on what was her birthday night. She was resplendent in a tiara, (bought for a Coronation party), and looked very well and happy, and back to her usual self, after six weeks of being so unwell with a rotten virus. Afterwards I caught up with Leanne, after not being able to Zoom with her last week, and she was also looking good and feeling positive.

Wes and I decided that I would stop taking Naltrexone that day as doubling the medication had only made me feel more tired. We are both disappointed that it hasn't been helpful, but, after three months, and no improvement to energy levels, it is time to move on. 

Judi & I met for breakfast at Muffins & More on Wednesday morning before Dot arrived to play Mah Jong. We hadn't seen Dot for a while, so it was good to catch up and have a few games together. 

Wes had a huge Wednesday, leaving home early to visit Leanne for an hour, before driving to Fitzroy to pick up Gayle Gibson and take her to lunch at the Kent Hotel, Carlton, where she was the surprise guest. It was a great catch up with Robert Preston, Danny Millman, Squiz Murray, Malcolm Stevenson & Tom Tyrrell. Wes left Gayle there after lunch and made his way home via Brunswick Shopping Centre, where he bought some tuna steaks, which he likes to curry on Tuesday nights. 

The next day, Wes had his fortnightly chat with Overseas Friends, discussing Immigration, and I had a much more low-key catch up with Old Friends, where we talked about old knitting books & patterns, as Kathy had been given a bundle of them. After that I headed off to Hepburn to see Juls for a manicure, and she had a surprise for me - Magpie & Snoopy stickers - I'm now wearing one of each!

On Friday, after a good chat with Leanne, and my daily visit to Glen, I headed into town for a big shop at Tonna's, and collected some RATs from Council, where boxes of 5 are available for free. Les has been here most days working on our downstairs bathroom, which needs some tiles replaced as well as the grouting. He is quiet, polite, and always make a fuss of Morse, so he is the perfect person to have in the house. 

Yesterday we drove Judi & Michael in sunshine to Blackwood to have lunch at the boutique Garden Room Restaurant there. It lived up to all our expectations with stunning food, paired with wonderful wines. There were only 18 patrons and we had the best table, by the water. We all enjoyed our meals, and had a lovely time sharing stories and celebrating Judi & Michael's 30th Wedding Anniversary. 

Cured tuna with slivered snow peas

Wes with his lamb main course

Wes & Michael fooling around

Creme brulee

The AFLW has started off not so well for the Magpies, but the Blues had a narrow win against the Gold Coast yesterday. Some of the newest sides are still struggling to match it with the more experienced ones, but they are doing their best, and it is wonderful to see good, noisy, supportive crowds at all the games.