A weekly look at life with the Maloneys and their Labrador, Morse - mostly in Daylesford, Australia, and occasionally interstate or overseas
Morse
Sunday 28 April 2024
Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 28th April 2024
Sunday 21 April 2024
Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 21st April 2024
Our first week back after our break has been busy, as they always are - so much to do getting back into usual routines etc. We started on Sunday with a visit to the Daylesford Market, where everyone was thrilled to see us, and Morse was delighted to be back to normal.
Afterwards, we drove to Strathmore, where we spent a most enjoyable visit with Leanne, arriving back here with a hummingbird cake 6 hours after we had left. Morse had enjoyed a very quiet time with a large bone and no neighbours to bother! That night Wes served steamed shitake mushrooms & bok choi on rice - nearly as good at Chef Dong.
On Monday, after supermarket shopping, we tackled cleaning the lounge & kitchen - a job that is always easier when done by two. Everywhere looks sparkling clean again, and hopefully it will stay that way for the week. I was quite thrilled when we were finished to head off to Sarah for a remedial massage and she freed up my neck, which had gotten stiff with all the driving we did.
It was an early start for us all on Tuesday - while Wes & Morse walked around Lake Daylesford on a nippy morning, I had my first chat for a month with Jeff, my aunt in Lincolnshire. She was able to tell me that she has been able to find new homes for nearly all the possessions she needed to rehouse, and that her house is on the market with a viewing this week. Afterwards, I caught up with Leanne on Zoom, where she was still on a high after our good time together.
Wes & Leanne having a chat
Then we were off to Springs Medical Centre, where I had an appointment with my doctor, Ellie, who is just back from maternity leave. She had a daughter, Pippa, to join her 3-year-old, Billie, and she looked remarkably well and happy for someone who is getting disturbed nights. I discovered that an issue I have had for 3 months with a very sensitive tongue is called "Geographic Tongue" and should disappear, or may stay for good. I hope the former, as I can't tolerate chillis at present, and the chef is complaining that his dishes are too bland.
We then moved waiting rooms and saw Dr Brad, who had to okay our flu injections, which were delivered very efficiently by Nurse Serena. Neither of us had any reaction and we are pleased to have some protection for the coming Winter ills.
On Wednesday, we took Morse to Daylesford Cemetery for a run and watched a beautiful sunrise, before going to Leitches Creek to pump mineral water. I then went back to Springs Medical to have my annual blood test, before heading to Muffins & More for a pot of Jasmine tea, while I waited for Judi to arrive from Ballarat to play Mah Jong. Heen, the newish owner of the café, was appalled to discover that I supplied the tea and then paid for it to be served, so she has bought a big bag of it herself - a lovely surprise. That afternoon, Wes headed to Mooltan in Hepburn to chat about politics with Jenny & Eddie Beacham & David Reilly.
This stunning Portland sunrise came from our neighbour Glen's new camera
Wes had a very successful Jackson Group Zoom on Thursday morning at the earlier time of 7am, which meant we had a slightly shorter walk to make sure he was ready. Afterwards, I had a great Zoom with Old Friends - Kathy, Lib & Joyce, where we were able to help each other with issues that have arisen in our lives. Then, in this busy week, I went to EKO for my last facial at their premises. Emma has decided to concentrate on sales of products, which are going well, and have a break from hands-on treatments. EKO will be missed by me and all the locals who have loved going there over the past 10 years.
On Friday morning, it was too wet to walk, and none of us minded as there was a very cold wind as well. After a great Zoom chat with Leanne, I headed back to Springs Medical for an appointment with Peter, the podiatrist, who I see every three months. We're getting a good relationship going, after a shaky early start, when I discovered he knew nothing about Aussie Rules and much preferred Rugby League. This time, he told me he will be playing in a charity AFL game in Castlemaine where he lives, over the King's Birthday weekend in June!
Wes & Bob White had a lovely lunch together at Passing Clouds Winery, in Musk, which is about 10 minutes from Daylesford, and 10 minutes from Trentham, where Bob lives. I would have enjoyed spending time with Bob & Wes, but the menu doesn't cater for non-meat eaters at all.
It's been so cold lately we decided to move to our Winter doona cover, so I spent the day washing all our bedding, and making the changes.
Yesterday Wes & Morse drove me to Ballan to catch an early train to Melbourne for the Collingwood vs Port Adelaide game at the MCG, where we were not favoured to win. I had invited my Mate, Danny, and we met up at the Shane Warne statue before going into the ground and having lunch in the Hugh Trumble café, which has been very nicely refurbished since our last visit.
Sunday 14 April 2024
Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 14th April 2024
Sunday 7 April 2024
Adelaide Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 7th April 2024
We had a wonderful Easter Sunday, and Morse didn't miss the Daylesford Market at all. Around 9am we drove to Vaughan Springs, stopping first at the cemetery to look for the graves of friends - Danny Spooner & Gael Shannon - see photos, and secondly to find some of Wes's ancestors, the Greenwoods - no luck.
from the top - Danny & Gael's bush grave; their headstone; a plaque commemorating those without markers; Wes opening the door to the portal & seeing himself inside
We then drove to Vaughan Springs itself, admiring all the wonders of this little hamlet - the Chinese cemetery, the model railway line, the long slide, the balancing rock, the houses made from train carriages, and the foundation stone of Ball & Welch. We parked by the water and gave Morse the chance to retrieve, which he hasn't done since Lewis died. Amazingly, he got the hang of it, and enjoyed getting wet while retrieving sticks.
On the way back, we stopped at Glenluce Mineral Springs, which is definitely off the beaten track. I have very happy memories of walking there with 3 other members of the Daylesford Bushwalking Group, including my dear friend, Annie Smith, who died in October 2020. It was hot & dry there and the mineral spring was out of order - very different from that first visit many years ago which was cool, shady & the mineral water was abundant.
Wes reading the Glenluce signage while Morse potters, and the refurbished mineral spring area
That afternoon we watched Richmond unexpectedly beat Sydney in an exciting & close game at the MCG. Dinner was toasted tomato & cheese sandwiches done in the Sunbeam frypan - we can't bear to part with it! But, as usually happens when you are about to go away, something went wrong that night after a lovely day. The dishwasher refused to work. I emptied it out and tried again, but to no avail. In the morning we unscrewed the hose pipe and found a small piece of bone wedged in the opening, once it was removed, everything went back to normal.
On Monday, it seemed strange not to be going to Coles Supermarket, stocking up with scrolls and bread at Baker's Delight or doing School. Instead, we started packing after a lovely walk around Lake Daylesford, and Morse got a worried look on his face.
Wes took Morse to Eureka Kennels on Tuesday morning, where he was delighted to be put next to another lab. He is really very comfortable as we take one of his beds from home, as well as a pillow, some friends, and plenty of apples as rewards after his daily walks. We got away ourselves around 10.30am with the plan of driving to Dimboola and having a late lunch at the General Store. Sadly, when we arrived there, we discovered it had changed hands and the two bored young females working there could offer us nothing for lunch except a bacon butty! Fortunately I had packed ANZAC biscuits and filled a thermos with Jasmine tea, so we fortified ourselves until we got to Robe, checked into our AirBnB and had fish & chips for dinner.
On Wednesday, we had a late breakfast at Drift, our favourite Robe cafe, before driving to Beachport, where we got the last good-sized lobster. The woman serving remembered us from our last visit and dressed our lobster beautifully, even including two packs of ice to get us back to Robe safely. We picked up a Heathcote sparkling red and enjoyed a lovely meal that night.
The next morning, Wes got up early to start the Jackson Group Zoom and once that was up and running, we went for a lovely coastal walk and ended up back at Drift for granola and fresh fruit, before we made our way back to our holiday accommodation via the beautiful Robe cemetery, which is well-laid out and has an index of all the graves in the historic section.
Sunday 31 March 2024
Daylesford Easter Dispatch - Sunday, 31st March 2024
It doesn't seem like a week since I last wrote, this year is flying by too fast & we're already a quarter of the way through. Last Sunday, after the Daylesford Market, we drove to Strathmore and spent a most enjoyable few hours with Leanne, mostly chatting, and watering the garden for her.
On Monday we had booked our 7th COVID boosters and headed off to Springs Medical in Kyneton, only to discover when we pulled up that their stocks were out of date and we couldn't be injected. We walked across the road to Little Swallow Café, where we enjoyed breakfast before driving back home. Later that morning I had a massage with Sarah, and as has become the norm, handed over about 4 bags of bottles & cans that attract 10c refunds. Leanne has been saving them for her too, and we usually have quite a few each month. Sarah's younger daughter, Maya, is the beneficiary of the money earned.
On Tuesday, we had a busy morning. After I chatted with Leanne, I went to Springs Medical, Daylesford, and told Tanya our sad story. She immediately booked us in for our boosters on Thursday, as she remembered that we were keen to get them before we drove to Adelaide for the AFL Gather Round.
When I returned home, I sat at my desktop for 30 minutes and was successful in getting myself a reserved seat in the 50-year Member bay in the MCC for Collingwood's ANZAC Day game against Essendon, followed by the big game versus Carlton the next week.
We then drove to Ballarat, where I had a 90-minute dental appointment with Dr Anna to have two very old metal fillings replaced. I was quite nervous, but Anna explained everything as she went along, and I gained an elephant stamp as it only took an hour. Apparently some patients take ages for their mouths to go numb, and others request constant breaks - I did neither and found the whole experience rather interesting, as well as emerging with lovely white teeth. I'm back again next month to have the other two metal fillings replaced. Meanwhile, Wes had used his time wisely in Ballarat - had a haircut, and spent time by Lake Wendouree reading Voltaire.
The next day I had two early Zooms - one with Terry Borg, who was at Philip Island with all her family; and the other with Old Friends - Lib, Joyce & Karen. Both chats were most enjoyable and full of laughter. Wes spent the morning in the back garden, pruning, staking, mowing & watering and, as usual, everywhere looks so much better after he has finished.
Our visit to Springs Daylesford for our 7th COVID injections was a delight. We walked in the door at the same time as old friend, Kim Lyden, who now lives in Ballarat, but comes here a couple of times a week. We chatted with him while waiting to be called, and were quite pleased the doctor was running late. Dr Shashika checked our temperatures and passed us on to Nurse Alex, who was a chatty new Daylesford resident. We hardly felt our injections, and when she noticed that I had a large bandage on my forearm, asked to see it, checked the wound was healing & gave me a superior waterproof covering & a spare. Great service indeed!
That night, Collingwood travelled to Brisbane to play the Lions in the Grand Final rematch. As both teams were winless thus far, there was a lot at stake. The Pies started well, but Brisbane took over in the 2nd quarter & were ahead at half-time. However we kicked 9 goals to 5 in the second half to win by 20 points in front of a sell-out crowd.
Needless to say we were all tired on Good Friday morning, and postponed our plans for a Vaughan Springs walk to today instead. We slept in, had Hot Cross buns with jam, watched the replay and did very little until it was time for Wes to drive to Ballan to catch the train to the Docklands Stadium to see Carlton & North Melbourne play at 4.20pm.
He had a wonderful afternoon at the footy, sitting with Ben, Leanne, Jack & Olivia Lazzaro and watching Carlton have an easy win against North Melbourne in their now traditional Good Friday afternoon game in support of the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal. There were so many families there it was a delight to see, and such a fuss was made of those who are patients at the RCH.
Young patient & North supporter, Imogen, tossing the coin before the game
Sunday 24 March 2024
Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 24th March 2024
What a wonderful St Patrick's Day we enjoyed last Sunday. After the Market, we drove to Brunswick to the old Sarah Sands Hotel in Sydney Road, which is now the home of the Celtic Club. It has been beautifully renovated and turned out to be the perfect venue for a catch up with old friends. There were 10 of us, and we all enjoyed the very Irish breakfast, which was good value at $25 head including tea & coffee. The staff were friendly & caring, and when it came time for us to vacate our table, we were invited to go upstairs to the members' area, where we sat around for another hour or so.
Sunday 17 March 2024
Daylesford St Patrick's Day Dispatch - Sunday, 17th March 2024
I've never had a limb in plaster, but I imagine the itching would be unbearable - poor Snoopy!
We enjoyed our visit to the Daylesford Market last Sunday, but it was already getting hot, when we pumped mineral water at Leitches Creek afterwards. We decided to forgo the ChillOut Parade, but Wes drove to Ballarat mid-morning, where he had promised to attend a session on Labour History at the Ballarat Trades Hall, which is a heritage-listed building. He knew most of the other attendees, and listened with interest to a talk from long-time friend, Jenny Beacham.
It looks as though there was a big enough crowd to watch the Parade without us!
I spent Monday glued to the Test in New Zealand as Australia clawed its way back from 4/34 to eventually win the match. It is what makes Test Cricket so good to watch - the game see-sawed all morning, but thanks to Alex Carey's 98* and contributions from Marsh & Cummins, we managed to survive some great bowling.
Morse suffering Test match tension!