Morse

Morse
Morse & friend

Sunday, 13 July 2025

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 13th July 2025

There is nothing new under the sun!

We had another good early visit to the Daylesford Market last Sunday. Morse demolished his pear with gusto and happily trotted along to visit Jeff, the dog treat man, for a dozen eggs. After I had put everything away, Morse & I drove to Ballan, to visit Rob & Dene, who had offered us a bag of oranges & a jar of marmalade in return for lemons & jars. It was a quick, but enjoyable visit - Morse checked out every inch of their garden & I was shown all the work achieved by the previous Sunday's working bee. 

The next morning we woke to the news that our old Daylesford friend, Glenn Mack, had died peacefully the previous day. We hadn't seen him for some years since he moved to Cavendish, then Ballarat & finally, Trentham. We spent many happy hours with him over the years and are pleased to have those memories of a very talented & fun person.


After an early walk with Morse and the weekly supermarket shop, I sat down with Wes to go through our Executor Dossier and make sure everything was up to date before we sent it on to Adrian Tinetti, our solicitor & executor. There were a couple of corrections to be done, and some password updating, so I was able to pop into Vincent Street for my remaining chores, and Wes spent time in the garden, filling up our green bin, which hasn't been put out for emptying for quite some weeks.

We had booked a short stay in Melbourne during August to attend the Annual MCC Bradman lunch, and I was due to book tickets with our friends, Brendan & Margaret Wilkinson, when I discovered the MCC had changed the date of the lunch & we were unable to go. We cancelled our stay at The Windsor, and Morse's trip to Eureka Kennels and decided we would have to find another special event to attend in its place. 

On Tuesday, we battled a very strong wind all day, so decided to spend the day inside, apart from Morse & I travelling to my favourite mineral water spring, Leitches Creek, to pump water. The Hepburn Council had changed our bin collection and for once, all three bins were emptied on a Tuesday morning, which really suited all those who can't remember which two are due in any one week! 

Wes has been busy with Zooms & chats this week - Barbara in NZ twice, Danny in Brisbane, Helen in Melbourne & Paul in Oxfordshire, as well as the Jackson Group, and two lunches. 

We woke to Brigadoon on Wednesday morning, but it was dry in Duke Street, so we drove to Daylesford Cemetery (5 minutes away) and were greeted by rain when we got out of the car. We abandoned our walk and came back home, where it was still dry! Judi & I had cancelled Mah Jong, but the weather in Ballarat was better than here, so Wes & I made a quick trip to pick up smoked salmon pieces, a big bottle of Hendricks gin, (no whisky as Rob & Dene had given him two very special bottles of Johnny Walker) & a pair of warm Kathmandu pants for me. 

We each had Zoom chats on Thursday - Wes chatted with the Jackson Group, where the topic was DOGE, Trump's Department of Government Efficiency & its implications. Meanwhile I enjoyed catching up with Kathy, Lib, Karen S & Joyce, where the main conversation centred on the loss of banks & ATMs in Melbourne. We are very fortunate here in Daylesford as we still have two banks and at least 4 ATMs. 

Lunch in the Mother Superior's Parlour at The Convent 
L-R - Ava, Sara, Wes, Gen, Matt & Karen 

We were thrilled to be having lunch with our Godson, Matthew Spiteri & his family, at the start of their 4-day, 3-night visit to Daylesford. Matt had let us know in plenty of time, so I booked a table at The Convent and Marija put us in the Mother Superior's Parlour, which is always a special pleasure. Our meals were delightful and somehow we all found room for scones & cakes afterwards.

Once again, Fiona had visited to clean for two hours, and she enlisted the help of her husband, Les, to reach the really high cobwebs. Before he left, Les went downstairs to spend time with Wes & Morse, which was wonderful, as we have missed this couple in our lives over the past few months. Fiona did wonders in our bedroom & bathroom - she is cleaning skirting boards and ceiling fans, doors & walls & really making a difference.

That night Carlton played the reigning Premiers, Brisbane, at the Docklands Stadium, and sadly, continued to look inept when it mattered most that their play was fast and skilful. I gave up at half-time and I think Wes came to bed during the 3rd quarter as it wasn't getting any better.

Morse wondering when the footy will stop!

Friday marked 57 years since we committed to each other at Melbourne Uni - a day we remember very well. Wes posted this photo on Facebook, which produced quite a few comments & smiles. While I stayed here and recovered from our busy Thursday, he drove to Seddon to have lunch with two of his cousins - Amanda Testro & Gary Testro. He arrived back home at 5pm after a slow, wet Friday afternoon drive, but was delighted with the reunion and all the memories the three of them shared.

Us at Melbourne University Folk Club 1968

Wes, Gary & Amanda

That night Collingwood played the Gold Coast Suns up there, and I was worried as I thought they could easily beat us. When it took the Pies until the middle of the 3rd quarter to kick their first goal, I suspected I was right. We did rally, but the Suns kicked the last two goals & deserved their win. Fingers crossed they will play Finals this year for the first time. 

Yesterday morning, Wes had offered to take Matt, Sara, Genevieve & Ava for a tour of Daylesford and surrounds, taking in their special interests and finishing with a visit to the Chocolate Mill. Sara opted for a long walk on her own, but the others were up for the challenge! Meanwhile, I made a big batch of vegetarian minestrone soup, which was just what Wes needed when he arrived home. We were lucky with the weather - although it was cold, the sun was shining and Daylesford was sparkling. 

Ava & Genevieve indulging at the Chocolate Mill

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