Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 26th October 2025

 
Perhaps Morse looks for them as well, as he eats lots of rice

After we visited the Daylesford Market, Wes & I went to Lambley Nursery & Gardens in Ascot, about 30 minutes away, to find some ground covers for the garden. It seems that is what everyone wants at present, to help cut down weeding & they didn't have anything that appealed to us. On our way home, we stopped at Spring Park Nursery, where Chris found three ground covers & two beautiful new daisy bushes, which are all going to fit nicely into our garden.

On Monday, after I did the supermarket shopping, School was spent deciding what vegetables we would grow this Spring. We've decided on Dwarf Purple Beans, Blackjack Zucchini & Baby Carrots. The potatoes we planted last year have come back, and we have plenty of herbs, except for Basil, which we'll try as well. As it was raining gently, we had a short walk around the garden looking for spots for our new plants & admiring the growth everywhere. We even found our first rose hidden in a bush.

This beautiful rose is called Perfumed Passion

Later in the morning, I had an excellent remedial massage with Sarah Hunt, where we discussed the ABC Radio National Top 100 books of this century. We both agreed that the choices reflected Book Group genre - I have only read 15 of them, she & Wes a handful. Very few of the books we voted for made it to the Top 100, and we've certainly never read the No 1 choice - "The Boy Who Swallowed the Universe", which has also been a successful film. 

We had an interesting experience last weekend, when someone knocked persistently on the front door. Wes was downstairs and didn't hear it, while I was in bed, and reluctantly answered it. The woman standing there was looking for help - she and 7 other friends had driven down from Echuca to stay for a few nights at Brindabella, @74 Duke Street, and when they went in, the beds hadn't been made or the place cleaned. They had booked through AirBnB a year ago. 

I asked Wes to handle it, and he did wonders, getting in touch with the owner, and giving advice to the visitor of how to proceed. Brindabella has been out of action for some time as there have been two separate burst pipes in our street, which pumped water straight onto their property and flooded the downstairs section. The visitor later rang to say they had stayed at a motel for the night, and were moving to another property for the remainder of their stay, and she wanted to thank Wes for all his help.

On Tuesday, I had a good Zoom with Leanne, before doing a few chores in the main street. I had to return home quickly as Wes wanted to wash the car after he did some trimming in the front garden. I went out to chat to him at one stage and looked into our pond, where I discovered we had heaps of tadpoles - looks as though we won't run out of frogs any time soon!

We were very sad that afternoon to read on Facebook that our friend, John Smith, had died last week. We hadn't been in touch over the past month and are sorry that we didn't realise just how close to death he was, as we have known him for 35 years. We shared some wonderful times with him & his wife, Jan, when we were insurance brokers, and then again, here in Daylesford, where they had a caravan, and later, bought a holiday house. 

John & Jan at the door of their motorhome

There were all sorts of dramatic weather warnings for Wednesday, and I was very relieved when Judi decided not to drive here from Ballarat for Mah Jong. The rain was very heavy, and everywhere was slippery underfoot. Hepburn Council closed some of their offices and the Daylesford Library in anticipation of the strong winds that were forecast. They arrived around lunchtime, along with the sun, and the rain stopped for a while. We were lucky not to experience any damage.

On Thursday I had a busy morning - first a Zoom with Terry Borg, who was heading out for a busy day; followed by a chat with Old Friends - Kathy, Joyce & Karen S, where we shared some laughs, reminisced and made plans to catch up again later in the hope that Libby could join us. Sadly that didn't occur, but we all enjoyed seeing each other twice in the one day.

Wes had invited me to brunch at the Glenlyon General Store, which we had in between Zooms 2 & 3. It was lovely to go back there, sit at the small oak drop-side table and enjoy yummy meals & hot drinks in front of an open fire. The café area was very quiet for a change, which made chatting very easy. 

Our weeping Japanese maple is doing its Spring thing again

Friday was busy - Wes gave Morse an early bath, before having a Zoom discussion with the Jackson Group core. He had hoped to get some gardening done, but it rained early which put a stop to trimming & mowing out the back. So we three had a quiet day, which was good as we were off to Strathmore the next morning to visit Leanne.

Our visit to Leanne went well. She was pleased to see us and had made another batch of strawberry jam, which went well with the scones from Gusto. Wes had taken some geranium cuttings to fill an empty spot in her garden, and added good soil and mulch to help them along. I showed Leanne some of the benefits of Phone Link, which we had downloaded on her desktop & mobile on an earlier visit. She was delighted with the ability to send texts & receive phone calls from her desktop. 

We arrived home in time to see most of the races at Moonee Valley at the last meeting there before everything changes. The current grandstands & track configuration are being demolished to allow for housing close to Puckle Street. Hopefully the Cox Plate will be back at the Valley in a couple of years time. The racing was exciting & Via Sistina won the main event just, over her stablemate, Buckeroo. 

Neck & neck just before the finishing post

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 19th October 2025

 

This is for Wes - a Peppermint Patty special

We started our week with a cool morning last Sunday - Wes & Morse were able to walk, but there were no bunnies around - a shame, as there have been one or two most mornings lately. Then we all went to the Daylesford Market & collected fruit, vegetables & eggs for the week. We had planned to visit a plant nursery, but it wasn't the weather for wandering so we postponed it until a warmer day.

I haven't been able to chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Torksey Lock, since she had a fall & needed a stay in hospital. She will shortly be moving to a smaller hospital offering rehab and hopefully will be home in a couple of weeks after that. My cousins, Leigh & Michael, have been taking it in turns to visit her, which would be helping with her recovery.

Jennifer AKA Jeff looking good!

On Monday, after shopping, we had another School with Steve Dotto, learning about screen sharing on Zoom. Wes has dabbled in this, but I haven't tried it at all, and we were both amazed at what can be done. Teachers & business operators must find it so useful. 

I used my new knowledge to show Leanne a recent photo of Morse when we Zoomed on Tuesday, and she was most impressed. We had a good chat before I went out to pump mineral water from Leitches Creek, and then have a manicure with Juls in Hepburn. 

On Wednesday, instead of Mah Jong, I had a long overdue facial with Emma, which was wonderful. Em is operating out of Sarah's Massage & Spa rooms, which are perfect for the two days she is seeing clients. On the way home, I stopped at the pharmacy and purchased a Vapouriser, something I've not used before, but have been told it will help breathing, eyes and skin! We set it up in the bedroom and are hoping to notice a difference soon.

Meanwhile Wes did his usual vacuum & wash of the floors, and later that day, chatted with his sister, Denise, catching up on her news. He then created very yummy mushroom pizzas for dinner.

These beautiful dark red Asiatic lilies look resplendent in the lounge window

On Thursday, while Wes Zoomed with the Jackson Group on the topic, Globalisation - is it a desirable long-term goal for the World, I chatted with Old Friends - Kathy, Karen S & Joyce, where we discussed vapourisers (thanks for the advice), and Ancestry, which is taking up some of Joyce's time at present after Wes visited her last Thursday. 

Wes then invited me to a late breakfast at Grain, a newish café in Daylesford, where we realised we weren't their target market. I tried their coconut rice with poached pears and Wes had the gravalax with poached eggs. Neither dish was particularly well done or memorable, so we'll be trying somewhere else next time!

On our return, I went online again to Zoom with old friend, Libby, in Gladstone, Qld, where there is no Daylight Saving, and 8am is too early for her to be ready. Kathy joined me for a while, and then Joyce, but Lib wasn't able to make the Zoom, so we'll try again next Thursday.

That night Wes had invited our next-door neighbour, James, in for dinner. They sat on the decking with their whiskies until the rain suddenly came down heavily and they were forced inside for the rest of the evening. Wes cooked Atlantic salmon fillets with Dutch cream potatoes, steamed asparagus & home-grown bush peas. It was a very yummy meal, and I couldn't fit in any sweets, which was rich chocolate brownies with ice-cream.

Morse finding entertaining can be exhausting!

It was lovely and cool again on Friday, and I had a good Zoom with Leanne, showing her photos of our lilies, and Glen's grandchildren during our time. I have promised to show her how to Share on Zoom as well, as I am sure she will enjoy it. That night we enjoyed fish & chips for dinner & Morse will have a few chips in his meals for the next week or so.

Yesterday, Wes spent time in the back garden, trimming etc, while I did some cleaning chores indoors. We then settled down to watch the Caulfield Cup race-day and had a few bets on the main races. What a delight to watch Jamie Melham win the main race on Half Yours, becoming the first female jockey to win this race, 10 years after Michelle Payne did the same in the Melbourne Cup on Prince of Penzance. 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 12th October 2025

 
Probably not...

We started our Sunday with a visit to the Daylesford Market, something I haven't been able to do for a while & received a warm welcome. We stocked up on fruit & vegetables & pigs' ears strips before coming home to a quiet day recovering from our trip to Strathmore the day before.

During the past couple of weeks, our pyrex dishes have started exploding in the sink - we've lost a casserole & pie plate, and I've managed to break my favourite big glass vase as well. It wasn't a wedding present, but the others were, and they've lasted pretty well!

Our herb pots are so happy now they are protected from the weather, the birds & the Labrador!

On Monday, after putting out bins & doing the shopping, Wes & I watched another Steve Dotto tuition video, where he talked about Google mail add-ons. We really like Boomerang, which enables you to schedule meetings, track responses, and ask for emails to be sent back at a time that suits you. At present, we use the Snooze facility, but this is much more sophisticated, and we can see quite a few uses for it, including pausing your emails. 

As it was a cool, but fine day, Wes spent the rest of the morning in the front garden, cleaning the pond, trimming & weeding - the usual never-ending jobs of the gardener. Morse likes to join him at morning tea time, and they sit together on the top of the stairs having a chat about things, while Wes drinks his tea & eats his biscuits.

Exhaustion has set in!

On Tuesday, I was anxious as the MCC tickets went on sale for the Boxing Day Test. There were 10,000+ ahead of me in the queue, but once I got in I was able to book reserved seats for Days 1-4 in the 50-year Member Bay on Level 2. It isn't behind the bowler's arm, but it is a good view & I don't have to worry about queuing before play each day, which is a big relief. Hopefully, I'll be able to have breakfast at The Windsor with friends most mornings, which is my favourite way to start the day. 

Judi & I played Mah Jong again on Wednesday, and honours were even. She had to leave early for an appointment, so I made one with our local optometrist, Sarah Bibby, as my eyes have been quite sore lately and I wanted her advice. I turn out to have a condition called Blepharitis - Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and the treatment is twice daily 5 minutes use of an eye wheat pillow, as well as eyedrops, which is already making a difference. I arrived back home to a clean floors, which is always a bonus!

Wes had a date with old friend, Joyce Spiteri, in Reservoir, on Thursday, where he had promised to help her with Ancestry.com, and show her how to easily scan her photos. I had an early Zoom with Terry Borg, who was looking and sounding much better than she has for much of this year; followed by an Old Friends chat with Kathy, Karen S & Joyce, where we talked about eyes and the problems we are all experiencing at present. After tea & toast for late breakfast, I worked hard changing sheets & towels and putting the Summer cover on our doona. 

How exciting - rosellas nesting in Fawlty Towers again this year!

Back to Zooming on Friday, with an excellent chat with Leanne, followed by a better catch-up with Jan Pengilley in Maleny, where the internet is very iffy at their place. We gave each other BritBox tips, shared some social news & laughed so much at one point that I couldn't continue until the coughing fit had subsided.

Afterwards, Wes invited me to brunch at Cliffy's, where we used the other half of a generous Gift Voucher from Marilyn & Robert Preston. We were seated at the share table, which means you know everyone else's business! Wes enjoyed bacon & eggs on sourdough, while I had Turkish eggs served with roti. While I was fixing the bill, he then bought me some Oriental lilies at the florist next door, making sure the stems were cut shorter than usual to fit in our second best vase!

Yesterday, we had been invited to a catch up lunch with Warren's nephew, John Anderson, and his wife, Dannielle, at The Pig & Whistle hotel in Trentham East. I wasn't able to get there, but Wes went, while I had a quiet day here, stewing pears for us, and making dog soup for Morse with the leftover vegetables from the week. By the time Wes arrived back at 3.30pm, I was in bed, watching the races on Caulfield Guineas day. He had really enjoyed his time with John & Dannielle, caught up on their news and that of their 4 offspring - Malachi, Kalarni, Dublin & Irish, who are all doing well.

Lovely photo of John & Wes

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 5th October 2025

 
Beautiful Peppermint Pattie

After our big Grand Final day last Saturday, I was exhausted and spent Sunday in bed. Wes & Morse visited the Daylesford Market, and pumped water at Leitches Creek for me, and had a quiet day themselves. 

I felt much better on Monday and was able to put out all the bins, shop at Coles Supermarket, cook rice for Morse, and be ready at 9am for our first School in ages. Wes had found two excellent tutorials by Steve Dotto, of Dottotech, and we enjoyed them both. The first discussed multiple ways of making the most of Google Maps, including Location Sharing, which we knew existed, but had never investigated. Now we are both sharing our locations with each other, which takes the worry out of wondering where the other is when they are late arriving home, or when we have arranged a pick up spot. 

We're lucky to have two flowering daphne bushes that have been constantly in bloom

The second one showed us how to plan a trip with several stops, using Google Maps. Steve suggested doing the work on the desktop & sending the link to our mobile phones. We both think that is another very useful tool - especially when we are driving to Adelaide for example and know exactly where we want to stop for a rest, the toilet or to grab a meal. Since we bought our latest Mazda 3, Snoopy, we tend to use Google Maps to direct us, rather than the sat nav provided with the car. 

Afterwards I went back into Vincent Street to post letters, buy bread and look for an empty spray perfume bottle for Wes to use when he makes his after-shave. When I came back home, Wes knew exactly where I had been, which was a sensible way of checking that the location sharing was working.

On Tuesday morning we were due for our six-monthly COVID boosters, and met a different doctor & nurse for the occasion. Dr Alex, a Pom, was very thorough, and Rebecca, the nurse, who lives in Ballarat, was a delight. She hasn't worked anywhere that she has loved as much as Springs Medical, which is a wonderful endorsement of our local centre. While we were there, I received the very welcome news that both biopsies taken from my face last week were benign. Later that afternoon, Wes & Helen Hanrahan had a good chat, which included Helen's eldest daughter, Brigid. 

Judi & I played Mah Jong the next morning and she took the honours on a very cold Spring day. Wes did his usual vacuuming & washing of floors, and then spent much of the afternoon chatting. He and Jenny Beacham spent time catching up, and then he hosted a most enjoyable Cousins' Zoom, which talked about Sporting Heroes in the families and unearthed some beauties!!

Some of our hellebores brightening up the house

During that night we had wild winds, heavy rain and three power outages, which made for an interrupted and cold sleep for all three of us. Fortunately Powercor was able to reconnect us each time and the downstairs freezer full of food was safe.

Jim ran an interesting post-COVID discussion for the Jackson Group on Thursday morning. while I was pleased to host an Old Friends Zoom, where we compared notes on forgetfulness, health issues and happy thoughts. Wes & I then drove to Hepburn Springs to try the newish cafe there, Lotte, which is an offshoot of the much-missed Pancho, which used to be just around the corner from us in Daylesford. The tea & coffee were excellent & I loved my omelette, but Wes found his anchovy and leek breakfast a little rich. However, it was great to go out & do something normal!

On Friday, it was wet again, so we enjoyed a quiet day inside. The birds were extra hungry and had to be fed a few times, and Morse was excited as he knew it was fish & chips for dinner, which he loves as Wes always buys extra chips which I add to Morse's meals each morning & night.

Morse waiting for it to be time to get fish & chips

Yesterday, we visited Leanne on a warm day in Strathmore. She was in good spirits and we shared scones, jam & cream for morning tea. Leanne had made a second batch of strawberry jam, which is even better than her first! We were able to solve a couple of computer problems, reconnect her Kayo and discuss some health issues. 

When we arrived back home, I made some minestrone soup, which we had for dinner that night. What a thrill - it's been quite some time since I made a meal, and we had lots of vegetables just begging to be put together!