Snoopy has a very limited imagination at times 🤣
It was good to wake to another cool morning last Sunday, although there was a smoke haze when we walked Morse at the cemetery, where he spotted two of the five bunnies we saw. I tried to take a photo of the sky, but my phone camera compensated for the haze and corrected it!
Wes got a better shot
Wes discovered that our old friend and neighbour, Caroline Storm (aka Caroline Cameron), had died last year. We had lost touch a few years ago when she moved back to Melbourne from #75 Duke Street, and had searched in vain to find her again. She suffered dementia towards the end of her life, and probably died in care somewhere. She was a lovely, interesting & intelligent woman, and we did enjoy her company on many occasions.
Just as we were thinking about Caroline, I read that another old Daylesford friend, Carol Bruce, had died on Saturday. Carol, Dot, Valerie & I played Mah Jong together for 15 years before Carol moved to Ballarat to be closer to her daughter, Sue, and grand-daughter, Alexandra. We had continued our friendship online and have many happy memories of times together, especially when we were able to introduce Carol to Julia Gillard, one cold night in Trentham before Julia became Prime Minister.
Carol loved this photo of her that I took at Café 3460 one lunchtime
On Monday, we had planned a trip to Ballarat to see "The Choral", starring Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam & Alun Armstrong among others. I did the supermarket shopping early, and we headed off for toasties & hot drinks at Wen & Ware café before the film. I really enjoyed it, but Wes didn't and was very critical of the direction. When we left Ballarat, there was smoke haze everywhere, which only intensified as we got closer to home & the Harcourt fires. I retreated to the bedroom and the air purifier, which helped my breathing, as I was quite asthmatic.
We woke on Tuesday to cleaner air, and were able to walk Morse at the cemetery. I had no commitments for a change, as Leanne wasn't able to Zoom with me, so enjoyed a leisurely read of The Age before heading into town to check the PO Box and do some chores. Wes spent the morning in the front garden - clipping, tidying and watering.
More roses - Guy Savoy, 4th July, Hot Cocoa, Perfumed Passion, Freesia, Julia etc
On Wednesday, Wes was determined to do the floors, which had taken second place to Test cricket this year, and I was invited to leave home for a couple of hours. Firstly I filled the car with petrol, checked the tyres and topped up the water; then I had a blood test at Springs Medical, and finally I went for a long walk around The Mill Markets, which I hadn't visited for quite some time. I was on the lookout for second-hand books that we might enjoy, but had no luck, and ended up back in Vincent Street, where I found three at Paradise Books. By then the floors were dry and I came back home to a sparkling clean house.
The next morning, it was great to catch up with Terry Borg on Zoom - we hadn't chatted since before Christmas, and there was a lot to share. Then it was time for Old Friends, and we were all thrilled to have Kathy joining us again, full of stories from their month in Mexico.
We had decided to have lunch at Tuki Restaurant & Retreat, a wonderful place that we have neglected in the past few years, to say thank you to Rob & Jan, who are taking stepping back and leaving Tuki in the capable hands of their son, Alastair, & his wife, Georgia.
Sadly, we were very disappointed when we arrived. We have taken so many friends to this place; had fun fishing for trout in the pools; sat down to wonderful set menus, and watched Rob expertly fillet trout, as Jan, just as expertly, looked after us all. Instead we were the only ones having lunch and were waited on by two young waitresses. The menu has changed drastically and we were shocked to be paying $46 for a fillet of trout, and $18-$30 for a glass of wine. So we had our meals, which were yummy thank God, and said goodbye to the Tuki we had known & loved for so long.
Our view over Stoney Rises, which remains an incredible one, this time with the addition of some ponies instead of the usual dogs
Fiona Groundwater had delivered a tuna casserole to us, as she was feeling so sad that we were mourning a few friends. We were very grateful, but couldn't eat it that night and saved it for Friday night's dinner, instead of our usual fortnightly fish & chips.
Meanwhile, Wes started back in earnest with Zooms & phone calls this week - 2 chats with Barbara; a catch up with old friend, Carole Hardwick; a call with his sister, Denise, and time with another old friend, Wendy Owen. On Friday, I caught up with Leanne's news, before a WhatsApp call with Jan Pengilley, where we debriefed on Christmas & she explained Costco to me, among other topics!
Yesterday, after the walk, Wes washed Morse, which is always fun, and we enjoyed a quiet day together. The wind had died down and I was able to cut another vase of roses, which are so prolific so far this year. Even our standard Glorious, which suffered in the storms towards the end of 2025, has recovered and is blooming again.
Last night the Melbourne Stars fell in a heap in Perth against the Scorchers and look as though they will have to travel to Hobart to play an Elimination Final against the Hurricanes. We're very disappointed as they started BBL15 very strongly and were on top of the ladder for quite a few weeks.
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