I realise I must have been very upset last Sunday when I
was writing the Dispatch as I forgot to tell you about a lovely visit we had
with Gail & Terry White. They had invited us & Judi & Michael
around for drinks & substantial nibbles the afternoon before they headed to
the Blue Mountains to spend Christmas with their daughters & families. Gail
& Terry are very generous hosts & we all enjoyed serious Christmas
cheer at their place.
As well, Wes had attended another funeral, earlier in the
week, for an old ALP mate, John Lewis, who died very soon after being diagnosed
with cancer. The celebration at Albert Park Yacht Club was a reunion of old ALP
pollies & staff & Wes enjoyed learning more about John’s life and
catching up with old friends like Russell Badham.
Freesia, peace &
big red roses
On another topic altogether, I have found my notes on
memorable toilet experiences while we were away. I mentioned in an earlier
Dispatch that Holly Molly took the trophy, with the toilet area being so small
that the bin sat on top of the seat. We found Glasgow to predominate in loos
situated in such a position that spreading thighs were a no-no. They also
tended to have loos where the toilet paper was way behind you. In Wales the
toilets were squashy & quite often had a straight back to the seat, which
didn’t make for comfortable sitting.
In Dartmouth & Chelsea, we were allotted one roll only
for our stay, & in Liverpool Pier Head at the café, if you shut the door
there was no light. In the Ivy, the loos were down three flights of stairs,
unless you were a better class of person, sitting in the superior area &
could use a toilet on your level. Belgium toilets tended not to have very
strong flush action, and the toilet paper was usually out of reach. In Nether
Wallop, we had a wooden toilet seat; and in Cardiff, we had to lift the lid of
the cistern to successfully flush the toilet. In Falmouth, there was only half
a handle & in our flat in Chelsea the toilet paper was wet & got wetter
every time you had a shower. In Venice, of course, we had a perfectly operating
toilet complete with accompanying bidet & plenty of toilet paper.
Photos from breakfast
at Boathouse last Sunday morning:
Aileen & Sandy;
Wes; Sandy & Judi, & Judi & David
Sandy played Santa Claus with lovely chocolates for us all
& Susanne & Claire at Boathouse were very sorry to hear of Warren
Pengilley’s death. We had some great chats & I’m sorry I don’t have a photo
of me or Janine to complete the group.
After breakfast we went next door to our neighbours, Rob
& Dene, to exchange Christmas gifts. We had bought a beautiful rose called
‘Oranges & Lemons’, which they loved & Dene had made a Christmas cake
& shortbread for us. We had a fun time over a big pot of tea.
On Monday, we headed back to Spring Park Nursery to buy a stunning
cream-coloured rose, ‘National Pride’, which Chris wrapped & we delivered
to Jan Pengilley. She wasn’t at home but was delighted to find it there on her
return & it has now been planted.
The afternoons were spent watching the 2nd Test,
which has been so exciting. The Aussies deserved to win after playing so much
better in Perth than Adelaide. They seem to have jelled as a team & their
pleasure in each other’s triumphs has been palpable.
Also last week, Wes took Barbara’s car to Ballarat Mazda
for what he hoped would be a quick fix. However, they needed the car for 5-6
hours, so he reacquainted himself with the Ballarat Library, which he enjoyed
& had lunch at Café Lekker, our favourite Ballarat eating spot, where he
was able to get Tuki sausages.
The other thing that happened was I got out the big basket
of wool & started knitting beanies again while watching the cricket. It
felt strange after nearly 10 weeks not knitting. However, there is plenty of
wool & it won’t be long before it is March & people are needing warm
hats, gloves, scarves & rugs all over again.
I visited Leanne on Tuesday, while Wes did an enormous
amount of weeding under the decking & we can see our tree fern, native
violets & geraniums again. On Wednesday, in lieu of Mah Jong, Wes & I
met up with Dot & John Smith for a cuppa at Muffins & More, where Eden amazingly remembered what we liked
to drink, even though we hadn’t been there for over 2 months.
It has been fun this week delivering thank you gifts to
people like Lyndal (hair); Alanna (nails); Emma (face); Steve (paper
deliverer); Muffins & More staff; Tim at Mitre 10, and finally the Garbos.
On Thursday morning we were walking around Lake Daylesford when I heard them in
our street emptying the recycling bins (which was very early indeed). I then
had to stay put until the green bins were done around 11.30am. In the past,
when I have put the gift out, either the birds get to it first or the driver
doesn’t see it & empties it into his truck! So, I listen for the sound of
the truck & race out with the gift unharmed. It was worth it as the young
driver was thrilled to bits!
On Friday we set off early around Lake Daylesford with rice
for the ducks & geese as they are always so disappointed when we are
empty-handed.
After I had been shopping at Coles, we had breakfast at The Food Gallery, where we were greeted
warmly by Pasquale & Paola. We thought the meals were well-presented & very
yummy. It is such a shame that the awkward step at the front door stops us from
having our Sunday Breakfasts there, as it is impossible for Barbara to get in. Afterwards,
Wes went off to a training session for Daylesford Cinema which reopens on
Boxing Day at Daylesford Town Hall.
More roses – mostly
Fearless & Peace
We were horrified to discover on Friday afternoon that our
landline was dead. After a couple of calls to Telstra, they arranged for a technician
to come tomorrow morning to fix it. Fortunately, we have been able to arrange
for calls to be diverted to Warren’s mobile.
Yesterday it was busy at our place – Nick Massaro came to
fix the downstairs shower which was leaking; I washed both cars & the bins
& polished the silver; Wes did heaps of pruning in the back & mulched
it all into the lawn by mowing, and we were both very pleased to sit down for a
rest in the afternoon, where we received great news from Torskey Lock in
Lincolnshire that our uncle, Kev Hoolihan, is home for Christmas after spending
an unexpected week in hospital.
I’m off to the Sunday Market, then meeting Warren, Judi
& Janine at Boathouse for our last breakfast together for 2018.
