Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 10th November 2019

It’s been a busy week, much of it spent on watching the Flemington Cup Carnival & hoping our horses will win! We started our week with a lovely trip to the Sunday Market, followed by breakfast with Barbara, Janine, Glen & Rob, which was a chance for Glen & Rob to finally meet each other.

Peppermint Patty’s turn to get into strife at school!

We really enjoyed Cup Day, especially when Frankie Dettori was suspended for his careless riding on Master of Reality, which put Prince of Arran in second place & gave us the quinella with Vow & Declare. After years of international domination, it was a thrill to see an Australian bred, trained & ridden horse win this very special race. That quinella, which paid $82 helped us to a profit on Tuesday, most of which we promptly gave back on Oaks Day! Yesterday, we only outlayed $30 & collected $75, courtesy of a free Sportsbet that I placed on Reyjavik, because we love Iceland plus four winning quinellas.

Lewis & Morse celebrated their 1st birthday with special treats covered in Vegemite, which they loved. They were a bit perplexed when we sang to them, but getting food made it all worth while.

Although it was a very wet week, we managed to get a walk early most mornings. We weren’t able to socialise the boys on Friday, as the heavens opened just as I left gym. We have both been kept busy with inside projects, which the boys much prefer, as they can sleep at our feet.

Judi & Michael returned from holidays on Monday & I left them some of our roses & some food to see them through until they went shopping. They came home with head colds, which was a shame, but the time away had been most enjoyable & they were thrilled with their garden, which had benefitted from the brilliant sunshine followed by plenty of rain.

Our roses are starting to bloom in serious numbers & I enjoyed picking our first bunch & putting them in the lounge so we can enjoy them.

On Wednesday it was lovely to play Mah Jong with Dot & Judi. We have decided Judi has finished her apprenticeship & is being thrown in the deep end from now on. That afternoon, I drove to Ballarat in windy but dry weather to collect some things you can’t get here. I had planned to go on Thursday morning, but am so pleased I didn’t wait as it was cold, wet & windy.

We have lots happening over the next two weeks before we head to South Australia. This afternoon we are off to Jeff Bain & Di Lyttleton’s place for an informal farewell to Jan Pengilley, who is moving to Maleny shortly with her daughter, son-in-law & grandson. We will miss her very much as we really value time we have spent with her & her late husband, Warren, over the 10 years that they have been living in Daylesford.

Jan with Judi Allen & Jeff Bain at Boathouse Daylesford earlier this year

Next Saturday we are off early to Moonee Valley Racecourse to the ALP State Conference, where we will be presented with Life Membership, recognising 40 continuous years membership of the ALP. Apparently this means we don’t have to pay our annual dues, but I suspect there will be plenty of opportunities to donate instead!

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 3rd November 2019

Once again there were only 6 of us at breakfast last Sunday – David & Sandy joined us, Barbara & Jan Pengilley. The Food Gallery continues to be full with people queued outside the door most Sunday mornings. We stayed on until 10.30am as we had a late start & our breakfasts took a while to come. Toni & Anthony were so busy in the kitchen that Andrew had to join them, which left only two waiting staff & Pasquale flat out making teas & coffees.

Something very special for all the Sally fans

We’ve had a busy and quite hot week here in Daylesford. Wes & I left the boys with bones & headed to the Regent Cinema in Ballarat to see the Australian film, Ride Like a Girl, which is the story of Michelle Payne’s life up until her triumph as the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup in the 160 years it has been running. She was riding an outsider, Prince of Penzance, but rode him to perfection & was delighted to outclass the overseas horses & jockeys. The Payne family are Ballarat-based & their story is well-known. Michelle’s mother, Mary, died in 1986 when Michelle was 6 months old, the youngest of 10 siblings, eight of whom became jockeys. The next youngest, Stevie, who has Down syndrome, is her best friend & he was the strapper for the Prince on Cup Day. Stevie played himself in the film & obviously enjoyed the experience immensely.

Michelle & Stevie with the 2015 Melbourne Cup    

                 

As well, I spent some time in Strathmore with Leanne. It was a hot day, so I left here at 6.20am & was able to get back to Daylesford before the temperature reached the mid-thirties. It was a successful visit & we achieved heaps together.

Wes drove Barbara to Yandoit on their morning out together, while Dot Smith & I played Mah Jong for the first time in ages. It was great to catch up on each other’s news & to play a few games again. Nick Massaro came to give me a massage one afternoon, bearing the large jar of his own honey. It has a lovely taste & is extra special because it comes from Nick’s own hives.

Our roses have finally started to bloom & I picked the first handful, which welcome us home as we walk in the front door.

Freesia, Peace & Blue Moon roses

On Friday morning I met up with Wes, Lewis & Morse after I had been to gym. We had tea & toast outside The Food Gallery, where we were joined firstly by Trish Dunlop, who helped us train the boys when they were young; next by Shelley Sandow, who works at the Daylesford Vet, and had to apologise as she had no treats on her, and lastly by Jan Pengilley, who saw us sitting in the street, and stopped the car to spend time being licked & kissed. Jan was able to drink her coffee eventually! It was perfect for socialising & we all enjoyed the time out.

Yesterday, we were most unsuccessful with our trifectas on Derby Day, so it is back to Win & Place bets on Cup Day, with a box quinella & box trifecta on the Cup itself. In spite of terrible weather everywhere in Victoria, (but we are grateful for the 25mls of rain), over 80,000 attended Flemington’s best & most elegant day of racing. Men were sporting blue cornflowers, black & white are the colours of the day & Channel 10 did a wonderful job with its coverage. They focussed on the racecourse, the characters, the horses & the racegoers, with very little panel discussion.

The three-handled loving Cup that is the Melbourne Cup trophy

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 27th October 2019

We did enjoy breakfast last Sunday – there were only 6 of us & we were able to involve the whole table in our chats, rather than breaking into groups of two or three. We had all been shocked by the ABC exposė of what happens to many racehorses when they reach the end of their careers (or don’t have one at all). This cruelty isn’t restricted to horses, but the behaviour at abbatoirs did seem particularly barbaric.

Late morning we headed to Lyonville, about 12 minutes away from Daylesford by car for their Bake-Off Competition. Although we arrived an hour after goods had to be in situ, the judging was still going on & the little Lyonville hall was packed with anxious entrants wondering if their cakes or savouries would be judged highly. As we were leaving, we spotted Gail & Terry White, who were about to enter, and had a lovely catch up chat with them.

  

Lyonville Hall above & cakes & savouries 

Wes got cracking in the garden on Monday because it was so beautiful. When I arrived back from gym he already had two wheelbarrow loads of weeds that he proceeded to mulch into the back garden by mowing over them.

Lovely pink lilac from the front garden

It was time for me to plant our zucchini seedlings into one of the vegetable patches in the front. I grew these from seeds & am thrilled with the four plants that took & are healthy & happy.

That afternoon, I met up with Jan Pengilley at Wine & the Country to chat about her garage sale the previous weekend & thank her for the beautiful bamboo & ivory Mah Jong set she has given me. We had a wonderful time & were joined after an hour by Wes, who had a couple of glasses of local rosė instead of the bubbles we were enjoying.

Beautiful old Mah Jong set from Jan & all the tiles are there. Looking forward to playing a game or two with this very soon.

Wes had a very busy Tuesday – he took Barbara for a drive to Franklinford in the morning & had an interview with a local in the afternoon with a view to recording her life story as part of his Oral History project. I went for a mid-morning walk and spent most of my time looking after Lewis & Morse, who really miss Wes when he is out of sight.

I had hoped to play Mah Jong with Dot on Wednesday, but she had an unexpected visit from one of her daughters & grand-daughter, so missed out on the opportunity to use the special set. I went to Muffins & More anyway & had a big pot of Jasmine tea, while I did The Age crosswords.

Wes visited Leanne on Thursday as she needed help getting her cat, Smokey, to the vet for a check up. It was a very hot day, so Lewis & Morse & I stayed inside reading & sleeping – you can guess which of us did what!

We had hoped to meet up at 9am on Friday morning out The Food Gallery, but it was raining when I came out of early gym and Wes & the boys were there to pick me up, which was very thoughtful. Later we had lunch with Annie & her daughter, Fiona, at The Food Gallery, where 3 of us tucked into their very yummy seafood chowder, which is always on the menu.

It was lovely to wake to a cool morning yesterday. We were able to walk the boys before the rain came down & even drove to Leitches Creek to pump mineral water as I had drunk it all. The boys had their baths when we got back & enjoyed bones as their reward for behaving well. Wes & I felt like a quiet day watching the racing at Moonee Valley on Cox Plate Day. It was an exciting programme, but we didn’t manage to recoup our outlay. Plenty of winners & places, but only a couple of quinellas. We reminisced, as we usually do, about the many wonderful days we spent at Moonee Valley, both working there & later as members.

Most memorable Cox Plate – Jan McClean, Wes, Danny Millman & me

27^th October 1990

Daylesford Sunday Dispatch - Sunday, 20th October 2019

What a lovely start to the week with a visit from John & Jan Smith joining us for breakfast at The Food Gallery. Pasquale & Toni were thrilled to see them as well & we overstayed our usual departure time catching up with their news, talking about health, dogs, golf & trips. Aileen was there as well, which is always a plus.

Jan Pengilley had given us some of her husband’s books, so I spent the rest of the morning adding them to our Inventory & labelling them as gifts from her & Warren (AKA Secundus).

In the afternoon we took Lewis & Morse to Chaplin’s in Trentham for some socialising. It wasn’t a huge success – Mel wasn’t there & her staff were very keen to finish on the dot of 3pm. We sat in the wrong place & had our knuckles rapped, Wes’s mocha was a cappuccino & I could have stood a teaspoon up in my “very weak” tea. However, it is a lovely drive to Trentham, especially when you are not passing through on your way to Melbourne & we enjoyed the countryside.

Lewis & Morse with Wes on the veranda of Chaplin’s

I’ve been trying to walk around town each morning & am enjoying catching up with friends as I do. I try to have a little project for each walk – a gift to buy, serviettes from the $2 shop, buying or posting cards, and just enjoying the sunshine. Wes usually spends each morning in our garden & we are very lucky that he does, especially now as the lavender is looking splendid, our rhododendron is about to flower, the maples are coming into leaf & the roses are thick with foliage promising a bumper crop of flowers very soon. As well all the herbs are thriving since Lewis & Morse have been thwarted from getting to them & my zucchini seedlings are almost ready to plant.

Pear tree blossom and scarlet & purple pansies add to the colour in our garden

It’s been a big month for weddings - post Grand Final & beautiful Spring weather make for perfect timing.

Emily & Daniel Cook - Emily is the daughter of Becky & Adam Turner & the grand-daughter of Libby Edgoose & Tom Tyrrell.

Terry, Ben, Katrina & Victor Borg – we first met Terry & Victor in 1982, before Ben was born!

Rhonda & I caught up for lunch – something we both enjoy & don’t get to do enough. We went to Larder & I had their yummy Nourish Salad Bowl, which comprised beetroot, kale, almond & paprika hummus & sesame seeds among other ingredients.

Judi & I played Mah Jong again. Dot was seeing a specialist and didn’t get back from Kyneton in time to join us.

A highlight for me was seeing Downton Abbey at the Regent Cinema, Ballarat. I drove there early in heavy rain & discovered to my delight that the 9.45am session was in the Gold Class Cinema & that I was the only one there. I collected a large Jasmine tea from the café & proceeded to enjoy every minute of this sumptuous film. So many good actors – well-written & all the loose ends tied up. Like lots of us I am very sorry to say goodbye to this series.

We took Lewis & Morse to sit outside The Food Gallery on Friday morning & think we will make this a weekly event. I went to early gym & walked to the café to be met by Wes & the boys at 9am. We had hot drinks & raisin toast & the boys settled down more quickly than the last time we tried this.

Yesterday it was pouring rain as we started off for our walk, so we stayed in the car, drove to Hepburn Springs in case it was dry there (it was raining) & came back home to give them early breakfast. Wes decided against bathing them as it would be pointless. They would only get even dirtier playing in the mud. Instead, he headed off to the bakery & bought croissants for us, Rob & Dene & Barbara.

Two lovely tulips we picked before Morse got them

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 13th October 2019

We’ve enjoyed another social week – must be something to do with improved weather, although Tuesday’s wind was very cold indeed & everyone I saw was back into Winter coats & scarves, including me. There were 9 of us on at breakfast on Sunday morning, which made for some good conversations. We are being joined by John & Jan Smith today, which will be lovely as it is ages since we have seen them. Pasquale & Toni at The Food Gallery will be thrilled as well.

My blast from the past photo last week generated quite a few comments, especially as I had omitted to say where we were. That was because I didn’t know, but after some work by others & a look for more photos on that date, we discovered it was taken at Curly Joe’s, which was our home away from home in Sydney Road, Brunswick, for many years.

Here is a photo from Hoong Lau in 1998. From left – Malcolm Stevenson, Wes, Tom Tyrrell, Karen, Robyn Robinson (standing) Fraser Gibson, Karen Stevenson, Ian Robinson & Gayle Gibson

I had brunch with Jane Barrett at Harvest Café, which was a vast improvement on the last time I had been there, probably 2 years ago. We enjoyed yummy meals and my tea was Jasmine pearls, which is very special. Jane & her husband, John, are not long home from a very successful trip based around catching up with some of his classmates from 40 years ago in Manchester. He spent a day at the Test there as well, and they had time in Liverpool & Wales, before they headed to Paris & Normandy, returning home via Singapore. Jane puts up lovely photos on FB & it was good to hear her talk about the story behind them all.

I hope you enjoy Sally as much as I do – poor Charlie Brown, he doesn’t have a clue how to reply!

We had a small drama on Wednesday morning when we arrived back home from our early walk only to discover Lewis was no longer wearing his black collar. Wes went straight back to the carpark at Lake Daylesford but there was no sign of it. I was just about to ring Judi & ask her to keep an eye out when she & her friends walked around the Lake, but before I did, I went outside to look & found it at the bottom of the stairs. Lewis had obviously lost it sometime during the night & neither of us had noticed when we put the lead on to go walking! We were very relieved as replacing tags can be an expensive & inconvenient business.

Beautiful daphne from our own small bush courtesy of Nick Massaro

Dot couldn’t join Judi & me for Mah Jong this week. However, Judi did really well & she now has 8 different games at her fingertips. She even changed hands mid-stream & won, which I am sure gave her heaps of confidence. We are so lucky to be able to sit & play at Muffins & More on a Wednesday morning for the price of a pot of tea & a muffin.

I also spent some time with my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore, while Wes looked after Lewis & Morse, which is always a challenge on your own. They keep looking for whoever is missing. I came home with a pumpkin quiche from Gusto, a yummy bakery in Napier Street, Strathmore. By the time Wes was serving it for dinner, I was in bed, exhausted. This hasn’t happened for some time, I am pleased to say, and after a good night’s sleep, I was back on top of things.

Gail White & I caught up for a late breakfast at The Food Gallery as well. We first met many moons ago when her husband, Terry, was still in Sydney, at Aperitifs in Porcupine Ridge. I invited her to join the Breakfast Group, which was meeting at the Black Cauldron at that time. She came & enjoyed it enough to continue getting up early & joining us all.

Beautiful painting of Spring Flowers in his backyard by Brian Nash

Wes, Brian Nash, Jeff Bain, Danny Moynihan & Jan Pengilley had fun at a Boys’ Afternoon at David Hall’s place, where they saw the 1949 version of The Third Man, starring Joseph Cotton, Orson Welles & Trevor Howard. Jan was an honorary bloke for the afternoon (representing her dear husband, Warren AKA Secundus, who died last December), and had well & truly gone home when I arrived to pick up Wes & Brian, who were very chirpy after nearly 5 hours together.

  

We had another not entirely successful day of punting on the Caulfield Guineas yesterday. We were looking for quinellas & kept getting first & third or second & nothing. However, we picked up a win with the last race, which means we were only down $10 for the day & have funds for the Caulfield Cup!

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 6th October 2019

This morning it was quite a shock to wake to dark again when we rose at 5.50am. It won’t be long before the days get longer & we will be complaining of too much daylight. Our week started with a lovely breakfast at The Food Gallery, where David & Sandy were last-minute acceptances joining us, Barbara & Janine. Nearly everyone chose something different to eat & we felt obliged to leave before 10am as there were queues out the door. Good for business, not so good for locals enjoying a lazy meal together.

Wes spent the afternoon at Franklinford with Peter O’Mara, while I had a quiet one reading the weekend papers, doing the crosswords & watching the Australian women win a T20 against Sri Lanka in fine style at the beautiful North Sydney oval.

We’ve had the sort of weather this week that makes you get out into the garden. I have finally planted some seedlings in the planter boxes – basil, two kinds of parsley & basil mint, as well as zucchini seeds in the hope I can produce some baby plants. We have herbs in the pots above the boxes – lemon savoury, two kinds of chives, marjoram, sage, lemon thyme, marjoram & French tarragon.

Wes has been repairing damage to beds caused by excited Labradors playing chasey, as well as planting pennyroyal & seaside daisies. All the rosebushes are in full leaf & we still have the occasional daffodil & hyacinth – not sure where the tulips went this year or perhaps, they are yet to appear. The lavender is out, the rosemary is flourishing, camellias are at their prettiest & one of our lemon trees is finally budding!

We had planned to walk the Wombat Trail on Tuesday morning as the weather seemed perfect. Lewis & Morse were very happy to have breakfast at 6am & stood around watching our every move, waiting to see what would happen next. We drove to Trentham & started the walk at 7.30am, finishing 90 minutes & 8.5km later. After giving the boys an apple and a big drink of water, we headed for Chaplin’s, where we sat on the veranda & enjoyed mushrooms on toast with feta to accompany our hot drinks.

Top - Karen with Lewis & Morse in the old Trentham racecourse & below - Lewis & Morse at Chaplin's

We were delighted to see our old friend, Bob White, turn up while we were sitting there and met three of his friends as well. Chaplin’s was busy as usual with Melanie greeting everyone by name, smiling as she remembers what you like to drink, which makes you feel so very welcome.

On Wednesday morning, we were pleased to see our friend, Barry the fisherman, back in position after 5 weeks in Thailand, where he had to solve problems on two projects. He was looking well but feeling the cold. We had hoped Lewis & Morse would be weary after their long walk the day before, but youth is on their side & they were frisky & excited despite the early frost.

Judi & I played Mah Jong & she now has 6 different hands at her disposal, which is fantastic. She is learning very quickly & it won’t be long before it suddenly all makes sense. Dot was unable to come & we did miss her. Wes helped Barbara with a big shop at Coles Supermarket, which was no doubt a social time for them both.

Nick Massaro had mentioned while he was giving me a massage that he was looking for a fridge to store his honeycomb as he now has 4 beehives & his little drinks fridge wasn’t adequate. Wes & I were delighted to be able to help with our spare fridge, which is a good Fisher & Paykel, that we found handy when we were hosting Christmas mornings & Aperitifs. Now that we don’t do those things, the fridge has only been in use to hold tulip bulbs. Nick & Warren were able to get the fridge onto Nick’s trailer on Friday morning while I occupied Lewis & Morse by involving them in a Skype phone call with Leanne.

Wes with his very attentive sous-chefs learning how to make fish pie!

Wes had spent Thursday with Leanne & helped her with some jobs she can’t manage. Meanwhile I visited my doctor, Greg Stewart, where I discovered that I have strained a ligament in my foot & am taking anti-inflammatories in the hope that helps with the discomfort. Afterwards I had a lovely lunch with Di Lyttleton. Whenever we see each other, we always have so much to talk about & had promised we would meet for lunch & we finally did. We chose Larder and it was a good choice, as the café has an excellent front-of-house manager, who makes sure everyone is happy. We both had the Nourish Bowl to eat – a beautiful quinoa-based salad that was even yummier than I remembered.

After gym on Friday morning, I came home to washing & ironing, crosswords, phone calls & resting after a busy week. Wes got lots done in the garden, both with & without help. As well, I oiled our 40 years old wooden ladder & had to put it in the bathroom to dry as Morse was very attracted to the O’Cedar. Michael Ivanchenko had kindly made a new top step for it & I was keen to protect the wood from marks & spills. It’s come up a treat!

Our foray into the Spring Racing Carnival yesterday was a total failure. We were both very happy to watch the race at Flemington & Randwick, with the 1^st Women’s ODI against Sri Lanka at the beautiful Allan Border oval in Brisbane. We’ll hope for better luck next week.

A blast from the past – June 1999

L-R: Wes, Brendan, Lib, Karen, Malcolm, Karen (AKA Lovely) & Tom

The boys are pacing anxiously as I write this, begging me to finish so we can go to the Sunday Market, where Cory will have prepared cabbage for them to eat & Geoff will have a treat ready for them as well. We’re in no hurry to leave as we expect things to be running behind this morning with the start of Daylight Saving.

We’ve got our fingers & toes crossed for Ash Barty in the final of the China Open after she snuck in last night in the 3-set thriller. We are missing the footy & watching AFL 360 each night, but there is plenty happening with player movement between clubs & the Men’s cricket will be starting soon. 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 29th September 2019

Last Sunday we were pleased to see Sandy & David back at breakfast full of stories from their recent trip back to Penang, where they lived & worked for a year in 1996. They were both looking well & happy to be home, especially their property at Porcupine Ridge. Rhonda joined us for a coffee, and we enjoyed catching up with her as well.

I was quite tired from failing in my quest to get the Pies into the Grand Final, so spent the rest of the day watching VFL footy – first the Collingwood women, who beat the Bulldogs to claim their first Premiership and then the Richmond team, which were too good for Williamstown in a very close game.

In between we had a decadent & delightful afternoon tea with Rob & Dene, our neighbours, and heard some of their stories from their recent trip to Bordeaux, Spain & Portugal. By the time I had fed Lewis & Morse at 5.30pm, I was more than ready for bed & benefitted from the early night.

It had been raining when we woke on Monday morning, so I let Wes do the walking & headed off early to gym via Leitches Creek, where I pumped mineral water. Barry gave me a new programme at gym, so I have been sore in different spots this week. Wes managed to get some weeding & mowing done out the front before the rain settled in again.

Thank you flowers from Annie to us for walking Maisie for her

School holidays are a wonderful time to be driving to Melbourne, so I visited Leanne on Tuesday & had a delightful drive there & back for a change. We had a good visit & kicked a few goals. Wes had hurt his back weeding, so he had a quiet day sitting, reading & dog cuddling. We had smoked cod, oven-baked Dutch Cream potato slices covered in paprika & peas for dinner – what a treat!

On Wednesday, while Wes spent time helping Barbara, I met up with both Dot & Judi for Mah Jong at Muffins & More, which was as full as I have ever seen it – school holidays meant lots of mothers & children indulging in treats (scones, jam & cream, spiders, waffles & muffins) & all talking at the tops of their voices. We all won at least one game & enjoyed our time together.

We had been invited to morning tea on Thursday by Jan Pengilley & arrived to find her dying to tell us her story of preparing for our visit. She has recently had surgery & we had offered to bring something to eat, but she was determined to provide. Jan had prepared the perfect pikelet mixture until the moment when she broke an egg into the batter only to discover it was bad. She didn’t have enough milk to make another batch, so we had to make do with fruit cake & Venetian biscuits – both very acceptable if not quite as decadent as pikelets with jam & cream.

I was starting to get excited about the Grand Final by Friday, and spent the day doing the usual weekend chores of washing, ironing & cleaning. We took the boys out to Larder for a cuppa. Because of school holidays, everywhere was busy, but we found a spot out the back & Lewis & Morse enjoyed the experience.

Yesterday morning we started with breakfast at The Food Gallery before Wes drove me to Woodend Station to catch the train to the MCG. I was delighted to see old friend, Lyndal Jenkin, and her daughter, Brontë, in the waiting room. Lyndal is a Carlton supporter, but Brontë barracks for Richmond & aged 11, was off to her second Grand Final in three years. We enjoyed catching up as Lyndal currently lives & teaches in Birchip & I do miss her in my life. We play Scrabble on our phones & keep in touch that way, but it’s not the same as face to face.

I had a great seat at the ground, on the wing & only 14 rows back from the fence. There was an air of excitement everywhere & plenty of Greater Western Sydney supporters, both real & for the day. I think most of us expected them to play the aggressive, never-say-die footy that they brought last Saturday to defeat Collingwood, but sadly they seemed to have left that back at home & succumbed to Richmond’s phenomenal team game with barely a whimper. It was one of the most complete team performances I have ever seen, although Wes tells me it wasn’t very exciting to watch on TV. Because I was close I could really appreciate the effort that every single Richmond player made.

On the way home I found myself on the same train as Lyndal & Brontë, and Lyndal kindly offered to drive me from the station, which saved Wes & the boys another trip to Woodend & back.

It’s a cool morning here in Daylesford and we are about to head off to the Sunday Market, before breakfast back at The Food Gallery. It is hard to believe the footy season is over & we’ve got 4 months to wait until the women start playing again. In the meantime, we’ll have the Spring Racing Carnival & Cricket season to occupy us.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd September 2019

What an exciting week it has been. Firstly the Poms won the 5^th & final Test at The Oval to stop Australia from winning the Series, but we do bring home The Ashes and lots of us no longer are bleary-eyed in the mornings from staying up too late watching just one more over!

Beautiful daffodils everywhere this year – we must have 300 bulbs planted by now

Sunday breakfast was fun with Glen keen to hear about Judi’s trip as she had missed the previous breakfast, and Wes & I sharing the story of our unexpected & intrusive visitors of the previous Friday morning.

Wes has been able to get quite a lot done in the garden – always with help, whether he wants it or not. There has been rather a lot of sunshine after some icy cold mornings (caused by wind, rather than rain) and as I sit writing this, I can see Lake Daylesford sparkling in the distance.

Before walking Maisie on Monday, I had a cuppa with Annie at The Food Gallery, where we said hello to some other friends, and updated each other on our past week’s activities. The secondary schools are now on holidays so everywhere is a little busier than usual, which I particularly noticed when I took Maisie to the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens.

That afternoon Wes & I headed to Bi-Rite to buy him a new computer. His desktop had died & he had transferred everything to our laptop only to discover it didn’t have enough capacity or grunt to be workable. Tim was unable to help us as no computers or laptops that we liked the sound of were available until late October! So, we drove to Officeworks in Ballarat where the young friendly staff member found the very last HP 24” All in One computer, just like mine that we had bought from Tim 6 months ago. We grabbed it with glee & brought it home.

Wes spent most of Tuesday setting it up and downloading Office 365, Norton & Family Tree-maker as priorities. He is very pleased with the slimline, easy to use keyboard & very clear screen, as well as being back on Windows 10. During a break in downloading, we took Lewis & Morse for morning tea and sat outside The Food Gallery. This gave them a chance to greet George & Max & totally monster Judi, who was heading inside for a cuppa after Strong class with her fellow participants.

Lewis & Morse with their eyes on our raisin toast & jam!

We are loving being able to listen to ABC Classic on TV. Last Monday we heard on the radio that it was available on Channel 27. I couldn’t find that but on Radioline, at the very end of all the radio station apps, I discovered it and the sound is sublime coming from our smart TV’s speakers.

Judi & I played Mah Jong on Wednesday morning at Muffins & More, while Wes attended his Reconciliation Advisory Group, where he was disappointed to discover that the resolutions from the previous meeting hadn’t been put to Council yet.

Lovely photo of Maisie, the Irish Water Spaniel, on a walk with Wes around Twin Bridges

While Barbara’s car was being serviced on Thursday morning, Wes drove her to Trentham for breakfast at Chaplin’s, only to discover that both cooks had taken the day off & soup & toast was the order of the day. Meanwhile I went shopping at Coles, Tonna’s & the pharmacy & met up with lots of local friends during my time. It was one of those days where it feels good to be alive & everyone was out enjoying the sunshine.

By Friday, I was starting to get anxious about the footy yesterday. It was a warm but windy day, and after gym, I did all the weekend washing & ironing, as well as cleaning bathrooms & the kitchen to help settle my nerves. That night we sat down to watch the Richmond vs Geelong Preliminary Final and just as the game was about to start, we realised Morse was missing. He had somehow leapt the fence between our place & Glen next door & was sitting in her back yard looking confused & lost in the dark. Wes went in & retrieved him & spent some time yesterday morning adding extra wire to the height of the fence where it was at its easiest to vault!

Couldn’t resist this cartoon doing the rounds of Facebook

Wes & the boys drove me to Woodend Station so I could get an early train to Southern Cross & arrive at the MCG before 1.45pm when the gates opened for the Collingwood vs GWS Preliminary Final being played at 4.35pm. I was lucky enough to get a seat in my usual bay in the Balcony on the 2^nd level. Almost 78,000 fans turned up on a rainy afternoon to see Greater Western Sydney outplay the Magpies & make their way to their first Grand Final against Richmond next Saturday afternoon. The Giants really deserved to win, although we played very well in the last quarter & nearly stole a victory in the last minutes.

Thank you to all my many friends who sent supportive messages before, during & after the game. I particularly appreciated the virtual hugs I received afterwards. Wes & the boys were waiting at Ballan Station at 9.20pm when the special football train arrived there, which was lovely.

This morning I missed out on the early morning walk in the mist as I really didn’t have the energy. Wes has reminded me that the specialist who diagnosed my chronic fatigue explained that my body no longer produces enough adrenalin to get me through the day, which is why I spend most afternoons resting & why I need to take things easily after a day like yesterday. Apart from the Sunday Market followed by breakfast, our only activity today is afternoon tea with our neighbours, Rob & Dene, catching up on their recent wonderful trip.