Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 28th November 2021

 

Snoopy being brutally honest!

We started our week with a memorable lunch with old friend, Bob White, at Blackwood Ridge Nursery & Café. It was lovely to be there again & spend time together over a stunning meal. As we left, we couldn't resist buying a gorgeous purple clematis, after seeing how well they have grown next door at Glen's place. 

Wes, Karen & Bob in the Garden Room

It's been a big week for Zooming - Mike & Linda Kirby in Hope Island; Jeff Hoolihan in Lincolnshire; Leanne in Strathmore twice; Terry Borg in Burwood, and Karen Stevenson in her new home in Port Melbourne. As well, Wes has been in touch with Barbara Simpson in New Zealand twice; had a good chat with his Overseas Friends, and watched a poetry book launch in India. 

School on Monday was quite dramatic - we had decided to look at all the other options available on Google, just in case there was something we didn't know about & might love as much as Keep. There wasn't, but we realised we were frustrated by Google Travel, which is great at putting your trip details into your Calendar, but which doesn't allow you to share a trip until it is completed! This is most annoying as we each book items on our own desktops & we would like to be able to share this information. We decided to see what our old friend, Steve Dotto, thought & he told us he prefers to use Tripit, which allows you to fully share, as well as permitting viewers, who can't make any changes. This is most useful for when we need to let neighbours or family know when & where we will be away. So we took the plunge & are hopeful that it will be a useful tool. 

The other drama in the week was the arrival of Lewis & Morse in our bedroom at 4.30am one morning. We had forgotten to slide over the heavy glass door onto the decking & it is obvious that Lewis tries to open the doors when he wakes up & this time he was successful, as the flywire screen is a doddle. Needless to say they were escorted, singing & dancing, out of our room & back to their own bedroom until 5.25am, which is the offical getting up time. 

Lewis & Morse paying attention for a change

We've had enough rain for the roses to be looking stunning again. Wes worked hard pruning & feeding them & all that TLC is bearing fruit as we are able to pick enough for a couple of vases ourselves & another for Dene each week, as well as a few when we visit Leanne. 

The Hepburn Shire Council has made a couple of disappointing decisions this week - firstly to abandon all plans to finish the renovation of The Rex, which was to house Council officers, the Library, the Information Centre & the Cinema. The second was to discontinue aged care & disability care services. Both these decisions are upsetting and mystifying. Why does the Council exist if not for the welfare of its residents?

Yesterday was a very special day - we had been invited to the family lunch celebration of Joyce & Manny Spiteri's 50th Wedding Anniversary at an Italian restaurant in Coburg. We were so thrilled to be there, catching up with Joyce & Manny & their kids - Mark, Shane, Matthew & Jessica - their partners - Grace, Melinda, Sara & Geoff & the eight grandkids, three of which we had only seen in photos. We first met Joyce at the start of 1973, when she was working in the Productivity Promotion Council (which was part of the Dept of Labour) & we've been good friends ever since - being made welcome at all their family celebrations. Joyce was the first person we employed when we opened our Insurance Broking business.

Joyce & Manny cutting their cake

This morning, after the Sunday Market, we are meeting another pair of old friends, Kathy & Gerard Lazzaro, for brunch at the Convent Gallery. They rang to see if we were free for a visit & we were delighted to say yes. I first met Kathy in September 1972 & she & Ged have also involved us in their family, even allowing me to take their first-born, David, to the footy from the age of 4 (to barrack for Collingwood of course).

Finally, we were amazed to receive a very generous parcel from Rosanna & David during this week. Rosanna worked for us at Maloney Insurance Brokers, even though she wasn't a mother of four - like Joyce & Karen Stevenson. A highlight in the parcel was a pair of Christmas pillowslips for Lewis & Morse - they were thrilled to have something other than hand-me-downs 🤣🤣

 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 21st November 2021

We started our week with a visit to Leanne after the Sunday Market and had such a good run there & back, we decided Sundays could be the best day for visiting. The three of us achieved quite a bit, especially as there hadn't been anyone from NDIS for 10 days. 

On Monday, we both had medical appointments in different parts of Ballarat at different times of the morning, so abandoned any thoughts of School and set off - me at 9.15am & Wes about an hour later. I had to have a bone density scan in Howitt Street & was lucky enough to get a park outside. Wes had an ECG in one of the many offshoots of St John of God Hospital. He managed a haircut on the way at the $10 barber & came home about 90 minutes after me. Lewis & Morse were pleased to see me arrive home, but that was nothing to the reception he received 🤣🤣.

It's been a quiet week for Zoom chats - I spoke with Leanne twice as well as Kathy; and Wes had his usual catch ups with Barbara, who bought him a Lotto ticket as New Zealand lost the T20 World Cup Final. What a win that was - the Kiwis must have been very confident after Kane Williamson's stunning innings, but David Warner & Mitch Marsh in particular had other ideas and won with 7 balls to spare. 

On Tuesday, Wes spent time with Gillie Gough, while I had a catch up with Nick Massaro, who retired from massaging a year ago. I do miss him & our monthly chat & it was good to see him looking so well & happy & busy in retirement. We went to Muffins & More, where we were warmly greeted & Kelly thought she had missed a day and that I was there for Mah Jong.

Wednesday was Wes's birthday - I had organised a box of Charles Melton Rose of Virginia rosé - his favourite tipple & it arrived the day before, which was perfect. Lewis & Morse gave him a bottle of Edradour whisky, another favourite, and we celebrated with high tea at the Convent Gallery in company with his great-nephew, Kyahl, and his wife, Lauren. Kyahl is a director of short films, as well as an stage actor/singer & Lauren organises Speakers and Conferences for Melb Uni on Sex Discrimination and Equal Opportunity. Here is a link to one of Kyahl's recent short films, called Ripples - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7vaBJzbgvM

Loz, Kyahl, Wes & Karen upstairs at the Convent Gallery

On Thursday we settled back to normal life - Wes washed both cars after tackling the frog pond in the front garden. I had a good chat with Kathy Lazzaro and headed into town for a few chores afterwards. 

The rest of the week was similar - the garden got much of our attention, and once everywhere was mowed, it all looked good. There were enough roses for us & Dene next door, now that the weather is getting warmer. 

Yesterday we overdosed on WBBL cricket - the last weekend before the finals, and had a unsuccessful mystery trifecta on the Ballarat Cup, the last official day of the Victorian Spring Racing Carnival. You can see the interest from Morse & Lewis below.

Today we are off to the Sunday Market on a cold, but sunny morning. Later we are driving to Trentham to pick up Bob White & the three of us are having lunch at Blackwood Ridge Garden Room Restaurant, where Wes & I celebrated our Anniversary back in June, just after the terrible storms. We are thrilled to be returning to this exciting boutique set menu dining room in the middle of nowhere!

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 14th November, 2021

 

Our week started well with a walk around Lake Daylesford followed by the Sunday Market, where we purchased lots of fruit & vegetables, eggs, huge dog bones & chilli olives. Afterwards we met Judi & Janine for breakfast at Koukla, where we wrestled with the QR code menu & enjoyed each other's company, if not the meals & drinks. We decided when we got back home that it would be best to put the Breakfast Group into hibernation until after Christmas when we might once again be able to go to the Woodshed Cafe. It may be that after 16 years the weekly breakfast has outlived its usefulness & it might be time to look at different ways of catching up - even just monthly. 

On Monday's School, we watched a lecture from the Wheeler Centre on the Australian poet, Judith Wright. The lecture was given by another Australian poet, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, who we both first met at Melbourne Uni. He read her poems beautifully & gave us an insight into the influences that drove her work. 

Wes got stuck into the garden for much of the week - bulk weeding, mowing, trimming & admiring. We picked our first little bunch of roses & I was able to give our neighbour, Dene, a small bouquet as well. Meanwhile, I fed all the vegetables & herbs, staked the tomatoes & removed the snails wherever I found them. 

We've been busy with Zoom chats again this week - Wes spoke with Barbara twice; enjoyed a long discussion with the Jackson 8, and had a good catch up with his cousins; as well I chatted twice with Leanne as well as Jeff in Lincolnshire, Jan in Maleny and Kathy & Karen in Melbourne. I just love this way of staying in touch - so much more personal than a phone call. 

Our neighbour, Glen Tandberg, invited us in to her backyward to celebrate the safe arrival of Marlowe. Dene was in Melbourne, but Rob was able to join in and we had a wonderful time drinking Peter Rumball Sparkling Shiraz, nibbling on cheese & bikkies, and chatting. It was a lovely normal thing to do. As we left, we were shown around her new kitchen, which is a beautiful renovation of a very basic, old, neglected space.

On 11th November, our local Federal MP, Catherine King, had asked us to lay a wreath on her behalf at Daylesford Cenotaph. This is a very low-key ceremony compared to ANZAC Day, when there is a march & many more wreaths. We did have a lone piper and young girls from the two state schools sang Advance Australia Fair when the soloist didn't turn up.                                                                      

                                        

Cr Jen Bray & Mayor, Lesley Hewitt laying a wreath outside the Daylesford Cenotaph, &

me wearing a knitted poppy with one of Fraser Gibson's Army coat buttons in the middle

As well, I have fitted in a manicure with Juls and a fringe trim with Lyndal - both appointments occured in their homes, where each has a dedicated studio. Juls starts talking the minute you enter & doesn't stop until she is walking you out the door so she can help you with your seatbelt. Lyndal has already put in a big morning before I see her at 9.30am, as she cares for & races trotters with her father, Glenn. They feed, groom, and walk the horses each morning & she finds it much easier to be ready for her first client now that she doesn't have to travel into her former salon in Howe Street. 

The other big excitement this week was the arrival of two boxes of Google pixel buds. As a Telstra Plus customer, I had enough points to redeem these upmarket items & we have had fun connecting them to our phones, computers & TVs. Wes is finding them a big help when he is Zooming with a few people - the sound is clearer as it comes straight into his ears. He can also listen to stuff on Spotify while I am writing this for example, & don't want to be distracted. We haven't quite mastered the art 100%, but we are learning and enjoying the experience!

During a particularly wet afternoon, I watched a delightful 90 minute film, recommended by Karen Stevenson, called This Beautiful Fantastic. Not a blokes' film by any means, but a quirky fun story, starring Tom Wilkinson among others. It's on SBS On Demand, (under Comedy) & available until 28th November if you are interested. 

We're off to visit Leanne again this morning after the Sunday Market. It will be lovely to see her again after only a fortnight. Among other things, we'll probably have a chat about Australia's chances against New Zealand in tonight's T20 World Cup Final. The 1am starting time makes it a bit hard to watch - we'll have to wake up to the news tomorrow.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday 7th November 2021

We had a wonderful trip to Strathmore last Sunday morning to visit Leanne. After the Sunday Market, we came home, put everything away, gave the boys huge marrow bones & set off in Pearl, with fingers & toes crossed. We were in luck, there wasn't too much traffic either way & we only saw three hoon drivers & they were all in Strathmore! I had found the first 5 roses to pick & we went down bearing gifts, only to receive even more. Leanne was excited & had baked a carrot cake in our honour. Wes took her car for a spin & filled it up with petrol, thinking to get it washed as well, but the carwash broke down just as he started & was going to be out of action for some hours. Glen very kindly kept an ear & eye out for Lewis & Morse & they were waiting on the dog decking when we returned. 

A lovely photo of arms & legs akimbo for those who like the challenge of finding whose limbs are where!

We decided to walk around the Botanic Gardens on Monday morning for a change, especially as I hadn't seen them for some weeks & they are looking so beautiful with irises, rhodadendrons & azaleas in profusion. Wes took this great photo as we got back to the car. 

On Tuesday we decided to keep with our 4-horse quinellas & were lucky enough to have 4 collects, including the Melbourne Cup, where the stunning Verry Elleegant was too good for the raging favourite, Incentivise, & won by 4 lengths. We had that quinella, but even if we hadn't we would have been just as thrilled as she is such a classy horse. 

Dot, Judi & I finally met again for Mah Jong on Wednesday & were pleased to see Muffins & More doing a roaring trade, mostly with locals, although there were some visitors. Kelly met them at the door & made sure they had checked in & were double vaccinated. We had a fun time, even though we were a bit rusty after all these weeks. 

After 40mls of rain in less than 24 hours, we were glad to wake to a dry, but windy morning on Thursday. After chatting with Kathy & Karen, I headed into town with a list of chores, all of which I achieved. Everyone I spoke to had been busy on the long weekend, but were expecting to be even busier this weekend. Wes & I continued with our 4-horse quinellas on Oaks Day. We were successful with two and thoroughly enjoyed another wonderful day of racing. 

While I was sitting at my desk on Friday, this kookaburra perched on Fawlty Towers for about 30 minutes

Wes was keen to get lots of weeding done after 40mls of rain & everywhere out the front is looking so much better for his work. I planted some basil around the tomatoes & we continued to pick bush peas from our four plants that are so prolific. Lewis & Morse turned 3 on Friday, so we gave them dog biscuits covered in Vegemite & sang Happy Birthday with Leanne on Zoom participating. She couldn't sing for laughing! 

I think all of Australia rejoiced when we woke on Wednesday to the news that 6-year old Cleo had been found safe & sound in Carnarvon. After 19 days, we were all sure that she was dead & this news was wonderful. Even the Western Australian Premier, Mark McGowan, was photographed visiting her at home when she was released from hospital. He gave her two teddies, named Cameron & Rod after the policemen that found her, but she wasn't impressed with those names!

Yesterday was busy early with a lovely walk around Lake Daylesford followed by overdue baths for Lewis & Morse. We picked our horses for the final meeting (Stakes Day) of the Flemington Carnival & watched in amazement as we got the first three quinellas & were in the black early. It was another great day of racing & we've enjoyed being able to watch it and think about all the Carnivals we were lucky enough to see in person.

After the Sunday Market, we're off to Koukla to catch up with Judi & Janine - our first Breakfast Group meeting for quite some time. Most of the regulars are spending time with their family either here or interstate, now that we can finally travel again. 

Our neighbour, Glen, meeting her latest grand-daughter, Marlowe, for the first time yesterday

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 31st October 2021

 

Not too many people stand up to Shroeder

We started our week at the Daylesford Sunday Market, as usual, followed by a trip to Trentham for a bag of Bernie's Dutch Cream Potatoes, which are sold by the side of the road. I've never gotten tired of buying things like this - it really feels as though you are supporting the grower & the produce couldn't be fresher. 

On Monday, we discussed Christmas as our School - we need to think about our letter, make sure we have up to date addresses & emails & plan our lunch with Leanne. We were amazed looking back over the year at all that has happened, even though we have been in lockdown for so much of it. 

Not sure who is the more comfy - Lewis with his legs splayed or Morse with one of his in Lewis's ear

The next morning after lovely long chats with my aunt, Jeff, in Torksey Lock, Lincolnshire, and Leanne in Strathmore, I headed off to Muffins & More for a catch up with Judi. We spent a very pleasant hour chatting over tea & toasties & made a date with the owner, Kelly, to resume Mah Jong this coming Wednesday morning. 

When I arrived back home, Wes had organised for us to watch a Scottish film called Sunset Song, which was made (with the help of Luxembourg) in 2015. It is quite long - 2.25 hours, but rivetting. It was a book, which was made into a play & now a film set at the start of the Great War and dealing with the hardships endured by a young daughter of a farmer. It is available on SBS On Demand if you are interested.That afternoon I spent at EKO, having a long overdue facial & foot massage with Emma. 

On Wednesday Sandra cleaned, so Wes spent the morning in the garden - weeding, trimming & mowing. He found a rose that had flowered & another iris, as well as our carnations, Banksia rose (that now covers an arbour) and seaside daisies. The poppies are about to open & in the front, our bush peas are thriving. Meanwhile, I did deliveries, picked up 8 tomato plants at Spring Park Nursery, which has endless wonderful varieties, pumped water at Leitches Creek & arrived home in time to get changed for lunch at Larder with Gillie. 

That was an interesting experience - haven't eaten there in a long time & I knew none of the staff, so had to produce my licence to show that I am a local. Gillie & I had nearly 90 minutes together in peace & quiet as density numbers still applied. I made the mistake of ordering scrambled eggs on crumpets (yummy, but filling) & wasn't really able to eat dinner that night. Wes cancelled the tuna steaks & we played around with cheeses, bread & butter cucumbers & steamed asparagus spears. 

On Thursday, after Wes had an excellent Zoom on China with the Jackson 8 & I'd had an equally enjoyable chat with Kathy & Karen, we headed off to the Convent Gallery for brunch. We had booked the table in the window, which gives us a view of the gardens & were warmly greeted by Marija, who is front of house & Beck, who is an excellent & caring member of staff. Our breakfasts were beautiful & we enjoyed spending time together in a peaceful & quiet environment. 

Wes took this photo as the sun came through the window

We woke at 5.10am on Friday as Lewis & Morse joyously found their way into our bedroom. We had experienced wild storms & strong winds & somehow Lewis had managed to slide open the heavy glass door that separates our decking from the kitchen. There didn't seem any point going back to sleep, so we got up, fed them their breakfast & rescued our copy of the Age, with a view to tea & toast & an early read. Suddenly at 5.30 the house was plunged into darkness, and we realised very quickly this wasn't just our house, but all of Daylesford. Later we discovered it was a lot of Victoria. Powercor sent us a message saying we should have power again by 2pm, then 3pm & finally by 8pm. 

We got dressed warmly, lit the fire and cuddled the boys for much of the morning. Neighbour, Glen, provided us with a thermos of hot water & offered us a portable gas stove, but we decided the barbecue would be enough to make dinner if the power still wasn't on. At lunchtime, we had a brandy & dry, a glass of red wine & a cheese platter to revive us. I must confess to turning on the ceiling fans a couple of times in the afternoon to get rid of smoke from the fire & being quite perplexed that they weren't working 🤣

The power came on unexpectedly just after 4pm, when Wes had recharged our mobiles by sitting in the car with the engine running & the boys sleeping in the back. We checked that our computers & TVs were still working OK & around 6pm Wes started cooking our dinner (remember the 5.10am start). The power suddenly went off again, but came back before 8pm & dinner was rescued. Needless to say we were in bed straight after we had eaten. 

Yesterday morning, Wes had suggested we have a trial run eating breakfast at Koukla, where the Breakfast Group is meeting next Sunday. We are so pleased we did, as there were a few things to learn. We wanted to sit outside, so checked in & went looking for menus, which are accessed by the QR Codes on each table. We duly found the menu, ordered & then waited. My tea only arrived after three requests for it - the staff were friendly, but not as helpful as they could have been. Fingers crossed it works better next Sunday - at least we are prepared for these issues. 

Me again, sitting outside, masked & sorting out how to get to the Koukla menu

We spent the rest of the day backing horses, gardening & catching up on computer stuff that we couldn't do the day before. I planted all our tomatoes (10 in total - 6 different varieties) & some more chillis, while Wes filled up our green bin with weeds from the front garden. Derby Day is always a very special day on the racing calendar & we remembered many happy times we spent at Flemington with friends over the years. We decided to box four horses in a quinella in each race & were lucky enough to win in 4 out of the 9 races. We now have a nice little nest egg to spend on the Melbourne Cup races this Tuesday. 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 24th October 2021

This is rather topical with the UK recently taking the very backward step of abandoning their move to metrics - when I worked at the Australian Standards Association in the early 70s, the Poms were way ahead of us with Metric Standards in print

We started our week with our usual visit to the Sunday Market, where we caught up with a few friends, parted with $60 & came home with 4 bags & 1 basket filled with fresh fruit & vegetables & home-made yo-yos for afternoon tea. The boys love the visit & happily sit in the car watching the passing parade after they have seen Yvonne & eaten their shredded cabbage.

On Monday I finally was able to join my three boys on the early morning walk & we were all thrilled. It wasn't too cold, there was no wind & we didn't see another soul, just the latest brood of ducklings being ushered away from us. School was looking at playwrights and we started with the incomparable Alan Bennett & one of his 1978 offerings Doris & Doreen starring Prunella Scales & Patricia Routledge with a cameo by Peter Postlethwaite. This 80 minute film is available on You Tube & we highly recommend it, especially if you have ever worked for the public service or similar large organisations. 

We both got into the garden after that & planted our zucchinis, some cucumbers & some chillis. I also put a couple of tomatoes in pots away from the frosts to see if they will work outside our bedroom window, like last year. Wes weeded, mowed & staked & we can't wait for the roses to bloom, especially as we have only one tulip & one iris so far. 

Above - zucchinis planted in bottomless pots to protect them from snails & slugs & below, Wes's favourite azalea doing its thing in the front garden next to the pond

On Tuesday, I spoke with Leanne & then Terry Borg, both of whom were pleased with the easing of Greater Melbourne restrictions which came into effect on Friday. Lewis & Morse were keen to say hello to both of them - getting a reward of a treat at the end is more than enough incentive! Afterwards, we watched the film The Broken Shore, based on a book by Peter Temple & featuring a who's who of Australian actors. We both really enjoyed it & thought it was provocative on a number of levels. 

We were able to spend time in the garden most days this week & so were most people in Daylesford I suspect. Wednesday was a perfect day & gardeners everywhere were mowing, clipping, weeding & cleaning up. Judi had given Wes a bag of baby hellebores and he found a number of shady spots just perfect for them. 

I'm rather thrilled with this photo which is true to the colours we saw when we walked around Lake Daylesford early on Thursday 

After I had a good Zoom chat with Kathy Lazzaro & she told me about the wonderful red sky in Burwood, Wes & I went to the local Mitre 10, to buy a replacement drill. He used to have a drill, but loaned it out & can't remember when or to whom, so we needed to replace it as there are a few jobs around the place that need it. We were lucky to get Tim to serve us & ended up with the perfect drill, some new kneepads & a couple of planter pots to replace those that have turned into toys for Lewis & Morse! Speaking of which, here's this week's lovely snap. 

 Sorry, this photo is no challenge - most feet & tails are visible!

On Friday, we were advised that the Foxtel technician we had been waiting 10 weeks for would be arriving between 8 & 9am. He eventually surfaced at 10.15am & discovered water in the conduits of both TVs which is why we have been unable to get ABC & SBS on our bedroom set. We toyed with the idea of removing Foxtel from that room, but it is so handy for watching cricket & footy in bed that we decided yet again to keep it. 

The other big drama was that my teapot & teacup both went to God that morning, so I was standing outside the door of The Magic Pudding Homewares when Chris opened at 10am, to get replacements. He sold me a better teapot which doesn't have any weak points & I was able to get a beautiful cup with magpies on it. Wes is relieved that he won't be asked to glue bits of this teapot back together. 

Yesterday we watched the races on WS Cox Plate Day. We reined in our spending & ended up losing about $30. We were both full of memories of Cox Plates spent with friends at the lovely Moonee Valley course. 

Here are Greta & Danny Millman ready for the races back in 1998

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 17th October 2021

 

If you were lucky enough to live with us in the 70s/80s when we were in Maloney Manor in Brunswick Road, and found yourself in the Pink room, you too might have had this complaint, as Wes was in the study next door typing with two fingers on his portable Olivetti until all hours!

We've had a better week, with my health on the mend & some good things happening. On Monday, after shopping, we watched a film on the life of Chopin, made in 2010 & with incredible footage of Arthur Rubenstein & Daniel Barenboim playing. We learnt a lot about Chopin the person, and his love affair with George Sand & came away with a better appreciation of his music. 

On Tuesday we watched the 2010 UK film Made in Dagenham, which follows the fight by the women machinists in the Ford Factory to get better pay & ultimately equal pay for women. It is a very powerful film that moved us when we first saw it. All people of our generation are very well aware of the iniquity of pay rates for women, let alone recognition of us as equals. If you haven't seen it, it is on SBS on Demand. 

Last week I delivered the latest lot of beanies & jumpers to the Daylesford Community Op Shop, where the women taking my box of goodies asked me to thank Di, who makes most of the jumpers as they are very popular. As well, I managed to break the glass decanter that houses my gin (empty at the time), and was able to find a pre-loved Stuart crystal partner for Wes's whisky decanter at the Daylesford Mill Markets for a very reasonable price.  

For those of you who like working out whose legs & tails are where - another photo of Lewis & Morse getting very comfy

On Wednesday, Wes drove us all to Ballarat so I could visit the Linda McCartney photographic exhibition, which is part of this year's Ballarat International Foto Biennale. I had changed my ticket 4 times - twice because Ballarat went into lockdown & twice because I wasn't well enough and I daren't try to change it again. How lucky was I - no-one else at the Exhibition (in the beautiful Art Gallery of Ballarat) for the first 30 minutes & plenty of space to wander at my own pace. I must confess I had expected more Beatles photos, but there were lots of Paul McCartney, mostly in Scotland with their children. We visited The Mull of Kintyre some years ago & I was thrilled to recognise the scenery, the sheep & the horses. 

            My favourite photo by Linda is this study of Twiggy                    à la "Girl with a Pearl Earring"

The sadness of Ballarat, especially in Lydiard Street, was the number of empty shopfronts, mostly cafés, which depended on the Gallery & Cinema for much of their business. As there have been COVID cases recently there, we didn't do anything else except visit the NAB to get some cash. We discovered that our usual branch had also closed, another victim of shutdowns. Here in Daylesford we have been so lucky - so many local businesses are well patronised by those of us who live here, and although their profits are down, they are still surviving. In fact, one shopowner told me that he plans on closing over weekends once Victoria re-opens as it is so hard to keep track of those who are masked & vaccinated.

On Thursday, Wes was delighted that our Daylight Saving meant his chat with the Jackson 8 started at 7.30am our time and he was able to walk the boys beforehand. I took them out with me to deliver jars & magazines to Nick & Robyn, and then we went to Leitches Creek to pump water. I arrived home with a coffee scroll for Wes (his usual reward for spending two hours on a Zoom chat), before spending a very pleasant 40 minutes with Kathy & Karen on Zoom myself. We all had something to look forward to after the chat, and mine was spending over tea & a toastie with Judi at Muffins & More, which has re-opened inside. We both felt very comfortable there & spent a lovely hour catching up. 

We still can't take the boys socialising outside the Virgin Café, which was our habit on Friday mornings, but it should re-open very soon. Instead I was able to chat with Jan Pengilley after my early catch up with Leanne. Then into Vincent Street to get new name tags for Lewis & Morse as the writing had worn out on their original ones.

Yesterday as it was raining, we didn't walk the boys, but took ourselves to Muffins & More for an early breakfast. They were doing a lot of business, which was great to see. We enjoyed our Nordic eggs with spinach, and left after we finished eating as there were customers queued waiting to get in. On our way home, we dropped by Wombat Hill Nursery to get some more punnets of pleasure for Wes to plant, and stakes in preparation for our tomatoes which will be planted on Melbourne Cup Day, which falls on 2nd November this year. 

Bush peas going crazy with French tarragon to their left & broccolini to their right & various sages & thymes behind

Yesterday we enjoyed watching the Caulfield Cup day races, although we didn't have enough collects! Wes is in charge of Cox Plate next Saturday & is planning to do better than my quinellas & trifectas. I felt well enough to stay up for dinner & it was lovely to sit at the table together with the WBBL on in the background.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 10th October 2021

 
This is another old but beautiful Peanuts cartoon - we are so lucky to have two & most of the time we're all together

Thanks for all the good wishes that came in last Sunday - much appreciated. We went to the Market as usual & came home with far too much of everything, so were able to share with our lovely neighbours. There are still only produce stalls operating, so the Market is quite small & easy to get around. We didn't need anything else as we have enough dog bones to last for three months & plenty of chilli olives for us. 

On Monday morning I did our food shopping at Coles as we were out of Jasmine rice for Lewis & Morse & starting to run low on important items like Vegemite, smoked salmon pieces & tonic water for G&Ts 🤣. We decided to spend School uploading various documents that Centrelink required (or else they would stop our pensions) and ran into trouble at the first hurdle. We had each completed a 5-page & 14-page document & Wes had written a covering letter. Once we uploaded the letter into the space for documents, there wasn't room for either of these required documents, (which had to be scanned JPGs or PDFs). 

Eventually Wes decided it would be easier to take the hard copies to our local Centrelink sub-branch & deliver them in person. After completing & signing a long document stating he hadn't been overseas & didn't have COVID etc, he was allowed into the office, where three helpful, but idle women, were waiting to assist. When he came back home, he decided to cover our backs by uploading a short letter to Centrelink explaining what we had done. God knows how people whose first language isn't English or who aren't confident or competent with computers & paperwork cope with our bureaucracies!

I woke on Tuesday feeling much better after a good sleep & enjoyed chatting with Leanne, followed by Terry in our regular timeslots. Lewis & Morse had stories for Leanne - wardrobe malfunction on the walk for Lewis & an evil duck who wouldn't get off the path & had to be circumvented for Morse. We keep thinking how lucky we are to have chanced upon two such delightful labradors. 

I had hoped to join Wes & the boys on the morning Lake walk on Wednesday, but it was too cold & I was still asthmatic, so gave it a miss & read the Age in bed with a pot of jasmine tea instead! Afterwards, I drove into Vincent Street to visit the Post Office & get some dog biscuits, as well as visit David & Annie Smith's grave to leave some rosemary - it is a year since Annie died & 14 years since David's sudden death. 

On Thursday morning, I enjoyed the weekly chat with Kathy & Karen & we were all delighted by some good news that Kathy shared about a friend of hers. Being able to drive 15kms in Melbourne has made a difference to lots of people & it is possible to catch up in parks with family members much more easily, as well as just walk somewhere different. 

These photos were taken one afternoon, about 30 minutes apart!

That night Wes had three Zooms, one after the other - a fabulous catch up with cousins; followed by an ALP Members' disability action plan webinar; and, finally a local ALP branch meeting. He took a bottle of good shiraz downstairs with him, which got him through the 2.5 hours. 

I had hoped to walk on Friday morning, but it was too cold & I was too asthmatic - couldn't even get out into the garden, where I have cucumber & zucchini seedlings as well as basil & tomatoes to get started in the greenhouse. Wes spent the morning shifting three roses from outside our bedroom to a bed at the bottom of the back garden, in front of our double wisteria, which we hope might bloom this year. Yesterday he moved our four lemon trees into the front as that double brick wall is so warm, it might just encourage them all to fruit at last!

Yesterday was dog washing day, which meant putting all their bedding through the machine - 1 did 7 loads in all - these boys are very spoilt with their sheepskin rugs, pillows, blankets & Afghan rugs! In the afternoon, we had a few bets on Caulfield Guineas day, and managed a couple of wins & a quinella. It wasn't enough to cover our outlay, but at least we now know a lot more about the Spring Racing Carnival fields than we did. 

Daylesford Spring Daylight Saving Dispatch - Sunday, 3rd October 2021

 

This is a very old cartoon, but one of my favourites

We went to bed early last night to cope with the start of Daylight Saving in most of Australia. After about 3 weeks of being able to see where we were going on our morning Lake Daylesford walks, we are back to darkness and Wes tells me there was no-one else around. Shortly we'll head off to the Sunday Market, where Yvonne will have chopped cabbage ready for Lewis & Morse, as well as bags of produce to feed them for the coming week. Ken will carry my bags to the car while Wes goes in search of eggs, bread & perhaps a new rose. 

I've had a great week of socialising via Zoom, starting with Ian & Robyn Robinson last Sunday; Kathy & Karen on Thursday, & Leanne on Friday. Wes joined me to chat with the Robinsons and also had his own sessions with Barbara Simpson. We were booked to catch up with the Kirbys but I was confined to quarters with bronchial asthma for about 48 hours, so missed out on them, and my Tuesday chats with Jeff & Leanne. 

When we turned around to see where the boys were after our chat with the Robinsons, this is what greeted us!

Our film this week was the other Shane Maloney book Brush Off, which we enjoyed, set as it was around the Melbourne Arts Centre with a wonderful cast & an excellent screenplay by John Clarke, who allowed himself a cameo role. 

On Wednesday we went for a drive to get out from under Sandra's feet. I still wasn't feeling wonderful, but kept my appointment for a trim with Lyndal and let Wes do the driving & delivering that is my usual fortnightly routine. We ended up in Trentham & bought a bag of Dutch Cream potatoes from one of the local farmers. They are so fresh & last for ages.

I've ended up back in bed by mid-afternoon each day - just got no energy at all. This is what happens - you feel on top of things, do too much & pay for it. I was even starting to think perhaps I had shrugged off chronic fatigue, but no such luck. Still, there are much worse things to have wrong & it isn't life-threatening. I'm getting lots of reading & re-reading done & have been watching the Indian Women's team give the Australians hell in our only cricket Test on the Gold Coast. 

While Melbourne is wearing the mantle of most-locked down city in the world, we have some more freedoms, but are treading gently, especially after Coles & Cellarbrations were listed as Tier 2 sites early in the week. I cancelled shopping & will do it early tomorrow or Tuesday & Wes is out of whisky, but drinking brandy instead. We will remedy that this week.  

The garden is looking lovely as I sit here in the study watching the birds fight over their seed & oats. Rob & Dene's oak trees are coming into leaf, our roses are green & healthy, the lavender is out & there are still a handful of daffodils nodding away. No sign of our tulips or irises as yet - we have that to look forward to. 

Double dose of labs - Lewis & Morse curled up together in a patch of afternoon sun

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 26th September 2021

We enjoyed our trip to the Sunday Market last week & are about to head off there again. Yvonne had lots of goodies ready for us, probably to say thank you that we travelled to her place & spent $50 the previous Sunday when the Market was cancelled with only 24 hours notice. We came home with enough food to feed an army & enjoyed sharing with Glen, Rob & Dene. 

One of the last vases of daffodils - Golden Ducat & Erlicheer. I have always preferred King Alfred & Golden Trumpet daffs, but Wes bought these beautiful double blooms & their only fault lies in their heads being too heavy for the stalks, so I just have to pick them & bring them inside, where they last at least a week. What's not to like?

That afternoon, Rob & Dene delivered the making of lemon curd & rhubarb tarts - 2 small ones for afternoon tea & 2 larger ones for sweets. We very greedily managed to eat both our tarts at the appropriate time & enjoyed them very much. We will miss these wonderful friends & cooks next door when they leave Daylesford. 

Monday was freezing with hailstones at least twice during the day. All plans to be outside were cancelled and we settled down to School, where we looked at all the advantages of our new phones together. We're finding Your Phone Companion a big help as well & using it to download our photos, answer texts & keep up to date with COVID news easily. As well, I'm loving being able to have Favourites on the Service Victoria QR code reader & finally being able to add another person, rather than duplicate the work when we are both visiting a site. 

It was cold on Tuesday as well, and after I enjoyed lovely long chats with my sister, Leanne, & our friend, Terry, we settled down to watch the film "Stiff" starring David Wenham on ABC i-view. Author, Shane Maloney wrote a series of 6 books with his hero, Murray Whelan, originally an assistant to the local Labor MP, set in the late 80s & 90s. They are based in Brunswick & two were made into films by the late John Clarke in 2004. We loved watching the film & felt very nostalgic as we both spent most of our first 50 years on earth in that inner-city suburb. 

Lewis & Morse enjoying the film with us

We have been going for a drive on Wednesday mornings with the boys - as there is no Mah Jong for me, and because we can explore our Shire, we have been enjoying these family trips. This week we headed to Clunes, but had to detour twice as workmen were busy felling unsafe trees or grubbing up roots of trees that had fallen over in the June storms. We ended up taking the boys for a walk on a track just outside of Talbot. The highlight was the sight of canola fields, shimmering like gold in the distance. 

Me with Lewis & Morse - they lost interest in posing for the camera - wanted to get into the car with their mattress & pillows!

We seem to have spent a good part of this week solving problems - trying to open Service Victoria accounts; returning orthotics that were posted out to me & look as though they would fit clown shoes; changing my ticket to the Linda McCartney exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat to next month, (when I hope I will feel more like visiting that city), and making new facial appointments now that masked beauty therapists in regional Victoria can treat their customers unmasked. 

Beautiful early tulips in Albert Street, Daylesford

We missed out on the earthquake that impacted on much of Victoria, as well as parts of Canberra, South Australia & New South Wales. We were pleased that no-one died, and that damage seemed much less than it might have been.

On Friday, it was 6 months since our dear friend, Joe Rozen, died, so we visited Glenda with flowers & love. We are really missing Sunday breakfasts & catching up with everyone's news. Hopefully they will recommence again someday soon. 

Yesterday was spent getting into the swing of the AFL Grand Final, even though it was played in Perth, after last year being in Brisbane. The Coodabeen Champions excelled themselves with an entertaining two hours in the morning and Fox Footy had lots to watch during the afternoon. Finally it was time for the match to start & we found ourselves drinking Cofield Sparkling Shiraz & sharing a cheeseboard - Dees supporters would approve. The game see-sawed until midway in the third quarter when Melbourne decided to take control & kicked goal after unanswered goal to record a stunning win. The Western Bulldogs had no answers and the only consolation for their supporters was that they had plenty of time to get used to the idea that they were going to lose the match. 

Dees celebrating after breaking a 57-year Premiership drought