Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 16th November 2025

 
Love it!

We started our week with the usual visit to the Daylesford Market, where we collected wonderful fresh fruit & vegetables from Yvonne, while Morse devoured his cut up pear. Then back home to quickly put it all away and get on the road to meet Kathy & Gerard Lazzaro for brunch at Code Black café in Brunswick. We spent a very enjoyable 90 minutes there enjoying interesting meals and catching up on each other's news & plans.

Sharing stories with Kathy & Ged

The next morning, Wes & Morse were able to walk in light rain, where the ibises and ducks were ready to play at the Daylesford Cemetery. Meanwhile I did the supermarket shopping, picked up savoury croissants for breakfast, and put out the bins for the street. We devoted School to talking about Christmas, planning our annual letter and email. Then it was time for me to have a massage with Sarah Hunt, where we discussed a range of topics and ended up with me offering to loan her books by Louise Penny & Ann Cleeves from our library. While I was with Sarah, Wes mowed the back lawns, much to the delight of all our birds.

Our first Golden Beauty rose this season

On Tuesday, it was pouring rain until about 9am. I headed into town, then to Juls for a manicure. When I arrived back here, just in time for 11am Remembrance, the new armchair had been delivered and was sitting in the bedroom, waiting for me.

 

So thrilled that it fits in well & is very comfy

We were pleased to wake to a dry morning on Wednesday, and Wes took Morse for a long walk at Daylesford Cemetery, where the ibises & ducks were ready & waiting. Judi & I played Mah Jong at Muffins & More café, which was full of locals. When I came back home, the floors were sparkling clean, and Morse was sulking as he gets put outside while Wes is doing them.

By Thursday, we were enjoying lovely Spring weather again. I delivered newspapers to Spring Park Nursery early, before Wes & I settled down to our Thursday Zooms - his was on the interesting topic The Decline of Trust in Institutions, while I chatted with Kathy, Karen S & Joyce, mostly about eyes, and Joyce's latest beautiful handiwork, which is now on her bed.

Wes & I continued what has become a Thursday tradition of going out for brunch, and we visited a café I have never entered before - Himalaya Bakery, which serves simple meals - eggs on toast, toasties, soup, home-made pies etc. It used to be totally vegetarian, but I noticed bacon & meat have found their way onto the menu since the latest owner took control, and there were a few tradies coming in for pies & sausage rolls while we were there. We enjoyed the friendly atmosphere, our meals and teas, and will definitely return. 

Friday was another perfect day, and although Jan Pengilley and I waited to Zoom with each other at different times, everything else went well. Barry, the fisherman, crossed the road to find out if we were all OK as we hadn't been to Lake Daylesford recently. It was lovely to see him and briefly catch up on his news, before his wife, June, arrived, and needed to be driven to an appointment.

Wes spent the morning in the front garden, where I have been doing a bit of weeding each day, in an effort to lighten his load. He did some serious weeding, trimming and then mowed the verge at the end of Duke Street as a favour for James & Yoko at #80, and Daniel & Tania at #77.

Beautiful pink azalea in the front garden

Yesterday we drove to Strathmore to visit Leanne, armed with fruit scones, while she provided homemade strawberry jam & whipped cream to go with them. I had recently gone through my medications and given the out of date ones to the pharmacy for disposal, so suggested we do that together with hers, which was much easier with two checking everything. 

Last night Wes was delighted when his AFLW team easily beat Hawthorn to progress to a Preliminary Final next Saturday night in Brisbane against the Lions. The Blues looked very good and are playing great footy at the right end of the season. 

Our new favourite Blues player, Sophie McKay, who is starring in her first year under her sister's Captaincy

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 9th November 2025

 
Spoilt Snoopy

Once again, we were very sad to learn of the death of a friend, this time John Scarffe, from Porcupine Ridge, who has been unwell for some time. He & Bronwen became our friends when we met at Daylesford Rotary, and we have stayed in touch after their move to Moonee Ponds. John was good company and he will be missed.

This lovely photo of Bruce Bavin, Wes & John Scarffe was taken on a wintry night when Daylesford Rotary took the train to Musk

We were shocked to learn that another local friend had died - "Bloody" Bob Kennedy, unofficial Mayor of Glenlyon. He & Wes met in the early 2000s, when Wes was Mayor of Hepburn Shire. Bob always told him that it didn't include Glenlyon. They enjoyed each other's company, and Bob worked hard to harmonise Glenlyon which was split at that time. When he came to Daylesford, he could usually be found at Muffins & More café, where we would exchange a few words and he would ask after Wes. 

Bob - an unforgettable character

After a dry, sunny weekend, we had a deluge of rain on Monday, mostly in the morning, and everywhere looked so green and healthy & happy. Daylesford was still full of visitors spending the Melbourne Cup Long weekend here, and it was best to park your car & walk to wherever you wanted to go, as cars were crawling along the main streets. 

After I did the supermarket shopping, Wes & I tackled cleaning the study, which was well overdue. I got the easy part - dusting & polishing, while he did the floors. The windows were going to be done as well, but it was pointless while the rain was around. 

Our double Japanese wisteria is looking very pretty

We had a wonderful Melbourne Cup day. It was wet & cool here, so we decided to just sit and watch the races on TV, having a bet on each race. Of course, the focus was the Cup, and we were both very keen on Half Yours with Jamie Melham in the saddle, and my roughie was Middle Earth, which ran third. We had quinellaed 4 horses and were hoping Middle Earth could run second, but Goodie Two Shoes finished better. We were in tears, so thrilled for Jamie, who became the first female jockey to win the Caulfield/Melbourne Cup double. This photo shows her after the race with Michelle Payne, the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup back in 2015.

That night, Wes had a lovely long Zoom chat with our friend, Paul Jackson, in Oxford. We had cancelled dinner, as the cheese & tomato toasties Wes provided at lunch were so filling, we didn't need another thing. 

We woke to more rain on Wednesday, and we both think we have never seen our garden looking so good. A couple of roses have bloomed, but we'll need some more sunshine, before we get a proper showing. Morse turned 7 and we celebrated by singing Happy Birthday, while he waited patiently for a dog biscuit covered in Vegemite, which he loved!

Wes did his usual thing of vacuuming & washing the floors, while I played Mah Jong with Judi. We both tried some different hands, which was easy to do as Muffins & More was very quiet, with just a few locals and no big groups. 

Oaks Day was much better weather than the Cup. Wes & Morse had a lovely walk together early, before I had a Zoom with Terry Borg, which had to be aborted as she was quite unwell and coughing. Then I caught up with Old Friends - Kathy, Karen S & Joyce. We chatted about the races, eyes, gardens & books, and the time flew by. Once again, Wes & I enjoyed watching the main races, having a few bets, and even making a small profit on the afternoon.

That morning, Wes & I had headed to Muffins & More, for a long overdue catch up with John Smith, husband of Dot, who died last year. John hasn't been in good health since we last saw him, but he was thrilled to be out, seeing us, and wore the Fair Isle jumper I knitted him back in 2014. 

John chose the colours & was pleased with his jumper, although as he said, it can't be worn when you are tinkering with tools in the shed!

After we had finished brunch with John, we drove to Ballarat, as we needed fish, spirits, smoked salmon pieces, and wanted to visit some furniture shops to find a chair for me for our bedroom. We stopped at Christies Furniture in Howitt Street, where we were the only customers, and the co-owner listened to my needs. We bought a lovely chair & almost matching ottoman, which will be delivered on Tuesday. 

The next morning, after a good chat with Leanne, we put Morse in the car and drove to Ballan to spend time with Rob & Dene. We had our usual lovely visit, with a beautiful morning tea, and plenty of treats for Morse. Their garden is looking good, and we had lots to talk about & share. 

Morning tea, Rob with Morse, & flowers from both our gardens at our front door

Yesterday was wild & woolly, so we stayed inside, read The Age, and watched the final day of the Flemington Cup Carnival, previously called Stakes Day, but now renamed Champion Stakes Day. We managed to get 1st & 3rd in the main 4 races, but no collects, as I had taken our horses in quinellas! Still we've had a good carnival, enjoyed some wonderful racing and are only $20 down on our original outlay.

Carlton's AFLW team had a resounding win over West Coast at Princes Park in dreadful weather, and now face Hawthorn next weekend. Wes was delighted with their win.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd November 2025

 
Linus is very young to have learnt this lesson

Last Sunday was wet, and I squibbed going to the Daylesford Market when Wes & Morse set off early at 7.15am, which turned out to be the perfect time - no other dogs, and Yvonne was ready with all the food she sets aside for Morse. I ended up spending the day in bed, as I had no energy, and felt much better for doing that. Both our AFLW teams won in the afternoon - the Blues easily beat GWS & we played a great last quarter to get in front of Gold Coast. Both games had to stop for lightning, even though they were played in two different states. Then we found a You Tube video showing Alana King's 7/18 against South Africa - a World Cup record and a wonderful display of spin bowling. 

On Monday, after shopping, Wes & I watched another Steve Dotto video, this one on Zoom bombing, and how to protect your privacy. We already did most of what he suggested, but it was a timely reminder to check our settings, which we each did. 

It was a gorgeous day on Tuesday, and while I had a Zoom chat with Leanne, Wes got into the garden - weeding, edging & mowing. We're still waiting for the first rose to open, but another couple of days like this one should do the trick. I chimed in with some weeding after I'd gone into Vincent Street for a few chores.

Our beautiful Japanese maple is doing its Spring thing again

Judi & I were able to play Mah Jong on Wednesday, after Wes & I had been to Daylesford Hair & Beauty - me for a fringe trim & him for a haircut. We really like the salon, especially because Elise is very community minded and she & her staff get involved in everything going on in Daylesford. 

We both had Zooms on Thursday morning - Wes enjoyed the Jackson Group, which had an open discussion, ranging over many topics of interest, particularly AI. Meanwhile I caught up with Kathy, Joyce & Karen S, and we were a little more lowbrow, although literature did enter towards the end! 

We had decided to go to Bad Habits café, at The Convent, after our Zooms finished, and enjoyed a beautiful breakfast in the stunning surroundings. The Convent gardens are exquisite in any season, and a joy to walk through on your way in & out. We were able to say hello to Tina, the owner; Marija, who is her right-hand; Tenielle the barista, and Steven on the desk. As well, old friends, Bill & Steve, were there & we had a quick catch up before a friend joined them for morning tea. 

Our banksia rose arbour is looking splendid at present

We arrived back here in time for the 11am Zoom, where Kathy & I had a good chat, waiting to Lib to join us. That didn't happen, so we realise it is probably in the too hard basket. We'll hope to get in touch with her another way, and have asked her daughter, Becky, for her advice, and she has offered to facilitate a Zoom when she is visiting Lib, which is great.

On Friday, I had another good Zoom with Leanne, before visiting Springs Medical Centre to see my podiatrist. He was heading home to New Zealand yesterday with his partner & baby son, to do some serious showing-off I imagine. While I was away, Wes got busy preparing pots for sowing the Spring vegetables. I planted basil, baby carrots, zucchini & dwarf beans, and we look forward to a good crop of everything - fingers crossed.

Our very first sweet peas ever are starting to bloom & I can see them from our bedroom - bonus!

Yesterday was a beautiful day - I had an early appointment with Dr Ellie at Springs Medical, which is now a fully bulk-billing practice, which is wonderful news for all the locals who aren't babies or pensioners (we were already being bulk-billed by most doctors). We had a good chat - booked me in for a full examination by a nurse in January; discovered that I should have been taking two asthma medications instead of one, etc etc, plus I got a chance to commiserate with her as a Geelong supporter after their unexpectedly poor showing in the AFL Grand Final. 

Talking of footy, the North Melbourne AFLW team has broken a long-standing record held by Geelong since 1952/53, when they won 23 games straight. North beat Hawthorn on Friday night with an easy victory to record their 24th win in a row. They have not been beaten since losing the 2023 Grand Final. What a team!

In the circle singing the song after the win

When I arrived back home from my appointment I joined Wes in the garden, and did some more planting. We had bought a couple of miniature carnations, as well as a lovely white ground cover. The carnations are in pots near the back door, and the ground cover in a wheelbarrow not too far away. All three plants have beautiful perfumes, which we will enjoy for some time to come. 

It was the most perfect weather for Derby Day, and over 86,000 people went to Flemington to enjoy the races, enter the fashion competitions, and spend time with family and friends amid the famous roses. We were lucky enough to score a couple of quinellas and can't wait for Cup Day on Tuesday, although the weather might not be quite as good. 

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!

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 28th September 2025

Poor Sally!

We had a very quiet Sunday after the Preliminary Final - Wes & Morse went early to the Daylesford Market, where there were no other dogs, so Morse felt very safe & happy to wander down to Jeff for eggs & Wombat Hill bakery for croissants. I spent the day in bed, recovering from my trip to the MCG, and we decided after a long discussion that I would cancel my plans to go to Melbourne for yesterday's Grand Final. I love going, but my health is such that it seemed sensible to continue getting better and look forward to the Boxing Day Ashes Test instead.

On Monday, I was able to do the supermarket shopping, visit Tonna's & the pharmacy, and my reward was a remedial massage with Sarah Hunt, which is always beneficial. Wes had planned time in the garden, but the weather had other ideas, and we had a day of short, sharp bursts of rain. That night, we had our fingers crossed for Nick Daicos to win the Brownlow Medal, but for the second year in a row he was the runner-up, this time to the very exciting Gold Coast Suns player, Matt Rowell, who is a very worthy winner. 

Karen Maloney + Ian Robinson at the 1996 Brownlow Medal - so lucky to have been invited by Robbo to join him that night!

The next morning, I Zoomed with Leanne, who was in good spirits and had a busy week ahead of her, before being unable to chat with Jan Pengilley in Maleny, as there was static on her line, which disrupted any chance of a conversation. We were both most disappointed and hope we can reschedule soon. After that I headed to Springs Medical for a couple of biopsies on my face. I thought it was going to be one, but Dr James didn't like the look of another spot, so he took a scraping of it as well. I find out the results next Tuesday, when Wes & I have our 6-monthly COVID boosters.

On Wednesday, Judi & I played Mah Jong in a very noisy Muffins & More café, understandable as it is School Holidays. We both tried some different games & enjoyed doing them. Meanwhile, Wes did his usual excellent vacuum & washing of the floors. It is always lovely to come home to a house briefly devoid of Labrador hair!

More hellebores loving where they have been planted

On Thursday, we had planned a trip to Ballarat after I chatted with Terry Borg, and then Old Friends via Zoom. However, I woke with no voice, had to cancel everything & spent the day in bed, resting. Wes & Morse drove to Ballarat, where they stocked up on Hendrik's gin, Atlantic salmon, prawns, flake, smoked salmon pieces, and collected my bracelet which Judi had dropped in for me for repair at Gems & Jewels. As an afternoon tea treat, Wes also brought home vanilla slices, which were a very welcome surprise. 

I woke with some voice on Friday, and was able to have a short Zoom with Leanne, who was trying to get someone to come & fix her ducted heating, which wasn't working. Naturally these things happen on a Public Holiday (a Victorian celebration of AFL Grand Final Eve). Wes got busy in the back garden, whipper-snipping & mowing, while I finally picked some camellias to float and enjoy in the lounge.

Wes served a beautiful meal of King prawns with steamed asparagus, crustacean spicy sauce & cucumber sandwiches, accompanied by French champagne - the perfect Grand Final Eve dinner.

It felt very strange not being in Melbourne yesterday for the Grand Final, but I was able to watch the North Melbourne Grand Final Breakfast, which I haven't seen in years, and enjoy the build up with all the chat & memories of past games. Once again, Wes excelled himself with a beautiful baked trout for lunch, accompanied by broccolini, sweet potato, leek, lemons and oranges.

The Grand Final entertainment by Snoop Dogg left us underwhelmed, but the first half of the game was a real arm wrestle with scores tied at the main break. Then the Lions broke it open and scored 13 goals to 6 to win easily in an unexpected win for them against the more fancied Cats. Congratulations to Brisbane and all their fans.