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.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 21st September 2025

 
It's a tough life!

We've had a quiet week here in Daylesford. My bronchial asthma took hold and I spent most of the week in bed, resting, taking medications & trying to get better. Many friends are in the same boat with Winter ills that are just refusing to go away. 

Wes & Morse did the Daylesford Market shopping and commiserated with the Daylesford Football Club members there, who were recovering from their disappointment of the day before. However, the netballers had won for the second year in a row, which was a source of celebration. 

I cancelled or postponed most activities early in the week, and managed to have a haircut on Wednesday morning & a manicure on Friday morning, both times offering to wear a mask, and avoiding chatting where possible. I was lucky enough to snaffle a reserved seat for yesterday's twilight game between Collingwood & Brisbane - there were 16,700+ ahead of me in the queue when I joined it, which was hard to believe, and I felt fortunate to get almost the last available seat in the 50-year member bay.

More beautiful Oriental lilies from Wes

Wes had a busy week - shopping, making dinner, walking Morse, mowing, clipping, weeding and keeping in touch with friends & family via Zoom & phone calls. He chatted with Barbara in NZ, his sister, Denise, here in Daylesford, and hosted the Jackson Group Zoom on the topic Is Art an Essential Central Pillar of our Societies? I was able to host the Old Friends Zoom & had a chat with Leanne, but that was it. 

On Friday, I started to feel better, and grilled butterfish & chips for dinner that night with a Cofield Sparkling shiraz was a wonderful pick up as well. Wes offered to pick me up after the game and I accepted his kind offer, as it took all the worry out of catching trains back home. 

Yesterday Wes drove me to Ballan Station & I caught a lovely quiet train to Southern Cross Station. We had a hiccup just before arriving as a trespasser had strewn debris over the tracks, and no trains could enter until the mess had been cleared, the trespasser arrested, and the safety ticked off. So I was 45 minutes later getting to the MCG than I had expected.

This was my excellent view of the game

Brisbane were too good for Collingwood and we bowed out in front of a crowd of 96,000+, not quite as many as the 99,000+ who had watched Geelong defeat Hawthorn the night before. Wes picked me up after the match and we drove home safely and were in bed by 10pm. 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 14th September 2025

Last Sunday was Fathers' Day in Australia - not sure about the rest of the country, but it bucketed down rain in our little bit of Paradise and we three were quite happy to do nothing much, although Morse took some time to forgive Wes for going to the Daylesford Market without him, especially as Morse had given him a bottle of his favourite whisky, Edradour, which comes from a tiny distillery outside of Pitlochry. I spent the day in bed recovering from our visit to Leanne, but there was plenty to read, puzzles to do & footy on TV to watch. 

I woke on Monday feeling much better for the rest, did the supermarket shopping & some chores, and finally settled down with Wes for School, to plan our trip to Adelaide for the 2026 AFL Gather Round. We've booked Athelney Cottage again with Rosie, as she promised us first refusal - we love the location, and the comfort of her property, and have decided to stop at The Cumberland in Lorne for a beach holiday on the way home. Morse is booked into Eureka Kennels in Ballarat, and we're excited to have this break together coming up just after Easter next year.

Here are some photos from the St Bernard's Old Boys reunion at the Royal Hotel in Essendon on 5th September

On Tuesday morning, I had an early chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, before Zooming with Leanne. In between, we were visited by 3 beautiful King Parrots, including one who seemed very tame & was happy to be fed by me. I suspect Ollie the magpie was quite jealous, as he had been first on the scene when I produced breakfast for the 50 or so birds who regularly arrive in our backyard from 6am onwards.

I was pleased to see my GP, Dr Ellie later that morning. She has put me on a stronger asthma preventative puffer that requires a degree to put together; upped my Restavit dosage, & agreed to look at a second opinion in November if these moves haven't done the trick. 

Karen feeding the King Parrot

I did pay for my betrayal - Ollie was waiting for me at 6.20am on Wednesday morning, and later when I was eating breakfast, he appeared on the decking asking for more. I duly obliged and am now back in the good books 🤣. Judi & I played Mah Jong, while Wes vacuumed & washed the floors and we enjoyed a good morning, playing some different hands with honours even.

On Thursday morning it was too wet to walk, but I had two delightful Zooms - the first with Terry Borg, where we enjoyed some laughs; and the second with Kathy & Joyce, where we reminisced as it was 53 years to the day since Kathy & I met, and a little less than that since Joyce & I first encountered each other at the Department of Labour in the Gas & Fuel buildings in Flinders Street. We were sorry not to have Lib or Karen S join us - the latter had forgotten and was very disappointed when I texted to see if she was OK.

By Friday morning, I was showing signs of another bout of bronchial asthma & I've been in bed ever since, with little or no voice, hoping that rest and medications will do the trick. Once again there has been plenty of footy to watch - both our AFLW teams had good wins - in fact the Pies beat the previously unbeaten Swans in what is probably the best game we have played in years, if not ever! 

In the men's footy, Hawthorn were too good for Adelaide in their semi-final over there, and Brisbane put paid to the Gold Coast's ambitions last night up at the Gabba. Meanwhile, Daylesford played Skipton in their second consecutive Grand Final, but were unable to beat the team that had finished top of the ladder, however the Daylesford netballers won their second consecutive Premiership, much to everyone's delight. 

Finally, I keep forgetting to mention how thrilled we all are that Trentham, 20 minutes away, has been crowned Australia's Best Tiny Town. This is testament to all the wonderful people who have moved there & made it a welcoming & interesting destination. Our friend, Bob White, and his late partner, Kirk played no small part in the rejuvenation, and chef, Annie Smithers, can take credit for moving there & helping put Trentham on the map. 

Our friendly large kangaroo enjoying the bounty in the backyard of the house in front of us - he pops up most afternoons

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 7th September 2025

 

Lucky Snoopy!

We started our week with a fun visit to the Daylesford Market just as the rain started again. Wes & Morse had enjoyed a good walk at the Cemetery as there were 3 bunnies waiting for Morse, which meant lots of games of chasey. We then pumped water at Leitches Creek, before coming home to tea & toast. Wes had offered me breakfast out, which would have been lovely, but I was fighting off bronchial asthma, and preferred to stay at home.

Morse finding himself in the armchair & reluctant to leave it!

We had discussed getting Brit Box, because quite a few of the British shows I enjoy on Foxtel are now only available on it. And Sunday was D day - I started with my Wishlist and there are so many wonderful shows on it, that I am right for all those hours I spend in bed. The very first programme I watched was Series 2 of Professor T, which is getting better & better. I suspect my next port of call will be the wonderful Adam Dalgleish series starring Martin Shaw. I think the author, PD James, had died by the time he was cast in the role, but she would have loved him, in the same way Ann Cleeves loves Brenda Blethyn for her portrayal of Vera. 

We had light rain on Monday morning, but Wes & Morse were able to have a good time at Daylesford Cemetery, and I put out all the bins before heading to Coles to do the weekly supermarket shop. Wes had mentioned that he wished we had some fruit cake, so I did my easy boiled recipe, and when he came in from working outside, he was delighted to be greeted by Railway Tea & warm fruit cake. That saw me out for the day, but I was pleased to have achieved that much.

Meanwhile Wes had a busy day of Zooms - he started with his friend, Barbara Simpson, in New Zealand; followed up with his Godson, Danny Wells, in Brisbane, and finished with our UK friend, Paul Jackson, in Oxfordshire. We try very hard not to overlap our chat times, and it only happens once a fortnight, when the Jackson Group & my Old Friends coincide.

Ollie inspecting the food offerings on Monday morning!

Once again on Tuesday, Wes & Morse were able to have a good walk early - can't wait until I am well enough to join them again! Meanwhile, I Zoomed with my sister, Leanne, who was in good spirits, and then our friend, Jan Pengilley, in Maleny, where life is very different. Our Zoom finished when she had to chase a bush turkey away from her chook. Jan was in long sleeves as the temperature was only 14℃, and so was I as the temperature was 3℃ here in Daylesford. 

Wes then drove me to the Post Office to collect a book by one of my favourite authors, Andrea Camilleri, who created the delightful Italian Inspector Montalbano. We dropped into Tonna's on the way back and I picked up some flavoursome vine-ripened tomatoes.

Our English daisies have finally flowered

We were able to do our regular Wednesday activities - me to Muffins & More to play Mah Jong with Judi, and Wes to vacuum & wash the floors, which were sparkling & dry by the time I arrived home. The morning at the café went well - there were lots of locals and a good atmosphere. All the Collingwood supporters were discussing our chances of winning the following night, and an Asian couple came over to chat to Judi & I about our Mah Jong games. They were confused that we still needed books & that there were only 2 of us playing!

That afternoon, while I indulged in Brit Box, Wes continued his incredible Ancestry work before having a Cousins Zoom with 4 others who are all interested in their family history and exploring the links they share. 

The next morning, Wes participated in the Jackson Group Zoom, where a number of topics were raised, and I chatted with Kathy & Joyce in our Old Friends Zoom. We debriefed on the visit to Joyce & Manny's place last Thursday; said goodbye to Kathy & Ged's daughter, Jess, who is off to Mexico with her husband Eri for a long visit, and rejoiced in the news that our friend, Libby Edgoose, has found more suitable accommodation in Gladstone this week. 

This beautiful camellia, a gift from Marjorie Atkinson, keeps on giving every Spring with its abundant blooms

That night, Collingwood played out of their skins to defeat ladder leaders, Adelaide, at the Adelaide Oval, in front of 52,000+. It was a nerve-wracking game to watch and when Danny Millman AKA Mate, suggested it was time for the rosary beads to come out, I was able to oblige. The Crows didn't score after that, and I was grateful for all the phone support I had during the match.

These beads belonged to Wes's uncle, Roy Maloney, and they sit in my bedside table

On Friday, Wes hosted a 50-year St Bernard's Old Boys reunion at the Royal Hotel in Essendon. He had originally planned to go by train and stay over, but didn't want to leave us on our own, and opted to drive and come back home that night. About two dozen turned up & enjoyed catching up with each other. The venue was perfect as it is very accessible, serves Seniors Meals and has enough dining space that a large group can meet without disrupting all the other diners.

Yesterday, Wes drove us back to Melbourne, this time to Strathmore to visit Leanne. We stopped at the local bakery, Gusto, to collect a spinach quiche and some scones. We usually share the quiche with Leanne, and the scones were a first - she had made strawberry jam, which was beautiful and went well with the very fresh, light scones & whipped cream. We all enjoyed the visit, but were pleased to arrive back here again, where we woke Morse up from a heavy sleep.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 31st August 2025

It was a beautiful day last Sunday and we enjoyed our trip to the Daylesford Market, coming home with lovely fruit & vegetables to get us through this week. Wes spent the morning in the front garden, trimming, weeding & enjoying all the splashes of colour from hellebores, tête-à-têtes & English daisies. 

Hellebores just loving this spot in the front - thanks Judi!

On Monday I was able to do the supermarket shopping, and later had a remedial massage with Sarah, which did me good. Wes spent the morning in the backyard with Morse - more weeding, trimming & enjoying before the rain came down all day Tuesday.

It was too wet to walk on Tuesday morning, so I had a lovely catch up chat with my aunt, Jeff, and her daughter, Leigh, who was at Torksey Lock with her husband, Simon. Jeff had enjoyed an indulgent holiday, firstly with her son, Michael, and family; followed by a stay in a Windsor Hotel next to the castle with my brother, Peter, and his wife, Anka, as well as Leigh & Simon, who had driven her home and stayed for a couple of days. It was Jeff's birthday on Thursday, which she spent on her own, no doubt still recovering from all the spoiling of the previous week!

Top - Leigh Murrin, Jennifer Hoolihan, Peter & Anka Saundry, & Below - Peter Saundry & Simon Murrin in front of Windsor Castle

The rain bucketed down on Wednesday and we thought we would get some snow, but only sleet arrived! I wasn't up to Mah Jong, but Judi was happy to drive from Ballarat to catch up over pots of Jasmine tea at Muffins & More, before doing some chores and having lunch with a friend. Wes very sensibly just vacuumed as there was no point washing the floors. 

We had a long-standing commitment to visit Joyce & Manny Spiteri in Reservoir to catch up with them, Kathy & Ged Lazzaro, and Karen & Malcolm Stevenson. We decided I wasn't up to it, so Wes set off on his own with some cheese from Blake's Family Grocers, and the rain eased off as he left. I was able to Zoom with our friend, Terry Borg, after a month, and we were so busy catching up that the Zoom finished before we were ready.

The visit to the Spiteris went brilliantly and everyone really enjoyed spending time together admiring Joyce's beautiful handiwork and Manny's huge garden. I was sorry to miss the catch up, but couldn't have handled all the socialising. Morse and I had a quiet day together and were both very pleased to see Wes when he arrived home with soup & pastizzi from Joyce for my dinner.

Manny, Joyce, Kathy, Ged, Malcolm & Karen 

Wes, Joyce & Manny at lunch

A few different examples of Joyce's extraordinary talent

We woke to yet more rain on Friday with the promise of snow to come. It was too wet to walk Morse or do anything much, although I ducked out to the Post Office & Tonna's, where I bought our favourite spuds, Dutch Cream, as Wes was serving fresh whole prawns & oven roasted chips for dinner!

When we were alerted to the weather that Victoria was expecting over the next 48 hours, we decided to postpone our trip to Strathmore to visit Leanne yesterday. We've had over 50mls of rain this week with wind gusts reaching 115kmh and lots of damage done locally. We were so pleased yesterday, that we had made the decision, when we woke to discover that our two routes out of Daylesford were unavailable with fallen trees blocking the roads. Our only damage was a rose that came apart from its stake; a piece of trellis that came loose from the fence, and a Green bin falling over in the front garden. 

Beautiful oriental lilies from Wes to cheer us up this week