Daylesford Dispatch, Saturday, 26th February, 2011

Dear Friends, it seems like ages since I sat down to write to you and let you know what has been happening with us. We have had a trip to Tathra and Sydney, which we managed to do in ‘’Teddy5” – we decided not to pack much as the boot just holds a medium size suitcase, a laptop and a briefcase. Everything else needs to sit behind the seats or on the floor at our feet. Before we left on Tuesday, 15^th February, we spent time at Dot and John’s house, helping their wonderful family to celebrate his 70^th birthday. On Monday afternoon we drove to Ballarat and dropped the boys at Eureka Kennels, before meeting Judi and Michael at the Melbourne Theatre Company to see ‘’A Behanding in Spokane’, which was a mystery to me. Wes enjoyed it, Judi and Michael thought it was OK, but I couldn’t get onto the wavelength at all.

We drove all day Tuesday, through lots of roadworks, some the result of the recent heavy storms in Victoria, others regular maintenance. Wes spent a lot of time on the phone as we were still trying to get Viva’s water damage claim on QBE’s radar, with the help of Andrew Mengyel at OAMPS and John Smith, our friend and insurance broker. We got to Tathra at 5.30pm, checked into our  Tathra Beach House motel unit and went straight to Paun and Brian’s home to catch up with whoever was at home. We were in luck as Warwick and Rohan were both home as well as Paun & Brian and Warwick cooked a barbecue, which enabled Paun and Brian to sit and chat with us. It was lovely to see them all again and Brian was particularly pleased with his Tigers’ t-shirt that we brought him.

The perfect breakfast spot in Tathra

The next morning we slept in and had a late breakfast at Cliff Place Café where Paun was able to sit with us and chat most of the morning, which was wonderful. The view from the tables is stunning and it is hard to drag your eyes away from the changing scene. We relaxed during the afternoon by reading The Age, then had dinner with everyone, plus Brian’s brother, Jack, and his wife, Pauline, at a good Thai Restaurant in Pambula, where we were joined at 9pm by Liam, who had driven up from Melbourne. He was in Tathra for less than 24 hours, so we felt very lucky we were there when he was, as he is studying Environmental Engineering at Wollongong University

Rohan, Liam & Warwick – brotherly love!

The next morning we had yummy breakfasts at the Café again and Paun and I chatted, while Wes fielded more calls re Viva’s claim. In the afternoon we visited the Bega Cheese Factory, which was a fun thing to do and we were able to get some cheese for Paun that is only available at the Factory. It rained constantly, which was good, although we didn’t enjoy the humidity that accompanied the rain. I had washed some underwear which wouldn’t dry in Tathra, but did once we got to Sydney.

That night we had dinner in the Café – we had invited Warwick and Rohan to dine with us, and were joined by Jack and Pauline. Paun and Brian did the cooking, their waiter, Paul, made cocktails and poured the wine, and another table of diners came in while we were there. We were most impressed with the menu and enjoyed our dinners very much.

We checked out on Friday morning and had a last breakfast and chat with Paun and Brian before driving to Manly, which took us until 5pm. Once again we drove through lots of roadworks, but we got the good news that the tiler had been and fixed Viva’s roof, which meant the air-conditioner could be repaired as soon as the spare parts arrived. We stayed at ‘Q Station’, the old Quarantine Station, which was a stunning location with wonderful views.

Our bedroom which looked out onto bushland and water

Dinner that night was at ‘Whitewater’ restaurant in Manly, where we caught up with Terry McDonald and Jane Knox. The restaurant had a great location overlooking the beach, but lacked a maitre d’, as we discovered when we asked our waitress to tell us about the cheeses on our platter. She started reading the menu, then asked another waitress to take over. This waitress decided to get ‘Gary’from the kitchen and he arrived at our table with the announcement that  Í don’t like cheese myself’.

On Saturday, we decided to have a sleep in and low-key day as we were quite tired from all the driving. It was very humid, our room had no air-conditioning and we found it difficult to sleep. Breakfast was included in the tariff and served at the end of our ‘Second Class Patients’block. We caught the ferry from Manly over to Circular Quay, where Wes saw ‘True Grit’and I watched ‘Black Swan’. We met up afterwards for oysters at the Sydney Oyster Bar, where the service was delightful and we sat for ages over our cheese platter and wine. On the ferry, we met with 4 very interesting Yanks (Kentucky and West Virginia) and Wes gave them some great ideas for where to eat that night. When we got back to the Q Station, there was a breeze, so we sat outside our room reading Saturday’s Age and I was thrilled to solve both Friday and Saturday cryptic crosswords. We had hoped to watch the footy, but there was no Foxtel, so we saw an old ‘Jonathan Creek’ episode instead.

On Sunday, we were up early for breakfast and Wes had hoped to have a swim at the beach, but it was far too hot and humid, so we read Sunday papers at the Guest Lounge,where there was a good breeze and we could be in the shade.

Still not over the Grand Final it seems!

That afternoon we drove to Neutral Bay (thank God for the GPS), where David Knox’s 60^th birthday party was in full swing. We joined family and friends for drinks on the patio with stunning views of the harbour and bridge, before we walked down the hill to ‘Basil and Mint’ Thai restaurant for dinner. Terry McDonald joined us there and we enjoyed a lovely meal and some good speeches by David’s brother, a sister, his daughter, Emily, and finally David himself.

It was another hot night, so we decided to sleep with the doors open which allowed whatever breeze there was to get in. We had noticed another couple had done that the night before and decided it was the way to go. We certainly slept better.

We got on the road by 9am the next morning which meant we missed all the heavy traffic and had a good drive with the usual roadworks and phone calls, including one from Sam and Pam Esposito who were in Daylesford wanting to catch up with us. We had decided to stay overnight at Rutherglen, so headed straight for Cofield Wines, bought some Durif and Shiraz and booked into the Tuileries Complex, where we had a beautiful comfortable suite with a gorgeous view. We had dinner in our room as we were too tired and dirty to frock up for the restaurant!

Similar room to ours with view of vines

We drove home the next morning feeling refreshed after our good sleep and had time to put loads of washing on before driving to Ballarat to pick up Bilbo and Frodo, who had been washed and were waiting axiously for our arrival.

By  Wednesday we were back in the swing of things – I had an early Dr’s appointment, then caught up with Carol, Dot and Valerie for a morning of Mah Jong, while Wes took Barbara for a big shop at Coles and hot chocolate afterwards. That afternoon we held the first meeting for the 2011 Rotary Arts Show at our place, where we had a good turn-up and everyone seems keen to make a big success of this year’s Show. Then we went to Aperitif at Al and Kathy’s place, before heading to the Daylesford Bowling Club for Rotary, where we were addressed by a local artist, Jackie Gorring.

On Thursday morning I drove to Strathmore to visit Viva, who still is without air-conditioning, but the house was cool and she was in good spirits. We had a lovely few hours together while Leanne had appointments. In the meantime a technician from Hewlett Packard turned up at our place to repair my computer. What a relief – after nearly 3 weeks I have it back and nothing was lost. I spent most of the afternoon on the computer and then ironing, while Wes went to Woodend to the dentist. We had invited Judi to dinner as Michael was away in NSW, but realised we wouldn’t be able to feed her until late, so she and I met up at the Farmers Arms for a chat and had dinner with Wes when he arrived back. Beautiful meal and Catalina Sauvignon Blanc to accompany it.

Yesterday was very special – we had lunch at ‘Star Anise’in Kyneton with Ian & Robyn Robinson, and Gayle and Fraser Gibson. The Robinsons provided a wonderful array of special wines and Chris our maitre d’ looked after us as you would like to be looked after, while his wife, Emma, prepared a beautiful three course meal. This is a seriously good restaurant, small and refined and very interesting. We didn’t leave until 4pm, which was a sure sign of a successful event!

Chef Emma at Star Anise

Needless to say we had a very quiet evening trying in vain to get the footy on the radio and having to make do with the delayed telecast on Channel 7. It was worth the late night as the Swans played very well after a slow first quarter, but the Pies went up a gear in the last quarter and won in the end. Today Wes has spent all morning in the garden, mowing and trimming and getting everywhere looking under control again. I am supposed to be doing my bit by picking fruit that the labradors have left for us and restaking the tomatoes, but I have been on the computer after going shopping early. Must get out there and pull my weight!

Wes at 12 Scott Street on Christmas Morning 74 

Daylesford Dispatch,Sunday 13th February 2011

Karen & Wes in Hong Kong 1994

Dear Friends, apologies again for any glitches in this Dispatch, as I still don’t have my computer fixed. Wes has been complaining to Hewlett Packard and doing everything he can, but so far we haven’t been told where & when to take the computer. As well, Viva and Leanne are still waiting for an assessor to come and okay their water damage claim. At breakfast this morning, our friend, John Smith, who is an Insurance Broker, offered to expedite the claim and we were thrilled to take up his offer, especially as Melbourne is expecting warmer weather during this coming week, and we are worried about Viva being without air-conditioning.

Breakfast was a fun affair as usual with lots of good stories by John & Jan, who are having a camera installed in their ensuite (by the police) to spy on suss neighbours; Glenn is trying to get John to go camping and bike riding with him; Judi & Michael are hoping to get their driveway fixed after the recent storms; Barbara was extolling the virtues of MyStar; Wes, Karen, Barbara, Judi & Michael were all praising the virtues of Eureka Kennels to persuade John & Jan to consider them when they next go on holidays and are looking for a home for Gypsy.

There has been a big change in our little bit of Duke Street  - Lisa Lee, who lives at the start of the street has sold a large block of land behind her, which was full of pine trees. The new owners are planning to build units, so all this week, we have been listening to the sounds of trees being felled and now when you drive up Houston Street, instead of seeing forest in every direction, there is a big patch of sky. I guess a few units are going to increase the vehicle traffic as well, which is already too much for our street to bear. All the Lake House staff have taken to parking here,and today, when they are holding their Regional Producers’ Day, visitors have parked almost to our front door.

Banner provided by Daylesford Rotary to the UK Rotary Club

We’ve had a most enjoyable week – Wes played golf on Monday – I was feeling tired, so pulled out and had a sleep-in instead. He and Barbara played Chess in the afternoon, then he cooked us dinner that night. We played golf together on Tuesday with Michael, where Wes played very well, made 4 pars and won both trophies. That afternoon he and Barbara went to hydrotherapy, while I enjoyed a massage. Strong class followed by 10 holes of golf can be quite exhausting!

On Wednesday I played Mah Jong with Carol, Dot and Valerie, then had my nails done, while Wes spent the morning scanning photos, working on his family tree, and tried to expedite Viva’s claim. That afternoon he drove to Melbourne to collect Danny and go to see Jon Stephen’s partner, Justin, in a one-man show at Chapel on Chapel. Wes stayed the night at Danny’s place and the two of them watched DVDs and enjoyed a bottle of red wine when they got home from the performance.

The next morning I walked the boys after Strong Class and Frodo found a fishing rod and bucket of bait hidden in the bushes around Lake Daylesford. When the fisherman returns he will find the bait has vanished, but the rod is intact. Meanwhile Wes had breakfast at Abbotsford Convent with Anthony Starkins, our financial advisor, then visited Viva on his way home here. I had been to Rotary the night before,where President Lesley presided over a most successful Forum and we were able to air our views about the format and layout of Rotary meetings.

Justin, Jon & Wes after the Show

Judi and I had lunch together at Culinaria and enjoyed catching up – something that happens very rarely these days. She is on so many committees, just as I have scaled down my involvement after years of participation. Nicole arrived on Friday to give me a well overdue haircut and henna and that night we watched the first of the Round Robin NAB Cup games, where Melbourne beat both Adelaide and Port Adelaide to progress to the next round.

Yesterday  I drove to Melbourne and took Danny to see Carlton,Collingwood & Richmond play their Round Robin at Docklands. We had dinner at Westlake beforehand and enjoyed our night along with 40,300 other supporters. It was quite late finishing and we got to bed close to midnight. This morning I was up early to drive back here in time for breakfast, where Bilbo and Frodo were annoyed that their usual Sunday routine of market and celery-eating hadn’t occured, although they did enjoy spending the night on their mattress next to our bed.

There will be no Dispatch next Sunday as Wes and I are heading off to Sydney via Tathra on Tuesday morning. We are visiting Paun, Brian, Rohan & Warwick in Tathra for 3 days, then arriving in Sydney in time to help celebrate David Knox’s 60^th birthday. Fortunately, Jane’s father is much improved and will probably be living with them for a while, so we will get to meet him, as well as David’s siblings and other friends.



Daylesford Dispatch, Sunday 6th February, 2011

Lovely photo of Damien Murray holding Patrick – first grandchild for Squiz & Jan

Dear Everyone, apologies in advance for any inadequacies in this Dispatch – I lost the use of my computer during the recent storms, so am typing this on the laptop, which is Vista, and not quite compatible with all my Windows 7 stuff. However, if that is the worst that happened to us, we have escaped lightly. Wes has driven to Melbourne this morning to assist Viva and Leanne – they have water coming through a downlight in the bathroom, the ceiling is full of water, the flashings have disappeared and the air-conditioner isn’t working anymore. Wes is hoping to ring the OAMPS claims department from their place and get things going quickly without needing to complete a claim form. Fortunately the rain has stopped, which will minimise further damage in the roof.

We’ve sweltered in the heat most of the week like everyone else and are mightily relieved to be feeling cold again and needing the heater on this morning. Thank God for the cricket, which has kept me sane – I do enjoy listening to the ABC, doing crosswords and keeping an eye on the action – takes my mind off the humidity – and the Aussies are doing well. I am looking forward to seeing Cameron White captain Australia for the first time in a One-Day International Game in Perth, in the final game of this interminable series.

We have played golf twice this week – on Monday morning before the heat set right in, and again on Tuesday, with Terry. I was lucky enough to win both trophies that morning – I have a fair handicap, but we play skins which means I was the beneficiary of 4 drawn holes at one stage and I beat both boys in my own right on the 10^th hole, which was quite a thrill.

Carol and I spent a most enjoyable morning on Wednesday playing Mah Jong and chatting together, catching up on a few weeks of news. Dot was unable to join us as her mother, Cath, has been quite unwell, but I saw Dot this morning and her mother is much better. Valerie was in Melbourne seeing ‘Don Parties On’, but we all hope to be together again this Wednesday. Rotary that night was entertaining with an interesting speaker – Doug May, who runs Captains Creek Organic Wines.

Wes & the boys outside Café 3460

On Thursday Wes spent most of the day scanning old photos and sending them off to the friends who are in them – he has been putting them up on Facebook as well, which has attracted some amusing comments. I decided to try and finish the Book Inventory, which means carrying down some very heavy books from the Reference section of our library. Instead I discovered I had lost some of my earlier work on the Fiction section, so redid the bits that were missing instead.

That night Wes and Barbara went to Melton to the Trots, which was a Rotary District fund-raiser. They took Joe & Glenda with them and met up with Bronwen & John Scarffe and Lee & Russell Manning. It seems as though they had a great night together. Glenn Mack had invited me to dinner, so we went to the Farmers Arms that night, where we enjoyed a lovely meal and a good chat and met the Israeli parents of Clare, one of the owners of the pub.

The rain was pouring down on Friday, so there was no chance of golf with Michael. I stayed in bed reading the paper, then spent some time with Sheila Hollingworth, at a newish café in town called ‘Culinaria’. I was most impressed with the lively atmosphere, and it seems that it is filling a need for most of the Howe Street shop-keepers and visitors. That afternoon, Wes and I watched two Big Pond DVDs – ‘Defiance’ which dealt with a group of Jews who hid from the Germans in the forest during World War II, and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, which was beautifully shot and most amusing. I am glad we saw the films in that order, as ‘Defiance’ was a little more violent than I usually like to see.

Greta & Harry at Celia’s wedding

Yesterday we were due to be on the gate at the Farmers’ Market, but when we arrived just before 8.30am, we discovered the Market had been cancelled as everywhere was too wet. We decided to have breakfast and went to ‘Culinaria’ as nowhere else much is open at that time. We enjoyed a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs, trout cured in vodka and beetroot, served on a homemade bagel. Wes was most impressed and we bought some Portuguese custard tarts to take to Glenn’s place where we had been invited for dinner. Of course, we rang all the other Rotarians who are involved in the Market to let them know that it had been cancelled.

On our way home, we did some shopping, met numerous friends in the street, and dropped in to see Joe Rozen, who had been briefly hospitalised the day before. He and Glenda are off to Vietnam for three weeks on Thursday, so he is under strict instructions to take his medication, drink plenty of fluids and be well enough to go. Wes then spent about an hour on the phone to HP providing proof of ownership of my computer and arranging for it to be repaired. We will have to take it to Ballarat tomorrow, but it looks as though it is purely the replacement of a part that is meant to bear the brunt of any burn out. Fingers and toes crossed!

Last night we enjoyed a lovely meal with Glenn – he had a surfeit of prawns,which he served lightly fried in a coconut flour batter, with coconut rice and a shredded cabbage salad, with a loaf of ‘no knead’ bread to start. We polished off the custard tarts, but agreed that Linda Gillies makes the best ones we have ever had!

Lauren & Travis at Celia’s wedding

Karen with Danny’s brother, Mick, talking about Collingwood!