Dear Friends, we are sitting here looking out at the Lake and enjoying the rare sight of blue skies, which are most welcome after some very heavy rain, wind & hail again this week. Wes mowed the lawns between showers and everywhere is looking very green with the occasional clump of yellow daffodils nodding in the breeze.
We had a lovely breakfast this morning – we were to be a small group of 8, then Joe Rozen asked to join; Terry White came along, and both Glenn & Aileen joined us later for coffee. We ranged along a number of subjects, mostly started by Gail, and enjoyed sharing time together. Shortly I am going with Gillie, Glenn & Michael to Dunnstown to see Daylesford play Bungaree in a Preliminary Final. Our arch-rivals, Hepburn, were beaten yesterday by Buninyong, so we are keen to go one better and get to next week’s Grand Final.
Daylesford Doggies in action
Last Sunday, after sending off the Dispatch, Wes and I went next door to spend a couple of hours with our neighbours, Robert & Dene, who had invited some close friends & family for lunch. They have a very interesting group of friends/family and we participated in a number of enjoyable conversations, as well as being fed magnificent food. We came back here to see if Carlton could beat St Kilda and finish the year on a winning note for Brett Ratten, but it was not to be. The Blues played well, but couldn’t last the distance and were overrun by the Saints in the last quarter.
On Monday we finally played golf at Trentham again – 10 holes, with enough good shots to bring us back again. Wes played better than I did, but we both found ourselves very tired that afternoon & the next day. In the afternoon, while Wes & Barbara were doing Hepburn Voices, I caught up with Trish Goullet, who used to be in Rotary and on our Arts Show Committee, and we enjoyed a long chat over cuppas at Gracenotes Café.
We spent Tuesday morning working on the Art Show, then I went back to bed, and Wes and Barbara drove to Ballarat for hydrotherapy. On Wednesday I played Mah Jong with Carol, Dot & Valerie – it was a really enjoyable morning, even though Valerie & I failed to get a Mah Jong. Wes went off to Rotary that night with the latest report on the Art Show.
Venetian watercraft by Brian Nash
We had been approached by Gallery 247, a small organisation that has designed a website for Art Shows, and their director, Ken Gallaher, came for a meeting and lunch on Thursday. We are quite optimistic that they may be able to offer us what we want so that Wes and I can relinquish our co-ordinating roles on the Art Show without the benefits of all our computer work being lost. Wes made a beautiful prawn & asparagus risotto for lunch and we were joined by Rotary President, Jan Pengilley, who was similarly pleased with the meeting. There is another Art Show programme, also designed by a Rotarian, and we will have a look at it before we decide on Gallery 247. It will be a big relief to be able to hand over the Art Show after three years as my health is not good enough to allow us to fully commit any longer than 2012.
On Friday I went shopping for Viva and Leanne, then drove to Strathmore, delivered the shopping & took Leanne to the specialist for the verdict on her broken finger. The doctor was pleased with progress, but she still has to be very careful for another four weeks, and her finger remains bandaged, but only lightly. She was very relieved, but she and Viva are not enjoying being dependent on others and are dying for some retail therapy themselves.
That afternoon I checked into Rydges Hotel in Exhibition Street, saw a wonderful film Monsieur Lazhar at the Kino and headed off to the MCG for the footy. I was lucky enough to get a good seat undercover in the MCC Balcony,
and then had dinner in the café, sharing a table with three other MCC members who were all pleased to have gotten Grand Final tickets in the ballot. Afterwards I met David Lazzaro for a drink and catch up, while we waited for his best friend, Matt, to arrive. They had great seats, but not undercover…
It was a most exciting Final, but the Hawks finally prevailed and I think the Pies were lucky to only go down by 6 goals. It was lovely to just walk back into town and I slept well in my comfy room. By the time I got back home yesterday, I was exhausted, so went to bed, and am feeling much better today. Wes was wonderful - cooking a beautiful pasta meal, as well as feeding Joe Rozen his special bolognaise sauce with penne for their dinner. Joe’s wife, Glenda, is having a short holiday with a girlfriend, and Joe misses her when she is away, so Wes was pleased to be able to occupy Joe for the evening with the Freo/Geelong game as entertainment.
Now for some very exciting news – our dear God-daughter, Greta, and her husband, Harry, are expecting their first baby next March. Greta is keeping very well and looking forward to welcoming a baby into their world. Congratulations from us all.
Harry & Greta on their wedding day
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