Daylesford Dispatch - Saturday, 22nd December 2012

Dear Friends, this will be my last Dispatch for 2012, as I probably won’t get a chance to write next weekend. As usual I am off to the MCG for the Boxing Day Test, and Sunday will be the final day if it lasts that long.

We were delighted to receive a phone call from Ben Lazzaro on Tuesday to announce the safe arrival of Jack early that morning. We are so pleased for him & Leanne and hope they enjoy a wonderful life with Jack.

 

We are looking forward to meeting both Jack & Charlotte in the New Year.

When I last left you we were planning a busy Sunday with breakfast in the morning & drinks with Gillie in the afternoon. We discovered that Judi & Michael were joining us for drinks and we all enjoyed catching up over Pimms in Gillie’s lounge as it was too cold to be outside on the decking.

Sadly that was the end of my Christmas celebrations and I have spent most of the week in bed with exhaustion & asthma. I was particularly sorry to miss dinner with Jan & John at Mercato, the Rotary Christmas Dinner & the Christmas Cheer volunteer opportunity. Wes was auctioneer at the Rotary dinner and enjoyed his role while catching up with members & guests, as it has been quite some time since either of us has been able to attend a Rotary meeting.

Yesterday Wes did a four hour shift helping distribute food & gifts to the less fortunate families and single people living here. It is aptly named Christmas Cheer and is a sobering glimpse into the reality of life for some who somehow fall under the radar here. He invited one lonely woman to lunch with us on Christmas day, but she wanted to stay at home in case her daughter, who lives in nearby Creswick, came to visit. The chances are very slim, but she has to hold out hope.

We had hoped to visit Viva this morning, but the heat is too much and she asked us not to come. We have to go to Melbourne for a play this afternoon, so will drop a present for Smokey and some eggs from Gillie at the front door on our way. My next chance to see her will be while I am in Melbourne for the cricket.

Here is the Christmas photo of John & Dannielle Anderson’s handsome foursome – Iris, Dublin, Kalarni & Malachi – Irish, the youngest, will be 5 on 2^nd January & Malachi, the oldest, turns 11 on 25^th February. Where have those years all gone to?

I have been enjoying an amusing email conversation with cousin Leigh in London along the lines of the following:

Leigh: Karen, what is your postal address so I can send you a Christmas card & wedding invitation?

Me: Our address is on the bottom of every email we send you

Leigh: Oh, I’ve never noticed. I just wanted to get everything posted before Christmas.

Two weeks later:

Me: Leigh, I keep checking the PO Box and there is no card or invitation

Leigh: Next week Simon and I are setting aside a day to do it all

Me: Next week is Christmas

Leigh: Don’t worry we will find a day

Me: You are spending the weekend with your parents in Lincolnshire, Christmas day with Simon’s family, Boxing Day with your brother in Berkshire and then you & Simon are going away for New Year…. which day will it be again?

The culprit & her fiancé taken this month

On Wednesday this week we needed to go to the National Australia Bank, so drove to Castlemaine, conducted our business and went to Saff’s for a cuppa. While we were there I visited their Mega IGA (eek!) because I was hopeful of buying something that I have been unable to get for a few years and I was successful – Silver Star starch, I bought two boxes to tide me over for the next year or so. The product is now under the McKenzie label and they very kindly tell you on their website where you should be able to find it. Our little, friendly IGA doesn’t stock it of course and why should it, as I am the only person I know who still starches tea-towels and I am not about to stop.

We have enjoyed catching up with lots of long-lost friends through Christmas cards this year and there are promises of visits to Daylesford etc. One such friend is Helen, long-time widow of our very dear friend, John Hanrahan (of Bungaree), who left the priesthood just before we were married much to our chagrin. She & her eldest daughter, Brigid, will be in Daylesford in early January and we hope to catch up with them for afternoon tea on our decking.

We’ve also reconnected with Andrea Spencer, aka the Bilby, who we met many years ago when we visited Alice Springs. We will probably meet again at the MCG or else at Lords, unless she can be persuaded to drive up here soon. When we first moved to Daylesford she was an occasional visitor.

Finally we had hoped to have spent time with Cilla Compton aka Lucie (but we’ve known her forever as Cilla), but as she will here this weekend, I suspect it is going to be too hard as we are off to Melbourne soon & I will probably be too tired after the Sunday Market shopping & Breakfast with ten others at the Food Gallery. Last Sunday, the owner, Toni, gave us all a copy of a wonderful book about Daylesford & surrounds, which features them and has some magnificent photographs.  It is called Produce to Platter – the food & wine lovers guide to Macedon Ranges, Daylesford, Ballarat & Pyrenees.

 

Happy Christmas & a very safe & healthy New Year to you all.