Morse

Morse
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Sunday, 9 June 2013

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 9th June 2013


Dear Friends, this will be my last Dispatch for a while as we are heading off on Sunday for 6 weeks in Scotland, England and Iceland, and I may be just a bit too busy next Sunday to write, so I’ll be in touch as soon as I can from Scotland.

We’ve enjoyed a lovely week here in spite of the cold and rain, and lately the frosts, although they herald sunny days! It was a cold & wet Monday when we headed to Ballarat to see The Great Gatsby in Gold Class ($22.50 including a hot drink & a slice – bargain) and we loved it. I was ambivalent about going as I was so sick of the trailers, but I am pleased we went as it was totally engrossing & very true to the book. The acting was superb, and as it was shot in Australia, there were plenty of Aussies in action, both acting & behind the scenes.
 
On Wednesday we went out again – this time to visit Barwon Park in Winchelsea. It is a 42-room bluestone mansion built in 1871 for the Austins who started the hospital of the same name in Melbourne. We have joined the National Trust as we will be entitled to entry into lots of castles and homes in Scotland but thought our first venture should be somewhere local. I had played Mah Jong in the morning and Wes joined me, Gail & Dot & John for lunch at Harvest CafĂ©, before we set off. We didn’t realise it would take 95 minutes driving each way, but it was worth it as there were more volunteers beavering away than visitors.

On our way back we received an invitation from Glenn Mack to join him at the Daylesford Hotel for a drink, which was just what we felt like, so found him and Michael Ivanchenko settled into the snug in front of the open fire. We decided to have an early quick meal there with Glenn, but Michael was off to Terry’s place to watch NSW unexpectedly win the first State of Original Rugby League match, so he didn’t join us.

Frasers Snr & Jnr at Barwon Park earlier this year

Wes has done a lot of driving this week as he has been stocking up on manure and straw to make sure our garden beds are all at their best before we leave. Bilbo & Frodo aren’t sure what to make of the straw, but laziness wins and they come inside for a sleep after acting as assistant gardeners for a while….sous-cheffing is much more their style.

 

On Friday afternoon Wes drove Barbara to the MCG to see the Carlton & Essendon game which was attended by over 82,000 people. It was a fantastic game to watch on TV and the atmosphere must have been electric. Sadly for the Blues supporters, the Bombers were too strong in the finish and won by 5 points. It was nearly 1am before Wes fell into bed exhausted.

We drove to Melbourne yesterday for me to visit Viva and Wes to spend time with Joan Testro. The roads were quite icy early, so I drove extra carefully until we were past Woodend and the danger of black ice. Viva was looking good and pleased to see me and Leanne was able to spend three hours out without having to worry. I cleaned all the glass & mirrors and did some reminiscing with Viva, before Wes arrived and we spent another hour delving into the past. Wes had enjoyed his time with Joan and came back with some lovely stories.

The glamorous Joan Testro at the Opening of Testro House 1960

One of the things that has always puzzled Wes has been his name – Warren, which was his father’s second name. There is no record in the family of any forebear having this name, but this week he finally obtained a copy of Ray’s baptismal certificate (family lore said he was baptised at St Pat’s Cathedral, but in reality it happened at St Francis Church, which is why no-one could find proof and why Ray had to be baptised again on his wedding day, so he could marry non-Catholic Doris in the Catholic Church). Ray’s godfather was a jumps jockey/bookie named George Warren (Jock) Woodburn – perhaps that is the answer to the question!

This coming week will be busy – we are hoping to catch up with Lauren, Travis, Myles & Rosie Kennedy, who are on holidays here in Daylesford; I have a U3A lunch to attend; we both have haircuts and medical appointments, and at some stage we have to pack……

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