Dear Friends, it is another cold, Wintry
morning today and we have just returned from a most enjoyable breakfast with
Judi, Gail, Barbara, Aileen, John & Jan back from Cooktown, and a surprise
visit from Glenn & Denise. John & Jan both look wonderful after their
two months’ away and are already planning to miss Daylesford’s Winter next
year.
Wes came with me and the boys to the Sunday
Market to buy a rake and fork and plans to spend much of the day in the garden,
except for being the third speaker in a debate late this afternoon. After
breakfast we visited Jeannie in Village
on Vincent, where the boys were fitted for new Winter coats, as they chewed
theirs up while they were in Eureka kennels. Annie Smith’s new dog, Rosie, was
tied up outside Gracenotes Café, so
we were able to introduce the boys to her. She is a Golden Retriever, so they
three all think they are related and very excited to see each other.
We’ve been getting back into the swing of
life here this week. When I left you last Sunday I was heading off to Northcote
to go to the footy with Danny. When I arrived, he had invited Greta and Penny
for lunch as a surprise, and they were still there waiting to see me. It was
lovely to see them both, and then to admire Danny’s beautiful renovations. He
has a huge lounge and dining area, a modern kitchen, a second bathroom and
impressive wood flooring everywhere except the bedrooms.
We had a lovely night at the footy – the Pies
were on song and the Bombers had a forgettable evening, so we were able to
enjoy the game without any tension. David Lazzaro sat with us, which was most
enjoyable. Afterwards, Danny had booked a table at the Leinster Arms, Collingwood, where we had a table by the fire and
enjoyed a good meal and a bottle of Domaine Chandon to celebrate.
I left Northcote where the sun was shining
& it was 14°, to find once I had passed Gisborne, that it was 6° and foggy
for the rest of the journey. Wes had been unable to walk the boys or play golf,
and we spent a quiet day indoors.
We have been experimenting with eating our
main meal at lunchtime most days and we are both finding we feel much better
for it. We sit formally at the table looking out over the Lake, have a glass of
wine, enjoy a chat and feel much more energised during the afternoons. At night
we are having biscuits and cheese or a light salad or soup if we are hungry.
Wes has joined me at Barry’s gym and he
picked a good week to start as the numbers were low at the 8am sessions. We
have both been sore afterwards – me because it is two months since I have been
there and Wes because he is using different muscles from the ones he uses
gardening and walking.
That night at 6pm, I met Judi and her
friend, Gladys, at The Rex Theatre, where
we saw a film version of the stage play The
Audience with Helen Mirren. There were 24 in the theatre to see this
marvellous performance and during the interval of the play; we were taken
behind the scenes to see the costumes and wigs.
Wednesday was a busy day – Wes and Barbara
have moved their exercise regime to Wednesday mornings, but Barbara was in need
of a big shop, so they did that, took her car for a long drive as she hadn’t
driven it while we were away, and then had lunch together at Koukla, which they both enjoyed. I
played Mah Jong with Dot and Valerie – well perhaps we talked more than we
played, but it was lovely to see them both, and then have lunch with Valerie
afterwards.
I had a well-overdue manicure and haircut
at Spice that afternoon, then went to
John & Jan’s place as I felt sure they would arrive home earlier than they
had planned – which they did. I left them some flowers & lemons, made sure
the water was running and added to the pile of mail and Advocates Judi had collected with some mail from their PO Box. Sure
enough they arrived home that evening. Wes went to Aperitifs at Nick & Lindsay’s place and had a great time – I had
hoped to get there, but I was exhausted after all the socialising I had done
during the day.
On Thursday after gym, we caught up with
Gillie at Gracenotes Café and met
Monique, who has taken over mid-week duties from the wonderful Alex. It is
always good to spend time with Gillie and we come away stimulated and with a
million things to read and see afterwards.
I had put my car in for its 12-month
service at Ballarat on Friday, so drove there through heavy rain and strong
winds. I had planned to have a good walk, but cancelled that as I couldn’t stop
my umbrella from blowing inside-out and it was far too cold and unpleasant to
walk. So I went to the Regent Cinemas
and saw the only film on at 10am – Beyond
Midnight with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. I had not seen the previous two
films by Richard Linklater starring these two, but enjoyed this enormously – it
is not an action film, but concentrates on the relationships between men &
women and explores some fine arguments. It is set in Greece and I recommend it
highly for the dialogue and the ending – very un-American.
When I arrived home we went out to Mercato for lunch – I had suggested we
try Kabuki, which gets rave reviews,
and we initially turned up there, but they weren’t open for lunch as they had
just returned from holidays themselves. So we made a beeline for our favourite
Daylesford restaurant, were welcomed warmly by Maree, and enjoyed a very yummy
lunch indeed. I spent the rest of the day sitting in front of the fire reading
& doing Logic Puzzles and Crosswords, while Wes attended a meeting with his
fellow debaters.
Yesterday the fire was still alight in the
morning, so I kept it going even though the day was much better – sunny and not
so cold. I went to the $2 shop and bought some wool to knit the boys new
jackets (I am desperate to do some knitting and this eases me back into it
perfectly) and we spent most of the day reading, listening to the footy and
then watching our games. Wes was very disappointed with the Blues, who couldn’t
match the Doggies intensity; but I was delighted with the Pies who showed great
skill and determination to overcome a more-fancied Swans side at the Olympic
Stadium.
I should have been at that match, but it
came too close on the heels of our holiday, and I decided my health would be
better served by staying put. Jane was disappointed, but at least she was able
to make an early get-away from the game once it became obvious that the Pies
would win. We tried to watch the cricket, but were too tired and awoke to find
the Aussies in a good position at 5/222 after dismissing the Poms for 238.
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