Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 29th September 2013

Dear Friends, the weather has been kinder this week, very little rain and lots of sunshine, which is drying out the mud that has accumulated around everyone’s gardens and the walking tracks. With school holidays, Daylesford is full of visitors and a walk around the Lake means lots of encounters at any time of the day.

On Monday I realised I needed a day in bed as my energy levels were severely depleted. Fortunately I was able to do that, although I spent 5 minutes at the computer getting a ticket for the Grand Final. I had missed out in the MCC ballot and couldn’t face the thought of queuing up to join the hordes all vying for a good seat in the remainder of the MCC area, so paid for an AFL undercover seat on the wing in the Great Southern Stand.

Carolyn Murray nursing her nephew, Thomas, second child for Damien & Jess Murray

Wes was very understanding about my loss of energy and cooked a yummy lunch. He drove to Melbourne that afternoon to attend Lorna Pitt’s 70^th birthday celebration soiree with a few close friends. There were over 90 in attendance and he did enjoy catching up with old political friends and sparring partners. I watched the Brownlow medal on TV, hoping that Dane Swan could tie with Gary Ablett. Wes arrived back before the count was over and we both agreed that Gary Ablett deserved his second medal.

I felt much better on Tuesday for the rest, so caught up on shopping, washing, computer work etc. Wes experimented with a Chinese style meal at lunchtime and has decided that perhaps it is too fiddly for him and he had better stick to pastas and risotto. On Sunday we had bought a new heavy stainless steel Scanpan and he was really itching to make pasta and use it, which he did that night to make up for the less than successful lunch (which the boys loved). We were even able to have an early evening walk around the Lake and had to drag Bilbo & Frodo back up our hill. I think the lack of energy was caused by their being no reward at the end of the walk – they had already eaten dinner and no more food was on the horizon until apples or pears at bedtime!

 

Ava & Genevieve - school footy dress up day – beautiful daughters of Matt Spiteri & Sara Lacey 

Dot, Valerie & I played Mah Jong on Wednesday at the Harvest Café; Wes mowed the lawns (probably the only day it was possible this week) and then had lunch with Barbara. That night he went to an ALP meeting at the Daylesford Hotel. One of the few positives to emerge from the Coalition’s election victory is that Laborites are geared up to revitalise and re-energise the party, and Wes is no exception. He came home full of ideas and had enjoyed the evening in stimulating company.

This week has been a break from gym and both of us had envisaged playing golf a couple of times, instead it has been wet, wild and windy most mornings and staying in bed reading The Age has been a much more attractive proposition. It was exactly like that on Thursday – Ken delivered the paper under the carport so it stayed dry, and I didn’t get up until I had done both crosswords and the Word of the Day (a French one, so there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth among the regular readers).

Making sure next door’s rhubarb stays alive while they are in France & Sweden....successful!

We realised on one of our afternoon strolls around Lake Daylesford with the boys, that it is exactly 15 years since we spent our first weekend in our little holiday house here. On our second weekend we were at the Grand Final barracking for North, when suddenly Adelaide kicked goals galore and it was all over. We looked at each other and said, we could be in Daylesford, left the MCG before the end (unheard of) and raced up here. It took so little time for Daylesford to have us under her spell and we have never regretted the impromptu purchase of 78 Duke Street which had led to such a huge change in our lives.

Later in the week I enjoyed a 2-hour lunch with Gillie at Gracenotes Café, where we caught up on news and learned a little more about each other and our previous lives. Gillie is a very stimulating and interesting person to be with and I always enjoy time in her company. Meanwhile Wes did some gardening, shopped for the boys’ golf day lunch, and spent time on the computer, provoking commentary on Facebook and writing outlines of some of the many relatives he has found while doing the family trees on Ancestry.com.

Friday dawned cold, but dry, so it was with much excitement that Wes packed the car and headed off to Trentham golf course for his day with Tom, Mate and Bobby, with surprise lunch guest of Chris Meehan. They all had a wonderful day and enjoyed Wes’s lunch at the Trentham Lake House! He took them to Trentham Lake and barbecued marinated steaks accompanied by bread and salad and wine. By the sound of things everyone enjoyed their time together.

Judi & I met for lunch at The Food Gallery and then I drove us to Barcaldine House to see the film Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, which Judi had recommended to the U3A Flicks on Friday group. Most of us had already seen the film, but it is a beautiful and inspirational one and everyone enjoyed it, and the scones, jam & cream afterwards.

Yesterday I decided to drive to Melbourne to see the Grand Final. Wes very kindly offered to drive me, but he was tired after his big day, and I knew he would much rather watch it with Barbara, who had invited him over. He cooked them steaks for lunch and they were joined at half-time by Aileen bearing lamb pies. I had an easy run into town, parked at the tennis centre, collected my ticket and went for my traditional stroll around the MCG, looking at the sights and soaking up the atmosphere. In spite of the efforts of the purple army, there was very little excitement outside the ground, apart from the Coodabeen Champions, who had a huge crowd hanging off their every word.

The game itself didn’t really get into gear until the third quarter, when Freo tried hard, but were no match for the fitter, stronger and better prepared Hawks, who thoroughly deserved their win. I left after the final siren and had another easy drive home in daylight.

 

However, I am feeling quite tired today and looking forward to taking it easy after the Sunday Market and breakfast. It was bitterly cold early this morning, which means a lovely day I am sure.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd September 2013

 

Dear Friends, I left you as we headed to breakfast last Sunday. We shared a fun morning with lots of good conversations and laughs. Wes came home to attack the garden again, and I made minestrone soup with all the lovely fresh vegetables I had bought from John & Yvonne. In the afternoon Wes and Barbara drove to the Williamstown Little Theatre to see their latest production Morning Departure, which they enjoyed.

On Monday it poured with rain nearly all day – we had 34 mls, and apart from a short walk into town when the rain eased, I spent the morning preparing for my Crime Fiction class that afternoon. Sadly not everyone had prepared as thoroughly or read all the suggested authors, but we did enjoy a spirited discussion of which other authors should have been awarded 3 stars.

After gym Wes took Frodo to Andrew, the vet, for an x-ray to find out what is wrong with his shoulder. The good news is that he doesn’t have cancer or even arthritis by the look of things, so he will have a month of tablets and the injury should clear up. We were very relieved as you can imagine and tried to convey that news to Bilbo, who was lapping up all the attention, but confused about where his brother had gone.

 

Archie Hoolihan, (son of Mike & Kelly & grandson of Jeff & Kev), starting school this month.

We were still without a clothes dryer, so the airing cupboard is coming in for lots of use and the clothes horse sits over the bedroom duct with sheets drying slowly. Hopefully Kiyo will find time soon to visit with the new screw and normality will return.

Alexandra Watt (grand-daughter of Carol Bruce) in her school photo – she has since lost her two front teeth!

On Wednesday I played Mah Jong with Dot & Valerie and we watched as the skies changed and the rain started to bucket down. Dot had a very successful morning and managed to do something I don’t remember seeing before – she had two bouquets – flowers and seasons, and if that wasn’t enough, she went Mah Jong with a concealed Purity Hand. Wes took Barbara to lunch at Gracenotes Café and they got saturated trying to get back into her car. Meanwhile I had an appointment at the Springs Medical Centre (a great place to meet friends and chat while waiting) and managed to get inside without getting too wet.

 

I arrived back home to find John Meir had dropped in with some CDs for Wes to use for Rotary’s 60^th Birthday celebration last night. He stayed for quite a while and then couldn’t leave until he had patted each dog equally.

On Thursday Wes took the boys for a short early walk, we went to gym and then I caught up with Judi at Gracenotes Café. When Judi & Michael first moved here, we somehow thought we would see each other constantly, but that isn’t the case – there is so much to do and our paths don’t always cross. I came home to a yummy pasta lunch made by Wes and a pair of very sleepy dogs. The rain eased down which was good, but the wind was still chilly, although our afternoon walk around the Lake was sheltered.

One of the very silly things that happen when your local paper is produced by trainees from Bendigo is that the Under 17.5 Premiership team made the front page of The Advocate this week, and the triumphant Hepburn Seniors had to look to the back page to celebrate their good win (not even a full team photo). There were rumours that The Advocate office would be ransacked, but hopefully common sense prevailed and there will be a front page photo next week with a huge apology. If that wasn’t enough, the front page usually gives the temperatures for the next few days and they were represented by ?????, which is not very helpful at all.

 Bilbo & Frodo upset that they can’t walk because it is raining again

Sadly Wes had to postpone a much-anticipated Boys’ Golf Day at Trentham with Bobby, Mate & Tommy on Friday. It had continued to rain during the week and he decided on Thursday that it would be too wet underfoot and not a pleasant experience. We woke to grey skies and rain again on Friday so his decision was vindicated. Instead we had a meeting with Annemarie from the Rotary Art Show Committee and shared a yummy risotto, courtesy of Wes, with her. It was so bleak that not even our planned afternoon walk could eventuate. However, Kiyo appeared unexpectedly and fixed the dryer, which was a bonus.

We enjoyed the Preliminary Final on Friday night between Hawthorn & Geelong – a game to remember, and a gutsy, fighting win by the Hawks. Last night’s game was never in doubt as the Dockers were far too good for a tired, injured Sydney team, who never gave up.

Yesterday was a rare Spring day without rain – we had the early shift selling Art Show raffle tickets in Vincent Street, something we both enjoy, as it is a chance to catch up with locals and engage with visitors. Brian’s painting is eye-catching – an evening scene outside Frangos & Frangos Hotel, and everyone stops to admire it.

Wes spent the afternoon helping get the Town Hall ready for Rotary’s 60^th birthday party last night, where he was the MC. There is always a lot to be done in preparation and then afterwards and he brought home the painting & easel among other things. We had decided I wouldn't go as I find big social night events exhausting and we wouldn’t have been able to leave early if I had wanted to go. There were about 70 in attendance including John & Jan & Barbara, who took her own car.

We are planning a quiet day today and Wes hopes to get into the garden when the rain stops. The boys are sleeping while they wait for the call to go to the Market.

                     Sir Donald Bradman – our latest rose

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 15th September 2013

Dear Friends, when the Blues finally ran all over Richmond last Sunday afternoon, the mood certainly lightened at our house. Our guests, Barbara, Glenda & Joe, were all barracking hard, although Joe sees every Carlton error as an umpiring conspiracy, which does make it difficult for him to be at all objective about anything happening on a footy field. Everyone had brought yummy afternoon tea food and we provided wine and cheese.

The Carlton bag at beautiful Trentham

On Monday I woke exhausted after our very social past three days, so Wes decided to play golf on his own, and I stayed in bed until 8am reading the Age and doing the crosswords. Then I went for an hour’s walk and decided that was it for the day. On Tuesday we went to gym, then parted ways – Wes to the doctor and me to do the shopping before spending a very enjoyable 90 minutes with Emma at EKO having a facial.

Wednesday we woke to rain and Frodo favouring his shoulder again. Fortunately we still had some tablets to give him and decided to give it 24 hours before going back to Andrew the vet. Wes had a busy day – he and Barbara had a lunchtime Hepburn Voices interview with Danny Spooner at Gracenotes Café followed by drinks with Glenn Mack at the Daylesford Hotel. I played Mah Jong with Dot & Valerie – when we weren’t chatting of course – lots to catch up on.

Our good friends, Gail & Terry are having a wonderful trip overseas this month and Gail is keeping us amused with a daily blog of their activities. They are in Malta at present and bringing back lots of lovely memories for us with their photos and stories.

On the ferry from Valetta to Gozo in 2010

I have been spending any free time I have reading Crime Fiction novels by 17 authors who have been given 3 stars by The Purloined Letter Society in preparation for a U3A class on Monday afternoon. We have to discuss whether we agree with the ratings given by the Society and argue our case for other authors to be included. Amazingly, P D James gets one star as they have only considered her early work and not the brilliant novels featuring Adam Dalgliesh, so I will be arguing for her inclusion. The only women on the list are Donna Leon and Maj Sjowal (who co-wrote with Per Wahloo) – Dorothy L Sayers would be turning in her grave with horror at receiving only 2 stars and those for Nine Tailors & Gaudy Night only.

After gym on Thursday I went for a fringe trim with Adam at Spice only to discover he finished up yesterday as he has lost his licence for 12 months. He lives in Maryborough and can’t get to Daylesford on public transport, so is hoping for a job in Ballarat which he can get to by train.

Wes loving the Globe Theatre, London

On Friday it was too cold to play golf 2° (but felt like -2°), so we decided to go to Regent Cinemas at Ballarat, where there was a special $25 Gold Class ticket including tea/coffee and a slice. We saw Now You See Me, which was good fun – not a must-see film, but very entertaining. We couldn’t think of anywhere nice to eat in Ballarat and the wind was freezing, so came back here and got the best table at Gracenotes Café, where we enjoyed a very yummy lunch. We were still there at 2.30pm when Barbara, Jan & John arrived for an early afternoon tea, so they joined our table and we caught up on everyone’s news.

Emperor of Russia – our latest camellia

Yesterday I walked into town as I had a few chores to do and nothing too heavy to carry home, while Wes washed the boys and vacuumed the cars. Joe Rozen popped in to talk Carlton with Wes and after he left I washed the cars to complete their transformation. Wes continued his assault on the garden, filling a green bin with weeds, and planting pumpkin seeds, baby eggplant and cabbages in the back garden.

I had hoped to visit Viva during the past week, but Smokey the cat hasn’t been well, so we decided to postpone my visit until Leanne could take full advantage of it and have a morning off. Warren’s aunt, Joan, or the Cressy Crone as she calls herself in emails to me, has just returned home after six weeks in rehab, after suffering a fall. I do miss her lovely wit and clever emails when she doesn’t have easy access to her computer. This photo of our weeping Japanese maple is especially for Joan.

We are about to head off for breakfast – Wes is slowly recovering from Carlton’s loss to the Swans last night, and the boys are looking forward to toast after enjoying cabbage at the Sunday Market. Apparently, it was a wild night in town after Hepburn won the local premiership yesterday.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 8th September 2013

Dear Friends, I hope all the Daddies enjoyed a lovely day last Sunday. It was a glorious day in Victoria, and after a good breakfast with lots of interesting conversations, Wes and I dolled up and drove to the MCG and into the MCC where we got brilliant seats and met up with Loud Gayle for a drink and catch up chat. Sadly the Pies had decided not to risk injuries and the game became a shoot-out, which was entertaining, but not quite the strong showing we supporters were hoping for in preparation for the Finals. We stayed until the end just in case the Pies decided to slam on three goals and win, but no such luck.

 

 

Two first-time fathers – Harry with Penny & Heath with Charlotte

On Monday morning we were too tired to get up early and play golf, which was a shame as it was a beautiful day. Wes spent the morning in the garden, where he is doing wondrous things, and planted the Carlton daffodils I bought him from Ken at the Sunday Market. He has constructed a wood-pile area, shifted plants that aren’t doing well to better spots, planted lots more bulbs for next year, and is working on a fernery and a stretch of roses and lavender along the front of the lawn. Bilbo and Frodo sit and watch and inspect the fertiliser once it has been spread around.

I had a long list of things I needed to do, including cleaning the silver properly with Silvo (done); finding someone to fix the dishwasher (done); taking back a knitting pattern book that has defeated me (a first for me, but I am not the only one); making some long overdue phone calls, and getting serious about the reading list for the next U3A Crime Writers Class.

Viva went into hospital on Sunday as she needed to have a haematoma on her leg drained and it is too risky to do it anywhere but in hospital. She has been in some pain for the past 10 days or so, and nothing she has been given has helped reduce that pain or the size of the wound. When we spoke on Monday, she sounded pleased to be in hospital, but impatient to have it over and done with. Fortunately the stronger anti-biotics worked and she was able to come home on Friday afternoon without having the operation.

It’s funny how things don’t always work out the way you plan them – most nights Wes and I discuss the next day’s activities, and usually those plans come to fruition. However on Tuesday, post the walk, we noticed that Frodo was favouring his front leg and having trouble walking. We went to gym and came home early – me to book tickets to the Collingwood Elimination Final and Wes to contact Andrew the vet. Instead of finishing off the bookcase downstairs, I spent the morning upstairs keeping Frodo company as he was in some pain and the earliest he could be seen was 11.45am. I washed, ironed, baked a carrot cake and did the Age crosswords, while keeping an eye on Frodo to make sure he was comfortable.

Wes carried him to the car for his appointment and returned half an hour later to say that he probably hadn’t broken any bones in his shoulder, but that Andrew had given him morphine to ease the pain. Frodo cried through most of the afternoon and Wes rang Andrew again to see what we could do and was advised to give him an early dinner and an extra morphine tablet. Bilbo sat by Frodo letting him rest against him, but was distressed by his crying. We were due to go to The Convent Gallery for the launch of the new Rotary Arts Show website, and, as Wes was MC, we decided I should stay at home and look after Frodo.

I missed a brilliant soiree by the sound of things, but we couldn’t have left Frodo, and by the time Wes arrived home, there was a lot less crying and Frodo was moving much better. We sat around for a couple of hours keeping watch and decided the worst was over and it was safe to go to bed. We didn’t hear any crying again until the next morning, when Bilbo started up at 6am thinking we had forgotten to give them their bones.

We kept Frodo on morphine that day, but left him briefly when Wes and I had morning tea with Janine and David Hawker. David was a friend back in insurance broking days and he has been quite unwell since a big operation about two years ago. We sat in the front window of Sweet Decadence and chatted about Iceland, as they were very interested to hear about it, and listened to David’s plans for a new letterbox for his daughter, Peta, which he is making at The Men’s Shed locally.

Snow-capped mountains in Iceland during Summer

Wes then took Barbara to lunch at Gracenotes Café, while I had a manicure, and came back here to meet Kiyo, who was arriving to fix our dishwasher and hopefully mend the dryer as well. Kiyo is a lovely man in his late forties, whose wife died two years ago from pancreatic cancer leaving him with 3 young children to bring up. He is Japanese by birth, but loves living in Australia & especially here in Daylesford. He wasn’t able to fix the dryer, even though he had the right part, as the screw that held everything together had worn out its thread, so we are hoping he will arrive back any day soon, as we don’t have a washing line and rely on the dryer.

That night Wes went to Aperitifs and then to Rotary, where he was asked to MC the Daylesford Rotary 60^th Birthday party on 21^st September.

After gym on Thursday I had my first massage in months with Ann Holden, and caught up on all her news, then went shopping for our foray into lunch parties the next day. We had invited Maureen & Graeme Dean with Marg & Rob McDonald and as they are all good cooks, we wanted to surprise them with something special.

Wes was feeling very brave in the kitchen, so tackled a new mussels recipe for us - it used wine, cream, peas and macaroni to create a very tasty sauce that we demolished at lunchtime. He had an appointment with Steve Lamb later in the afternoon to discuss joining the Daylesford Cemetery Trust.

 

Our lunch went really well – all four of our guests relaxed and enjoyed the fish pie, tasty pork ribs & green beans that Wes cooked. Not a skerrick was left of his Eton mess desserts either. Rob & Marg brought us a couple of bottles of their brand-new Sailors Falls Estate rosé, as well as a posy of flowers picked from bulbs that were planted in the 1850s.

Maureen and Graeme have sold their house to our good friends, Cathy & Peter, and in a wonderful piece of serendipity, they will be swapping houses. Maureen and Graeme are going to build a new home in Elsbeth Court in front of Judi and Michael, and while it is being built, they will rent Cathy & Peter’s beautiful Holly Cottage. Maureen explained that they are even using the same cardboard boxes to shift gradually on a daily basis.

I had put our Jacobean chairs in for repair with Gerard Bugden, who runs the Wood Shed Gallery, where he makes beautiful furniture, and he promised to get them back before we needed them for lunch. He rang at 6pm the night before to say we could pick them up at 9am on Friday – now that was cutting it fine, but we were able to seat our guests in comfort.

Yesterday we did the early shift on the Farmers Market, where we had pith helmets for sale, and where the most common question was Where are we voting this year?, as a decision had been made to shift the polling booth from Daylesford Primary to St Michael’s Catholic Primary school as it would have been too hectic with the Market and electoral traffic.

Typical Icelandic houses in Reykjavik

 

In the afternoon we drove to Melbourne and saw the new Geoffrey Rush film The Best Offer, which is quite intriguing. The film suffers from an uneven tempo (can’t think of any other way to describe it) and it’s not something you want to see again, but we both enjoyed it and his performance. Amazingly there were two other people from Daylesford (Collingwood supporters) sitting in the same back row of the Kino Cinema 1.

We emerged to discover Freo had beaten Geelong at Kardinia Park, and decided it was time to head for the Hilton and get into the atmosphere of the Collingwood vs Port Adelaide game. We enjoyed a drink there along with heaps of other supporters and then Wes headed off for Bridie O’Reilly’s Pub to watch the election/footy and I walked over the road to the MCG, where I had a quick chat with Loud Gayle in the MCC area, then joined David Lazzaro in our seats in the Great Southern Stand.

He and I had a lovely night together, except for the footy...the Pies didn’t look focussed and Port were very worthy winners. I met Wes outside the ground and we got a good drive home arriving here before midnight, where we were greeted sleepily by two very happy Labradors, who had been left with marrow bones to occupy their time.

Amazingly, in spite of the election result and the footy so far, the sun rose this morning and it is a beautiful day. The ALP has to take serious stock of its policies after being so badly beaten by the Liberals and those of us who didn’t vote for him, have to cope with Tony Abbott as Prime Minister for quite a few years I suspect.

Wes very kindly let me sleep in and did the Sunday Market, coming home with lots of fruit, vegetables, bones, a purple rose and a new camellia. We have invited Barbara Simpson and Joe & Glenda Rozen to join us this afternoon to see if Carlton can beat Richmond at the MCG, in what should be an incredibly atmospheric and emotional game.

Finally, before I leave you, I want to tell you how beautiful it is to be wakened here each morning to the sound of magpies warbling and kookaburras laughing. We fall asleep listening to the frogs croaking in our little pond and wake to more melodic sounds that seem to go on for most of the day until the frogs take over again. Life in Daylesford is pretty special….. 

 

 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 1st September, 2013

Icelandic Sculpture

 

Dear Friends, we are thrilled to announce that Spring has arrived in Daylesford this week – we’ve enjoyed some very nice temperatures and the lack of heavy rain has enabled everyone to get out into their gardens, to walk again, or to just feel better for having the options.

We played our first game of golf in months on Monday morning – as we drove through mist and rain to Trentham, we were starting to wonder if we would be coming straight home, but once we were on the course, the mist lifted and we enjoyed a very quiet 10 holes with no-one around. We have played much better (and much worse), but we have rarely enjoyed a round so much.

Us at Trent Bridge

Tuesday we went to gym, where we caught up with Bill & Steve, who haven’t been seen there in a long time (doesn’t mean they haven’t been attending of course), and came home to washing, ironing and a henna, put on me by Wes, and done very smoothly. We think we finally have the process licked and Wes is delighted with the result.

The next day Wes accompanied Barbara to the Royal Talbot Hospital in Melbourne where they had a day listening to and learning from other paraplegics and quadriplegics. Meanwhile I met Valerie for Mah Jong and caught up on all her news.

Wes had been put on notice for jury duty in Ballarat, but wasn’t required on Thursday, so we decided to go there anyway and have lunch and look at the Photo Biennale, which originated in Daylesford, but quickly grew too big for us and moved to Ballarat. Wes had chosen a Japanese Restaurant for us to try, but a policewoman was blocking the road as we drew near to it and we wondered if there was either an accident or filming going on at Sovereign Hill that day. Instead we had an inexpensive but enjoyable Thai meal at Brown Sugar in Sturt Street, which meant we were in walking distance of many of the photos.

 

 Reykjavik from the top of the Church

Sadly we were a little underwhelmed by most of the photography, which was either self-indulgent or pornographic or both. Some of the best works were in small cafes, rather than the Art Gallery or Mining Exchange.

Wes was required on Friday, but was never empanelled, much to his dismay as he was looking forward to the experience. I have been called up quite a few times, and although I have been empanelled twice, I have never sat through a trial either. The first time, my neighbour in the jury box knew the first witness in the trial, and on the second occasion, I knew the defending solicitor, (Michael McGarvie), well enough to be going to his birthday party the following Saturday night.

I met Judi for lunch at Liena’s Kitchen, a little Chinese café in Vincent Street, and we shared a fish hotpot dish before heading out to Barcaldine House to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, as part of the U3A Flicks on Friday. I think everyone there had seen the film, but we were all keen to see it again – it is beautifully, written, filmed and acted and I laughed and cried simultaneously through it. We had invited John & Jan to join us as they are U3A members, and it was John’s birthday, but Jan wasn’t well enough and ended up visiting the doctor instead.

Yesterday was busy, Wes had a long Art Show meeting with Sharon Nicholson, we spent some time in the garden, planting vegetables and lavender bushes, the dishwasher decided not to empty water any more, and Carlton decided to get a move on after a sluggish first half against Port and fell in by a point – a result that Wes declared was never in doubt!

Today the boys have given Wes a bottle of his favourite Jameson’s whisky, which is good timing as he finished the duty-free allowance last night getting the Blues over the line. After the Sunday Market and breakfast, we are heading to Melbourne for the Collingwood vs North Melbourne game, where I have a Long Room pass for Wes, and am hoping we get seats on the Balcony and enjoy the game in comfort. We are hoping to catch up with Loud Gayle, who is usually there with her friend, Heather, and to see a win, of course!

 

 

Stunning Pine Tree at Threave Gardens, Scotland