Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 23rd February, 2014

 

 

Dear Friends, for all those who have been asking, the black & white photos at the top of the Dispatches have been of Viva as a child. This week’s features her as a mother, outside 34 Balloan Street, Coburg, with me in the stroller.

When I left you last week we were heading off for a busy day and it certainly was. We had a great time at Celia & Cory’s home in Beaumaris, although it took us two hours to drive there each way, which was tiring. We met the beautiful Isla, who is a lovely, contented baby and spent time with all the family members who were there. Celia had made yummy nibbles, so we ate and drank and the time flew by. As we were leaving, Lovely & Malcolm presented us with a very special rose, Mitsouko, in memory of Viva.

 

Bilbo was very thrilled to see us on our return and even barked, which is most unusual. We fed him and then Wes made us anchovy, basil and tomato pizzas for dinner before we collapsed into bed.

On Monday we were so tired after the weekend we seemed to be travelling on empty for much of the day. Wes carted some firewood and did some gardening, but we were both pleased to sit down to lunch and watch an episode of Dr Blake Mysteries, which are set in Ballarat in the 1950s. The writing this series is very good and we are really enjoying them. I spent my time trying to sort out our June trip to Sydney for the footy – we are going to see Carlton play GWS at the Sydney Showgrounds and Jane will be joining us at the match. We have decided to drive via Rutherglen, spend three nights in Sydney and come home via Canberra.

Tuesday was spent dodging tradesmen – Brian Moss came to put up the outside blind in front of our bedroom window in the hope it will eliminate much of the afternoon heat. That necessitated electricians from Fells and although everyone was neat and tidy, there was a lot of yelling, much turning on and off of power and much getting in everyone’s way. Our biggest worry of course was that Bilbo would escape, but everyone seemed to get the message and close the gates and doors behind them.

The blind works well and we were delighted that our bedroom didn’t get too hot that afternoon. And it was light, as the blind is grey, unlike our indoor blinds which are black.

Beautiful roses from our garden – Hot Cocoa, Peace, Big Purple & Freesia

Nick arrived late in the day to give me a massage and recommended rest for my troublesome knee rather than the exercise bike. Bilbo was delighted to see him, especially when he produced a treat from his bag.

The next day was lovely and cool. Sandra came to clean, Wes did heaps of gardening and I set off for Mah Jong with Dot & Valerie. Gail had hoped to join us but she was tired after a quick trip to Sydney, so I’ll have to catch up with her stories over breakfast.

It was my turn to be tired and I went to bed in the afternoon watching the very welcome rain beat down on the windows and hopefully soak the garden. Wes has recorded all the Lewis series, so I have something to enjoy on these afternoons in between cryptic crosswords and logic problems and reading!

How lovely to wake up on Thursday and have to put the heating on. It was too wet for a walk for Bilbo, so he happily ate his bone and sat downstairs with Wes at the computer while I read The Age in bed. Tom & Deb came to lunch, which lasted 5.5 hours! We enjoyed a very yummy Wes meal, and sat back chatting for ages afterwards. It was just perfect. We knew Deborah long before she met Tom, and we’ve known Tom forever, so there is plenty of reminiscing to be done with each of them, as well as chatting about now.

 

We were very grateful to them for making the long trip here and back and have a vase full of beautiful white roses to remember the visit by. Needless to say it wasn’t a late night in the Maloney household and we watched the cricket for as long as we could before sleep took over.

On Friday I had arranged to catch up with Judi for a quick cuppa before my appointment with Andrew Gallagher, physio. We had a delightful chat together before I went to tell Andrew that I had gone backwards following his advice to use the exercise bike. I am now wearing a stretchy tube over my knee with a knee brace coming, and all bikes, rowers and walking machines are forbidden for the present. However I can walk, so long as I use a walking stick!!!!

Wes used his mulcher as he had collected lots of cut off branches and leaves when he pruned the front garden and declared it a success, although we were both amazed at how little mulch we got out of a big stack of stuff. He is trying to spend a couple of hours in the garden each day to get back on top of the weeds which are part of the Summer growth as everyone knows. We are harvesting roma tomatoes and about to pick our first zucchini and chilies.

It was lovely and cool yesterday morning, so while Wes and Bilbo had a good walk, I washed the cars. It wasn’t my absolute best job as I am hobbling, but at least they are clean and safe. We had been due to have a yum cha lunch with Kathy & Ged, but Kathy’s mother, Iris, went into hospital for a pacemaker, so lunch has been postponed.

 

We were underwhelmed by Collingwood’s effort against Richmond at Wangaratta in the afternoon; however, it is better to be rusty in February and firing on all cylinders in September, so I am holding that line. The cricket is interesting with South Africa easily on top in the Second Test with their superior batsmen. It makes for a nail-biting Third and deciding Test.

This morning I am about to take Bilbo to the Sunday Market, and after we wash and put away the fruit and vegetables we will head off to Breakfast at The Food Gallery, where Gail will have lots of stories from her recent trip to Sydney. In the afternoon I am hoping to see The Railway Man, here at The Rex Theatre, with Judi.

 

 Karen, Wes, Danny, Peter & Kim at Celia’s 30^th last Sunday

 

 

 

Celia & Isla in celebratory mood

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 16th February 2014

Dear Friends, when I left you last Sunday I had no idea that within two hours I would have sliced through two of the fingers of my right hand and eventually need to go to hospital for stitches. We are so lucky to have a wonderful emergency department, full of kind souls coping with all the things that go wrong when the Medical Centre isn’t open. I don’t plan ever doing this again as the injections to administer the local anaesthetic (two in each finger) are easily the most painful I have experienced! After it was over and G&Ts prescribed we came home and I spent the rest of the day in bed, where it was easier to keep my fingers upright and the G&Ts slid down without any fuss at all.

Wes ended up hosting Rob & Dene from next-door and they enjoyed an hour and a half together drinking fine wine and tasting the venison salami which had been kept for such an occasion.

On Monday morning Bilbo refused to get out of bed, so we all had an extra hour’s sleep, until he stretched and yawned and looked for his bone! Wes went off to play golf and I stayed resting until it was time to catch up with Rhonda at Gracenotes Café. Rhonda presented me with a lovely bunch of liliums and later drove me home. We enjoyed spending time together as always.

The latest rose – Sweet Colleen

In the afternoon Glenn Mack came over with some Asiatic lilies and his condolences on the loss of Frodo. We opened the bottle of Pizzini Arneis, that we had been saving for a special occasion and it was worth the wait. Wes then collected Barbara and they went to the ALP Meeting at the Daylesford Hotel.

Leanne rang to let Warren know there was mail he needed, so he drove to Melbourne on Tuesday, while I did one-armed & one-legged washing & ironing. I walked slowly up to the Post Office and discovered the main street was deserted as the road was being resurfaced. Half the shops were shut and doing stock-taking and the other half were open and begging for customers!

Carolyn Murray outside Fantasyland with her friend, Krystal

In the afternoon, Rhonda collected me and we went to see Saving Mr Banks at the Rex Theatre. Neither of us cared whether we saw the film or not, but it was a lovely thing to do together. And, of course, we were both enchanted and enjoyed it very much as did the rest of the audience of 40 – not bad for 3pm on a Tuesday in a small country town! We both wanted to go back to Disneyland immediately!

A group of locals has resurrected a group called FOLD (Friends of Lake Daylesford) to see if we can co-ordinate and inform when there is a mess around the lake that needs fixing and is too much for one or two people to manage. We are all keen to keep the Lake looking good for ourselves as well as the visitors.

 

Wes took me to Mah Jong on Wednesday, and then visited Ron Brown before spending time with Barbara. I rested for a couple of hours then we drove to Geelong for the opening game of the Pre-Season AFL competition at Kardinia Park. We went early so we could visit David & Helen, and catch up with Jessica, Maya & Daniel. It was a lovely visit and all three kids have grown heaps since we last saw them.

We spent time at the footy reminiscing about the good old days….queuing to get in with Tom & Lib (Lib and I knitting throughout…standing up of course); standing on the hill under the old scoreboard; the secret parking spot we always used etc. It’s been years since either of us has visited the ground and we were impressed by all the improvements, including the lights, which allow for night games and so much more. The game was very exciting and Geelong won by 2 points in a very close last quarter.

 

We drove home listening to the cricket in South Africa never dreaming we would wake up to find Marsh & Smith still batting together. Waking up was very hard the next morning, but we had planned a very quiet day…Wes slept until 10am and I lasted until 8am. Bilbo was happy to go with the flow and snored gently until Wes got up!

Finally it was Friday and time to get the stitches out of these two fingers. I also fitted in a fringe trim beforehand which meant I arrived very early at the Medical Centre. I had an appointment to see Andrew Gallagher, physio, again, as my knee was still so sore. He assured me that the lateral ligament was mending well, but my knee was out of alignment. He thinks he put that right with a bit more torture and an amusing discussion about Wes Fellowes, (with whom Andrew went to school), and whose life was made very difficult by his father, Graeme, who so wanted Wes to be a great Collingwood footballer.

Eventually the stitches were removed; the wounds inspected, and orders to continue to keep water off them given. Wes had offered to take me out to lunch, but we decided a quiet meal at home would be a better option and he made one of his yummy risottos.

What a beautiful Valentine!

In the afternoon, Wes did the mowing for us and Barbara, in preparation for the promised rain, which is still to arrive. We spent the evening switching between the very exciting cricket and the equally exciting footy which ended up in a Melbourne win and a great start to their season.

We took things very easily on Saturday as we had accepted an invitation to go to a fund-raising do at Terry Borg’s place in Burwood for her younger daughter, Laura, who looks after HIV babies in Thailand. We woke to find a lovely email from the Robinsons inviting all three of us to lunch at their place in Carlton North early next month. Bilbo doesn’t usually eat at lunchtime, but I am sure there will be a treat or two from the softies that live there!

We had a lovely time at the fund-raiser catching up with old and new friends, and left in time to get home before 10pm listening to the cricket all the way. What a match by Mitchell Johnson taking 12 wickets in all and helping Australia to a fine win.

I’m about to take Bilbo to the Sunday Market, then breakfast, and then Wes and I are back to Melbourne to celebrate Celia’s 30^th birthday, meet her daughter, Isla, as well as seeing her siblings and parents.

1984 – Greta, Danny, Celia & Lauren Millman in Devonport

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 9th February 2014

 

Dear Friends, we somehow survived the hot days this week, although it was hard to get much done. Wes did lots of watering at our place, and we looked after John & Jan’s Daisy-Lea, and the pot plants belonging to Dene & Rob next door to us. Leanne found dog icy-poles at her local pet shop and they have been a godsend for Bilbo when we don’t think he is drinking enough water.

Recent photo of the fisherman at Lake Daylesford…quite an idyllic scene

We walked early on Monday, collecting a small plastic bag of rubbish, as we do most mornings. Sadly the mess is usually caused by local young ones, although a few visitors forget to take their garbage home with them. We had hoped to play golf but it was too hot & humid, even at 6.30am, to contemplate it. I did some supermarket shopping, while Wes watered and we took it in turns to make sure Bilbo was in the air-conditioning and staying cool.

We were very saddened to read of the sudden death of Philip Seymour Hoffman, one of our favourite actors, who has gone too young and too tragically at 45. As well it is very upsetting to read that Ian Thorpe continues to battle depression.

There was a wild 80kmh wind on Monday evening which continued all night and into Tuesday. It wasn’t safe to go walking with Bilbo, who was most confused when we didn’t get out his lead at 5.30am. We were lucky enough to have no damage except the loss of our rain-gauge, but next door lost a big branch from their oak tree, with another which started brushing the back of our house and yet another creaking ominously. We had a loss of power as well in the early morning and when it came back on, the spa bath motor next door started operating even though there was no-one at home. Fortunately we have keys to number 80 and Wes was able to turn off the motor and check the rest of their house. Amazingly during all these strong winds, their frangipani bloomed for the first time. I took a photo of it in case the bloom had gone by the time Dene and Robert arrived back here again.

 

A tree-feller came promptly to inspect the oak tree and promised to cut down the two worrying branches in the next couple of days as he had some more urgent work occupying him. Wes didn’t go to gym as he wanted to be in the house for the tree-fellers and in case anything happened here, as well as keeping Bilbo company.

There was a very small turnout at gym as some of Barry’s participants would have been unable to get into Daylesford for debris blocking their way along country lanes. This is easily the strongest wind and the most debris anyone can remember seeing here, which is saying something!

Wes headed off to Melbourne on my return as he had a few appointments including the important first meeting with the solicitor who has Viva’s will. He had to go into town to sign a declaration giving him alternate Power of Attorney over one of his cousins, and after that & hopefully a catch-up with Jon Stephens, he was meeting the solicitor, visiting Leanne and finishing the day with a drink in Brunswick with our old friend, Charles Amy.

This very attractive meal was Monday’s dukkah-encrusted Tuki trout fillets with fennel and peas – another Wes the Chef triumph!

I stayed at home all Tuesday apart from catching up for a cuppa with Ann Holden at the Book Barn by Lake Daylesford. Ann used to give me regular massages before she retired and I do miss our chats. During the afternoon, the branch next door finally subsided gently and did no damage although it ended up straddling the fence. Rob & Dene decided to drive up after work and made sure the branch was in their property and could do no further damage here, which was very kind of them.

We were thrilled to wake up to no wind on Wednesday and I joined Wes & Bilbo for a short part of the walk, where we shifted branches that had blown onto the Lake Daylesford path. Dot, Valerie & I had a fun morning playing Mah Jong and then John joined us for a birthday lunch for Dot. Wes did some gardening and computer work and in the late afternoon we set off for Aperitifs, my first venture for at least a year. It was at Al & Kathy’s home in Bridport Street, which is close by. I was thrilled to last the distance and to catch up with lots of friends. Wes also enjoyed the time and somehow found the energy to cook us a yummy smoked salmon pasta dish when we got home.

On Thursday after gym I drove Dolly Grey to Ballarat for a service. It took forever to get there as I was behind a convoy of 6 motorhomes from Queensland. They must have thought it would be fun to disrupt the traffic by travelling together! I had a pot of tea and read The Age at Lekker, my favourite Ballarat café, and after doing a couple of chores, returned to the air-conditioned lounge to wait for the car. It was ready in just over 2 hours, which was excellent and I drove back here to a brilliant prawn risotto. Wes had been gardening, playing with Bilbo and spending time with Keira Lockyer, who wanted to discuss a few local issues with him. Later in the day, Wes applied henna for me, and then he and Bilbo went fishing, while the treatment was on.

Jane Knox sent me this lovely photo of her father, Frank, celebrating Chinese New Year at Cabramatta – this was a first for him and he loved it.

Sherryn and I had planned to meet up on Friday, see a film and have a bite to eat together afterwards, but when the weather was so hot, and the trains were becoming erratic, we decided to postpone our get-together. When Wes got up at 5.15am to take Bilbo for a walk, Bilbo didn’t want to get out of bed and snuggled back down, pretending to snore. I didn’t blame him at all. However he enjoyed his walk had a paddle in the Lake and tucked into a bone on his return.

Sherryn Danaher & Loud Gayle Gibson after Viva’s funeral service

The tree-fellers finally arrived at 8am to remove the dangling branch, and cut the dangerous branches of the oak tree next door. Dene offered us the wood, which was very kind of him, we won’t need to buy wood for a couple of Winters now. We asked the tree-fellers to quote on removing our one remaining gum and have booked them to do that job when they have finished all the more urgent stuff around town, which will be in April or May!

My knee was hurting, so I made an appointment to see Andrew Gallagher, physiotherapist, after the U3A Morning Tea at The Food Gallery. Andrew bought Lawrie Townsend’s physio practices in Moreland & Brunswick in the late 80s, when Lawrie remarried and moved to Brisbane. Lawrie’s first wife, Elisabeth, asked me if I would work for Lawrie when he first opened his practice in 1982 and I ended up managing both for him until Wes and I decided to buy into an Insurance Broking business in partnership with Con & Roula Keramidas in late 1985. Andrew is an excellent physio, who moved here quite a few years ago and we were both amazed to find each other living in this wonderful area. He confirmed that I had strained the lateral ligament, tortured me for a while and gave me some exercises to do to help reduce the swelling.

After feeding us with a very yummy lunch of penne with olives, mushrooms, spinach & chilies, Wes settled down to an afternoon of Ancestry.com and I had a good chat with our WA friend, Norma Hutchins, while I rested my leg. She was very excited that the Perth Scorchers were hosting the Big Bash Final and would have been even more excited by the result. The batting from the Marsh brothers, in particular, was amazingly good and very entertaining, and the bowling from the Scorchers was too good for the Hobart Hurricanes.

Yesterday we rose early and I washed the cars while Wes walked Bilbo, who was a little more awake and keen to go out. Then while Wes watered the back garden, I did some supermarket shopping. We decided to have breakfast together at Bocconcini, which opens early and Wes enjoyed corn fritters, while I had smashed avocado, poached egg, mushrooms & spinach. We visited the Wombat Hill Nursery & Florist afterward to get some more seaside daisies, some curly-leafed parsley and two pretty mauve shrubs which Wes is going to plant on the other side of the pond in the front garden. While we were there I thanked Jeff & Donna for all the beautiful flowers that they delivered over the past 4 weeks, and complimented them on how long they lasted. Donna told me that their flowers are picked by the grower in Ballarat the morning of their order, which explains why they lasted!

Oriental lilies from Leigh & Simon that bloomed for two weeks and filled the house with their perfume

This morning I am about to take Bilbo out to pump mineral water at Leitches Creek, then onto the Sunday Market, breakfast with Wes, Judi, Barbara & Aileen at The Food Gallery, followed by a trip to Castlemaine to help Valerie with her computer and finally back home here for drinks with our very kind and thoughtful next-door neighbours, Rob & Dene.

P.S. How exciting – we’ve just booked tickets to see David Suchet appearing at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne in The Last Confession in September.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd February 2014

Dear Friends, as promised we are getting back to normal here at Maloney Folly. When we arrived back from breakfast last Sunday, Rob McDonald arrived with 13 bottles of Sailors Falls Pinot Gris, an invoice for 12 of them and a plate of freshly caught yabbies. He stayed chatting and patting Bilbo for a while, which was lovely. Later that afternoon Wes packed some fishing gear and we sat in a secluded spot by the side of Lake Daylesford teaching Bilbo all about fishing. He liked the sweet corn bait the best, and seemed delighted just to be with us and doing something different.

On Monday after the early walk we prepared for our lunch with Danny, Greta & Penny. We had hoped to sit outside by the barbecue and Wes put up the umbrella, cleaned the decking and got everything ready, but it was too hot and there were too many flies, so he and Greta cooked lunch and we ate inside in the air-conditioning. Penny is delightful and is crawling in a fashion. She and Bilbo liked each other very much and he did a lot of licking, while she did a lot of patting.

 

Penny meeting Bilbo for the first time

Tuesday was a stinker and Wes cancelled all plans to get out in the garden as it was too hot for anything. We walked early, went to gym, I did the washing and he spent time on the computer, mostly on Ancestry.com. I spent the late morning catching up with Cathy O’Toole, four months after she and Peter moved into their new home in Little Street. She looks very happy and it was good to spend a peaceful time with her discussing our news and swapping anxiety stories.

In the afternoon we had a visit from a local couple who have just started up a Shading Solutions company, to see if they could come up with an outside blind that would make our bedroom cooler on these very hot days. Later Nick Massaro arrived to give me a long-overdue massage. He brought a treat for Bilbo, tomatoes for us and a jar of mulberry jam that is crying out for raisin toast or Hot Cross buns.

The cool change on Wednesday was very welcome and we enjoyed our early morning walk. Then I went to Mah Jong, where there were four of us again, which makes it doubly difficult to get these new hands we are playing. We feel as though we have rejuvenated our interest in the game, even though we are quite slow as we keep having to refer to our books. The Muffins & More Café is very accommodating and as always the game becomes a talking point for other customers.

Wes and Barbara had lunch at Gracenotes, and he spent some time helping her with various things.

On Thursday I drove to Melbourne to catch up with Leanne, which we both enjoyed. I was able to help her with a few things and we swapped stories about Viva and did some reminiscing. Fortunately I got back here before the hottest part of the day. We had hoped to get to the Farmers Arms Hotel for drinks at 6pm for Fae Wilson, but I was too tired after my busy day, so we stayed home and had an early night…for a change!

 

Greta & Penny with Danny in the background and Bilbo in the foreground

We decided it was too hot for golf on Friday, so drove to Ballarat to see The Book Thief. We had hoped to see it locally at The Rex Theatre, but it was closed for compliance issues and we thought we would miss the film altogether if we didn’t become proactive. I guess we are both pleased we saw it, but I do agree with a review that suggested it was better left as a book. Emily Watson was superb in her role and the young Liesl was well-played by Sophie Nélisse, but we felt the film lacked light and shade – everyone was either a goodie or a baddie, and neither of us was ever fully engaged with what was happening.

We had left Bilbo for 4 hours, the longest we have been away from him since Frodo died, but he seemed OK on our return, although he then didn’t leave our sides for the rest of the day. Wes spent a couple of hours with Eddie & Jenny Beacham, Candy Broad & Hal Swerissen in the afternoon as they discussed the Macedon Pre-selection kerfuffle, where the rank & file preferred candidate, Christian Zahra, has been gazumped in favour of a woman who lives in Northcote.  We watched the second Twenty20 match between Australia & England at the MCG, which attracted a crowd of 64,000. If we had been living in Melbourne I think we would have been there as well to see Brad Hodge, who fielded brilliantly but missed out on batting as Cameron White & George Bailey brought Australia home easily.

 

A beautiful glimpse of the Lake at dawn

Yesterday after the early morning walk, Wes bathed Bilbo, and both of them were a little sad as it wasn’t quite the game it had been with two dogs. We then went to the monthly Farmers’ Market, where Wes found an interesting hot venison salami. We caught up with local Rotarians and friends, including Gillie & Judi with dogs as well. Bilbo loved the whole thing and played with all the dogs that came near him. Wes spent the morning in the garden before it got too hot, and I updated my Book Inventory with Bilbo at my feet.

Sadly there aren’t enough Asians living here for Chinese New Year to be celebrated in style, but we are hoping for a very good Year of the Horse and hope that those of you who are able to celebrate enjoy the wonderful food, the scary dragon and all those drums beating.

 

This morning we’ve enjoyed the cool of the walk, although we picked up about 20 discarded cans & bottles & chip packets along our way. Bilbo has eaten his bone and is waiting for the trip to the Sunday Market, which will be followed by breakfast & for him, toast with vegemite.

 

An early omen for 2014 – a pair of magpies who keep visiting our verandah & particularly like the hanging basket with pigface growing in it