Morse

Morse
Morse & friend

Sunday, 20 April 2014

Daylesford Easter Dispatch - Sunday, 20th April, 2014




Dear Friends, last Sunday went well, with a lovely breakfast and good conversations led by Judi, who had enjoyed a busy week, and Aileen who is always entertaining. Both Wes & Glenn chipped in with stories and Gillie, Barbara & I were an appreciative audience. It was such a beautiful day that Wes spent some time in the garden planting more seaside daisies and Flanders poppies, while I pulled out the tomato and zucchini plants that had all reached the end. I turned the tomatoes into a yummy pasta sauce that was made almost entirely from our produce – onions being the only ingredient I didn’t grow. We ate some that night for dinner and it was extra good. Wes spent the rest of the day on Ancestry.com where he keeps finding more cousins and more delightful photos of Viva. Don’t know when or where this week’s shot was taken, but Viva seems to be enjoying the water, and reminds me very much of Leanne.


Bilbo being invisible on our bed

On Monday we played golf – the first time I have played in ages and it was good fun. We had enough satisfactory shots to make us want to come back, but it was very cold at 7.30am. The day improved as it wore on, which was good as we had guests for lunch – David Castles, his wife, Sandy, and their 14-year old son Simon, as well as their dog, Bam Bam.


David Castles as Jesus and Robert Preston as Superman, being admired by Barb Jordon at Wes’s 30th birthday party

Bilbo was delighted with our visitors, especially Simon, who knew exactly what to do to make a lab happy. We enjoyed meeting Sandy for the first time and listening to David’s stories of his life since we lost touch many years ago. Wes had made his fish pie and a roast chook dish in case Simon didn’t like fish. Simon had eaten a pizza for breakfast so wasn’t hungry, but did get through a piece of the chook. Simon was keen to get to the Mill Markets & Brick Lane (once we told him about it), so left us adults to eat cheese together, while he explored. He collects cut-throat razors and their accoutrements.

That evening, after a rest, Wes took Barbara to the local ALP meeting at the Daylesford Hotel, and David turned up there, as promised. Wes arrived back home at 7.50pm just in time to have his Skype call with Terry and Peter. Needless to say he was in bed shortly afterwards and slept through the walk the next morning, as did Bilbo.

I went off to gym and the Post Office, and arrived home to discover Wes had misplaced the cradle of our portable phone when he answered it in a hurry. So we searched high and low, shifted everything, vacuumed everywhere and still no sign of it. Eventually we gave up and I stood looking at the cradle wondering what shape the missing piece could be. Suddenly I realised that Wes had replaced it upside down and when I inverted it the cradle magically reappeared.

My new computer arrived at Jenkin & Thomas, so we collected it and Wes very kindly offered to install it all for me. I stayed well clear of the study and that was a very good thing as Wes was unable to find the DVD insertion. Eventually he rang John Jenkin and discovered there isn’t one on this new slimline model, so we are borrowing Tim’s until we have downloaded everything that is on disc.

On Wednesday, there was no Mah Jong as both Dot & Gail were busy, so I spent some time getting used to my computer until Sandra had finished cleaning.  Then I went back to bed to try and shake off a fast-acting head cold. Wes took Barbara to Ballarat for an outing and they enjoyed the Scottish Exhibition at the Art Gallery there. I spent the afternoon watching Lewis, the spinoff from Morse, and am quite in love with Laurence Fox and his character as Lewis’s offsider.

We received sad news last week that our friend, Pierre Eychart, has died, apparently last November. We still harboured hopes of catching up with him again after finding that he was still painting and exhibiting in Paris. However, we have missed our chance, and we can’t find a trace of his former wife, our very dear friend, Vivienne, anywhere at all.

Gabby & her son, Fraser, on his 15th birthday in New York this week

On Thursday I decided not to go to gym, as I was still fighting the head cold,  but had to get up as I had a haircut appointment with Morgan at Spice, and I didn’t want to miss that. When I arrived back home I was sitting quietly in the lounge reading The Age, when I heard a soft falling sound and discovered that the skylight covering in the main bathroom had subsided gently onto the basin, bath & tiles, covering everywhere in a fine layer of plaster and broken perspex. I showed Wes the damage, cleaned it all up and then thought it would be a good idea if he climbed the ladder and removed the rest that was hanging down looking likely to fall at any moment. He did so and covered us both in plaster dust in the process. So I cleaned everywhere again while he tried to find a handyperson. Eventually John Scarffe was contacted and he visited, declared that everything would be OK for a fortnight or so while he and Bronwen are away, and promised to fix the skylight, the ceiling fan and the hole in the kitchen ceiling on his return. Wes took advantage of being on the roof to clean as much of the guttering as he could reach.

Good Friday is our favourite day of the year where we go for a long walk together, then lock ourselves away and light a fire. This year we took Bilbo from Tipperary Springs to Bryce’s Flat and back – a 7km 2-hour walk that we all enjoyed. Back home we lit the fire and ate Hot Cross Buns and spent a very pleasant quiet day together. I got on with my knitting while Wes worked on our Scottish trip and Bilbo did some serious snoring.


On Saturday we were all up very early – Wes and Bilbo to do their normal Lake Daylesford walk, and me to do the ironing and transfer my Contacts list into the computer. At 9am we went to Gracenotes Cafe for a yummy breakfast, which we thought would obviate any need for me to buy lunch at the MCG. And it worked! I was absolutely delighted with the Collingwood team, haven’t seen them play so well in quite a while. It must have been very disappointing for the North supporters who would have gone to the match expecting to win after their recent good form. I arrived back home to another open fire, a yummy prawn risotto and a very strong G&T – thanks Wes, just what I needed.

This morning I am off to Coles first, then the Sunday Market, before we join 4 others at breakfast. Then we are hoping to visit Trentham to see their Easter Art & Craft Show and perhaps catch up with Bob White, before returning home for a quiet afternoon watching the footy. Let’s hope the Blues can notch up a win for all their supporters, especially Wes who is very disappointed with their lack of endeavour so far.


Happy Easter – I hope the Easter Bilby has remembered you kindly!

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