Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 29th June 2014

Dear Everyone, Bilbo and Wes duly arrived back from Ballarat on Thursday morning with a new control for my side of the electric blanket, thank God. Bilbo was looking very clean and delighted to be home again. He kept checking out his various beds and pillows before settling down to a good cry when Wes went over to see Barbara and was away for ages. Wes cleaned the inside of both cars, while I worried about shopping, washing and ironing and I washed the outside of Dolly Grey on Friday.

We seemed to have a lot of emails to handle, as well as lots of social activities to plan or cement into place. Libby is coming to visit next week for three nights and will celebrate her birthday, which she shares with Barbara, with lunch at Mercato on Friday with us and friends.

We caught up on Last Tango in Halifax and Old School and I watched Midsomer Murders while I was ironing. I rang Leanne, who is still fighting of her head cold, and she was thrilled to hear about our time spent with nephew, Rohan, and brother, Peter, and sister-in-law, Anka.

Peter is shown top with our aunt, Jeff, and Rohan below, taken this week. I don’t seem to have a recent photo of Peter & Anka so I hope I can remedy that!

On Friday it was too cold to walk at 5am, so Wes gave Bilbo a bone and we all had a sleep-in. I went supermarket shopping, and later in the morning, Wes took Barbara for a big supermarket shop. I walk Bilbo into town with me to collect the mail and post some cards and he was delighted with lots of pats, especially from Kim Lyden, who was working at Daylesford Newsagency and popped out to say hello, and a young friend, Holly, daughter of Jude, who used to run the Daylesford Ice Cream Parlour.  She has a 13 year old lab and is desperately trying to get fulltime office work, which, in spite of her qualifications, is proving very difficult.

That afternoon we drove to Ballan Station to catch the very packed 4.11pm train to Melbourne as we had been invited by Anthony Starkins, our financial advisor, to attend a viewing of the Italian Masterpieces at the National Gallery of Victoria. It was very windy and cold, but we rugged up and figured it would be less cold once we arrived. We had been at the function for about 10 minutes when we heard the familiar sound of Tom Tyrrell’s voice and he and Deborah Fowler joined us. What a thrill for the four of us. Tom is probably the longest-standing friend either of us has and it is always a delight to see him. Our dyed-in-the-wool Liberal, Anthony, came up to us and Tom immediately said to him ‘whatever he says I agree with him’ referring to Wes. We were sorry to leave the function and our good friends, but it was a treat to see the Exhibition in comparative ease. Wes was taken with the Titians but I particularly liked floral paintings by two artists – Andrea Belvedere & Mario Nuzzi.

We had to leave early to catch the 8.24pm home and it was a much less packed train, particularly as the game at the Docklands Stadium between Geelong & Essendon was close.

Yesterday morning Wes got up at 5am to walk Bilbo, but Bilbo wouldn’t have a bar of it, gave his bone a cursory gnaw, came back inside, emitted a cry and leapt back onto our bed with me and proceeded to go back to sleep until 6.30am. It was wet, windy and cold all morning. I spent some time renewing our insurances and Wes spent time finding things to do in Scotland before we set out for a late leisurely breakfast at Gracenotes Café, where we sat in front of the roaring fire.

Back home to our own fire, and we spent a very pleasant afternoon reading Saturday’s Age (always a treat) and keeping an eye on the various footy games. Wes spent some time with Barbara, and then made us a yummy pasta dish for early dinner. Ken Matheson kept us informed with Daylesford scores and we were delighted that they won. He assured us that it was bloody cold at Beaufort where the game was being played.

This morning there was no way Bilbo was getting up at 5am, but he did follow me out at 6 to get a small marrow bone. It is so wet, I am not sure I will be able to take him with me to the Sunday Market or even to breakfast. At lunchtime I am driving to Strathmore to visit Leanne and then onto Northcote where I am staying overnight with Danny. We are off to the big Collingwood vs Carlton game, or as one wag suggested to the Coodabeen Champions on ABC radio yesterday – The Rumble of the Not-So-Humble.

Enjoy your week and I’ll be back in touch in July.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Thursday, 26th June 2014

Dear Everyone, I left you on 15^th June with us planning a relaxing afternoon watching the footy in front of the fire, which we duly did. Wes made his first soup – potato and celery which he served with garlic pizza bread and both were a big success. Collingwood went down to the Bulldogs in a fantastic game of footy and I was delighted for the Doggies and all their fans. This has been a difficult year for them all. We switched over to watch the end of the Essendon & Melbourne game, where Melbourne ran over the Dons and scraped home by a point. What a great result for the Dees as well. Our friend, John Smith, a Dees fan, was attending a rare game of footy with his son, Andrew, and grand-daughter, Vanessa – both Essendon supporters.

On Monday Wes and Bilbo had an early morning walk before the fog came down and completely covered Daylesford. There was no hope of golf, gardening, shopping or driving to Ballarat until it lifted, so we spent time at our computers and tried to stay warm. Tuesday wasn’t quite as bad, and I caught up on all the things I should have done the day before, while Wes took Barbara’s car to Howe Automotive in East Street for a service. He decided to walk home and visit his sister, Denise, on the way. Sadly she wasn’t at home, but he enjoyed a good walk (downhill all the way) and came back home to discover the shocking news that our dear friend, Norma Hutchins, had died that morning. Although she had fought ovarian cancer for 9 years (and we had known her for 6 of those years), somehow we never really believed the cancer would win, but it did. Norma was a wonderful woman, an inspiration to everyone she met and our lives are better for having known her.

Norma & Karen in Kandy in 2011

Judi had asked me to lunch and it was an enjoyable distraction from our grief to spend time with her at Gracenotes Café, where every table was filled by locals. I was due to have a massage later that afternoon, but cancelled it as I wasn’t breathing very well and wasn’t really in the mood. I don’t think either of us slept very well that night with our memories of Norma filling our heads. We met her on our first Cricket Tour (to India) in October 2008 and she has been, along with Jane & David Knox & Terry McDonald, an important part of our lives ever since. These three were also shocked and saddened at the news.

On Wednesday Wes walked Bilbo early, and then settled down to get on top of computer work before spending some time doing odd jobs for Barbara. I went off to play Mah Jong with Dot & Valerie and came home in time for Wes to give me a henna in preparation for our trip. Then we packed and it was time to go.

Wes took Bilbo to Eureka Kennels and returned here where we set off through fog which didn’t lift until we reached Kilmore. Our first stop was Wahgunyah, where we tried some Cofield Wines that we hadn’t tasted before and had a late lunch at the Pickled Sisters Café, which is next door. We had booked a room at Tuileries in Rutherglen and spent an enjoyable time there, setting off again early the next morning after an indifferent breakfast.

We drove all day and arrived at our hotel at 4pm. It was very funky and not quite as roomy as I had hoped, with no relaxing chairs to sit in except in the general lounge area. However, the staff were very welcoming, we parked Dolly Grey across the road and proceeded to unpack, before walking to Chinatown for an early dinner at Little Chili House.

We woke to find an expected top of 22°, which was much hotter than we were expecting, so headed off into the city (Hotel 1888 is in Pyrmont, behind Darling Harbour) and decided to get tea and toast somewhere there. Not many places were open so we ended up at a lovely café in the Strand Arcade, where we found our sister-in-law, Anka, sitting having breakfast. She was amazed when we said hello, and it was a bonus to sit with her for a while, catch up on her news and make plans for our visit to Wollongong on Monday.

Later, after some fruitless looking in David Jones and Myer, we ventured into an R M Williams store, where we got good service and I was able to buy a polo top for day wear and a couple of vests to replace my much-loved purple one, which I had spilt thermos tea all over and completely ruined.

Next stop was the Art Gallery where we spent a very pleasant hour or so and I rang Leanne to see how she was and to tell her of our incredible luck bumping into Anka. We emerged from the Gallery to see David & Jane Knox arriving at the Pavilion Café opposite, and we all realised we needed to be in the Botanic Gardens, which was where I had booked lunch!

Karen, Wes, Jane, Norma & David in Nepal 2008

We spent a lovely lunchtime with our dear friends, talking about their very recent trip, celebrating Jane’s birthday and remembering Norma. Bryan Brown turned up to eat there, wearing dark glasses and looking very forbidding. I desperately wanted to tell him how much we are loving the series, Old School, with him and Sam Neill, but didn’t dare. Afterwards Jane drove us home to their place where we watched the second half of the Collingwood match. Hawthorn was too good for us and won easily in the end. David drove us back to our hotel and we had an early night watching the Richmond vs Swans game on TV.

On Sunday we walked around Prymont & Ultimo & Chinatown, before retracing our steps to Darling Harbour and our hotel, where Jane was picking us up for the footy at the Sydney Showgrounds. It was very warm at the ground and we were seated in the sun, about 7 rows from the front on the wing. I think Wes liked the ground and said the atmosphere reminded him of early Swans’ games at the SCG, but he was bitterly disappointed that Carlton couldn’t beat GWS.

Fortunately we had drinks with Terry McDonald to look forward to and Jane drove us back to our hotel, where we met him in the bar and proceeded to toast Norma yet again. Terry was delighted to catch up with us & Jane, and announced he has decided to visit Daylesford some time later this year. We are thrilled to bits. I went upstairs to bed around 8pm, and Jane left to drive home, which meant Wes and Terry chewed the fat over a few whiskies until the bar shut.

Terry in Stratford Upon Avon last year

The next morning, we packed our bags and went downstairs to the breakfast room/bar area, where we met our dear nephew, Rohan. It was lovely to see him and spend time with him again. He is a very endearing person and we enjoyed chatting about his Sports Management course and catching up on what he has been doing.

Eventually we said goodbye and drove to Wollongong to see Peter & Anka, where they have a lovely little flat that they enjoying spending time in to recharge batteries. Peter had been overseas with work and had the Monday off, so we went for a walk along the beach, stopped for a cuppa, and then were driven to Barrack Point, where Peter and Anka are planning to build a home for their retirement.

Suddenly I was exhausted, so we scrapped plans to share a late lunch together and Wes drove us to Canberra, where the weather was wet, windy and cold. We checked into East Hotel in Kingston, which is the best Australian hotel we have ever stayed in. We had a full kitchen, laundry in a cupboard, bed in a pod, spacious lounge, bathroom and even a balcony...brrr. Wes went to the local supermarket and cooked sweet corn, followed by ravioli & salad for dinner.

Liam, Rohan & Warwick with Jessie & Michelle at the wake after Viva’s funeral

  

On Tuesday we woke after a good sleep to find the rain had stopped. So after breakfast and a rest, we walked to Manuka Cinema to see The Trip to Italy with Rob Bryden and Steve Coogan and loved it. It is better than their first film together and really worth seeing. When we emerged the rain had started again, so we went back to our room to find a beautiful hamper of goodies there courtesy of Peter & Anka. We spent the rest of the day reading, picking at goodies and enjoying our beautiful apartment.

Yesterday we very sadly left the hotel after breakfast, and set off to drive back here. There was weak sunshine for the first hour, replaced by sleet and high winds, then rain, then dry and finally mist as we made our way into Woodend and then Daylesford. There were only two problems here – no home phone and later I discovered my electric blanket control had died. I have addressed both those issues this morning and Wes will collect a new control from John Thomas Electrics in Ballarat on his way back from picking up Bilbo. The phone will be fixed by Monday, 30^th June. Fortunately I had switched the home number to my mobile last week when we left so we aren’t missing calls. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 15th June 2014

Dear Everyone, when I left you last Sunday, we were awaiting the arrival of Kathy & Ged Lazzaro and what a lovely time we had with them. After fuelling them with hot drinks and biscuits we set off to do a bit of a walk around Lake Daylesford. We were amazed as the traffic was non-stop in both directions of King Street and it was hard to find a gap to point the car in the direction of the Daylesford Primary School, where Kathy & I visited the Spa Quilters Exhibition, while Wes and Ged drove around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens and admired the fernery renovations. The Exhibition was excellent, with some very beautiful quilts on display, and a lovely memorial to Lorelle Hall. We were both very impressed with the work as well as the decorations, as the area had been decorated for Christmas in June and was very welcoming.

Then off to Lake Daylesford where we enjoyed a peaceful walk around, and then more hot drinks and snacks at the Book Barn, where we sat outside overlooking the Lake. Back home we decided to spend the rest of the afternoon quietly chatting and keeping an eye on the footy. Ged helped Wes prepare his famous, yummy fish pie by peeling the spuds and topping and tailing the beans. It was a lovely meal and a very relaxing evening with Kathy & I knitting, the fire lit and plenty of Jameson whisky and red wine.

Wes somehow got up early on Monday to walk Bilbo and thought it would be good to suggest a trip to Clunes as Daylesford was too busy to be enjoyable. Kathy & Ged were pleased with that idea, so we drove in convoy, as they were spending the next two nights in Torquay and could head off in that direction after we finished in Clunes. We visited every book store, bought a handful of books each and enjoyed hot drinks on the footpath outside Widow Twankey’s which is run by our friend, Tim Hayes, and his partner, Michael. Tim arrived for a chat and we discussed the exciting news that another good friend, Sheila Hollingworth, is returning from Perth to take up the position of Book Town Manager on 1^st July. She and Vaughan have found a home to rent and will be great assets to Clunes.

That afternoon I drove to Melbourne to attend the Collingwood vs Melbourne game at the MCG. No extra trains had been put on the Ballarat line, which meant catching the train home would involve an hour’s wait after the game, so I decided it would be easier to drive and I am so glad I did, as every night train was delayed or cancelled or replaced by a coach! My first stop at the G was to find our seats as Danny was joining me and then I made my way to the MCC side to find Loud Gayle for a quick catch-up and then try to find Matt Spiteri, which I was unable to do. The atmosphere at the ground was great with lots of Melbourne supporters, many of them sporting brand new scarves, and much anticipation that the new improved Dees would give the Pies a run for their money. And they did!

The Great Ron Barassi at the G

It was an engrossing but low-scoring game and I enjoyed seeing the Demons play some very good defensive footy, which restricted our scoring. However, they weren’t able to score themselves and we won by 33 points, which was a very good result for David Lazzaro, who had taken a very complicated footy bet that would net him a reasonable prize if we won by 5 goals or more. David was on his own and joined Danny and I at half-time when the family next to us moved somewhere else. We were seated in front of a super box with Peter McKenna and Twiggy Dunne in it and I was able to say hello to them both before the crowd built up.

My drive home was good until I turned off at Ballan and hit a terrible pea soup fog, which remained all the way until I drove into Daylesford. It was quite frightening and luckily I had no cars in front of me or behind me, (everyone was leaving our area), so I could travel at a safe speed without worrying about some maniac wanting to pass me. Wes had a glass of red and yummy pizzas ready for my arrival home, both of which were very welcome.

I found I was completely exhausted on Tuesday, so missed gym and got up late. Wes did lots of gardening, including pruning of fruit trees, and he has everywhere looking wonderful. I changed sheets and towels, but didn’t have the energy for ironing. Terry Borg had driven up from Melbourne to have a treatment at EKO and share lunch with us. She arrived an hour later than expected as she missed the turn-off to Ballarat and found herself driving to Geelong instead. We did enjoy spending time with her – as always. Terry arrived with tulips, a bottle of sauvignon blanc, three different cheeses, crackers, olives and a bone for Bilbo. Wes had made a seafood risotto, which we demolished before getting stuck into fruit meringues and cheese. After Terry left I tidied up then went to bed as I seemed to be fighting off a head cold as well as being tired.

Wednesday was spent in bed as well, doing crosswords, Logic Puzzles and catching up on Miss Marple repeats on TV (the ones starring Geraldine McEwen, who I really enjoy in the part). Wes and Barbara decided it was too cold to go for a drive, so they had lunch at Gracenotes Café instead.

Thursday was our 44^th Anniversary which we celebrated by sleeping in and sharing a yummy meal of poached salmon with mushrooms & carrots at lunchtime. Judi & Michael were due home that night after spending time with their friends, Roger & Vicki, so I took their mail and some fresh parsley & rosemary to their place, filled up our car with petrol, checked John & Jan’s home, bought two bags of pine cones and did some shopping. Wes has been elected President of our local ALP branch and he finds that he has a lot of work to do to get the Branch records up to scratch again, so he spent the morning on the computer.

After lunch and the latest instalment of Last Tango in Halifax, we spent a very quiet afternoon reading and watching the rain come down, while Bilbo slept at our feet. We both felt better for the peaceful day in preparation for our big lunch on Friday.

We had decided to have lunch at Kazuki’s, but it doesn’t open for lunch on Thursdays, so we delayed our meal until Friday. Wes suggested we drink our bottle of ‘97 Grange, which was given to us by Kingsley Lamont in 1999 when he was delighted to persuade us to sell Maloney Insurance Brokers to OAMPS. We took a taxi to the restaurant (always very wise) and were greeted warmly by Martin and Bronwyn, shown to the best table and given a complimentary Japanese whisky and Tasmanian sparkling for starters. We had already chosen to have the degustation menu, which gives you tiny tastes of all the best dishes on the menu and we weren’t disappointed. The Grange was stunning and Wes very generously offered some to a single woman celebrating her birthday alone at another table, as well as Martin & Bronwyn, who all accepted with delight.

After three hours it was time to pour ourselves into another taxi and go home, feeling very replete. Wes fell asleep at once, while Bilbo and I stayed awake until I had fed him. Wes woke up to watch the Carlton vs Hawthorn game, but I missed it completely and only woke when he came to bed to announce a disappointing end after the Blues had been within a kick at three-quarter time.

Yesterday Wes was up early walking Bilbo, I delivered the spare Age newspaper to Judi & Michael (Rob & Dene next door aren’t here this weekend and they don’t seem to know how to cancel their newspapers) and then we went to Wombat Hill Nursery to collect our wine-coloured pots for our new camellias. We are very thrilled with the result and look forward to the first flowers later in the year.

Our Anniversary gift to each other is something we have wanted for a long time and have to wait until August to collect – it is called Fawlty Towers and sits on the end of a pole. We couldn’t resist it and feel sure that many of the different birds that we attract to our garden will enjoy its delights.

This morning Bilbo and I are off to pump mineral water at Leitches Creek, then a small shop at the Sunday Market followed by breakfast at The Food Gallery, with Judi, Barbara, John & Jan. I have decided not to go to the footy this afternoon so we are planning on lighting the fire and sitting back watching the game together.

There will be no Dispatch next Sunday as we are heading off on another little footy holiday on Thursday – we start at Rutherglen, then spend three nights in Sydney where we will catch up with Jane & David, who will be home from their trip catching up with their daughter, Emily; meeting her current squeeze, and celebrating a special birthday for Jane. We have tickets for the Carlton & Greater Western Sydney match on Sunday and Jane will be joining us. We hope to see Terry McDonald at some stage as well. Then onto Canberra, via Wollongong, where we will have lunch with Peter & Anka, before driving in convoy to the ACT. We are staying there two nights and then driving home. I’ll be in touch again after our trip.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 8th June 2014

Dear Friends, we ended up with a very quiet, very wet Sunday last weekend. The mist stayed over the Lake most of the day and the rain didn’t let up. I made some Tomato Relish and juiced all the lemons that Bill & Sue had given us, before retiring to watch footy, do crosswords and knit in front of the open fire. We opened a bottle of 2012 Angove Shiraz and, as it was finished when we went to bed, I suspect it was a successful buy!

Monday was freezing cold and too wet underfoot to play golf, but Wes and Bilbo had their early walk while I read The Age and did the crosswords. Once the sun came out, it was a beautiful day, so I walked into town to collect our mail from the Post Office and took Bilbo with me. We enjoyed the walk and it gave Wes a chance to spread newspapers and straw on the garden without any assistance.

Lovely photo of Jeff & Kev meeting their grand-daughter, Amelia, last weekend. It looks as though everyone is happy with the event!

We had decided to see Sunshine on Leith in Gold Class at Ballarat so headed there for the lunchtime session. We thoroughly enjoyed the film and can’t recommend it more highly. It is set in beautiful Edinburgh and shows the city at its best. Great acting by Jane Horrocks and Peter Mullen in particular and wonderful singing by all the cast – don’t miss it!

Tuesday wasn’t so cold early, and the boys had their walk before I set off to gym. Afterwards I had a cup of tea with Jane Barrett – we do gym and play Scrabble together, but rarely get the time to catch up, so it was good to do that. When I arrived at The Food Gallery, there was a Closed sign on the door, but Pasquale and Toni were inside. I knocked and they opened the door, explaining that an hour ago, Toni had opened the fridge door and a tray of sun-dried tomatoes in oil had fallen out and onto the floor. They hadn’t been able to open until they cleaned up all the oil – just what you don’t need first thing in the morning!

Wes cooked fish in breadcrumbs with peas and sweet potato chips, before dropping me off at EKO, where I had a manicure with Emma. Later that afternoon Nick arrived to give me a massage, but his wife, Robyn, rang about 20 minutes into the massage to say that their next-door neighbour had suffered a stroke and wasn’t expected to live and would Nick please meet her at Daylesford Hospital. We both agreed that was more important than the massage, so Nick left.

Wednesday was clear early, but the mist came right down after 6am, and although it wasn’t cold, it was hard to see very far in front of you and I couldn’t see the Lake from our study. Sandra came to clean, Wes filled the bins with weeds and I went off to Mah Jong with Dot & Valerie. We had a fun morning and I stayed to have lunch with Valerie. When I got back home I discovered that Warren & Barbara were in Woodend in his car. Her car had been playing up again so they took it Howe Automotive here in East Street, and while they were waiting for the car to be repaired they went for a long drive. The car took longer than expected, but at 5pm Wes was able to collect it and return it to Barbara’s garage. I should have been helping, but had gone to bed with a sudden bout of extreme tiredness during the afternoon.

Jeff sent me this lovely photo of Viva outside Notre Dame in 1988 – I don’t remember having seen this before

I ended up spending Thursday in bed, as that is the best way to recover from these periods of exhaustion. Wes was wonderful, making yummy meals and looking after Bilbo, who has decided Wes is his best friend, except for the time between about 3pm (in case I feed him early) and 5pm (when I do feed him). It was a freezing cold morning and bed was easily the best place to be!

On Friday, I was feeling much better, so drove to Ballarat to put my Sunbeam Mixmaster in for repair. I had been juicing lemons, when suddenly smoke emerged from the motor area, so I stopped doing that and rang Gail White to find out where I might be able to get it repaired. The place in Ballarat was very optimistic and I find out for sure next week. I can’t imagine life without this lovely old machine which I rescued when Viva went upmarket many years ago.

We watched the Carlton vs Geelong game together and thought Carlton was very unlucky to lose in the last minute. It was a great match and the Blues played very well indeed. It would have been a very long drive home if we had gone.

Yesterday Wes walked Bilbo early and I did lots of shopping – the Farmers’ Market, Coles and Tonnas’. We are expecting a visit from Kathy & Ged Lazzaro today for a couple of nights, as well as a day visit from Terry Borg on Tuesday, so the chef is going to be kept busy providing yummy meals.

Kathy enjoying her favourite weather!

This morning was too cold and drizzly for the early walk, so we three enjoyed a sleep in before it was time to send this Dispatch and take Bilbo to the Sunday Market to buy the week’s fruit & vegetables, two weeks’ worth of dog bones and perhaps a rose if Ken has something special in his van.

Wes invited Bilbo onto his lap for a cuddle last night and he was there in no time!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 1st June 2014

Dear Friends, welcome to Winter in our part of the world. We’ve had such a mild Autumn that I, for one, will be very thrilled to be lighting fires, watching mist over the Lake and seeing the rain pour down where we need it.

We started our week with a good breakfast at The Food Gallery, where Gillie, John, Jan, Karen, Wes and Barbara were joined at 10am by Aileen, just back from Adelaide, where her 100-year old mother lives. Her mother has decided to move to Daylesford to be with Aileen, as she finally thinks she can no longer live independently. We did enjoy seeing John & Jan again and Bilbo was delighted with Jan’s hugs and treats.

Blustery conditions on the free ferry from Wellington to Tailem Bend, South Australia

That afternoon Barbara was to drive herself and Wes to the MCG for the Carlton vs Adelaide game, but she had a flat battery, so Wes did the driving instead. He was so pleased he went, as, after an awful first half, the game changed and turned into a great contest that Carlton was able to win. He arrived home at 9pm absolutely exhausted but glad to see the Blues have a good win.

On Monday we cancelled the early walk and golf, and Wes had a lazy day, while I took Bilbo into town with me to meet Gillie for a cuppa, again at The Food Gallery, where we sat outside and were greeted by many of our friends. Bilbo enjoyed it, especially when his friend, Rosie, the golden retriever, came along and they could rub noses and smile at each other.

I had arranged to meet Leanne at Poynton’s Nursery & Café in Essendon for morning tea, so after gym I drove there (through pouring rain & mist until Woodend) and dull but dry weather until Essendon. We enjoyed a lovely catch-up, and I brought home Gallipoli rosemary (allegedly struck from an original rosemary there) for Wes. When I arrived home Wes had made a beautiful late lunch of pan-fried salmon with diced vegetables, predominantly zucchini, and had lit the fire. We watched the first of the new series of Last Tango in Halifax, which has to be one of the best-scripted and best-acted series ever.

Karen & Danny chatting on Granite Island, near Victor Harbor

On Wednesday there was no Mah Jong, so I decided to drive to Ballarat to collect some dry-cleaning and visit the Scottish Exhibition at the Art Gallery there. It was complete Brigadoon early on, so I waited until the fog had lifted before getting on the road.

You’re right, this isn’t Daylesford! Deane Wells sent me this beautiful photo from Deception Bay where he lives.

I was disappointed by the Exhibition as I had expected more good art. There were some wonderful Eugene Von Guerard paintings and a portrait of a Scottish woman by Margaret Preston, but they were in the company of some very modestly talented artists. I did like the Ballarat tartan, which has been designed, approved and accepted and the viewing rooms were good and well-lit, just not memorable.

As I was driving home I decided it was about time I contributed to the cooking so stopped by Tonnas’, to pick up the basics for minestrone soup and made it as soon as I walked in the door. This was a good move, as Wes had been across the road with Barbara for some time trying to get her car to start. Eventually the RACV came, got the motor going, left, and had to come back again, as the car was playing up. When it was finally purring, Wes joined Barbara in a drive to Trentham and back. Apparently the car was suffering from not having been driven very far lately.

Thursday we awoke to no mist or rain and Wes and Bilbo enjoyed a quiet, but very dark stroll around the Lake. I went to gym and then had a fringe trim with Morgan, before settling down to a day of pleasurable chores. Wes had a Skype catch-up with Anthony Starkins, our financial adviser, and in the afternoon, met up with the Friends of Lake Daylesford committee.

Wes at the cairn celebrating the Salvation Army in South Australia

Wes drove to Melbourne on Friday to visit Joan Testro, his much-loved aunt, who is recovering from an appendix operation a week ago. She was thrilled to see him, and hopes to be able to leave hospital when she can breathe without oxygen again. I walked Bilbo into town enjoying the beautiful sunshine. Wes arrived back to a fish curry (I cooked - wonders will never cease) and spent a quiet afternoon recovering from the drive. John & Jan Smith let us know that they had to put their dog, Gypsy, to sleep, as she was in too much pain. We can empathise with how they are feeling.

That night, we watched Collingwood beat St Kilda from the comfort of our lounge, as I couldn’t face a 1am arrival back home! It was great to see Travis Cloke kick 5 goals and look like the good player he can be once again.

Yesterday was another lovely day. Wes walked Bilbo early, while I went shopping and we both visited Wombat Hill Nursery, where we purchased three Lemon Drop camellias which we are going to place outside our bedroom wall. They will be in wine-coloured ceramic pots and should be quite striking as you arrive at Maloney Folly. After soup for lunch, we went to see Daylesford play Bungaree at Victoria Park before settling down to watch Carlton against Brisbane at the Gabba. Wes had invited Barbara to watch it with us and made risotto for dinner.

Daylesford had been competitive in their game and ended up losing by 3 goals, but should have been beaten by more as Bungaree are a much better side. Carlton, sadly, was beaten by Brisbane, who wanted the ball more and didn’t give up. Wes was worried from the start as the Blues didn’t look sharp at all.We woke this morning to a wet, misty day. It has rained much of the night, and everywhere is very soggy. However, Bilbo will expect me to take him with me when I pump water at Leitches Creek, and when I shop at the Sunday Market. We might both arrive home bedraggled.

 Looking towards Majestic Old Lion Apartments in Jerningham Street, North Adelaide – a very pretty place to stay