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
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