Dear Everyone, we
gave our house guest Terry, an interesting Sunday last week. He enjoyed
breakfast, especially meeting Glenn Mack, and was most impressed with Glenn’s
artistry. There were 9 of us at breakfast and everyone had something special to
talk about, so conversation flowed. Afterwards Terry and I went for a short
walk up and down Vincent Street, before Wes took Terry for a drive that
included a visit to Cricket Willow
and the Chocolate Mill.
In the afternoon
they went across the road to Barbara’s home so that she could film Wes
interviewing Terry for posterity. Terry’s reward was a trip to the Swiss Mountain Hotel in Blampied for a
few beers before coming home to a yummy pasta dish and an episode of Vera. We were all tired after our big
weekend and headed to bed early.
On Monday, Wes and
Terry set off at 7.30am to play golf at Trentham, but it started to rain as
they pulled into the course and decided it would be better to give it a miss.
Wes took Terry to Sunbury to see the birthplace of The Ashes, feed him a big breakfast, and then deliver him to
Melbourne Airport to catch his flight home. Wes arrived back here to discover
that our friend, Aileen O’Reilly, needed help with removalists who were
arriving from Adelaide, and promptly set off and spent the next 5 hours at her
place. He was very pleased he was there especially as she had to take her
100-year old mother, Dorothy, to Ballarat for an appointment in the afternoon.
I spent the day
washing and ironing and cleaning, before settling down to watch a couple of
repeats of Hercule Poirot short
stories as relaxation after the busy day. We were all tired and in bed early
yet again, but thrilled with Terry’s visit and all we had achieved.
On Tuesday it was
cold and wet, so Wes had a sleep in and Bilbo was very happy to be given his
bone and not made to walk early. I went to gym and then had a hot drink with
Jane Webster at the cosy, warm Harvest
Café afterwards. Meanwhile three tree-loppers arrived to remove a dangerous
old gum and we sat in our study trying not to watch the slight young woman
balanced precariously in the wind at the top of the tree.
Note that the guests at Fawlty
Towers have all checked out!
Fortunately a
meeting that Wes was supposed to attend in Ballarat was cancelled, as the
tree-cutters took all day to remove this gum and it was good that Wes could be
around to make sure that the mulch & logs were placed where it suited him
best.
On Wednesday it was
wet early, so Bilbo missed out on a walk, although I took him with me into town
during the morning, so he was a happy boy. Wes spent ages in the garden getting
the wood into manageable piles and filling up the garbage bins with weeds etc.
I had a few chores so waited until Sandra had arrived before taking Bilbo and
getting out of her way.
As there was no Mah
Jong, I had a lovely lunch at Gracenotes
Café with Judi and we caught up on each other’s news. Wes had gone to
Ballarat with Barbara, as she had a few appointments and needed his help. By
the time he arrived back around 3pm, he was as tired as I was, so we cancelled
plans to go to Aperitifs at Ken &
Linda Gillies’ place and enjoyed a quiet night watching Vera and eating a very yummy pasta dish.
After gym on
Thursday I came home and immediately set out again with Bilbo for a long walk
into town and back. He had already walked early, but was very happy to go
accompany me and we met up with a few friends and some other dogs along the
way. I quite enjoy the little amount of socialising that occurs when you have a
dog with you and you meet old and new friends very easily. Meanwhile Wes and
Glenn Mack spent the morning helping Aileen get her mother’s room right, moving
furniture and making everything just so.
The view over the Lake from the
top of the gum tree just before the sleet arrived!
Wes arrived back
feeling as though he had done enough physical labour for the day, so, after
making fish pie for our lunch, he spent the afternoon in front of the computer.
We have a much wider vista now that the big old gum tree has gone, but sadly
most of our downstairs view is rooftops, while upstairs we can see much more of
Lake Daylesford.
Although it was
cold early on Friday, my boys went for their walk, then as the sun came out, I
drove to Ballarat to collect the guest room doona, which we had decided was due
for its annual dry-clean. Sadly it wasn’t ready, so I decided to go through the
car wash, and even though I laid the aerial down flat, it appears to have
broken. I had hoped to collect some more manure for Wes on my way there or
back, but I was unsuccessful in that as well!
We went to lunch
together at Harvest Café, where we
spotted old friends, Steve & Jo Millard, as well as Ian Esmore, all
enjoying the fresh vegetarian food served there under the new ownership. The
café is really busy, with most of the tables occupied. When we first moved to
Daylesford Harvest Café was the place
to go for all things vegetarian, both food and products, and it is lovely to
see it back to how it once was. We went for a walk around the Lake at 5.30pm
that night – first time for me in ages and it was so enjoyable. We watched
Hawthorn get on top of Geelong in the first Qualifying
Final and march straight into a home Preliminary
Final.
Prunus at no 80 in bloom – Rob
& Dene next door are in Italy and missing out on this gorgeous sight
During the week I
was reading a quarterly magazine issued by the support organisation for chronic
fatigue and other similar syndromes and illnesses and I found an article that
really resonated with me. I hope it might help clarify how I and others in the
same boat feel.
Imagine you wake each day and are
allowed six bursts of energy. You can’t bank any of these bursts and if you use
them all up, you will have nothing left. So you need to reserve one for getting
up, showering, dressing etc and one for going to bed. You need one for exercise
– gym or a walk or gardening; you need one for a long phone call; you need one
to do the washing, and maybe another to do the ironing if you have been
changing sheets and towels that day; you need one for socialising, and you need
one for driving any big distance; you need one for preparing and cooking a
meal, and you need one for any strenuous housework. As you only have four left
every day, you need to plan your week wisely, otherwise you end up in a heap.
And, of course, every now and again, you miss out on a delivery of bursts.
Our camellias are
all starting to come out in bloom, with the pink ones leading the way. The
rosemary is in flower, and everything else looks as though it won’t be far
behind. Although Autumn is our favourite season here, Spring isn’t far behind,
especially on still sunny days.
Yesterday was a
beautiful morning after some frost, so I went shopping at Coles and then walked
Bilbo up to the Farmers’ Market at the Daylesford Primary School, where we
bought some local Orange Blossom honey for Leanne and Emu Oil products for me.
There were so many stalls, including one describing itself as Scottish Cooking, with a tall chap
wearing a tam o-shanter spruiking his very meaty wares.
Libby and her
daughter, Becky, are driving to Tannum Sands starting yesterday, as Lib farewells
Victoria and becomes a banana bender. We wish them a very safe trip and hope
Lib will be happy in her new home. Above is a photo of them both and me on
Christmas Day, 1974 at 12 Scott Street, Essendon, with glimpses of Tom, Wes and
Bonnie.
At lunch time,
Donna from Wombat Hill Nursery and
Florist arrived bearing a most beautiful sheaf of Asiatic lilies from Terry
McDonald. I love receiving flowers and these delicately perfumed, beautiful
lilies are among my absolute favourites. Thank you Terry so much.
We enjoyed watching
Sydney & Freo play a good close game until the Swans took control and leapt
into the other Preliminary Final, and last night we gave up watching Essendon
& North as it was such a one-sided game and looked all over at half-time.
What a surprise to wake up this morning and find North had beaten Essendon and
set up a clash against Geelong next week.
It’s another cold
morning, and as it is Fathers’ Day, Wes decided to give Bilbo his bone at 5am
and go back to bed – a very wise decision indeed. Now the sun is starting to
emerge and the frost is melting, so Bilbo and I will head out to pump mineral
water, visit the Sunday Market, and collect Wes to go to breakfast with friends
at the Food Gallery. Happy Daddies’
Day to all the fathers we know.
.JPG)
Karen & Bilbo out walking
No comments:
Post a Comment