Morse

Morse
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Wednesday, 31 December 2014

Daylesford New Year's Eve Dispatch - Wednesday, 31st December 2014






Dear Friends, we’ve had a busy time, like you, since I last wrote. The days leading up to Christmas were spent by Wes getting the garden looking wonderful, winning the war with the weeds and the lawn, and putting the pond motor on notice that it had to work or else! Bilbo had a bath and his bedding was washed & aired, which was a source of much annoyance to him. He enjoyed all his Christmas treats, including home-made dog biscuits with peanut butter from Aunty Leanne, a new black & white squeaky toy, a new soft, cuddly friend, and more doggie delights than he can reasonably expect to eat!

We usually get our windows cleaned around this time, but last December, the window-cleaner was the one who left our side gate open, which meant the boys escaped and Frodo subsequently never recovered from the stress. Jason keeps avoiding me in the street, which is very sad – all he needs to do is say ‘sorry’ and we’d have him back here like a shot. It is now impossible to get out of the side gate he used and the other one has a chain, which you can’t avoid putting back on as you leave.

Wes continues to chat to people about the ideas we had for Lake Daylesford while we were away. He has improved on them of course and tries very hard to get enough people interested in having a vision for the future that will be sustainable and will last a little longer than the next twelve months.

We had a Christmas drink with Glenn Mack at the new re-opened Boat House Café on Lake Daylesford. It is very comfortable and we enjoyed looking out over the Lake, seeing boats on it again, and admiring the beautiful trees, but Chris & Wayne need to improve the service if they are to get repeat business. We watched people being served meals but no cutlery; people being given the wrong meal; people wondering where the menus were, and people waiting for someone to serve them, not realising it is serve yourself menus and order at the cash register. Lots of locals are there giving it a go and with a bit of luck they will give the right feedback and perhaps the boys will get it right eventually.

On Christmas Eve I was walking around the garden picking roses for our bedroom & bathrooms, when I heard a strange noise and was just too late to see a Labrador leaping to get to the unripe pears on the tree. He didn’t do it while I was watching, but launched himself again once I had turned my back – needless to say the unripe pears are left on the ground, and no doubt he goes back again every day to see how they are getting on.

Wes and I were able to sit outside and eat oysters, prawns & smoked salmon for our Christmas Eve meal with a bottle of sparkling Shiraz as the perfect accompaniment. We had given each other a combination bird bath/fountain as our gift and while I was at the Test Wes had it up and operating in no time at all, as anyone on Facebook can testify. The magpies love it and are forever giving themselves a bath in it – we hope some of the smaller birds find it soon as well.

We had planned to sit outside for Christmas lunch, but made a decision mid-morning that the wind was too strong & there were too many flies to make that an enjoyable experience, so I set the table and whipped the cream (for the non-brandy butter lovers) while Wes cooked up a storm. He made a fish & potato pie using salmon and a lamb pie using Tuki lamb straps and lots of tomatoes. He also steamed broccoli, long beans and baby carrots, which accompanied these dishes very well. We were a small group – Warren’s sister, Denise; her partner, Barry; her middle son, Leon, and Barbara, so there were lots of leftovers. We had hoped that a couple of friends who were separately on their own for Christmas might have joined us, but they didn’t.

Barbara & Leon above

      Barry, Denise & Barbara                                                                                                                                  

During the morning I was able to ring my siblings, Terry, Peter, Leanne & Paun and either spoke with them, their partner or left a message. I rang or left messages for members of the Breakfast Group and Wes left a message for his friend, Deane Wells. Jon Stevens rang us, which was a lovely surprise – we do miss our Christmas breakfasts and the chance to see so many dear friends, but now that we provide lunch, it is just too hard to do both, although we did give it a try for a couple of years.

That night we watched the Royal Command Performance for the first time ever and were very pleasantly surprised and entertained. We particularly loved the compére, a comedian named Michael McIntyre, who had us laughing until we cried, and felt very privileged to see both Shirley Bassey and Bette Midler as well.

On Boxing morning, Wes walked Bilbo before we gave him a very big bone and headed off down the highway to the MCG, where I was able to pop into the MCC Members Area and get a perfect seat in the back row of the Balcony, next to another Collingwood supporter. Once we were issued with our seats, I left my bag there and Wes and I drove to The European for our traditional breakfast with Peter & Anka.

They had bought me a black & white Christmas gift as usual, and as usual, it is something I hadn’t seen before and didn’t realise I needed – Jock the Magpie Pillow! Wes scored an autographed copy of The Mandarin Code, by Steve Lewis & Chris Uhlmann, and Bilbo was given two black & white squeaky toys, which he will love.

We all found The European quite different from usual (it changed hands some months ago). None of the regular staff was working there; the meals had increased in price and decreased in value, and the service was not up to its usual standard. As well we discovered that our feet were sitting in water, which had been caused by a dishwasher overflow during the night, which no-one realised had made its way onto the restaurant floor.

After breakfast, Wes did his usual chauffeuring trick – took Peter & Anka back to the Park Hyatt; dropped me at the MCC gates; collected Peter & Anka again and dropped them at the Great Southern Stand entrance; checked me & my bag into Rydges Hotel in Exhibition Street, where he paid the bill and ordered The Age for me, and then drove to Caulfield North to make a surprise visit (bearing flowers) to Joan Testro. He had a lovely time with her and she was delighted to see him.

After that he headed to Fawkner Cemetery, where he left flowers on his parents’ graves, my parents’ graves and those of the Griffiths family. No doubt he tidied up the sites as well. Finally he stopped at Pascoe Vale South for a coffee with his nephew, Leon, at his home, before receiving an email from our lovely next-door neighbours to say that they had brought in all the bins, and could hear Bilbo crying. As if he hadn’t already done enough, that night Wes took Rob from next-door and Barbara for a drive around Daylesford etc to see the Christmas lights before he fell into bed for a well-earned sleep.  

Meanwhile I had a lovely time at the cricket, where it was cold, but entertaining, and made my way around to the Great Southern Stand to see Peter and Anka during the lunch break. That night I had a quick meal of chilli prawns at Westlake, before falling into bed myself and watching some of the Twenty20 game.

Jane & David Knox had spent Boxing Day driving to Melbourne from Sydney and we caught up for breakfast back at The European the next morning. We three had a much nicer experience than the day before with a very attentive waiter and yummy food. Then off we walked to the MCG and took our seats on the ground level, where we were out of the sun and not too cold. During the tea break we met up with their friend, Geoff, and had a couple of glasses of white wine each in the Terrace Café.

That night, after our entertaining day, we three went to the Yum Cha Café, across the road from our hotel, for a very yummy meal of chilli squid, steamed fish & vegetables and tofu, with bean paste pancake and ice-cream for afters. We were all in bed early and watched some more Twenty20 cricket, which is just what you feel like after a big day.

Day 3 was breakfast for 7 – catching up with Lovely & Malcolm, as well as Geoff & Narelle, who are friends of Jane & David from Newcastle. Once again we were at The European and once again we had the very attentive waiter from the day before and everyone enjoyed their breakfast. In fact it was all David & I could do to leave for the cricket. We walked there and Jane was given a lift. Our seats were once again out of the sun, but David was upset that the etiquette of not moving during an over was not observed and decided to sit up on the 4th floor, where he was colder, but had no-one in his eye line. He eventually joined me again at the tea break as he couldn’t find the Terrace Café again to join Jane, who was meeting Patrick, Gordon & Tim from our past Cricket Tours. During the lunch break, David Lazzaro came and sat with Jane and I and we had a lovely chat and catch up with him.

Meanwhile in Daylesford, after the Sunday Market shopping was done, Wes took Barbara out to The Boat House for breakfast and gave it the thumbs up – apparently access was excellent for wheelchairs & the food was good.

That night we wandered around looking for somewhere to eat and found Sempre, an Italian café near the top of Bourke Street, where we could sit outside, drink an Italian pinot and have three very different but most enjoyable meals and share a couple of desserts afterwards.

Jane & David outside Pellegrini’s where they grabbed coffees before heading back home to Sydney on 29th December

While Jane & David were heading home, I had an early Bircher muesli back at The European, before taking a leisurely stroll through the Treasury and Fitzroy gardens to the MCG. I had wanted to show David in particular the beauty of the Fitzroy gardens as it is some years since he has come down for a couple of days of the Test, but each morning we didn’t have enough time to dally. I wandered through the Conservatory which was full of glorious fuchsias among other flowers, admired the new Visitor Centre next to Captain Cook’s Cottage, and poked my head into a couple of secret gardens with pools on my stroll to Gate 2.

Once again I was back sitting in the last row in the Balcony with an Essendon supporter for company. Loud Gayle and I finally caught up for a couple of glasses of bubbles in the Long Room, where we were engaged in conversation with some of the male members, whose attitudes varied quite considerably when it came to women and equality! Gayle had met Shane Warne in the lift on Day 1 and shown him where he could get a pie safely without being mobbed – she even encouraged him not to have a second...pointing out the statue of ‘Fat Shane’ could be seen from the window behind the pie stall.

The fashion of putting witches hats on statues is alive & well outside the MCG

Meanwhile back at home Wes had invited Rob McDonald & Brian Nash for an afternoon of cricket viewing & party pies and possibly a drink or two, which they all enjoyed. Rob & Brian discovered all they had in common and are now firm friends. Somehow Wes cooked pasta for Rob, his wife, Marg, and Barbara, that night...by the look of the level in the whisky decanter, it was a very big call.
That night I went back to the Yum Cha Café, where I had Hunan style chilli prawns, which were sensational – can’t wait to take Wes there and share a few more of the delights of the current menu there.

Yesterday I was up early again, chatted to both Wes and Leanne on the phone, before packing and checking out of my hotel. I wandered back to The European for a last Bircher Muesli & tea and strolled through Treasury Place and the Fitzroy Gardens again across to Gate 2 and a short wait for the gates to open. This time I was seated next to a Hawthorn supporter, with Carlton in front, and Essendon to the side. It was another entertaining day at the cricket, and Mitch Johnson’s off-cutter that got Pujura was worth coming to see!

Wes very kindly picked me up after the game and we collected my suitcase before driving back home listening to the wrap-up of the game. Bilbo wasn’t at all interested in me and only had eyes for Wes, who had been doing all the feeding, watering & walking. Wes made us a yummy pizza each, while I unpacked and we watched a bit of Endeavour before heading to bed.

Bilbo with his newest friend

This morning I have been catching up on washing & ironing after doing the early walk with Bilbo and letting Wes have a well-earned sleep-in....suddenly I am on Bilbo’s radar again. Wes has taken Barbara for a big shop and a hot chocolate afterwards so she could tell him all about her day with Andrew & Syd, who visited yesterday.

We have decided to give the New Year’s Eve Parade a miss this year and have a quiet night together at home. It is Glenn Mack’s birthday and he and Denise are offering drinks and cheese under his walnut tree, so we will join them for a while and hope to see Judi & Michael & Gillie and wish them all a very Happy New Year, as we do you!

New Year roses with the reindogs


We hope it is a safe, healthy and happy year all over the world in 2015 and thank you so much for reading these posts this year. 

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