Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 7th December 2014

When I left you last Sunday I was about to take Bilbo out to the Sunday Market, which we did. I left early to post some letters in Hepburn Springs, and on the way we passed some errant ducks waddling along our street, an echidna, which was on the nature strip outside the Lake House, and then a goat which was tethered to a front gate, munching away on another nature strip. Life in the country is like that at times.

Breakfast was fun with Gail telling stories of a trip to Melbourne during the week and Wes sharing his experiences of being on a small country booth where most of the 150 voters were dyed in the wool National Party, apart from one young green who snuck through without telling his grand-dad and gave his second preference to Labor.

That afternoon we went to Sailors Falls Estate Winery, about 5 minutes out of Daylesford, to help celebrate Rob McDonald’s 70^th birthday. Rob & Marg are very good winemakers, who are very generous as well with their hospitality and although they had requested no presents, most of us felt we needed to leave a gift as once again we were their guests. The highlight of our time there was the piper who turned up and played requests for 30 minutes or so. We did enjoy spending time with some old Daylesford friends, most of whom were keen to discuss the election. Eventually Wes and I decided it was time to go home and he made a yummy pasta dish for dinner before we fell asleep!

Neither of us felt like golf on Monday, especially with lightning, thunder and occasional rain all around us, so I had a sleep-in, Wes walked Bilbo and after the skyworks finished, Wes did some weeding, mowing and pruned most of the lavender bushes. I got creative with the stalks and this is the result. The basket is a gift from Peter and Anka, and it has been in constant use since we received it earlier this year. Before becoming the lavender repository it was holding the Christmas cards, which enabled me to tidy up all my bits and pieces quickly if we needed our big table.

I took Bilbo out with me late morning as we needed a new electric jug for the kitchen. We went to the Post Office, put out John & Jan’s bin, delivered a magazine to Judi and went into Jenkin & Thomas to find they had a special on Russell Hobbs kettles - $129 reduced to $77. After buying a beautiful black & silver model, I realised it wouldn’t fit in my Harrods carry bag, so I rang for help and Wes picked us both up, which was lovely of him.

There are so many new shops in Vincent Street, but sadly they are all offering beautiful things that we no longer want or need or can afford, so it is impossible to support them all. I do enjoy looking in the window displays and thinking that our visitors are very well placed for shopping that suits them when they are relaxing here.

I cheated this year and started putting out the Christmas decorations a day early on Sunday, as I realised I mightn’t have time on 1^st December. So our front door looks good with the beautiful wreath with red bells & ribbons, my favourite childhood Christmas tree is up, the cinnamon sticks are in the hearth and red & yellow bells (a gift from Viva) are chiming nicely on the decking. Wes’s rose this week is called Ashram, and has pride of place in the front garden. The only downside to this apricot-coloured tea rose is that is has very little fragrance.

We both seemed to have lots of appointments on Tuesday – I went to gym and arrived home to find Wes about to head out to his GP. My next commitment was to the Cutting Studio for a fringe trim, so I put Bilbo on the lead and we marched off only to find Wes on his way home and happy to give us a lift. He couldn’t wait for me to be finished as he was meeting his sister, Denise, at 10.30am at Gracenotes Café, for a catch up cuppa, and then off to help Glenn Mack at midday. 

We had decided to have leftovers for lunch, so I heated them up, picked some baby spinach & rocket to make a salad and had lunch ready when he arrived home at 1pm. In the meantime I had enjoyed a lovely long chat with Jane Knox before she and David headed to Brisbane on Wednesday, originally for a couple of days of the 1^st Test and now to spend some time with favourite family members.

After lunch I needed to change my GP appointment and scored one that afternoon, so we went back up to Springs Medical Centre, where I had a good chat with Greg Stewart, (commiserated with him on the loss of his mother, June, who died while we were in Scotland), and was pronounced to be in good health, with just a blood test needed to prove it!

We had decided to go to the flag-raising to celebrate the 160^th Anniversary of the Eureka Rebellion, at the Museum for Australian Democracy at Eureka early on Wednesday morning. If we had been there at 4am, there was a special performance of Blood on the Southern Cross, but we arrived just after 6am in time for the speeches from the CEO of the Museum, Kaaren Koomen, former Victorian Premier, Steve Bracks, and the Mayor of Ballarat, Cr John Phillips. The raising of the recreated Eureka flag, on a flagpole similar to what would have been used on the first morning, was an emotional experience. Neither of us had realised just how many nationalities were represented at Eureka, with just 4 of the 101 miners having been born in Australia.

After some gardening, Wes accompanied Barbara to Ballarat for her Annual Spinal Clinic, where they meet health professionals who may be able to make life a little easier or who have better ideas of how to manage the many issues that arise when you are confined to a wheelchair. They ended up having lunch at the Mill Markets afterwards and when Wes arrived back home, he went straight to bed for a rest, as he was tired and had somehow hurt his ankle, which was swollen & painful.

Meanwhile I spent the morning with Valerie & Dot and we even managed a few games of Mah Jong in between chatting. Valerie & I stayed for lunch, and then I came home to await the return of the dishwasher, which behaved perfectly while it was in the factory at Barclays, Ballarat. Wayne brought it back just as Phillip Hughes’s funeral was starting, but he was quick, efficient and after a coffee, went on his way. I loved the funeral as I had felt a real need to celebrate this life which was cut short so unexpectedly. I especially like the way Michael Clarke has made it very acceptable for men to be emotional and cry in public, and I hope this is a lasting legacy of the outpourings of grief that have followed Phil’s death.

Lovely photo of Lauren Kennedy with Rosie, Myles and Frankie, their new flat-coated retriever. We are all wondering just how long the Christmas tree is going to stay decorated & upright now Frankie has arrived!

On Thursday I persuaded Wes to stay in bed and rest his ankle, so walked Bilbo at 5am for an hour, came home and did some computer work, and then went to 8am gym. Afterwards I went to Springs Medical Centre for a blood test and found that I was the only one there at 9.15am – much preferable to queuing up at 8.30am with all the regulars.

We had planned lunch with Lovely & Malcolm at The Plough, Trentham and I booked a table for 12.30pm. We arrived early, parked out the front, picked a good spot, ordered an excellent Riesling and then watched our friends walk straight past the hotel and disappear out of sight. Eventually I sent them an SMS and discovered they had been sitting in the park waiting for us to arrive! We enjoyed a very yummy lunch and more importantly, a good time together, although it was hard to get a word in as everyone had something to tell or ask. They are off to Scotland next year and wanted to know a little more about our experiences.

Our dogwood at its best

The next morning Wes walked Bilbo, while I did the supermarket shopping before it got too busy. After I had unpacked everything I put Bilbo in the car and we set off to meet the other Bushwalkers outside the Daylesford Bowling Club, where Josie had invited us to travel in her car to Rocklyn and the Ashram, where Rob McDonald was leading the walk. Malcolm took the small group of us who were doing the 90 minute walk and we did enjoy wandering along an old train track in the Australian bush. Bilbo loved meeting another dog, Bindi-Sue, who put up with him dancing around her wanting to play. I accidentally dropped our morning tea apples on the path shortly after the start of the walk, but Shirley contributed a Granny Smith apple which kept Bilbo happy. Bilbo leapt into every puddle and came home a little muddier and smellier than when he left.

Wes had been busy in the garden when we left, but I discovered that Barbara’s roller-door had malfunctioned, which prevented her from driving her car to Ballarat for a meeting. Wes put up a message on the Daylesford Community Grapevine, and she rang around for help. That afternoon she rang him to say the door was open and she could get the car out, but wouldn’t risk closing it again until it is repaired properly next week.

Wes made us prawn laksa for lunch, which we both enjoyed immensely and I hope it becomes a regular fixture as it was very yummy indeed. After lunch I spoke with Ian Robinson, who is getting better by the day, and David Lazzaro, to make sure he didn’t need a ticket for the Boxing Day Test. He will be there on Day 3, but his best mate, Matt, has arranged a guest pass for him.

The first sight of a waterlily in our pond....I’m hoping for another one soon...

We have decided to make our usual Christmas donation (in lieu of gifts to friends and family) to Emerge, which is the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome organisation, as since I was diagnosed with CFS, I have found membership of this group to be a very useful thing. Every three months I receive an informative newsletter, as well as their frequent emails, and without fail there is always some article in the newsletter which has been of assistance to me. The latest contained a letter from a woman who, like me, was starting to come out the other end, but she suddenly contracted glandular fever and went back to square one.

Yesterday morning Wes rested his ankle and I walked Bilbo early. It was windy and cool and we were the only ones out until we spotted a keen photographer with his tripod, just as we were heading past the Lake House on our way home. Wes was up and ready to bath Bilbo on our return, as he really wasn’t very clean after his time spent in puddles on Friday.

We headed off to the Farmers’ Market, where I collected a beautifully wrapped rose called Mother’s Love, which I had ordered for Leanne’s birthday. I am visiting her tomorrow and wanted to take it with me as a surprise. Gillie has given me some eggs from her chooks and I will also take some fresh produce from today’s market as Leanne hasn’t gone back to shopping at Victoria Market yet.

                                                                           

Then we three walked to Vincent Street where Barbara Simpson & Helga Hart joined us to watch the Highland Gathering Parade. Not all the bands choose to march, but it is always a glorious sight and sound and afterwards we were treated to a line of vintage Rolls Royce cars which drove slowly up the road. We would have liked to have joined the festivities and competitions at Victoria Park, but Wes can’t walk far with his swollen ankle and the weather became very wild and woolly indeed.

Today it was raining when Bilbo and I got up at 5am, so he settled down with a bone, I collected the Sunday Age for us and our neighbours (it had been delivered, but out on the road – the Sunday person doesn’t worry about getting the papers close to our doors the way Steve does the rest of the week), and went back to bed with a pot of tea to read it. Wes had been up reading in the lounge since 3.30am when he couldn’t get back to sleep. He can’t take anti-inflammatory tablets because of the medication he is already on, so can only rest his ankle and wear a brace during the day.

Shortly we will head off to pump mineral water at Lake Daylesford and then drive to the Sunday Market to buy the week’s fruit and vegetables and the next fortnight’s dog bones. After breakfast we will come home for a quiet day as we have a busy week coming up.