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Sunday, 19 July 2015

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 19th July 2015


Dear Friends, we missed out on the snow on Sunday, but Janine Hawker, who lives at Musk, proudly showed us photos of her home completely covered in the stuff when we met for breakfast and Danny sent a message to say he loved driving through Bullarto on his way home where there was oodles of it. You may remember that we had enjoyed a very long lunch the day before, so Wes, Judi, Danny & I all tucked into breakfasts that suited our moods and, apart from Danny, who had to drive to Melbourne and go out for dinner that night, the rest of us spent a quiet Sunday indeed and we were early to bed again.

Monday dawned cold and wet, so Bilbo had a sleep in and I took him out to pump water and then walk around the Botanic Gardens after I had been to gym. I thought the Gardens would be less muddy than the Lake and hopefully not as cold. We have had over 40 mls of rain in the past weeks, so mud is the order of the day. Wes had to drive to Brunswick to see Peter Russo about Joan Testro’s estate and he arrived back around 2pm where I had a yummy pasta dish ready for him. Until Wes first started being appointed Executor of various Wills, I hadn’t given it much thought, but I am now aware that it is a big responsibility, that can entail quite a bit of work, even for the simplest estate, and it is usually a labour of love, which is the main reason why we have asked Peter Russo to be our paid Executor.

Stunning photo of the Preston family – Callum, Mo, Heath with Charlotte, Sarah, Marilyn holding Ruby & Robert

That night Warren stood down as President of the Daylesford ALP Branch and arrived home delighted that all Committee positions had been filled and that the new Executive was raring to go.

The next morning was quite cold, so Bilbo and I waited until 8am to walk around the Lake, while Wes prepared for his morning at the Daylesford Cinema showing the film ‘Jurassic World’, which wasn’t on my must see list. It was very peaceful at Lake Daylesford with very few walkers and only one other dog. The weather deteriorated as the day wore on, so indoor activities were the go.


On Wednesday I did gym early, walked Bilbo around Lake Daylesford, visited Gillie for a quick cuppa and catch up, and then drove to Melbourne to spend time with Leanne. I got home before the dark and Wes made yummy pizzas for dinner as we had both missed lunch. Wes had spent the morning helping Barbara before driving to Ballarat to see the hearing specialist, who suggested that this intermittent hearing might not improve and wants to see him next month.
The next morning was bitterly cold, but Wes and Bilbo walked early and Wes tried to potter in the garden, but the wind was just too icy, so he retreated indoors. It was a good excuse to do a bit of spring cleaning, knitting and watching again of the film, ‘Gosford Park’. That night we were treated to a stunning sunset, which made the cold day worthwhile. We were able to watch the first session of the Second Test at Lord’s and were thrilled to bits with the great start by Chris Rogers & Steve Smith.

The view from our decking with a glimpse of the sky reflected in Lake Daylesford

Judi & I had planned to walk to and around the Wombat Gardens on Friday morning, but it never really stopped raining all day, so that was shelved and we caught up for a cuppa at ‘Gracenotes Café’. This is now in new hands and about to become ‘Jackie’s on Vincent’, offering lots of the old favourites, but with the addition of dumplings & rice dishes.

Wes had a meeting with David Reilly later in the morning and they visited the café as well. Wes arrived back with some fresh trevally for lunch, which he cooked with a Parmesan crust. After lunch, we drove to Sailors Falls to spend a couple of hours with friends, John Meir & Karen Harman, who live on 5 acres in country splendour and quiet. We admired their chooks, their lovely home and peaceful surroundings. However, like all of us, they are finding it difficult to manage the large block and rely on a Ned Kelly wood stove for heating. We discussed the difficulty of downsizing and made a couple of suggestions of properties that will soon be on the market that might suit them. John is a photographer and pianist and Karen is an artist, so their home is perfect for their creative endeavours. John had made scones, which we enjoyed with our cuppas.

Once again, the cricket was very exciting – such a different game from the one we saw live a couple of years ago, where England was in total control after the first session. Yesterday morning we woke to discover that Steve Smith had made a double century and that the Poms were reeling at 4/85. It was a cold, but clear day and Wes was able to walk Bilbo early before settling in for a relaxing day. I did some shopping for Leanne and drove to Strathmore to spend some time with her again.

Cousin Leigh & Simon at Château de Bernateau amongst the vines

In the afternoon and evening, we spent a very frustrating time trying to get our preferred teams to win the footy, to no avail. Collingwood finally managed a dishonourable loss instead of a win, and Carlton stayed within touch of Fremantle until the last quarter. We watched the cricket until lunch and were pleased to find this morning that we had the Poms out for 312 and that we were batting well in our second innings. Fingers crossed we can build quickly and dismiss them cheaply in their second innings.


We woke to find Daylesford covered in frost and -2°. Fortunately, we had all agreed last night to have a sleep in, as it would have been very cold and slippery trying to walk around the Lake at 5.30am. A beautiful day is expected, and Wes is hopeful that he can make a start on the lawns, which are quite lush these days. Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market shortly and then breakfast with friends upstairs at ‘The Food Gallery’. 

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