Morse

Morse
Morse & friend

Sunday, 26 July 2015

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 26th July 2015


Dear Friends, Wes and I ended up having a very relaxing day last Sunday after breakfast. Neither of us had much energy, so I amused myself with knitting & crosswords and Wes read all the National Gallery magazines from the last two years and became inspired with how much there is to do in Melbourne. We watched the very exciting and emotional Adelaide & Port Adelaide match, followed by the equally emotional Richmond & St Kilda game before the cricket started. Like everyone else, we were shocked when Chris Rogers became wobbly and dizzy – perhaps it is time for him to retire. I was 14 when I was knocked off my bike and unconscious for about 20 minutes and after all those years, I still suffer from dizziness if I move my head too quickly or try to lie flat.

Our icy pond – as Wes said on Facebook ‘no Princesses would be kissing frogs today’!

We woke on Monday to discover that the Poms had capitulated in unlikely fashion, being all out for 103 and giving everyone a well-earned day off. It was cold & frosty here, so Wes decided not to walk early and I took Bilbo to the Wombat Gardens after gym. We are so lucky to have these beautiful gardens, which were designed by Baron von Mueller and planted in 1863. They are on Crown Land owned by the State of Victoria and are on the Victorian Heritage Register because of their historic and botanic significance to this State.

While we were walking, Wes managed to cut the lawns and break the ice in the fountain, so everywhere looks beautiful again with lots of green grass and flowing water. I had a short break when I got home then washed both cars as the sun was shining and they dried quickly with the help of the chamois. Meanwhile Wes got creative with lunch – black bean & pumpkin soup with muffins.

We were busy on Tuesday – Wes and Bilbo walked early in the dark and then we had breakfast at ‘Jackie’s on Vincent’, which opens at 8am and offers a great selection of yummy dishes. After that, I dropped Wes at the Daylesford Cinema to get everything ready for showing ‘Far From the Madding Crowd’, which attracted a good audience of 30. I loved the film, thought it was well acted and beautifully shot. 

Afterwards I went to EKO and spent a couple of very relaxing hours with Emma. Meanwhile Wes caught up with Glenn Mack at ‘Cliffy’s’, before spending the rest of the afternoon in front of the computer. My friend, Valerie Lefel, in Castlemaine, has been missing Mah Jong while Dot is away and invited me to her place for lunch on Wednesday. After gym that morning, I walked Bilbo around the Gardens, before driving to see Valerie. We spent a very pleasant 90 minutes or so together, but I was very tired when I arrived back here and Wes suggested an afternoon in bed would be perfect and it was! I caught up on episodes of ‘Lewis’ and had the company of my very best friend, except for a short interlude usually known as dinnertime for dogs.


Bilbo watching Lewis with me – he has the better view!

On Thursday, I was up bright and early after Wes and Bilbo went walking and drove to Strathmore to spend time with Leanne. The temperature stayed at 0° and there was fog until after Woodend, but when I arrived at Leanne’s place, the sun was shining and the temperature was 5°. We had a good time together and I drove back through beautiful sunshine and much warmer temperatures until Woodend where it was 8° but dry.

Wes had made a very yummy prawn risotto, which I could smell as soon as I got out of the car. He had been working hard during the morning and entertained Judi who dropped by for a cuppa and chat after her exercise class.

We were fogged in completely on Friday morning – couldn’t see in front of our faces. It was also raining, so I abandoned all thoughts of the Bushwalking Group, much to Bilbo’s dismay, did some shopping at Coles early and, after getting out the dastardly DA cryptic crossword on Friday, caught up on computer work and house chores. I am trying to wash in the dishwasher everything that was hand-washed while we didn’t have one and you can really see the difference. After lunch, Bilbo and I walked up to the Post Office and back, which satisfied our need to get out.

View from our decking at 10.30am

I have started knitting beanies, as there are some itinerant men in Daylesford at present, so that occupies me when I need to just sit and rest. I found some interesting yarn in the $2 shop as I had run out of blokey wool. It is good to be doing something other than squares for a change.

The footy was absolutely horrible for Carlton supporters as they had their worst ever defeat at the hands of the all-conquering Hawthorn. Wes gave up halfway through the first quarter, after begging Hawthorn supporters to give the Blues 22 goals start. He was fairly prophetic as the margin was 23 goals in the end.

Yesterday Wes set off for Melbourne early to attend Day 2 of the ALP National Conference. It was cold, wet, and foggy, but he arrived at Ballan Station safely. I put Bilbo in the car and drove to Ballarat to stock up on Edradour whisky at Dan Murphy’s. They have been out of stock for a while, and Wes has been happy to drink Jamieson, but, after the footy, I thought he had earned an Edradour or two. I noticed that Kathmandu was having a sale, so dropped in to get a pair of walking pants, as I can’t get them in Daylesford. I was successful there as well and we drove back here through mist, rain, and cold. I had planned to walk Bilbo but decided it was too cold to do either of us any good, so we lit the fire and spent the afternoon watching footy instead.

Lovely photo of David Knox with his daughter, Emily Knox, who marries Alan Kinnear today in London. We’ll be thinking of you all and are with you in spirit.
  
Wes had a frustrating day at the Conference – although there were some wins on Climate Change, the vote to turn back refugee boats was lost, which is so very disappointing to say the least. Wes finally arrived back here just before 8pm and we had a very late dinner watching Boomer Harvey play well in his 400th game in Brisbane.

On Friday, my oldest nephew, Liam Fell, graduated from Wollongong University. Paun & Brian closed ‘Cliff Place Café’ in Tathra and drove there to be with him and celebrate the achievement. Liam is flanked by his brothers, Rohan & Warwick, his girlfriend, Pip, Paun, Brian and a friend.

Sadly, our dear friend, Victor Borg, is quite unwell, and his daughter, Laura, is flying home from Thailand to be with him. We are thinking of all the Borg family – Terry, Georgie, Laura & Ben.

This morning is quite cold and dark. Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market soon and have to add dog bones to our usual list of purchases. Afterwards we will have breakfast with Barbara, Judi, Margot & perhaps Aileen, before Wes drives me to Ballan Station. I am off to see Collingwood play the Western Bulldogs, my first game in quite a while and I am very excited about it. David Lazzaro will be at the game and we hope to catch up.

Wes is then off to help his sister, Denise, celebrate her 70th birthday. Two of her sons, Leon & Shaun, are providing lunch at her place, and Wes has been told he doesn’t have to contribute anything. We have been promised snow sometime soon and I hope it holds off until I get back home after the footy.


 New owners of Gracenotes Café - Lisa and Jackie in front of the welcoming open fire......
                                                                                                               




..... Fawlty Towers in the wintry weather this week



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