Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 24th April 2016

Dear Friends, I left you last Sunday on a wild & windy note as we were heading off to breakfast. David, Sandy & Bam Bam joined us all for a fun morning of laughs. We managed to get David to the Neighbourhood Centre in time for a New Residents’ Meeting, which he was pleased to have attended; Judi drove Sandy & Bam Bam to the Sunday Market; Janine headed off to Coles, where her son, Paul, was collecting her; while Barbara struggled to get home safely, as it was Local Producers’ Day at the Lake House and cars were turning every which way, not noticing an electric wheelchair needing to cross the road. There were already cars in our street parked in higgledy-piggledy fashion, which made for a slow & careful trip for us too along our little piece of Duke Street.

I had planned to spend the day painting the stairs to the main decking, but it was too windy, so I made a big bowl of minestrone, with fennel as a major ingredient, and we both think it is my best version ever! Wes managed to get some gardening done, before it was time to sit down and watch the Pies play the Demons. Sadly, we looked out of sorts and Melbourne enjoyed a good win against an old enemy.

The next morning after an early walk, a gym session (where almost no-one wanted to chat about footy) and a pot of tea, I tackled the stairs and successfully finished the job by about 3pm. The only thing left is the skirting board, which is the same colour as the trim on the ramp out the front, and I have plenty of it in reserve.

On Tuesday, we were all happy to sleep in after our busy day, so while Wes went off to show The Big Short at the Daylesford Cinema with Malcolm, I took Bilbo for a couple of circuits of the beautiful Botanic Gardens – a walk we both enjoy very much indeed.

   

Wes was able to watch the film and enjoyed it enormously, as did the rest of the small audience. I spent the morning catching up on computer work before heading off to see my doctor, Greg Stewart, to report on the success of my operation & to get help with other issues. He suggested I get an injection that helps prevent shingles, so we added that to the flu injection which I was due to get the next day.

There was no Mah Jong on Wednesday as Dot & John are having a week’s break at Warrnambool. After gym I settled down to paint the trim and posts on the front ramp, stopping only for a haircut with Lyndal Conroy. She suggested a cute bob, but we settled on 5cms, which is more than enough!

After lunch, we headed back to Springs Medical Centre for our injections. Wes decided to have the Zostavax (shingles prevention) as well, so there was quite a cocktail being delivered to his body – flu, pneumonia & shingles. We enjoyed our experience with the doctor and nurse who had a good patter going and made us both laugh while we were answering questions about our medical history.

There was a brief shower of glorious rain early on Thursday morning while we were walking in 17° warmth. Sadly, it was over before we had finished our circuit of the Lake. At 9.30am, I collected Judi for our trip to Bendigo to see the Marilyn Monroe Exhibition there, which has been so very popular.

Every dog needs a Woodstock!

We enjoyed an easy drive to and from Bendigo and you can’t miss the giant sculpture of Marilyn as you enter the heart of Bendigo. We were early enough to have a cup of tea before we entered, which was very welcome. We were both overwhelmed by the Exhibition, which was much bigger and better than we had expected. There were lots of film clips, plenty of costumes, as well as her own everyday clothes and lots of her personal memorabilia. She was a clever woman, who survived an awful childhood, and some early mistakes to become the most famous film star in the world at the time of her death aged 36.

Fascinating plaque in Bendigo commemorating a protest meeting against the hated mining licence fee where everyone wore a red ribbon – there is nothing new under the sun it seems!

Afterwards we went back to the Gallery Café for lunch. This used to be a very good spot for cuppa, a snack or a meal, but seems to be under new management and it has lost much of its charm. The only waiter was expected to seat customers, take their orders, collect payments, deliver food & redirect people who thought they were queuing to get into the Gallery. Our drinks arrived just as we finished our meals, which were OK, but not as yummy as we have enjoyed in the past.

We drove into rain as we approached Daylesford and were pleased to find about 4mls in the gauge the next morning. Wes and Bilbo were visiting the Daylesford Cemetery when I arrived back home and both returned tired but happy from their walk. I asked Wes if he had visited the graves of two old friends there – John Clube and David Smith – but he had avoided the sadness of remembering those two good friends, (who both died very suddenly and far too soon), by wandering around the oldest part of the cemetery.

Wes ended up spending Friday in bed, probably because of his pneumonia injection, as he was very cold, very tired, had trouble breathing and wanted to sleep. Bilbo and I walked around the Gardens in the early cold. The rest of the morning was spent on the phone it seemed – I wanted to book our accommodation for the Adelaide Test and managed to get one of the last apartments available at the Old Majestic Lion in North Adelaide, which is a lovely stroll from the ground. I also spent an hour on the phone checking our cover with Medibank Private – Barbara had told Warren of her experience in doing that and saving some money, so I followed her lead and have reduced costs by $400 per year.

Lovely photo of the Gibsons celebrating Fraser’s 17^th birthday on the Tramcar Restaurant

After lunch, I cooked up the rest of our tomatoes and made some more pasta sauce using homegrown ingredients except for a leek. I had hoped to get some more painting done, but ran out of energy! We lasted until half time in the exciting Hawthorn & Adelaide game, which the Hawks won at the end by 3 points, yet again.

Yesterday was another cold & windy morning after a windy night – I walked Bilbo around the Lake and arrived home to find Wes up and dressed and sitting in front of the computer catching up on emails and Facebook. He was feeling much better for his quiet day but didn’t tackle anything strenuous. It was too windy for painting, so I spent most of the day indoors.

This morning it was 4° as we walked around the Lake early and when I finish writing I will take Bilbo with me to Leitches Creek to pump mineral water, then to the Sunday Market to get our fruit & vegetables, and finally to Sunday Breakfast, where he will sit patiently waiting for leftovers.

This afternoon is the big Daylesford vs Hepburn football game, with the official opening of the new Clubrooms, so we are heading off to Victoria Park around 1pm with Gillie to be part of it all.