Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 29th May, 2016

Dear Friends, I can’t believe this is my last Autumn Dispatch – it’s been a beautiful season with lots of stunning colours & warmer temperatures than usual, but not enough rain. Let’s hope Winter brings lots of much-needed rain.

When Bilbo & I reached the Market last Sunday, I gave Yvonne a big hug, told her how good John’s funeral had been and explained I had told Bilbo that he wouldn’t be getting cabbage leaves anymore. Yvonne immediately called over to John’s son, Corey, who now helps her with her stall and asked him – “what was your father’s last instruction about the market?” He replied, “Don’t forget to give cabbage leaves to that dog – not the outer leaves, the sweeter inner ones” – so Bilbo didn’t miss out after all.

We had a lovely time at breakfast, and Margot was very thrilled with her welcome by all of us including Bilbo, who nestled up against her legs with delight, knowing that ample food was to follow. We let Margot tell us all about her wonderful 5-week cruise until Aileen arrived with a great story about buying her latest car, which involved the Melbourne salesman driving his family up to Daylesford on a Sunday so that she could decide about the car, and her feeding them all with her famous scones.

Me at the Food Gallery still in celebration mode  

After breakfast, we came home & I spent a very quiet day doing the washing & ironing & watching the footy, especially being impressed by GWS as they made light work of the all-conquering Western Bulldogs. Wes visited Margot to help her download all the updates on her computer that had been building up while she was away and arrived back to find me resting in bed.

I felt much better on Monday morning & headed off to gym in between showers of rain.  When I got back, we tackled the self-watering pots and got them in position on the decking. Of course, the fittings weren’t quite as snug as promised, so Wes bought some silicone to make sure that there were no leaks in the future. I bought five punnets of seedlings – 2 kinds of parsley, coriander, leeks & baby spinach. Now we just have to wait for them to grow! 

The film this week was Eddie the Eagle, which I was sure would be much better than the shorts and I was right. The small audience loved it and there wouldn’t have been a dry eye at the end. It should be compulsory viewing for younger ones especially as it is a true story, which deals with following your dream in spite of setbacks. We sat at the Food Gallery afterward with croissants and hot drinks to debrief.

It was particularly chilly on Wednesday morning and there were only 4 of us, including Barry, at gym, which meant we had a good run at all the equipment & Barry got a chance to make sure we were all doing things properly. Afterwards I met up with Valerie & Dot at Muffins & More for a fun morning of Mah Jong, where the games were shared evenly. The café was doing a roaring trade, as everyone was cold in the wind. The highlight of the morning was a quick visit by Fiona Harris with her new 8-week old puppy, Luna, who is a groodle (golden retriever & poodle). Afterwards I went to Fiona’s shop, Daylesford Aromatherapy, and had a good cuddle.

In the afternoon, we decided to light the fire as it was so cold and it was still alight the next morning, so we banked it up & enjoyed it for another day. We had planned to go to Melbourne, visit the Old Gaol and use a Gift Voucher to see a film at the Kino, but when it was so cold & wet, and with the memory of the awful crash on the Calder Highway fresh in our minds, we decided to stay home instead.

I was all geared up on Friday to get tickets for the Adelaide Test for us & the Knoxes, and discovered at 9am that there were none for sale as no decision has been made on whether it will be a day or day/night game.

In the afternoon, it was warm and sunny, so Bilbo & I pumped mineral water at Leitches Creek, and went for a stroll around the Daylesford Cemetery, thinking about the good friends that lie there.

The footy that night was very exciting, with the Swans bringing North Melbourne’s winning run of 9 to an end with a game that stopped North’s flowing play. Buddy was unstoppable and Sydney is looking the goods for another tilt at the Flag.

As a cryptic crossword lover, I really enjoy this Snoopy cartoon, but it isn’t quite the calibre of DA on Fridays with his fascinating wordplay and intricate themes. Last Friday’s revolved around clues that lacked the letter ‘x’ and you only worked that out by solving the major clue, the answer to which was ‘crosses out’.

Yesterday was a very busy day at home – Wes walked Bilbo early, came home to give me a henna treatment, and then washed Bilbo. He relaxed for a while with Saturday’s Age, before getting stuck back into Ancestry. I decided to get all the washing & ironing done, as well as clean the silver with a view to spending the afternoon at the local footy watching the Daylesford Doggies play the Clunes Magpies.

 We took Bilbo with us and he enjoyed himself very much indeed, especially at quarter-time when he got a biscuit. The Doggies were much too strong for the Magpies and won by 12 goals. We lasted until half time, when the sun disappeared and cold descended very rapidly.

Bilbo at the footy resting his head on my feet

This morning we are heading off on our usual routine. I wanted very much to go to the MCG this afternoon to see the Collingwood Magpies play the Western Bulldogs, but the game doesn’t start until 3.20pm, which means a trip home completely in the dark. Wes offered to drive me to and from Ballan Station, but there appear to be buses running instead of trains & our friends, Frank & Ellis, took 2 hours yesterday to get to Footscray, where they had to change into another coach to get to Melbourne & were panicking they would miss their concert. I’ve also been offered beds to stay overnight, but have decided to stay put and look forward to next Sunday’s game which starts at 1.10pm.  

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd May 2016

Dear Friends, last Sunday we had been expecting to welcome home Margot, but she had misled us all and arrived back that day. Fortunately, Barbara had checked her emails before driving to Melbourne Airport and didn’t make a wasted trip. Even Pasquale at The Food Gallery had bought the Herald Sun for Margot to read when she arrived for her early cup of coffee, so he gave it to Barbara to pass on to Margot. We had also been expecting three Russo brothers, but Peter arrived at 9.50am to ask if it was 8.30am or 9.30am start, just as we were all finishing up, so we missed their company.

It was a beautiful day after the cold morning and Warren planted all the daffodil bulbs we had bought at the Melbourne Flower Show, before coming inside to watch Carlton play Port Adelaide. He was in tears at the end – it was easily the best display for year by a Blues team, and considering they lost their best mark, Levi Casboult, in the first few minutes, and their other big man, Matt Kreuzer, was hurt three times during the game, it was an incredibly gutsy win from behind.

On Monday, Wes walked Bilbo early in the dark, where the temperature hovered around 2° until about 8.30am. I went to gym for the first time in a fortnight, and was pleased that I coped OK, although I was very sensible and didn’t do anything too strenuous. Everyone at gym was happy, as all our teams had won on the weekend, so there were smiles all round.

We woke on Tuesday to the sad news that John Wallace, partner of Yvonne at the Sunday Market had died overnight in hospital, where he had been for a couple of weeks, as his lungs were no longer working properly. John, who was 82, had for many years cut cabbage leaves for Woody, Bilbo & Frodo to eat while their owners shopped. We will miss him.

Thanks to David Castles for posting this favourite Peanuts cartoon on FB recently.

  

Mary Goodall joined me at the Daylesford Cinema to see the film The Jungle Book, which we both enjoyed very much. I didn’t know the book by Rudyard Kipling, but she was familiar with the story and thought Disney did an excellent adaptation. In the afternoon, I went to EKO for a well-overdue manicure & facial and arrived home to a yummy late lunch with Wes. That night Wes and Barbara attended a shareholders’ meeting of the Bendigo Bank, where the Board was questioned closely about its future plans and strategies.

Here is my latest crop of beanies & a beret, as requested by ‘Keeping Daylesford Warm’ Wes liked the yellow one so much I knitted him one of his own!

We were back playing Mah Jong on Wednesday morning and enjoyed a fun time catching up with each other and trying to beat Valerie who was on fire for a change!

Wes and I both travelled to Melbourne on Thursday – I left at 8am to visit Leanne and he went at 9.15am to accompany Barbara to an Independent Living Expo at the Showgrounds. I coped well with driving there and back & had a good visit with Leanne, but was quite weary by the time I arrived home. So was Wes, who had a much longer day, but without the driving. When they got back to Daylesford, he had suggested to Barbara that they do a big shop at Coles, which was sensible.

We slept in on Friday, and after I went shopping at the supermarket, I took Bilbo for a couple of circuits of the Gardens. Judi & I had originally planned to do this together, and spend time together afterwards, but she was suffering from a relapse and I was feeling as though that would be too much, so we postponed it for another morning.

Later in the morning we attended John’s funeral at Verey’s Chapel, Yvonne would have been delighted as there was standing room only by the time the service started. We didn’t know much about John’s early life, so enjoyed learning about what a likeable rogue he had been. He and Yvonne had been together 30 years after John left his wife, with whom he had 6 children. We will treasure our timber chopping board that John made and which I bought for Wes one Christmas some years ago.

Yesterday morning was very brisk early, so I stayed in bed doing the Age crosswords while Wes & Bilbo walked. We woke to the news that the Swans had beaten the Hawks and were delighted for Jane & David, who had flown down from Sydney for the match, which we had watched until half time. The Hawthorn players looked subdued early, probably because of the shocking news of the return of Jarryd Roughead’s cancer, which had been discovered earlier in the week.

I drove to Melbourne and parked at the MCG, then walked to the Square & Compass, where I met up with Danny Millman, Jane & David for brunch before the Collingwood vs Geelong game. It was lovely to see all three friends and we enjoyed a leisurely and yummy meal before walking back to the G for the game.

We had good seats on the wing and enjoyed the game much more than any of us had expected, as Collingwood had brought its best skills to bear in the first quarter, and although we were outscored in the remaining three quarters, the 7 goals we scored was enough to register a win against Geelong, who were flag favourites.

As the match started early, I was able to drive home in daylight for most of the way and the last 20 minutes or so was illuminated by a stunning red-gold sunset. Wes had hung a black & white scarf on the front door and made a yummy seafood risotto, both of which were much appreciated. He had spent the morning assembling the planter box stands, which we had bought at the Melbourne Flower Show two months earlier. It has taken ages for our order to be filled – the boxes themselves arrived about 2 weeks ago, and Wes had to argue very forcefully to get the stands, which he was told I had picked up myself. As the company is in Officer (wherever that is), it seems most unlikely that I would have driven there without telling him and collected half the order.

We are planning to put the stands up on the decking, filling the boxes with soil and planting seedlings tomorrow – I’m too tired today to think about any of that. Bilbo is sitting at my feet, very relieved that I got up & dressed and have printed out my list for the Sunday Market. We will leave shortly, and then it will be Sunday Breakfast, where everyone will be delighted to see Margot and hear about her wonderful cruise.

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 15th May 2016

Dear Friends, I am sorry it has been so long since I last wrote, but this bout of bronchial asthma has really laid me low. Wes has been wonderful – cooking & serving meals, bringing drinks, walking & feeding Bilbo, washing & ironing, gardening, shopping, taking care of phone calls & looking after visitors. He spent a lot of time in the first week with Barbara as well both to make up for no Sunday breakfast, as it had been cancelled, and doing jobs for her.  

Some time ago, Wes had invited Leon to spend last weekend with us. He planned to meet at Trentham for Spudfest, take him to the local footy, cook him a meal and involve him in all our activities for the weekend. My plan was to be at the MCG watching Collingwood & Carlton play and I was to arrive home in time for dinner. Wes decided to invite Barbara to share in the Saturday fun, so they drove together to Spudfest and enjoyed it, as well as the local footy. It was a shame that the Carlton supporters weren’t the ones at home watching the match, as the Blues beat the Pies for the first time in a few years.

Wes & Leon listening to Danny Spooner & Leon in short sleeves in Daylesford in May at Victoria Park watching local footy

Wes had hoped to have a bit of a dinner party that night, but decided it was too hard with me in bed and I was very grateful to him for that. He and Leon made a fish pie, which we all tucked into. The next morning Leon came on the early & wet walk with Wes & Bilbo and told how Bilbo had waited until Wes was in bed the previous night, before leaping onto the couch to keep Leon company – sneaky little bugger!

After the Sunday Market & Breakfast, Leon headed off to spend some time with his mother, Denise, for Mother’s Day. Wes came back here and announced that Bilbo wanted to take me out for lunch – sometime in the future when I was up to it! It was a wild, wet day after the brilliant sunshine of the day before and I think we were all pleased to be warm and comfortable inside. We had offered Judi & Michael the loan of our Mazda 2 for a few days, as they still can’t drive their car very long distances and needed to go to Geelong that day.

On Monday I finally got up, dressed, and lasted until after lunch, before I had to return to bed. And so it has gone each day, with me lasting a couple more hours until I am now nearly back to normal, although still coughing.

I was sorry to miss two films ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ and ‘Brooklyn’, both of which Wes got to see and enjoyed very much. I also had to postpone all sorts of appointments, so this coming week will be rather busy, but I am being careful not to overload myself too much on any one day.

David Castles posted this beautiful Snoopy cartoon on FB & I couldn’t resist sharing it

While Wes was at the Daylesford Cinema, I made a batch of minestrone soup, which lasted us well for the week. I had visions of painting, but that has been too much to contemplate, so I’ve swept up a few leaves, paid some bills on the computer, answered emails, read the paper, knitted and rested. The old Karen would have been raring to go, but the chronic fatigued Karen just doesn’t have the energy.

I was taken for an outing on Thursday – lunch at the Boathouse here, after Wes had been part of a group of three delivering a workshop on Family History & Genealogy with Keira Lockyer & Gary Lawrence at the Daylesford Museum. This was well attended and well received and nearly everyone there is keen to keep going now that they have learnt some skills and some ideas on how to attack their projects. We haven’t eaten at the Boathouse for some time, as we were unimpressed with the lack of service. Susanne & Claire, who successfully ran the Farmers Arms Hotel for many years, have taken over the lease, and their imprint is immediately noticeable with a warm greeting at the door by the maître d’ and plenty of service! They are still on the lookout for a chef, but we were very happy with our meals of fish & chips (Wes) & salmon breakfast (me) each with a particularly yummy glass of Riesling.

That morning, we were all shocked to receive a text message from Gail White to say that her husband, Terry, had suffered a heart attack the previous night, and was in St John of God Hospital, Ballarat, recovering. She had nothing but praise for the Daylesford Hospital & Dr Jon Barrell & the ambulance crew. Two hours after Terry had his attack, he was in bed in Ballarat recovering from a stent being inserted. He has continued to improve and is expected back home tomorrow, but will have to have a further operation in 6-8 weeks time.

Wes had put so much into his preparation that he was very pleased to have a quiet day on Friday, and happy to let me do the shopping while he rested. Sadly, Judi had come down with a sore throat and raging headache, and was spending her days in bed, but hoping to feel better by today. I delivered the weekend editions of The Age to her as sometimes browsing through the newspaper is easier than concentrating on a novel.

My smart phone died unexpectedly two weeks ago and Wes very kindly took it to Keith at Bi-Rite, and it went to Telstra hospital. We found my old Motorola and charged it up to keep me going, but after 10 days, it died too. The only other phone we had needs a larger SIM card, which Keith offered to supply, but Wes gave me his phone to use in the interim. I can get text messages, FB & play Scrabble, but not receive emails, which is slightly inconvenient, but much better than nothing at all and I am very grateful to him. He had to notify Barbara & the Daylesford Cinema to contact him other than by texts.

Yesterday we had been invited to drinks & nibbles at Di & Jeff’s place, but both Judi & I were apologies. I still can’t talk without coughing, and I didn’t think anyone would appreciate that. Wes & Michael both went & enjoyed themselves very much with the large crowd of friends there. Di & Jeff are excellent hosts and have the perfect home for entertaining.

Perfect stunning sunset last night - thanks to Frank Page for the photo

Collingwood scored a good win over the hapless Lions at the Gabba, but the exciting match was at the MCG, where Richmond snatched a thrilling one-point win over Sydney with a goal kicked after the siren by Sam Lloyd.

                                                                      

This morning it is life as normal – Bilbo and I are off to the Sunday Market shortly, then Breakfast, where we will all be delighted to see Margot again back from her cruise. We are also being joined by Peter Russo & two of his brothers, so it should be an entertaining morning.

Unlike Charlie Brown, Margot will be expecting a kiss of thanks this morning from Bilbo

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Monday, 2nd May 2016

Dear Friends, another week has flown by and it is time to put some thoughts to paper again. Gail White was a very welcome surprise addition to breakfast last Sunday and good-naturedly coped with all the stories we told at her expense to enlighten Janine, her son, Paul & David. It made for a very entertaining morning and apart from her Gail tales, Barbara also told us of a small victory for accessibility she had won during the week when she accepted to attend a shareholders’ meeting of the Bendigo Bank, only to discover it was being held upstairs at the Bowling Club. She was delighted to receive apologetic phone calls from the bank & finally an advice that the venue had been changed to the Senior Citizens’ rooms, which are most accessible.

That afternoon we and Gillie went to Daylesford Victoria Park to see the traditional grudge match between Daylesford & Hepburn, which is always well attended. It was a perfect, warm afternoon, so warm that Bilbo became distressed and had to be taken home during the Reserves game. It was the official opening of the new community facility incorporating clubrooms, a commercial kitchen and lots of dining space, and improved toilets. Before the game, there was an ANZAC ceremony and it was great to see the netballers join the footballers before their respective games.

We won the Reserves match, but Hepburn took the honours in the Seniors, where they were clearly the better side. One of the highlights for me was to catch up with a much-loved old friend, Michelle Jenkin, who had driven up from Mt Martha for the afternoon. She & her mother came and sat near us at the end of the game and we were able to catch up on each other’s news.  

The new facility as seen from the disabled parking area 90 minutes before the game

We drove home to watch Carlton very unexpectedly beat Fremantle over there and there was much rejoicing in the land, as it has been a while since the faithful have been able to sing ‘We are the Navy Blues’ (even if their away strip is mostly white).

On ANZAC morning, we walked Bilbo early and brought him home for a bone, before heading off back into town for the dawn service. As usual Sallie Harvey was the standout singing unaccompanied ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’; there was a bugler, a lone piper, a mounted horseman, a small choir from the secondary school, and short speeches from the two school captains in front of a very large & most appreciative crowd.

At 9am, we headed off to Eganstown for our favourite ANZAC Day remembrance. This was very well attended with 60 people (probably a record). The Eganstown Primary School, which has not existed in years, provided a disproportionate number of servicemen & women, some of whom never returned home.

Wes took this lovely photo of me with Janine Hawker at Eganstown.

Back home, Wes collected Barbara, who likes to march in the Daylesford Parade, while I filled a thermos and set off to the MCG. I had a great run and, although there was a big queue, managed to get a seat in my favourite spot on the wing. Because it was so early, I went into the Long Room, where I found Loud Gayle and we had a great chat sitting on one of the leather lounge suites. I do enjoy the services at the MCG, which this year excelled themselves, including the best rendition of our national dirge (anthem) that I have ever heard.

Once a year the cheer squads combine to produce one huge banner honouring those who fell in battle and this year it was raised in front of a crowd of 85,000+

Much to the delight of the Pies supporters and the chagrin of the Bombers, our team played brilliantly in the first half & left the result in no doubt. It was especially exciting to see our Texan recruit, Mason Cox, take a mark & kick a goal in the first few minutes of the game. His parents & two brothers had flown over to be with him and his father, in particular, was very exciting and couldn’t stop smiling.

I stayed in Melbourne overnight, as I had promised to take Leanne to visit her doctor the next morning. We had a good time together, achieved all she needed to do, and I was back home here by lunchtime, bearing a yummy vegetarian quiche from Gusto in Strathmore.

Two friends in the Daylesford march – Paul Laurence & Ian McKenzie – both Vietnam veterans & members of the Bushwalking Group

Wes had taken Barbara for a drive to see Autumn leaves after the Parade, but nowhere was open, so they ended up having a drink at the Lyonville Pub with Eddie & Jenny Beacham, who they found in Trentham doing the same thing. Afterwards Wes watched the game, then cooked himself some meat, the leftovers being a very satisfactory addition to Bilbo’s dinner the next night.

On Wednesday, it was an early morning walk in the warmth of 14°, before I went to gym and then played Mah Jong with Dot & Valerie. Wes spent the morning helping Barbara in the garden and filling her car up with petrol. He was having some difficulties with Ancestry.com and could get no assistance until he put up on Facebook that he wasn’t happy and just as he sat down with a glass of Edradour to relax while I made dinner; there was a phone call from someone horrified by the Facebook post who wanted to solve the issue. 2.5 hours later, it was all fixed and we had a very late meal and fell into bed.

I had an early BreastScreen appointment on Thursday, so drove to Ballarat after our early walk. At 10.45am we joined 23 others to listen to Judi Allen give a U3A talk on her interesting childhood. Her father was an air-traffic controller instructor and was based variously in Iraq, Greece & Thailand from 1954-64. Judi had put a lot of work into her power-point presentation, and we learned lots about her early days that we had never heard before.

After that, we set off for Clunes to see how it was looking two days out from Booktown. We had lunch at Widow Twankey’s which is run by friends of ours, Tim & Michael, and bumped into Rebecca Pedretti, who we first met when she was 21 & helping run the Info Centre. We visited the Clunes Museum, which is housed in a new building that includes the Library & Info Centre and were very impressed with the display.

On Friday, around 6am, we heard the sound of rain on the roof. It continued on and off until mid-afternoon, and we had 10mls in the gauge when I checked. Judi, Bilbo & I had planned to join the bushwalkers for the Trentham Domino Trail, but it was too wet, so Judi & I caught up at the Food Gallery for 90 minutes instead.

Our Maple at the front door looking at its best

Yesterday we woke to a dry morning and walked around the Lake early. Later on, we got another couple of mls of rain and Wes was able to plant some hyacinth bulbs in the front garden. I had hoped to do some painting, but the surfaces never got dry enough for me to get out all the gear.

 Bilbo Baggins sleeping heavily post walk & bone

                                                                     

Sadly, I have come down with a head cold & asthma and have been confined to bed yesterday & today. I suspect the abrupt change of weather has done it, but at least we have had the flu injections and it won’t develop much more. The big disappointment for me was missing out on lunch at Judi & Michael’s yesterday with Di & Jeff.  You can see how much they are missing me as they tuck into bouillabaisse, strudel & cheeses with matching great wines. Wes had a lovely afternoon, made even better by sharing a taxi with Di & Jeff there & back.

Di, Jeff, Michael & Judi