Dear Friends, we had a
most successful reunion with John & Jan Smith last Sunday at breakfast. They
promised to come back again soon & not leave so long between visits to
Daylesford.
Afterwards we came
home for a very quiet day as Wes had used up all his energy getting to
breakfast & chatting with everyone. This rest really paid dividends as he
was feeling much better on Monday and able to walk Bilbo, get into the garden
& even cook a very yummy lunch for us both.
L-R Wes, Barbara, Margot, John, Judi, Janine &
Jan
Bilbo thrilled to see Jan again
I have certainly been
feeling better, but too asthmatic to go to gym, so I popped in to see Barry
& give him a Christmas gift. I do enjoy this time of year, even though it
can be hectic (not for us as we haven’t accepted or offered many invitations).
There are important people in our lives to thank – hairdresser Lyndal; beauty
therapists Emma & Alanna; gym instructor Barry; massage therapist Nick;
garbos, paper deliverer,Steve; Keith & Tim at Mitre 10, & favourite
cafés.
Dot & I met for a
final game of Mah Jong this year. It was lovely to catch up & the honours
were even for a change. Muffins & More was very busy with a never-ending
stream of customers. Wes spent the morning in Barbara’s garden & the
afternoon back over there interviewing Eddie Beacham again for Hepburn Voices.
In between he came home & made lunch for us both.
Lovely very recent photo of Jane Knox. She &
David are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their daughter, Emily, and her
husband, Alan, from London for Christmas.
We had a visit from an
old political friend of Warren’s – Susan Riley, who has been Deputy Lord Mayor
of Melbourne for the past 8 years. She was with her good friend, Georgina
Meadows, and they sat around chatting about Melbourne City Council over
prosecco & a cheese platter.
Wes had a coffee catch
up with Bob White at the Daylesford Book Barn. I had hoped to join them, but my
voice wasn’t good & I had to save it for a long-standing lunch date with
Cathy O’Toole & Peter Widdop. We met them at Boathouse Daylesford for a
most enjoyable get-together. Susanne & Claire really spoilt us with a
complimentary calamari entrée and then Wes & I got stuck into their
mussels, which are just delightful. Cathy had a breakfast dish of smoked salmon
& Peter tucked into fish & chips.
We arrived home in
time to watch Day 1 of the 1st Test against Pakistan at the Gabba.
This is the first time a Day/Night Test has been staged at the Gabba & the
attendances have been good, which suggests it won’t be the last.
On Friday, Wes took
Brian Nash & Bilbo to Trentham to walk along the Wombat Trail – they had
hoped to include the old racecourse track, but missed the turn-off. However,
they both arrived home, tired and happy, in time for lunch, which I cooked for
a change. I did a stir fry, like I used to for so many years & for so many
mouths – shiraz peas from our garden, asparagus, Chinese mushrooms, celery,
spring onions & red peppers. It really was a very colourful & tasty
meal.
Shiraz peas were invented by some Poms about 6
years ago – they were looking for a different colour for ‘mange tout’ (snow
peas) & the result is stunning. They were easy to grow, so I’ll be doing it
again next year.
Wes went off to an
information session at Daylesford Hotel discussing the latest plans for Opera
by the Lake in Daylesford. He came home highly stimulated, but worried that the
architects had been carried away by a couple of sunny days spent here and that
they had no idea of our climate. As well the Council can’t see beyond the
possibility of an extra 55,000 tourists – but, unless they have a corresponding
increase in rates, our Shire will continue to fall behind with infrastructure,
as well as repairs & maintenance to existing amenities.
I was able to watch
Day 2 of the cricket & was thrilled to see Victorian batsman, Peter
Handscomb, make a century in his second Test. Queenslander, Matt Renshaw, our
new opener, had done very well with 71 and partnered David Warner, and then
Steve Smith with aplomb.
Yesterday Wes &
Bilbo had an early walk, then Bilbo & I drove to Leitches Creek to pump
water, before we three headed off to visit Leonard’s Hill Market. Wes had
arranged to meet with Brian Nash and he brought Roberta Donnelly with him,
which gave her and I a lovely chance to catch up while Wes & Brian were
busy finding the old Leonard’s Hill Schoolhouse with stunning views to Mt
Franklin. This is a very country market – lots of bric-a-brac, knitted toys
(the knitter is a bloke), homemade cards & candles, as well as a $2 sausage
sizzle & tea & scones for $5. Santa arrived on the back of the
Leonard’s Hill Fire Truck, driven by Marc Dankers, who keeps us all safe with
frequent updates on the fire situation in and around the Shire. The market is
held at St Leonard’s Hall, which is right on the highway, but very few cars
stop and have the fun experience of a laidback non-commercial market.
Christmas lilies (courtesy of Judi) flanked by
Reindogs at our front door.
In the afternoon, our
lovely neighbours, Rob & Dene, arrived bearing a Christmas cake, shortbread
& chocolate-dipped candied orange – all homemade & beautifully
packaged. We opened a bottle of Grampians Estate Sparkling Rosé and caught up
on each other’s news.
This morning, after
the Sunday Market, we are off to the last Sunday Breakfast for the year, where
we will all give each other’s pets gifts. It should be a fun get-together on a
perfect, cool Summer’s morning.
I’ve been thinking
about this year and realised that, although I was very excited at the time, I
haven’t made a fuss in a Dispatch about the incredible shift in importance of
women’s football. When I was growing up, there was no chance I could play
footy, even if I was good enough, for Collingwood. But this year saw the creation
of 8 teams allied to AFL Clubs and next February will see the beginning of a
true women’s competition with the first match between Collingwood &
Carlton. We are making plans to attend this historic event and hope to get to
quite a few games.
You should receive a
Christmas Dispatch next Sunday before we head to Melbourne for lunch with
Leanne, Peter & Anka. Thank you for all your Christmas cards, with &
without letters – it is always lovely to catch up with friends & family at
this time & share the year’s news.
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