Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 29th January 2017

Dear Friends, what a wonderful way we started the week. Gerard Lazzaro joined us for our early morning walk at Sunday, which we took at Jubilee Lake. It was quite dark when we set off, but dawn broke at the exact right time for Ged to take some stunning photos and just as we reached the car, a hot-air balloon was being blown up. Wes dropped me home & they continued to the Cornish Hill Lookout, where they had stunning views of the balloon floating across Daylesford.

Next stop was the Sunday Market, where Kathy & Ged also bought some fruit & vegetables from Yvonne & Corey, before going for a wander along the other stalls. Bilbo & I went straight home to wash & put all the produce away, making sure that he got some celery for his trouble.

At breakfast, we made a fuss of David’s wife, Sandy, who had featured in our Local paper. (https://issuu.com/dhslocal/docs/the_local_issue_89_january_16__2017)

She entered into the spirit and signed copies for us all. It was a very happy & fun time, and when Judi produced home-made cumquat marmalade, we all got her to autograph the labels on her beautifully presented jars.

 L-R – Kathy, Ged, Barbara, Karen, Sandy, Judi, Wes & Janine celebrating our Local Hotshot

After breakfast, I joined Kathy & Ged for a stroll around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, before they headed back home to Burwood, hoping to avoid travelling during the hottest part of the day.

Wes drove to Gisborne on Monday morning to attend Jack Luke’s funeral. Jack had been a long-time Brunswick Rotarian, and quite a few from the Club turned up to honour him. Meanwhile I had a cuppa with Annie Smith at Larder, and we caught up on each other’s news. Back home I spent time making phone calls, balancing the books & cleaning up emails, while it got hotter & hotter outside.

Lake Daylesford at 6am on Monday morning

On Tuesday, after gym, I went to Ballarat to get my teeth cleaned & polished! When I went for my annual check-up in December, I was too asthmatic to have that done at the time. While in Ballarat I was able to drop into the bank, pick up a new pair of pants from Kathmandu, as I spilt paint all over my everyday pair, and collected some knitting wool at Lincraft to finish a pair of Daylesford Doggies beanies for Wes & me. Anka had given me some wool at Christmas and I was able to match the colours perfectly. Meanwhile, Wes showed the film ‘Sing’, which had an appreciative audience of 20 or so.

Beautiful roses to brighten any day!

I met Rhonda for lunch at Cliffys – it seems like ages since we spent time together & we have been friends for a long time. It was lovely to catch up and we enjoyed a very healthy green salad and some hot tea.

On Wednesday, I drove to Strathmore to help Leanne with some issues. As so many of you know, it is so hard when you are living on your own & haven’t got any one to bounce ideas off or get help when you need it. She was most appreciative, and we managed to solve all the main worries. Wes had spent the morning with Barbara, working in her garden, and it was a perfect day to do that.

We didn’t really take much notice of Australia Day this year. I’m feeling more & more like it is Invasion Day and as I don’t like our flag one little bit, I am quite reluctant to do any celebrating. Barry had decided to run his gym classes, so I walked there & back, while Wes got stuck into our garden and did wonders. He cut down the Banksia rose, which has grown all over the Dog Decking, making it impossible for Bilbo to see us or for us to see him.

After an early walk & supermarket shopping, I got stuck into painting again, something I have been wanting to do for ages, but haven’t had the energy. Until it got too hot, I worked on the front and then moved onto the Dog Decking, which is desperate for a fresh coat of paint. My next job was to plant some dwarf beans into our planter boxes and move the chilli plants, which hadn’t liked living there back into the greenhouse, where they thrive.

This makes me think of Book Groups I have belonged to in the past!

Wes had a delightful morning with Brian Nash & they spent time in Mount Prospect, Newlyn & Langdon’s Hill. As usual they found some interesting & iconic photos to add to their collection for Brian to paint.

Yesterday morning we had breakfast at the Food Gallery, where we scored the Locals’ Table and everyone else who came in during that time was also a local, so there were lots of cheery greetings. Margot asked after Bilbo & didn’t believe that we had caught him (yet again) trying to break branches off the apple tree to get at the apples. She suggested the evidence was merely circumstantial!

Back home and Wes got stuck into the front garden, planting geraniums he had propagated, while I managed an hour of painting before it got too hot.

This morning we had a lovely walk around Lake Daylesford and Bilbo is once again at my feet waiting for me to finish what I am doing & take him to the Sunday Market. After breakfast, we hope to visit the Winsome Moffat pop-up Art Exhibition at the Daylesford Museum and then I think we will stay put, as it is going to be very hot again.

Lovely photo of Daniel Lazzaro, son of David & Helen, at the MCG, barracking for the Melbourne Stars recently.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd January 2017

Dear Friends, it’s been a less busy & emotional week for us both. Last Sunday, after breakfast, we came home to work in the garden (Wes) and clean out the glass cabinets (me). Wes did a great job of pruning & propagating and I culled surplus glasses as we no longer have to be able to cater for 100+ guests. The Salvos Shop was very pleased to have our clean, sparkling, unwanted glassware. We watched the Pakistanis show some spirit against the Aussies under their temporary Captain, Mohammad Hafeez, who won Man of the Match to boot.

It was a lovely, cool morning, when we walked around the Lake on Monday. Wes is shown here with Bilbo looking back through the mist at the Boathouse Café, where the chef has just turned on the lights.

I was very pleased to receive the news that my blood tests results were excellent – great way to start the new year. I celebrated by having a massage with Nick, making some phone calls & catching up with Judi over Jasmine tea at The Food Gallery.

On Tuesday, I was able to go back to gym for the first time in weeks and was greeted warmly by everyone there doing Barry’s holiday programme. Later I went to EKO for a facial & manicure – it was lovely & cool there, while the temperature soared to 37˚ outside.

Wes continues to take control of the garden, bit by bit. He has moved our fountain into the shade & the birds are very grateful indeed. The roses are prolific, the fruit trees are laden and there are lots of lavender & rosemary in bloom.

My uncle, Kev Hoolihan, in Torksey Lock, Lincolnshire, hasn’t been in the best of health recently, but he still manages to read my Dispatch every week, to keep abreast of domestic & world events on Facebook, and to send through positive & encouraging comments on a regular basis. I hope that his breathing improves as the weather gets better over there. We are both so very pleased that Kev & Jeff fitted in a stay at Daylesford when they were last in Australia about 12 years ago - they can relate to our lives here and appreciate the beauty & serenity of this special part of Victoria.

My favourite photo of Jeff & Kev in 2005, dressed for lunch on the Orient Express

Dot & I met for Mah Jong this week for the first time in 2017. The café was buzzing & it was good to catch up with friends & the lovely staff. I brought home a pie for Wes & a pastie for me for lunch, as Wes had spent a very busy morning in Barbara’s garden & didn’t need to turn around & cook when he got home.

We had a lovely trip to Ballarat on Thursday after I returned from gym. We started our day with breakfast at Larder again, because we had enjoyed it so much the previous Saturday & it was just as good!

In Ballarat, we parked outside the Botanic Gardens & went for a long walk around, finding interesting themed beds we had not spotted before. These Gardens are home to many National Trust significant trees & also boast a beautiful conservatory, an avenue of Prime Ministers, a glorious fountain, some impressive statuary & much more.

We were very taken with this impressive entrance & to the right you can just see the trout hatcheries

Our next stop was the Ballarat Tramway Museum, which is at one end of the Gardens & is full of interesting information & wonderfully restored trams of every style & description, including Tram No 1, which is horse-drawn. This tram is going to be in service today, which would be a wonderful treat.

However, we had an unforgettable ride up & down Wendouree Parade on the tram on the far left of this photo. Our driver had to do everything – put out the signs, take money & issue tickets, drive the tram, change cabs when we reached the end of the line etc etc. He was most entertaining, confessed to being a music teacher in real life & managed to cut his hand putting out a sign. I came to the rescue with a band-aid as his first aid kit appeared to have everything but!

That night Wes attended a meeting of the Daylesford Cinema, where they discussed a number of pressing issues, including a temporary home while the Rex Arcade is being renovated to house Hepburn Shire Council.

Wes spent Friday morning with Brian Nash in the Spring Hill & Little Hampton areas, where they took lots of photos in the rain. We had 20 mls overnight & during the morning, and everyone was smiling as we really needed it.

Kathy & Ged Lazzaro arrived in time for lunch, which was open sandwiches of smoked salmon or ham on Turkish rolls, with all sorts of other goodies included. We spent the afternoon walking around Lake Daylesford and finished with a cuppa at the Bookbarn, where Andrew, who is normally smiling & helpful, was amazed that we wanted to sit outside and only relented when he recognised us!

Dinner that night was barbecue lamb & chicken with poached Atlantic salmon & my potato salad. We managed to get through more than enough red wine to make sure we all slept well.

Yesterday Wes & I took Bilbo around the Lake early, before joining Kathy & Ged for a simple breakfast at our place. After relaxing with the Age for a couple of hours, we headed to Maldon, where we enjoyed walking around the main streets, and ended up having lunch at Le Sol, the tiny, but excellent French café there.

Back home, we did a tour of the garden and settled down to relax until it was time to bring out the Sparkling Shiraz!

This morning we’ve walked around Jubilee Lake with Ged, who took some wonderful photos as the dawn light broke. Just as we were leaving, a hot-air balloon was being prepared, so Wes dropped me back here, while he & Ged went to the Cornish Hill Lookout & captured the balloon in flight.

We’re all off to the Sunday Market & then breakfast at the Food Gallery.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 15th January 2017

Dear Friends, when I left you last Sunday, Bilbo & I were heading off to the Sunday Market, which we duly did & had a lovely social time of it. Breakfast was fun – Bilbo was so excited to be there again and kept eyeballing Margot through the glass, waiting for her to come & feed him. Barbara told us about her successful holiday to New Zealand to spend Christmas with her family, and David announced his car was misbehaving & wanted advice on where to take it (Howe Automotive was the unanimous verdict).

We had planned to go with Judi & Michael to Portarlington & Geelong to visit National Trust properties that are only open on Sundays, but it was too hot, so we decided to postpone that trip for a cooler day. Both places had registered 37˚ the day before & the thought of visiting anywhere without air-conditioning in that heat seemed unwise.

On Monday, we had a visit from Viv & Jonathon & Terry & John. We first met Viv in December 1969, when I was working at Myer Melbourne PBA department. The boss asked me to look after Viv who had just arrived back with her family after some years in Paris. We loved each other instantly and formed a very strong bond, such as I had not experienced with a girlfriend before. Viv was engaged to Pierre, a French painter, and he came out to marry her on 31^st March 1970. Wes was the best man & I was the bridesmaid at the wedding at St Carthage’s in Royal Parade, Parkville.

Viv in Paris in 1970 & below with Jon in 2016

During the 70s we kept in touch with Viv & Pierre & visited them a couple of times in Paris, as well as seeing Viv when she came back to Australia. Then we lost contact completely, until Wes found her on FB under another name. Viv & her second husband, Jonathon, are in Australia visiting Viv’s sister, Terry, who was my matron of honour, when we were married in 1970. I borrowed Terry’s dress as I thought it was the most beautiful wedding dress I had ever seen and she flew down from Sydney with it for me, which was very kind.

We all cried when we saw each other and kept hugging and kissing & not believing we were back together again after nearly 40 years apart. Wes had made a wonderful lunch – roast chicken & spuds, fish pie & green beans followed by a cheese platter & then some berries & mangoes. Two of the 4 are gluten intolerant, one is Jewish, one can’t tolerate any spicy food, I don’t eat meat - so it was quite a feat to produce a feast that everyone could enjoy. I can’t tell you how much it means to have Viv back in our lives – she is a very special person & we were thrilled that her husband, Jonathon, was very happy to meet us as he had heard so much about us over the many years he & Viv have been together.

L-R – John, Terry, Viv, Wes & Karen & Bilbo at lunch

The next morning, I headed off to Strathmore to spend some time with Leanne. We had been planning to stain the back decking together & the weather was perfect for that chore. We had a good time together, achieved heaps & on the last morning went to Edward Abbot café for cuppas to celebrate. I didn’t realise that the Moonee Ponds Creek Trail was so close by, so managed a good walk in each direction on the two afternoons I was there.

Meanwhile Wes showed the film, ‘Moana’, to an appreciative audience of 25 on Tuesday morning, and afterwards headed to the optometrist for an eye test & to order new glasses. He then picked up Glenn Mack & drove him to the Daylesford Book Barn for a cuppa & catch up. They spent a very enjoyable hour together.

On Wednesday, Wes had invited some cousins he has never met for lunch – Alison & Barbara Ward are descended from the convict aunt of Warren’s forbear, Margaret Mackintosh. When I rang him at 5.30pm to see how it had gone, he said they were still there, 5 hours later! I suspect both he & Bilbo slept very well that night.

I arrived back in time for a latish lunch on Thursday and discovered that our TV had been playing up & Wes had spent the morning on the phone to Foxtel solving the problem. We had a very quiet afternoon, as it had been such an emotional week for us both.

On Friday, after early shopping at Coles, I contacted Glenn Mack to see if I could catch up with him, and he was able to walk to Cliffy’s to meet me at 9.30am, where we spent a most enjoyable hour. I had visions of joining the Bushwalkers, but after our delightful early stroll around Lake Daylesford, was very happy to come back home & have another quiet day. Fortunately, there was a 50-over cricket match on between Australia & Pakistan, so we were entertained by that.

I received an unexpected large parcel at the Post Office on Friday – I had won a Scrabble set from a competition I had entered and forgotten about. What a thrill! We promptly opened it and had a game that night during the dinner break of the cricket. Wes wiped the floor with me, so is very keen to play again!

Yesterday morning, after a walk around Jubilee Lake, we had an early breakfast at Larder Café. We were standing outside, looking at the menu trying to decide whether to eat there or next door at Bocconcini, when Martin, the manager, opened the door, and invited us inside to sit in the window & peruse the menu at our leisure. We had a wonderful breakfast – mine was called Green on Green & included broccolini, asparagus, spinach & poached eggs on toast with lots of other flavours; while Wes had the baked beans & poached egg, which was equally flavoursome.

Back home I got stuck into washing, ironing, phone calls, emails & bills, while Wes spent the morning in the front garden, and Bilbo slept happily in the study.

In the late afternoon, Wes collected Brian Nash & they drove to the Kingston Rodeo, which was attended by about 500 people.

       

                                                                                                                  

This morning we’ve enjoyed our usual walk around Lake Daylesford, with not another person in sight – plenty of ducks, geese & birds to accompany us – we are very lucky indeed! Bilbo is waiting anxiously at the top of the stairs for us to go to the Sunday Market, but we are off to Leitches Creek first to pump mineral water, and then we have Sunday Breakfast upstairs at the Food Gallery to look forward to and whatever else the day brings.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 8th January 2017

Dear Friends, here in Daylesford, we started our year with some much cooler weather, which was very welcome. Bilbo & I had a good visit to the Sunday Market, where everyone was in good spirits and pleased to be catching up after a fortnight’s break. Wes & I had planned to go to the Annual Glenlyon Sports Day, which is great fun, but I found myself having a panic attack around 10am, so we decided just to have a picnic in our back garden instead. We ate Turkish rolls with smoked salmon & capers, accompanied by a Cofield Riesling, as we looked out over Lake Daylesford & admired all the greenery, roses, grass, fruit trees & forest.

There was much excitement at Flemington Racecourse as the first of Black Caviar’s foals, a 2-year-old filly named Oscietra, ran in her first race. She is quite tiny, and led gallantly for about 800 metres, before being passed by 2 other horses. That night was the Big Bash Derby at the MCG, where the Melbourne Renegades beat the Melbourne Stars by 7 runs in front of almost 72,000 fans.

Stunning long & short stemmed roses from our garden

We woke to a cool morning & misty rain on Monday, which made for a lovely walk around the Lake.

Afterwards, while Wes gardened in the front, I took Bilbo for a second walk up by the Daylesford Station and base of the Botanic Gardens. We didn’t meet another soul during this time.

Judi rang to say that our good friend, Glenn Mack, had suffered a heart attack the day before & was in St John of God Hospital, getting the best of care. He later had 4 stents inserted & came out of hospital on Thursday afternoon, which is a tribute to his fitness & sensible eating regime.

Wes showed the film, ‘Queen of Katwe’ on Tuesday morning. Judi & I were among the handful that turned up to see it. And what a wonderful film it is – we haven’t stopped talking about it. It is a true story set in Uganda and beautifully written, acted & filmed. Afterwards we had a light lunch at the Food Gallery, which was very busy, and has employed our friend, Andrea Holmes, to help with the holiday crowds.

I’m afraid I turned into a couch potato after that & spent the afternoon watching Day 1 of the 3^rd Test at Sydney. We missed David Warner’s record-breaking century before lunch, but enjoyed seeing Matt Renshaw, aged 20, turn his maiden century into 150+ by stumps.

Both Wes & I had appointments to see Dr Greg Stewart on Wednesday – we both needed prescriptions, we both had excellent blood pressure and only I was due to have a blood test, which I did on Friday morning after the shopping. While I watched Day 2 of the cricket, Wes spent hours mowing Barbara’s lawn, so that it would look good for her return on Friday night. He had visions of mowing the verge at the end of the street as well, but it was too hot.

Wes had offered to take our friend, Danny Spooner, to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne on Thursday morning. Danny has been diagnosed with inoperable & incurable cancer in his lungs & brain and has decided against chemo, but is happy to have help from Peter Mac to manage his pain. We enjoy chatting on the drive in – Danny has a very good attitude to his illness and fate, which makes it easy to be with him. He is a world-renowned folk singer, born in England, who made his way to Australia in 1962. We first met him at Melbourne Uni and it was a thrill to find him living here in Daylesford with Gael Shannon when we bought a house here in 1998.

Our next stop was the Ian Potter Gallery, (the Australian arm of the National Gallery of Victoria), where we bought tickets to see the John Olsen Exhibition, after a refreshing hot drink in the Members’ Lounge. What an incredible body of work he has produced. I enjoyed his poetry and writings as much as his paintings, and we both liked seeing the recent interview with him, where he talked about most of the major works in the Exhibition.

We found time to look at a couple of rooms of Australian art, especially John Brack’s ‘Collins St, 5pm’ and its partner painting ‘The Bar’, as well as Fred Williams’  ‘Upwey’ – which are three of my favourite paintings of all time.

Then off for a yum cha lunch with Tom & Deb at Westlake in Little Bourke Street. We were to have been joined by Ian & Robyn, but Ian injured his knee the day before and had to retire hurt from all social engagements. He has since emailed to say it looks as though the damage isn’t as bad as first thought and he hopes to be off the crutches soon. When we arrived back here it was evident that Bilbo had spent most of the day on the couch!

Me at Westlake without a hat as everyone keeps telling me!

On Friday morning, we three went for a walk around Victoria Park, where the footy is played, where the Show is run and where lots of dogs congregate in the late afternoon on the soccer field. We were impressed by the work that had been done by Council which will make parking at games or functions in the Clubrooms a little easier than before. There has been a big clean-up & some lovely plantings as well.

Wes & Brian Nash spent the morning together at Eganstown Catholic Cemetery, Blanket Flat & the Deep Spring mineral water area. They tried to find Corinella Falls, but only got lost and retired to the Swiss Mountain Hotel at Blampied for a cool ale and chat.

Wes spent the afternoon mowing Danny & Gael’s back lawns. Someone on a ride-on mower had done the front areas, but Wes brought home 4 big garbage bags full of clippings after he was done. He had time for a shower & change before heading off to Melbourne Airport to collect Barbara, whose flight arrived at 7pm. By the time he got back here around 9.30pm, he was absolutely exhausted.

Yesterday I took Bilbo for the walk to let Wes have a sleep in and rest his back after all the mowing & driving. He tried to work in the front garden, but finally was persuaded to come in & watch the cricket & later enjoy a snooze. I took Bilbo with me to the Farmers’ Market & then into Vincent Street to collect prescriptions. We met so many people, including Glenn’s partner, Denise, and caught up on the latest news.

Late in the afternoon, Wes went with Barbara to collect Bobby, the cat, at Guildford. She had intended to collect him on Monday, but Wes wasn’t available then or today, so opted to get him earlier. Wes was looking much better by the time he set off – I had been quite concerned as he had really been pushing himself. I had hoped that he would have a break while Barbara was away, but then we found out about Danny Spooner, and the opportunity to drive him into town, and then to mow his lawns couldn’t be ignored.

It is already 25˚and very humid here this morning. Bilbo & I are off to the Sunday Market before we join our friends for the first breakfast at the Food Gallery for 2017. 

Daylesford New Year Dispatch - Sunday, 1st January, 2017

Dear Friends, Happy New Year – may it be a joyous & peaceful & healthy one for us all.

We had a wonderful Christmas Day & hope your celebrations were successful too. Wes and I drove to Strathmore to collect my sister, Leanne & meet with my younger brother, Peter, & his wife, Anka to have lunch at the Little Thai Kitchen in Buckley Street, Essendon, right opposite the end of Scott Street, where Wes & I lived in a timber Edwardian house from 1972-1976. We moved back to Brunswick, because we had two Labradors poisoned over a period of 3-4 months.

Leanne, Peter, Anka & Wes in festive mode

After lunch, which took 2 ½ hours, Peter & Anka took Leanne home & Wes dropped me at my hotel, Stamford Plaza, where I spent the next 5 nights – days were at the MCG.

That afternoon, I went for a walk to look at the Myer windows in Bourke Street, and visited my favourite church, St Francis, in Lonsdale Street – both places were very busy with families and single people like me. Wes rang me when he arrived home to say that Bilbo had survived the 37˚ heat by spending the time on the couch (forbidden) under the air-conditioning.

On Boxing Day, I met Peter & Anka for breakfast at The European Café in Spring Street, which used to be our favourite Melbourne café until it changed hands. Peter asked if we could have a much-loved omelette, which has left the menu, and we were very pleased to find we could. I had already lined up at 6.30am at the MCC gates to make sure of getting a good seat in the back row of the Balcony directly in line with the pitch. At lunch time I went to find Peter & Anka in the Ponsford Stand and discovered they had ideal seats at the end of the stand – only two seats and then an aisle, so they were feeling very comfortable.

I also found Gayle Gibson in the Long Room, said hello to Glenn McGrath & Chris Rogers, visited the Library to get the daily fact sheets and charge up my phone, and settled into the day. There was a great atmosphere, as always and the crowd was very revved up, especially for Nathan Lyon. On the third ball of his first over, we were all organised to say in unison ‘Nice Garry’ as Matthew Wade, the wicketkeeper does, but ‘Garry’ blew us away with a wicket instead!

When rain stopped play, I came back to my hotel, showered and went for a walk to pick up some forgotten items and had a yummy meal at Dragon Boat Restaurant. This set the pattern for the rest of my stay – omelette for breakfast & Chinese food for dinner, followed by the first innings of the Big Bash League on TV.

The next morning, I met Gillie for breakfast at Square & Compass, where we ate well & were warmly greeted. I secured another good seat in my usual spot and went for a wander. Gayle & I tried to have a cuppa before the game, but the café took 20 minutes to get our tea & coffee organised, so we cancelled that and went to watch the cricket instead. It was a frustrating day with rain delays, but I met up with John Schibli, who runs the cricket tours we have taken & Gerard Lazzaro, who was there with mates. Meanwhile Ged’s son, Ben, his wife, Leanne & their two children, Jack & Olivia were visiting Daylesford & popped in to say hello to Wes, which thrilled him to bits.

It was another sticky day with high 30s, 80-90 percent humidity & a UV rating of 14, which was the fare from 25-29^th December. I felt as though I was in India or Sri Lanka at the cricket.

On Wednesday, I had breakfast at Square & Compass with Danny Millman, and Kathy & Gerard Lazzaro. It was a lovely catch up for us all and we enjoyed our time together. I got a great seat again, but there was a delay in starting play. Eventually when it did resume, Azhar Ali made his unbeaten double century and Pakistan declared at 9/443. The Aussies came out intending to make a game of it and David Warner’s 144 at a run a ball was very entertaining. That night I had dinner at 369 Chinese Restaurant, which is the new name for the old Yum Cha café.

The next morning, I had breakfast on my own, until I was joined by Gayle’s friend, Heather, who lives in East Melbourne & had popped in for a coffee. Once again I had a good view, seated between two very entertaining older gentlemen – Brendan & John, and we three sat in perfect harmony listening to ABC radio & laughing at the same time. I think my support for Collingwood was the only thing that caused them grief. We enjoyed watching Peter Handscomb get his 50 & Steve Smith his century. We got much more play than expected, but once the rain came down it was there to stay, so I left, changed clothes and had an early meal at 369 Chinese again.

On Friday, I checked out of Stamford Plaza and headed off to Square & Compass for my last breakfast – a very healthy & yummy charcoal chia pudding with fresh raspberries, blueberries & violets.

Once again, I was seated with John & Brendan in the prime position and we enjoyed a most exciting day’s cricket ending in a fantastic win for Australia against the odds. I left as soon as the game finished because I knew Wes would be waiting for me in the usual spot, which he was. I was very grateful that he let me stay till the game was over, as I hadn’t missed a ball during the five days.

We arrived back here in beautiful Daylesford, where Bilbo was quite pleased to see me and had spicy gnocchi for dinner, once I had finished unpacking & put all my clothes in the wash.

Yesterday it was lovely to wake up in our bed and get up early to walk around the Lake, which had an amazing number of visitors taking photos, as well as Barry the fisherman, who doesn’t usually fish on Saturday. Wes spent the morning in the garden, while I balanced the books, did my Trip Advisor ratings & caught up with emails & late Christmas cards.

Wes made a lovely dinner & we demolished a bottle of sparkling red, watched some Big Bash cricket and went to bed, only to be wakened with a fright at midnight when the fireworks started at the Lake House. They went on for 8 minutes, but Bilbo was fine after a pat and a few words from Wes to reassure him.

It’s a lovely cool and peaceful morning here in Daylesford & I am sitting looking out through the roses across our back yard to the Lake. Shortly Bilbo and I are heading off to pump mineral water, then we are going to the Sunday Market. I haven’t told him there is no breakfast at Food Gallery today, but I’m sure he will adapt & enjoy whatever the rest of the day holds for us all.