Dear Friends, when I
left you last Sunday, Bilbo & I were heading off to the Sunday Market, with
no idea that we were going to be pelted with rain the minute we arrived. There
were only a few brave stall-holders & they were all clinging onto their
stands in the hope they would stay rooted to the ground. Yvonne was very
grateful to Marjorie Atkinson & me as we were her only customers at that
time!
We ended up with 90mls
in 24 hours & lots of storm damage over the Shire, including trees on roads
& driveways, which the wonderful SES spent their time removing. Next door
at no 76, a tree on the road verge split in two & one half ended up lying
on the front gate. Fortunately, the visitor there had not parked his car in
front of the gate, as most visitors do, or it would have been a wreck.
Breakfast was a fun affair with Margot able to climb the stairs; a surprise
visit from Glenn Mack, & lots of interesting conversations. David Castles
had driven up through sleet from Box Hill, and we were pleased to have his
company, while Bilbo had to share his bed & grub with Bam Bam.
We lit our open fire
for the first time this year and enjoyed the warmth until we suddenly
discovered that the house was filled with smoke. We suspect that Sandra, who
cleans very thoroughly, had altered the damper setting at some stage, which
meant the smoke went out instead of up. Wes fixed that up & we settled back
to watch a very soggy but entertaining game of footy at the MCG, where the
Blues finally won a game by 15 points over Essendon.
The film this week was
‘Beauty & the Beast’, which I was keen to see as I really like Emma Watson
(Hermione Granger in Harry Potter). I
found the film most entertaining, with wonderful effects. There were 30 of us
in the audience & not all the popcorn was being eaten by small children!
Dot & I met as
usual at ‘Muffins & More’ on Wednesday morning to play Mah Jong, but
Ann-Maree & Heather had sold the business & finished up two days
earlier, so we were wondering what it would be like. Much to our delight we
were greeted by Bella & Lily, who usually serve the drinks & food on
Wednesdays & everything was pretty much the same, even down to the vases of
flowers on the tables.
Our friend, Annie
Smith, was spending Easter in Singapore & when I discovered that no-one was
available to look after her 7-year old Irish Water Spaniel, Maisie, I quickly
offered & was just as quickly accepted. Maisie & Bilbo are very excited
to see each other in the street, but we find they are both spoilt only dogs,
who are having trouble accepting that someone else is getting the pats &
treats.
On Good Friday, when
we like to go for a long walk together, we took them to Trentham, where we
walked the Wombat Trail, which has been enhanced by the very recent inclusion
of the Wombat Loop, which cuts out any streets on your way to the Trentham
Racecourse (except for crossing the highway at one point!).
Bilbo & I in the beautiful forest leading to
the Racecourse
We had been invited to
lunch by old friends, Al Ebenreuter & Kathy Hancock, so we left the two
dogs together with dried bones & the run of the house, while we spent a
very enjoyable three hours being fed & watered not too far away in Bridport
Street. On our return, we were delighted to find the house in one piece and
both dogs asleep, but in different rooms & on different dog beds.
Bilbo & Maisie with their bones – so funny!
Aussie Rules Footy was
played on Good Friday for the first time ever. A crowd of 42,000+ turned up at
the Docklands Stadium to watch the game, which was a tight-fought entertaining
contest, lost by North Melbourne to the Doggies with the last kick of the
match. I’m not particularly thrilled with footy being played on Good Friday,
but I did enjoy watching the game.
Last night Wes did an
extra shift at the Daylesford Cinema to help out, as there is a shortage of
available volunteers over Easter. He was very pleased to have missed Carlton’s
game against the Gold Coast, which they lost after being even at half-time.
This morning we are
not off to breakfast as the Food Gallery announced it wasn’t opening until 10am
on Easter Sunday, because of the penalty rates. I noticed they have relented
& decided to open at 9am, but Barbara had already cancelled breakfast as
10am is too late for most of us.
So, after Bilbo &
I return from the Sunday Market, Wes & I will have chilli eggs as a special
treat. I have a seat at the Collingwood vs St Kilda game this afternoon, which
is being played at the Docklands. Wes is going to drive me to Woodend to catch
the Bendigo train into Spencer Street, which is right next to the stadium. This
gives me the option of coming home on the Ballarat or Bendigo lines – neither has
enough trains running, but the Bendigo trains are about 5 minutes after
Ballarat, so if I miss the first, I can catch the next one.
Happy Easter to you
wherever you may be – we hope you enjoy a wonderful day with family or friends
or both. We’ve given out some bags of eggs & received some lovely ones in
return.
When I returned from gym on Wednesday to get
changed for Mah Jong, this is what greeted me in the lounge, when I popped my
head in to let Sandra know I was back!!!
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