Morse

Morse
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Sunday, 7 May 2017

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 7th May 2017


Dear Friends, you will be pleased to know that my wrist is much improved, although I still can’t really lift much with it. However, I have been able to get back into many of the things I enjoy doing, and, as those of you who commiserated with me agreed, it could have been so much worse.

We watched the footy last Sunday, sorry we weren’t there but knowing we had made the right decision. It was great to see the Pies have their second win for the season. Wes had spent the morning picking grapes at Sailors Falls Estate and had expected to have to return there on Monday morning. However, the team of 20 volunteers got it all done, and Wes came home in time for lunch, which I had made in his absence. I was feeling guilty that he had so much on his plate & I had so little….the result was a big pot of minestrone (cutting up carrots was the hardest) and a fruit cake fresh from the oven.


I had been due to go to Melbourne to spend time with my sister, Leanne, and had to cancel as I couldn’t drive, let alone drive that far. So I was thrilled to hear from her that my brother, Peter, & his wife, Anka, were in Melbourne briefly and paid her two visits.

Although I had advised the Jury Service that I would be in Sydney next week, I was called up for jury service starting on Thursday. I went online and pointed out again that I had sent a copy of my flights to them, & was rung immediately to say my service could be deferred until August. This suited me very well as I wasn’t looking forward to the 45 minute drive to Ballarat with my sore paw. Wes had offered to get me there, but he also had to drive Barbara there as well & it was going to be impossible for him to do both.

I am hopeful that by the time Danny & I board our Qantas flights next Thursday, my wrist will be much better & I will be less inconvenienced than I am at present. We are staying in Sydney until Monday morning, so don’t expect a Sunday Dispatch. The footy is on Saturday afternoon at the Showgrounds against Greater Western Sydney. Jane & David Knox are also going, as is Terry McDonald & his ex-in-laws, Tim & Marj. Jane has booked us into a Mother’s Day concert at Norths Leagues Club to see Marina Pryor with the Three Tenors.
I have been walking to the Post Office to check our box for mail each morning, as it is too cold early to join Wes & Bilbo. The exercise is good & I often meet friends, such as Annie & Maisie, along the way.

On Wednesday morning, we experienced our first real frost of the season – the rubbish bin lids were frozen shut and Wes saw some black ice when he took Bilbo for an early morning stroll around Victoria Park.


Happy photo from ANZAC Day – Pam Hicks, Kate Redwood, Ken Rae & Karen Maloney at Eganstown before the ceremony.

This week’s film was an Australian one – ‘Jasper Jones’ & everyone in the small audience enjoyed it, except for Wes, who was disappointed in the acting (except for Hugo Weaving) & the direction. It was set in a WA country town in 1969, where a young woman has gone missing. Toni Collette was excellent as the unhappy mother of the main character, her teenaged son Charlie.

Afterwards we repaired to the Food Gallery for hot drinks & a catch up with Jenny & Eddie Beacham & Jeanette Oakes. We talked for so long that we ended up having lunch there – yummy lentil soup for me & a croissant for Wes.




 A recent beautiful sunset – from our decking

We had been keen to get to Macedon to see their trees, which are stunning in Autumn and on Wednesday, after spending the morning in Barbara’s garden, Wes offered to drive Bilbo & me. We had missed the very best of the colours, but it was still very beautiful & we drove to Mount Macedon, up to the top & walked to the cross to enjoy the panoramic views available there. We had hoped to stop for a hot drink on our way home, but Macedon & Woodend were closed & we knew Trentham would have been as well. In fact, you are very lucky to find many coffee shops open after 3.30pm anywhere in the country as parents & grand-parents are busy picking up kids from school, kindergarten & day-care.


Wes & Bilbo at the base of the Cross, with all the ANZAC Day wreaths.

While Wes & Barbara were in Ballarat, I spent the morning doing one-armed gardening, which was an interesting challenge. I pulled out all the tomato plants, dug over the soil, put down wet newspapers & covered them with a fresh layer of soil & some gum chips. I also declared a finish to our purple beans & planted Brussel sprouts, silver beet & parsley in the free pots on the decking. After lunch, I turned the tomatoes into pasta sauce and sat down with a pot of tea to relax as I was quite exhausted after all that activity!

Wes finally got into our own garden on Friday & mowed the lawns to his heart’s content. Everywhere looks so much better & the birds can spot their seed from the air. We have started putting out a few strips of meat to entice the kookaburras to return, but so far, the magpies are snatching it up.

Yesterday we had been invited to Kyahl & Loz’s afternoon engagement party at Edinburgh Gardens, Brunswick Street, North Fitzroy, which meant that the footy was out. Collingwood was celebrating its 125th Anniversary by playing Carlton at the MCG & a crowd of 70,000+ turned up, even though both teams are towards the bottom of the ladder. Sadly, for the Collingwood supporters, Carlton led from the first score & were never headed, running out easy winners by 4 goals. We heard the last quarter on the radio as we were driving back home. Wes was delighted that the Blues won, but sorry for me that the Pies were so insipid.



The engagement party was a very happy affair. Between them, Kyahl & Loz have 8 parents & the date was chosen as it was the only one that suited them all, especially Loz’s father, who flew over from Perth. We enjoyed catching up with Warren’s nephew, John Anderson, who is Kyahl’s father, and seeing his mother, Robyn, after an absence of many years. We spent most of our time with John & Dannielle & their 4 children – Malachi, Kalarni, Dublin & Irish. John’s father, John Anderson, was there with his wife, Maureen. As well we met the rest of Kyahl’s family including Lachlan & Kasen, who were young children when we last saw them. 

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