Morse

Morse
Morse & friend

Sunday, 13 August 2017

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 13th August 2017


We have a delightful routine here that gives me great pleasure each morning. Around 7am, I go outside to where we keep the birdseed & walk up the path to strew seed on the lawns on either side. Nearly every time I do this, a magpie swoops down from wherever he has been hiding & looks expectantly at me, so I throw some seed at his feet. He immediately erupts into song & the rest of his family, who are not as brave, join him. After a while a family of rosellas fly down & usually choose the other side of the path from the magpies to peck away happily. Bilbo accompanies me on this mission, but his presence isn’t enough to scare away the magpies or rosellas.

We had a lovely, unexpected visit from Tom Tyrrell last Sunday. He was in Melbourne catching up with his grandchildren, Oscar & Macy, & their mother, Helen. It was so good to see him & he is looking very well & rested after 5 months in Coffs Harbour & surrounding areas. His wife, Deborah, was at home there looking after the dogs, Minty & Jaffa.


Tom arrived after the flurries of snow had been & gone, but it was a freezing day, so we lit the open fire & spent the afternoon watching footy & chatting. Wes made a quiche for lunch & followed it up with steamed Atlantic salmon & vegetables for dinner. Tom prepared the poached pears, which we had for sweets.


Bilbo excited to have a visitor!

Sadly, Tom caught a flight back home the next day – we would have enjoyed another 24 hours or so with our oldest friend. I headed off early to pump water at Leitches Creek as it is very difficult to get in & out of Daylesford on the Woodend & Castlemaine Roads while the roundabout is being constructed. There are traffic lights in operation, which is fine, but after about 7.30am, long queues form in every direction. By the time I got home from gym, I was very happy to take it easy for the rest of the day. However, my precious teapot broke, so after lunch, I walked into Vincent Street to buy a replacement. The teapot has one screw & that is where the break occurs – I usually need a new one every couple of years.




This has been a warmer week, especially now the skies are starting to lighten earlier. Our bulbs should be flowering soon, but we seem to be far behind other Daylesford friends whose gardens aren’t as high up as ours. We’ve also had a social week with me spending a day with Leanne in Strathmore; Wes & I having a long cuppa & chat with Glenn Mack as he ponders the next move in his life; Wes enjoying lunch at Trentham Collective with old friend, Bob White, and us both sharing a drink with Gillie Gough at the Daylesford Hotel as we caught up with her the day after she arrived home from a wonderful European holiday.

I had hoped to join the Bushwalkers as they strolled around Porcupine Ridge on Friday morning, but I am usually tired the day after a trip to Melbourne, so opted for a quiet morning catching up on paperwork, emails & phone calls instead. Meanwhile, Brian & Wes visited Blampied & Rocklyn & Wes took this stunning photo of part of the old Daylesford railway line. One of our friends, Terry Borg, remarked on FB how much she enjoys his Friday travels & the resulting photos, some of which have turned into paintings.


Yesterday was cold & wet again, so we opted for indoor chores, listened to the Coodabeen Champions (always a treat for 2 hours before the footy starts) & watched various games during the afternoon & evening. Wes had volunteered to show the 8pm film at Daylesford Cinema, so missed Carlton’s brave showing against West Coast over there. 11 patrons turned up to watch the latest Spiderman film.

This morning is dry and much warmer than yesterday, so we have walked around both sections of Lake Daylesford & I am about to take Bilbo to the Sunday Market. What Bilbo doesn’t know is that breakfast has been cancelled again this week, as there are only three of us available & it doesn’t seem fair to make The Food Gallery staff run up & down the stairs, or to use their heating & lighting for three breakfasts. Wes is promising to make chili eggs when we return, & I will cook a big pot of minestrone for tonight’s dinner, as well as the odd meal during the week. I won lots of points for producing a boiled fruit cake yesterday afternoon – Wes had no idea, hadn’t even smelt it cooking & was thrilled when I delivered slices of warm cake to him downstairs at his desk.



1996 Christmas morning with Lauren Millman (now Kennedy); Heath Preston & Andrew Kierce – wonderful memories 

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