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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