Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 28th January 2018

 

We started this warm week with breakfast at Daylesford Health Foods & Organic Café (previously Harvest with is much less of a mouthful)! The owner was happy to open a door that is usually closed to allow Barbara’s wheelchair easy access. Sadly, the café was operating a reduced breakfast menu, but Wes was delighted with his hummus & avocado on toast. My scrambled eggs were OK & everyone else seemed to enjoy their choices.

We relaxed in the afternoon watching the Poms win the 3^rd One Day game against the Aussies. At least we played a bit better in Sydney, but the strain is telling on Steve Smith who isn’t used to losing & has become quite grumpy!

I spent Monday visiting Leanne, which was a very successful visit & we achieved all we had hoped to do. Leanne makes a wonderful salad sandwich for lunch, which is always a highlight of my visit.

Wes & Bilbo spent the morning messing around in the mint patch & also got heaps done in the way of pruning & clearing & keeping water up to the plants that are so very thirsty.

I had brought home Kahlia’s Wish rose from the Sunday Market for Wes & he was absolutely delighted to plant it among his seaside daisies. It is a beautiful new rose, no perfume, but stunning colours.

On Tuesday, Wes did heaps of pruning in the front garden & easily filled two green bins. After early gym, I walked to EKO to have a very welcome facial & manicure with Alanna. As usual, we enjoyed a couple of chatty hours together.

On Wednesday we enjoyed our early morning walk around Lake Daylesford & didn’t see another soul. As you can see from the photo, the geese & ducks were very welcoming now that their babies have grown up & they don’t have to worry that we are going to steal them away or worse.

  

  

Dot & I played Mah Jong earlier than usual because of the heat & thought we might do that permanently. Afterwards Wes & I visited Bob White who was in Daylesford Hospital for a day procedure & enjoyed catching up.

Wes did his last film showing at the pop-up Cinema, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, with an appreciative audience, who were especially thrilled to be given free popcorn, ice-cream & chocolates! The next time he acts as projectionist will be at the new Daylesford Cinema in the Rex Arcade when it is finished.

This week’s vase of roses including Kathlia’s Wish, Shirley’s rose, Hot Cocoa & white, pink & burgundy icebergs.

After gym on Thursday we had breakfast together at Larder. Even though it was only 8.15am, Vincent Street was busy with lots of people out & about walking dogs, collecting coffees & preparing to face another hot day.

The Bushwalking Group decided to start the Friday walks at 8am, which meant we should be finished before it got too hot. The walk I went on was Kidd’s Gully to the Hepburn Pool & back & it contained more hills & dales than any of us wanted. We were all looking red in the face by the time we returned to Camp Street in Daylesford.

I had arranged to meet up with Judi for pots of Jasmine tea at the Food Gallery, which was lovely. They were very busy with people wanting late breakfasts & early lunches. When I got home again I headed straight into the shower to cool down properly.

  

 My sister, Paun, with her boys – Liam, Rohan, Brian & Warwick at Machu Picchu this week

We watched the Aussies finally beat the Poms in a One-Day game at the beautiful Adelaide Oval & I was amazed when Paul Jackson thoughtfully sent congratulations at the end of the match. We had the Poms on the ropes when they were 5/8, but Woakes led a late resurgence to see them make 196, which we were able to beat, but only just. While the cricket was on, we had a huge storm with thunder & lightning, power surges & 18-20mls of very welcome rain.

Yesterday morning, we were determined to achieve before the heat set in & Wes put in a few hours in the front garden, while I did a few loads of washing, sorted out my wardrobe & cleaned a couple of drawers. By lunchtime we were ready for fish pie & a glass of Cofield rosé!

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 21st January 2018

We had a huge day last Sunday, starting with breakfast at The Good Food Store, which is very popular with locals. I couldn’t fault the service, but my eggs with smoked salmon was lukewarm & unappetising, although Warren enjoyed his porridge & Barbara was pleased with her pancakes. When we arrived around 8.50am it was quiet, but by 10am the noise level was just too much to cope with. This week we are off to try Daylesford Health Food & Organics Café & I’ll report on it next Sunday.

After breakfast, we got changed, gave Bilbo a bone & drove to Melbourne for the 1^st One Day International Cricket game between Australia & England at the MCG. There was no parking in or around the ground, so we parked in Flinders Street & walked down & into the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club), where we were meeting our Pom friend, Paul Jackson & his Aussie mate, Rod McDonald.

Wes having a glass of red in the Blazer Bar before our friends arrived.

We enjoyed an entertaining Australian innings with quite a few sixes, then headed to the Hugh Trumble café, where we demolished two bottles of MCC shiraz & enjoyed fish & chips, pot pie & chicken meals. I then took Paul & Rod on a quick tour of the MCC & Paul had his photo taken in front of the banner celebrating Alastair Cook’s 244# in the Melbourne Test.

We came back to see England play their best cricket of the tour, with Jason Roy hitting a record 180 to steer the Poms to a well-deserved victory, much to Paul’s delight.  (I must confess we were thrilled to see him so excited & didn’t begrudge him the win for a second). We left early in the hope we would get home before midnight, which we did & were warmly welcomed by Bilbo, who had missed us, even though Judi had very kindly popped in at 5.30pm & fed him.

Bilbo sunning himself while Wes gardens in our backyard

We were all exhausted on Monday, and spent a very quiet day at home. Nick Massaro came to give me my monthly massage, and I had a few home chores, but otherwise amused myself watching the tennis (Australian Open) & the Big Bash League that night.

We were full of energy on Tuesday and I headed off to early gym, where 13 turned up, much to Barry’s amazement. Wes spent hours in the garden & everywhere is looking good again after the rain last week.

This week’s vase of roses

Dot & I met for Mah Jong for the first time this year at Muffins & More & when we were finished, John & Wes came in to join us for lunch & a chat, which was great. Wes had spent the morning with Barbara, accompanying her for a big supermarket shop, which isn’t easy to do on your own in a wheelchair.

On Thursday we drove to Geelong where we had a cuppa with Kathy & Ged Lazzaro before they head to Mexico for the church wedding of their daughter, Jessica to her husband, Eri. We went to their Melbourne wedding in October last year. It should be a wonderful experience & they are making the most of their time over there.

We then caught up with Ken & Geraldine Wilson – Ken was Town Clerk of Brunswick when Wes was on Council & Mayor for 2 years in the early 80s. The last time we saw them both was in 2003, when Wes was Mayor of the Hepburn Shire & they were part of a Probus group that visited Daylesford. Ken has recently turned 80, and had a heart attack around that time. He is looking in excellent health now, but he & Geraldine have decided it is time to downsize from their big family home in the outskirts of Geelong. We had a most enjoyable time with them, catching up on their news over a long lunch at Ken’s club, Buckley’s, in Breakwater.

It was a very hot day and we were pleased to find Bilbo in good spirits & cool when we returned. These past few days have been far hotter than we like & we are so sorry to see the tennis players at the Australian Open in such strife when the temperatures on centre court are awful.

Wes had hoped to catch up with his second cousin, Kim Barker, who is in Melbourne for a few days with her family, but had to cancel a trip to see her on Friday night because of the weather. Trains were unreliable in the heat & he was worried about leaving us with the threat of fire around.

We’ve walked early with Bilbo & let him have a swim wherever there has been water, which has cooled him down & the air-conditioning has kept us sane during the hot days & nights. We’ve watched the tennis & cricket & made sure we are all drinking lots of water.

20 years ago – Copeland Trophy – Karen, Shar & Gayle!

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 14th January 2018

 

The Food Gallery is renovating upstairs so the Breakfast Group is looking elsewhere for somewhere to meet each Sunday. Last week, we tried Boathouse Daylesford, which is such a beautiful spot. Everyone enjoyed it, but it is a little dearer than most other options, so it won’t suit all of us as a regular venue. This morning we are off to The Good Food Store, which is another popular place with locals.

Here we are at Boathouse – Margot, Karen & Judi tucking into our yummy meals

We arrived back from breakfast in time to watch the start of the day’s cricket & see the Marsh brothers create history as they reached their centuries together. This will be memorable for many reasons, not least that they had a hug in the middle of their second run & no doubt heard their Captain, Steve Smith screaming at them to get back behind their creases before celebrating! Sydney suffered the sort of temperatures & worse that we had experienced the day before & the cricketers on both sides must have been exhausted when that day on the field finally finished.

Like lots of people, we received fewer & less expensive Christmas cards this year than before, and 15 of ours arrived well after Christmas Day. Anything posted after 20^th December appeared to have no chance of getting to Daylesford on time. I realise the expense deters many, some friends were away over Christmas & didn’t want cards accumulating & others just found it too much as age &/or ill health catches up with them. I read all our Christmas cards three times – the first is a quick glance when they arrive; the second is after Christmas when I have time to make all the changes of address & contact numbers, & thirdly, I read them again in mid-January when I am relaxed & able to absorb everyone’s news.

We are slowly getting back into routine. Wes has shown a couple of films at the pop-up spot of Victoria Park for Daylesford Cinema. I hope to see Paddington 2 at some point, not so sure about Ferdinand & Wonder, which are the other films on offer at present.

Gym started this week & during January, Barry has classes on Tuesdays & Thursdays only. There were 17 at the first 8am class, so Barry is offering 6.45am for the remainder of the month. 6 of us turned up at that time on Thursday & it was perfect – you get home at breakfast time & have the rest of the day ahead of you. I was pleased to discover that with all my walking recently I hadn’t lost much conditioning at all.

We have decided to make special efforts to catch up with friends this year – it’s one of those promises you make every New Year and don’t keep, but we have started well. On Tuesday night, local friends, Gail & Terry White arrived for drinks & nibbles & we spent a very pleasant time sitting on the decking catching up on each other’s news.

Lovely photo of Gail & Wes chatting – Gail provided the huge plate of spicy cheese bites you can see

We both had big days on Wednesday – Judi & I went to Bendigo to see the Edith Head exhibition at the Art Gallery there. I knew nothing of Edith before I went, except that she was a celebrated costume designer & came away in awe of her talent. She won 8 Oscars, which is a tribute to her skill. We both loved the exhibition & enjoyed sitting outside for lunch afterwards.

Meanwhile, Wes went with Barbara to Ballarat as she needed to get two wheelchairs mended, as well as obtain a certificate in order to re-register her car. They fitted in the 10.30am session of the film, Breathe, which we had seen the week before and ended up at the Guildford General Store for a late lunch. That night, he was at the projector showing Ferdinand to a small but appreciative audience.

Kookaburra spotted on one of my walks this week

On Thursday, we met old friends, Chris & Christine Tyrrell for lunch at the Riddells Creek Hotel. Christine & I were at school together & it is probably 25 years since we have seen each other, although we have kept in touch via Christmas cards & letters. We had a lovely time together & were most impressed with the pub, which served good food at very reasonable prices.

   

After early morning shopping at Coles on Friday, I joined the Bushwalking Group & did the Short Walk from Victoria Park to Lake Daylesford. There were 17 of us, which is quite large, but very manageable. The U3A has taken the Bushwalking Group under its umbrella, which is a natural fit & we can expect more members as the year progresses.

Yesterday Wes worked in the front garden and I did a few chores before settling down to The Age & the crosswords page. We received an unexpected & very welcome visit from old friends, Bill & Sue Longley, who I first met in 2000, when I joined the Bushwalking Group, U3A & the Information Centre. They regularly borrow books from us & came to return some & collect more, as well as enjoy coffee & cake (good thing I had made a boiled fruit cake on Friday afternoon!)

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 7th January 2018

I think I’m just about used to writing 2018 after 6 days, but it does frighten me the way the years are flying by.

We had our usual quiet New Year’s Eve – after an early morning walk, Bilbo & I went to Leitches Creek to pump mineral water & discovered that someone had stolen the wooden handle. I was still able to get water, but not as easily as before. Then we visited the Sunday Market, where all the early locals were exchanging their Christmas news with the stall-holders. Bilbo was delighted to get his cabbage &, as well as fruit & vegetables, I brought home a beautiful rose called Henri Matisse, which Wes has planted amongst the seaside daisies in the back lawn.

That night we were wakened by the Lake House fireworks, which went for 10 minutes at midnight. I had left the blinds up, so we could see them, but our trees have grown too tall & neither of us wanted to get out of bed & wake properly, so we missed out.

Next morning, we walked around Lake Daylesford early & found ourselves cleaning up after a couple of very messy parties. We filled three large & two small bags with streamers, cakes, glasses, bottles & cans & had to leave the rest for the next shift.

Bilbo emerging from a dip in the lake & deciding once was enough in spite of my encouragement

When we got back home we had a delightful Skype call with my aunt & uncle, Jeff & Kev, in Lincolnshire & found them bright-eyed & waiting for visitors to arrive to see the New Year in with them.

We had decided to go to Regent Cinemas at Ballarat to see the film, Breathe, which is a true story of the Cavendish family coping with Robin’s sudden onset of polio. The film was directed by his son, Jonathan, so we were very confident that it was as accurate as it could be. Robin & Diana Cavendish were amazing & are responsible, with the help & creative genius of their friend, inventor, Teddy Hall, for freeing severely disabled people from being confined to hospital for the rest of their lives. This 2-hour British film is stunning to behold, well-cast & totally engrossing.

We spent the rest of the day quietly at home, and I cooked lunch, which is a good sign for the rest of the year! Wes had given me an exciting new gin to try (Botanica, which contains Jasmine) & I just love it. Hendricks is still the most intriguing I have ever tried, but this is beautifully perfumed & goes down very easily. In return, I had given him a dozen bottles of Cofield Rosė, which is also being enjoyed.

On Tuesday morning we decided to walk around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, as it is such a beautiful cool, green, quiet spot, especially early when no-one else is around.

Wes got stuck into the garden doing a mow & trimming the lavender & rosemary, as well as mulching all the roses with horse manure from Coomoora, his new favourite spot.

This is the Fell family plus a friend. L-R – Liam, Greg Cavill, Warwick, Paun (my sister), Rohan & Brian (her husband), all celebrating in Peru

We just love our early morning walks, which we vary between the Botanic Gardens & the Lakes. One day we met a pair of young kangaroos on the track around the Lake – this is quite a rare occurrence as our usual sightings are of the ducks & geese that join the birds in accompanying us. We used to have a family of black swans, but haven’t seen them in quite a while. In the gardens, we are usually serenaded by magpies & hear the occasional rustle in the leaves suggesting something bigger might be watching us. There are three wombat sculptures as well, which always give us a smile.

Bilbo Baggins watching the cricket with a couple of friends

Living here feels like being on holidays 24/7 – beautiful walks, lots of greenery, even in Summer, so many places accessible on foot, & most people smile when they see you. Even when we suddenly have no water, as happened this week at 6pm one night, I was able to engage with Central Highlands Water via Messenger & received accurate updates on our situation. Wes had rung them as well, but Facebook turned out to be a better bet.

We’ve enjoyed watching the Sydney Test on TV, especially yesterday, which was the 10th Jane McGrath Pink Day, raising funds for breast cancer awareness & support nurses around Australia. The Poms got into the spirit & donated signed caps, as have most visiting teams.

We had planned on going to the Big Bash League double-header clash between the women’s & men’s T20 teams yesterday at the MCG, but the 42° heat frightened us off, as did the extreme fire rating for Central Victoria, where we live. We visited Leanne early in the morning, as it was the 4^th Anniversary of Viva’s death, and we didn’t want her to spend the day on her own. It hit 40° here, but we were cool in the air-conditioning & so pleased we had made the right decision.