Morse

Morse
Morse & friend

Monday, 1 October 2018

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Monday, 1st October 2018


It’s been a very busy week since I last wrote. Breakfast at Boathouse Daylesford was yummy & we were thrilled to have our neighbour, Rob Griffin, join us so we could hear about his recent wonderful trip to the UK & France with his partner, Dene, who was catching up on sleep, still jet-lagged after a busy week at work.

While I was watching the replay of the footy in the afternoon, I received a very welcome phone call from Loud Gayle to say she was 99% sure of an MCC reserved seat for me if I would like it. I was thrilled to bits, as I had been dreading the long, early queue for 9,000 seats on Grand Final morning. She was able to confirm the seat on Monday afternoon & I was very relieved indeed.

On Monday Judi & I caught up over a long late breakfast at The Food Gallery. We had lots to discuss, especially as Judi will be looking after our place during most weeks while we are away. Our meals were yummy as usual & we do miss having regular breakfasts at this café.

Wes & I fine-tuned our trip again that afternoon. Our friends, Paul & Pauline Jackson, have booked us into Rick Stein’s restaurant in Marlborough for our catch up with them, which is very exciting. Gillie had given us some suggestions for Brussels & Venice that we have acted on & the Sunday Age had a very timely list of 20 great things to do in Belgium, which we needed to consult.

On the Tuesday afternoon, we had our first experience of the bulk-bill surgery at our local medical centre. That was a great success – we both saw Dr Kat, who took our blood pressure, wrote the prescriptions we needed & furnished us with letters outlining our health issues for while we were away.

Finally, it was Thursday morning & time to go to Melbourne to meet Tom Tyrrell & Deborah Fowler for lunch at Crystal Jade in Little Bourke Street. We left early to catch Collingwood’s training session, but couldn’t get within cooee, so ended up parking in Parkville & catching the tram back into town. We arrived an hour early for lunch and took the opportunity of checking out the new Creswick Woollen Mills shop in the Block Arcade.

We both enjoyed spending time with Tom & Deb over a long, leisurely lunch & then headed to Danny Millman’s house in Northcote, where Wes was staying overnight & I had booked in until sometime yesterday!



A selection of Danny’s very elegant decorations!

That night we had dinner at The Lomond pub in Brunswick & got ourselves into Grand Final mode with lots of memories of games past.

Breakfast the next morning was at Square & Compass, about 10 minutes’ walk from the MCG with Jane & David Knox & Gayle Gibson, who floated in with my reserved seat ticket & stayed for a coffee.


Danny, Gayle, Wes & David listening to Gayle happily holding the fort

After breakfast, Wes drove home, where he spent some time in the garden before opening his early birthday gift of a new Tom-Tom. The previous one was 10 years old & it is amazing how the technology has advanced in that time. That night he took his sister, Denise Anderson; her partner, Barry Phipps, & his friend, Barbara Simpson, to dinner at the Daylesford Bowling Club.

Meanwhile Jane, David & I walked to Jolimont Station with Danny before heading back into town through the Fitzroy & Treasury Gardens & watched the Parade from the start in front of the Old Treasury Building.

Selfie in the Conservatory in the Fitzroy Gardens

Afterwards we sat around together chatting over pots of tea, before they headed back to their hotel & I caught the train back to Northcote – all of us to rest before dinner. Danny & I had an early very yummy Vietnamese meal locally & we tried to sleep in spite of terrible nerves before the big game.

On Grand Final morning we had an early breakfast at Barry in Northcote & then I headed to the MCG & Danny spent the rest of the morning preparing for his party guests – 25 in all – family & partners & offspring. I found Gayle & bought her an early glass of bubbles to thank her for my seat & we enjoyed a great chat before it was time to head out of the ground again & find my friend, David Lazzaro & his family. David’s wife, Helen, had won 2 tickets to the game, which she used to take their son, Daniel. Their elder daughter, Jess, was watching on the big screen outside Gate 3 with her boyfriend, Alec. Finally, I walked around the perimeter of the MCG soaking in the atmosphere & there was plenty of it.

My last catch-up was with an old friend, Josephine Ward, who was sitting 10 rows behind me. While we were talking the chap behind us (wearing Western Bulldogs gear) offered us blocks of chocolate that he had been given at the station on arrival! When he discovered we were barracking for the Magpies I thought we were going to have to give the chocolate back!

The footy was fantastic – one of the best Grand Finals I have ever seen (& this was my 44th). I was so proud of Collingwood, but we were beaten by the taller, stronger, high-marking side that deserved to win at the end. I stayed around watching the presentations & clapping the players until it was time to go.

What a lovely surprise to find all Danny’s offspring & families still there when I got back to Northcote.


Greta, Pat, Lauren, Celia & Danny – smiling despite the result!

I managed to down a couple of glasses of Prosecco while chatting with everyone & catching up with their news.

We had a quiet, early night after everyone left & got up early yesterday morning to finish off the cleaning up. Danny had done most of it, but I was able to dry the good glasses & big dishes & hang out washing before we headed up High Street yet again for breakfast.

Wes arrived just after midday to pick me up. He had watched the game with Barbara on Saturday and gone to the Sunday Market & Sunday Breakfast before driving to Northcote using the new Tom-Tom. Needless to say, it was a rather quiet afternoon here – I did a huge load of washing before sitting down to read the weekend papers from cover to cover.

This morning we woke early, cancelled the walk & got cracking on all the chores that needed doing before I went to gym, where everyone was sympathetic. Shortly after I got back home, our dear friend, Bill Longley, arrived to return nine books, request some more, give us lemons, coriander & olives as bribes, & then entertain us with stories from his very interesting life for an hour or so. It is always good to see him & Wes was happy to come in from the gardening to share a coffee & chat.

Beautiful cineraria & primula in the Conservatory

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