Daylesford New Year's Eve Dispatch - Tuesday, 31st December 2019

Before I update you on our doings for the past 10 days, I need to let you know about three deaths which impacted on us & occurred within a few hours of each other. We found out (via an email to Wes) that our friend, Jon Stephens, had died peacefully on Boxing Day. We had no idea that he was close to death & were shocked. He was a talented, entertaining man, who was appointed by Wes, (when he was Mayor), as the Hepburn Shire Arts Officer. We have many happy memories of him over 17 or 18 years.

A typical photo of Jon at a party with Danny Millman a couple of years ago

Next day, I received a text message from our dear Daylesford & Mah Jong friend, Dot Smith, to say that her elder daughter, Annette, had died that morning & was out of pain after fighting cancer for some years. I was able to chat briefly to Dot & give her our condolences. She & her husband, John, had temporarily moved to Geelong before Christmas to spend as much time as possible with Annette & her family.

Annette & her husband, David, a month ago

When I reached the MCG, Wes rang me to say that my uncle, Kev Hoolihan, had died in his sleep & was also now out of pain & discomfort. He has not enjoyed good health for some years & had moved into care just before Christmas. We have known Kev for over 50 years & I was one of two bridesmaids at their wedding in 1969. I am hoping to have a Skype chat with my cousin, Leigh, and her mother, Jeff, once Leigh arrives in Lincolnshire from Thailand, where she was when her father died. Fortunately her brother, Michael, was able to be with Jeff almost immediately which was a big comfort to everyone.

   

One of my favourite photos of the Hoolihans at Leigh & Simon’s wedding in 2013

L-R Kev, Jeff, Simon, Leigh, Michael & Kelly

RIP Kev, Jon & Annette

On the Sunday before Christmas, we had great fun exchanging gifts for pets – the dogs tended to get treats & the cats, toys. It was quiet at the Food Gallery for a change, a chance for Pasquale & Toni & staff to catch their collective breaths before the post-Christmas onslaught of visitors.

We spent the days leading up to Christmas getting the garden up to scratch, walking the boys, cuddling the boys, feeding the boys & catching up with friends in person or by phone.

This frightened young black wallaby was on the path around Lake Daylesford early last Monday morning – not sure who was more alarmed, him or Lewis & Morse

I had a good time walking Maisie with Annie & having lovely catch-up cuppas at Larder & Splinters, the new café on Lake Daylesford, which replaces the Book Barn. Wes joined us on Tuesday and we were pleased to see that dogs are still welcome on the balcony and even have their own pathway.

On Christmas Day we headed off to Strathmore for a wonderful family lunch at Leanne’s place. Paun & Brian were there from Canberra, both looking well & happy. We continue to be amazed at their resilience after the terrible bushfire in Tathra which took their home & livelihood in March 2018. Peter & Anka had also travelled from Canberra and Anka had very kindly arrived a couple of days earlier so she could buy out David Jones’ Food Hall & give us a wonderful lunch. We enjoyed the present-giving, where the pets also did well, before sitting down to a fun meal together. We provided the Christmas pudding & lashings of brandy butter & there was more than enough for doggy bags!

When we got into our car for Wes to drop me in Little Bourke Street at my hotel, the temperature was 38º, and it didn’t drop much below that. I was staying at a small apartment-style inexpensive hotel, which was very comfortable & well-positioned near the corner of Spring Street, about 20 minutes walk from the MCG. Wes drove back home to Daylesford, where he found two hot, but replete labradors after the giant dried marrow bones we gave them for Christmas.

I went for a stroll to find somewhere open where I could get orange juice & found myself in my favourite Asian supermarket in Heffernan Lane, where I replenished my Jasmine tea stocks & bought a large $3 bottle of Chinese orange juice! On the walk back, I noticed that a special carpark we had used in Lt Bourke St for many years, was no longer there & had been replaced by this.

For everyone who used “Lady” carpark, it is sad to see it has finally gone. We had the best & funniest parking spot in town for years.

The cricket was entertaining over 4 days & I was lucky enough to get a seat in the back row of the Balcony every morning, except for Boxing Day, when Peter & Anka were my guests & we sat downstairs in a good position. That Boxing Day was made even more special by Paun & Brian’s attendance & we caught up with them at lunchtime, where Paun was busy doling out leftovers from the day before’s lunch!

Each morning I had breakfast with family or friends – Boxing Day & 29^th were Peter & Anka, once at their hotel bar, the Grand Hyatt, which was lovely & the second time at The European, which took us all by surprise by being closed on Boxing Day. On 27^th Karen & Malcolm Stevenson caught the tram in & joined me & Kathy & Gerard Lazzaro for a most enjoyable breakfast, and on 28^th Danny Millman came by train for another great catch-up. Thank you all for making the effort.

While I was at the cricket, I had chats with David & Daniel Lazzaro & David’s best friend, Matt, who was over from Tassie; Josephine Ward & her husband, Tony, attending his first ever cricket game; Gayle Gibson, affectionately known as Loud Gayle (& we demolished a couple of sparkling wines); Brendan from Shepparton, a chap I have come to know over the years because we often sit together (we didn’t get seats together this year, but had a sauv blanc in the Long Room instead); Laurie Wordsworth, who went to school with Wes, and, finally, John Schibli from Premier Tours, who has hosted the overseas cricket tours we have been on.

My last night in Melbourne was made memorable by a very welcome invitation from Peter & Anka to have pizzas with them at their favourite spot in Carlton. I met them at their hotel after the Aussies had won the Test, and Peter drove us to Doc’s, where we were seated upstairs. I can’t fault this restaurant -beautiful pizzas, smiling staff, a very happy atmosphere & extremely yummy dessert offerings. Here we all are tucking into sweet things after Anka & I shared a chili prawn pizza & Peter had the vegetarian option.

  

Peter is looking at double chocolate & single lemon gelato; Anka has a mini-panettone, and I’ve got lemon cannoli. Yum!

Wes picked me up very kindly yesterday mid-morning. I had been for an early walk around the Fitzroy Gardens, an area that I love, and had missed, because Square & Compass café, at one end, was closed between Christmas & New Year.

Each day on my way home from the MCG, I stopped to thank John Cain, former Premier of Victoria, for giving women equal rights in Sporting Clubs, among many other great innovations. This statue is in Premiers’ Walk, which celebrates those who spent 10 years or more in the job. There were flowers there each morning & yesterday, someone had left a hat like the one John wore.

We arrived back here and I was given a rapturous greeting by Lewis & Morse. Wes had been wonderful looking after them; visiting Barbara across the road, who has been bed-ridden since accidentally burning her foot a week ago; doing the washing; watering; shopping, and making phone calls & sending messages letting friends know about Kev & Jon. He had also been visiting our old friend, Bill Longley, who we have known for 20 years. Bill is in Daylesford Hospital and Wes took in our laptop & some DVDs for him to watch. I went with Wes yesterday afternoon & we had a good chat, before leaving Bill to watch the Churchill film The Gathering Storm. When we reached our car, after 30 minutes with Bill, the temperature was 50º!

It is always lovely to come back home & Wes cooked a special spaghetti meal with smoked salmon, red capsicum, spring onions, chillis, olives, celery & parmesan cheese. It was very yummy and we sat around watching the ABC News to keep an eye on the fires, before going to bed when lightning & rain stopped play between the Melbourne Stars & the Hobart Hurricanes in Launceston.

This morning we walked the boys around Lake Daylesford & it was delightful to feel cold again, with the temperature plummeting overnight from the low 40s of yesterday. Wes has been weeding & mowing & is now out visiting his sister, Denise, to see if she would like her garden mowed. He will also visit Barbara with some vegetables I bought when I went to Tonna’s this morning.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd December 2019

Last Sunday was our Breakfast Group farewell to Jan Pengilley who has moved to Maleny with her daughter, son-in-law & grandson for a warmer life. We will miss her very much, as the 10 years since she & her late husband, Warren (aka Secundus), moved to Daylesford, have been very rewarding for lots of us who have been lucky enough to be their friends & share so many wonderful times together.

Lewis & Morse were desperate to get to the Sunday Market, and then found themselves in a quandary. Do they beg for treats from Geoff or do they eat the cabbage that Cory has prepared for them? They were torn & it was most amusing to observe. Other stall-holders & shoppers were also entertained.

Breakfast at Food Gallery was great fun – we had Christmas gifts for Jan, & David & Sandy, who won’t be at breakfast today. Both Janine & Wes & I had gifts for them from our recent trips & David & Sandy had presents for all our pets. This is a delightful tradition that will be continued this morning & our lucky dogs & cats will be delighted with their loot!

After breakfast I took Maisie up to the Botanic Gardens for a walk & caught up with Annie when I returned her to her home. Wes got lots of weeding done and I finally managed to take care of the herbs & seedlings that were desperate for food & drink & some fresh soil. Rob from next-door arrived to have a cuddle with Lewis & Morse, which was a big success.

The cricket finished up with a resounding win to the Aussies and the Kiwis will have to look at their openers for the Boxing Day Test. Their fielding & bowling has been great, but the batsmen have let them down for the most part.

We woke to a beautiful morning on Monday & had a peaceful walk around Lake Daylesford before I went to gym for my last class this year. Barry Spall was driving one of the four cars that set off for Maleny this week, so there will be no gym on Friday. We will have a break of 4 weeks, before holidays classes begin on Tuesday, 14^th January 2020.

I spent some time in Daylesford town area delivering gifts & collecting prescriptions etc, while Wes got the front yard into some sort of order. Lewis & Morse get very frustrated when they can’t be under his feet & were delighted when I returned home again.

Wes spent Tuesday morning in Barbara’s garden, while I drove Annie to an appointment & walked Maisie while she was busy. It started to get warm quite early, so we took it easily in the afternoon.

On Wednesday, I had a raft of appointments, so Wes walked Maisie in between his Reconciliation Meeting & lunch. It was too hot to do anything much & we had our air-conditioners on to help Sandra, who had come to do our final clean for this year.

Lewis & Morse were so pleased to see her, as they had missed out on her last visit.

In the afternoon, Wes did the second part of an interview for Hepburn Voices with Barbara’s help, at her place.

Neither of us felt like doing anything much & quite envied the boys who spent most of the day lying around in the cool after breakfast. I popped into Muffins & More for a pot of tea in-between appointments & managed to lock myself in the toilet – briefly. I think it is left-handedness. I always turn the handle the opposite way to the way it has been designed. Fortunately I worked out what I had done & escaped!

While Wes drove to Melbourne on Thursday to see if there was anything he could do to help Leanne before Christmas Day, when we, Peter & Anka, & Paun & Brian, are all arriving; I took Annie to an appointment at Hale House and walked Maisie around the Botanic Gardens. Afterwards we sat outside at Cliffy’s, where we had hot drinks & lots of laughs.

My Christmas indulgence – beautiful, fragrant, Christmas lilies

  

Friday was a stinker – we were able to walk Lewis & Morse early when it was only 16º, before I went shopping at Coles & we then met up with Annie & Hugh for our usual dog socialising. It was too hot for Maisie, who had been walked around the Lake, but Lewis & Morse met three new dogs and a couple of new friends & were very well behaved. We were sitting outside Larder, as the Food Gallery wasn’t open. This gave me a chance to pop into the newsagency to see if our dear friend, Kim Lyden, could leave his post for a couple of minutes & meet them, which he did.

With the temperature reaching 41º, we were all happy to stay put once we got home again and all thoughts of gardening vanished.

Overnight we received the news that my uncle, Kev Hoolihan, in Lincolnshire, has been moved to palliative care, as his wife, Jeff, can no longer manage looking after him at home. She has done a sterling job, but the time was right for Kev to move out of home.

Lovely photo of me, Wes & Kev last October when we visited him & Jeff at their home in Torksey Lock. We shared a memorable lunch & told lots of stories.

Yesterday we had a lovely catch-up with Tom Tyrrell & Deborah Fowler. They caught the train to Ballarat & we met at the café in the Ballarat Art Gallery (Victoria’s oldest Art Gallery), which has a wonderful range of Australian artists, including the Lindsay family, which lived in nearby Creswick. After looking at the paintings & admiring all the work that has been done there recently, we went on a stroll along Lydiard Street, up to Craig’s Hotel & Her Majesty’s Theatre. We then moved onto Sturt Street, up to St Patrick’s Cathedral, home to many of the paedophile priests who have recently been convicted, including Cardinal George Pell.

We finished up with a lovely long lunch at The Turret before heading back down Errard Street into Mair Street & back to Lydiard, admiring the many beautiful homes & buildings on the way.

Now we are off to the Sunday Market on a blessedly cool morning here n Daylesford, followed by breakfast at Food Gallery, where we will exhange gifts for our pets. Wes is taking Barbara for a big shop afterwards, while I will be walking Maisie in the Botanic Gardens & our boys will be lying around with fat tummies after their treats!

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 15th December 2019

We had a busy Sunday – up early to go shopping at Coles for a few things like juice & yoghurt & pickled onions! Then to the Sunday Market to stock up on our fruit & vegetables, eggs, dog fruit & vegetables, dried dog bones, dog treats & sourdough bread. Then we went next door to give Rob & Dene a thank you gift – not only had Dene brought in the bins, they had both watered our garden on both weekends, and Rob had cleaned the bird bath, which looks like new!

Then it was time for breakfast & catching up with Judi, Barbara, Janine & Glen. We had little gifts for everyone, as did Janine, who had been to Thailand & returned with cute little blown glass animals. Judi & I took the dogs, Wes liked the lobster, Glen chose the crab & Barbara selected a cat & rat as a matching pair. Everyone was happy to listen to our stories for a while & then updated us on what they had been doing.

We came home & Wes quickly mowed the lawns, which were looking lush, while I picked a big vase of roses & put the wreath, (recently refurbished by Wombat Hill Nursery), on the front door, as well as a few other Christmas decorations. Then it was time for Wes to collect Lewis & Morse from Eureka Kennels, while I balanced Reckon & got our accounts up to date with all the holiday spending.

While Wes caught up on paperwork, I watched the WBBL Final at Allan Border Oval in Brisbane, where the Brisbane Heat were too good for the Adelaide Strikers. The game was sold out & the crowd was enthusiastic, especially when the girls hit sixes onto the roof of the stand.

Lewis & Morse getting comfy after giving us both a wild & excited greeting when they got home. They were so pleased to see us.

The next day the boys were ready to walk at 5.45am, but didn’t cry or make any noise, just sat patiently on the decking on their trampoline bed waiting for us to emerge. While we were walking, we met up with Barry the fisherman; Tracye & Leo, who were the first people to greet Lewis & Morse on their very first walk & are much loved as a result, and our next-door neighbour, Glen, who had woken early & taken her two poodles, Nellie & Willow out. 

Then I headed off to gym and discovered that good friend, Tim Cansfield-Smith (aka Timbo), has joined & is attending on Mondays & Fridays as well. We first met him, and his partner, Bruce, when they bought a house in Hepburn Springs & we were invited to see it. Bruce had a grand piano, pictures of the Queen Mother, clutter galore & a wonderful way with words & we have always enjoyed catching up with them both.

Back home & Wes was again trying to get some order into the garden, while I finally opened our mail – Christmas cards & a wedding invitation from Kyhal Anderson & Loz Sanders. They are being married on 29^th February next year. Great choice of date!

Morse developed a cough, so Wes took him to the vet in case it was Kennel Cough. Andrew thought it wasn’t & gave Morse an injection & some tablets (take 1/3 per day – how do you cut tablets into 3?). The cough has just about gone, which is a big relief.

Nick came to give me a massage on Tuesday afternoon & we discussed the wineries we had visited. He & his wife, Robyn, had spent a couple of weeks house-sitting in Auburn in the Clare Valley three years ago & he remembered all the places they had found during their time there.

Wednesday was Leanne’s birthday, so we gave the boys big bones & drove to Strathmore to spend time with her. We were worried about how Lewis & Morse would cope with being on their own for 7 hours, but our neighbour, Glen, had promised to chat to them while she was in her garden. Not only did she do that, but sent us this photo which immediately gave us peace of mind.

Lewis sitting & Morse standing at the joint fence checking out what is happening at Serendip Cottage

On Thursday, we finally had our bedroom air-conditioner replaced, after begging Garry Rodoni to look at it for over 12 months. He is very busy we know, but we had hoped he could have fitted us in a little earlier! The new unit is much quieter, both inside & out, which is very pleasing.

That afternoon I visited old friend, Cathy O’Toole, to admire her beautiful garden & catch up on all her news. We first met Cathy & Peter in 1999, when they moved to Daylesford & spent lots of time in their company, especially through the Visitor Information Centre, & Aperitifs, which was Cathy’s idea all those years ago.

We watched the first two sessions of the Perth Test against the Kiwis, who managed to get David Warner & Steve Smith out for 43 each, but Marcus Labuschagne continued on his merry way & was 110 not out overnight. He has been such a find, the perfect cricket temperament it seems & such a joy to watch.

Beautiful Oriental lilies in full bloom

– thanks Judi

On Friday, after gym, I met up with Wes & the boys at The Food Gallery. Gillie was walking along Vincent Street & I persuaded her to come & say hello to them before she set off on her walk. Then Annie & Hugh with Maisie, the Irish Water Spaniel, joined us & we had a most successful socialisation time with Lewis & Morse. They get better each time we do this, although Morse is still very timid when other dogs go past.

I went to Annie’s place to pick her & Maisie up & take them both for a walk around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens. This is something Annie & I used to do many years ago when we had Casper & she & David had Woody. We reminisced & enjoyed our stroll together.

Sally & Charlie Brown – just for Wes

We weren’t able to stay awake to see the Aussies demolish the Kiwis, but Mitch Starc bowled well & the Kiwis would have been disappointed to be 5/109 at stumps. Because the game is in Perth, which is 3 hours behind us, it finishes well past our bed-time, although I kept waking up & checking the scores.

Yesterday morning, after our walk around Lake Daylesford, Wes washed the boys, much to their delight, before spending time in our front garden and then helping Barbara in hers. It was a perfect day, and I started working on all our herbs & vegetables, which have been neglected since we returned. Wes walked Maisie around Cornish Hill while I wrapped Christmas presents. We don’t exchange gifts with many people these days, but it is always good to be able to say thank you to our garbos; Steve, who delivers our papers, and the various people who keep us looking & feeling our best.

Once again, the cricket was rivetting, and we woke this morning to find that the Kiwis had hit back in our second innings. We have such a good lead, they will be hard-pressed to beat us, but could hope for a draw. We had an excellent walk with the boys & now they are very excited to be going to the Sunday Market with us.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 8th December 2019

This time last week we were sitting in our unit in North Adelaide watching the rain pour down & wondering if there would be any cricket. We had tea & toast together, then drove to Port Adelaide to find the Alberton Football Ground, home of the Port Adelaide Magpies founded in 1870. We have never been able to find this ground, but our Tom Tom took us there very easily & to our delight the gates were open & we could walk around it.

Each picket on the fence has a name of a supporter on it

Our next stop was the lovely Adelaide Botanic Gardens, which is usually an easy walk from North Adelaide, but there were still on & off showers, so we parked near the National Wine Centre & strolled around looking at the wonderful trees, including a very fine Monkey Puzzle tree & some Bunyas & Woolamai pines. We headed for the water-lily pavilion only to find that it was under repair.

Above -  what greeted us & below, what should have been there!

We got to the Adelaide Oval just as the game started 30 minutes early again. I wasn’t aware either day of the earlier start, even though I had checked the website, which showed 2pm each time. We had very good seats yet again, with lots of familiar faces. One of the interesting facts about the Adelaide Test is how many interstate fans it attracts. I suspect we outnumber the locals. We had Carlton, Geelong & Richmond supporters near us. And were lucky enough to bump into the Fox commentators as we caught the escalators – the stand-offish Michael Vaughan, the affable Shane Warne, Brett Lee on the phone & Mark Howard, heavily made up & running late!

Once again we were treated to a fascinating day’s cricket with Babar Azam making an excellent 97, only to be outdone by Yasir Shah, the hapless bowler, making 113 and taking Pakistan to a respectable total of 302 after they were 6/96. We enforced the follow on & had the visitors struggling at 3/39 when the heavens opened & play was abandoned for the night.

We started Day 4 with tea & toast, waited for the rain to stop & walked into North Terrace via the Uni. We had planned to visit the Art Gallery, but couldn’t walk past the Museum with its special Dog Exhibition. If we weren’t already missing Lewis & Morse, we certainly were by the time we learnt the history of dogs, that they are the animals most in tune with humans & watched videos of assistance dogs, silly dogs & Dog Shows.

Me standing next to a salute to Snoopy!

After a cuppa, it was time to walk back to the Adelaide Oval & probably the coldest day we have ever spent at the cricket. The small crowd was disappointing but understandable. Our seats were good and we had a great view of the wicket once again, but it was cold. In their wisdom the Adelaide Oval had closed all food outlets on the 5^th level, where we were, so everyone had to scurry down to the ground floor to get hot food & drinks. The Pakistanis tried hard, but once the natural light was replaced by the floodlights, they succumbed & the Australians inflicted their best ever innings defeat, having only lost 3 wickets. Nathan Lyon was superb with 5 wickets & Pat Cummins threw truly from quite a distance to run out the last wicket.

The next morning, after the rain stopped, we headed out to spend a day in town. We started with breakfast again at E for Ethel, which never disappoints & had a good chat with the owner.

Zucchini & corn fritters with avocado & feta, and granola with berries

We walked to North Terrace & headed for the Gallery, one side of which had been closed last time we were there. Most of the good Australian artists are on display including two of our favourites, John Brack & Fred Williams. There are also around a dozen of Eugene von Guérard, including a very fine painting of Cape Schanck.   

Our next stop was to be the Library, but we found ourselves back at the Museum and decided to have a look at their permanent displays. We were most impressed with their array of the animal kingdom both from all over the world & Australia.

We had planned to see a film & were so pleased we arrived at the Palace Nova in time for Mrs Lowry & Son, essentially a two-hander starring Vanessa Redgrave & Timothy Spall. We were spellbound by their acting as they played out a true story of the artist, Lawrence S Lowry. It was originally a radio & stage play, so if you are looking for an action film, forget it. However, if you want to see two superb actors click together in a rivetting piece of history, this is for you.

That night we finally went to The British Hotel, in Finniss Street. We have walked past it about 50 times since 2015 when the first Pink Ball Test was played in Adelaide & have never entered its door. The wine list was excellent & our meals were good, but we were definitely not their target market, with relentless background noise, very young waiters & loud-voiced diners who didn’t mind everyone hearing their conversations.

Wes enjoying a Mollydooker Sparkling Shiraz with his barbecued spare pork ribs & my char-grilled squid

Wednesday was perfect Adelaide weather. We walked back into town and headed for the Migration Museum, which is apparently the first of its kind in Australia. It was very well done some time ago, but desperately needs new technology, much more lighting & much easier to read blurbs. Most visitors spent 5 minutes there and headed straight out again, especially those who were migrants as there was very little written in anything other than English.Next stop was the State Library, where we spent ages reading every word of the story of the Heroes of the Skies, Ross & Keith Smith. It is 100 years since they won the great air race from England to Australia in their modified Vickers Vimy bomber with their mechanics Wally & Jim. It is a wonderful display & worth seeing. We can’t visit the Library without peeking into the old Mortlock Wing with its wonderful clock and interesting displays.

These Christmas decorations appeared overnight in North Adelaide – pretty pots of petunias

We found ourselves back at the Palace Nova, where we saw the delightful film, Fisherman’s Friends, in a small cinema where the woman next to Wes answered her mobile phone when it rang shrilly; the woman behind me kept coughing & the couple in front argued about whether they were too close to the screen. All these audience members were old enough to know better!

That night, we went back to Lotus, for our final meal in North Adelaide. Wendy was delighted to see us return & we enjoyed a bottle of Pepperjack Shiraz with our meal.

Wes looking forward to squid in blackbean sauce & prawns “strange taste”, both of which were very yummy

Next morning, we were up early finishing off our provisions before packing & driving to the Adelaide Oval for a “behind the scenes” tour, something we have been meaning to do for some time. It cost us $20 each, went for 90 minutes & was thoroughly enjoyable. The two highlights for us were getting into the 1911 manual scoreboard to see how everything works & walking up the race onto the ground just like the opening batsmen. The smell of freshly-mown grass was the surprise to me – it was quite powerful.

After a quick cuppa in the café, we headed off to Clare and enjoyed the drive much more than our first visit when the whole area had been burnt out & we went to support the wineries & other businesses. Our accommodation is at the Country Club & is very like a motel, except that the bathroom is fairly new & we look out on ducks, who wander across from the lake to have a snooze in the shade under our balcony.

We went for a walk around Clare & decided that we didn’t really like it! There was a second-hand bookstore & an Indian restaurant, but everywhere else looked tired, and there were lots of empty shopfronts. Trip Advisor suggested we go to Indii, so we did & had probably the best Indian meal of our lives. Wes’s goat curry & my fish curry were perfectly cooked, attractively presented with heavy cutlery, lovely dishes & a delightful waitress. The maitre d’ was attentive, the wines were wonderful and we immediately booked in for dinner the next night.

Goat & fish curries with garlic roti & mint & yoghurt pickles

On Friday we decided to drive to Burra, an historic Cornish copper mining town with a café called St Just, which got rave reviews from Trip Advisor. What a great decision that was – only 30 minutes away & so interesting. We enjoyed breakfast at the café, pottered around in the store, and set off to follow the Johnny Green Heritage Trail. We saw mines, miners’ cottages, a 50m deep lake, an old railway line with accommodation in the porter’s quarters, and lots of wonderful old homes. We’ll definitely be back here.

Our next stop was Crabtree Wines, which make a lovely riesling & tempranillo and stocked up on their rosé and cabernet as well. Finally we stopped at Claymore Winery, because I had tasted their sauvignon blanc the night before & wanted to buy some to take home with us.

After a rest, we headed into Clare and watched the locals getting ready for their Christmas Pageant. It was very similar to our Daylesford New Year’s Eve Parade, except for Santa & heaps more children. We watched the procession down the main street from the comfort of our booth in Indii, where we enjoyed another wonderful meal. Here is my spiced gin & tonic, which was an interesting, flavoursome start to the evening.

Yesterday we left Clare just before 7am & had an excellent drive, arriving home at 5pm, with a couple of stops for loos, petrol, tea & coffee & scones in Nhill. We couldn’t believe how everything has grown here & I can’t wait to pick roses & fill the house with them. Judi had left us a beautiful vase of Oriental lilies, which we could smell when we opened the front door. We had planned to have a glass of red with raisin bread & strawberry jam for dinner, but found a fresh sourdough breadstick & tomatoes & cheese awaiting us, (also coutesy of Judi), so tucked into that instead.

I’m about to go to Coles & collect a few things we need, before visiting the Sunday Market & stocking up on fruit & vegetables, both for us, and Lewis & Morse. Wes will collect them at lunchtime, which gives Eureka Kennels time to give them a bath, which we are sure they will have needed. We are very excited to be seeing them again soon, as well as our friends at breakfast.

Adelaide Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 1st December 2019

We had a mixed Sunday last weekend – breakfast was lovely with lots of good conversations. Just as we were about to leave, Barbara received a message from Kim Lyden to say that Aileen’s mother, Dorothy, had died the night before in hospital, three weeks shy of her 106^th birthday.

                  

We came home to find Lewis & Morse confused because we hadn’t taken them to the Sunday Market, but our neighbour, Rob, had been in to visit them & that was a consolation prize. Wes got stuck into the garden & did a serious soaking. I found plenty of things to keep me occupied while I avoided packing. 

  Morse & Lewis doing what they do best!

We eventually got packed – me while Wes took the boys to Eureka Kennels in Ballarat & him, once he was home again. The house seemed so empty without them & we kept waking in the night listening for them.

We got away around 7am & had a lovely drive to McLaren Vale. First stop was Great Western, where we had a break for hot drinks & shortbreads. This has become a tradition as it is one of the prettiest stops on the route.

Around 10.30am we stopped for brunch at the Dimboola General Store, as   recommended by Trip Advisor. We were so pleased we did – yummy breakfasts, lovely staff & very good tea & coffee. It was doing great business as you would expect.          

Wes looking forward to his porridge with berries. I had a toasted pumpkin & feta sandwich.

We arrived at our accommodation around 3.30pm. It was a lovely self-contained unit with the best shower ever, a very comfortable K-size bed & lots of sophisticated kitchen equipment we could only look at & wonder what it is for. After unpacking, we went for a walk along the main road & were sorry to see that there has been no thought given to the shops & dwellings along the road, with the result that most are empty.

We had an early dinner at Oscar’s, the place you go to for an early dinner if you want pasta, pizza & everything in between. The highlight for us was our charming waiter, who was challenged for height, but made up for it in personality. Wes was wearing a Carlton T-shirt, so our waiter produced a wooden spoon & happily chatted about Collingwood to me. The most memorable part of our meal was the glass of Hugo shiraz, as recommended by Ron Prophet.

After a good night’s sleep, we rose around 6.30am & walked for an hour along the Shiraz Trail. Here are two views of it. The first is at the bottom of our street & the second is a funny little bridge along the way.

I headed off to the newsagent to get The Age, only to discover that she had sold her sole copy! Back home for raisin toast & tea & a leisurely start before hitting the wineries.

We started at Hugo where we loved the rosemary hedge entrance to the tasting room, the professionalism of the staff & their very yummy wines, especially their grenache/shiraz. Friends were meeting each other & sitting in the garden with bottles & platters – a very lovely atmosphere indeed. Next stop was Woodstock, because it was rated higher than Hugo on Trip Advisor. Our hostess was a young woman very passionate about the wines & she took us through a tasting of 8 different wines. We fell in love with their Naughty Monte (montepulciano grapes) and their Deep Sands shiraz (which is as peppery as Graham Ellender used to produce).

Our next stop was for a late lunch – we tried D’arenberg, but it was fully booked out, so we drove back to our cottage & settled for smoked salmon bagel at Oxenberry Farm, which is within walking distance. We had a glass of their tempranillo with our food & sat quietly in a banquette discussing the interesting wines we had tried.

Karen at Oscar’s with a Hugo shiraz in preference to the blackboard offerings!

That night, we tried once again, to find something to watch on Netflix. After 15 minutes, just as we were about to give up, I spotted one of our favourite actresses, Nicola Walker, in a series called Collateral, written by David Hare. What a find – we lasted two episodes – beautifully crafted, full of good actors & addictive. Last time we were stuck with Netflix on holidays, we found Nicola Walker in the very memorable series, River.

On Wednesday we drove to Hahndorf, which was as we had remembered – very conscious that it is a tourist town, with lots of shops open, 3-hour free parking in the main street & heaps of visitors, including Germans enjoying a taste of home. We chose a café that specialised in Reubuen sandwiches for lunch, but Wes was disappointed in the meagre slice of corn beef & his apple strudel appeared to be less than fresh. My smoked salmon & salad bun was excellent as was the Jasmine tea.

That afternoon we headed back to Oxenberry Farm, as I was keen to try their Shiraz Gin & tonic. It was thirst-quenching, but not memorable! Wes had another glass of their tempranillo. We picked up some dips & olives from the local Coles & headed home to watch the remaining two episodes of Collateral. Highly recommended!

On Thursday, after our early walk, we dropped into Mullygrub Café and had a beautiful hot smoked salmon & rice with avocado salad. Tea & coffee were excellent as well. Back home we relaxed & packed slowly, before heading to our favourite vineyard, Angove Winery, on our way to North Adelaide.

We had an easy drive with our Tom Tom avoiding accidents & slow traffic & getting us to our accommodation very smoothly. We are in a great position, one road back from Melbourne Street, which is the main road of North Adelaide. We had made arrangements to meet up with old Daylesford friends, Jenny & Graham Ellender, who we met first when Graham was the local dentist, and later a local winemaker. Jenny is from Adelaide & thrilled to be back home with most of her family. We met at The Kentish Hotel, a block from where we are staying & enjoyed a couple of bottles of McLaren Vale Shiraz with them, before Graham went off to a meeting & we walked to Lotus, our preferred eating spot, where Wendy, the owner, was delighted to see us again after two years.

We caught up with Jane & David Knox on Friday morning for breakfast at E for Ethel in Melbourne Street, North Adelaide, another of our favourite spots. Afterwards we walked into North Terrace where we had booked a Walking Tour. Graham, our guide, was most informative & we learnt heaps about the history of South Australia and the beautiful buildings along North Terrace.

Our seats at the Adelaide Oval were perfect & we had a lovely time with Jane & David, catching up on news & watching the Aussies bat themselves into an unbeatable spot by the end of the day.

Great view behind the sightscreen in line with the pitch & under cover.

Yesterday, we picked Jane & David up from their accommodation & took them to The Messy Tomato, near the Central Market, for an enjoyable breakfast. We then spent some time exploring the Market & Wes & I stocked up on books from the wonderful second-hand bookstore there. We had a slight drama at the end, when we couldn’t find our car in the large sprawling carpark, but it eventually revealed itself & we dropped the Knoxes back home for a rest & had one ourselves, before heading back to Adelaide Oval & Day 2.

Jane, David, Karen & Wes enjoying breakast at The Messy Tomato

What a day of cricket we experienced as David Warner became the second-highest scoring Australian batsman. I dislike his coercion of Cameron Bancroft into cheating in South Africa last year, but I am in awe of his mental & physical strength to hit 335 runs not out. Jane & David were seeing their 3^rd triple century as they had previously seen Simon Katich score 306 for NSW against Queensland in 2007 & Michael Clarke hit 329 not out against India in 2012, also at the SCG. Sadly the Pakistan team crumbled to be 6/96 at close of play.

Today we are expecting on & off rain, so the game may go into a 4^th day, but we can’t see Australia having to bat again after making 3/589. Jane & David are spending time with friends for the rest of their stay in Adelaide, and we are having a quiet start to the day with tea & toast before going for a walk, or drive, if it is raining. There are so many places to visit here & we can’t wait to get back to the Botanic Gardens, the Wine Centre, the Migration Museum, the Art Gallery & even the cinema to catch up with a couple of films.