Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 27th January 2019

 

We started our week by taking Lewis & Morse to the Sunday Market. This was quite tricky & Wes had to sit on the ground cuddling them while everyone came to say hello. They were a big success & it will be good to be able to start a routine of taking them with me after they have had their next injections & have learned some more commands!

We had breakfast at Larder, which was OK, as it was good to have some different options, but it was very noisy & our least favourite waiter continued to call us all ‘love’. However, we all had some stories to tell & were entertained very happily.

Our neighbours, Rob & Dene, sent us this photo while we were out at breakfast. Apparently, the boys were asking for cuddles, so Rob & Dene obliged.

I drove to Melbourne on Monday to spend the day with Leanne. We had planned to go together on the Thursday, but we are reluctant to leave the boys for that long, so went separately. Leanne & I had a successful day & got plenty done. Wes drove there on Tuesday & spent time in the garden among other things.

We each enjoyed our day looking after the boys, although pre-meal time can be a bit busy & fraught as hungry puppies follow you everywhere you go. They now weigh 9kg & have grown quite a bit in the three weeks since we brought them home.

On Wednesday, Dot & I caught up over a cuppa at Muffins & More before heading home to escape the heat. This really has been unbearably hot, especially on Thursday night when the temperature didn’t drop beyond 24°. We aren’t used to that & much prefer our cooler nights.

Our niece, Michelle Mazarakis & her children, Mikaela & Michael visited us on Thursday morning & were delightful with Lewis & Morse. They are used to dogs as they have a Cavoodle named Basil, who was indignant when they got home, to smell Labradors on their clothes.

Everyone looks happy here

Also, on Thursday, we were put on the NBN, something we have been dreading. However, thanks to all the work Wes put in to making sure it went smoothly, there were no hiccups. We have a new modem & had to buy new portable phones, as we both prefer chatting on landlines (which probably makes us dinosaurs).

As a result, I spent a good part of Friday reading the manual on the new phones & re-doing all the phone numbers that we like to have stored. We are enjoying the intercom function they have, as well as the luxury of a phone in the bedroom, which we haven’t had since we moved here to Daylesford.

The Test cricket against the Sri Lankans has been disappointing as they are just not up to our standard, which is saying something. I’ve enjoyed watching the pink ball Test at the Gabba, especially on these hot afternoons, and am pleased to see some of our new players shine.

We have started teaching the boys to walk on leads. We are walking around the backyard at present, and it has been a challenge. Lewis is good at sitting & staying but doesn’t care for heel; while Morse likes heel but doesn’t think much of stay!

On Friday morning we decided to have breakfast at Cliffy’s, which we haven’t visited since Jeff & Donna’s son, Liam, took it over. We were impressed by the friendly service, the improved layout & comfort & the very yummy mushroom & spinach omelette that neither of us could finish.

I’m off to the Sunday Market shortly (without the boys) & breakfast is back at Larder again.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 20th January 2019

Last Sunday’s breakfast was a big success. We served croissants, poached eggs, local cured bacon, sourdough toast, coffee, tea, prosecco & lovely tomato starter brought by Dene & Rob. Our guests happily sat at the dining table with Lewis & Morse at their feet & there were plenty of cuddles once the food had been eaten.

Lovely photo of Rob with Morse & Lewis & if you look carefully you can see Dene’s reflection as he takes the shot!

The two boys were exhausted by all the attention & after helping Wes in the garden took themselves up to their decking for a snooze!

This week has been very hot, worse here than in Melbourne, but we have been blessed with cooler nights, which gives us a chance to sleep & open up the house. Lewis & Morse feel the heat, so we have left the dog-door open for them at night, which enables them to go out onto their decking if the laundry gets too hot. These boys are such quick learners, it is a delight to have them as part of our family & we are all having fun together. They do like to chase each other around the yard (or the lounge) and then collapse for a sleep before the next activity.

On Tuesday, our visitors were Nick & Robyn Massaro & Rhonda Lubin, who were happy to sit outside cuddling the boys at morning tea time. We did enjoy their visits & Rhonda took some great photos.

Dot & I met on Wednesday morning, while Warren went with Barbara to Coles for a big shop together. He wasn’t back in time for the boys’ lunch, so I fed them together & they were well-behaved. They have learned to sit before they get their meals, although ‘stay’ is proving a little more difficult – hunger taking precedence over praise!

Wes spent all Thursday morning getting the backyard finally cleared of the weeds that grew so profusely while we were away last year. I think he finally feels on top of the garden again & ready to plan, plant & consolidate. I escaped into town for a couple of hours & caught up with Judi over a pot of tea at The Food Gallery. It wasn’t as hot as it had been & our bedroom air-conditioner, which had been blowing out hot air, was able to be fixed via Facebook messages. We both enjoyed feeling the cold that night.

We were thrilled on Friday morning when Jan Pengilley accepted our invitation to catch up over brunch at Jackie’s on Vincent. We tucked into dumplings & tea & had a wonderful time together for about 90 minutes. When we arrived back home the boys were sound asleep in the laundry & didn’t appear to have missed us at all. That night Wes did volunteer duty at the Daylesford Cinema, where Mary Poppins was shown to a small but appreciative audience.

Yesterday, it was Gail White, who turned up late morning to meet Lewis & Morse. She enjoyed them although complained that they were much heavier than they looked – I guess that is compared to cats or smaller dog breeds. At 7kg they are exactly the right weight & should have their little fat tummies.

This morning we are taking them to meet everyone at the Daylesford Sunday Market, which will be a fun exercise. We’ll put them on a lead & carry them in as they are a fortnight off their next injections & it isn’t safe for them to be in public areas on the ground. Then we are meeting the Breakfast Group at Larder in the hope that we can easily get a table early & can hear each other speak.

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 13th January 2019

Since I last wrote, we have spent all our time looking after Morse & Lewis, as you can imagine. They are quite delightful, but exhausting. They can use the dog door, get up & down the internal & external stairs & are just about ready to leap onto couches & chairs if given any encouragement!

We’ve enjoyed showing them off to visitors. Judi brought Jan Pengilley with her on Monday morning & they were each happily cuddling a puppy when Barbara arrived bearing gifts. We are rationing the toys as present & giving them the things least likely to be ruined in a minute. Judi & Michael’s big box of toys contained a brilliant rope tug, which they love, and a ball which they have learned to chase & bring back most of the time. Barbara’s squeaky toys are a great diversion when they are heading for power plugs & sockets or glasses.

Lewis & Morse quite liking the camera!

On Tuesday morning it was Gillie’s turn to visit & she brought us eggs from her chooks & home-made lemon marmalade, which are much appreciated.

Nick Massaro came in the afternoon to give me a massage & we greeted him at the door with a Labrador each. He was delighted & has made arrangements to bring his wife, Robyn, with him next week for a proper visit & cuddle.

There was no Mah Jong on Wednesday, but I had appointments in town, so walked in & suggested Wes put the boys in the car & pick me up, so we could show them off. That wasn’t my best idea. They tried to escape when being put in the back of the station wagon & again, when the door was raised.

Lyndal, my hair-dresser, was delighted to see them & happily cuddled Morse, while Wes held onto Lewis. David Reilly spotted us & came over with congratulations. We eventually got both boys settled again & drove to Hepburn Springs, where I had hoped we could show Alanna, my manicurist. Sadly, this wasn’t possible, as Lewis spent his time trying to leap onto the back seat by squeezing past the mesh divider & Wes was anxious to get them back home & safely behind doors.

Sandra arrived to clean & was happy to sit on the floor cuddling them for as long as they liked. She was allowed to give them their first doggy treats as she left & I suspect they will be very keen to see her again!

I have been doing my share of minding them, although Wes has been very good having them help him in the garden each morning for a couple of hours until they collapse with exhaustion from dragging pruned branches around the lawn.

Lewis & Morse drinking water happily together

One of my projects this year, apart from the puppies, is to cull our library of books that we won’t read again. This is a very difficult task & I have decided to tackle it one shelf a week. Each shelf has two rows of books, and I remove them from the shelf, give the shelf a clean & polish, and arrange the books on the dining room table for Wes & I to inspect & cull. When it comes to returning them to the shelf, I am making sure they all have labels with our names, when & where they were bought & their number in the author’s series of writings. This is fiddly, but fun & I am enjoying it so far, although we haven’t made heaps of room to date!

Wes has a delightful project of writing single page Family History Snippets, which focus on one aspect of his family history. So far, he has covered their love of Carlton Football Club & why; the First Maloneys to reach Australia; ditto the Marshalls; Convicts marrying other Convicts, & the very early French Connection. If you are interested in receiving these snippets, please email Wes on warrenbm@bigpond.com

Barbara very kindly agreed for their usual Wednesday morning session to be delayed to the afternoon as we have been reluctant to leave the boys on their own for any length of time, so I did parent duty while Wes gardened across the road.

They slept all the way through Wednesday night until they were woken by Wes at 5.30am. It was my turn to walk around the Lake & I am most amused by the geese. They used to shield the gosling from us, but now it is every man for himself in their rush to get rice from me.

Wes bathed them both for the first time on Thursday morning & they loved the water & stayed clean for a while. They are so small they can get into just about anywhere & everywhere & emerge from under bushes covered in burrs & twigs.

Under the furniture in the study.

Wes had a long lunch with our financial advisor that day. They arranged to meet in The Plough in Trentham & I am sure Chris was the only person there in a jacket & tie.

On Friday, I had hoped to join the Daylesford Bushwalkers, who were doing the lovely Wombat Trail in Trentham, but I was tired after the busy day before & realised I had to have a very quiet time instead. We finally rang NBN to get on the dreaded system. We have been avoiding this until the very last minute as we are not looking forward to it at all. Fortunately, the sales person at Telstra, Blake, was on the wavelength & very helpful & we await the arrival of yet another modem (we seem to have a drawer full of them).

That night Wes was on duty at the Daylesford Cinema in its temporary home at Daylesford Town Hall. The film was Bohemian Rhapsody & the 8pm session attracted 73 patrons, which was excellent.

Yesterday was very hot. It was my turn to walk around Lake Daylesford again & I was most amused when the geese emerged from the water, flapping their wings & racing each other to get to the rice I had brought them. It was too hot to do much except watch Australia finally beat India in the first one-day match in Sydney.

This morning we have invited the Breakfast Group to our place, which should be fun. Amazingly, it is quite cool & windy early, so we may have to sit inside, instead of on the decking as we had planned!

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Monday, 7th January 2019

Our start to 2019 has been good. We decided to break with tradition & got up just before midnight to sit on the decking & watch the fireworks from Lake House across the road. They were spectacular & went for 10 minutes, which is rather special for a small country town. We did spare a thought for all the pet owners who were busy pacifying their animals. This is the first year in ages that we didn’t have to cuddle Labradors!

We walked around Lake Daylesford early on New Year’s Day equipped with large bags which we filled three times with all the cans, bottles, poppers, food wrappings & other general mess left from the night before. At least the next groups of walkers would be able to enjoy their stroll without thinking that we were a thoughtless, lazy bunch here in Daylesford.

Someone dubbed me ‘Mother Goose’ when Wes put this photo up on Facebook – the geese were thrilled with the rice & you can see those in the background racing to catch up, including two parents with a small gosling, which loved the rice as well.

We decided to go out at 9am after I had pumped water at Leitches Creek & found Jackie’s on Vincent open & serving breakfast. Jackie makes wonderful omelettes & is always happy to add chilli to them! We sat outside & the next three people to join us also ordered the omelettes. Jackie & Lisa work very hard both in their restaurant & promoting it on Facebook. We are only sorry we don’t get there as often as we would like. On New Year’s Day at 9am, they were one of only 4 places open where you could get hot drinks & breakfast. They have 4 small children, who are all in China with their grand-parents so Jackie & Lisa can concentrate on being open & looking after their customers through busy January.

Jackie’s yummy omelettes

New Year’s Day was official Start Looking for Lewis & Morse Day, and after breakfast we came home to do just that. We emailed about 6 breeders who had at least 2 yellow males. That night we received one reply but no way of contacting the breeder other than email.

Our Lake Daylesford walk was much easier the next morning, as there were only some towels, shorts & the odd bit of rubbish to remove. We usually hang towels & clothes up at the bridge in case someone comes back to collect them. If they are still unclaimed after three days, we put them in the bin.

Wes spent the morning shopping for Barbara, watering her garden & making sure everything was looking good for her return from New Zealand, as he was collecting her from Melbourne Airport that night. Nick Massaro returned to finish waterproofing our downstairs shower & it looks fantastic. He is such a good friend. He didn’t want any payment, so we had to put money in his bank account instead! I did a walk into Vincent Street to do some shopping & enjoyed being out & about early before it got too hot & too busy.

We received another reply from a couple in Nathalia with two 9-week-old yellow males and made arrangements to visit them yesterday to see if we were a good fit.

Wes’s turn to feed the geese

On Thursday, I went Coles shopping early and Wes went over to see if Barbara was OK. He discovered that she had no ADSL & no Foxtel, so spent the morning helping her get some action on both fronts. I watched Day 1 of the Sydney New Year Test, where the Indians showed us again just how well they can bat against our bowling attack.

On Friday, while Wes drove to Ballarat to collect Barbara’s cat, Bobby, I went to our local pet shop & bought new beds, collars, chokers & food, just in case we brought home Lewis & Morse yesterday.

The cricket was more of the same – Indian batsmen making mincemeat of our bowlers – very frustrating for the Aussies & their supporters & absolute delight for millions of Indians.

On Saturday, I drove to Strathmore to spend time with Leanne. It was a good visit & we achieved a lot together. The Aussies were looking good when Marcus Harris & Marnus Labuschagne were together at the crease, but the wickets fells after Harris went out. I enjoyed seeing Peter Handscomb & Pat Cummins batting well together.

Yesterday we had breakfast for 10 at Glenlyon General Store. I had rung to let them know we were coming & they told me they didn’t take reservations, which I knew. I explained I was letting them know as a courtesy & that Barbara would be in her wheelchair. When we arrived, we had been put at two tables (we can’t possibly put a table of 10 together & no provision had been made for Barbara). I was so disappointed. Our waitress was good, but the owner & the waiter were both rude & most of us felt the meals were overpriced & there wasn’t much choice on the menu.

Wes told everyone what we were doing & we set off for Nathalia with good wishes ringing in our ears. 10 minutes down the track I realised I had left the envelope with the cash for Lewis & Morse at home in a safe place, so we drove back to collect it. Wes told me he had paid for the breakfasts by credit card as the cost was more than the cash he had collected from everyone. When I looked at the receipt, we had only been charged $75, so we went back to the Glenlyon General Store, where they apologised, thanked me & deducted a further $175! We won’t be going back there in a hurry.

We finally got to Nathalia at 2pm & fell in love with Morse & Lewis, who are quite a dark colour & very different from Bilbo & Frodo. We arrived back here at 5pm, everyone exhausted, and took them outside where they had their first encounter with grass. They immediately toileted madly & chased each other around the back yard.

Amazingly they slept through the night, except for a high-pitched squeal at 4am when they woke & didn’t know where they were! Wes took them outside at 6am & they toileted again. Now we are watching them chase each other around the lounge, play briefly with their toys & learn their names, as well as manage stairs. We can’t wait to show them off & are looking forward to visitors.

Learning about grass – Lewis in the foreground & Morse at the back

Morse wide awake!

Taken this morning – Lewis facing the camera & half asleep