Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 28th July 2019

There were 5 of us at breakfast on Sunday and we enjoyed yummy meals, while listening to tales of everyone’s past week. Rhonda dropped in to say hello, which was lovely. Afterwards, Wes visited Barbara to help her with computer issues and later had a visit from Peter O’Mara, who is on his Reconciliation Committee to talk through a plan of attack. I was still recovering from Collingwood’s unexpected, awful loss the previous day, and decided to read the weekend’s papers & watch the afternoon footy, which offered up three exciting matches with a couple of unexpected results.

One of my favourite Snoopy cartoons

On Monday morning I was finally able to go back to gym. I decided not to walk with Wes & the boys but set off early to pump water at Leitches Creek, deliver weekend newspapers to Judi, and pick lemons from Bill & Sue’s prolific trees. I took things easily at gym but was pleased to discover I could still do everything on my programme, just fewer repetitions.

Wes spent the morning taking control of the back yard with intense help from Lewis & Morse, who were under his feet most of the time. The lawn is still very muddy, and we are hoping for more sunshine to dry it out. However, our lemon trees are finally fruiting, a couple of the camellias are starting to bloom & there are daffodil shoots everywhere.

That afternoon I decided to go for a walk around Lake Daylesford. The sun was shining & it was a while since I had done any serious walking. My timing was such that I was able to say goodbye to all the geese, as they were being rounded up & shipped out as decided by Council the previous week. Alla Wolf-Tasker, owner of the Lake House, caught 4 before anyone could stop her, and refused to let anyone on her property to retrieve them. As well as all this drama, about 20 young people, mostly Americans, were gathered at the old change sheds making boats of sticks & string & attempting to float them; there were groups of Indian & Chinese visitors strolling around, and Bleakley Street was partially closed for roadworks.

We set off on Tuesday morning for our usual walk and just after we set off the rain came down & looked settled in. Lewis & Morse were confused but happy to get an early breakfast. The rain eventually eased off and we were able to get a few things done, including feeding the birds, who were getting quite anxious when their seed hadn’t been strewn.

Lovely photo of everyone celebrating Mary Saundry’s 70^th birthday at the Grand Hyatt last Sunday – L-R Anthony, Chiara, Terry, Mary, Michaela, Michael, George, Michelle & Dante (Jessie was there in spirit)

Sandra came to clean on Wednesday, which is always a delight, as we briefly have an extremely clean house, before the boys play in the mud & spread their pawprints everywhere. Dot & I played Mah Jong, and Wes spent time with Barbara.

On Thursday, Wes had invited his sister, Denise, out for a meal to celebrate her birthday, which was the next day. He took her to one of our favourite places, Chaplin’s, in Trentham, and they sat in the newly refurbished art deco room with the Charlie Chaplin painting.

On Friday we drove in separate cars to Castlemaine for Marie Anderson’s funeral. It was a very small & simple affair & we did enjoy catching up with her family members & hearing stories of their early life. Afterwards, I drove to East Melbourne, where I was staying at the Comfort Hotel, and Wes went back home to see what damage the boys had done in our absence.

I had decided to see a film in the afternoon, just in case the footy was awful & what a good decision that was. I went to the Kino and saw the film, Yesterday, which I & the rest of the audience enjoyed very much.  When I emerged from the cinema, I discovered it was raining & my umbrella was in the boot of the car, so I walked through rain, along with thousands of others (some with umbrellas) to the MCG. I was lucky enough to get a seat in the back row of the Balcony, which is completely under cover. Most of the women around me all had one thought in mind – get to the toilets & try to dry off socks, coats, hats, trousers & bags by using the hand dryers. We were moderately successful.

I found my old friend, Margaret Nolan, and spent some time with her before having a drink & good chat with David Lazzaro. I wanted to buy Gayle Gibson a glass of bubbles for her birthday, but she was being wined & dined in the Members’ Dining Room & we never caught up with each other.

Richmond were far too good for us after the first 5 minutes & if we hadn’t had a handful of really good players, we might have lost by 10 goals instead of the moderately respectable 32 points. It was wonderful to be 10 minutes’ walk away from home and I soon warmed up after a shower.

Snapshots from breakfast yesterday – Ged & Malcolm, Kathy & me: Malcolm & Karen at Square & Compass

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 21st July 2019

Once again, we started our week with a fun breakfast at The Food Gallery. Sandy was in a mischievous mood, telling funny stories, and we all enjoyed ourselves. Pasquale & Andrew were looking exhausted after one of the busiest second term School Holiday period I can remember. We tried without success to stay awake to see the One Day World Cup Final and the tennis and woke on Monday to discover that both events had been dramatic & exciting victories to England & Novak Djokovic.

On Monday morning, while Wes finished pruning the roses, I went back to The Food Gallery, to meet Judi for a catch-up cuppa. We were joined by Bronwen Scarffe, which was lovely. When Wes & I were Rotarians, we had dinner with Bronnie & others most Wednesday nights & I have missed seeing her regularly. George Jackson had his table in the window, with Max Primmer & others having cuppas or late breakfasts with him.

When I came back home, I had enough energy to do some more book-culling. The Primary School Book Fair is only 3 weeks away, so I needed to get cracking!

We had a delightful visit on Tuesday from old friend, Annie Smith, her daughter, Fiona, and her grand-daughter, Chloe. Lewis & Morse were in heaven as Chloe spent the whole two hours cuddling & playing with them. We think it was the best day of their lives!

Morse, Chloe & Lewis having fun on the decking

On Wednesday, Wes had his second Reconciliation Committee meeting, which went well, and I played Mah Jong with Dot at Muffins & More, which was doing a roaring trade despite the drizzle & cold. That night we were very sad to hear from Stuart Anderson that his mother, Marie, had died peacefully that afternoon. We are so pleased we visited her last month & only sorry that I hadn’t been well enough for a second visit to the Castlemaine Nursing Home. Marie was a wonderful & inspirational woman. We met 20 years ago when U3A Hepburn Shire was starting & she & I took many classes together, as well as spending time at Ballarat learning how to create a suitable website.

Marie with her family – sons Ross & Stuart & Stuart’s wife, Robyn

It was Wes’s turn to spend a day with Leanne, so he headed off on Thursday morning, which was blissfully dry for a change, although our backyard is still a mudheap. He was able to help her with quite a few jobs that are too much for one person to do, and I am sure they had plenty of laughs when he told her the latest stories about Lewis & Morse.

This was taken after they were towelled down when we returned home on Wednesday morning

The rest of the week was delightfully sunny & warm after cold mornings. Wes spent time in the garden, caught up with phone calls & worked hard on Ancestry & stories of his family. I am busy knitting small jumpers for Keeping Daylesford Warm. Barbara gave Wes some brightly coloured wool for me and there has been enough for jumpers for a change. I will make matching beanies as well.

Wes & Morse happy together – one reading & the other zedding!

Now the footy has been another matter this weekend. Carlton looked comfortable winning against Gold Coast, but Collingwood was jumped by Greater Western Sydney & never recovered from an 8 goal to 1 first quarter. We’ll be lucky to finish in the top 4 at this rate. Brisbane are looking the goods with another gutsy win & are 2^nd on the ladder, which nobody predicted.

Daylesford has made the ABC TV news this week with the decision by Council to remove the geese from Lake Daylesford. The community is divided with lots of us in favour of keeping the geese, as they are part of the landscape & a great tourist attraction. The rest are of the opinion that as the geese are tame, not wild, they don’t belong here & damage the ecology of the area. I think their removal is a fait accompli, but I know we will be sorry to see them go & have always enjoyed feeding them & chatting to them.

Christmas morning treats

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 14th July 2019

I missed a very entertaining breakfast last Sunday. Janine was back from her trip to Queensland meet her son’s partner; Jan was back from a wonderful Vietnamese wedding in Sydney; Judi & Sandy both divulged family secrets, and a good time was had by all at the Food Gallery.

The U3A Hepburn Shire community was very sorry to hear of the death of Dr Russ Wilkinson on 2^nd July. Russ was responsible for teaching us all Mah Jong over many years and we will always be grateful to him for that. His wife, Peppa, held crochet lessons as well, until Russ’s bad health required a move to Ballarat to be closer to specialists. Russ will be missed, but never forgotten.

On a lighter note, Danny sent me this lovely photo of him at Flemington on Saturday for an annual boys’ day at the races. It encouraged me to look at the horses & have $1 each way on Dogmatic (why not), which was well beaten & Reykjavik (because we love Iceland), which romped home at good odds in the feature race.

On Sunday afternoon, I got out of bed in a show of solidarity to watch the Blues play the Demons in a must-win game for both teams. The Blues started slowly yet again & stormed home to take the lead with 2 minutes to go. Melbourne managed to score and won with seconds to spare. A couple of players we have been berating put in good games, while Liam Jones played his worst in ages (& for some reason played 100% game time).

I took this delightful photo of the boys giving their support to Wes during the 1^st quarter.

On Monday morning I woke feeling much better, and although I was still too asthmatic to do anything much, got up & dressed & sat around enjoying the sunshine. I think all three boys were pleased to see me.

I was finally able to pull my weight on Tuesday by making a big pot of minestrone soup, which we enjoyed with local sourdough olive bread (courtesy of Matt & Sara). The boys found a secret cache of plastic foam packaging & distributed it around the garden, the decking & their bedroom. Wes eventually tracked it down on Wednesday morning and removed it from their sight. Poor Sandra arrived to clean, fresh from a fortnight’s holiday in Bali, and was confronted by traces of white foam everywhere she went.

While Wes & Barbara did a big supermarket shop on Wednesday morning, I had a fringe trim & later a manicure. Wes visited good friend, David Hall, in the late afternoon, which meant the minestrone came in handy for dinner.

Thursday morning, I played Mah Jong with Dot for a couple of hours at Muffins & More, before Wes & I had lunch at Rubens, a long-standing lunch & dinner restaurant in Main Road, Hepburn Springs. It is ages since we have been there & the quality of the food & service was just as good as we remembered. The only drawback to Rubens is the noise levels when it is busy, but there were only 11 other people eating when we arrived, and we got the table for 2 in front of the elevated open fire.

Me tucking into smoked salmon fettucine with chillies – very yum!

We came home to a period of busyness – both Judi & Gail rang our mobile & home phones at the same time as Nick Massaro arrived to fix our sliding door (yet again) and couldn’t make himself heard over the phones as the previous night’s power outage had disabled the front door bell. We eventually got on top of everything, Nick fixed the door, I replied to the phone calls & after feeding the boys dinner, went to bed exhausted.

We had hoped to spend a pleasant evening watching the Aussies beat the Poms in the semi-final of the One-Day Cricket World Cup, but when we were 3/10, all those thoughts were put away. We capitulated, except for Steve Smith & Alex Carey, and the Poms were easily able to pass our meagre score of 223 with 18 overs to spare & only 2 wickets down.

On Friday we woke to a gentle soaking rain. Wes walked the boys anyway as they love being walked & coming home to breakfast, which I have prepared in their absence. I went supermarket shopping, caught up with the usual Friday morning early shoppers & we settled in for a quiet day.

Wonderful photo of our old friend, Bob White, with his friend, Angel, & a very decorated Inca warrior perhaps in Mexico City this week

That night we watched in amazement as Collingwood came back from the dead to beat West Coast Eagles by 1 point over in Perth.

Yesterday, we enjoyed some snow, kept the open fire going, and barracked successfully for Carlton to get over the line against the Swans.

Cofield Sparkling Shiraz celebratory drinks

It’s another cold, wet morning here and we’re about to put coats on the boys & take them to the Sunday Market, before heading to breakfast with friends, where we have a surfeit of Dutch Cream potatoes to share with them!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 7th July 2019

Last Sunday breakfast was cancelled as there were only 4 of us & the weather was still wet & cold. As a result, we spent the morning at home for a change before collecting Matt & Sara from Double Nut & enjoying a lovely long lunch with them at Boathouse Daylesford. We dropped them back and went home to watch Carlton unexpectedly beat Freo over there with less than a minute to go. Wes, like all Carlton supporters, was absolutely delighted, especially as Charlie Curnow was injured halfway into the 1^st quarter & they had to play without his brilliance.

Wes, Sara & Matt enjoying Boathouse

On Monday I joined my three boys on the early walk around Lake Daylesford once again before heading to the gym, where I have a new programme to learn. Matt & Sara had asked if they could spend time with us that morning, much to our delight. We picked them up at 9.30 & did gave them a short tour around Hepburn Springs, Hepburn, Shepherds Flat, Elevated Plains, Franklinford, Mt Franklin, Dry Diggings & back to Daylesford. We looked at the Blowhole, and had morning tea at the Chocolate Mill, before finishing up with a drive around the Wombat Hill Botanical Gardens. Before Wes dropped them back at Double Nut accommodation, we came home here so they could meet Lewis & Morse, who greeted them with their usual enthusiasm and complete lack of obedience, so loved by dog owners!

  

                                                

         The Blowhole looking majestic

On Tuesday morning I drove to Ballarat to see the film Rocketman, which I really enjoyed, I was particularly pleased to have the cinema all to myself until I decided to check I was in the right one & discovered I had misread the signs. I quickly collected my things & moved to Cinema 3 where I joined 9 others but was able to get a seat in the back row, always my preferred option.

When I arrived home, Lewis & Morse were sound asleep, exhausted after helping Wes bring in kindling & firewood & various other jobs in the backyard.

Brotherly love, although you wouldn’t think so all the time!

I dropped in another crop of beanies etc as Jodie was doing a distribution again this week. I think the publicity she gained with a front- page article in the local paper has increased the numbers of knitters & donors of wool, which is great.

On Wednesday I woke to find I had caught Wes’s head cold & we decided a day in bed was the best cure. Fortunately, I had no appointments to cancel & felt much better for the rest. By Thursday my head was working again & it was such a beautiful day, it was a pleasure to be up and about again.

Wes took Barbara to lunch in Ballarat for her birthday & the boys coped with my rather sedentary style and occasionally took themselves out for a game of chasey in the back yard.

On Friday afternoon I drove to Northcote & checked in at Danny’s place, where we sat quietly over cups of tea & caught up on news. My cold had freshened up & I really shouldn’t have made the trip, but it was a belated birthday dinner & game at the G and I didn’t want to disappoint Danny by calling it off. We caught the train to the ground & enjoyed dinner in The Terrace before drinks in the Frank Grey Smith Bar on the 3^rd level. The game didn’t start until 7.50pm, which is almost my bedtime! Hawthorn were too good in the end & won a close game by 4 points.

Yesterday I drove back home via Leanne. I had hoped to spend the day with her but wasn’t feeling well enough. She was most understanding & sent me off with a bag of lemons.

Today Wes has walked the boys, done the Sunday Market shopping & is now at breakfast. I’m planning a very quiet day as this head cold has moved into my chest & feels like bronchial asthma is on the way.