Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 31st May 2020

We had a fun time at the Sunday Market last week, even managed to snare some Dutch Cream potatoes! We all had croissants for breakfast and Wes’s plans to get into the garden were stymied by the cold wind & occasional showers. I had planned some phone calls & was able to do them in the warmth of the lounge.

Perfect Snoopy cartoon as Winter approaches

At school on Monday morning we watched another You Tube video by Steve Dotto, where he compared Zoom, Skype & Appear.in. He uses Zoom in his business, but loves Appear.in. We decided to remain with Zoom as so many of our friends are already using it, as well as Skype for one-on-one calls, as it seems to be a better quality than Messenger or Google. The main issue with all platforms, except Appear.in which doesn’t have an app, is that you need to set up the call before making it, as the person/s you want to speak with may not have that app or platform open at the time you choose. This doesn’t bother us as we think it is good etiquette to set up our video chats at a convenient time for each other & our friends.

 

Some glimpses of our walk from Bryce’s Flat to the Blowhole a couple of weeks ago on a perfect morning

That afternoon, we went to Bill Longley’s funeral which was held locally at Verey’s Funeral Parlour. We knew everyone of the 20 invitees, most of whom had known Bill from the Bushwalking Group. It was a wonderful farewell, with his daughter, Cherida, and son, Jeremy, delivering an entertaining, amusing & thoughtful eulogy. We all stood up & toasted Bill with a glass of red wine (his favourite tipple) and said goodbye in the sun with sprigs of rosemary & red roses. We both found it very difficult to be socialising again, and keeping a proper distance was almost impossible. However, we were so pleased to have been invited, for Wes to have been asked to read the Ralph Waldo Emerson poem “Success” and to be able to give our sympathy to Sue and her family.

Tuesday was catching up with friends & family day, while Wes worked in the garden. It was a perfect Autumn day and Lewis & Morse were thrilled to help him sweep, mulch & mow the lower back garden. I spoke with my aunt, Jeff, in Torksey Lock, then my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore, and finally, our friend, Jan Pengilley, in Maleny.

After lunch, Wes & I went to the roundabout in Vincent Street for the raising of the Aboriginal flag by the Hepburn Mayor, Licia Kokocinski, to celebrate National Sorry Day (the National Day of Healing that remembers Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations back in 1998). There were just a handful of us there because of social distancing, but we were proud to be able to participate.

Gary Lawrence & grandsons, Mayor Licia & Warren Maloney – I’m there - obscured by Licia’s flowing jacket!

On Wednesday, while Wes helped Barbara with some chores, I went for a local drive – pumped water at Leitches Creek, delivered jars & Epicures to Nick & Robyn Massaro in Porcupine Ridge, and finished up with a stroll around Daylesford Cemetery looking in vain for Nathan Cummings’ burial site. I found lots of old friends, most of them gone too soon – David Smith, John Clube, Joan Blythe & Trish Nield to name a few.

That night we stayed up late to watch the Coodabeen Champions Live Stream show on You Tube. Wes had bought tickets for us, but you could watch for free. They were fund-raising for the Upper Murray Football Netball League, which is in dire straits & we were happy to donate $10 each. We laughed our heads off for two hours, when we weren’t singing along to Greg Champion’s songs, or listening to the callers to Torch McGee. It was a wonderful footy fix!

We were thrilled to hear that Jessica & Geoff Findlay are the proud parents of twin boys, Ethan & Oliver, born on 20^th May. Joyce & Manny Spiteri, our dear friends, & Jess’s parents, will be delighted to have two grandsons to add to their six beautiful granddaughters.

I’ve been chatting about kookaburras recently – we are serenaded most mornings by them as we walk around Lake Daylesford, and we have a family that lives in a nearby gum tree, who often visit, as do the magpies. Before we had Lewis & Morse, the kookas were very brave & came to our decking to get pieces of cheese to eat, and to chat with the magpies.

These photos were taken in 2018 and I particularly like the top photo where the magpie & kooka appear to be comparing notes. There is no argument as to which bird has the tuneful song, but the laugh of the kooka is magic!

When I was speaking with friends, Jan Pengilley, & later, Kathy Lazzaro, I realised that I was feeling very reluctant to return to Mah Jong soon. I emailed Dot & Judi & was pleased to discover that they felt the same way. We hope to be able to play again, but it may not be until next year. I have also decided not to go straight back to gym, which can re-open from 22^nd June. Barry, who runs it, says he will only open on Tuesdays & Thursday, with small classes. This is all very sensible, but most of my gym friends have families, not living here, that they will have been visiting & I don’t want to risk putting myself in harm’s way. Lots of people like me have immunity issues & are probably feeling the same way.

Friend, Frank Page, took this stunning early photo of Lake Daylesford during Friday morning’s incredible mist. It was too dark for us to see let alone take a photo.

When the mist finally rose, we had another lovely sunny day, but we had already decided it would be madness to go for our usual second walk on Friday mornings, as we would be in danger of falling over or tripping along the narrow miners’ tracks.

There were quite a few visitors in Daylesford this weekend, not as many as we’ll have next weekend with the Queen’s birthday long weekend. Some accommodation places are re-opening & restaurants are cautiously preparing to serve diners inside, instead of just doing take-away. The Hepburn Shire Council has put up notices everywhere asking visitors to respect social distancing and we just have to hope they do, although my experience with three young men on Friday wasn’t a hopeful one, as they frolicked about Vincent Street, taking selfies & touching everything in sight!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 24th May 2020

Everyone was very cheerful at the Daylesford Market last Sunday – even though it was icy cold, the sun was starting to shine & the stallholders were organised and excited to be seeing their regulars and making an income. We noticed a few more dogs than usual, not that we will be bringing Lewis & Morse again until social distancing is no more. Wes bought currant buns for Rob, Dene, Barbara & us. We had croissants for breakfast while reading the Sunday Age. I was starting to feel tired & realised I had to put in a quiet day – no gardening, phone calls or housework!

Some last glimpses of Autumn from King Street – you can just see our home in the bottom two photos

Sadly, this lethargy persisted through until Wednesday. Wes reminds me it is the pattern – I try to do too much one week & pay for it the following one. And apparently, this often happens in May! You would think I would learn. So, I missed out on making a few phone calls, but will catch up with them this coming week, I hope.

At lunchtime, Rob arrived saying Dene had made a stunning Morello Cherry Genoise with Chocolate Ganache, and they wanted to share it with us. We couldn’t wait to try it, added some sour cream, and enjoyed every mouthful.

Wes continued to cut away the ivy this week & is hoping to plant roses & lavender along our front shared fence with Rob & Dene. Rob is going to plant some maples on their side, which would be very pretty indeed.

Wes also had a highly successful Zoom meeting with his Reconciliation Committee. As well he visited Barbara daily, chatted with old school friends, old friends & some not so old ones. He also did his usual amount of writing & research in Ancestry and had to do the lion’s share of dog-walking, cooking & cleaning, for which I am most grateful.

During the week, Wes put up the 1960 signage for his parents’ milk bar at 195 Hope Street in the FB group Who Grew Up in Brunswick and was delighted to find it was remembered fondly by some of the group. Some said how friendly his mother, Dot, had been, and others just wanted to talk about buying Cobbers & Licorice Blocks.

Our other neighbour, Glen, has been unpacking boxes & offered me the choice of some wonderful DVD series. I have started re-watching Inspector George Gently, the books of which were a big disappointment, but the series is so good with Martin Shaw & Lee Ingleby in the lead roles. I have discovered that we missed the first series, so there is plenty to catch up on. As well I am enjoying Poirot, most of which I have seen twice already. However, David Suchet is so perfect as Poirot, and in the short stories, Hugh Fraser does a wonderful job as Captain Hastings. I especially love all the Art Deco buildings & furniture and the beautiful old cars.

For everyone who loves seeing photos of our boys – here are Morse & Lewis comfy under their day rug

On Thursday we heard that our old friend, Bill Longley, had died peacefully in St John of God Hospital in Ballarat. I first met Bill, (a Pom), when I joined the Bushwalking Group back in 1999.

Lovely photo of Sue & Bill back in 2003 - enjoying a PAWCPIES picnic

Bill taught me lots about safety in the bush, identifying birds & gold mining. He & Sue met Wes early on too and we spent some fun times together as a foursome or with groups. Bill was working as a potter as he had done in England and I use the salad bowl we have of his nearly every day. Then he & Sue turned their home into a B&B, which made for some amusing & not so amusing stories of how their guests behaved. Finally they retired to Elsbeth Court, where they were generous hosts and shared their produce with everyone – I’ve never seen two lemon trees produce as much fruit as theirs, and as for their strawberries – our patch came from one sucker that Bill potted up for me. Bill had a wonderful sense of humour, was an excellent storyteller and had an eye for a good red wine. He will be missed.

We feel extremely fortunate to be attending Bill’s funeral tomorrow at Verey’s, in Daylesford, where Sue has asked Warren to read a poem. It is lovely to be able to say goodbye.

Shortly we will be off to the Sunday Market as usual. We’ve walked the boys, who had a bath yesterday & who dried off by tearing around the back yard getting muddy. They eventually fell asleep from exhaustion & we were able to listen to the Coodabeen Champions in peace. I haven’t missed footy nearly as much as I expected as my weekly dose of their humour keeps me feeling connected to the sport. This is their 40^th year on air & they are celebrating by writing a book & putting on a live online performance this Wednesday night. We have bought tickets & will be watching with great pleasure.

Thanks again for everyone who contacted us this week or thought of some way to make our time in isolation better. You are all much appreciated.

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 17th May 2020

We started our week with a lovely Mothers’ Day. After shopping at the Sunday Market, we put our purchases in the car & went for a stroll along the length of the stalls, looking to see what else was available – sadly no Portuguese tarts or any other appealing naughties, so went home to Stella’s croissants & plum jam from Rob & Dene. The rest of the day was relaxing with a couple of delightful occurences. While I was chatting with Leanne & reminiscing about Mothers’ Day lunches when our mother, Viva, was alive, Wes received an unexpected & very welcome call from Ken & Geraldine Wilson. Ken was Town Clerk of the City of Brunswick when Wes was a Councillor & Mayor there in the early 80s, and although we don’t see each other often, it is always enjoyable to remember old times & celebrate the present.

More glimpses of Autumn – this time from our back yard with Ornamental grape, carpet roses & espaliered cherry trees

That afternoon, Wes had a wonderful Skype call with other old friends, Hymie & Joan Zawatzky. Hymie was originally a friend of Ray Maloney (Wes’s Dad), and they met at the Carlton Social Club, where Ray held sway on match afternoons. Hymie soon joined the group chatting about the team & saving seats for those who arrived later & intended to watch the game live, rather than view it from the bar. We’ve stayed in touch over the years, but this is the first time Wes had seen them for some time.

We had found another bottle of Cofield Sparkling Shiraz to go with our take-away meal from Jackie’s on Vincent, and it was the perfect way to finish our day with our usual orders cooked to perfection & piping hot. We had to freeze the sweets as we couldn’t fit them in!

Monday School was learning how we each save our Documents & Pictures & we discovered some areas that needed work as we were showing each other how we manage our files. It was most instructive & useful & I am sure we picked up tips to better save files in the future.

Morse & Lewis taking things easily for a change!

That afternoon, I got stuck into the garden beds in the front – dug them over, covered them in manure & newspapers & soil, before finishing off with sugar cane mulch. They are already being covered in Autumn leaves as the dogwoods shed their beautiful canopies. I found that amount of work quite exhausting, so indulged in our spa bath afterwards, something I very rarely do. It was just what was needed I felt much more relaxed afterwards.

Last Roses for the season

The next morning, Wes worked in the rest of the front garden, mulching & removing ivy from our shared fence & even had the energy to work in the back as well. Meanwhile I had my regular Skype call with Leanne, followed by a most enjoyable Zoom chat with local friend, Jane Barrett. We don’t see each other often, but we find we have lots to talk about when we do catch up. I also had a good phone call with Kathy Lazzaro, who keeps skiting about the number of figs on their tree, compared to the 8 or so that we have picked from ours!

A glorious sunset on 12^th May

There has been a lot of activity in Daylesford during the week, including replacement of wires & connectors at the top of telegraph poles, which meant no power on Thursday from 9am to 2.30pm. As well, there have been Council workers putting in a new drain at Rob & Dene’s place, this is probably the third attempt to solve an overflow problem & the Council is finally doing what should have been done at the start. Lewis & Morse were interested observers until a Collie dog wandered down our driveway munching on a bone & they went ballistic! Fortunately our bins were emptied very early on Thursday morning or else the Garbos wouldn’t have been able to get into our little dead-end street.

On Friday, we did an extra walk – from Bryce’s Flat to The Blowhole, which took about an hour. We had hoped to walk around The Blowhole, but there were workmen everywhere, so we just turned back.

Wes with Bilbo at the Blowhole in 2016

Jane Knox put up some lovely photos on Facebook on Thursday to let us all know that her father, Frank, aged 100, had died peacefully that morning. We didn’t get to meet Frank, but I spoke to him on the phone & appreciated the wonderful relationship that Jane & David shared with him. I’m only sorry that I won’t be able to attend his funeral in NSW. I will never forget Jane’s surprise arrival at St Monica’s, Moonee Ponds, for Viva’s funeral in 2014, & what it meant to me to have her make the effort to be there.

One of my favourite photos of Jane & Frank

When I read in The Age, that hairdressers were going to be permitted to re-open, I contacted Lyndal Conroy at The Cutting Studio, and she very kindly fitted me in for a fringe trim. I was the only customer at the time & she was the only hairdresser operating, so I felt very safe in that environment. She had removed everything from her salon such as magazine, cushions, products and decorations & was scrupulous with her sanitising.

Yesterday was yet another beautiful day after a cold morning. It was warm enough to be in short sleeves once the sun got going. Wes spent time in the back garden, where he is fighting more ivy, which has taken over in some areas. I weeded the strawberry patch & mulched it where I could. It has grown like Topsy from the single plant that Bill & Sue Longley gave me about 12 months ago.

Thanks to everyone who has kept in touch this week via phone, mobile, text, email, FB, Zoom & Skype. We really appreciate your contact with us and it has made this time in semi-isolation so much easier. Apart from the fringe cut, neither of us has relaxed our vigilance & we have no plans to travel outside of the Hepburn Shire in the near future.

Daylesford Mothers' Day Dispatch - Sunday, 10th May 2020

After our long walk early last Sunday & a very successful trip to the Sunday Market, we were pleased to sit down to croissants & jam for breakfast with the Sunday Age. Wes had gone foraging while I collected fruit & vegetables from Yvonne & his big find was Portuguese tarts made from scratch by Danny’s Farm. He also bought a dozen large eggs from the Pero’s Winery stall. When we got home he distributed the tarts to Rob, Dene, Barbara & Glen. We saved ours for afternoon tea.

In the afternoon, we planted our bulbs & it was wonderful to be doing it in our little strip of Duke Street. Thanks to the friends we shared bulbs with for letting us know that they had been planted.

  

Here we are planting – Wes on the left, and Glen & Rob on the right

The next morning we had our School session which tackled photos & how we each save them with a view to improving & customising our methods. We looked at every possible command & option & learned heaps, some of which should enhance my Dispatch photos.

We had decided the previous week that we should have the COVID-19 test – Wes has had a runny & blocked nose for a while & I’ve had a persistent cough for the past few weeks. Wes started by ringing Springs Medical Centre for their advice & they were taken aback, which was surprising. They eventually gave him the phone number of the Sebastopol COVID-19 Testing centre & he was given the third degree before agreement was reached that we could proceed to the next stage. This took the form of a text message asking us to answer the next call from a Private number on our mobiles!

We were eating our lunch when my phone rang & by the time I grabbed it to answer it, it was too late. Happily, Wendy, our go-between, rang on the home phone, which we answered easily. She asked a few more questions, checked our full names, DOB and then suggested we could slot in at 2.30pm that day. We stopped eating lunch, brushed our teeth, hopped in the car with the Tom Tom & drove to what is usually a dental clinic, where we stayed in our car until we were collected. The procedure took a couple of minutes – our heart rates & temperatures were taken, then we were swabbed for 20 seconds in the back of the throat & 10 seconds at the back of each nostril. By the time we drove back home, it was under 2 hours in total, which was excellent, considering the drive to Sebastopol takes 45 minutes.

 Glimpses of Autumn in our front garden

That night, after Wes had a most enjoyable catch up on Zoom with old school friends, we broke our Monday night ‘no drinking rule’ and indulged in a glass or two of red wine to celebrate our successful & busy day. I had received a very welcome & enjoyable phone call from Squiz Murray & Wes had heard from Fraser Gibson, which was similarly much appreciated. After dinner we watch the second half of one of our absolute favourite films Chariots of Fire – perfectly cast, written & filmed. I must have seen it at least 10 times.

On Tuesday, Leanne & I had a good Skype chat & decided to make it a weekly event. She loves seeing Lewis & Morse and they react to her voice which is lovely for her. Wes planted the rest of our bulbs – both Erlicheer & Dutch Iris - in the back garden, especially in & around the dog cemetery, where Casper, Frodo & Bilbo lie peacefully under big rocks to stop them from escaping the way they did in their lives!

Wes spent Wednesday morning helping Barbara with various things, while I said goodbye to our last tomato plant, picked 3 figs (a record) & had a very lovely catch up chat with Jane Knox in Sydney. Her husband, David, appeared in the background & it was wonderful to see them both looking very well & content. I could picture myself at their dining room table sharing one of Jane’s yummy meals, something I had done on my own, with Wes & with Danny Millman on occasion. I also rang Barry Spall, old friend & gym instructor to see how he & Fran were going. He was out on a walk, and Fran assured me that they were both travelling well, doing lots of walks in the forest & that Barry was missing his gym students. It will be great to see him again when the gym is able to re-open.

Wes has been working solidly most afternoons on Ancestry research, as well as contributing some memorable photos to a Facebook site called Growing Up in Brunswick. I, too, grew up in Brunswick, but went to school firstly in Coburg (where we lived until I was 8) then in Moonee Ponds to finish Primary school & finally Essendon for secondary school. Most of the photos I looked at were taken in places other than Brunswick, but I did find one of me in front of the willow tree in our back yard at 1 Morrow Street, West Brunswick. This prompted someone to contact me to say his father moved there in 1966 & was still there all these years later. Morrow Street had 7 houses, and stopped at the Moonee Ponds creek.

Here I am aged 12

That afternoon, Wes & I received our texts to say that we had tested negative to COVID-19, which seemed as good a reason as any for a glass of red wine, instead of pear juice with dinner that night!

On Thursday morning, Wes & Paul Jackson enjoyed their transatlantic early chat when we returned from our walk. I caught up with Leanne on the phone & spent the rest of the morning doing mundane things like washing & ironing before settling down with a book for the afternoon.

We were able to go for a second walk on Friday, the first time for a while & tackled the loop from Tipperary Springs to Bryce’s Flat, which took 2 hours & covered about 11kms, which gave us a total of 17km for the day. No wonder Lewis & Morse lay about like stunned mullets until dinner time, when they miraculously recovered!

Yesterday we walked a circuit of Lake Daylesford before the rain came down. Wes abandoned plans to wash the boys, and tackled dusting, vacuuming & washing the floors instead.

This morning was icy with 1° as we were walking. As I sit here the mist is rising from Lake Daylesford, the birds are in full force carolling as they enjoy their seed & rolled oats; a few roses are trying hard to bloom & a pair of young labs are asleep at my feet. Bliss!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 3rd May 2020

Sunday again, and already we are in May. We started last week with our usual successful & fun visit to the Sunday Market & came home to find that Wes’s computer had crashed. He tried everything he could, but eventually got some good help which put him back on air. Meantime I made a batch of minestrone soup, which was perfect for our dinner with fresh wholemeal sourdough bread from Stella’s. We shared the loaf with Rob & Dene, as there was more than we could eat.  

Most of the rest of the day was spent by Wes downloading his programmes again and I entered the fray with Norton & sent him a link for Microsoft Office 365, which wouldn’t work & required technical assistance. We chanced upon a very helpful chap who went into the computer & made it all happen. Needless to say we were pleased to sit down with serious drinks at 5.30pm!

We don’t often see Rerun in Snoopy cartoons, but this one is a beauty!

The Government launched their COVIDSafe app to help track the virus and we immediately downloaded it, however it wouldn’t accept our mobile numbers. I emailed the developer & within a short time had an email reply and we were able to enter our mobiles & register. It was very heartening to see the rate of take up was much higher than had been expected.

On Monday we did two complete laps of Lake Daylesford, to make up for missing out the day before. Lewis & Morse were exhausted afterwards & spent much of the day lying in the sun in our lounge, with very occasional loo trips outside. Our School project had been to network share our computers and we failed. I was able to share with Wes, but he couldn’t open anything without permission & his computer couldn’t find me to share with me!

We eventually conceded defeat & had a quick family drive up to Wombat Hill Nursery to collect our Erlicheer bulbs, which we had ordered as part of a community purchase of 15,000 bulbs. We paid for 150 bulbs, which was enough to share with friends, which we did. All around Daylesford, people were collecting bulbs today & as well as sharing with friends & neighbours, we had all paid for a community planting, which will be done in consultation with the Hepburn Shire. This is such a lovely idea and Donna & Jeff Thorneycroft are to be congratulated for thinking of it & their son, Liam, is also to be thanked for publicising it. The bulbs were sold in 3 days flat!

We are trying to keep in touch with more & more friends each week, especially those living on their own, for whom this is quite a challenge. We are both thrilled that you are thinking of us also & sending emails & texts, ringing us on our home or mobile phones & taking part in Skype & Zoom calls. I am still on my L-plates with Zoom, but getting used to the technology which is so much more sophisticated than Skype. Although we both think the Skype picture is better.

One of the local businesses helping people in need is the Good Grub Club, which is delivering hot meals, as well as boxes of provisions to people who can’t go shopping, but would like to cook their own meals. Sallie Harvey, a wonderful local singer, is spear-heading this group & has been so successful with publicity that she rated a mention on the ABC National Radio News last Sunday morning.

Our local fruit, vegetables & deli shop, Tonna’s, has been doing a great job filling our orders. I put in a request on Tuesday morning for collection on Thursday, but was rung that afternoon to say that everything was ready & I could pick it up. You park near Tonna’s & approach the trestle tables, give your order number, pay by credit card & walk away with your provisions – takes about 5 minutes & is very well run. We particularly like Tonna’s excellent Italian pastas, their range of dried herbs & spices, their home-made muesli, large jars of anchovies, breads, juices, cheeses as well as their wide variety of fruit & vegetables. The shop, run by the Maltese family, has been in Daylesford for longer than we have (22 years) and some 15 years ago moved out of the Vincent Street shopping strip into a huge warehouse that used to house dog & horse food. They are still in Vincent Street, but next door to the BP Service Station & have heaps of parking.

On Thursday morning I had my first multi-guest Zoom chat with dear friends, Kathy Lazzaro & Karen Stevenson. Our husbands had all chatted on Saturday, so we thought we would give it a go & I hosted it to give me experience. Both the Lazzaro & Stevenson families are very familiar with the technology as they have both children & grand-children & have enjoyed being able to keep in touch that way. We were all pleased to see each other & I found we rarely interrupted the flow. We promised to do it again soon. Meanwhile Wes had a good chat with his cousin, Amanda, in Yarraville & brought her up to date on family news. He also taught Barbara how to use Zoom & they are communicating that way to give her practice.

  

Wes with Kathy & Ged in London in 2010 – such a lovely time catching up overseas!

On Friday afternoon, I received a phone call from my sister, Leanne, saying she couldn’t wait any longer to know if I had received the parcel she sent me. Leanne was the kind person who sent me the red teapot, because it reminded her of our tea & coffee breaks some years ago when she was able to visit the Napier Street, Strathmore, strip of shops & we would stop at Edward Abbot before we came back home. She didn’t realise that by removing her name from the paperwork, I would be unable to guess who had sent the parcel. She is relieved that it arrived in one piece & I am grateful to be able to thank her! Yes, I have used it & it keeps the tea very hot, which is the prime function of a teapot for me!

Here are Karen (AKA Lovely) Stevenson & I catching up in December 1979 at Squiz & Jan’s wedding under the trees

We weren’t able to walk the boys on either Friday or Saturday because it was so very wet. They were happy with early breakfasts & games of chasey before settling down in front of the fire….and so were we, without the chasey!

Yesterday we had lots of leftovers, so I made a big pot of soup, which will keep us going for a few days, and has emptied the crispers in time for reinforcements this morning at the Sunday Market.

Wes had arranged for his Daylesford Boys’ Film Group to catch up on Zoom & included Jan Pengilley in the group. She would have enjoyed seeing everyone & laughing over memories of fun times, when the ‘boys’ spent an afternoon together, drinking & eating & watching specially chosen films. Jan’s late husband, Warren, AKA Secundus, particularly loved these occasions & after he died, Jan was invited to attend in his place. I’m not sure she was able to consume quite the same amount of fine whisky & red wine, nor need the lift home afterwards!

Jan & Warren at Remembrance Day, Daylesford 2013