We started our week on such a high after Collingwood's win and breezed through shopping at the Sunday Market, where it was a little more relaxed than the previous week. All our Saints & Magpie supporting friends were on Cloud Nine and lots of texts were sent & received. We had started our Spring Racing Carnival assault on the Saturday with indifferent results, but it was great to watch good racing on TV and get excited about the Melbourne Cup Carnival.
Our dear friend, Annie Smith, had died on Friday, 2nd October, and we were lucky enough to be invited to her funeral, which was held on Thursday at St Peter's Catholic Church. We shared so much with Annie & David before David's untimely death back in 2007. Since then, Annie & I have done different things together & especially in the 20 months since she was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Her attitude was so positive that it contributed to her surviving 16 months more than originally expected. This was helped by the love & devotion of her daughter, Fiona, who put her life in Freo on hold & dedicated her time to making Annie's every day something special.
Lovely photo of Annie, Fiona & Karen at the Open Garden in Mollongghip, November 2019
Annie's devoted Irish Water Spaniel, Maisie
Annie's funeral was the wettest & windiest we have ever attended (40 mls of rain overnight & another 40 mls during the next 24 hours). There were 20 of us in St Peter's Catholic Church, all windswept & cold just from getting out of our cars. Annie's casket was made of cream wool & looked very stylish. Maisie was allowed to sit in the front pew with Fiona and behaved impeccably as she always does. Wes gave the reading, another friend, Greg, delivered the eulogy & we enjoyed a selection of photos at the end.
At the cemetery, the weather was atrocious & my umbrella completely forgot its manners & turned into a mess of spikes & nylon. Fiona was cold & put on Annie's gloves that she had brought to place on the coffin, only to discover she had two right hand gloves. We all laughed & agreed Annie would have been most amused. Getting the coffin into David's grave was tricky because of the headstone in front of him, so Wes & others ended up doing the carrying & lowering down, which was very special.
We were unable to gather for drinks afterwards, so we came home via the fish & chip shop, changed into dry clothes & opened a good bottle of Great Western Sparkling Shiraz (thanks Rob & Dene) to celebrate Annie's life. She would have approved.
On Monday, our School session had involved going into our bedroom & checking the names, dates & subject matter of each of the 15 paintings there. We decided it would be too much to get them all off the wall at this time, and are planning that for tomorrow. We will photograph them, no doubt dust some of them, and the walls, and replace those that we would like to move from that room.
I have been walking around Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, thinking of all the times Annie & I walked there, first with Woody & more recently with Maisie. In the very early days, we used to have Sunday afternoon picnics with a handful of friends on the lawn. The gardens are looking particularly beautiful at present.
from the top - Azaleas, Weeping Japanese Maple, Rhododendron & Tulips
I've been busy Zooming again - spoken twice with my sister, Leanne,; had a good, long chat with aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire; caught up with old friends, Kathy & Karen; enjoyed speaking with local friend, Dot Smith,; and failed to connect properly with Sydney mate, Jane Knox, so we spoke on the phone instead. Wes had a great conversation with his English & American friends; as well as a long chat with Mike & Linda Kirby in Queensland. He also talks to Barbara Simpson in NZ on Mondays & Fridays; &, this week, Gail & Terry White joined them from Katoomba.
Yesterday's bets for Caulfield Guineas were mostly unsuccessful, (
and we were down $30 in spite of a trifecta & two quinellas) but we are getting to know the horse & colours & enjoying the atmosphere. On Friday night, Richmond were too good for St Kilda, which brought their season to a close and last night Geelong completely dismantled Collingwood's game. Thanks to everyone for your commiserations, words of encouragement & messages of glee!
Lake Daylesford yesterday morning with Barry the fisherman casting his line in the mist
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