Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 25th July 2021

 

I'm sure we've all read books like this!

The Sunday Market was very quiet when we visited early - just a handful of food stores & a few locals shopping quickly. Wes got some olives for Rob & Dene, while I collected our fruit & vegetables from Yvonne, and later shared pumpkin, cabbage, pears & lemons with Glen. We drove to O'Toole's honey (2kms away) to get a large container of messmate. After I had put everything away, Wes cooked scrambled eggs with our parsley & served them on crumpets with our French radishes on the side. Very yummy indeed & I didn't feel I had missed out on a special breakfast.

Karen & others buying & chatting with Yvonne

That afternoon, Carlton beat Collingwood, much to the delight of the long-suffering Blues supporters, who have waited 4 years for this. The Pies started well, but were overcome by a more determined team that wanted to pay homage to a Carlton legend who had died during the week - Serge Silvagni. He was an absolute gentleman, very modest & blazed a trail for Italians to follow in Aussie Rules. His son, Steven, is one of the best Carlton players ever, and his grandson, Jack, played his heart out. His emotion after the game was wonderful to behold. 

Collingwood-supporting old friend, Bryce, suggested we play for the Maloney Cup, so Wes produced this wonderful old cup that his father, Ray, won, when playing for Deepdene FC back in 1935

The silver lining from my point of view was that Wes emerged from the bedroom, where he had been watching to offer me a glass of red & dinner! 

On Monday we discussed a project of doing spreadsheets of all our ailments, injections, health issues etc & made a broad decision that it would be useful to have on some occasions. We also discussed a project of writing up all our overseas trips, but decided that would be a lot of work for not much gain. Instead, we have a list of all the countries we have visited & I'll go through old passports to find out when we were there.

We decided to pretend we were at the Regent Cinema on Tuesday, so after I had chatted with both Leanne & Jan on Zoom, we lit the fire, got our hot drinks plus scones jam & cream & settled down to watch the delightful Scottish film, Whisky Galore. After a lunch break, we saw the English film Le Weekend, set in Paris & starring Jim Broadbend & Lindsay Duncan, which was stunning & provocative in every way. 

There is no pleasure without pain, so Wes spent Wednesday morning vacuuming & washing the floors, while I did the dusting & polishing. We had given Sandra the day off, which suited her, as there is too much mud everywhere for us all to head off for 3-4 hours while she cleans. Fortunately it was a dry morning, which helped as the boys didn't track muddy footprints all over the clean floor the minute they came in. 

Lewis & Morse enjoying spending time in the study with us

The rest of the week has been wet & muddy outside and quite foggy in the mornings. When the fog is heavy, I don't join my boys in their walk as I can't breathe easily. Instead, I force myself to go back to bed with a cup of tea & The Age Cryptic Crossword. 

On Friday night, Collingwood was set an impossible task trying to beat Port Adelaide who are finals bound. We did our best, but once our captain, Scott Pendlebury, broke his leg, late in the first quarter, we lost a lot of our drive. It was a good experience for our two new players as well as the other 7 who have played fewer than 50 games (mostly single figures). We had hoped to stay awake to watch the Olympic Opening Ceremony, but had to make do with the highlights the next day. 

Yesterday Wes was most disappointed in the Blues' lacklustre effort against bottom team, North Melbourne; while the Doggies beat the Demons to regain top spot. We watched some Olympics, including as much of the swimming heats as we could before falling asleep. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 18th July 2021

 

I can relate to this - my thoughts exactly when first playing golf

It's been a wet & foggy week here, although the rain held off on Sunday to give the stall-holders a good chance to make some money on the last day of School Holidays. After a yummy breakfast with friends, we came back home for an afternoon of footy. All results were surprising, and I was delighted that the Pies could come from behind to beat Richmond. We had fish & chips with a Cope Williams Sparkling Rosé at half-time in the game.

On Monday we visited Leanne and were able to help her with her computer & with some maintenance jobs. She had baked another lovely cake, which we enjoyed and were allowed to bring home what was left. The boys had been given large marrow bones & they apparently had eyes for nothing else while we were away. 

There has been a dog staying at the accommodation at the back of us in King Street and every time he is let out, he barks & causes Morse in particular, lots of grief. So Wes spent time on Tuesday morning putting up a barricade to stop the boys being able to get to the fence & trade barks! Meanwhile I had a manicure with old friend, Juls, in Hepburn. She is the most thorough manicurist I have ever met & we did enjoy catching up on each other's news. Juls & George used to be our neighbours at 80 Duke Street in the early 2000s.

It seems that I've gotten the better deal this week - manicure, facial with Emma, Mah Jong with Dot & Judi, Zoom chats with Terry Borg, Leanne & Kathy Lazzaro. Meanwhile Wes has been vacuuming, keeping the garden tidy, wiping muddy paws & feeding the boys when it is pouring rain. He did have a wonderful Zoom with the Jackson 8 on Thursday morning and we have both enjoyed quality cuddles with Lewis & Morse. 

Morse trying out Wes's glasses for size

We weren't surprised when our Premier, Dan Andrews, decided to put Victoria back into lockdown on Thursday night, after three removalists from NSW visited here without abiding by our mask-wearing rules & spreading COVID wherever they went. We cope fine with lockdowns as we are lucky enough to have each other, Lewis & Morse, beautiful views, a large garden & plenty to occupy ourselves. But we do feel very sorry for those in business, those in apartment blocks forced into 14 day quarantine, and those who find lockdowns depressing & don't cope. 

We had to cancel a few activities - we were due to deliver books to the Daylesford Primary School, I had bought tickets to the footy this afternoon & was taking Danny Millman for his birthday. I had planned to stay over at his place & we were meeting Kathy & Gerard Lazzaro for breakfast tomorrow morning in Northcote. Wes & I had planned a trip to the flicks on Tuesday, but not bought tickets in case we were confined to home.  All these things can happen another time.

Lewis & Morse & friend coping with lockdown

Yesterday, our phones kept promising us snow - it was certainly cold (felt like -7°) and far too wet to walk but the snow just didn't come! Today we are promised sunshine, but it is damp with light rain. Wes walked the boys, but we both agreed it was best if I didn't get wet. This afternoon we will watch the Collingwood/Carlton game from different rooms - it's just too hard to enjoy it together. Fingers crossed for a good game with no injuries. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 11th July 2021

Horror film for Dogs 🤣 courtesy of FB

We started our week with a very wet trip to the Sunday Market, followed by breakfast at Woodshed Café, where grateful visitors were pleased to find somewhere out of the rain, mist & cold. Our phones kept promising snow, but it didn't eventuate before we headed off to Melbourne & the MCG to see Collingwood do battle with St Kilda. 

After an easy drive until we reached the city, we were the last car allowed into Gate 3 of the carpark, and reached our seats with one minute before the game was due to start. What a disaster! Collingwood played as though they all had the flu, dropping the ball, passing to the opposition, kicking points instead of goals & frustrating their supporters to distraction! In the last quarter we got some sort of game going, but it was too little, too late. Wes & I left about 5 minutes before the end, which got us back home by 7.30pm, where two very wet, bedraggled & excited labs greeted us. 

Here is a very thrilled Jack Lazzaro after Carlton won at the MCG the night before

On Monday, we had a serious School session, looking at our finances & making decisions about what to do should one of us die or be stricken with a terminal illness. We are both very clear about what we want to do & will probably set in motion the Pension Reverse Mortgage sometime soon, which will enable us to stay at Maloney Folly for a few more years. 

We had hoped to have a Zoom chat with Mike & Linda Kirby, after last month's chat was cancelled when Mike was unavailable, but that didn't happen, so Wes got stuck into home chores, dodging the very cold rain & mist outside. The Kirbys' daughter, Lauren, has been staying in Daylesford with her boyfriend, Daniel, over the past weekend & we had been busy giving suggestions for where to eat & what to do. 

On Tuesday we headed to Ballarat's Regent Cinemas for our fortnightly outing to see the "Australian" film Buckley's Chance. This is not a great film - made by Canadians, starring that well-known Australian, Bill Nighy, and featuring a pair of Americans who never don a hat during their entire time in the Outback. We entertained ourselves on the way home by counting up the errors and bagging the casting (with the exception of one supporting actor & 2 bit players), direction & continuity. However, the Cinema feels very COVID-safe with all the protocols in place & we enjoyed having an outing.

There was no Mah Jong this week as Muffins & More were so busy with School Holiday trade, so we had the week off. As Sandra came to clean, we put the boys in the car & went touring around our immediate area -  Lyonville, Trentham, Tylden, Kyneton, Lauriston, Drummond & Glenlyon - seeing the incredible storm damage along the Trentham Road & lesser damage elsewhere. Lewis & Morse loved going for a drive with us, but were just as happy to come home & go back to their most comfy beds! We stopped at the famous Country Cob Bakery in Kyneton & purchased pies & vanilla slices for lunch. 

During the week I had an excellent Messenger chat with my aunt, Jeff, who had not only donned jewellery, a scarf & lippy for the occasion, but also perfume she assured me! She was looking wonderful & the hour flew by. I've also enjoyed Zoom time with Leanne and it will be good to visit her again tomorrow, after three weeks. As well Lovely & I had a frustrating Zoom, as her internet connection was unstable, but it was good to catch up & share news. Next door neighbour, Glen, came in for a cuppa & chat & after being monstered by the boys, managed to have her morning tea in peace. 

Although it was cold on Friday we walked 2 laps of Lake Daylesford & took the boys socialising at The Virgin Café afterwards as a reward. The waiter loves giving them cuddles, much to their delight. Here they are with Wes waiting for crumbs from our escargots, which are yet to arrive!

I had a burst of cooking yesterday - soup, poached pears & a fruit cake, as well as some serious cleaning in kitchen cupboards followed by some re-organisation. The boys had barked overnight at a dog staying in front of us & we were both very disappointed with them, as they can usually be talked out of bad behaviour. I decided not to chat to them or cuddle them for 24 hours - not sure this had any effect on Morse, but Lewis was upset. And they did very little barking last night.

Wes was very disappointed with Carlton's lack of effort against Geelong in the afternoon, especially when St Kilda were so competitive against Brisbane and kicked them out of the top 4. I woke at 12.30am to see how Ash Barty was going & couldn't take my eyes off the scores on my phone as she won the third set & became the first Australian woman since Evonne Goolagong to win Wimbledon. Earlier Dylan Alcott had won the Quad Wheelchair Men's Final - his third Grand Slam title for the year. 

We, like the rest of Australia, are very sad for NSW with the outbreak of COVID-19 that has forced them into some sort of lockdown & caused most states to close their borders to them. Our thoughts are with our Sydney friends who are in their third week of lockdown after having enjoyed freedom during most of the pandemic. Fingers crossed that this measure succeeds in getting it back under control, as we don't want to have to live with the virus, but eradicate it. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 4th July 2021

 

Where's the drinks & nibbles?

When I left you last Sunday, we were heading off to the Sunday Market & then breakfast. As we were going out to lunch, we tried the Twofold fruit toast & jam, which was particularly yummy & enjoyed some lovely chats with everyone - mostly about renovations, Eskimo pies, detox and clothes lines.

Late morning we drove to Danny's favourite Vietnamese restaurant in Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds to celebrate his birthday. We enjoyed seeing his three daughters, their husbands & kids all together & obviously thrilled to be there, as well as many of his siblings, and some old friends. During our drive we listened to the outbreaks of COVID-19 around Australia & thought of all our friends in various parts of Oz who are now in lockdown or have some restrictions now imposed on them.

Danny giving his speech with Jeremy Ellsmore helping

We arrived home just as Carlton kicked their first goal of the opening quarter against Adelaide & watched in amazement as they managed a huge second quarter, holding on for a 10 point win. 

On Monday morning, I had asked Wes to help me with sorting out all our big, non-fiction books, to try & fit them all in the reduced space in our bookshelves. So that was this week's School, and we were able to set aside quite a few books for the Daylesford Primary School's September Book Fair. Now our bookcases are looking good again & I've been forbidden to buy any more books - unless Bernard Cornwell has a new series or Donna Leon writes yet another priceless novel about Brunetti or Ian Rankin continues to find ways for Rebus to get involved in today's crime etc etc

Judi & I went to see the Mary Quant Exhibition at the Bendigo Art Gallery on Tuesday morning, after I had chatted with Terry Borg, who had seen it the previous week & been unhappy with the lack of social distancing. We found the same thing & tried to solve it by going ahead of the pack & working backwards. It was a stunning Exhibition & took us 90 minutes to see. It certainly took me back to the 60s & the revolution in young women's clothing & make-up that Mary brought about. We came back here for a late lunch at Harvest Café, as Bendigo was busy with school holiday visitors. Below is my favourite outfit from the Exhibition. 

When I arrived back home, I found Lewis & Morse using their night beds as day beds & took a very rare photo of them in this position. Wes puts them to bed each night, so I don't see them settled in, each with his pillow, but during the day the pillows & sheepskin are kept warm in the drying cabinet. 

We celebrated 30th June with breakfast at The Virgin Café & were served by our favourite waitress, Tori, who was very disappointed that we hadn't brought Lewis & Morse with us. We explained that they were at home with bones & once the rain came down, we were very glad to be warm inside. Our meals were perfect - porridge with poached rhubarb & lavender syrup for Wes & scrambled (really folded) eggs for me with rhubarb relish & sauteed mushrooms & Winter greens. 

That afternoon I was lucky enough to get reserved seats for Wes & me to see Collingwood play St Kilda at the MCG this afternoon, and later, to get tickets to Days 1-3 of the Adelaide Ashes Test Match in December. Fingers & toes crossed that we can drive to Adelaide at that time. 

The rest of the week went as usual - shopping, Zooming, Wes started pruning the roses, the boys walked, ate, zedded etc & we read about the growing numbers in NSW with concern, as well as the small numbers in most other states. It was amazing that all 18 AFL sides ended up in Victoria - what a turnaround from 2020.

Wes & his cousins enjoyed probably their best Zoom catch-up ever with new chums offering all sorts of extra information & communicating brilliantly. I am so pleased for him, as he has worked hard to make all his Zoom encounters meaningful & interesting. 

Last night Carlton, once again, defied form & beat the Fremantle Dockers. I didn't last the distance as the game started at 7.50pm, but was very thrilled for him & Ben & Jack Lazzaro who were at the MCG to see it. Sadly, Hawthorn couldn't celebrate Shaun Burgoyne's 400th game in style and went down to his first side, Port Adelaide, without much fight. 

It's pouring rain this morning, so no walk for Lewis & Morse, but they enjoyed a very early breakfast & seem to have guessed that there are big bones defrosting for them when we go to Melbourne for the footy around lunchtime.