Our week started well with a walk around Lake Daylesford followed by the Sunday Market, where we purchased lots of fruit & vegetables, eggs, huge dog bones & chilli olives. Afterwards we met Judi & Janine for breakfast at Koukla, where we wrestled with the QR code menu & enjoyed each other's company, if not the meals & drinks. We decided when we got back home that it would be best to put the Breakfast Group into hibernation until after Christmas when we might once again be able to go to the Woodshed Cafe. It may be that after 16 years the weekly breakfast has outlived its usefulness & it might be time to look at different ways of catching up - even just monthly.
On Monday's School, we watched a lecture from the Wheeler Centre on the Australian poet, Judith Wright. The lecture was given by another Australian poet, Chris Wallace-Crabbe, who we both first met at Melbourne Uni. He read her poems beautifully & gave us an insight into the influences that drove her work.
Wes got stuck into the garden for much of the week - bulk weeding, mowing, trimming & admiring. We picked our first little bunch of roses & I was able to give our neighbour, Dene, a small bouquet as well. Meanwhile, I fed all the vegetables & herbs, staked the tomatoes & removed the snails wherever I found them.
We've been busy with Zoom chats again this week - Wes spoke with Barbara twice; enjoyed a long discussion with the Jackson 8, and had a good catch up with his cousins; as well I chatted twice with Leanne as well as Jeff in Lincolnshire, Jan in Maleny and Kathy & Karen in Melbourne. I just love this way of staying in touch - so much more personal than a phone call.
Our neighbour, Glen Tandberg, invited us in to her backyward to celebrate the safe arrival of Marlowe. Dene was in Melbourne, but Rob was able to join in and we had a wonderful time drinking Peter Rumball Sparkling Shiraz, nibbling on cheese & bikkies, and chatting. It was a lovely normal thing to do. As we left, we were shown around her new kitchen, which is a beautiful renovation of a very basic, old, neglected space.
On 11th November, our local Federal MP, Catherine King, had asked us to lay a wreath on her behalf at Daylesford Cenotaph. This is a very low-key ceremony compared to ANZAC Day, when there is a march & many more wreaths. We did have a lone piper and young girls from the two state schools sang Advance Australia Fair when the soloist didn't turn up.
Cr Jen Bray & Mayor, Lesley Hewitt laying a wreath outside the Daylesford Cenotaph, &
me wearing a knitted poppy with one of Fraser Gibson's Army coat buttons in the middle
As well, I have fitted in a manicure with Juls and a fringe trim with Lyndal - both appointments occured in their homes, where each has a dedicated studio. Juls starts talking the minute you enter & doesn't stop until she is walking you out the door so she can help you with your seatbelt. Lyndal has already put in a big morning before I see her at 9.30am, as she cares for & races trotters with her father, Glenn. They feed, groom, and walk the horses each morning & she finds it much easier to be ready for her first client now that she doesn't have to travel into her former salon in Howe Street.
The other big excitement this week was the arrival of two boxes of Google pixel buds. As a Telstra Plus customer, I had enough points to redeem these upmarket items & we have had fun connecting them to our phones, computers & TVs. Wes is finding them a big help when he is Zooming with a few people - the sound is clearer as it comes straight into his ears. He can also listen to stuff on Spotify while I am writing this for example, & don't want to be distracted. We haven't quite mastered the art 100%, but we are learning and enjoying the experience!
During a particularly wet afternoon, I watched a delightful 90 minute film, recommended by Karen Stevenson, called This Beautiful Fantastic. Not a blokes' film by any means, but a quirky fun story, starring Tom Wilkinson among others. It's on SBS On Demand, (under Comedy) & available until 28th November if you are interested.
We're off to visit Leanne again this morning after the Sunday Market. It will be lovely to see her again after only a fortnight. Among other things, we'll probably have a chat about Australia's chances against New Zealand in tonight's T20 World Cup Final. The 1am starting time makes it a bit hard to watch - we'll have to wake up to the news tomorrow.
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