Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 29th May, 2022

 
One of my all-time favourite Snoopy cartoons!

Last Sunday I headed off at 8am to visit my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore, while Wes took Morse to the Sunday Market, and with help from Yvonne & Ken, successfully did the shopping according to our Keep list. I had an interesting drive - blazing sunshine in Daylesford was replaced by thick fog on the Calder Hwy culminating in rain, which stopped once I got near Strathmore. Leanne was delighted with the pot for her lemon tree & it is now happily in place - all we need now is lemons. 

When I arrived back home that afternoon, Wes headed off to Mooltan, home of Jenny & Eddie Beacham, for a post-election victory party & spent a most enjoyable afternoon there telling stories & drinking shiraz. He returned in time to join me in watching Collingwood unexpectedly beat Fremantle over in WA, in a game marred by heavy rain at time. I was very pleasantly surprised by the win, which was on a par with the earlier game that saw Hawthorn upset Brisbane with a gutsy win. 

We were back to normal activities on Monday - walking Morse for an hour around Lake Daylesford, before I went to Coles Supermarket to stock up on food, and Tonna's to get pasta & little red chillies. We discussed Morse at our School timeslot & decided that, subject to professional opinions we seek, we will probably continue with him as an only dog & not look for another companion. 

Smiles all round - Terry McDonald & Anthony Albanese

After that Wes headed into the garden to reclaim it, and I went to Muffins & More for a lovely catch-up chat with our neighbour, Glen. It is always good to spend time with her & we exchanged news about our past week as she had also been away. This favourite café is on the market, and I have my fingers crossed that we get another owner as kind & welcoming as Kelly has been. 

It was another beautiful day on Tuesday - I had an early chat with Jeff in Lincolnshire, who was so pleased we had visited the site of her father's birth. Later we both Zoomed with Jan Pengilley, who was keen to talk about the election. She is in Maleny in Queensland, where it has been raining for the past two weeks & the view through her window was grey & foggy. 

We each spent time in the front garden - Wes doing by far the most work & me planting some tête-à-tête bulbs in Lewis's bed, as well as the vegetable planter boxes. Lewis already has rosemary, hellebores & seaside daisies and will have pretty little daffodils in Spring too. 

Beautiful tête-à-têtes

One of the other big changes to our lives this footy season, that I haven't discussed, is the disappearance from the ABC radio of the Coodabeen Champions. Not only have they jumped ship to a commercial station (3MP), but they now have the 4pm-6pm timeslot on Fridays. I tried listening, but there were too many ads, and even listening to the podcast still has heaps of ads, which destroys the continuity of their chatter. I miss them every Saturday morning, after nearly 40 years of hearing them regularly & loving their take on footy. Fingers crossed they come back to the ABC next year - probably wishful thinking on my part.

Wes spent Wednesday morning doing handyman chores & fixed some beams in the roof of the main decking that were coming asunder. I am most impressed with his keenness to tackle these jobs that he has previously shunned through lack of ability, but with a drill in his hand, he is doing wonders. It was the last sunny & dry day of the week, so we both got outdoor jobs done. Mah Jong was cancelled as neither Dot nor Judi could attend. 

We headed off to Ballarat in pouring rain on Thursday for my lung function test. Beforehand Wes had hosted the twice-monthly chat with overseas friends, where the loss of young lives in yet another needless massacre in America took centre stage. We left in plenty of time to allow for traffic hold-ups, but it was finding the right entrance & the right section of the Ballarat Base Hospital that took me ages. Not sure I was the best person they've ever had completing a lung function test, but I survived & my reward was yummy vanilla slices for afternoon tea. I'll find out my results on 6th June when I visit Dr Ellie.

We exhausted Morse on Friday morning with two complete laps of Lake Daylesford. After my usual Zoom with Leanne, I headed to Cliffy's for brunch with Jane Barrett. Jane & her husband, John, are moving to Cairns for work next month. He has a twelve-month contract with a new hotel. Jane & I don't catch up in person often, but we stay in touch & I will miss her. Cliffy's was the perfect spot and we both enjoyed yummy breakfasts. 

The wonderful interior of Cliffy's Emporium

Yesterday we had an appointment with Tricia Dunlop, dog trainer, who had been a wonderful trainer to Lewis & Morse when they were young. She was shocked to see Morse, who cowered before her & avoided her where possible, preferring to hide under the table. She agreed that a companion dog wouldn't be the answer & gave us some tools to use to help him conquer his fear of some humans & most other animals. Wes & I agreed we need to continue to socialise him more, especially with people he already knows, to help his confidence. 

He & I headed to the local footy to watch the first half of Daylesford vs Beaufort, a game they were expected to lose. They were still in the hunt when we left & ended up winning by 3 goals. We spent our time catching up with long-time friend, Ken Matheson, who was sitting at the fence just where we like to be. We didn't take Morse as there were too many dogs for him to cope with.

Later we watched in amazement as Fremantle defeated Melbourne, who hadn't been beaten for 17 games. It was a comprehensive 6 goal defeat, made all the more meritorious as it was at the MCG, a ground Freo plays once or twice a year. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd May 2022

 
This is exactly what Morse is doing, only he refuses to retrieve the ball at all!

We spent last Sunday doing last minute packing, cleaning up, enjoying prawn congee for breakfast & making a fuss of Morse. I gave him a bone and later when I couldn't see it, asked him where it was & he led me downstairs to find it on the grass. Such cleverness has not been evident before in this dear boy, so we praised him to the skies, much to his delight. 

Carlton won well against GWS in Sydney, so once again, Wes was very happy & pleased with how well his team is going. We had leftovers for dinner & went to bed early. Morse slept through the night without bad dreams or barking & we only heard a small whimper at 5am. We went for our early walk, then it was time to pack the car & start our adventure. 

We drove to Strathmore first, so that Leanne could meet Morse, I could drop off her dwarf Meyer lemon tree that had finally arrived, and post some letters for her. She loved Morse & the feeling was mutual. We stopped at the end of her street where there is a cafe with outdoor seating, and had a hot drink, giving Morse a chance to experience sitting on the footpath & watching the world go by. 

Sitting outside Kahve cafe

We had a good drive to Inverloch, stopping twice more for Morse to have a little walk around & a drink of water. When we arrived at our holiday home, Cha Cha, we were pleasantly surprised to find it very clean, with more bits & pieces than we had expected, and most importantly, a very good heater in the kitchen/lounge area. We did some shopping & Wes made pasta for dinner, which was very yummy & gave us leftovers for Morse for the next two nights. 

On Tuesday morning, we got up early & walked to the end of our street to the dog beach, where we were the only ones for 30 minutes and got the chance to let Morse paddle, play chasey & enjoy the sights & smells.

Wes & Morse bathed in pink sky above & below, moonshine on the water

We headed to Vaughan's cafe for breakfast - mushroom & broccolini omelettes sitting outside - another chance for Morse to socialise. Then we set off to find Tarwin Lower, birthplace of my grandfather, Jim Munro (father of my mother, Viva, and aunt, Jennifer). In the English spirit, there is also a Middle Tarwin & Tarwin, but both of these have just about vanished & Tarwin Lower is the flagbearer these days. We searched for the cemetery to find the graves of his grand-parents, but realised they had been buried in Meeniyan cemetery. Both cemeteries were beautifully kept, well-maintained & it was easy to find gravesites. 

At Meeniyan, we took Morse for a 30-minute walk on the rail trail, before coming back home laden with Inverloch vanilla slices for afternoon tea. Wes bought us a pie & pastie for dinner & apple slices for afterwards. The TV here is huge, but it is an Apple TV & we are Android people, so were unable to take advantage of anything on offer, let alone use the password we had been given. Apart from missing Foxtel and footy shows, we had plenty to read & do & we could easily get The Age newspaper each day.  

It was very wet on Wednesday ,when we had planned to visit some of the many wineries around, all of which were open when we had checked last month. They are now on Winter hours, which means weekends only & in some cases, closed for a few months. We eventually went for a drive, looking at Venus Bay (beautiful & unspoilt) & Kilcunda, which has a wonderful walking trail to Philip Island. 

Wes & Morse relaxing at Cha Cha accommodation 

Day 4 was perfect - we went for our usual early morning walk along the beach with Morse, before heading back to Meeniyan, and a lovely walk on a different part of the rail trail. We had decided to take Rosanna's advice & have lunch at Milly & Romeo's café in Koonwarra. They had a big wide veranda, where dogs were made very welcome. We tucked into hot drinks & soup of the day AKA chef's whim, which was zucchini & thyme & came with hot fresh bread rolls. Morse even scored a treat on a tiny plate from our very friendly waitress. 

Wes & Morse on the bridge over the Tarwin River on the rail trail

Wes holding on to Morse who is getting impatient for his treat!

After lunch, we drove to the pretty little town of Fish Creek to visit their bi-annual Tea Cosy Festival, and we are so pleased we did. It was well organised with lots of prizes, lots of exhibits, including a children's area & the local ABC doing interviews. Dogs were tied up outside, buses were arriving from nearby towns & everywhere was open & doing good business. 

All too soon it was time to come home. We packed up on Friday morning & left around 8.15am as we had made plans to visit old friend, Terry Borg, in Burwood. We've been trying to get together since before COVID & this was the perfect chance. We took Morse for a walk before we arrived & he took ages to find the perfect tree to relieve himself. Terry had baked scones, which she served with jam & cream, had bought Jasmine tea, which she served in a black & white teapot, and, as we were leaving, produced bones for Morse & soup for us, as well as some Australian true crime books she thought we might enjoy!

After this very lovely interlude with Terry, we decided to drive to Ballarat, as my bracelet had been repaired two weeks' earlier than expected. It added another couple of hours to our travels, but Morse was doing well in the back seat, so we decided to do that & collect some gin & whisky at the same time. When I collected my bracelet, the jeweller had neglected to remove a link as I had requested. They were very apologetic at Gems & Jewels, and promised to have it ready next Wednesday. However, as we were leaving Dan Murphy's, Erica rang to say she had begged the jeweller to remove the link while we were still in Ballarat, and I was able to wear it back home. 

We were quite tired when we got back here, but thrilled to see that Morse coped very well & was delighted with his usual beds & options. I started washing ours & his stuff, which I finished yesterday - 9 loads I counted, which is quite a lot! We had decided to indulge in fish & chips for dinner that night as they were not recommended in Inverloch. I lasted until half-time watching Carlton looking the goods against the Swans, and was very relieved when Wes came to bed with a big smile because the Blues had held on after the Swans got close in the second half.

 

Morse waiting for permission to get stuck into his bone yesterday

Wes walked Morse extra early yesterday so he could man the Daylesford Secondary School voting booth when it opened at 8am, complete with sausage sizzle. We had already utilised postal voting in case we didn't get back from Inverloch in time. I spent the morning catching up on paperwork, balancing Reckon and attempting to get a tax invoice for our stay at Inverloch, so we can claim our $200 rebate from the Victorian government.  

What a thrill it was when we realised that Labor was going to form government after the early figures didn't look promising. There are some wonderful independent women coming into the House of Reps, and when counting stopped last night, Labor had not conceded any seats to the Liberals, which is quite amazing. The swing to Labor in WA was huge & probably on the back of their very popular Premier, Mark McGowan. 

We had a very cold & frosty walk around Lake Daylesford this morning, while we discussed the election results. I'm heading off to Strathmore shortly to visit Leanne with a self-watering pot for her lemon tree, among other things. We couldn't fit that & potting mix in the car last Monday as well as all our holiday & dog stuff!                                                                                     

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 15th May 2022

 
Sounds pretty good to me!

Thanks to everyone who sent flowers, rang, emailed & sent messages after last week's news of Lewis's death. We really appreciated your thoughts & kind words & it does help to know that friends are thinking of you at this awful time. 

Everyone was good to Morse at the Sunday Market & Wes even took him for a walk to see Jeff, the Dog Treat Man, and Ken, of Spring Park Nursery. Yvonne & her sidekick, Ken, had prepared a small mess of cabbage with slices of pear & Morse delicately picked out all the pear slices to eat first before turning his attention to the cabbage. 

Beautiful tulips are the highlight of this arrangement from the Robinsons, who have always loved our Labradors

Afterwards Wes & I headed to Cliffy's for a beautiful breakfast - laksa eggs for me & porridge for him. Liam Thorneycroft, the owner, was working, and it was lovely to catch up with him. All the staff are taught to go that one step further & it's good to have the door opened for you when you leave, as well as when you arrive. We came home to find Morse sound asleep & not worrying that we had left him, especially as Rob had been in & given him a hug before he left for Melbourne. 

I took Morse outside with me & we stripped the fig tree, collecting a bucketful of hard, green, unripe figs with about eight that might ripen inside in the sun. Yet another unsuccessful fig yield! Morse & I then bonded, while Wes drove to Ballan Station to catch the train to the MCG to see Carlton play wonderfully well against Adelaide. He came home on a high, which has lasted all week.

We've started walking Morse twice a day to give him some extra stimulation & he is getting very good at leaping into Sammy whenever he is invited. He still looks for Lewis & wakes crying at times, but he is much happier than he was 10 days ago. We are still very sad too, but grateful that we had Lewis in our lives, even though it was far too short a time. 

Morse looking more relaxed with his friend & both pillows

We spent School on Monday planning our trip to Inverloch & discovering that we needed to take sheets & towels, as well as just about everything else....should be fun fitting it all in Sammy, our little Mazda 2. The rest of the week seems to have been taken up with Zoom chats, gardening, reminiscing & missing Lewis. I played Mah Jong with Dot as usual, and Wes attended a lengthy meeting of the Daylesford Cinema committee. 

As well, we had our flu shots & second COVID boosters at Springs Medical Centre, where our appointment was a joint one. We spent it laughing with Dr Brad Wyer, who was enjoying doing computer duty with nurse, Vicki, who couldn't see where to put the circular band-aids after she administered our injections. Apart from my slightly sore arms for a couple of days, we had no other reactions. 

Autumn glimpses in our front garden - weeping Japanese maple, ordinary maple & daisy bed covered in dogwood leaves

On Friday night, we collected a very yummy takeaway meal from Jackie's on Vincent. We each had chili prawns with different sauces & home-grown Asian vegetables on coconut rice. Just in case the footy didn't go the way we wanted, we decided to accompany our meal with a bottle of Cofield Sparking Shiraz & what a good idea that was! Collingwood never looked like it against the Doggies, who got off to a flying start & played well all night. 

Yesterday we had plans to take Morse to the local footy, but it started raining in earnest mid-morning & got heavier as the day wore on. He was happy to be with us & we did a practice run of packing instead. 

The rest of the day was taken up with watching footy on TV, where the closest game was between St Kilda & Geelong with the former producing a stunning win over their more fancied rivals. Richmond & Hawthorn played a thriller as well until the Tigers ran all over the Hawks in the last 10 minutes. 

We've got a quiet day planned - no Sunday Market, finish packing, watch Carlton play GWS & hope for a win, and eat leftovers for dinner, after enjoying prawn congee for breakfast.

Stunning photo of sunrise over the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens taken by Glen this week

Daylesford Mothers' Day Dispatch - Sunday, 8th May 2022

I thought a photo of Viva would be appropriate today - she was aged 83 on this happy Mothers' Day spent at "Sails on the Bay" with Leanne, us & the Stevensons

We started our week with another lovely trip to the Sunday Market with Lewis & Morse in tow - anxious for their shredded cabbage with sliced pear. When this started, back in 2000, Yvonne's partner, John, used to tear off cabbage leaves for David & Ann Smith's dog, Woody. Casper started wanting them, and after he died, Bilbo & Frodo continued the tradition. After John died, Yvonne started shredding the cabbage & John's son, Corey, used to put it out on a piece of cardboard. Because Yvonne just loves Lewis & Morse, she has taken it even more upmarket & they do appreciate it. I'm not sure they would be happy with whole cabbage leaves flung at them!

Before & After

Afterwards I drove to Danny's place in Northcote & we caught the train to the MCG to see Collingwood play Gold Coast. We had great seats & caught up with Loud Gayle for bubbles & beer at half-time. Collingwood was able to win in an exciting, skilful match. Later we walked to High Street Northcote for dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant, where the hot main courses were served before the cold entrees!

The next morning, we went to Bicycle Thieves, a lovely cafe in Northcote, where Squiz joined us, before I drove to Strathmore to spend some time with Leanne, and Squiz & Danny prepared for their trip to Echuca with Tom & two other golfing friends. When I got home from all this I was exhausted, but very happy with what I had achieved, not least of which was collecting a wonderful framed collage of Nick Maxwell & other Collingwood players, which was a gift of Robert Preston a year ago. Danny has been looking after the collage for me & it was lovely to bring it home & put it on the wall at the bottom of the stairs. 

From the top - Karen & Danny at the footy; Danny at breakfast, & the Nick Maxwell collage

The next morning, I had cancelled my Zoom chats as I knew I would be tired and not at my best. I went shopping & did the washing & ironing, as well as answered emails, but then just rested, reading the Age, doing crosswords, Logic Problems & watching TV. Meanwhile, Wes worked hard in the garden, mowed & delivered quite a few cardboard boxes to Dene next door, so they can start packing. 

On Wednesday, Dot & I played Mah Jong at Muffins & More & enjoyed a good chat together, while Wes washed all the floors & decided, in view of the rain, to give fishing a miss that afternoon.

Thursday morning was busy with a good Zoom chat with Kathy, Lovely & Lib, before I went to Springs Medical Centre for a fitness assessment with a view to joining their fitness programme. I passed & will start in June at St Michael's Primary School Hall. 

Wes was enjoying a Zoom with cousins & I was in bed watching a footy replay, when there was a terrible sound from Morse in the backyard & Wes discovered that Lewis had died suddenly, but peacefully, as the two dogs played games after their dinner. We were devastated, as is Morse, and still find it hard to believe that a lovely, healthy, happy 3.5 year-old Labrador could die so unexpectedly. Dene from next door helped Wes put Lewis in a wheelbarrow & cover him with a warm rug until he could be buried. We put a bed in our bedroom so Morse could spend the night with us, and he alternated between there & his usual spot in the laundry.

At 5am the next morning, Wes buried Lewis in his own special garden out the front, under the dog decking, where the ground was soft & it was easy to dig. It was so hard to say goodbye. We decided to take Morse to Anderson's Mill at Smeaton later in the morning, where he paddled in the creek & enjoyed some different smells & sights. When our neighbour, Rob, arrived home from work, he came in straight away with a big bunch of flowers & lots of love for Morse. Like us, he had been smitten with Lewis & was very upset at his death. 

Karen & Morse at the beautiful Anderson's Mill

Rob & Wes giving Morse plenty of TLC

Lovely flowers from Rob & Dene

We all walked early yesterday morning to set up the new rituals with Morse. He walked very well on a single lead & we both had a go at looking after him. We gave him directions & encouraged him when he got them right - perhaps, he was just lazy in the past & let Lewis do all the worrying on walks. We've washed all the bedding to make it easier for Morse to settle & he has learnt to be the only dog in the back seat of the car. Wes took him with us when he dropped me off at Ballan Station to catch the train to the MCG for the footy. 

Collingwood was no match for Richmond and when the rain came down, I headed to Jolimont Station to catch an earlier train home, only to discover at Southern Cross Station that there had been a fatality at Sunshine and the Ballarat & Geelong trains were affected. Eventually I caught the 5.14, which arrived in Ballan about 10 minutes later than usual. Wes & Morse were there to greet me & we went home to a glass of red wine & a lovely meal.

This morning we are off to the Sunday Market & then Wes & I are having breakfast at Cliffy's to celebrate Mothers' Day. This will be the first time Morse is on his own and Rob will drop in with treats & make a fuss of him. Of all the nine Labradors we have been lucky enough to share our lives with, Lewis is number one for the combination of intelligence, affection & good looks - he had the most beautiful brown eyes & such a trusting expression. How lucky we are to have known & loved him. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 1st May 2022

We started last week with a lovely visit to the Sunday Market, where I was thrilled to see that not everyone has abandoned wearing masks, even though it is now not compulsory in most situations in Victoria. It was another beautiful Autumnal day & we made sure we shopped early before all the visitors arrived. We had been told the day before that the Adelaide AFL footballers had stayed in Daylesford, before going to Ballarat to play their game. They spent two nights here at Bellinzona, in Hepburn Springs & were amazed by the beauty of the place. The colours of the trees are at their finest at present, especially around the Hepburn Bathhouse. 

Wes made prawn congee for breakfast, which was a wonderful treat & he promises to do it again. As we ate, we received a lovely photo of my younger sister, Paun, & her husband, Brian, who stayed at Quest in Moonee Ponds for three nights over the long weekend. We had hoped to see them, but it was too hard to arrange & we were thrilled that they had time to visit Leanne, as well as see Brian's mum, Una, in Wangaratta, attend the ANZAC Eve footy between Melbourne & Richmond at the MCG & walk around Moonee Ponds where there are so many childhood memories for Paun. She & Brian were married at St Monica's church in 1982 & had their reception in Queen's Park, which is within walking distance of where they are staying. 

Prawn congee

Paun & Brian

I was overwhelmed when our friend & neighbour, Glen Tandberg, gave me the latest Donna Leon book - Give Unto Others. This was the book Donna had spoken about at length in her interview that we had watched the previous week. Glen had been in Queenscliff having a holiday with her family & when she bought all her grandkids a book, I scored one as well. 

On Monday we decided not to attend any of the local ANZAC Day ceremonies so that I wouldn't get too tired and could go to the MCG for the big game between Essendon & Collingwood. Wes drove me to Ballan station & I was lucky enough to score a seat in the Quiet carriage, which meant a peaceful trip into Southern Cross station. Along the way we stopped at Cobblebank, a station I had never heard of or seen until then. Amazing what pops up when you avoid catching the train for a couple of years!

David Lazzaro texted me to say he was at the ground & would meet me outside the MCC entrance. It was lovely to see him & share some news of his family. As I was quite early. it was easy to get into the ground & I popped into the Long Room to say hello to Gayle Gibson, who was busy drinking bubbles with friends. I kept my mask on the whole day & felt much safer for doing that. Only a handful of others were so inclined, and I assume they also have immunity issues. 

It was a wonderful afternoon - moving ceremony beforehand after a cavalcade of past & present servicemen & women. Then the game, which had everything, including frequent lead changes, high marks, stunning goals and great team and individual efforts.

My favourite moment - the shared banner for the teams to run through. It wasn't always like this, but one year Collingwood & Essendon agreed to share a banner & it has become a very meaningful tradition

When I went shopping early on Tuesday morning at Coles, I noticed the seafood area had a small quantity of West Australian rock lobsters for $22 each. I promptly bought two & they made a very indulgent dinner that night. They were already cooked & only needed thawing, fresh bread & lemon juice to be perfect!

I had postponed my Zoom chats except for Leanne that day, as I thought I would be tired from the travelling & excitement of the footy, which I was. Leanne was delighted to chat about the ANZAC Day match & her visit from Paun & Brian, as well as seeing Lewis & Morse when they took it in turns to sit on my lap & "chat" with her. 

On Wednesday I did my usual fortnightly deliveries before meeting up with Dot & Judi for a few games of Mah Jong. We each won at least one game, which was very pleasing. Afterwards I had a facial at EKO, and after all that socialising I was tired & had a very early night. 

Wes enjoyed an excellent Zoom session with his Overseas Mates on Thursday, while I chatted with Kathy, Karen & Lib, and the time just flew by as we covered a wide range of topics. Wes & I then went to Bad Habits Café, for brunch & a catch up. We were thrilled to see old friends, Bill & Steve there, and our breakfasts grew cool as we caught up on their news. The staff were lovely as always & we decided we should do this more often as the view is stunning, the food yummy, & the service as friendly as you could wish. 

Great photo of our neighbour, Rob, who has been on holidays in Thailand & Singapore with his partner, Dene

Another good photo - this time Karen at Bad Habits with Autumn leaves through the windows

This was our table decoration at Bad Habits

We've enjoyed some rain in the latter part of the week, which means everywhere is looking much happier & rejuvenated. The roses are having one last fling & I picked enough for a vase to welcome home Rob & Dene when they arrived late on Thursday. 

By Friday it was time to catch up on postponed Zooms, starting with Jeff Hoolihan in Lincolnshire, where we chatted about the visit from her son, Mike, his wife, Kelly, and their kids - Archie & Amelia. The highlight was High Tea at Doddington Hall, not too far from Torksey Lock, where Jeff lives. We'll have to go there next time we come to visit as it looks rather wonderful. We covered quite a wide range of topics before it was time to stop & let her go to bed!

Later I caught up with Leanne, who is looking forward to my visit tomorrow - it's been a while since I've been up to the drive, but I'm staying over at Danny's place after the footy today & going to see Leanne on my way home. Finally, a wonderful, funny Zoom time with Jan Pengilley in Maleny, where it has been raining non-stop again and the temperatures have dropped to the 20s, causing locals to light their fires!

Yesterday we had invited Rob & Dene in for morning tea, which they provided, to catch up on their holiday news. We had a lovely chat for about 90 minutes, the first 10 of which were taken up by Lewis & Morse being extra excited to see them both. As far as footy goes - in the afternoon, Daylesford won against Clunes & last night Carlton had another good win, much to Wes's delight. We were both disappointed that the Saints lost by a point, but their kicking was atrocious & they wasted chances to win. 

Morse & Lewis exhausted from greeting Rob & Dene!