Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 26th February 2023

When I left you last week we were heading to the Daylesford Market, the highlight of Morse's week only to discover - quelle horreur - Yvonne had mislaid his pear, and had resorted to cabbages strips instead. Morse refused to eat the cabbage, even though he has some with most meals, but condescended to demolish an apple instead. It was so funny - when this tradition started many, many years ago - Yvonne's late partner, John, would throw cabbage leaves to Woody, the Irish Water Spaniel, and Casper, our Labrador, who were the best of friends. Over the years it has become more & more gentrified & now Morse expects a pear, cut in slices & served on a piece of cardboard!

Here's Morse waiting for a pat before he gets stuck into breakfast

Our visit with Leanne went well. Part 3 of her garden, a small area near the garage was done, and while she & I handled indoor issues, Wes watered everything in the front & side gardens for her. We've settled into a formula of tea & toast on arrival, a good chat, then off doing what is needed. It is so hard when you live on your own, as many of you know - so often a second pair of hands makes all the difference. 

We came home in time for Day 3 of the 2nd Test in Delhi, but nothing had prepared us for the catastrophic collapse of the Australian batters, who seemed to have been programmed to sweep no matter what & many lost their wickets to that shot. The Indians keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and we can only hope that we approach the 3rd Test with a killer instinct & a focussed team.

As we had been so busy over the past 8 days or so, we decided on an easy Monday School Session & watched a wonderful Walk Through History by Tony Robinson, where he followed the Norman Conquest of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It whetted our appetites to go back to that area, which we had visited briefly, when we found ourselves in Tenby eating oysters & mussels in a restaurant by the beach back in 2013.

Me on Tenby Beach, April 2013 - yes, it was cold!

We've given ourselves a quiet week after our very busy one, so lots of gardening, watering, reading, cryptic crosswords, logic puzzle solving & Zooming has gone on. One of the best things to come out of COVID lockdown has been Zoom, and I have stayed in touch with everyone who Zoomed with me during that time. Wes still has most of his Zooms going, with the exception of Old School Friends, as they can now meet in person again. We both get so much out of this regular contact & can't thank you all enough for keeping going with us. 

While Wes vacuumed & washed the floors on Wednesday, I headed out for a lovely morning of Mah Jong with Dot & Judi at Muffins & More, which was doing a roaring trade - we could hardly hear each other speak! Dot's husband, John, joined us for a late breakfast, which was a good way for us to catch up with him before we started playing. 

We heard from old Daylesford friends, Graham & Jenny Ellender, that they were here & wanted to catch up, preferably on Thursday morning at The Convent. As Wes was having a blood test that morning, and I was Zooming with Old Friends at 9am, it suited us to get together for brunch with them @10am@Bad Habits Café. Tina, Marija & Beck all gave the Ellenders a very warm welcome, as well as other friends, Bill & Steve, who arrived for their morning tea ritual. We left Graham & Jenny heading to the Convent shop to make some purchases after our yummy breakfasts & good chat. 

Lovely photo of Graham & Jenny

As we had a 1pm Zoom chat booked with the Kirbys on Friday, we decided to have breakfast at Pancho Café after my early Zoom with Leanne. We enjoyed our sardines on toast with poached egg & fennel very much & decided, with the help of the owner, Lauren, to take back an almond soy chai latte to Glen, our neighbour, who loves everything about Pancho! Glen was thrilled with her surprise, and we headed back into town, where Wes managed to get a haircut at the Daylesford Barber, where the main attraction is Daisy, the 5-month old Labrador. I had chores to do as well & we were both pleased with our successful morning. 

Beautiful Daisy

Yesterday was finally another quiet day for me after visiting Glen with books, roses & another latte. Wes had a huge day in the garden - pruning, weeding, mowing & watering while we waited patiently for the promised couple of mls of rain, which finally arrived in the afternoon.

We are thrilled that the Australian Women's Cricket Team is in the final of the ICC T20 Cup yet again, playing South Africa at midnight tonight. We haven't seen any of the matches live as they have all been played while we are sleeping, but have caught up on the highlights & are so proud of this very focussed, talented & close-knit team. 

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 19th February 2023

Last Sunday we enjoyed some light rain during the morning. After the Market, Wes & Morse drove to Ballan to water Rob & Dene's garden while they were busy relaxing in Thailand. Morse ran around looking for them and tired himself out, spending the rest of his day under a rug sleeping. 

It's been a busy week, so busy we spent Monday School planning it! I had a massage with Sarah that morning, followed by a lovely lunch with Janine & Judi at Bad Habits Café, where we were spoilt by having the best table in the room. We enjoyed catching up on each other's news - after years of seeing each other most Sunday mornings over breakfast, we have to make special efforts to spend time with each other these days. 

On Tuesday, we started with an early Messenger chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, and while Wes got into the garden, I had a Zoom catch up with Leanne, followed by a manicure with Juls in Hepburn, which is always fun. Juls, & her husband, George, used to live next door to us at #80, and our friendship spans over 20 years. We enjoyed more Zooms on Thursday when Wes caught up with his Overseas Friends, and me with Old Friends, and I even had a Zoom yesterday with Jan in Maleny, as our usual Tuesday spot hadn't suited us. 

We were very sad and shocked to hear of the death of Maryanne Phelan, one of Wes's cousins, who we met before the 200th Anniversary of the arrival of the McShane brothers in Tasmania. She was nervous about going, and Wes and I drove to Woodend so she could meet us & feel more comfortable. She and her husband, Kelvin, attended the celebrations in June 2018, and she has been a mainstay of Wes's "Cousins' Zooms", which are held on the first Thursday each month. We had both spoken to her recently when she rang to say she wasn't well enough to be part of the February Zoom. Maryanne will be missed by us all. 

Wes & Maryanne in Pontville, Tasmania

Wes had a telephone consultation with his doctor, who advised him that we could go ahead & book our 5th COVID boosters, which we did at once & will be having this Thursday afternoon, where we will no doubt meet up with friends doing the same thing at Springs Medical in Daylesford. 

We had booked tickets to see "Time" the installation by Rone, (Tyrone Wright), at the Flinders Street Station ballroom area, which is on the third floor. Wes contacted Callum Preston to see if he and his wife, Mo, would be available to catch up with us while we were there. They had a free morning & took us on a 90-minute tour of the stunning exhibition, of which Callum is the set build director & Mo a set decorator. We were blown away by the work that went into all the sets, which acted as backdrops to the beautiful female images that Rone is famous for. We can't recommend this more highly, but if you can't get there, this YouTube video will give you an idea of what you are missing. Don't watch it if you have tickets as it will ruin some of the surprises. 

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjALPGfk9qk

Mo, Callum, Karen & Wes at Union Kiosk

Our whole expedition to Melbourne went well - we arrived at Ballan Station early enough to get free Seniors' train travel tickets; had enough time at Flinders Street to get hot drinks before the 10am session; not only spent 90 minutes at "Time" with Callum & Mo, but also had yummy, toasted sandwiches for lunch with them at Union Kiosk. We caught the early afternoon train home & drove back here to find Morse had been sleeping & hadn't missed us too much!

As if we hadn't enough on our plates, I had booked our cars in for service with Ballarat Mazda on Friday, so we duly drove there by 8am, collected a courtesy car, and drove to our favourite Ballarat café, Lekker, for breakfast. We had our usual meals - Tuki sausages for Wes & Matt's special for me. Afterwards we popped into Gems & Jewels to get my anklet repaired, visited the NAB to get some cash & got a park outside Regent Cinemas in time for the early showing of the Irish film "The Banshees of Inisherin". This film is perfectly cast, beautifully written & acted, and has the Irish Civil War as its backdrop. There are some very funny moments until the film slowly turns into a tragedy, which we won't forget for quite a long time. 

Yummy breakfasts at Lekker - they even have Jasmine tea!

Once again, we got home to find Morse was OK & had been sleeping off the exciting, dried bone he had been given to let him know we would be awhile. The same thing will happen this morning after the Daylesford Market. We are off to Strathmore to visit Leanne and implement Stage 3 of her garden, as well as help with a few other issues that have cropped us since our last visit three weeks ago. 

The 2nd Test in Delhi has been a welcome relaxation these past two afternoons, especially as the rejigged Australian team is more competitive than in the 1st Test and the match is nicely poised. ABC radio announced that the smog levels in Delhi yesterday were 100 times that of Melbourne & the TV picture shows that. We have been thinking about our visit there for Test cricket back in 2008, where it was muggy, smoggy & a challenge to cricketers & spectators alike. 

Wes, Karen, David & Teena at Delhi - 3rd Test 2008

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 12th February 2023

They certainly are!

We had a great visit with our former neighbours, and good friends, Rob & Dene, last Sunday after the Market. We didn't tell Morse until he was in the car & he licked us both in delight. He didn't know what to do when he saw Rob & Dene again - kept running from one to the other & wagging his tail madly. We love their new home in Ballan, with a huge back yard & a lovely outdoor entertaining or just relaxing area in a quiet street.

Wes, Rob & Dene catching up over coffee & cake - Morse is enjoying it all

I was thrilled with the response to the old photos that I shared in last Sunday's Dispatch & thought I should do it again this week. Thanks to everyone who commented - it is lovely to know that you have read my words, looked at the photos and emailed back.

This photo of Jan McClean, me & Viva Saundry was taken in April 1984 in Hong Kong. My mother, Viva, was enjoying her first trip overseas, & this was the perfect place to take her

Wes & I in Hong Kong

On Monday, instead of School, we spent the morning cleaning the lounge thoroughly - Wes took down all the flywire screens, washed them & the windows, and then the floor, while I polished all the furniture and dusted everything else. We were very pleased with our efforts, though we do miss our wonderful cleaner, Sandra, who did so much in the three hours she took to keep our home sparkling each fortnight. 

Usually, I am busy on Tuesday morning with Zoom chats, followed by an appointment, but this week, I was completely free, as none of my usual Zoomers could meet up. Wes offered to drive me to Ballarat to see a film, while he went to our bank, to Bunnings, to the Ballarat Botanic Gardens & finally had coffee & cake at Golden Square Bakery, which still makes the best vanilla slices in Victoria. 

The film I chose was Emily, because I love Wuthering Heights, am fascinated by its author, and am lucky enough to have stayed with Wes, in the town of Haworth, West Riding, some years ago & visited the parsonage the Brontës lived in. We certainly got an idea of the bleak landscape in which that family was brought up. The film was good, offering a fictional explanation for why Emily might have conceived her masterpiece and I am pleased to have seen it. 

Dot, Judi & I played Mah Jong on Wednesday at Muffins & More, and had a fun morning. It was the first time we three had played this year & we managed to make any number of funny mistakes as we chatted & caught up with Dot's news. The staff are very welcoming at this café and we are lucky to be able to meet there weekly. 

We finally persuaded our new neighbour, James, to come into our entrance hall, and meet Morse properly. Fingers crossed that now Morse has sniffed James, been given treats by him, and plenty of pats, he will feel OK about him and stop barking whenever James moves around his yard!

James has yet to see this side of Morse - here he is recovering after our visit to Rob & Dene

On Friday we were delighted to have a morning tea visit from Karen (aka Lovely) & Malcolm Stevenson, who were on their way to lunch in Ballarat with friends.  They detoured to Daylesford & spent 75 minutes with us. We three were thrilled to catch up with them & sat on the main decking with coffee, tea, Portuguese tarts & apple Danish to keep us fuelled. Morse was over the moon, and I worried that he would get too enthusiastic, but eventually he settled down & got under their feet instead. 

Karen, Malcolm & Wes enjoying the sunshine - you might spot Morse under the table!

That afternoon I visited our neighbour, Glen, who is home, in a moon boot & restricted in her movements. We had a lovely catch up & I left her to have a rest before her family arrived that evening with fish & chips for dinner. 

Wes & I have been watching the 1st Test in India and it was even worse than we could have imagined - 2/2 after the first two overs & all out for 177 in the Australian 1st innings. We were thrilled for debutant, Todd Murphy, who took 7 wickets in the Indian 1st innings, but they were in total control by the end of Day 2. Yesterday they finished us off completely, bowling us out for 91, our second lowest score ever against India. Fingers crossed we perform better in Delhi when the 2nd Test starts on Friday. 

Daylesford Summer Dispatch - Sunday, 5th February 2023

I love this Snoopy cartoon - dogs can sleep at the drop of a hat, but they can also be wide awake just as quickly. We left ours last Sunday to visit Leanne & were gone for longer than usual, as there was plenty to do, including Part 2 of her garden, which is being done slowly and properly and will probably take most of this year. 

Hedge trimmed, hydrangeas planted & Chicago Peace rose at the back given room to breathe

We had bought a large quiche from Gusto in Napier Street, Strathmore, to give to our new neighbours for their dinner that night, but there was no sign of anyone next door, so we had some ourselves instead.

On Monday, we were both still tired from the day before & opted for an entertaining School. Wes found a wonderful Scottish walk by Tony Robinson, which started at Pitlochry (one of our favourite places in the world) & ended at Balmoral Castle. We had walked some of the early pathways & certainly around Blair Castle, but there was plenty to see & do on the rest of his walk, which we will earmark for when we next go to Scotland.

We both spent time in the garden - Wes doing loads of watering for us & Glen, as well as mulching the roses & planting a couple of maples that had been growing in small pots. I rescued two tomato & two basil plants from Glen's garden & rehoused them in a large pot at our place where we could keep an eye on them for her. 

On Tuesday, Glen was transported by ambulance to Daylesford Hospital, which made life easier for everyone, as her family didn't have to travel to Ballarat anymore. After a couple of chats with my aunt, Jeff, and my sister, Leanne, I headed to EKO for my first facial of the year & got a good report on my skin, which was very pleasing. 

Also, this week, Judi & I met to play Mah Jong again after 7 weeks off. Dot was unable to join us, but we did enjoy a good catch up & played 4 interesting games - Judi won 2, I won 1 & we had no result in the final match. 

We had been due to visit Rob & Dene & see their new home in Ballan on Friday morning, but when it was so wet & cold, we postponed until today & will be heading there, with Morse, after the Sunday Market. 

Circular Quay - Wes, Karen & Brendan Kierce

Wes on his first night as the youngest Mayor of Brunswick, surrounded by his very proud family. Back row - father, Ray, wife, Karen, Wes, his brother-in-law, John & his sister, Denise. Front row - his nephews - John, Leon & Shaun with his mother, Dot

Old friends at the Mayoral night - Kathey Jordan, Tom Tyrrell & Joyce Spiteri

These photos from 1982 have been running in the background on my desktop & I thought it would be fun to share them as I haven't been taking any garden or Morse photos this week!