Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 30th April 2023

I can't resist Sally!

We started our week with a great visit to Leanne, and planted some azaleas & herbs under her lounge window. All the other garden beds are going well, and there are flowers on her lemon tree at last. We arrived home in time to watch Carlton look good for a half against St Kilda, before the Saints took the lead and didn't stop, winning by 22 points.

On Monday, I had asked Wes to give me a lesson in moving to One-Drive, so we made that our School, and after a few hiccups, I seem to be managing better than I did the first time we tried to do this. Before that I had an early chat on Messenger with my aunt, Jeff, and her daughter, Leigh, in Torksey Lock, Lincolnshire. Leigh & Simon were with Jeff for the week, before all three drove to London to check into the Hotel Kimpton Fitzroy, where they were meeting up with my brother, Peter, and his wife, Anka, who are enjoying an overseas trip. 

Tuesday was ANZAC Day - we had hoped to get to the Daylesford Dawn Service, but opted for the 9am service at Eganstown instead.  We really love this casual, but meaningful country remembrance with a local bugler (Jack Walker), piper (Langley Rowbottom), speaker (Group Captain Phillip Lavelle ret) and vocalist (Sallie Harvey) singing "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" unaccompanied. Afterwards billy tea & homemade ANZAC biscuits are offered around the fire.

Floral wreaths

Ian Tinetti, RSL President; John Menadue, son of Winsome, who started this tradition, and Keith Pyers, MC

Some of the crowd in attendance

Daylesford Pipes & Drums piper

When we arrived home, we planted over 100 yellow daffodil and tête-à-tête bulbs in our front & back gardens. We do this most years and ANZAC Day is the recommended perfect time to do it. Usually, I then catch the train to the MCG to see Collingwood & Essendon play a game that is always made meaningful by the ceremonies that surround it. Our two teams have been lucky enough to play this game since 1995 and until COVID struck, I hadn't missed a match. However, this year I didn't get a reserved seat, and as most of the MCC Reserve had been sold, my chances of getting one were not good. I decided it would be madness to travel for two hours to the ground and then have to come back home again if I was unsuccessful. If I had more energy, I would happily have arrived two hours before the gates opened & queued up. 

It was an amazing game in front of over 95,000 fans - the second biggest crowd ever to a game during the home & away season. After Essendon looked the goods for three quarters, they tired in the fourth & we managed to overcome a 28-point deficit to record a narrow win. Afterwards I was so proud of our Captain, Darcy Moore, whose acceptance speech of the trophy was all about the ANZACS & their families & what the day means to Australians. 

Both teams running through the joint banner before the game & Darcy Moore speaking afterwards

Judi & I played Mah Jong on Wednesday in a near-empty Muffins & More, where everyone was pleased to take a deep breath after the busy School Holidays. Wes vacuums & washes the floors most Wednesday mornings when I am out - Morse's least favourite time of the week as he is locked outside until the floors dry.

After the walk on Thursday, we had a rainbow, followed by a deluge of rain, which was just what the garden needed. Wes enjoyed an interesting chat with his Overseas Friends, and I followed with my Old Friends.

Wes took this stunning photo

In the afternoon, we were finally able to have our 5th COVID injections plus this year's flu injections. It is such a pleasure to rock up to Springs Medical, be greeted with a smile and be able to have our shots together. We spent more time in the waiting room chatting with friends before and after our appointment. Neither of us had any issues with either shot, apart from slightly sore arms. 

On Friday, Wes took Pearl to Ballarat to have the new windscreen fitted. He was told it would take around 6 hours, so he had breakfast in Sturt Street, before going to the Regent Cinemas to see the film, Alleluia, as it was the only offering with any interest to him. We had hoped to see it together, but I will try and get there soon so we can debrief. Fortunately, the car was ready much earlier than expected and he was home by lunchtime.

Yesterday afternoon, we went to Victoria Park to see the Annual Grudge Match between fierce rivals, Daylesford & Hepburn in the local footy. We are members of Daylesford and have been ever since we moved here. Sadly, neither the Reserves nor the Seniors were any match for Hepburn, but our Under 18 team recorded a good win, which gives us hope for the future. We sat next to Colin, who used to live here, and was Shire President back in the days before Jeff Kennett amalgamated lots of small Shires into bigger Councils. He had lots of amusing stories to tell & we were pleased to have met him. 

Country footy at Victoria Park yesterday

Last night Carlton recorded a huge win against West Coast over in Perth, with Charlie Curnow kicking 9 goals. Wes was delighted with the performance, although he assures me that Morse didn't like staying up late to watch to the very end. 

We've woken to a cool, misty morning here and will be heading off to the Daylesford Market shortly to collect fruit, vegetables & dog treats. 

Beautiful Autumn colours in our backyard

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - 23rd April 2023

 
This is for our neighbour, Glen, who enjoys crosswords, except for that last elusive clue!

We started our week with a wet visit to the Daylesford Market, where Morse enjoyed his pear, and I shopped for us & Glen, getting some beautifully fresh fruit & vegetables for the week. Later in the morning Rob & Dene paid us a surprise visit with a sorrel plant they had given me, which I had forgotten to take home the day before. Morse was delighted & excited in equal amounts.

We had been invited to Glenda Rozen's birthday lunch at The Convent with two other couples - Peter & Irene, and Gus & Marilyn. We had met Peter & Irene a few times, but not Gus & Marilyn, who spend most of their year in Darwin. Tina, the owner, shouted bubbles for the table, which was beautifully set & much appreciated by Glenda.

Gus, Marilyn, Irene, Glenda, Wes, Karen & Peter

I was quite tired by the time we arrived home and decided to watch the Collingwood & St Kilda game from bed. Before the match, Collingwood FC finally issued the unconditional apology we owed to First Nations St Kilda players - Nicky Winmar & Gordon McAdam, who were racially vilified hideously 30 years ago at Victoria Park. Nicky Winmar was present at Adelaide for this match & tossed the coin. He then shook the hand of every single Collingwood player, which was a wonderful gesture. Before the game, the AFL & the South Australian Premier had announced that the Gather Round would be played in SA for the next three years, as it had been such a resounding success with every match sold out.

The game itself was an arm wrestle with the defensive St Kilda team constantly repelling the attacking Magpies. Eventually the Pies prevailed by a goal, in a game that deserved to be a draw, and would have been if it had lasted much longer. 

At School on Monday, we focussed on my health & lack of energy which has gone on too long this time. Wes suggested I ask Dr Ellie if there was anything else I could be doing when I saw her the next day, which I duly did. She suggested I try taking zinc tablets & promised to read up on a new medication which has become available, to see if it would be suitable. 

Tuesday started with a good Zoom chat with Leanne, followed by an excellent catch up with Terry Borg in Burwood. It was three weeks since we had spoken & there was much ground to cover, including our thoughts on the film, Living. Between the Zooms & my appt with Dr Ellie, we had been invited next door by James for morning tea. He served orange poppyseed cake, which was very morish and we heard about his many projects, as well as told him a little of our history. After I left, Wes invited him in here to see our place, which was probably not his cup of tea, apart from the views, as we have too many bright, colourful feature walls to please him.

Glen was looking good on Wednesday when I brought her a chai latte, and very pleased with the progress being made on her ramp. The young builders are working hard, and she will be so happy when it is fully operative & she can achieve the next level of independence. At present, her two front steps at the gate, are impossible to negotiate without assistance.

After spending time with Glen, I had a lovely phone conversation with old friend, Sherryn Danaher, who is always interesting to listen to, and I miss her very much now that we live so far from each other. She & I bought a holiday home in Blairgowrie back in the mid-eighties, furnished it, and introduced Paul & Wes to it only after it was set up. It was a wonderful weekender and so many friends enjoyed visiting. We were close to the back-beach, which everyone loved, including the many kids who played in the rock pools & caves. 

1991 - Karen, Paul, Wes & Sherryn in Paul's cocktail garden at Blairgowrie

1990 - Ben, David & Jessica Lazzaro having fun at Blairgowrie back-beach

1988 - Samuel Snugglepot taking control of Sherryn's towel - he also loved her pillow - the first time we realised Labradors needed their own pillows!

We were sad to read of the death of Fr Bob McGuire, who I first met when I was 17. He was one of those young priests of the 60s & 70s, who showed enormous compassion for everyone, and the church was very fortunate that he didn't leave the priesthood, as some of them felt compelled to do. He was a good, kind man, with a great sense of humour, who remained Parish Priest of his church in South Melbourne for 39 years. 

On Thursday morning, Kathy, Lib & I had a great Zoom catch-up, and Lib was looking much happier now the humidity in Gladstone has eased off and nights are cooler. It was also 12 months to the day since I turned all the coat & trouser hangers around on my clothes, which meant it was time to check which hangers hadn't been turned back during that year. I discovered quite a few clothes hadn't been worn and parcelled them up for the Salvos. Thanks to Judi for this very practical and easy way to weed out what you don't wear from your wardrobe.

We had been waiting for a new part for Pearl's undercarriage and when it finally arrived, Wes volunteered to drive to Ballarat on Friday morning to get it done. While he was there, he stocked up on gin & whisky at Dan Murphy's, and bought tuna & swordfish from Ballarat Seafood, as well as vanilla slices from the Golden Nugget Bakery. Meanwhile, I had a podiatry appointment, and did some chores for Leanne, as well as picking up a chai latte for Glen.

Yesterday was a beautiful day after a cool morning. Wes washed Morse, who was very overdue for a bath after three weeks & I washed all his bedding, and was under extreme pressure to get it all back again. Meanwhile, Wes has been pruning in the front & back gardens, which have grown madly, especially the buddleias. I've been picking small quantities of Roma tomatoes, harvested exactly one cucumber, and pulled out the basil plants which had finished. 

Morse post bath, luxuriating in his clean bedding!

We visited the Rotary Farmers' Market, which was quite small & not well advertised or attended, which is such a shame, as it is very accessible in the Primary School grounds, with plenty of parking. I bought some things for Glen, Wes had a snag in white bread and we chatted to Ken from Spring Park Nursery. On our way home, we bought a chai latte for Glen and afternoon tea for us from Pancho.

At lunchtime, Glenda contacted us to say that she had tested positive for COVID 19, so we promptly did RATs, even though we had no symptoms and were pleased to discover we were negative as we are due to have our next booster & flu injections this week. 

We woke this morning to the very sad news that the incomparable Barry Humphries had died yesterday, aged 89. We were lucky enough to see him perform live and will never forget the anxiety of audience members, especially those who arrived late, as he pilloried them mercilessly. He will be greatly missed.

Barry Humphries as his most famous & unforgettable creation, Dame Edna Everage & as himself

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 16th April 2023

Dear Sally!

We feel as though we spent Easter relaxing in a dog-friendly holiday home in Daylesford. The weather was so cold & wet, and we had no ducted heating, so found ourselves sitting by the fire in the lounge reading, watching footy, and eating our meals. We might have even fitted in the odd snooze. 

Meanwhile, in Singapore - Olivia & Jack Lazzaro were looking very warm & relaxed

We drove to Trentham on Easter Monday morning to have a last breakfast at Chaplin's, where Mel has been looking after locals brilliantly for the past 11 years. She had been unable to sell her business, and decided to stay open until she ran out of food & coffee. We enjoyed a lovely breakfast & did School while we were there, looking at ways to catch up with old friends without putting me under pressure. 

It's been a big week for chatting - I've caught up with Leanne twice, where the highlight is always the moment when Morse gets on my lap for a treat. I also shared some memories with Jeff, (my aunt in Lincolnshire), who told me that my mother, Viva, was seen as an icon by other members of her family for the way she coped so well with five children, cooking, cleaning, baking, preserving & caring for us all. I continued this theme with friend, Jan, in Maleny, who had a mother who filled her with admiration because of the way she effortlessly cooked for the family and their workmen, baking & preserving & making all the bread. 

We had cancelled Mah Jong on Wednesday because of the School Holidays and so many visitors in Daylesford - it didn't seem fair to take up one of Muffins & More's tables. When Lyndal, my hairdresser, messaged me to say she had COVID and would have to postpone my fringe trim, we had a free & very wet morning and decided to use it seeing the Bill Nighy film, Living, in Ballarat. We are so pleased we did - The Age reviewer gave it 5 stars & we couldn't fault it - beautifully written & filmed with an excellent cast. Please catch it if you haven't already.

We were very sorry to read of the death of long-time Daylesford Rotarian & friend, John Egan, who was a gentle soul with a lovely smile. He reached the age of 90, and will be much missed by his family and locally.

On Thursday, after Wes had an interesting Zoom with his Overseas Friends on the topic of crypto-currency, I had a lovely Old Friends Zoom with Kathy & Karen, and we ranged over a number of topics, including the best way to cope with Heathrow Airport. Kathy thinks catching the bus to Oxford is the way to go, I think arriving in Glasgow or Edinburgh is good for us, and Karen is prepared to catch the train into London. Heathrow is like a large city these days & everything takes so long to achieve. I suspect we will try not to land there again, and if we do, we'll catch a bus to Oxford or somewhere lovely like that.

This weekend, all footy matches have been played in South Australia, most of them at the beautiful Adelaide Oval, for the inaugural Gather Round. Adelaide & Carlton were the first to play on Thursday night, and Wes was most disappointed when the Crows jumped the Blues in the 1st quarter & they were unable to catch up. Collingwood is playing St Kilda in the final game later today, and it will be a big test for us again.

Thursday & Friday were perfect Autumnal days, and it was a pleasure to sit outside watching the bees & butterflies being busy. Wes had bought bags of manure to feed the roses and got that job done before the rain arrived yesterday. 

Lovely photo of Toby Jug, our second lab who was poisoned at 2 years old in Essendon - he was a very intelligent and handsome lab and his death was cruel & unnecessary - we moved to Brunswick shortly afterwards

Samuel Snugglepot kept us amused and was happy in Brunswick, where he lived a long life

We visited Rob & Dene in Ballan with Morse yesterday morning & had a lovely time. Morse was delighted to see them both again, as were we. It was a cold morning, but the rain held off until the afternoon. Rob has been doing wonders in their garden, which we admired, before moving indoors for morning tea & some serious chatting. 

Morse & Rob enjoying each other's company on the couch

Morse recovering from all the excitement of the visit

We're sitting here in our study looking out at our back garden where rosellas are feeding, the roses are blooming again, and everywhere is touched by raindrops and shimmering. Meanwhile, Morse is waiting impatiently in Wes's recliner for us to go to the Daylesford Market.

Daylesford Easter Dispatch - Sunday, 9th April 2023

 

Nothing says Easter quite like the Easter Beagle!

We started last Sunday with a lovely trip to the Market and Morse was patted by quite a few people, which thrilled him to bits. We collected some dog treats from Jeff as well as our usual fruit & vegetables; and picked up a beautiful standard rose that was a gift from Leanne. Wes headed off to visit her after he dropped me and Morse at home. The visit went well & they had a good chat, including some forward planning for the garden.

This standard hybrid tea rose is aptly named "Glorious"

We cancelled Monday's School as we were due to do a big cleaning job, which I couldn't manage, and spent time sorting out issues instead. The main one was the malfunction of our control box for the ducted heating system, and we are expecting the replacement to be installed this Tuesday, well before it gets even colder. Wes spent the rest of the morning in the garden, and I visited Glen with pharmacy items and a short chat, as she was having a busy day. 

On Tuesday, we decided to have a morning out. It started with a beautiful breakfast at Pancho Café. Afterwards we collected Morse and went driving in search of Autumn leaves. There were some at Macedon, Kyneton and Glenlyon, while the leaves are still turning in Daylesford, Lauriston & Drummond. 

Macedon Avenue of Honour

Two out of three trees have changed colour near Wombat Flat Mineral Spring

We sat on our decking looking out at this sky & I am thrilled with the true colours captured by my new Motorola phone

Everything seems to be needing repairs & maintenance at present. On Wednesday, Wes took Pearl to Ballarat Mazda for some warranty items, one of which was an incorrect part & will necessitate another trip. As well, a tiny chip in the windscreen has turned into a hairline crack, and this will require a few more hours in Ballarat. Meanwhile, Dot, Judi & I played Mah Jong together, until a noisy table of 12 sent us packing 30 minutes early!

Meanwhile, Sammy had a slow puncture, which meant a visit to Jamie in Daylesford, who offered to repair the tyre the same day, which we accepted gratefully. We are so lucky to have him as he always has his clients' welfare at heart, and Facebook is full of his very happy customers thanking him publicly for his quick repairs. 

We had fish & chips for dinner before Collingwood finally had a loss on Thursday night against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba. I was pleased, as we have been praised too highly in the press, and this will bring us back down to earth I hope. Another team can take over as Flag Favourite! 

I picked these before the rain came down

We woke to pouring rain on Good Friday morning - our gardens & tanks & reservoirs are all very grateful for the downpour. We spent much of the day sitting in front of the fire, reading. Wes was thrilled when Carlton recovered from a slow start to record a good win against North Melbourne in front of a record crowd at the Docklands. The atmosphere was wonderful, especially with all the children being celebrated as part of the Good Friday Royal Children's Hospital Appeal, which raised a record $23 million!

Yesterday was dull & wet, but nothing like the 25mls we had on Friday. Wes cleaned the floors after resetting the fire, and we enjoyed another day staying warm in front of it and watching games of footy. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd April 2023

We started our week with a lovely visit to the Sunday Market. Yvonne's stall was quiet, so she & Ken both spent time making a fuss of Morse, which he loves, even though his sliced pear was waiting for him. When I dropped off some papers & magazines to Judi, she & Michael had left a bag of tomatoes for us, which was a treat. There were enough to keep us going all week. On our return home, I picked a small bunch of roses for Glen and paid her a visit. 

On Monday, we spent School printing a compilation of our favourite Lewis photos to hang on the wall in the laundry along with our other memories of past Labradors. It is nearly a year since Lewis died, and we have found it hard to trawl through the photos & remember what a wonderful Lab he was and how much we miss him in our lives. Fortunately, Morse has recovered from his terrible shock and taken on some of Lewis's mannerisms and tricks, which have helped all three of us move forward. 

Later that morning I had another appointment with Dr Ellie to burn off yet another growth, this time on my face. She booked us in for our flu injections, which we will have on the same day as our next COVID boosters, at the end of April. 

It's been a busy week for online chatting - I've spoken to Leanne twice; had a good early catch up with Jeff in Lincolnshire; spent time with Kathy & Joyce, as well as Terry Borg. I don't think I'll ever get tired of being able to speak face to face instead of over the phone. It is so much more satisfactory and rewarding - almost as good as a visit!

A few of my latest crop of beanies - just in time for the cooler & wetter weather we are enjoying this week

We woke on Wednesday morning to the sad news that John Hardwick had died peacefully. Wes first met him in Grade 4, and their friendship has lasted since that time. Even when we didn't see each other often, we still had the connection with John & Carole, which was revived in the 80s, when both Wes & John were members of Brunswick Rotary. They caught up often at St Bernard's School reunions, casual lunches and over the phone. We will miss him very much.

Typical photo of John - smiling & loving life

Dot, Judi & I were able to play Mah Jong, which we all enjoyed after all these weeks. Afterwards, Wes and our friend, Hanna Laundl, joined me for a casual lunch at Muffins & More. Hanna was here staying at The Lake House, with a tour group that had been to Bendigo to see performances of The Ring Cycle. She was full of praise for the production, but disappointed that the tour guide was a very young woman with little experience, and no knowledge of Bendigo, Daylesford or opera! We first met Hanna when she & her husband, Gerry, lived here and ran an excellent B&B called Liesingtal. After Gerry died, Hanna moved to Sydney to be close to their two daughters. We stay in touch & see each other very occasionally. 

Wes, Hanna, me, Judi & Michael having yum cha in Sydney some years ago

Dot with a rare feat at Mah Jong - she picked up all four blanks

That afternoon I was too tired to stay up, and went to bed, where I stayed until Friday morning, with a short break to host the Old Friends Zoom on Thursday. The rest of the week has been very quiet for me. I've managed to get up & dressed in the mornings, but found myself in bed again by afternoon. Hopefully this latest bout of ennui is on its way out and I can get back to normal life.

Morse after his bath yesterday, waiting for the next excitement in his life!

Both our teams won their matches, although our opponents made us work hard for the wins. It's years since Collingwood has won its first three games, and although I know the bubble will burst soon, (possibly even on Thursday night at the Gabba against Brisbane), but I'm enjoying the ride. Wes is also delighted with Carlton's efforts and hoping they get to play Finals this year at the very least.

This morning we are due to visit my sister, Leanne, for tea & toast, chats and garden maintenance. I'm up to the chatting, but not able to cope with the three hours in the car getting to Strathmore & back, so Wes is going on his own, which is very kind of him. Leanne is looking forward to seeing him.