Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 25th June 2023

Perhaps we should train Morse to give us his nightly reports!

Last Sunday we felt quite strange going to the Daylesford Market on our own, but I did appreciate Wes carrying the bags & basket for me as I collected our fruit & vegetables, as well as those put aside for Morse. Afterwards, while I unpacked, Wes drove to Eureka Kennels, Ballarat, to collect Morse, who was delighted to see him and then to come home again. Wes gave him a bath, washed the cars, and settled down to catch up on the weekend papers before watching Carlton & Gold Coast on TV. Wes was thrilled when the Blues got their act together in the 2nd quarter and piled on 9 goals, winning eventually by 59 points. 

While we were away, we were shocked to read of the sudden death of Jo Best, wife of Lee Littlepage. We first met Jo in the early 2000s at the Daylesford Bowling Club, and later she & Lee lived opposite us at #75 Duke Street for some time. They were happily running the meals at the Guildford Hotel, where we had hoped to get to lunch soon & catch up with them. Lee & I had been exchanging messages the day before Jo's death, when I was at the MCG, as Lee is a passionate Collingwood supporter too. 

Lovely photo of Lee & Jo

We've settled back in routine at home very quickly and it has been a busy, but satisfying week. Wes has gotten stuck into the garden again, especially when we enjoyed some sunny weather, after cold, frosty mornings. Apart from household chores, I've been back Zooming with my sister, Leanne, as well as Old Friends - Kathy, Lovely & Lib. Wes has Zoomed with Barbara; the Jackson Group of mostly overseas friends; old Brunswick friend, Sam Esposito, and Jenny Beacham, a friend of many years. He also spoke to Helen Hanrahan by phone, a monthly appointment that they are both enjoying very much. 

The 1st Ashes Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham was an absolute nail-biter and we both wished we had been there to see it. For almost all of the 5 exciting days, the Poms looked in control, and it was only in the last session, as the overs were running out & the light was starting to fade, that captain, Pat Cummings & spinner, Nathan Lyon, hit the ball as hard as they could and won the game for Australia. Even when we were watching the replay (as the game was played overnight our time), we still couldn't believe we would win. 

Karen & Warren with a replica Ashes urn in 1995

On Thursday I visited Dr Ellie to get the results of my bone density scan & discuss the first month of Naltrexone. My bone density has improved since the last scan 2 years ago, probably because gym had closed due to COVID in 2021, and for the past 13 months I have been doing a supervised exercise programme involving weights, as well as keeping up my calcium intake. 

Although there is no discernible change to my energy levels since taking Naltrexone, we both agreed that we have to give it 3 months - anything less would be silly, as it will take some time to get into my system properly and produce the improvements we are hoping for. I have made appointments to see Ellie over the next two months and chart the progress, if any. 

Yesterday we visited Leanne and had a most successful time there. Wes dug up the next area of the garden to be replanted - spread fresh soil & added nutriments. Meanwhile, Leanne & I cleaned out two more cupboards, made some space in another, and solved a couple of small problems. We invariably arrive back home with lots of cardboard boxes to recycle, and this time, surplus Glad wrap, baking paper & aluminium foil. 

Leanne with Jimmy, who cleans for her on Wednesdays

Today I am off to the MCG to see Collingwood play Adelaide at 1.10pm, a very user-friendly time if you live in the country. When we met earlier this year at the Adelaide Oval, the Pies won by a point, so the Crows are out to get revenge. I've got a reserved seat on the wing on Level 1, under cover, just in case it is raining in Melbourne. 

Finally, we were sad to read this week of the death of Tom Roper, former local Brunswick Labor politician, with whom we had much to do over many years. He was only 78, but had suffered a stroke & was wheelchair-bound.  

Above, Tom at our place on Christmas morning 1981 with Tom Tyrrell & Robert Preston, and below was taken this year

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 18th June 2023

Poor Snoopy!

When I left you last Sunday, we were preparing for our week's holiday. By the time Wes arrived back home from dropping Morse at Eureka Kennels, it was 11am and we decided to head to Melbourne & find somewhere nice for lunch on our way. We had hoped for Chinese but our pick in Carlton was fully booked, so we walked on & found Criniti's where we enjoyed chili prawn risotto (me) and butterflied King Prawns (Wes). 

We drove on to Cremorne, near Richmond, to our accommodation, where we have a lovely light corner apartment with views of Gosch's Paddock. It took Wes 22 minutes to walk to the MCG and be admitted, which was probably the highlight of his night as Carlton were totally outclassed by Essendon after a promising start. 

Meanwhile I was rejoicing that all 10 of my favourite instruments made it into the ABC Classic 100, although I prefer the violin to the cello, which was voted number 1. I started watching the footy, but moved across to the cricket where Scott Boland removed Virat Kohli, the biggest threat to an Australian win, and then Jadeja, who always digs in. It was a good win for the Aussies, who had made a sporting declaration to give the Indians a chance to win. However, being crowned International Test Team of the Year means nothing if we can't beat the Poms in this Ashes series.

The next morning, we went for a long walk around the area, which is not somewhere we often visit these days & eventually found ourselves at Riché, where we had a breakfast worthy of Daylesford's best - chili scrambled eggs with feta, crispy shallots & chili jam on toast. Wes had the chorizo with his. The dish is called Had a Big Night Out!. We went for a further walk around the parklands and spotted Wes's nephew, Leon, sitting on a bench near the Punt Road Oval. It was great to spend 20 minutes with him before he headed off to catch up with mates at a nearby pub, and we went back to our accommodation for me to get ready to go to the MCG.

Although we didn't manage to beat Melbourne, who dismantled our game brilliantly & should have won by a few goals, not 4 points, I had a great day at the footy. I started by spending time with old friend, Margaret Nolan, and her daughter, Judith Ward. Margaret & I first met in the 80s at Collingwood and we've kept in touch ever since. Then I was able to have a short chat with Gayle Gibson, who was looking very comfortable on a Long Room couch, but was, like me, nervous about the game. Finally, after the Big Freeze slide, I spent time with David Lazzaro, and caught up with some of his news. I had a great seat with an excellent view and was very proud of our fightback, which made the Demons supporters around me turn pale!

Wes and I headed off at 8.15am the next morning to drive to Canberra and had a pretty good run, although we encountered rain for most of the trip. We arrived at our accommodation in Kingston around 4.30pm, where we spent the next 4 days. Our room wasn't as large as I had hoped, but it was clean, serviced and all the staff were friendly & helpful. 

That night, after a rest, and while it was still early, we walked back to the Kingston hub and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Portia's Place, where Wes indulged in a dish of shredded duck, and I tried the seafood with mustard sauce. 

The next morning, we walked to the shopping area & chose Penny University café as our breakfast spot. It was very popular, without being memorable, except for our waitress, who answered yes to every question and then had to backpedal - perhaps it was her first week. 

We had timed entry into the Australian War Memorial so headed off there, where we received amazing assistance from the staff & were able to spend 2.5 hours mostly in the Vietnam & World War I areas. We haven't been back there since our visit to Gallipoli, and it was sobering to read about that campaign after being at the site of so much slaughter. 

We hadn't made any plans for the afternoon, so went back to our accommodation for a rest and another early dinner, this time at Sammy's Asian restaurant by the foreshore. 

The next morning, we met my sister, Pauleen, AKA Paun, and her husband, Brian, at Walter café, overlooking Lake Burley Griffin. We hadn't caught up for some time & it was wonderful to spend time together. The staff were very understanding, and allowed us almost two hours at our table outside in the sun. Brian went off to work & we took Paun home to their new apartment in Parkes, where we chatted for another three hours. 

After an interlude at Kodiak bar, we had an early dinner at Bui's Vietnamese restaurant, where Wes ordered the roast chicken special & I had chili prawns. The food was great, the staff even better, and it filled up quickly with locals. It is BYO, which keeps the prices down.

Wes enjoying the roast chook, which was a huge, but very yummy dish

Paun was free again the next morning & booked us into a fascinating place called Tilly's Devine Cafe in Lyneham. This was originally a Women's Only place, but over the years the need has lessened, and men are allowed. It still feels like a comfortable & safe meeting spot for anyone, and we were able to sit and chat for ages without being asked to leave. 

Lovely photo of Paun at Walter, with her birthday gift from her sister, Leanne

That afternoon we visited the National Portrait Gallery, which is always a great experience. Neither of us had seen Fred Williams' portraits before, and there was a small, but excellent section on aboriginal art called Thinking of Someone, Something. We still had lots of energy left, so drove to Mt Ainslie for stunning views of Canberra, and then to the Black Mountain, where the Telstra tower was closed for renovations and we couldn't do a tour.

We visited Kodiak bar again on our last night. It also felt like a safe space, and there were groups on women catching up both times we were there. Neither of us was feeling particularly hungry after all the wonderful Asian food, so we hoed into a dish of chips with parmesan & spring onions. 

Yesterday morning, we set the alarm for 5.30am, left at 6.30 & arrived back here just before 3pm. We had an uneventful drive, except for mist & fog for the first three hours, stopped in Holbrook for tea & toasties, and changed drivers at Rest Places, which were all clean & equipped with toilets & seating areas. 

After unpacking and getting three loads of washing done, we finished off our holiday with fish & chips for dinner watching the footy & cricket, both of which were riveting, and awoke this morning to find Richmond had won, and the Aussies had rallied, in particular, Usman Khawaja, who is unbeaten on 126.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 11th June 2023

I think Morse feels like this after his bath!

We started our week with a lovely visit to the Daylesford Market, and headed off afterwards to Strathmore to visit Leanne. For a change, we drove out of sunshine into fog & smog, which eventually lifted and gave us a better drive back. We had a good chat over tea & toast, and managed to complete a couple of projects. Everything in Leanne's new garden beds is doing well and will hopefully survive Winter & be beautiful in Spring. 

We came back to a sleepy Morse, who had chewed his bone, buried it and gone to bed until we returned. Much to his horror, we started watching footy again, and I certainly enjoyed the two close good games that were played that afternoon. 

Morse ignoring the footy!

On Monday, we cleaned our bathrooms in lieu of School, before Wes headed off to The Lincolnshire Arms in Essendon for a catch-up lunch with old friends - Bobby Preston, Danny Millman & Tom Tyrrell. From what I hear, a wonderful time was had by all.

After I had two early Zoom chats on Tuesday morning, Wes drove me to Springs Medical Centre in Daylesford where I was booked to have a bone density scan in the mobile bus. The rain was bucketing down, and I was most grateful that he was able to park next to the bus, which had a couple of dry chairs under an awning. The person ahead of me was good friend, David Hall, who assured me it was painless, and went to have a chat with Wes. It was painless & took about 10 minutes in total - fingers crossed for a good result down the track.

The next day, we were expecting even more rain & strong winds mid-morning, so I put Morse in the car & did my fortnightly deliveries early - our copies of The Age newspaper to Spring Park nursery in Eganstown (they use them for bare-rooted roses, which get posted all around Australia), and Epicure & The Local to Nick & Robyn Massaro in Porcupine Ridge. Nick very kindly left a treat for Morse, which he enjoyed, and a jar of Boganberry jam for us (a delightful home-made concoction of blackberry & loganberry). Finally, we went to Leitches Creek, where I pumped their mineral water, which I drink in preference to tap water. 

This pretty spot has picnic tables, information about the spring & history of the area. It has one of the few remaining old-fashioned pumps, as well as an underground pipe.

Afterwards, I had a haircut with Lyndal Conroy, and learnt a lot about pregnant mares, as her favourite horse, Bitey, is halfway through her gestation period. Lyndal & her father, Glenn, race trotters, and she also races greyhounds. Her aunt, Anne-Maree, is an accomplished & successful driver, as is Glenn. Then the rain came down again - 80mls in all over the two days, and it was impossible to do anything except stay warm & dry inside.

On Thursday, after a lovely chat with Old Friends, I visited Juls for a manicure. I think she set a new record when I walked out after 1 hour & 35 minutes! Juls loves to chat & sometimes downs tools to make a point. As she was a wonderful neighbour in the early 2000s, I forgive her and enjoy her company. Meanwhile Wes had a good Zoom with his fortnightly group and was able to get the floors vacuumed & washed while I was away.

Wes drove to Reservoir on Friday morning to spend time with old friend, Joyce Spiteri, who needed help navigating Ancestry. I chatted with Leanne over Zoom, delivered Di Lyttleton's jumpers & my beanies to the Daylesford Community Op Shop, and collected prescriptions from the pharmacy. I have been editing Wes's first volume of stories from our families, and I had the chance to do some more of that while he was away.

This week I received confirmation from the Melbourne Cricket Club that I was eligible to become a 50-year member on 31st August this year. The Club has taken steps to ensure that women, especially ones like me, who would have been a member for 50 years if equality had existed before 1st April 1984, get the chance to share in the benefits of long-term membership. My subscription costs will halve, I will not have to join long queues and I will be able to take advantage of a dedicated seating bay on Level 2. All of these things will make going to the footy & cricket so much more enjoyable for me and all the other women who are being offered these privileges. I felt like crying & leaping in the air at the same time when I read the letter!

The MCC was founded in 1838 & is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia. In 1859, members drafted the first set of rules for Australian Rules Football. In 1877, it hosted the first game of Test cricket in history—played between Australia and England.

Yesterday it was too wet to walk Morse, but later the rain cleared & Wes washed our cars, which were very overdue for a clean. We then packed our suitcases, while listening to the Countdown for the ABC Classic 100 instruments, which has included some amazing and esoteric musical instruments. I am hoping to get most of my 10 favourites into the count, but so far only the Bugle has saluted.

This morning the rain held off & Wes was able to give Morse a good walk. Soon I will put him the car & take him with me to deliver books & bits of the weekend Age to Judi & Michael. Wes will take Morse to Eureka Kennels shortly after that and we will head to Melbourne where we are staying tonight & tomorrow night, which allows each of us to see our teams playing at the MCG. 

On Tuesday we drive to Canberra, where we will spend the next 4 nights in Kingston and hope to visit the War Museum etc as well as catch up with my younger sister, Paun, and perhaps her husband, Brian, who both live & work there these days after losing their home & business to the March 2018 Tathra bushfire. We'll be back here sometime late next Saturday.

Pauleen & Brian Fell

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 4th June 2023

 
I'm with Snoopy on this!

What a wonderful catch up with Old Friends we enjoyed last Sunday. After the Daylesford Market, we gave Morse a bone and set off to Coburg to Cornerstone Pizzeria, where we met up with the group that first came together through the Department of Employment in 1972. On my first day, Kathy took me under her wing, Squiz took me to places like the Russell Collins for lunch, Karen AKA Lovely, chatted to me over the phone, and Joyce was happily pregnant and reigning supreme at the Productivity Promotion Council. We, and our partners, have stayed friends for over 50 years, and still enjoy each other's company as much as we did all those years ago.

L-R Squiz, Joyce, Kathy, Karen, Lovely, Manny, Ged, Malcolm & Wes

The restaurant is used to catering for large groups & gave us a table near the front and looked after us very well. Instead of each of us ordering individually, we shared many dishes, which were all served with a smile, piping hot & yummy. 

When we arrived back home, we found Morse had been sound asleep, and thrilled to see us, even though we made him sit through the footy, where Collingwood & North Melbourne were playing. The Pies won, but North outscored us in the last quarter & would have been pleased with their effort from bottom of the ladder. 

It was wet again on Monday morning, so Morse had an early breakfast, before I went shopping at Coles Supermarket. There was a branch down over the road at the end of our street, and amazingly, there were no tradies at the new house site in our street, who would have been able to move the branch. I was able to manoeuvre my way through with Sammy, our Mazda 2, and hoped that someone in a larger vehicle would clear the road, which they eventually did. 

Latest crop of beanies & a beret for the Community Op-Shop

School was devoted to looking at our finances and agreeing on our future plans, which we did successfully. We are very happy to stay put here for as long as we can. Afterwards we had a great Zoom catch up with Mike & Linda Kirby - it was three months since we had chatted & there was lots of news to share. 

We woke to misty rain on Tuesday, but Wes & Morse were able to have a big walk. All plans for gardening or car washing were scrapped, and after a lovely chat with Leanne, I headed into Vincent Street for a stroll & some shopping for Glen & us. 

A blast from the past - Wes as Mayor opening the Brunswick Croquet Season 1983

Wes has been using the wet weather to continue his book of family stories, as well as keeping up with his Ancestry, where he has quite a few entries & is often contacted by others to pick his brains. As well he has been catching up with friends via Zoom - his old Carlton mate, Hymie Zawatsky, hasn't been well, and enjoyed the cut & thrust of their chat; old Insurance friend, Mark Silviera had plenty of news to share, and local friend, Mary Hurley, needed some advice.

My Old Friends Zoom on Thursday felt quite different as we had seen each other so recently. We started with Lovely extolling the virtues of porridge, with which Joyce & Libby agreed, and only Kathy identified with my description of it as "clag". The rest of the 45 minutes flew by in similar fashion, and I was thrilled to discover that I'm not the only person rewatching "Dalziel & Pascoe" episodes. 

Although we had been promised some dreary weather, we enjoyed sunshine at the end of the week, but it was so frosty & wet underfoot that not much could be achieved in the garden, although I did manage to pick one last bunch of roses for Glen. 

We had mixed results in the footy, with Carlton unable to beat Melbourne on Friday night, and Collingwood surviving a spirited effort by the West Coast Eagles, who are enduring a horror year with injuries. 

This morning, after the Market, we are off to visit Leanne in Strathmore, where we have a few projects in mind, as well as making sure that the newly-planted garden beds are thriving.