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