We started last Sunday with a trip to pump water at Leitches Creek before going to the Sunday Market, where Yvonne & Ken made a fuss of Morse, who gobbled up his pear in record time! Afterwards, Wes took Morse with him to visit Rob & Dene's home in Ballan to check everything was OK, empty the letterbox and do any watering that was needed.
On Monday, Wes decided we would have a relaxing School, and chose three You Tube clips of Dame Judi Dench. The first was a 30-minute interview made about 8 years ago, which discussed her career from the beginning and included some very funny stories. Next was a short clip of some of her finest speeches in films, and last we watched her singing "Send in the Clowns" at the Proms. She is not a singer, but her diction and phrasing are so good, she really delivers on that most difficult of songs.
We were both very impressed with her performance as Lady Catherine de Bourgh attempting to intimidate a brilliant Keira Knightley, aged 20, as Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 version of "Pride and Prejudice". I was so taken with the excerpts we saw, that I did something I have never done before and attempted to find the film on Foxtel. I was successful and watched it that afternoon, spellbound by the wonderful cast & direction. Other actors included Brenda Blethyn and Donald Sutherland as Mrs & Mr Bennet and Matthew Macfadyen as Mr Darcy.
Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet
My aunt, Jeff, in Torksey Lock, has been unwell with a rotten virus that has attacked her twice now and left her feeling awful. We haven't been able to chat for a month as she is too tired at night to stay up, which is very understandable. However, I did catch up with Leanne on Tuesday, with a good Zoom, and she was looking forward to meeting her new support worker, Nicole, that morning.
Judi came to visit to help me clean our oven as she is quite an expert. So, while I took the door off and got it sparkling again, she treated the non-self-cleaning elements of the oven, as well as the racks & baking dishes. Morse was delighted with her visit, and she could barely get in the door for his excitement. Wes cleaned the cars while we were doing the oven, and the beautiful sunshine dried them quickly.
Our first vase of daffodils and jonquils this season
On Wednesday morning it was -3° and the roads were icy, so I postponed my fortnightly trips to Spring Park Nursery with newspapers, and Nick & Robyn with The Local & Epicures. Morse was disappointed as he does enjoy the drive, but perked up the next day, when the temperature was 5° early and the roads were free from black ice. Nick had left a bone for Morse and a jar of nectarines in syrup for us - both items much appreciated.
Judi & I played Mah Jong happily in Muffins & More Café, where once again the place was full of locals reading newspapers, chatting with friends or sitting quietly over brunch & a cuppa. We do enjoy the atmosphere there and Kelly, the owner, is very generous, allowing us to sit for close to two hours. In the afternoon, Judi returned to finish the oven cleaning - joy for Morse again, and for us, as it is almost like new again.
Morse sound asleep after all the excitement of Judi's visit
Wes and I both enjoyed our Thursday morning Zooms - he chatting with his mostly Overseas Friends on the topic of retirement, and me catching up with Old Friends - Kathy, Lovely, Lib & Joyce. Our neighbour, Glen, has been back in hospital having another operation on her leg, so we've been keeping an eye on her home, collecting mail & letting friends know how she is going, which is very well, and she is expecting to come back home today.
Latest collection of beanies, a beret & a scarf for the Salvos op-shop
On Friday morning we enjoyed a wonderful catch up with dear friends, Ian & Robyn Robinson. We booked the Parlour at The Convent, which meant we were isolated from other diners, and could chat away to our heart's content. Afterwards, we took them for a tour of The Convent as they had not visited it before.
Enjoying the catch-up after some time since we had last met - Wes, Karen, Ian & Robyn
That night Collingwood were easily outplayed by Brisbane, a team we don't seem to be able to beat, at the Docklands. The margin was only 4 goals at the end, but it felt as though there was a much bigger gap between the two sides.
Yesterday Wes and Morse drove to Ballan to check on Rob & Dene's home again, where all was well & they picked a bunch of parsley. They also drove on to Ballarat to collect whisky, brandy & gin, before coming back here to do some supermarket & bakery shopping in preparation for today's lunch with old friends - Tom Tyrrell, Deb Fowler & Danny Millman, who are making the drive to Daylesford to catch up with us. Meanwhile, I made a pot of minestrone soup for our dinner, stewed some pears and set the table ready for today.
In the afternoon, the Blues made hard work of beating the Gold Coast Suns, who came out of the blocks fast & had them on the back foot early on. Carlton eventually won by 4 points, but the result was in doubt until the siren rang. Later on, the Matildas lost to Sweden in the Soccer World Cup playoff for 3rd place. We watched bits of the match, but the Aussie Rules footy was more engaging with goals galore from St Kilda in the first quarter against Geelong. They eventually won by 33 points, which means the reigning Premiers will miss the Finals this year. We also enjoyed the wonderful send-off that Richmond gave their Premiership heroes, Trent Cochin & Jack Riewoldt, as they played their last game for the Tigers.
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