Daylesford Easter Dispatch - Sunday, 31st March 2024

 
Too true!

It doesn't seem like a week since I last wrote, this year is flying by too fast & we're already a quarter of the way through. Last Sunday, after the Daylesford Market, we drove to Strathmore and spent a most enjoyable few hours with Leanne, mostly chatting, and watering the garden for her. 

On Monday we had booked our 7th COVID boosters and headed off to Springs Medical in Kyneton, only to discover when we pulled up that their stocks were out of date and we couldn't be injected. We walked across the road to Little Swallow Café, where we enjoyed breakfast before driving back home. Later that morning I had a massage with Sarah, and as has become the norm, handed over about 4 bags of bottles & cans that attract 10c refunds. Leanne has been saving them for her too, and we usually have quite a few each month. Sarah's younger daughter, Maya, is the beneficiary of the money earned. 

On Tuesday, we had a busy morning. After I chatted with Leanne, I went to Springs Medical, Daylesford, and told Tanya our sad story. She immediately booked us in for our boosters on Thursday, as she remembered that we were keen to get them before we drove to Adelaide for the AFL Gather Round. 

When I returned home, I sat at my desktop for 30 minutes and was successful in getting myself a reserved seat in the 50-year Member bay in the MCC for Collingwood's ANZAC Day game against Essendon, followed by the big game versus Carlton the next week. 

We then drove to Ballarat, where I had a 90-minute dental appointment with Dr Anna to have two very old metal fillings replaced. I was quite nervous, but Anna explained everything as she went along, and I gained an elephant stamp as it only took an hour. Apparently some patients take ages for their mouths to go numb, and others request constant breaks - I did neither and found the whole experience rather interesting, as well as emerging with lovely white teeth. I'm back again next month to have the other two metal fillings replaced. Meanwhile, Wes had used his time wisely in Ballarat - had a haircut, and spent time by Lake Wendouree reading Voltaire.

It was quite a relief to have a quiet day on Wednesday. I drove Morse to Porcupine Ridge to deliver Epicures & The Local, plus some Easter eggs to Nick & Robyn, before we went to Leitches Creek to pump mineral water as I was running out of it. Later Wes took Morse to track down manure for the garden, but all the usual spots were bereft, so he vacuumed the floors instead of gardening. Meanwhile Judi & I met up to play Mah Jong at Muffins & More, where we exchanged Easter goodies and had a fun morning, with her winning all the games except one. 

The next day I had two early Zooms - one with Terry Borg, who was at Philip Island with all her family; and the other with Old Friends - Lib, Joyce & Karen. Both chats were most enjoyable and full of laughter. Wes spent the morning in the back garden, pruning, staking, mowing & watering and, as usual, everywhere looks so much better after he has finished.

Our visit to Springs Daylesford for our 7th COVID injections was a delight. We walked in the door at the same time as old friend, Kim Lyden, who now lives in Ballarat, but comes here a couple of times a week. We chatted with him while waiting to be called, and were quite pleased the doctor was running late. Dr Shashika checked our temperatures and passed us on to Nurse Alex, who was a chatty new Daylesford resident. We hardly felt our injections, and when she noticed that I had a large bandage on my forearm, asked to see it, checked the wound was healing & gave me a superior waterproof covering & a spare. Great service indeed!

That night, Collingwood travelled to Brisbane to play the Lions in the Grand Final rematch. As both teams were winless thus far, there was a lot at stake. The Pies started well, but Brisbane took over in the 2nd quarter & were ahead at half-time. However we kicked 9 goals to 5 in the second half to win by 20 points in front of a sell-out crowd. 

Needless to say we were all tired on Good Friday morning, and postponed our plans for a Vaughan Springs walk to today instead. We slept in, had Hot Cross buns with jam, watched the replay and did very little until it was time for Wes to drive to Ballan to catch the train to the Docklands Stadium to see Carlton & North Melbourne play at 4.20pm.

He had a wonderful afternoon at the footy, sitting with Ben, Leanne, Jack & Olivia Lazzaro and watching Carlton have an easy win against North Melbourne in their now traditional Good Friday afternoon game in support of the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal. There were so many families there it was a delight to see, and such a fuss was made of those who are patients at the RCH.

Young patient & North supporter, Imogen, tossing the coin before the game

Yesterday we both had Zooms we had postponed from Friday - I chatted early with Leanne, and Wes spoke to Barbara in the afternoon. We spent the morning doing chores - I uprooted the tomato & cucumber plants, plus some dead annuals; while Wes washed & vacuumed both cars, and did some gardening. In the afternoon, he did all the end of month computer reports, while I managed to find some footy to watch while I sewed up a small jumper I've been knitting.

I was just about to go to bed after dinner, when I decided to check if neighbour, Glen, had arrived back home after spending a few days in Frankston with her younger daughter, Jess, and family. Glen was out the front watering her sweet pea seedlings and as we chatted, James & Yoko arrived back from dinner at Beppi's and came over to introduce their son, Hamish, and his partner, Sacha. Sacha wanted to meet Morse, so they all came into our place and we sat chatting on the decking for a while, with everyone making a fuss of Morse until he had had enough & tried to climb up on my lap!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 24th March 2024

I can't resist this series of Snoopy with his broken leg!

What a wonderful St Patrick's Day we enjoyed last Sunday. After the Market, we drove to Brunswick to the old Sarah Sands Hotel in Sydney Road, which is now the home of the Celtic Club. It has been beautifully renovated and turned out to be the perfect venue for a catch up with old friends. There were 10 of us, and we all enjoyed the very Irish breakfast, which was good value at $25 head including tea & coffee. The staff were friendly & caring, and when it came time for us to vacate our table, we were invited to go upstairs to the members' area, where we sat around for another hour or so. 

Gayle Gibson & Squiz Murray

Gerard Lazzaro, Deb Fowler, Karen Stevenson & Tom Tyrrell

Gerard Lazzaro, Deb Fowler, Malcolm & Karen Stevenson

Karen Maloney & Kathy Lazzaro

Tom Tyrrell & Warren Maloney

Warren Maloney enjoying his first sip of Irish breakfast tea

We arrived home to find Morse sound asleep after devouring his bone, and we three watched footy and recovered from our big morning. I took longer than Wes, and found myself in bed early and missed the Monday morning walk around Lake Daylesford.

Meanwhile, Wes decided I needed cheering up after Collingwood had lost its first two games and presented me with the 2023 Premiership Team framed photo, which is now at the bottom of the stairwell, above the framed Nick Maxwell collage from Robert Preston. 

Wes has picked up his new hedge & line trimmers and has been having lots of fun in the garden with his three work-saving garden tools. We've just received our green garden waste bins, and I think we'll be keeping them full for the foreseeable future.

On Wednesday, while I played Mah Jong with Judi, and later had lunch with her and Fiona at Muffins & More, Wes visited Steve, who used to deliver our newspapers, in Daylesford Hospital, where he has been while the doctors try to solve his various health issues. 

We've had a busy week of Zooms & catching up - Wes has spoken twice with Barbara in New Zealand; enjoyed a stimulating discussion with the Jackson Group with a guest speaker who discussed the history of the European Union, and joined my fortnightly catch up with Terry Borg, who has her daughter, Laura, living with her for 3 months from Thailand. Meanwhile I chatted twice with Leanne in Strathmore, and caught up with Old Friends - Kathy & Joyce.

On Thursday, I was lucky that our neighbour, James, was returning to Melbourne in the afternoon, and he drove me to the MCG again, where nearly 80,000 fans gathered to watch St Kilda host Collingwood in the 4th Annual Spud Match, which honours St Kilda legend, Danny Frawley, who suffered mental health issues all his life and died in 2019 aged 56. His family has established a wellness centre in his memory. Once again, Collingwood was no match for their opposition, although we did show a bit more fight than the previous two weeks.

St Kilda & Collingwood players, umpires & reps from all other teams unite in a 2-minute moving tribute to Spud & to raise awareness of Mental Health before the game

Wes & Morse drove to Jolimont that evening to collect me from the match. We had a fairly easy drive home, but it was after midnight before we were in bed. The next morning Morse let us all sleep in until 7.30am, by which time his tummy was missing breakfast!

We had been due to have brunch at The Convent with an old school friend of Wes & his wife, who were in Daylesford for a wedding, but they contacted us to say they had COVID, so we cancelled that arrangement and hope to catch up another time.

This wonderful photo of our friendly juvenile kookaburra was taken by Glen with her new camera

Yesterday we went to Day 1 of the Clunes Booktown Festival, which was first run in 2007. This year there was free entry, and Clunes was full of people of every age wandering around the beautiful wide streets, grabbing book bargains and catching up with friends. We parked near the main area and went into the first book shop we saw, which turned out to be the best we visited, with good quality books all priced at $5. We bought so many that Wes took them back to the car and I wandered on to peruse books on the footpath that were being offered for a donation by the Make a Wish Foundation. By the time he returned, I had more for our library. We didn't find anything else in any of the shops, but there were tents dotted around and we picked up a few more there.

We had booked tickets for two events, both in the beautiful old Clunes Town Hall. The first was titled "Killing Women: Fact and Fiction" and comprised a panel of writers, who each approached the topic from a different viewpoint - policewoman, true crime devotee, teacher & professional moderator. Almost immediately afterwards we were treated to "Let Me Read to You" with Jane Clifton, Wayne Macauley & Helen Garner reading their choice of short story. This was hosted by Jacinta Parsons, who brought a sense of energy & fun to the hour-long event. 

Daylesford St Patrick's Day Dispatch - Sunday, 17th March 2024

 
I've never had a limb in plaster, but I imagine the itching would be unbearable - poor Snoopy!

We enjoyed our visit to the Daylesford Market last Sunday, but it was already getting hot, when we pumped mineral water at Leitches Creek afterwards. We decided to forgo the ChillOut Parade, but Wes drove to Ballarat mid-morning, where he had promised to attend a session on Labour History at the Ballarat Trades Hall, which is a heritage-listed building. He knew most of the other attendees, and listened with interest to a talk from long-time friend, Jenny Beacham. 

It looks as though there was a big enough crowd to watch the Parade without us!

I spent Monday glued to the Test in New Zealand as Australia clawed its way back from 4/34 to eventually win the match. It is what makes Test Cricket so good to watch - the game see-sawed all morning, but thanks to Alex Carey's 98* and contributions from Marsh & Cummins, we managed to survive some great bowling. 

Morse suffering Test match tension!

Wes has been putting his mini-chainsaw to good use this week, and all the buddlias have been chopped back, much more rapidly than usual. He also cleaned out the pond, which is looking much better now it has been cleared of weeds, and I'm sure the frogs will jump back in with gusto. 

We decided to go to Ballarat on Wednesday morning to see the film The Great Escaper, starring Michael Caine & Glenda Jackson, both acting in their final films. We had breakfast at Café Lekker first and explored a few of Ballarat's laneways before making our way to the cinema. We were blown away by this wonderful film, which is based on a true story. The main actors were brilliant, but so were the supporting actors, and even the bit parts were carried off with aplomb. We haven't stopped talking about the issues it raised - love, ageing, unfinished business, secrets & lies etc. Please go & see it if you get the chance. 

We've both had lots of Zooms & phone calls this week - thanks to everyone who participated, and apologies to Terry Borg, who was the victim of a giant upgrade on both my desktop & the laptop, just as we were due to chat. 

Wes was very excited when Carlton held off the brave Tigers to record a second win on Thursday night. I had a reserved seat for the Collingwood game against Sydney the following night, especially because I wanted to see last year's Premiership Flag unfurled. 

Our neighbour, James, came to visit in the morning and offered to drive me to the MCG, as he was going back home that afternoon. I accepted his offer with pleasure, and he dropped me off just before 6pm, which gave me time to spend a few minutes with David Lazzaro, before going to my seat to watch the ceremony. Afterwards I had a good chat with Gayle Gibson, as it was the first Anniversary of her husband, Fraser's death. She told me about three brothers that sit with her in the Long Room - Charles, Harold & José (call me Joe). She asked quite rightly - what was your mother doing or thinking to call you José, for which there was no reply. P.S. They were all born in the Nederlands. 

I was sitting next to a dapper older gentleman on his own, who introduced himself as John, and we got talking. He is 74 and rides to the G on his motorbike from Mornington. Apparently his wife is keen for him to stop, but he's been riding since he was 18 and will consider her request when he turns 80!

The Swans were far too good for the Pies, and ran out easy winners by 33 points. I left about 10 minutes before the end, as Wes & Morse were picking me up outside the ground and I arrived at our spot just as they pulled up. We had a good run home & were in bed just after midnight. Yesterday morning Wes got up at 5.20am to walk Morse, who wouldn't get out of bed, so we had a sleep in until 7am. Win! Win!

We had a very quiet day recovering and I was in bed before dinnertime after watching Essendon record a good win against Hawthorn in a close, exciting match; and North try their best, but fail against GWS. We woke to discover Geelong had beaten St Kilda in another close game, and Gold Coast had recorded their second win beating Adelaide. 

Finally, our friend, Viv, let us know that her husband, Jon, died from a brain tumour 7 years after he was diagnosed and underwent treatment. Viv was so happy with Jon and they did everything together. We only met him once when they visited from Paris, but we warmed to him instantly and are so sorry his life has been cut short.

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 10th March, 2024

 
This is very topical, as so many friends have been in this situation over the past 12 months - I wonder if they were tempted to wield their crutches in the same way as Snoopy 🤣

We had a lovely Sunday morning - there were no other dogs at the Daylesford Market, so Morse was very relaxed, ate all of his pear, and greeted everyone he knew for a change. Afterwards, we met Fiona & Les and their dog, Brodie, at Daylesford Cemetery, for a catch up walk & talk. Morse was thrilled to see all three of them - Brodie just likes to catch tennis balls, and Morse couldn't care less, so they get along very well!

We came home to tea & toast and the last of the 1st Test, which Nathan Lyon wrapped up almost single-handedly, although Cameron Green was Man of the Match for his unbeaten first innings. He also took a wicket, and a couple of catches - the perfect all-rounder. Unsuprisingly, I found myself in bed around 3pm, absoutely spent after a wonderful social week!

Autumn was in the air with cooler nights & mornings, which we love. On Monday, after the Lake Daylesford walk, and shopping, we spent an hour or so cleaning the laundry & hallways as part of our School programme. Wes then tackled the front garden again, while I had a remedial massage with Sarah - always very beneficial.

Another vase of roses - Hot Cocoa, Red Riding Hood, Freesia, Mother's Love & Ashram

One of the things I have been doing for years as we walk around Lake Daylesford is collect rubbish - serviettes, tissues, cans, bottles, clothing etc. With clothing & beach stuff, I usually put them somewhere visible, and if they are still there three days later, they go into the bin. However, since the Victorian Government finally re-introduced 10c refund on bottles & cans of soft drink, the amount of rubbish we find on our walks has greatly diminished. The Council has put a few more bins around the area, and that has helped as well.  

We've both had lots of interaction with friends & family this week - Wes has chatted twice with Barbara in New Zealand; with his Godson, Danny, in Fortitude Valley, Qld; with old friend, Helen Hanrahan in Lower Plenty, and with the Jackson Group scattered around the globe. I've caught up with my sister, Leanne, twice; with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, and with Old Friends, mostly in Victoria + Queensland. 

As well, we received sad news that old friend, Margo Prophet, had died of cancer last Saturday. We spent many happy hours in her company with her former husband, Ron, especially when we shared a holiday home in Blairgowrie with Paul & Sherryn. She was a star in our various Murder Weekends, and we will miss her in our lives. At Christmas, she was making plans to visit us, but that didn't happen.

A lovely photo of Margo in 2015 with her daughter, Lauren, and son, Andrew

There was no Mah Jong on Wednesday, so Wes & I visited Dot & John Smith in Hepburn Springs. I've been playing Mah Jong with Dot for over 20 years, but she hasn't been well enough lately, so we thought we would catch them at home. It was a lovely visit, and we chatted about lots of topics. Meanwhile Liam Malone and his team were busy removing the dangerous split in one of James & Yoko's oak trees, and we came home to find Morse sound asleep and the job done.

The end of the week has been very confusing with Aussie Rules footy starting (only in NSW & Queensland), while Test cricket is still being played in New Zealand. We have been glued to the TV morning, noon and night as a result. The Swans opened the season with a good win over Melbourne at the SCG, followed by Carlton with a stirring 1 point win over Brisbane at the Gabba. Yesterday, Gold Coast were too good for Richmond & last night, Greater Western Sydney were clinical in their demolition of Collingwood, winning easily. 

With all this sport to watch, I've been busy knitting and took quite a few items to the Salvos shop yesterday, where they were very grateful and gave me some navy blue wool in return. I suspect Carlton beanies might be in demand after their amazing win. 

After the beautiful Autumnal days at the start of the week, these very hot days have been a shock. Fortunately our air-conditioning keeps us cool upstairs and we have a fan downstairs in the study. Today we are expecting 36°, which will not be pleasant. The Annual Moomba Parade in Melbourne has been cancelled, as have quite a few other outdoor events. We're off to the Market early and I'll be staying put once we return home. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 3rd March 2024

 
There's more of Lucy in me than I care to admit!

We had a great visit with Leanne last Sunday - lots of chatting, a bit of home handyman stuff, and plenty of gardening & watering. She is really doing well this year, and we are very pleased for her. We drove back here to smoke haze, which had disappeared by Monday morning.

After I did the shopping at Coles, we settled down to plan our trip to Adelaide, this week's School project. We have all the accommodation booked, as well as the tickets to the footy, and Morse is expected at Eureka Kennels for the duration. We needed to refresh our memories for our favourite cafes, haunts & walks in Robe, where we spend three nights, and Adelaide, where we have 5 nights, with 2 nights at Avoca on the way back. Happily most of the places we are keen to revisit are still around, including the Dimboola Store, where we'll stop for lunch on the way to Robe. 

Hot Cocoa, Red Riding Hood, Guy Savoy & Ashram roses

Afterwards we had a most enjoyable catch up Zoom with Mike & Linda Kirby, who live on the Gold Coast in Queensland. The rain had stopped and they were enjoying some sunshine & dry weather for a change, although the humidity was still very high. Wes mentioned that he had bought a baby chainsaw that morning, and both of them were very concerned for his finger count, and our trees & shrubs as a result!

Stunning sunset that night from our bedroom window

On Tuesday, I Zoomed with Leanne, had a fringe trim, did some local chores and came back here to get online footy tickets for three early rounds of AFL matches. I was pleasantly surprised to achieve that in 20 minutes and all seats are in the 50-year member bay, which must have added to the ease of purchase. 

Then it was off to lunch with Emma Ford, owner of EKO Skin Spa here in Daylesford, where I have been going for the past 10 years since she first opened. Emma is now managing the business, not hands on, and I miss the contact - fortunately so does she, so we spent 2 hours catching up at Pancho Café over lovely meals. This was the last week for Lauren & Tom, who started the business, but the new owners are keen to continue the vibe, which is wonderful news.

Emma looking tanned after her January holidays

Wes had spent the morning working in the garden, keeping water up to the new plants, and giving haircuts (not with the chainsaw) to those bushes that were getting out of hand. Morse doesn't enjoy much garden activity so I think he spent most of the time asleep.

On Wednesday, we let Morse have a run around the Daylesford Cemetery, until he decided it was time to go back to the car. The temperature was already 18° at 5.30am and we were expecting high 30s and catastrophic bushfire conditions in much of Victoria.

Judi & I met for breakfast at Muffins & More, and played quite a few games of Mah Jong afterwards, with her winning more than she lost! She is unable to play for the next fortnight, so it was good to have that longer time together.

It got very hot that afternoon, and even hotter when the power went out @6.30pm in much of the Shire. Wes opened a tin of tuna and made a salad for our dinner, and we finished with ice-cream. The power eventually came back on around 10pm, which made sleeping possible.

This has been a very social week and Thursday was no exception. After enjoyable Zooms with Terry Borg in Burwood (lots of chat about Bluey among other more serious topics) and a good catch up with Old Friends, we headed off to The Convent, for an unexpected lunch with our Sydney friends, Jane & David Knox, who were on their way to Adelaide for the Writers' Festival, and made the diversion to spend time with us. We haven't seen each other in person for about 5 years and it was so good to be together again. Everyone at Bad Habits made them very welcome and our meals were excellent, considering that the power had been out and not everything was working properly again.

Wes, Jane, Karen & David

The 1st Test in Wellington, NZ, has been a very interesting match to follow, and with the time difference, a challenge to start watching at 9am. However, we've been rivetted by the ups and downs of the game, and this morning will be no different. Australia should win, but the Kiwis won't go down without a fight.

Typical Morse behaviour when the cricket is on

We finished our very social week with another great catch up lunch yesterday in Heathcote, where we spent time with Shar & Rory, who we hadn't seen for 16 years. Shar was President of the Ladies' Committee at Collingwood, when I was Treasurer, and we were a great team. For various reasons, we had drifted apart, and this reunion was wonderful. Wes was just as pleased as I was to be spending time with Shar & Rory again in a lovely Antique Shop & Café called Fetching Treasures. We sat outside on a perfect day and were sorry when it was time to go. 

Shar with Rory above, and Wes below