Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 28th July 2024

 

Snoopy proving very hard to please for Charlie Brown

Our Sunday was a foggy but dry one, and we were able to go to the Daylesford Market, where Ken had cut up a pear for Morse, and was rewarded by lots of tail-wagging. Yvonne had found some huge mushrooms for us, which Wes wanted to steam with bok choi and she had that as well! While I bought everything else we needed, Wes & Morse headed off to Jeff, the dog treat man, for dried pig's ears and fresh eggs - always an interesting combination.

We arrived back here and went to work - it takes me a good 30 minutes to wash everything and put it in bags in the crispers, and then I clean the kitchen benches as they are usually due. Meanwhile Wes cleaned out the fireplace and reset it for the afternoon's footy on the TV, and filled up a green bin with garden clippings.

We watched Brisbane & Sydney play a wonderful game of footy in the early afternoon - it was worthy of a Grand Final, and Brisbane won by 2 points in a nail-biting finish. Carlton also won, beating North Melbourne by 19 points, but they were far from impressive, and Wes was very relieved when the final siren went.

We woke to the great news on Tuesday morning that President Joe Biden had bowed to pressure and decided not to run again, throwing his weight behind his Vice-President, Kamala Harris. It was foggy and very cold early and my phone suggested snow was around, but we didn't get any. The fog lifted by lunchtime, but it stayed a very grey day.

Morse had the right idea!

I had an early appointment with my doctor, Ellie, who assured me that the sun had been shining in Ballarat when she drove through, and it was only at Dean that the mist engulfed her. She did a few procedures, we had a chat, and I made another appointment for 5 weeks' time. I arrived back home in time for Tim from Daylesford Bi-Rite, who had promised to install a splitter on our main antenna so we can watch TV from the TV, as well as through Foxtel.

Lovely photo of some members of the Murray clan who were at the MCG on Saturday to see the Hawks win

Carolyn, Soom, partner of Chris, Patrick & Tom

On Tuesday, we woke extra early at 5.30am, so I could be ready to have a Messenger chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Torksey Lock. We hadn't caught up for a month and it was so good to see her again. She is still waiting for her house to sell, and the prospective buyers have not had any offers on their own home yet. Wes reseached this aspect of real estate about a month ago and discovered that in Australia, the average time between putting your home on the market & selling was 33 days. In the UK, it is 150 days. Jeff has another 7 weeks to go!

Great photos of my family - my brother, Peter, and my cousin, Leigh above, and Peter's wife, Anka, and my aunt, Jeff, mother of Leigh, below when they all caught up in Manchester last month

The sun shone and we enjoyed blue skies and 13° during that day. I also chatted with my sister, Leanne, via Zoom, and we made plans for our visit to her today. Meanwhile, Wes tackled cleaning and vacuuming both cars, filled them with petrol and checked the tyres. This was an overdue job, but the weather has not been conducive to cleaning anything outside!

That afternoon we were shocked to read that Peppa Sindar had died. We first met her in Daylesford, with her husband, Russ Wilkinson, who we had known when we lived in Brunswick. Russ & Peppa were staunch supporters of U3A Hepburn Shire, and while Russ was teaching us all Mah Jong, Peppa offered classes in Crochet and encouraged budding actors. Before Russ died some years ago, they moved to Ballarat, and she continued her acting career with the Ballarat National Theatre. She had just finished performing in their latest play and died suddenly aged in her late 60s. 

On Wednesday, we went for a family drive to Ballarat as there was no Mah Jong. We had a number of chores to perform and enjoyed getting most of them done. We were home late morning and I was able to collect my new reading glasses, which were ready after only a week. 

There was constant rain again the next morning - no chance of walking Morse or working in the garden for Wes. He participated in a Jackson Group Zoom discussing the impacts post-elections in India, EU, France & the UK. 

I had a Zoom chat with Old Friends - Kathy & Karen S, before heading into town for more chores. It doesn't feel like chores when you know everyone wherever you go - even the young man in Coles wanted to discuss how small mobile phones were in the early 2000s. I told him I was around when 007 car phones came in and he has seen pictures of them! That afternoon my distance glasses arrived and I could see the difference when I drove home wearing them.

We woke to a misty morning on Friday, but Wes was able to take Morse to Daylesford Cemetery for a good run. I was due to chat with Leanne by Zoom at 8.15am and set it all up at 6.30am. When I came downstairs to the study at 8.10am, my computer was in the middle of a giant upgrade, which meant I had to quickly power up the laptop in the Guest room. Leanne thought I looked healthier in that room, so perhaps I should continue using the laptop!

Wes went off to spend a couple of hours with his sister, Denise, who was celebrating her birthday. He had offered fresh croissants and blackberry jam to start her day, while catching up on her news.  Meanwhile I changed the sheets & towels, my usual Friday morning chore, then spent some time in Vincent Street searching for a new shopping bag, but had no luck.

That night, Carlton played Port Adelaide at the Docklands under the closed roof. Wes was very nervous about this match, so we had a yummy meal of giant prawns from Ballarat Seafood beforehand. I wish I had taken a photo - Wes pan fried them in tarragon & spring onions and served them with a tarragon & parsley dipping sauce & a small green salad. The Blues ran out of puff in the last quarter & lost by 14 points - Harry McKay pulled out just before the game started with illness, and then the sub, Jack Carroll had to replace David Cuningham in the first quarter.

Yesterday was dog wash time, and I took the opportunity to wash all Morse's bedding, much to his disgust. I got started early and by 10.30am everything was back in place, which was a relief. We settled in front of the TV and an open fire at lunchtime to watch a replay of the Olympic Opening Ceremony, which was very different indeed. Some aspects dragged on too long, but the overall vision was magnificent, utilising so many of the beautiful buildings of Paris as well as the Seine. 

Then we moved on to footy matches until the Swimming heats that night, which looked very hopeful for Australia. We woke to the news that Ariane Titmus had won Gold in her 400m freestyle event, and the Australian women also won Gold in the 4 x 100m relay. As well we won a rare road cycling Gold when Grace Brown won the individual time trial in a slippery race around the wet streets of Paris. We also picked up two Silver medals in the Swimming.

Katie Ledecky, Ariane Titmus & Summer McIntosh - great rivals

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 21st July 2024

 
There's a little bit of Sally in Snoopy I suspect!

It was bitterly cold when we set off for the Daylesford Market last Sunday, but everyone was cheery and hopeful that it would be busy as it was the last day of Victorian School Holidays. Afterwards we drove to Trentham to pick up Dutch Cream potatoes from a farm-gate stall and came back home for tea & toast.

We spent School on Monday morning working our way through our e-wallet, which holds all our details including passwords & pins, trying to update those entries that still used our bigpond addresses, to our gmail addresses. As anyone knows who has set out to change passwords, pins or emails, a small task turns into a slow, frustrating one, while you wait for confirmation emails or texts to allow you to continue what you are doing. Fortunately we kept our sense of humour and achieved what we needed to do. without too much swearing or giving up in disgust!

The next day was one of those frustrating ones where things don't seem to go right. I was up early to chat on Zoom with Leanne, before driving to Springs Medical Centre in pouring rain for my 9am podiatry appointment. At 9.30am, when Peter had still not appeared, the reception staff tried to find him, but were unsuccessful. He lives in Castlemaine, about 30 minutes away, and I was worried he had been involved in an accident. Eventually, I decided to go back home, as I had to try & get a reserved seat for the Collingwood/Carlton game in August at 10am. 

Collingwood & Carlton teams before the earlier match in May

We were expecting our new TV at 11am, but when Wes rang Tim to check on it, Tim had no idea where the TV was, and couldn't give us a new delivery time. I headed off to an appointment with my optician, Sarah, and told her I'd had enough things go wrong & I didn't want any bad news. She apologised and said that my left eye had deteriorated in the year since I saw her, and I would have to start wearing distance glasses, as well as new reading ones!

Things improved in the afternoon when Tim & Eric arrived to install the new TV in the lounge, move the lounge TV into the main bedroom, and put the bedroom TV downstairs into the Guest room. They did all that in 75 minutes, including putting a Google Chromecast on the downstairs one, which will be great when Wes is unwell and sleeps there, or if we have any overnight visitors.

Perfect for watching TV in bed!

On Wednesday, Judi was unable to play Mah Jong. While Wes worked in the garden, I took Morse with me to deliver newspapers to Spring Park Nursery; Epicures & The Local to Nick & Robyn in Porcupine Ridge; pumped mineral water at Leitches Creek; bought worming tablets at PETstock; dropped into Daylesford Hardware to buy an antenna splitter from Tim, which will enable us to watch TV stations from the new TV as well as via Foxtel; dropped in more beanies & berets to the Salvos Op Shop, and collected 6 freshly made vegetarian pasties from Leonie at Muffins & More. Wes appreciated being able to work without disruption, and Morse loves going for a drive with the heater on and a window down in case he wants to look at the  kangaroos, cows or ducks that we see along the way. 

The next morning, after my regular Zoom with Old Friends, Wes & I went to The Convent to catch up with Gillie Gough and celebrate her birthday over brunch. We heard her news and enjoyed our meals, and were delighted when Steve Doyle and Bill Guest came into the café for morning tea. They joined us at our table and we spent time hearing about their recent trip to England, and cruise to the battlefields of France & Belgium, where they unexpectedly met up with our Sydney friends, Jane & David Knox.

Steve & Bill looking just as pleased to see us as we were to see them at Bad Habits café

Wes suggested breakfast at Pancho on Friday morning, and it was a lovely thing to do. The new owners haven't changed too much, and the meals are just as yummy, if not more so. The only downside if you go as a group of friends is that they no longer split bills. I understand that for a large group, but when it is two or three, the previous owners were always understanding. 

Karen about to tackle her cheese omelette - we were sitting by the fire, looking out the window, where it was getting colder by the minute!

Yesterday was cold, grey & wet. Perfect weather to sit by the fire and read Saturday's Age newspaper before turning on the football. I had a ticket to Collingwood's game against Hawthorn at the MCG, but didn't have the energy to cope with the travelling to & fro, so returned it to enable another 50-year member to have a good seat under cover. And what a good move that was! The Pies were completely outclassed by the Hawks, and never looked likely, having kicked only one goal by half-time. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 14th July 2024

 
Poor Woodstock - a slave to fashion!

We had a good visit with Leanne last Sunday - I spent some time teaching her about her new Motorola mobile phone, after we chatted over scrolls from Baker's Delight. Wes checked her desktop, which is running well, and we agreed not to discuss the footy as our teams had both lost.

That afternoon, we were glued to the St Kilda vs Sydney game as the Saints somehow held on for an exciting 2 point win against the ladder leaders. All our Saints supporting friends were delighted, as this win was most unexpected.

On Monday, I did the shopping early, and then we spent our School time discussing the purchase of a new OLED LG TV for our bedroom, to replace the 15-year old Samsung one there. Wes visited Tim at Bi-Rite, who sold him the TV, plus a swivel base, plus a Chrome cast, which we will attach to the old TV, which will allow it to work in the Guest Room. This will all happen on Tuesday, which is most exciting.

Sarah was back from holidays, so we spent a very happy hour while she gave me an excellent massage, discussing what she & her family had done while they were away in the warmth. It was raining as I left & I started sneezing, which very quickly turned into a full blown head cold, and I spent Tuesday in bed, which seemed to do the trick.

On Wednesday, I was feeling much better and kept my hairdresser's appointment, as well as doing a load of washing & ironing. Wes vacuumed & washed the floors, as the sun came out to help dry them. By the afternoon, I was back in bed and very grateful to be served herbed Atlantic salmon with Brussel sprouts.

Wes had his fortnightly Jackson Group Zoom early on Thursday, which was on Health, specifically Aboriginal Health, as this is NAIDOC week. It was an interesting discussion and I'm sure everyone learned something new. Then it was my turn for an Old Friends Zoom with Kathy, Lib, Karen S & Joyce. Much of the conversation surrounded Joyce's latest projects, complaints about the cold weather (except for Lib in Queensland), and reviews of the play Julia, which Kathy & Ged had seen; and the Impressionists Exhibition, which Karen & Malcolm had visited. 

This week, the Gibsons unveiled a seat at Hamer Hall in memory of Fraser, who died last year. He always encouraged his family to attend concerts there and support the Arts, and he would have been delighted with this dedication.

Gabby, Fraser (the younger), Gayle & Fergie at Hamer Hall with the plaque in memory of Fraser (the older)

On Friday night, Collingwood hosted Geelong at the MCG. I wasn't confident, and when the Cats kicked the first three goals, I was even less sure we could make a game of it. However, we rallied and replied with the next 3 goals, but weren't good enough to win, going down by 20 points in an exciting, seesawing match.

Yesterday it was dry enough early for Wes to take Morse to Daylesford Cemetery for a good run, before we visited Rob & Dene in Ballan for morning tea. Glen had also been invited, but hurt her back just before we were due to leave and wasn't able to come. We missed her, but did enjoy our catch up with Rob & Dene, and admired the building works they have undertaken this year, which give them a great indoor/outdoor entertaining area and bathroom. 

Dene sitting next to the fire & Rob with Morse on the couch

Yesterday afternoon, it was Wes's turn to be disappointed when the Western Bulldogs were too good for Carlton under the roof at the Docklands. It was another exciting match, with the Doggies winning by 14 points. 

Morse showing no interest in the footy at all!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 7th July 2024

 

Not sure Lucy is a dog person!

We started our week with a lovely visit to the Sunday Market - it was cold, but not windy or wet, which meant Yvonne & Ken were in good spirits and spent quite a bit of time patting Morse, once he had eaten his pear. We came back here for Wes to spend much of the day doing end of financial year stuff, and I put in preparation for the next day's School, where we planned to update our Executor's manual.

In the afternoon, Carlton played Richmond at the MCG, where it rained quite heavily on and off. The Tigers stayed in touch until half-time, but then the Blues took over and won easily by 10 goals. Wes was delighted with the effort, especially as their ruckman, Tom De Koning, was rested. 

The next morning, after an early walk, shopping and scrolls, we settled down to go through our Executor's Dossier with a fine toothcomb. There wasn't too much that had changed, apart from insurances, credit cards and addresses, but it took us until 10.30 to have everything right and a new copy printed to put in the safe.

Morse showing a lot of interest in our activities in the study

After an early frost, we had glorious sunshine on Tuesday and I ventured out after my Zoom with Leanne. I had an appointment with my doctor, Ellie, so parked the car a distance from the Medical Centre, and walked. I was pleased with my time with Ellie, she always gives her patients her full attention, and has read up on you before you arrive. 

Judi & I played Mah Jong on Wednesday morning and were thrilled to discover that Muffins & More Café had installed new, excellent lights in the back room, which makes reading so much easier than in the past. Afterwards, Wes and I decided we would like to go to the AFL Gather Round in Adelaide again next year, and were able to book with Rosie in Hackney, where we stayed for the cricket in 2022, and will be again at the end of 2024. She is beautifully positioned for a pleasant walk to the Adelaide Oval, or into Adelaide itself. She is a very generous host and we enjoyed her hospitality. 

It was another frosty morning on Thursday, with a lovely sunny day to follow. I had an early Zoom with Terry Borg, where we talked about a range of topics, including Bluey, as we had both seen earlier episodes we had missed before. Then it was time to chat with Old Friends. As it was Lib's birthday, all our partners joined us in singing Happy Birthday to her when she came on screen, something she wasn't expecting. Then Joyce showed us her latest craftwork, Kathy recommended Tracy Chevalier's most recent book, The Glass Blower, set in Murano, and Karen explained how she & her brother, Robbie, communicate in sign language over Zoom.

It was also Barbara Simpson's birthday and Wes had a Zoom with her once I was finished in the study. She has a new rescue cat, Jett, which was probably the best birthday present she could wish for. 

On Friday morning, I had a good chat with Leanne and we made plans for our visit today. Afterwards I caught up with Jan Pengilley in Maleny as it was weeks since we had seen each other via Zoom and we ran out of time before we finished our topics. It was such a sunny day that Wes got stuck into the garden, and requested punnets of pleasure when I went out. I obliged and we look forward to lots of colour very soon.

Top - sunrise pansies at the base of Tangles, the standard rose; Middle - symphony violas fringing Iceland poppies, and  Bottom - rose with blotch pansies fringing Australian poppies

That night, Collingwood hosted Essendon in a big match at the MCG, in front of 81,700 fans on a cold Melbourne night. Apart from the first quarter, when the Pies kicked 5 goals to 2, the Bombers were the better side and fully deserved their 12 point win. Brody Mihocek suffered a torn pectoral & Darcy Cameron went to hospital by ambulance with bruised, not broken ribs. With our other injuries, that leaves us with a fairly young & inexperienced side to play against the top teams over the next few weeks, so I suspect our season is over and we won't be defending our Premiership.

Yesterday was dog bathing morning and I took the opportunity to wash all Morse's bedding as well. It was after lunch before things were back to normal, much to his chagrin. I spent the afternoon watching footy, especially the very exciting game between North & Gold Coast, and was thrilled when North hung on to win their second game this year, by 4 points. Our late friend, John Hardwick, was a passionate North supporter, and some of his family were there yesterday, having inherited that same passion.

Last night Carlton played Greater Western Sydney at the Showgrounds and, a bit like Collingwood, the night before, played a good first quarter, then were overrun, before finally succumbing by 2 goals. Wes was very disappointed as the Giants haven't been playing well, and he expected the Blues to win.