Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 27th October 2024

 

Dear Snoopy!

One of the very sad pieces of news we received last week was that Chris Meehan had died. Wes went to school with him, and had kept in touch over the years, especially when he, and his wife, Mary, had a holiday home in Trentham. I went to school with Chris's sister, Margaret, but we hadn't stayed in touch, as I didn't enjoy reunions at all, and gave them a big miss after the one I attended during my first year at Melbourne Uni. Wes was able to go to the funeral, which was held on Monday at Fawkner Cemetery. He caught up with a few other schoolmates as well as Margaret and was very pleased he had made the effort to get there.

On a more frivolous note, we enjoyed watching the races on Caulfield Cup day, and were especially cheered by seeing the winning jockey, Harry Coffey, a country boy, who has battled cystic fibrosis since birth. This was a dream come true for him, and a lovely win by Duke de Sessa for Ciaran Maher's stable. Ciaran was at Randwick watching Bella Nipotina win The Everest - a good day all round for the stable. 

Morse providing alternative entertainment

Last Sunday morning, after our usual chores, we drove to Ballarat to see The Critic at Palace Cinemas. I was blown away by Sir Ian McKellen's acting, and thought the film was beautifully cast, scripted and photographed. Wes was completely turned off by the very evil character of the theatre critic, Jimmy Erskine, and didn't enjoy the film at all. 

School this week was looking at our programmes on the laptop as Wes had been frustrated not to be able to use Zoom or Office 365 on it. We managed to download both and hopefully it will be easier next time round. We find it very helpful to have the laptop as a back-up, especially as we both have quite a few regular Zooms. Wes speaks to his friend, Barbara, in New Zealand, twice each week; to our old friend, Helen, here in Melbourne, once a fortnight; to his Queenland godson, Danny, every four weeks; and the Jackson Group fortnightly, as well as separate chats with various members, who are strewn all around the globe.

On Tuesday, Paul, from the Water Leak detection company, came to see if he could find our broken pipe. Much to our delight, he announced it was near the front tap, not under the concrete driveway. He checked everywhere else on the property and we were very relieved with his decision. While he & Wes were engaged, I Zoomed my sister, Leanne, and then enjoyed a good catch up with Jan in Maleny. 

Our first irises & grannies' bonnets

Judi & I were able to play Mah Jong on Wednesday, and had a lovely morning, with Judi taking the honours. Wes did his usual vacuuming & washing of the floors, and then some mowing & gardening. Morse was most relieved when I arrived back home and let him inside again as outdoor activities are not his favourite things!

Wes caught up via Zoom with Paul Jackson on Thursday morning, before I chatted with Old Friends - Kathy, Karen S & Joyce, and then drove to Hepburn to have a manicure with Juls, who had forgotten I had an appointment. She always has her studio ready for treatments, so I didn't have to wait long, and we enjoyed our time together. Coincidentally, I also had my quarterly podiatry appointment a couple of hours later - fingers & toes all looking good again.

The first blooms on two of our favourite roses - Ashram & Pumpkin Patch

We had been due to catch up for lunch on Friday with Robert & Marilyn Preston, old friends we hadn't seen for a year, and Wes had booked a table at The Pig & Whistle Pub in Trentham East. However, we realised the afternoon before, when I was in bed at 2.30pm, that I wouldn't last the distance, and we have postponed getting together until after my eyes are back to normal. 

Our plumber, Gary Wilkinson, arrived at 1pm and found two leaks in the pipe near the front tap. He replaced the faulty pipe part, and we now have our fingers crossed that the water will stop seeping under the house through the concrete walls. This took Gary a couple of hours, so he stayed for a cuppa, biscuit & chat afterwards, including a quick discussion with me about Collingwood's chances next year - we are both optimistic!

Yesterday we had hoped to get to the Kingston Food & Wine Fair, about 20 minutes away, but realised it wouldn't be possible, so settled for another quiet day at home, with Wes spending time in the garden, and me watching Cox Plate Raceday at Moonee Valley. We used to live about 5 minutes from this beautiful track, and saw many Cox Plates while we were members there. 1990 remains the most memorable!

Jan McClean, Wes, Danny Millman & Me having a great day

The races didn't disappoint this year, and Via Sistina was a very popular and commanding winner of the Cox Plate, which has given her favouritism for the Melbourne Cup. Also popular was the win in the Vase by Red Aces, which had been scratched at the barrier the previous week. He'll now go to the Derby this Saturday. We collected quinella wins in 3 of the 4 races in which we had a bet, and after three weeks, are back to square one. 

Via Sistina, with James McDonald aboard, smashes Winx's record for the fastest Cox Plate ever

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 20th October 2024

Just love this cartoon - there are plenty of Peppermint Patties playing in the AFLW!

When I left you last Sunday, we were heading to the Daylesford Market - my first outing since the cataract operation. It was lovely to be out & about, but I had to be careful and watch my step. I caught Yvonne pinching pieces of pear from Morse's breakfast - her need was greater than his it seems. We bought plenty of fruit, vegetables, eggs & dog treats before heading back home, very relieved that we didn't have to turn around and drive to Strathmore, having done that the previous weekend.

That night Wes cooked a brilliant meal - grilled swordfish with honeyed carrots plus steamed bush peas from our garden. It was absolutely perfect and much appreciated.

On Monday, Wes drove me to Coles Supermarket & pushed the trolley around, while Morse waited in the car. We met Jeff Bain in the carpark & had a quick chat, before heading home to unpack. I put out all the bins before we had School looking at our diaries for the rest of the year. Then we went back out again to Tonna's for pasta, juice & tomatoes, and the optometrist, where Catherine removed the left lens from my distance glasses, and I made an appointment to see Sarah in December, after we return from Adelaide, to get new reading glasses. 

While I spent the afternoon resting, Wes tackled Qantas Insurance as we have a water damage claim. It appears that a pipe has broken, probably under the concrete in the front, which explains why water is still seeping in under the house. His experience as an insurance assessor, salesman & broker over 30 years comes in very handy at moments like this!

Spring glimpses in our front garden

For some reason, I had a bad night and was unable to have my usual Zoom chats with my aunt, Jeff, and my sister, Leanne. I rang Leanne later & we caught up then. Her support worker is on holidays for three weeks, and I am conscious that she is missing the contact. I send her texts every day, but she really gets a lot out of our Zooms.

Qantas sent an estimator to have a look at our problem and he was in agreement with Wes, that it appears we have a broken water pipe. He promised to send a leak detector, who has made an appointment for Tuesday morning. That afternoon, Wes went for a full check-up with his doctor, James & got an excellent report, which was very reassuring indeed.

Leanne sent me the photo of her Just Joeys in full bloom, and on Wednesday morning I responded with our first rosebud - freesia

While I am resting, which is every afternoon at present, I have become hooked on a wonderful AI series of music & images on You Tube based on Hogwarts. The music suits me, and I am entranced by the tours of various parts of Hogwarts, including the village of Hogsmeade. It brings back memories of sitting with Tom Tyrrell in Cinema Nova watching the very first Harry Potter film (Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone), and being constantly amazed and entertained. JK Rowling changed the world with her incredible series of books, and the films were the next logical step. Fortunately they were brilliantly conceived and very well cast.

I was unable to play Mah Jong with Judi this week, as we had a follow up appointment with my eye doctor on the same day, and i didn't have the energy to do both. I spent the morning keeping out of Wes's way as he vacuumed and washed the floors before we drove to Ballarat. 

Dr David gave me the good news that my eye was recovering beautifully, and that we should continue with the eye drops until the bottle was empty. On our way back home, we stopped at Ballarat Seafoods to stock up on gummy shark, swordfish & Atlantic salmon pieces, and at Dan Murphy's to replenish whiskey & gin supplies.

Spring in the back garden - waiting for the roses to bloom

I did enjoy being able to drive again on Thursday morning - picked some lemons from Sue's prolific tree for us, for our neighbour, Glen, and to take to Rob & Dene when we visited them the next morning. It was good to stroll up & down Vincent Street without having to rely on Wes to drop me off and pick me up afterwards. 

Wes had his fortnightly Zoom with the Jackson Group, where they discussed various individual issues brought by members, and then I was pleased to be able to host Old Friends and chat with Kathy, Lib, Karen S & Joyce. Cataract operations filled centre stage for a while and we caught up on other news as well.

We woke to pouring rain and dire weather forecasts on Friday morning, and after consultation with Rob & Dene, decided to postpone our visit until yesterday, when it was dry and sunny. It was too wet to do anything except computer work, reading the paper & crosswords, with fish & chips & Cofield Sparkling Shiraz for dinner. 

Finally, our double Japanese wisteria aka Black Dragon is flowering on the back fence

Yesterday morning we drove to Ballan to catch up with Rob & Dene. It was a lovely visit, as always, and we left wishing we had more time to chat. Morse loved every minute - he runs around their backyard in excitement, jumps up at them in turn, and finally settles when Rob invites him onto the couch with him. Rob & Dene's garden is looking great, more advanced than ours, and the view from their new extension is very relaxing.

Morse very comfy with Rob - view of the backyard through the glass

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 13th October 2024

 

Too funny!

We had a quiet Sunday, after our trip to Melbourne the day before, and decided we would ask Leanne if we could visit on Saturdays in the future as we then would have a potential rest day before getting stuck into weekday activities. The rain held off and we were able to visit the Daylesford Market, before settling in with the weekend papers, tea & toast.

In the afternoon, I spent a couple of hours sorting out all my wool. Our friend, Kathy Lazzaro, had given me two big bags to add to my collection, and Wes brought inside the big plastic container on wheels that holds it all. I sorted everything into colours and plys, and made some sensible decisions about what was too small in quantity to keep. Anything I couldn't use, I gave to the Salvos shop the next morning, and they were most grateful. 

On Monday, after shopping, we got stuck into our bathrooms as it was the first Monday of the month & time for serious cleaning. It took us each about an hour, and the bathrooms were so clean & shiny, we didn't want to use them! When I visited the pharmacy to collect our medications, I discovered we had reached our safety net, which is always a thrill. 

This very late pink camellia has just flowered in Lewis's garden

Wes was pleased to be able to work in the front garden on Tuesday, even though we did get a few drops of rain. He weeded, trimmed and cleaned up much of the area, and, as always, it looks so much better. Meanwhile, I did local chores and delivered Epicures to Nick & Robyn in Porcupine Ridge. 

Finally, on Wednesday, I had my first cataract operation. I am always anxious before anything like this & I'd had 5 weeks to perfect that feeling, and was trying very hard to occupy my mind with other things. We arrived at 9.15am, 15 minutes early, to Ballarat Day Procedure Centre, and joined about 8 or 9 others in the waiting room. I asked Wes to stay with me, and I'm glad he did, as I was last cab off the rank, even later arrivals preceded me, and I wasn't called until 10.30am. Apart from that, everything went smoothly, and Dr David told me the operation had gone very successfully. 

I had my fingers crossed for a cup of tea, and was delighted when that was on offer, as I had brought a Jasmine teabag. I was also given 4 points of salad sandwiches, which were very welcome at 12.15pm. Wes joined me in the Recovery Room - apart from going to Golden Nugget Bakery to buy vanilla slices, he had stayed in the waiting room, and when he was rung to collect me, he was only a minute away. 

Powercor had decided to do some very important works in our neck of the woods that day and we were advised that we would be without power from 9am to 3pm. I don't know what time it was turned off, but it was still off at 1.15pm when we weaved our way through umpteen huge trucks to reach home. At 2.30pm, the power came back on & we gratefully demolished hot drinks & vanilla slices, as it went off again 30 minutes later. Power was finally restored for good after another 40 minutes. 

I had gone straight to bed, as I was finding myself a bit wobbly with the eye patch. This item was quite a disappointment - I had hoped to look like a pirate king, but it was white and very uninteresting. No-one got much sleep as I tossed & turned that night, as I couldn't get comfortable, and it was a big relief to remove the patch the next morning, even though I was then wobbly again. Wes has mastered the art of giving the eye drops, and we have set alarms during the day to make sure we don't miss.

I think this is my favourite FB dog funny!

Wes very kindly started the Old Friends Zoom with Kathy Lazzaro on Thursday morning, and, after a quick chat, made her host. He had earlier shared a good Zoom with Paul Jackson in Oxfordshire. He then found the energy to do some mowing & whipper-snippering in the back garden, before driving to Trentham to catch up with Bob White over coffee in his favourite café, Eric's.

That night I got a good sleep, and my boys had a better night as a result. I woke feeling so much better, still wobbly, as my body adjusts from the anaesthetic and change of vision, but definitely improved. Instead of Zooming with Leanne, we chatted on the phone, as she was very concerned about how I was coping & my anxiety levels. 

Yesterday was dog bathing morning and I washed all Morse's bedding, much to his disgust. He and Wes had enjoyed a good walk around Daylesford Cemetery, where Morse had chased bunnies to his heart's content. We had a very quiet day, as I was slightly improved, but still tired, and an afternoon watching AFLW games & Caulfield Guineas beckoned. We managed to turn $24 into $40 over the four main races, and we'll reinvest this Saturday during the Caulfield Cup meeting.

Morse drying in the sun

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 6th October 2024

 

I can relate to this at present!

I finished up last Dispatch chatting about my Grand Final Day, and ran out of room to talk about Wes. He had been invited in by James & Yoko at #80, and Yoko baked sausage rolls & a lemon cake. He was most impressed with both, and all three thoroughly enjoyed their afternoon, barracking for the Lions, and being entertained by the great footy being played.

On Sunday, after Wes walked Morse, shopped in pouring rain at the Daylesford Market, and put everything away when he got home, he was kind enough to come to collect me. Kathy & Ged Lazzaro had suggested brunch at Code Black in Brunswick, so they picked me up from Citadines Hotel and we three met Wes at the café. We had eaten there in April 2021, when Wes & I had a short-lived holiday in Melbourne, as Victoria went into lockdown on Day 2! We had been impressed then, and we were again last Sunday - great staff, very yummy & interesting meals, and plenty of parking at the back of Brunswick Central. 

Wes about to tackle his avo breakfast, Ged with his poached eggs & bacon, and my avo breakfast with poached egg.

We then drove back home to Daylesford in absolutely pouring rain, a complete contrast to the day before, and arrived to find Daylesford and surrounds covered in thick fog! When I walked in the door, Morse gave me the best welcome ever. He had really missed me, which was delightful. I unpacked, loaded up the washing machine, and sat down with a pot of Jasmine tea and the weekend Age newspapers to read every little bit. 

Needless to say, by 3.30pm I couldn't stay up any longer and retreated to bed, where I caught up on the AFLW minis, especially Collingwood's first win, a close game against the Gold Coast Suns. Wes presented me with a delightful dinner - steamed asparagus with smoked salmon pieces on toast - yum!

By Monday morning the rain had stopped, so Wes & Morse had a good long walk, while I got ready to go supermarket shopping. For School, we discussed our December trip to Robe & Adelaide for the Day/Night Test against India and easily filled our days with various things we like to do in both places. My desktop had decided to do a few updates without warning, and I couldn't use it until 11am, which was most frustrating.

At midday, Wes donned his Daylesford Doggies scarf, as Peter Johnstone was a Western Bulldogs fan, and headed off to the wake in Studley Park, which was very well attended. He was so pleased he went, spent time with Peter's widow, Judy, caught up with other Brunswick Rotarians, and heard stories of Peter's life that he didn't know. 

Apple blossom in the orchard at the bottom of the garden

We got up early on Tuesday so I could chat with my aunt, Jeff, and her daughter, Leigh, in Torksey Lock - Leigh was working from Jeff's home for the week, and it was wonderful to see her again, and catch up on news. She & Simon are coming to Australia in time for Christmas. They will spend most of their time in Sydney, where Simon's daughter, Charlotte, is living & working. However, they will be in Melbourne briefly and we hope to see them then.

After Zooming with Leanne, I had an appointment with Dr Ellie, to see what she had learnt about my "geographic tongue". She thinks it could have been caused by the Seretide inhaler and has given me a prescription to treat the symptoms and see what happens. She also checked out my foot, as I have been in some pain, hobbling around, and thought I might have strained a tendon. She sent me off for an x-ray to find out for sure, in case I had a stress fracture. I was able to have that x-ray at Daylesford Hospital that afternoon.

One of Wes's favourite sights - yellow daisies in profusion

On Wednesday, while Wes vacuumed & washed the floors, I played Mah Jong with Judi. We shared the wins, and had to explain the game to a very young man who was quite interested in the procedure, and persuaded his parents & a friend to investigate it! Then we were joined for lunch by Sue Longley, a long-time Daylesford friend for both of us. Judi & Michael lived in the same Court as her, and I met her back in 2000, when I joined the Bushwalking Group, where her husband, Bill, was one of the leaders. It was lovely to catch up, especially as Sue had brought us bags of lemons & silverbeet, fresh from her garden.

We had an early start on Thursday, so that Wes could walk Morse before joining the Jackson Group Zoom discussing the 1st Anniversary of the Gaza War, which was led by Paul. Afterwards, I chatted with Old Friends - Kathy, Karen S, Lib & Joyce, where health and the Grand Final dominated our time together.

We had promised ourselves a visit to the newly-reopened Regent Cinemas in Ballarat, now under the umbrella of Palace Cinemas, and drove there on Friday morning to see the wonderful film, Touch, which is an English, Icelandic & Japanese collaboration, about a beautiful love story, and so much more. We both loved the film, and couldn't fault it, and are thrilled that Palace will be showing such quality arthouse films at the Regent. 

Colourful Sunrise pansies at the base of our favourite standard rose, Tangles

Yesterday we visited Leanne in Strathmore. We don't often go on Saturdays, but with today being shorter with the start of Daylight Saving, and the end of Victorian School Holidays, we thought it would be better to travel on Saturday. It was a great visit, and we were able to help with various chores, as well as enjoy a good chat. Morse was sound asleep when we arrived back home, after driving through heavy rain & fog.