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!
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.
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