Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 14th September 2025

Last Sunday was Fathers' Day in Australia - not sure about the rest of the country, but it bucketed down rain in our little bit of Paradise and we three were quite happy to do nothing much, although Morse took some time to forgive Wes for going to the Daylesford Market without him, especially as Morse had given him a bottle of his favourite whisky, Edradour, which comes from a tiny distillery outside of Pitlochry. I spent the day in bed recovering from our visit to Leanne, but there was plenty to read, puzzles to do & footy on TV to watch. 

I woke on Monday feeling much better for the rest, did the supermarket shopping & some chores, and finally settled down with Wes for School, to plan our trip to Adelaide for the 2026 AFL Gather Round. We've booked Athelney Cottage again with Rosie, as she promised us first refusal - we love the location, and the comfort of her property, and have decided to stop at The Cumberland in Lorne for a beach holiday on the way home. Morse is booked into Eureka Kennels in Ballarat, and we're excited to have this break together coming up just after Easter next year.

Here are some photos from the St Bernard's Old Boys reunion at the Royal Hotel in Essendon on 5th September

On Tuesday morning, I had an early chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, before Zooming with Leanne. In between, we were visited by 3 beautiful King Parrots, including one who seemed very tame & was happy to be fed by me. I suspect Ollie the magpie was quite jealous, as he had been first on the scene when I produced breakfast for the 50 or so birds who regularly arrive in our backyard from 6am onwards.

I was pleased to see my GP, Dr Ellie later that morning. She has put me on a stronger asthma preventative puffer that requires a degree to put together; upped my Restavit dosage, & agreed to look at a second opinion in November if these moves haven't done the trick. 

Karen feeding the King Parrot

I did pay for my betrayal - Ollie was waiting for me at 6.20am on Wednesday morning, and later when I was eating breakfast, he appeared on the decking asking for more. I duly obliged and am now back in the good books 🤣. Judi & I played Mah Jong, while Wes vacuumed & washed the floors and we enjoyed a good morning, playing some different hands with honours even.

On Thursday morning it was too wet to walk, but I had two delightful Zooms - the first with Terry Borg, where we enjoyed some laughs; and the second with Kathy & Joyce, where we reminisced as it was 53 years to the day since Kathy & I met, and a little less than that since Joyce & I first encountered each other at the Department of Labour in the Gas & Fuel buildings in Flinders Street. We were sorry not to have Lib or Karen S join us - the latter had forgotten and was very disappointed when I texted to see if she was OK.

By Friday morning, I was showing signs of another bout of bronchial asthma & I've been in bed ever since, with little or no voice, hoping that rest and medications will do the trick. Once again there has been plenty of footy to watch - both our AFLW teams had good wins - in fact the Pies beat the previously unbeaten Swans in what is probably the best game we have played in years, if not ever! 

In the men's footy, Hawthorn were too good for Adelaide in their semi-final over there, and Brisbane put paid to the Gold Coast's ambitions last night up at the Gabba. Meanwhile, Daylesford played Skipton in their second consecutive Grand Final, but were unable to beat the team that had finished top of the ladder, however the Daylesford netballers won their second consecutive Premiership, much to everyone's delight. 

Finally, I keep forgetting to mention how thrilled we all are that Trentham, 20 minutes away, has been crowned Australia's Best Tiny Town. This is testament to all the wonderful people who have moved there & made it a welcoming & interesting destination. Our friend, Bob White, and his late partner, Kirk played no small part in the rejuvenation, and chef, Annie Smithers, can take credit for moving there & helping put Trentham on the map. 

Our friendly large kangaroo enjoying the bounty in the backyard of the house in front of us - he pops up most afternoons