Typical Snoopy!
Even though it was 30th November last Sunday, I decided to bring out the Christmas decorations a day early, as it was raining and we were having a quiet day at home. I put the wreath on the front door, hung the bells over the decking, and placed the various decorations we still have in their allotted spots. Most of them are gifts from Viva, and it is lovely to think of her as I unpack them from the chest at the bottom of our bed.
Mondays are always busy - Wes & Morse managed to walk before the rain came down; I did the weekly shopping at Coles, where most items are now in their forever homes, and we failed to resolve our School discussion, which was changing from NBN to Fibre to the premises. When we tried to make the change, there was nothing on offer in spite of an email alerting us to the possibility. We'll have to make a phone call instead.
Wes had hoped to get out in the garden to weed while I was out doing chores - buying stuff from Tonna's; returning a full tin of Jasmine tea to The Convent; donating glassware to The Salvos, collecting prescriptions & checking our PO Box. We don't have a letterbox, so all our mail goes to our PO Box, unless something is addressed to the street number, in which case we may or may not receive it! He was unsuccessful as it kept showering on & off, and it wasn't worth the risk of getting soaked. However, he was busy chatting - Barbara in NZ, Danny in Brisbane, and Paul in the Cotswolds made for a very social day.
On Tuesday, after my Zoom with Leanne, we prepared the lounge for the arrival of a Christmas tree, and Wes headed off to select it. He came home with the perfect tree, and I had great fun decorating it. We usually come close to divorcing over these trees, but it sat perfectly in its bucket, and we were amazed. A first in our lives together!
We had been very sad to read of the death of Bev Dale, wife of Brunswick Rotarian, Kev. We had a lot to do with both of them, and the most memorable was a trip to Hong Kong in 1997 with them & the Tyrrells. They were fun to be with, and Kev will be very lost without his soulmate. The funeral was held at Fawkner on Tuesday afternoon, and Wes was able to postpone an appointment with his GP to attend.
We woke on Wednesday to a cool morning ushering in a very warm day. I delivered newspapers to Spring Park Nursery, went for a walk along Vincent Street, and returned home to try to book AFL Gather Round tickets for next year. Wes vacuumed & washed floors around me, while Judi waited to hear whether I would make Mah Jong or not. I was successful in getting a Multi-pass to all four games at the Adelaide Oval, and we are thrilled. We booked our accommodation with Rosie back in September, and now we have tickets! I eventually got to Muffins & More around 11.20am in time to have a pot of tea & share news with Judi before her friend, Mirella, arrived to have lunch with her.
We decided to visit Blake's, our specialty grocer, after I had finished my Zooms on Thursday. First was with Terry Borg in Hawthorn, and we enjoyed a great chat - her daughter, Laura, was arriving home the next day, and there was a lot to be done, culminating in a big Christmas party on Sunday for the family. Then the Old Friends wished Kathy well for their trip to Mexico, before chatting about our own Christmas plans.
At Blake's, we found all the items we needed for Christmas lunch with Leanne, and resolved to go back there a few days before the 25th to buy all the goodies we had spotted. Wes suggested we go for a walk around Lake Daylesford, something we haven't done together in quite some time. It was a lovely walk, especially when we met old friend, Maureen Dean, who has moved back to Daylesford after a trial retirement in Kilmore. At the end of our walk, we stopped at Walter's cafe, run by Natasha Hall, daughter of another Daylesford friend, David, and enjoyed hot drinks & home-made mince pies. She was thrilled to see us and we exchanged news until business got too busy!
That afternoon we sat down in the air-conditioned lounge to watch Day 1 of the 2nd Test. Mitch Starc removed two batsmen very quickly, and at one stage, the Poms were looking in strife with 4 wickets down, but they rallied, mostly through Joe Root, who was unbeaten on 135 at stumps, to be 9/325.
Next morning, Wes washed Morse, before heading out to the garden to trim, weed & mow. I bought some punnets of pleasure to replace some ailing pots, and Morse walked around disconsolately for a couple of hours, as most of his bedding was in the wash.
I woke yesterday morning to discover we were 6/378, 44 runs ahead of the Poms, with every batsman making a contribution. It was showery weather here, which wasn't ideal for the 74th Daylesford Highland Gathering. We braved the rain and watched the Parade of Bands in Vincent Street, meeting a new resident, Margaret, while we were there. She had come down from the Sunshine Coast about 12 months ago, and was now throwing herself into everything Daylesford has to offer - the festivals, U3A, the walking & writing groups, Aperitifs - making friends along the way. Before the Bands marched, we were treated to a parade of West Highland Terriers who were piped up & down Vincent Street, some wearing kilts, and all well-behaved.
Some bands wore raincoats & some didn't
We were glued to the cricket again in the afternoon. What an innings by Mitchell Starc, who top-scored for Australia with 77, helped by Scott Boland on 21 - all out 511. When we woke this morning we discovered the Poms were 6/134, still 43 runs behind us. The match will be over today unless Ben Stokes can produce a miraculous innings.
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