Peppermint Patty in a dress
We had a busy Sunday morning - walked Morse, came home, fed him & the birds, including Alfie the King Parrot, plus 3 rellos; visited the Daylesford Market to get fruit, vegetables, eggs & dog treats, and pumped water at Leitches Creek on our way back. Wes then spent a couple of hours watering in the back garden, while I put everything away, and then we collapsed with cups of tea as the temperature was climbing quickly.
With Monday being a Public Holiday, we watched as Daylesford slowly got back to normal, and visitors returned to their homes, with school starting the next or following day. I did the supermarket shopping early, and bought scrolls again from Baker's Delight, where Andy was in for a chat. He is a cricket fan and was being taken to the Boxing Day Test on Day 3, which didn't happen as the match finished so quickly.
Decadent Pimms before dinner!
Instead of School for us, it was time to give our bedroom a good clean, which involved polishing all the furniture, moving the bed, vacuuming, washing windows & floors, and putting everything back again where it belongs. Wes did the lion's share of the work, and we were pleased to have it done before the heat descended on us again.
On Tuesday, we walked Morse early, but it was 21℃ by the time we arrived back home on its way to 40℃. Wes did some watering and trimming of roses, and I made a quick trip into Vincent Street, where life was just about back to normal with most visitors gone. We made sure there was plenty of seed and water for the birds - they even drink from Morse's water bowls, so we are kept busy refilling them all.
I think everyone suffered on Tuesday night, it was so hot, even air-conditioners & ceiling fans couldn't keep us cool all night. We were pleased to get up at 6am and take Morse to the Daylesford Cemetery, where there was a breeze.
Smoky sunrise over Daylesford Cemetery
While Wes vacuumed and washed the rest of the floors, I had a fringe trim with Elise at Daylesford Hair & Beauty as my usual hairdresser, Kirsty, had to take her son to Damascus College in Ballarat to meet his teacher and settle in for his first day there. Elise wanted to know what my reaction would be to ringing her salon and the phone being answered by an AI bot. I told her I had never rung the salon, but much preferred to make my appointments for the year in advance!
After that, as I had time to kill, I delivered newspapers to Spring Park Nursery, before arriving at Muffins & More Café for the first Mah Jong morning of the year with Judi. It was hot indoors, but I turned on the ceiling fans which made a difference, and we played quite a few hands very happily, until it was time for her lunch guests to arrive and me to come home.
My favourite photo of Dot - taken in 2023 - she had all 4 blanks in our Goulash game of Mah Jong and couldn't help winning! Wes has been very social this week - Zoom chats with Barbara in New Zealand & with Terry Larkins in Gisborne; a phone call with his sister, Denise, here in Daylesford; a Zoom with Wendy in Clifton Springs; a newsletter to his Old Schoolmates, and emails galore catching up with friends and rellos.
On Thursday, after our walk and chores, I Zoomed with Old Friends - Kathy & Karen, while Wes & Morse drove to Ballarat to stock up on Atlantic salmon & flake as our fish supplies were at rock bottom. He also brought home a whole trout, which he is threatening to bake on Valentine's Day!
By Friday we were so over the heat - we're not used to warm nights here let alone hot ones, and the possums in the ceiling are extra active on those nights. We think they are trying to disconnect all the downlights or else they are remodelling their kitchen - it's hard to tell.
Morse getting comfy on his sheepskin rug In the afternoon, I retreated to my chair in the bedroom and decided to watch the film "The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry", which disappeared so quickly from the cinema that we missed seeing it last year. Wes had found it on BritBox and suggested I watch it too. It stars Jim Broadbent & Penelope Wilton with a cameo role by Linda Bassett. Like many British Arthouse films, it is beautifully written, acted and directed with barely a superfluous word or deed. I loved it and recommend it very highly.
Yesterday we visited Leanne in Strathmore where the temperatures weren't as high as here. She was looking tired, like all of us, not getting enough sleep on these hot nights. We had a good chat, then I helped her make a start on cleaning her pantry, while Wes flattened boxes and bags that we took home to our recycling bin, as hers was full.
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