Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 26th April 2026

Last Sunday we had a lovely visit with Yvonne & Ken at the Daylesford Market - Yvonne had set aside all the fruit & vegetables we usually buy, and I added a bit more as our crispers were bare after the holiday. Then we came home and while I washed & put everything away, Wes got started on cleaning the car. He was feeling much better than the previous day, when he was so tired, and Snoopy desperately needed a good clean after 1,600km. However, it was my turn to feel exhausted, so I did very little, and was pleased we had postponed our visit to Leanne, as I wouldn't have been able to do it. 

Another Morse contortion - I think this says he is happy to be home!

On Monday, we enjoyed another early, cool walk around Daylesford Cemetery with Morse - still no bunnies have emerged yet from their burrows for him to chase. We skipped School, spent time catching up with our neighbour, James, before he flew to Japan on Tuesday, and headed back home to do chores. Wes mowed the lawns, which had grown green & lush while we were away, and I started the cleaning by dusting & polishing the furniture in our bedroom. 

Later that morning I had a very welcome massage with Sarah, and spent the rest of the day quietly - reading, crosswords & Logic Puzzles. Wes had a very social afternoon catching up via phone or Zoom - Barbara in NZ; Helen in Melbourne, and after dinner - Gary in Melbourne & Libby in Switzerland. In this last Zoom, Wes had set the three of them the task of coming up with sayings that were peculiar to their family or their time, and they all enjoyed it so much that they were still chatting when they ran out of time. 

We were thrilled to pick a vase of roses in April - mostly Guy Savoy, Freisia, Hot Cocoa & Perfumed Passion

Tuesday passed in a blur - I had no energy at all, and apart from walking early, Zooming with Leanne & cleaning the microwave, I spent the rest of the day resting. Wes got cracking on the back garden - he tidied up the wisteria, which had gone crazy on our back fence, weeded two garden beds, exposing roses we had forgotten about, and clipped bushes & trees that needed doing.

I was thrilled to wake up on Wednesday with some energy, and headed to Spring Park Nursery after breakfast to deliver much-needed newspapers, now that bare-rooted rose season is approaching. Then it was time for a fringe trim with Kirsty in their beautiful salon in The Rex Arcade, and finally Mah Jong with Judi. We had a good morning - it was quiet in Muffins, and honours were even when we finished.

On Thursday, we were booked to have our second flu shots, but discovered, talking to Dr Patrick, that we didn't need them. We think reception thought my chronic fatigue warranted a second dose, but it didn't. Wes dropped me home so I could catch up with Old Friends, who were chatting on WhatsApp, and I joined them all easily, which was such a relief. I've felt guilty in the past when I couldn't host a Zoom chat & everyone else missed out, but with WhatsApp, that doesn't happen. Any of us can start the chat, and any of us can leave it or join it when it suits. 

Before we left for Springs Medical, I had a lovely catch up with Terry Borg - it had been a month and we had lots to share. After my Old Friends chat, Wes offered apple log for morning tea - perfect as there hadn't been time for breakfast!

I took this pre-dawn photo in Daylesford Cemetery when I looked up and saw the cross reaching to the sky

Glen & I had been promising a get-together and it finally happened on Friday morning - after she had walked her dogs, and I had chatted with Leanne. We went to The Convent and enjoyed their scones with pots of tea. All the staff came over to say hello - such a welcoming environment. We spent an hour together and must make sure it happens again soon. Meanwhile Wes did further wonders in the back garden, which now looks much more under control than it did when we arrived back from our holiday.

Yesterday was ANZAC Day - we went to the Eganstown 9am service, as it is unique and we love being part of it. It was a beautiful morning, and all the rituals were performed well. Instead of a guest speaker, John Menadue spoke about his uncle William, who was one of the first 8 men to volunteer for World War 1 & ended up in Gallipoli. He was shot in the shoulder, recovered, and then lost a leg, dying on the hospital ship and being buried at sea. He is commemorated on the Eganstown plaque, and the plan is to celebrate a different person each year. 

From the top - early arrivals, Sally, and the piper

Wes drove me to Ballan Station & I caught the train to the MCG for the annual ANZAC Day Game between Collingwood & Essendon, which started back in 1996 with a memorable draw. The ceremonies were moving as always and I particularly like the joint banner which both teams run through together. After an even first half, the Pies were able to take control, and win the game, mostly due to a stunning performance from our former Captain, Scott Pendlebury, aged 38, playing his 431st game. He had 43 disposals, and easily won the ANZAC Day medal. 

Wes & Morse picked me up at Ballan Station after the game, and I went straight to bed with a split of prosecco and a toastie. Sadly the Blues couldn't win their game against Freo, but rallied to lose by only 14 points.

Joint banner at the G yesterday

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 19th April 2026

We started our Sunday in Adelaide with brunch at Pantry on Egmont, where we both enjoyed delicious meals once again. Wes had the granola and I tackled the truffle mushrooms with scrambled eggs, which was a very special meal indeed. The owners recognised us from our previous visit and we made sure they knew that we always choose to have breakfast at their café when we are in Adelaide. On the way home we filled up with petrol rather than wait until we were heading to Lorne on Tuesday morning. 

Karen enthusiastically peppering her meal

Once again, we had a quiet day in preparation for the footy that night. Fortunately it started at 6.45pm. We arrived early, had our usual glass of shiraz and found our seats up high & under cover. We were barracking for St Kilda against Port and they managed to win an exciting game, in spite of heavy rain and quite a few errors.

Our last day in Adelaide started slowly with tea & toast in bed, before we went for a walk into the city, specifically Rundle Mall, where all the footy stuff was being dismantled. We had a cuppa in a lovely little café before walking to the restaurant at the back of the Art Gallery for lunch. 

We both enjoyed spaghetti with clams & a big glass of shiraz

We walked back home via the Zoo and Botanic Gardens, where I couldn't resist taking this photo and wondering how many Poms would find it confusing. I especially thought of our dear friend, Bill Longley, no longer with us, who, with his wife, Sue, was guilty of bringing two empty plates to a barbecue early on in his life in Australia.

God knows what Bill would have made of this!

We drove all day Tuesday and arrived safely at Lorne around 4.30pm, having left Hackney at 6.20am. Our unit is a little tired, but spacious, and we managed to get Kayo operating, so could watch our usual Aussie Rules TV shows. The shower in the bathroom is over the huge spa bath, which is quite a challenge, both for the users & the cleaners. We will be pleased to get back to our normal showers and our own bed, as well as our Labrador, on Friday.

We woke on Wednesday to light rain, which eventually turned into heavy rain. A few surfers braved the weather and had fun with the waves. I went for a long walk along the main street, looking for good breakfast & lunch spots, with mixed success. I eventually found a French bakery and brought back baguettes for our lunch. We sat on our little balcony to eat them and enjoyed watching and listening to the sea. 

Surfing in the rain

We got up at 6am on Thursday morning to go for a beach walk, and we are so pleased we did - it was dark as we started off, then we saw some amazing skies before a stunning sunrise unfolded in front of us. We came back home and had early teas sitting on our balcony watching the day begin and the surfers arrive at the beach.

Arriving at the beach

First light

The very start of sunrise

Sunrise in all its glory

We decided to have another quiet day, reading and watching the sparkling water from our balcony. We have been enjoying the books we brought & bought & Wes, in particular, has been pleased to get back into reading after quite a long break. 

Mid-afternoon, we ventured out for a walk and early dinner. We tried the Lorne Hotel, but they only offered snacks between 3-5 in spite of their website saying the kitchen was open all afternoon! Eventually we ended up at Salonika Social, a Greek pizzeria, where we enjoyed an excellent prawn pizza and Wes tried Greek rosé. He loved it and had a second glass before we went back to our unit to watch Carlton & Collingwood play in the Peter McCallum Cup. 

Yummy pizza & Greek rosé

Collingwood escaped with a 5 point win after Carlton had looked the better side early. Nick Daicos in his 100th game had a last quarter to remember, and was the difference between a win or a loss.

We had breakfast locally on Friday morning - the best of a pretty ordinary bunch - Lorne specialises in take-away everything or eat in at long benches. Then it was time to finish packing, and drive home via Eureka Kennels in Ballarat. Morse was so excited to see us, and, because he was in a penthouse, he came back as clean as when he left! We had local fish & chips that night, as we were too tired to be bothered worrying about a meal, and Morse loves the leftover chips.

Yesterday, we were back to normal, with an early walk at Daylesford Cemetery. Then I went supermarket shopping, followed by a trip to Tonna's to replenish pasta & potatoes supplies, as well as snaring the last 4 nectarines to make a fruit salad.

Adelaide Dispatch - Sunday, 12th April 2026

 

Priceless

We had a very quiet Easter Sunday - town was busy, and, after our walk, we were happy to finish off our Hot Cross buns for breakfast, and spend the day together. We shared lots of good wishes with family and friends - thank you.

On Monday morning it was raining when we woke up - most unexpected and very welcome rain - about 7mls in all. It was too wet to walk and too wet for Wes to get into the garden. I did some chores, and we settled down to watch the annual Hawthorn vs Geelong game at the MCG. This was a stunning game of footy, that was finally won by the Hawks by a point with 20 seconds to go. The crowd of nearly 85,000 were treated to a match worthy of a Grand Final.

We were able to walk on Tuesday morning and gave Morse an extra long time as he was heading to Eureka Kennels at lunchtime. He takes quite a bit with him - bed, pillow, apples, friend, toy, bone etc, but he has a good time there as he is used to going and many of the staff are the same from the last time. And this time, he was upgraded to the Penthouse - bliss!

When I visited the Post Office, there were three packages to collect - one was for Wes from his cousin, Gary; and the other two were from the Daylesford Football Netball Club. They had introduced Seniors Memberships for this year, and we paid for them back in December, when we first read about it on Facebook.

We weren't expecting the scarves nor to be given #1 & #2!

We packed that afternoon with a view to getting away early the next morning as we wanted to get to the Adelaide Central Market before it closed at 5.30pm. It's amazing how many things can't be put in the suitcases the night before, including glasses, tablets, thongs, brushes etc, but we left plenty of room, and were as organised as we could be!

We set off on Wednesday just after 7am - our first stop was Conway's Bakery in Horsham. We found it last year and see no reason not to return. It is the cleanest, most organised and welcoming bakery ever - we usually choose their freshly-made sandwiches (egg & lettuce for me) and sit outside with our thermoses of tea. Wes did most of the driving which was a huge effort, especially when heavy rain came down, but we made it to Adelaide Central Market just after 3pm. We headed straight to the Smelly Cheese stall and bought three interesting cheeses - a soft one, a blue from Castlemaine and an earthy orange hard one. We picked up some peaches & nectarines from the fruit stall next door, and then found 3 books at the bookstall that we love.

We arrived at Athelney Studio in Hackney an hour later, where Rosie had everywhere looking very welcoming, including a lovely bottle of Sauvignon Blanc, a fresh loaf of sourdough, and some chocolate (our first this Easter). We unpacked, ate, and were in bed by 7pm.

The next morning the rain came down in torrents again, but we found our way to Pantry on Egmont, in Hawthorn, where we enjoyed pots of tea and two of the breakfast specials. The staff were different from last time, but friendly and helpful and excited to have interstate visitors.

Top - my Harissa breakfast & below - Wes with April French toast

After we had finished, we drove to Third & Fourth Streets, Bowden, which is an interesting chic rethink of neighbouring industrial buildings, which have been turned into food courts & artisan shops and complemented by one, two & three bedroom apartments. We had a quick walk around as the rain was starting to get heavy, and on our way back to Hackney, we drove through extremely strong rain again. 

That night we walked to the Adelaide Oval on our usual route - past the Botanic Gardens, the Zoo, over the playing grounds, past the Moreton Bay figs and into the ground. We had great seats on Level 3, and kept dry in spite of the rain that bucketed down at half-time. Carlton were valiant in defeat, losing by 28 points to Adelaide.

It was a late night for both of us, so we took things very quietly the next morning and had tea & toast in bed. I realised I wouldn't be able to do much during the day, so we had a quiet one - reading mostly - I had bought the latest Donna Leon, and Wes was engrossed in Charles Dickens. When we finally went to the ground, we met all the Fox Footy team going to take up their spots - one of them was Nathan Buckley and he was being held up by Collingwood families begging for selfies!

We had hoped to meet up with my sister, Paun, and her husband, Brian, at the game; but their plans changed when Brian's mother, Una, was rushed to hospital in Warragul, and Brian was advised to visit her before she died. We had also planned to meet up with Adrian Tinetti and his family, but they were on the other side of the ground from us and arrived just as the heavens opened. So we had another glass of shiraz in the outdoor, undercover bar and chatted to the ladies sitting with us on the couch, who were grateful that the Victorians had brought rain with them!

Collingwood couldn't kick a goal and lost the game after being the better side for the majority of the match. Freo took their limited opportunities in the last quarter and deserved to win. Fortunately the rain eased as we set off back here, and we consoled ourselves with large glasses of Muscat before going to bed.

Yesterday we had another slow start, but were excited to be going to a lunchtime game - Melbourne & Essendon, once again at the Adelaide Oval. It was wonderful to be there when the Bombers broke a 17 game losing streak to blitz the more fancied Demons. 

Glen's grandson, Donnie, an Essendon supporter, at a footy clinic before the game, being taught by Collingwood captain, Darcy Moore. 

That night we watched Hawthorn prove too strong for the previously unbeaten Doggies. Wes found a little Italian restaurant nearby and picked up a yummy mushroom pizza for dinner. We had planned on eating out, but I didn't have the energy.

Daylesford Easter Dispatch - Sunday, 5th April 2026

 

We started our week with a good visit to the Daylesford Market, before Wes got stuck into pruning, weeding, edging & mowing in the back garden. I did my bit cleaning a couple of drawers in the kitchen, before sitting down with the Sunday Age and footy. Sadly the Blues, after a stunning start, couldn't maintain their pressure, and were beaten by Melbourne by 23 points. Wes was very disappointed - he can't wait until the coach is replaced!

On Monday, we had our usual cool walk around the cemetery, before I did the supermarket shopping. School was chatting about our upcoming trip to Adelaide & Lorne, and we have decided to go ahead and hope there will be enough petrol to get us there & back. We are looking forward to spending time with my sister, Paun, and her husband, Brian, who will also be attending Gather Round; as well as Adrian Tinetti & his family who will be there. Adrian is our solicitor these days as we needed someone who lives close by and we have known him for over 25 years. 

Then I went to the pharmacy to stock up on all our medications, while Wes did wonderful things in the front garden. Meanwhile, Telstra Boy and his mates continue to eyeball me when the cashew plate is empty - it's an expensive taste they have developed!

We were very sad to hear that Isobel Esmore had died. We last caught up with her in Casterton, where she & her husband, Ian, were living, and he had died shortly before we saw her. Isobel started a Daylesford institution - The Massage Healing Centre - I used to go there for massages before I met Nick Massaro, and the therapist was a dog lover, who always let Casper sleep under her massage table. Isobel was a popular person here in Daylesford and will be missed. That afternoon, I had a massage with Sarah - it was long overdue and I was most appreciative that she could fit me in. 

On Tuesday morning, we set the alarm for 5.50am so that I could have an early WhatsApp chat with my aunt, Jeff, in Torksey Lock. She had a horror story about waiting nearly 5 hours to have an x-ray only to be told it couldn't be done without an emailed referral from her doctor! Then I caught up with Leanne on Zoom - she was in good spirits and we had lots to talk about. Finally I drove to Hepburn Springs to have a manicure with Juls - fortunately she does all the talking, as I was running out of voice by then.

I forgot to reset the alarm, so we had another early start on Wednesday and gave Morse an extra long time at the cemetery. He was in a frolicsome mood and enjoyed running around, and between the two of us. Then I left Wes to vacuum and wash the floors, while I visited Daylesford Hair & Beauty for a fringe trim. They had just moved from Howe Street into the first floor of the Rex Building in Vincent Street, and were very excited with all the natural light coming in. The Rex was a theatre many moons ago, and has undergone a few transformations, but the latest is being done by two local couples and it looks rather wonderful. It incorporates a cinema, the Phoenix, which opened over the Easter holidays with films for kids.

Before meeting up with Judi for Mah Jong, I went to the Vinnies Op Shop with my latest batch of beanies, and they were wonderfully grateful. I usually give them to the Salvos, but they weren't opening until 10am, by which time we were playing Mah Jong. Judi did very well, tried some new hands as well as her favourite and won most of the games.

I was thrilled to be given the bright stripey wool for the beanie at the front

After Mah Jong, I drove back home and collected Wes, who was happy to be with me when the stitches were taken out, after my small operation a fortnight ago. Dr Brad assured me that it was benign, removed the stitches, and wishes us well for Gather Round this coming week.

On Thursday, the Jackson Group Zoom was cancelled because of Easter, so Wes headed off to Bendigo to visit our old friend, Cliff Talbot at Strath-Haven. Meanwhile, I chatted with Old Friends - Kathy, Joyce & Karen S, and we trialled using WhatsApp instead of Zoom, to allow more freedom to the Zoom host, which is usually me. It worked wonderfully well, and all our questions were answered when we tried it out. Hopefully we can ditch Zoom and use WhatsApp in the future.

Cliff & Wes sitting in the sun at lunchtime

That night, after fish & chips, I had the unwelcome experience of watching Collingwood play a shocker against Brisbane up there. We lost Nick Daicos just before the game started, but not even he could have held back the Lions, who played brilliantly and won easily by 9 goals. It looked all over in the first few minutes, so I had my Cherry Ripe at quarter time, rather than wait until half-time, which is the tradition.🤣

Good Friday was a lovely cool day with blue skies and a bit of wind. We walked early, picked up fresh Hot Cross buns from Bakers Delight on our way home, and enjoyed them with blackberry jam for breakfast. We like to have a quiet day, and in the past have taken the labs for long walks in the forest, but that isn't a pleasure for Morse, so we settled in the lounge instead with the Age, books, knitting and footy instead. Sadly, the Blues once again squandered a good lead, this time in the last quarter, and were beaten by North Melbourne in front of 45,000+ at the Docklands, where the focus is on fund-raising for the Royal Children's Hospital, and celebrating those kids & their parents who spend much of their time there. 

Yesterday we had breakfast at the Glenlyon General Store, sitting at our favourite drop-side table. We both had pots of tea and Wes had his usual Dr Marty's crumpets with bacon & chili jam; while I indulged in Sourdough bruschetta with poached eggs, tomatoes & pesto. 

The China teacups are always appreciated