Last Sunday was definitely a Brigadoon morning. The sky was grey and visibility was very poor - we couldn't see our back fence-line. Our trip to the Market was taken very slowly and quite a few of the stall-holders had given it a miss, including Jeff, our dog treats man! On the way home we stopped at Baker's Delight & bought spinach & feta Danish - just the thing to warm us up after the cold morning.
When Wes & I debrief each evening, he often has stories to tell about family & friends he has been researching on Ancestry.com, and we sometimes ask ourselves - what happened in their lives to make them move home, go into or leave a relationship, or make some other big change. As a result, I've been thinking about what brought us to Daylesford, and I realise that future generations will ask the same question about us. Why did two committed inner-city Brunswick people move from their beautiful 1883 2-storey terrace to a small country town?
The answer is quite simple, but needs a lead up. For about 10 years we had shared a holiday home in Blairgowrie with our good friends, Sherryn & Paul Danaher, and after we all agreed to sell, Wes & I found ourselves without a weekend escape. As we ran Maloney Insurance Brokers P/L from our home, we could be contacted at any hour of the day or night & frequently were.
As I remember it, we were on a plane returning from a trip to Sydney, when I suggested to Wes that we look at Daylesford as a possibility for a new holiday home. We had enjoyed one by the sea, and now we could try weekend living in the bush. He was in agreement, and we drove here one Saturday in August 1998 to buy a house. The first three estate agents didn't listen to us, and didn't even accompany us to look at properties, and we were feeling very downhearted, when I persuaded Wes to try one more agent. Fortunately, we met Glenda Rozen, and she showed us the only house on her books that satisfied our criteria of ducted heating, a view of Lake Daylesford, an open fire and a quiet street.
We bought Holly Cottage as it was known, and moved in a month later. After just two weekends here, we knew we wanted to live here fulltime, not just on holidays. A couple of months later, OAMPS made a generous offer for our business, and we agreed to sell, provided all our staff could be re-employed in Abbotsford, if they wanted to move there. After a year working for OAMPS, I was desperate to leave and live here full-time and Wes agreed. He retired two years later and we both enjoyed many years of new friendships, volunteering plus Rotary & Council activities. Full-time living here meant a new home where Holly Cottage had been as it was definitely a weekend!
Maloney Folly nearly finished in 2004The rest of our week has been quite busy for us. Lots of catch ups with friends and family, and lots of chats solving everyday issues! We sat down to go through our Executor's Dossier, and were pleased to find very few corrections were needed before sending the updated copy to Adrian Tinetti, our solicitor.
Apart from his regular interactions with Barbara in New Zealand; Wes touched base with Gerard Westen, who went to school with him at St Bernard's College; he had a couple of chats with Helen Hanrahan; talked footy with Carole Hardwick; enjoyed a long overdue lunch with Danny Moynihan at the Daylesford Hotel; visited Cliff Talbot in Bendigo on his 85th birthday, and provided support for Wendy Owen whose husband Roberto is very unwell.
I had a very welcome remedial massage with Sarah Hunt; enjoyed chatting early with my aunt, Jeff, and my cousin, Leigh, in Torksey Lock; caught up with my sister, Leanne; heard Terry Borg's latest news, and had a delightful WhatsApp chat with the only Old Friend available - Kathy Lazzaro - and we made plans for our trip to the footy together last night.
Wes reading the paper with a little help from Morse, who brought his rug with him!
On Friday I had an appointment with the dental hygienist in Ballarat for a long overdue teeth clean. Wes very kindly drove me and afterwards we went to Wen & Ware café for toasties & hot drinks. We had a few chores to do, including dropping in to Ballarat Mazda on our way home as our sat nav had been playing up. It took the serviceman 1 minute to show Wes how to fix it, much to our relief.
Yesterday, I packed my little suitcase for yet another overnight stay at The Windsor, and Wes drove me to Ballan Station. The trip wasn't straightforward as trains were late, then cancelled, but I eventually checked in and had a rest before walking through the Treasury & Fitzroy gardens to The Pullman Hotel to meet Kathy & Gerard for a drink before the game. They had found a quiet spot and we enjoyed chatting before Kathy & I walked across to the MCG.
The game was even for three quarters, but Carlton had three injuries and were running on low in the last quarter, which allowed the Pies to run out 21 point winners in front of 83,000+. Ged met Kathy & I after the final siren and we walked back to town together.
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