Daylesford Grand Final Dispatch - Sunday, 27th September 2026

 
Still relevant 30 years later!

We found last Sunday too hot for comfort, with the temperature reaching 25℃ in the afternoon. We had to use our air-conditioners for the first time in months, and were very relieved when Monday had a top of 11℃, although the wind was icy. We set off for our usual walk and just as we turned out of Duke Street, the rain started. We kept driving and it kept getting heavier, so we gave Morse a trip around Daylesford and brought him back here for breakfast. He helped Wes put out the bins, and got a bit of a run around the street instead.

I had lots of food shopping to do, as well as pharmacy items, library books to return & collect, and Turkish sea-salt sour dough bread to buy when it was cool enough to be sliced. I had ordered a 4.5mm circular needle to knit the yoke of a Fair Isle jumper that Jane Knox had started and wasn't able to finish. She posted the back, front & a sleeve to me and I had knitted the second sleeve and joined the raglan edges. I had plenty of circular needles, but not one long enough to cope with 240 stitches. Of course, 4.5mm is the most popular size and I had to order it from interstate, which meant it took about 10 days to arrive. 

Meanwhile, Wes needed a new whipper-snipper and went to the local Stihl premises to get some advice. He was successful in getting the advice, but decided $500+ was too much to pay, and found a similar article online for $390. It should arrive in a couple of weeks.

We were shocked to read of the death of another Daylesford friend - Brian Smith. He went into hospital for treatment and didn't come out. We have spent some happy times in the past with Brian and his wife, Liz, and were very sorry he has died. He was a lovely man and will be missed.

Great photo of Brian

On Tuesday, after chats with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, and my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore, I visited Springs Medical to catch up with our GP, Dr James, and find out what the report from the specialist said after my spirometry test. We were both annoyed to discover that no report had been sent in the month since I was tested. James prescribed another course of antibiotics to clear up the bronchial issues, and was on the phone to Manse Medical as I left his room. 

We were able to walk Morse again on Wednesday morning before I visited Muffins & More to play Mah Jong with Judi. We had a fun time, with honours even at the end. I managed to play a hand I had never tried before - Robin - it is in the book, but without a picture to guide you, and I was quite pleased to master it. 

Meanwhile, Mick, the air-conditioner specialist, visited us to see if he could work out what was causing water to drip from the unit. He tried a couple of things, but no water has been dripping - isn't it always the way! We'll wait until it gets hot and we need to use the unit for a few hours and see what happens.

I cancelled both my usual chats on Thursday morning, as I was still coughing (caused no doubt by the sputum test I did on Tuesday). At 9am I joined other hopeful MCC members in the online queue to purchase reserved seats that had been returned. There were 2,000 ahead of me, and I didn't hold out much hope. However, I was lucky enough to snare a seat in the front row on Level 4, which means I didn't have to queue yesterday morning in the hope of getting a seat.

Morse wondering where I am!

On Friday, after a walk & a chat with Leanne, I packed for my two nights in Melbourne, and was driven by Wes & Morse to Ballan to catch the train. It wasn't packed and I had a most enjoyable trip, which culminated in checking in to Citadines on Bourke, an apartment hotel, which I have been using in the past on Grand Final weekend, as The Windsor is too expensive. The staff are friendly, and the room is clean & well-equipped. It's a slightly longer walk to the ground, which is fine.

Around 5.30pm, I went to Red Emperor in Little Bourke Street, for a very early dinner. I was greeted warmly, given a good table, and enjoyed steamed dumplings, followed by salt & pepper squid with rice, accompanied by a glass of Sangiovese. The couple at the next table had come from Torquay to go to the game, so we chatted while we were eating. 

Beautifully presented yummy meal

Yesterday morning, I met Kathy & Gerard Lazzaro at Dame, in Collins Place, for a yummy breakfast. We enjoyed a good catch up in spite of the rain, and had an excellent view of all the Freo & Brisbane supporters wandering around Melbourne before heading to the ground. 

Meanwhile, back in Daylesford, Wes walked Morse, got some Grand Final provisions and settled in at home to watch the game. He's had a busy week - WhatsApp, Zoom & phone chats with Barbara, Helen & Denise & messages to Wendy, as well as lots of Ancestry work. He's also given the backyard a good haircut, and filled a couple of green bins with weeds & clippings. Our neighbour, Glen, had a large pine tree cut down this week, and we've all got an improved view with extra light since it went. Her garden will appreciate some new natives in its place, and some of our roses & vegetable beds won't know themselves.

Thanks to Glen for this lovely photo of the first ducklings of the season

The Grand Final yesterday was incredible with lots of highlights in front of 100,023. With 4 minutes to go, Freo was ahead by 17 points, but were beaten by Brisbane, who slammed on 4 goals in that time to register an incredible 7 point win. The loss of their Captain, Alex Pearce, with a ruptured achilles didn't help & he will miss much of 2027 as he recovers. Brisbane has now won three premierships in a row, which is an amazing feat. I must confess I felt quite flat after the game, as I thought Freo deserved to win, but they let it slip.

Jubilant Lions players with their amazing coach on the left

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 20th September 2026

Poor Sally!

After our busy morning last Sunday, I was pleased to be able to finish refreshing the herb pots on the decking, and planted some curly-leafed parsley in a very accessible garden bed. While I was turning the soil in that bed, I found Morse's name & Council tags, which had gone missing a couple of years ago and had to be replaced. Now we've got spares in case that happens again.

We woke to misty rain on Monday - too wet to walk, but muggy. I did the supermarket shop, visited the pharmacy and got the welcome news we had reached our thresh-hold and prescriptions would be free from now until 31st December. I also delivered newspapers to Spring Park Nursery, which is still selling bare-rooted roses and needs the papers to wrap the roses, especially those going by post. There were still balloons & streamers around town and signs everywhere celebrating Daylesford's big win in the CHFL Grand Final. 

Our hellebores are flowering beautifully out the front - thanks to Judi for the baby plants she gave us some years ago

We had a fun walk on Tuesday - our current obsession is finding particular graves, and we stumble upon other, much more interesting ones during our search. Sometimes it is sad to see the number of friends and acquaintances who have been buried over the 28 years since we first started meeting those fascinating people who call Daylesford home. 

We were in no hurry to return to our house, as our dishwasher had ceased operating overnight, which meant a thorough clean of the filters, which I did, before Wes had to unscrew the hose pipe, where he found a small sliver of glass, which was the cause of the trouble. It must be a safety issue, but it is very frustrating. We were delighted when the dishwasher went through its cycle successfully again. Then I went to Hepburn for a manicure with old friend, Juls, and Wes cleaned the downstairs bathroom. 

On Wednesday we started our walk in light rain & wind, which steadily got heavier, and when we found a dead rabbit in our path, we decided it was time to go back, after taking care of him. Afterwards I had a haircut with Kirsty, bought some chilli plants from Jeff at Wombat Hill Nursery, and found my way to Muffins & More to play Mah Jong with Judi. We had our usual good morning, with me winning early before Judi caught up. Michael, the local parcel man, was there, along with a few other friends sheltering from the cold wind. 

That afternoon, Karen from Barclays came to fix the clothes dryer. The problem was a bearing, but there were also heaps of dog hair everywhere inside the machine, which she vacuumed out, before putting it back on the wall. She also tightened the screw that connected the dishwasher hose pipe and we sent her away with a box of chocolate biscuits we had been given - they were far too rich, even for a chocoholic like Wes!

We woke to a cool but sunny day on Thursday, walked Morse, and then Wes had an excellent Zoom session with the Jackson Group discussing family violence, something that has impacted most people at some stage in their lives. Meanwhile I was able to change our sheets & towels and dry them successfully in the dryer. Then I joined an Old Friends WhatsApp catch up, where we spent most of our time reminiscing, which was very enjoyable.

Old friends - Manny, Joyce, Kathy, Ged, Wes & Karen last year 

Then we drove to Springs Medical Centre for our 6-monthly COVID boosters. It is always such a pleasure to go there - the receptionists are friendly and helpful, and Dr Patrick, who gave us the OK to have the injections, came up with another breakfast spot for next time we are in Adelaide. Neither of us had any reaction and were able to do a few chores and enjoy a normal day.

There was frost on the ground on Friday morning, but it ushered in a beautiful day, hitting 17℃ in the afternoon. Morse had a bath after his walk, and then Wes got stuck into the backyard, mowing & tidying up, while I went into Vincent Street looking to replace my shoe horn, which had broken that morning. No luck - will have to find a footwear place when I am in Melbourne for the Grand Final next weekend. 

a section of the huge crowd

We watched a wonderful Preliminary Final that night, where Freo came back after being held by Sydney for three quarters. And last night, we saw an even better game, which Brisbane won in the dying seconds by 9 points in front of nearly 98,000 fans. 

Yesterday we drove to Strathmore for our monthly visit with Leanne. She was in good spirits and pleased to see us. She has been taking an interest in gardening again, specifically growing vegetables from seed, and has spinach galore, with carrots & zucchini on the way, and tomatoes waiting to be planted.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 13th September 2026

 
Reality sinks in for Peppermint Patty

We had a great trip to the Market last Sunday - as it was Fathers' Day, there were quite a few extra stalls & everyone was set up early. I was able to get eggs & dog bones from Jeff, and Yvonne had everything ready for us as usual. Morse gobbled up his apple, and all the talk was about the success of the Daylesford Seniors in playing in the Grand Final yesterday. 

I had offered to make special fried rice for lunch - Wes wanted to learn how to do it, and I wanted to give him a day off cooking. It was a big success. In the afternoon the Carlton & Collingwood AFLW teams met at Princes Park, where the Blues recorded an easy victory. Wes was delighted and very happy to see the Maloney Cup on display with the navy blue ribbon in the ascendance. I was rather embarrassed by the state of this 90-year-old Cup and polished it up the next morning.

After & before!

Great photo of Wes & Morse taken by Ged Lazzaro 

Stunning photo of Lake Daylesford taken by Ged Lazzaro

We learned last week that another old Daylesford friend, Andrew Brownell, had died 4 years ago. We spent many happy times with Andrew and his partner, Teck, at their beautiful 1864 B&B Holyrood House, which is being fully renovated by the new owners. 

Before the renovations

We woke on Monday to light rain, so Morse & Wes headed off where they had lots to contend with at Daylesford Cemetery. A B-double had broken down and there were repair crews, and other utes, with dogs, parked outside the fence. Fortunately Morse was able to have a good run and polished off his breakfast on his return. Meanwhile, I had been watched by three beautiful King Parrots as I worked in the kitchen, and rewarded them with cashews, which they love.

Our clothes dryer decided to make a worrying squeaky noise, so I turned it off and dried everything in the laundry cupboard, which as a heating duct in it, and racks to hang things. We had a look at the dryer later in the morning, cleaned the filter, lifted it up and back into position, and were pleased to discover the squeak had disappeared. Sadly that didn't last & we are waiting for Karen from Barclays in Ballarat to come on Wednesday & replace a bearing.

Latest items to be donated to the Salvos

It was a busy morning on Tuesday - Wes & Morse walked very early, and I had three catch up chats. The first was with my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, and I was delighted to see her looking well and happy in bright yellow. Next was my sister, Leanne, who was also looking good, and hoping to have a coffee in the sun with her support worker, Bec. Finally I caught up with friend, Jan, in Maleny, and we shared our news, which mostly consisted of health issues!

While Wes cleaned my bathroom - washed down walls, scrubbed tiles and polished mirrors, I got cracking with planting punnets of parsley and spinach, and purple bean seeds. I also prepared a tub to take chilis when we can get the seedlings. I feel as though I am on top of the herb pots, but still have about 6 on the decking to refresh. 

Floating pink camellias

Judi & I shared honours again on Wednesday at Muffins & More café, where we fitted in quite a few games of Mah Jong. The sun was shining, but the wind was cold, which kept a few people at home I'm sure. Wes vacuumed the floors, but didn't wash them as it would take too long for them to dry. 

We had a big day on Thursday. I fitted in a quick WhatsApp chat with Terry Borg in Balwyn, before we drove to Wallington, near Geelong, which is 125kms away. We broke our journey at Ballan, where we dropped in 4 boxes of jars to Rob & Dene. Rob was home and we had time to admire their beautiful garden, which is looking very healthy & happy. 

We met our friend, Wendy Owen, at Van Loon's Nursery & Café, in Wallington. This is one of her favourite spots and we could easily see why. The nursery is huge, full of wonderful plants and staffed by very friendly people. We had brunch and chose well from their interesting menu. The food was yummy, service excellent, and best of all, we were provided with serrated-edged knives to cut through our toast! Wendy's husband, Roberto, is in care as she can no longer look after him at home, and she needed to spend time with old friends and talk through some of the many issues facing her daily. 

We spent 90 minutes there sitting outside in the sun, and are so pleased we made the trip. Fingers crossed we have helped her navigate some difficulties, and given her confidence to proceed.

Needless to say we were quite tired when we arrived back here and spent some quiet time with Morse, who had been sleeping while we were away. 

More daffs & erlicheer at the front door

On Friday we woke to a cool morning, which quickly turned into the best day we've enjoyed in ages, reaching 19℃ in the afternoon. Morse spotted a bunny at the Cemetery and they chased each other very happily. Then I had a Zoom with Leanne, who had enjoyed a good week with her various NDIS supporters, before heading to Pete the podiatrist for my bi-monthly appointment. I came home with a library book, punnets of parsley & coriander, and a new pair of winter weight trousers as I was down to one pair!

In Melbourne, 100,021 packed the MCG to watch the San Francisco 49ers play the Los Angeles Rams, the first time a regular NFL game has been played here. We didn't watch the game, but were pleased that the 49ers, who arrived 8 days before the match and were guests at the MCG the previous Friday, won easily. The Rams arrived less than 48 hours before the start & looked as jet-lagged as they no doubt felt.

 

Yesterday was another beautiful day after a cool start. We woke to discover Fremantle had defeated Geelong by 14 points in a very high quality game in Perth. This means they progress to a Preliminary Final against Sydney at the SCG on Friday night. Wes & I both worked in the garden, which is looking lovely with all the colour and perfume of bulbs in every nook and cranny. 

The afternoon was spent watching AFLW matches and keeping an eye on the scores at the Central Highland Football League Grand Final, where Daylesford won easily over Dunnstown by 47 points. We were so thrilled for the team which included 6 players who had moved up from the Under 18s this year - one of them is Matt Hunt, son of Sarah, and grandson of Glen. 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 6th September 2026

 
Love Peppermint Patty's optimism

Last Sunday was a beautiful sunny one and we enjoyed our walk around Daylesford cemetery before heading to the Market & getting our weekly supply of fruit & vegetables for us & Morse. We were both tired, of course, after two late nights in a row, so took it easy, before Wes headed out into the garden, which is a delight at the moment with all the daffs, tête-à-têtes, jonquils & hyacinths in bloom. 

The next morning was another lovely one. After the walk, I went to Coles for the supermarket shop, and, after breakfast, went back into Vincent Street for further chores. Meanwhile, Wes mowed the embankment at the end of our street - a job that is shared by him, James@#80, and Dan@#77. I picked more daphne, hellebores and daffs and noticed that our tête bouclé bulbs were now flowering.

Me admiring some of the many daffodils in our back garden

ABC Radio National is holding a best 100 Australian books competition and I found it very hard to narrow my choices down to 10. I reluctantly omitted some earlier classics to include more modern ones, and will be very interested to find out the results in October. These are my choices in no particular order:

• A Fortunate Life (1981) - A.B. Facey
• I Can Jump Puddles (1955) - Alan Marshall
• My Brother Jack (1964) - George Johnston
• The Rosie Project (2013) - Graeme Simsion
• The Season (2024) - Helen Garner
• The Getting of Wisdom (1910) - Henry Handel Richardson
• Picnic at Hanging Rock (1967) - Joan Lindsay
• A Town Like Alice (1950) - Nevil Shute
• The Dictionary of Lost Words (2020) - Pip Williams
• Shadowboxing (2006) - Tony Birch

On Tuesday, Morse chased two bunnies on our walk, and was delighted with seeing them both. Afterwards I had a long overdue Zoom with Leanne, who filled me in on her past 10 days, which had been busy. Her support worker, Bec, is an excellent companion and they enjoy each other's company for two hours, three times a fortnight. 

Lovely shades of pink, lilac & purple hyacinths

Then Wes & I drove through the worst potholes in the Shire to Trentham Golf Course, where we used to be members and played regularly. Wes tells me it is at least 10 years since we played there, and we thought we would head to the practice green and try hitting a few balls. We were both delighted to discover we could and that matters of direction could be sorted out! I even had a few practice putts, before we agreed that golf could be on the agenda again. Then came the hard part - we'd brought Wes's bag & buggy and when we got to the car, realised we had no idea how to collapse it back again. It took 10 minutes before we finally worked it out. Fortunately, no-one was around to witness our humiliation, although they could perhaps have solved the problem easily for us!

On Wednesday, after our walk, I went to Muffins & More for Mah Jong with Judi. We had a lot to catch up on, so chatted before playing quite a few games. I was the early winner, but Judi matched me at the finish. Meanwhile, Wes did a lovely job of vacuuming & washing floors, and the sunshine helped them dry quickly.

We managed a walk before the rain on Thursday, and Wes had an interesting Zoom chat with the Jackson Group, where they covered a few topics. Meanwhile I hosted the Old Friends WhatsApp catch up, as Kathy had an appointment with her eye specialist, who was very pleased with her progress. She has had the most amazing experience getting her cataracts done, and is enjoying life without glasses. 

Morse in one of those contortions that dogs seem to enjoy 🤣

Among the morning's chores I visited Wombat Hill Nursery, and picked up some punnets of herbs as the heavy Winter rains have done damage to some of our existing pots, which need TLC. I ran out of energy to do anything that day, but will refresh the pots & plant when I can.  

It was frosty on Friday morning when we walked with Morse, but turned into a cool, sunny day. I chatted with Leanne again and we solved some issues, before I did a few chores in Vincent Street, and returned to find Wes cleaning our ceiling & exhaust fans. It's amazing the amount of stuff that collects in exhaust fans!

That night Carlton played Geelong in an Elimination Final in front of nearly 97,000. They started the game well, but were eventually overrun by the more experienced Cats. Wes was philosophical - he knows they wouldn't have progressed any further, and is grateful for an exciting second half to their season.

Geelong's amazing Captain, 36 year old Patrick Dangerfield kicked 5 goals in a stunning performance

We allowed ourselves a sleep in yesterday morning, and set the alarm for 7am. It rained all night and we couldn't walk Morse. He was perfectly happy to stay in bed after the late night watching the footy. We had planned to go out for lunch, but the rain and strong winds made staying at home very attractive and we enjoyed reading the Saturday Age before watching the remaining two AFL Finals of the weekend. 

Sydney unexpectedly trounced Brisbane at the SCG on a hot, wet day, and later, Adelaide were too good for the Western Bulldogs in an exciting match as Adelaide Oval. As well, our Daylesford Doggies won a hard-fought Preliminary Final against Bungaree to progress into next Saturday's Grand Final. Wes served steamed prawn & ginger dumplings with steamed broccolini for dinner, which was a most enjoyable meal, and we demolished some of his Father's Day chocolate honeycomb afterwards.