Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 29th January 2012

Dear Friends, once again, we have just returned from Café 3460, where we had a most enjoyable breakfast – lovely food & sparkling conversation, mainly centred around advice for wives wishing to take drastic action with husbands. This was sparked by the realisation that Jan still has another 4.5 weeks of John wearing a moon boot, which means she does all the driving, all the cooking & cleaning & all the fetching & carrying, while he sits around being bored silly and demanding!

On Australia Day we celebrated with a very lavish breakfast at Gillie’s place – everyone contributed food & drink & Gail provided decorations. Towards the end Gillie was even serving her famous Pimm’s drinks, which must have contributed towards the ease with which the tables were dismantled. There were 14 of us including Kim, Gary & Kim’s aunty Pat, who is over from Hobart, and Aileen, who helps out at 3460 on occasion. There were oysters & smoked salmon, zucchini cakes, kedgeree, mushrooms & tomatoes. Judi cooked pancakes; Glenn took a leaf out of Brian Fell’s book & made scrambled eggs according to a recipe on YouTube; Wes barbecued bacon & snags, Gail recited bush poetry, and Terry played ‘God Save the Queen’ on an ancient record player. Enjoy the photos:

         Photo 1 shows Gillie, Terry, Gail, Aileen & bits of Barbara & Kim; 2 is Gail’s table decoration; 3 is Judi & Glenn comparing cooking notes; 4 shows Gillie, Karen, Terry, Judi & Glenn, & 5 is Kim, Barbara, Pat & bits of Jan & John. Photo 6 is Wes with one of Aileen’s biscuits, & 7 shows Gary & Kim with their Rotary Award

On the previous night at the Hepburn Shire Australia Day Awards Ceremony, Café 3460 had won the Best Business Award for the third time in four years, which is a wonderful achievement. Everyone in Daylesford will be sorry when the Café closes. We missed the night because we had spent most of the day in Melbourne. We started with a good visit with Viva, who was looking much improved since the last time we had seen her. After that we met Danny at ‘Westlake’ in Little Bourke Street, for yum cha, to catch up with him & celebrate Chinese New Year. Then we visited the Ian Potter Centre (the Australian wing of the National Gallery of Victoria), where we saw an exhibition entitled ‘Bush Couture’ by Linda Jackson, a well-known Australian designer. This was for members only, the day before the official opening. Linda first started working with Jenny Kee, and that influence shows in her work.        

During the week, we played golf together early one morning & were quite pleased with our efforts, enough to persuade me to go out again on Friday morning early before the heat set in. We’ve done a small amount of socialising – breakfast at Gracenotes; drinks on the veranda with Andy Prophet & his girlfriend, Lisa, who were spending 2 days here; more drinks on the veranda with our young Mayor, Sebastian Klein, who wanted to use Wes as a sounding-board for some ideas he has, & lunch at 3460 when we were superfluous to requirements at Roger & Valerie Roberts’ Open Garden yesterday (we were rostered to be on the gate, but there were already 4 helpers when we arrived).

As well I have been playing Words with Friends with David Knox, Carol Bruce &Terry Borg; watching the Aussies wrap up the Tests with a clean sweep, and occasionally switching to the tennis; exchanging Viber messages with Jane Knox, who has regressed in her recovery after feeling so well & probably doing too much, and even occasionally making a meal! Wes has spent time with Barbara, done lots of pruning in our garden, as well as mowing, worked on the Family History, played online Chess and walked the boys every morning. We had hoped to get to Moonee Valley on Friday night to see ‘Black Caviar’ record her 17^th straight win, but decided it would be too much & after reading about the crowds clamouring to gain entry, it was a very wise decision.

                 

Lovely photo of Celia who was at MVRC with Cory, Danny, Nu, Peter & Evelyn on Friday night. (Happy 1^st Wedding Anniversary to Celia & Cory today)

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd January 2012

Dear Friends, after a week of being a couch potato watching exciting tennis on TV, it was lovely to go to breakfast this morning & be spoilt rotten again by Kim & Gary with a wonderful spread of yummy goodies. Kim told us that Café 3460 will now not close until 29^th February, which gives us 3 more breakfasts than we expected – yippee! We spent quite a bit of time this morning planning Gillie’s Australia Day breakfast. We will have a double celebration, as she announced she is going to retire at the end of March.

During the week I have been receiving lots of messages from friend, Jane, who is in NZ with her daughter, Emily. They are enjoying a lovely time together & according to Jane, Bay of Islands is full of baby boomers! This photo of Emily was taken at a swish restaurant, which they really enjoyed. They spent yesterday at historic Russell, and are planning a visit to mud pools today. John & Jan Smith have been cruising around NZ for a couple of weeks & are arriving back in Daylesford later today. Sadly John has broken his ankle – no further details known!

Last Sunday we went to Candy & Hal’s place for an informal lunch – there must have been close to 100 guests and it was catered for by Gary Thomas, a popular local caterer, with the beguiling business name of ‘Spade to Blade’. We enjoyed some good chats with friends, as well as spending a short time with Candy, who looks the best we have ever seen her. She seems very happy and she & Hal have done wonderful things to their home, ‘Daylesford House’. We met a woman from Sydney who was visiting her sister & partner in Denver, and she was laughing that not only did she not have warm enough clothes for when she had arrived 2 days previously, she didn’t have cool enough clothes for the lunch!

It has been fairly hot all week, which I have found very difficult to cope with and have been lacking any get up and go. Apart from a lovely lunch with Rhonda at ‘Gracenotes’ on Tuesday, and Max Walter’s funeral on Wednesday morning, I’ve really been quite slack – cryptics, logic puzzles, Words with Friends, Holiday Strong & the tennis & Twenty20 cricket have filled my week. Wes went to Rotary, has taken Barbara for the big shop & hot chocolate afterwards, has walked the boys every morning & cooked most nights. He is showing amazing patience and I am very grateful to him. His main project this week has been the garden – it has been mowed and weeded to within an inch of its life and he is currently attacking the garden under the decking, where there is serious soil erosion and hoping to solve that problem. My main contribution has been to pick roses and array them decoratively around the house!

This morning we walked the boys together, which was lovely. Judi is back walking her dogs with Wes most days, and I have been trying to get up early and achieve while my brain is at its best. I took the boys to the Sunday Market as usual, where Yvonne begged me to leave them with her, as they are a talking point for her customers & very good for business. Wes had instructed me to not come home without a rose, so I asked Ken what he recommended and he sold me two beautiful roses for $20 – the early shopper’s bargain. Once Wes had weeded we realised we had lots of spaces for new roses, as well as tomato plants etc.

On Friday we were visited by Steamatic, who were sent by the Fire Claim Assessors to see if they could get the soot marks out of our lounge suite. Craig the Kiwi did a colour test first and discovered that the suite could not been cleaned. He suspects that the damage was done by the first set of cleaners who obviously did not test the fabric first and the colours have bled into the fabric. EEK! We didn’t want to have to get it re-upholstered, but that may be the only solution. We are still living with the burnt floor as the recommended builders have been on holidays and we hope that we soon come to the top of their list of repair jobs. Ditto the painters.

Our good friend, Carol Bruce, has been most unwell again this week, with a few days in hospital suffering a recurring problem. She is now home and we have been sending each other Skype messages as she is not well enough for long phone calls. She was close to needing another operation, but fortunately the doctors were able to solve her problem without that drastic action so quickly after the stents were put in. My aunt, Jeff, is also progressing well, and is getting frustrated with the slowness of her recovery, which is a good sign. Viva is also getting better slowly but surely and we hope to see her on Wednesday. I was going to visit yesterday, but she wanted to sleep, so we have postponed it.

Enjoy your week & I’ll be in touch again soon. P.S. David & Helen Lazzaro’s middle child, Maya, is in a great ‘Buy Australian Made’ advertisement in this week’s Woman’s Day, if you should be flicking through it.

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 15th January 2012

Dear Friends, Sunday has rolled around again so quickly. We enjoyed another lovely breakfast this morning with the usual crew and Gillie’s good friend, Irene. Kim spoilt us rotten as usual & Aileen helped in the kitchen as Gary wasn’t available. It was a cold morning, but the sun is now shining & it should be a perfect day – more like Autumn than Summer. We are off to lunch at Candy & Hal’s place later on – they live at ‘Daylesford House’, a beautiful big home opposite the Botanic Gardens and we haven’t been there since they bought it and are dying to see what they have done, especially with the garden, as well as catch up with lots of friends.

Candy Broad

Like most of you, we are back in the swing of things this week. I’ve enjoyed going to Holiday Strong and tried to walk on the other days to regain my fitness. We both went to the first Rotary meeting for the year, which was a very easy introduction back. We were all pleased to see each other and share our news.           

                                                                   

Wes has continued to focus on the Family History, but is promising himself a week in our garden to get it looking good. No matter how much weeding you do, there is always plenty, and with the rain followed by sun, the grass takes no time at all to grow. We have lots of tomatoes just waiting for a bit more sun to ripen and plenty of basil, which is the perfect combination. The roses are still prolific, the new lemon tree has heaps of buds, the geraniums are flowering and the fruit trees are bearing loads of fruit.

I had suggested to Wes that we go to Ballarat Races last Thursday, so he sent around an email and got a few others interested until we discovered it was a twilight fixture. He and Barbara went and spent an enjoyable time together, although they didn’t have any big collects.

We have some new shops in town:

·         An Aboriginal Art Gallery that is rarely open

·         Ginger Thai, previously Jasmine Thai, has moved into the vacant space in Raglan Street near the library, &

·         An ice-cream & lolly shop

There are also some empty shops available – one double frontage opposite the Information Centre will become the Daylesford Community Bank, and the other, next to Café 3460, is rumoured to be a fruit shop.

The Perth Test looks as though it will be over today with the Indians no match for our pace attack. We enjoyed the exciting batting of David Warner, who managed to outscore the entire Indian team in his knock of 180. His unconventional entry into Test cricket is an inspiration for all young cricketers. As well, Bernard Tomic defied the pundits in beating Mardy Fish in the final of the Kooyong Classic. Let’s hope it doesn’t go to his head and he manages to get through a few rounds in the Australian Open.

The news from Strathmore is good with Viva improving slowly but surely; Jeff in Lincolnshire is also recovering well from her back operation; Judi is back to normal after her shingles episode; Gillie was well enough to come to breakfast this morning, and Carol is doing rehab twice a week as she recovers. On a sad note, Glenda’s mother, Edna, has lost her long-time companion, Max, who developed cancer and died very quickly; and Aileen’s husband, Roy, finally died after being unwell for months.

We are all fine and the boys are very happily asleep at my feet, after their usual exciting Sunday morning activities. Enjoy your week and I’ll be in touch again next Sunday.

Lake Daylesford geese in the early morning.

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 8th January 2012

Dear Friends, we are just back from the first Café 3460 breakfast for 2012, and sadly there won’t be too many more as it has been sold and will probably settle around early March. Kim & Gary are delighted that they haven’t been on the market for months and will enjoy their last few weeks I am sure. Kim produced another splendid meal, which was only outdone by Gail’s incredible stories involving wobbly trailers, unpicked surgical stitches & a takeaway Chinese Christmas meal. John & Jan were missing as they are getting ready to sail on the Dawn Princess to New Zealand tomorrow, a trip that Annie Smith is doing with a girlfriend later this month.

It poured with rain during the night & we awoke to a humid Brigadoon – the boys missed out on their walk & their trip to the Sunday Market, but we took them to Café 3460 for toast & vegemite delivered to the back of the car, then Wes brought them home & collected Barbara. I hadn’t seen anyone for New Year, so it was good to catch up with Judi (who has been unwell), Michael & Glenn as well and hear a little of their news (in between Gail’s stories). Gillie is quite sick, possibly with whooping cough, so we missed out on her company.

Kim’s tortillas

During the week we walked the boys together early, did some gardening, watched an amazing Test from Sydney, visited my specialist in Ballarat, who encouraged me to continue with what I am doing, and finished the rearrangement of kitchen & dining cupboards, which was necessitated by items being put back in strange places after the big clean-up post our kitchen fire. As well, Wes took Barbara to Ballarat for an appointment and for hydrotherapy; I spent some time with Annie Smith catching up on her news and trying to help her become boss dog with Mizu, and I spent three hours with Viva giving Leanne a much-needed break.

We were visited by Ben & Leanne, who stayed overnight. They brought a hazelnut chocolate cake for sweets, and we didn’t offer to let them take the leftovers home! Leanne is a wonderful cook. Wes did a stunning roast chook stuffed with cracked wheat, onions, parsley & curry plant on a bed of sage, as well as yummy baked salmon with heaps of vegetables. The next morning, I walked Bilbo & Frodo, while Wes & Ben had a game of golf at Trentham, and when Leanne woke up she went for a jog around the Lake. We met up at ‘Bocconcini’ for breakfast and they went home as they were looking after David & Helen’s three children for the afternoon.

I’ve been enjoying playing ‘Words with Friends’ with David Knox and was lucky enough to make the word, SQUEAKY, which earned me 182 points. We are still playing that game & I have just hit 511, which is a personal best. David is beating me in the other game we are playing concurrently. It’s a lovely way to keep in touch with him. Jane sends me messages all the while, but David is only an occasional correspondent. If you are interested in downloading it - www.wordswithfriends.com – very similar to Scrabble, but you can play on your phone or via Facebook.

I have been reading the latest Ian Rankin, courtesy of Marjorie’s Kris Kringle & enjoyed it immensely. I now have the latest P D James to enjoy, as soon as I finish Val McDermid, whose most recent book reintroduces a stunning baddy, Jacko Vance, from a much earlier novel featuring Tony Hill. While I madly read, do cryptic crosswords & logic puzzles to help me rest; Wes is spending lots of time on the family tree & family history. He has such an enquiring mind that he searches for ‘why’ so much more often than I would and discovers amazing things as a result.

Wes has our garden looking a picture. The roses are prolific & I have managed to keep at least two vases full of fresh flowers since New Year, as well as take a small bunch to Viva every time I visit. She loves the perfume of them, even if she can’t actually see them. Her sister, Jennifer (AKA Jeff), is recovering slowly but surely from her back operation & we hope it has been the success it appears and that she will be free from pain for the first time in a long while.

We did the early shift at the Farmers’ Market yesterday and it was a great experience. All the locals come early and enjoy catching up on news, and at least four Rotarians who weren’t rostered to work, turned up to help. Afterwards we had breakfast at ‘Gracenotes’ with old friends, Sheila & Vaughan. They have recently returned from a long trip overseas – they stayed three months longer than they expected, as a friend in America was diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and they went to spent time with her and her partner & their one-year old baby son. They have a big home & property here in partnership with Sheila’s sister, Liz, and they have decided to sell the house. Liz is a Supreme Court Judge and needs a permanent home in Melbourne near the court. Sheila & Vaughan are quite enjoying the thought of being homeless for a while and deciding what to do about it! They are also Labrador lovers and lost both their labs in the past 18 months. Before they replace them, they want to spend some more time in America with their friends and in Perth with Vaughan’s family.

Next week, we start to get back to normal activities –Rotary, Strong, Mah Jong etc. I am always amazed at how quickly that holiday time after Christmas flies by. We are desperate for Sandra to come back & make the house sparkling again, I need a haircut, massage & manicure and the third Test in Perth starts on Thursday, so there is lots to fit in this week.

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 1st January 2012

Dear Everyone, Happy New Year to you and let’s hope it is a peaceful one all over the world. Wes & I have just returned from a lovely late breakfast at ‘Bocconcini’ in Vincent Street. Our usual Sunday breakfast doesn’t restart until next week, but we thought it would be good to share the beginning of the year with breakfast, especially as we have both been awake since before 5.30am. I walked the boys, while Wes did some computer work, then some early gardening. It was already 20° when we went to the Sunday Market, so we left the boys at home eating celery (instead of toast & vegemite) and had our first ever meal at ‘Bocconcini’. As many places are closed today, it was the hub for all the locals and we caught up with quite a few friends.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Day and weren’t troubled by the terrible hailstorms that swept across some of Melbourne’s suburbs. We walked the boys, then had tea and toast on the veranda and planned our jobs for the morning. It did seem strange not to be frantically busy providing food for up to 100 friends, but we enjoyed the more leisurely start to the day and I was able to ring both Viva and Paun and wish them both Happy Christmas.

Jon Stephens, our house guest, arrived at 11am with a bottle of Moet under his arm and a desperate need to open it after the drive from Melbourne. He was sartorially splendid, including a hat, so once we had the table set, the vegetables & lamb organised and the pudding ready to be reheated, we sat and had a drink with him. Marjorie arrived next with enough ‘befores’  to feed a hungry mob and assembled a huge variety of yummy things, while Wes went & picked up Gail from home, and Jon helped Barbara across the road with the ham and gifts she had. Then Judi & Michael arrived full of cheer; Denise, Barry, Leon & Shaun followed suit and we were complete.

 Jon Stephens on the phone...for a change!

 After a lovely afternoon, we threw our guests out around 6pm, cleared up and sat down to catch our breath and open our gifts and those the boys had received. Wes and I were in bed early as we had to leave at 7.15am next morning for breakfast with Peter and Anka at the ‘European’ in Spring Street. This is a very pleasant tradition of some years’ standing and it is always good to catch up with them before we head off to the Test. I was sitting in the MCC on my own for Day 1 and they had seats in the Great Southern Stand. Wes very kindly dropped my suitcase into the ‘ Stamford Plaza’ for me and made sure I was checked in, so that all I need do was collect my key when I got home from the first exciting day.

Wes then drove home here and spent time with Jon, before hosting a barbecue of Jon’s friends, including Nick & Lindsay, Graham & Jenny, Frank & Ellis & Barbara. If Frank’s photos on Twitter are to be believed it was a brilliant evening. That night I had early dinner at the hotel with Jane & David Knox, who had driven down from Sydney that day. It was lovely to see them both and spend a relaxing hour or so with them before I went to bed.                                                               

Peter & Anka

We spent the next two days at the cricket together, including a memorable Women’s Breakfast with Wasim Akram as Guest Speaker. The cricket was fabulous and it seemed there was a twist in fortunes during each session. Jane & David left on 28^th to drive to Barwon Heads for a couple of nights before driving back to Sydney via Canberra & the National Gallery. They arrived home yesterday afternoon with time for a rest before hosting a small group for New Year’s Eve fireworks.

I had invited Gillie to join me on Day 4, but she was unable to come as she has been so unwell since Christmas. Instead David Lazzaro used her ticket and caught up with his mate, Matt, over from Tassie. I had breakfast with Jon Stephens, who handed over the ticket and I was able to introduce him to Peter & Anka, who walked into the ‘European’ just as we were leaving. At the ground, I found a good seat in the Balcony, only to be tapped on the shoulder by Gillie’s friend, Yvonne, who was sitting behind me – her first time at the G as a full member and she was so excited. She had just returned from a visit to Ireland, where she spent time with Seona, who is a good friend of David’s from uni days. Seona married an Irishman one hot New Year’s Eve and left to live in Ireland. I think Yvonne must be her aunt. Small world!!

On Day 2, I caught up with Andy Spencer (aka Bilby) and her partner, Chris. We met her on our trip to Alice Springs many years ago and have lost touch recently. I discovered this is because she has been back in England for most of the past 2 years. It was lovely to see her again and I hope we can spend time together soon. My final socialising was on Day 5 (which wasn’t needed), when I had a long, leisurely breakfast with Squiz. We enjoyed catching up on each other’s news and just being together. Squiz’s friendship goes back nearly 40 years as I first met him in October 1972, along with Kathy Lazzaro. I had to laugh when Squiz told me that conditions at his current employment were quite lax, as people often wandered in as late as 9.30 but made up for it by working late. I reminded him that the old Squiz would have given his eyeteeth for those working conditions in ‘72 & ‘73 when he was always late for work. Apparently the new Squiz is much more a morning person these days.

Squiz & Jan on their wedding day 1979

Wes picked me up after breakfast and we drove home. We had hoped to visit Viva but it wasn’t convenient, so I plan to see her later in the week when the weather is cooler. I’ve spent the last two days catching up on washing & ironing, emails etc and playing Words with Friends with David Knox. I’m not coping too well as the ‘Scrabble’ game bears little resemblance to the traditional layout, so I’ve found a proper ‘Scrabble’ online, but can’t download it to my phone....yet!

Let me update you on everyone else – Viva is progressing well, although she & Leanne suffered some water damage during the storms. We are hopeful it won’t be big enough to be a claim and can be fixed quickly. Jennifer returned home from hospital in Lincoln on Christmas Eve and is slowly getting back on her feet. Our friend, Carol, unexpectedly ended up in hospital needing 3 stents, and was able to come home on Christmas Eve as well.

·         We had a delightful visit from the Anderson family on the Sunday before Christmas

·         We saw ‘ The Importance of Being Earnest’ with Geoffrey Rush playing Lady Bracknell and were sadly underwhelmed – Ruth Cracknell was so good in that part, no-one since has held a candle to her

·         We were lucky enough to be allowed to volunteer to hand out Christmas goods to the disadvantaged here locally and it was a very humbling experience

·                  Wes spent a day in Melbourne with Warren Pengilley – introduced him to Vince & Dom, his Italian hairdressers in Little Bourke Street, and took him to Pelligrini’s for lunch along with Doug Walsh, who is recovering from a heart attack suffered in the Philippines

·         I spent an afternoon in Ballarat on a very hot day, visiting the dentist and then having a lovely facial with Sarah

·         We have been walking the boys together most mornings and I am finding that is a good way to start the day – I have lots more energy to get things done in the mornings, still flag in the afternoons and useless most evenings

·         One of Wes’s school friends, John Hogan, died unexpectedly just after Christmas – it was quite a shock as well as a reminder that life is precious

·         Wes had a lovely New Year’s Eve – he and Barbara went to the Parade, then dinner at ‘Gracenotes’ where Barbara had organised a table including Judi & Michael, John & Jan, Glenn & Annie. He arrived home in time to look after the boys when the fireworks began at midnight from the Lake House.

So now you are up to date again – thank you to David Castles for worrying that I hadn’t written post Christmas; thank you to everyone for your cards, emails & phone calls. Wes and I are looking forward to sharing this exciting year with you all.

Lovely photo of Irish, Malachi, Kalarni & Dublin Anderson

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 18th December, 2011

Dear Everyone, this will be my last Dispatch for 2011, by the time I write again we will be enjoying New Year’s Day. Daylesford is cool & wet today – we love this weather, but not everyone does! Our breakfast this morning was fantastic with yummy food, exchanging of small gifts and much hilarity. Rhonda joined us, which is always delightful and took some photos, as did Barbara. A small selection is shown here.

Gail’s backview; Barbara; John

We’ve just enjoyed a lovely visit from John, Dannielle, Malachi, Kalarni, Dublin & Irish. They made their annual pre-Christmas trip from Cohuna to visit John’s mother, Denise, and they always pop in to see us as well. Bilbo & Frodo were delighted to see the 4 kids, but were also very pleased when they went and are now sound asleep snoring at our feet, absolutely exhausted!

John chatting to Gail; Jan & Gillie, and Judi & Michael, who were sorely missed at breakfast today.

We were shocked to discover this morning that our dear friend, Carol Bruce, was rushed to St John of God in Ballarat early today with suspected angina. Fortunately both her daughters live in Ballarat and will be able to visit and do whatever needs to be done. Fingers crossed she is OK and will be home for Christmas.

We’ve had an interesting saga with our new dishwasher – after being promised it would be here during the week, we were sad that nothing had happened so Wes bombarded the assessors and claims manager with emails and we were promised a dishwasher on Friday. Sure enough one arrived – but it was stainless steel and the wrong model, so it went back and the right model in white was delivered early yesterday. While I was in Melbourne the plumber came to install it and we are thrilled to bits to have it in time for Christmas. We are so over washing up!!!

We arrived at the MCG just as the MCC Members’ gates opened and got excellent seats in the balcony. Then downstairs to the Hugh Trumble Café for a yummy dinner and chat, upstairs to say hello to Gayle Gibson and her friend, Heather, and then the Twenty20 match began. We missed the toss of the coin by Elizabeth Hurley, but saw it on TV while we were eating. It was an exciting atmosphere, but David Warner was far too good for the Melbourne Stars – as Captain, fieldsman and batsman he was unsurpassed. Let’s hope he opens for Australia against India in the Boxing Day Test.

The beautifully restored ticket box at Victoria Park – you can enter through the old turnstiles...

I stayed the night at Northcote and drove back here this morning and am now looking forward to having a very restful afternoon after our lovely visitors.

During the week, Wes has enjoyed quite a social time – he went to a glorious 5-hour lunch on Sunday at Di & Jeff’s place, I had been invited, but wasn’t able to get there and went to bed in the afternoon instead. On Tuesday night, Barbara had invited him to the Club 30 picnic dinner by the Lake and they were both pleased when the weather fined up enough to make it a good night; Wednesday was Rotary’s break-up and on Thursday he and Barbara went to the Christmas drinks put on by the Bendigo Bank.

During the week he and Barbara went to Ballarat for an appointment; he tried to play golf but the course was full, and he spent many hours on the computer doing family tree & history as well as receiving some lovely phone calls and emails, and looking after me & the boys. I had a couple of walks into town, got my nails and hair done and went to the Strong break-up lunch with Gillie, where we discovered Judi was also in attendance (we thought she might have had her fill of Christmas activities before she went to Caloundra to spend a week with her family, but we were wrong). It was good to see her and also my friend, Fay, who, like Gillie, has had a knee reconstruction and will be coming back to 6.30am Strong next year.

We have a good week coming up – Wes is playing golf with John in the morning, then we are off to see ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ with Geoffrey Rush; Steamatic are arriving on Tuesday to see if they can get the soot out of the lounge suite; Wes is spending the day in Melbourne with Secundus (Warren Pengilley) and plans to introduce him to Vince & Dom, the barbers in Little Bourke Street, as well as treat him to Pelligrini’s; and I am visiting the dentist and having a facial in Ballarat on Thursday. Before we know it Santa will have arrived and we will sit around a table for 12 with good friends and family and enjoy Christmas lunch together.

We wish you all a very happy Christmas and look forward to catching up again in 2012.

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 11th December 2011

Dear Everyone, two weeks until Christmas, and it looks as though it will be a cool, wet one according to the long range forecast on my phone. Today is cool and windy, but the sun is shining, after a night of thunderstorms and good rain. Wes mowed the lawns yesterday afternoon, which was great timing and he is weeding the front garden today.

Sharyn & Shane’s beautiful boys - Aidyn, Luke & Jules

We are just back from another lovely breakfast with nearly everyone there, except Michael and Gillie. Kim served his usual variety of yummy foods and we enjoyed catching up with each other’s news. Gail had her gall bladder removed by keyhole surgery last Tuesday and is progressing well enough to eat a hearty meal; Terry has discovered an app that allows him to play Rugby League on his phone and keep him in touch while he lives in the wasteland of Victoria; Judi is being kept busy with U3A activities before she heads off to Caloundra to catch up with her family next weekend; John & Jan are off to Bright for the week and have decided to put their Melbourne property on the market as Daylesford is now home; Glenn is thinking about camping in Bright during the week and going bike-riding with John there, and Barbara has been trying to give her cat, Bobby, more freedom and not liking it when he doesn’t come back the first time she calls him.

Wes has had an extremely busy week – he has been to Ballarat with Barbara on three days running, as she had her annual assessments and likes to have his company when this happens. They also went to the Horts Christmas dinner on the Tuesday night, and caught up again at breakfast this morning. On Thursday he went to Melbourne with John Smith to help him bring his desk and computer equipment back to Daylesford, and on Friday he took our station wagon to Jamie at Daylesford Tyres to get a set of new tyres put on, and while waiting had a coffee with Glenn at Wombat Hill House and then bought some new shoes to replace the ones that were wrecked when he put out the fire. He also went to Rotary and gave a submission to the Board afterwards with our suggestions for next year’s Art Show.

Kim’s Christmas tea cosy

My week has been much quieter – had morning tea with Gillie; ditto Ann & Judi; ditto Gail & Terry; Wes and I had an early dinner with Glenn, where he made a seafood stir-fry, and spent some time in Vincent Street buying gifts for dogs and cats. We aren’t exchanging presents with our family and friends, but have given a donation to Rotary’s Polio Plus Eradication Campaign instead.

Yesterday we drove to Melbourne to visit Viva and Leanne and had a great time. It is Leanne’s birthday today, so Kim made a fig & almond meringue for us to take. While we were there some lovely flowers arrived for Leanne from Peter & Anka. Viva was looking better and her bad eye is slightly improved. We stayed 2.5 hours, which was probably a bit too long and Viva was off to bed as soon as we had gone.

Wes brought the blue spruce inside on Friday and I spent the afternoon decorating it. We have put the tree in front of the fireplace for a change and moved the boys’ day bed from there to in front of the TV. They are not sure what they think of that. Wes was exhausted when he got home on Friday so he spent the afternoon catching up on sleep and looks much better today.

The assessor came back to see how the cleanup has gone and she has agreed that we can have the new dishwasher installed next week and that the flooring will be done mid-January. We are hopeful they will replace the cork tiles in the kitchen, lounge and hallway; and have suggested they see if they can cover the damaged underside of our bench top to save them from having to replace it, as that will be such a huge job. The kitchen and lounge walls need repainting and Kirsty is also getting the lounge suite cleaned again to see if the soot can be removed.

Our dear Aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, has had her long awaited back operation on Friday and the early news is very good. Her surgeon is pleased and, although she is in some pain and discomfort, she is able to sit up and eat meals already. We have our fingers crossed that this will give her much better quality of life.

We’ve been glued to the cricket – Test cricket offers so much – each day brings a new twist – however, the Victorians, Siddle & Pattinson, are more than holding their own in the mostly NSW Test side. Well done. I’m looking forward to the start of the Twenty20 games next weekend as well. We are following the Melbourne Stars, who have signed Warne, in case you haven’t heard or read the news lately!

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 4th December 2011

Dear Friends, we are shivering here in Daylesford this morning, even though it is officially Summertime. The temperature is OK, but the wind is freezing, and anyone who left home in shorts or sleeveless tops this morning will be very sorry. Wes walked the boys, while I did the washing up (after a particularly lovely meal last night) & then I took them to the Sunday Market, where the stallholders were sheltering from the wind and hoping for some custom.

We were unexpectedly joined post breakfast by Kathy & Ged, who had decided on the spur of the moment to visit the five gardens open around this area today. They have set off to see the gardens and we hope to catch up with them again before they drive home.

The latest news on the kitchen is that nothing can be done until after Christmas as the job has become too big – new flooring, new benches, paintwork, carpentry and another clean of the lounge suite. We are hopeful of getting a replacement dishwasher soon, as there is nothing to stop it being installed so we can use it for the next month or six weeks.

The cleaners spent another day here emptying all our kitchen & laundry cupboards and drawers in an effort to remove the soot. Sadly our belongings were replaced in approximately the same areas, so I have been busy this week redoing them all, so that we can find things. However, it would have been a very depressing job to have undertaken ourselves, so we are grateful to have everywhere fairly clean again, although it is hard to get the floors looking good as the water dripping from the old dishwasher mixed with soot and smeared itself from the kitchen to the front door.

Scotch College then Daylesford Pipes & Drums

I’ve been fairly flat this week, missed Strong classes and haven’t really had much energy to do anything. Wes has been terrific, cooking yummy meals & making sure I have plenty of rest. I received a publication from the Chronic Fatigue Support Group, which made me feel that my symptoms are quite normal and I am not as worried as I was. Jane Knox and I have been swapping sympathetic Viber messages, as she is no good in the mornings, coming to life in afternoons, whereas I am the reverse.

Carol, Dot & Valerie & I all turned up for the last Mah Jong session of the year and had a fun time together on Wednesday morning. I’ve also had a massage, and on Friday I cooked the Christmas pudding, which was a most enjoyable activity, while listening to the cricket. The Kiwis started so well, but have lost the plot this morning.

Wes has been busy spending time with Barbara, attending Rotary, walking the boys daily and doing the Family Tree as relaxation. Yesterday we did the early shift on the Farmers’ Market, which meant we were able to walk into the street to see the Highland Gathering Parade afterwards. Barbara arrived about halfway through and joined us for brunch at ‘Gracenotes’, then Judi & her Sydney friend, Lynne, arrived after visiting the Farmers’ Market. Lynne has a wonderful sense of humour and she & Wes swap bon mots with gay abandon. Lynne is still here and we got to see her again at breakfast.

We have another Indian Restaurant opened up – Gillie & Glenn tried it on Friday night and gave it good reports, with generous serves and an interesting menu. We now have the choice of 3 Indian places, 2 restaurants offering take-away, and one with takeaway only. It will be interesting to see if they can all survive. There is also a new Japanese-inspired place, which is getting mixed reviews – everyone loves the food, not everyone likes the meagre portions.

I had hoped to visit Viva on Thursday, but she and Leanne were unwell, so my visit was postponed until tomorrow and now there is a message to say that doesn’t suit. Perhaps I will get there later in the week. Only three weeks to Christmas – we are being subdued in our decorations this year and will probably just bring our lovely blue spruce inside and put it in front of the fireplace. Enjoy your week and I’ll be in touch again next Sunday.