Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 14th August, 2016

Dear Friends, have we been busy this week! It started on Sunday, when we drove to Melbourne to meet Leigh, Simon & Charlotte Murrin at my current favourite breakfast/brunch spot – the Square & Compass in East Melbourne. Matt had saved us a table inside, but we opted for sitting out in the sun, which was perfect. We were all pleased to see each other again and chatted happily until it was time to walk to the MCG to see Carlton play St Kilda.

Wes made sure we went past Shane Warne’s statue, as Leigh is such a fan, and she was thrilled as you can see. Sadly, I’ve chopped Shane’s head off in my photo, but you get the general idea.

We found our seats, which were on the roofline on the ground level and went for a quick drink before play started. Wes and I were most disappointed that Carlton had left their wonderful attacking game at home – they put up a poor show against the Saints and Leigh didn’t get too many chances to cheer. Simon & Charlotte were bemused by Aussie Rules, but Charlotte asked lots of good questions and was very taken by the fact that supporters of both sides sat together.

At half time, we went for a quick tour of the MCC, starting on the 4^th Level and making our way back down via the Library, Long Room & Members’ Dining room.

At the end of the game, because it was Sunday, there was kick to kick after the siren, so we walked on the MCG and had great fun dodging footies.

We left the ground via the Great Southern Stand and all five of us piled into the Mazda 2 and set off for St Kilda, with a slight deviation so Simon could see the Grand Prix site. We then drove home, while the Murrins prepared to catch up with Terry, Mary & Jessie over dinner that night.

On Monday, after walks, gym & a massage, we had brunch with Mick & Suzanne Leahy, good friends from Brunswick Rotary days that we have not seen in a long time. We went to the Boathouse Daylesford and waited for them, wondering what had happened – they had gone to the Lake House instead!

We had cancelled our usual activities for Tuesday & Wednesday to be ready for the arrival of the Murrins in Daylesford. However, Wes went to Howe Automotive to pick up a new battery for the Mazda 6, so that we wouldn’t have any embarrassing moments during the next day’s tour. The Murrins visited Viva’s grave in the morning and then spent a lovely time catching up with Leanne at Strathmore before driving here and checking into Lake Daylesford Cottage.

They drove to our place in pouring rain, bearing lovely gifts and being thrilled by the Carlton pyjama pants we had left for them all, as well as Tim Tams & chocolate Teddy Bears. Wes cooked a brilliant fish pie, honey soy chicken drumsticks & steamed beans, which he followed with an Eton mess (made with Charlotte’s help) and some cheeses. He also taught Charlotte how to taste wines and she seemed very appreciative of the lesson.

We met Leigh & Simon at 7.15am outside Lake Daylesford Cottage, introduced them to Barry the fisherman, and walked around the lake for an hour. It was very peaceful and we all enjoyed the time together. At 9am, we went to Boathouse Daylesford to meet the three of them for breakfast, and Doug, the waiter, was busy trying to get the fire going without smoking out the café. He asked Wes for help and they had fun deciding it would be best to let the fire go out, as the customers would probably prefer the doors closed and no internal smoke. Breakfast was very yummy and Simon declared the Istra bacon to be the best he had ever tasted.

Wes then drove us all on the $35 tour – taking in Jubilee Lake; East Street natural spring; Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens; Musk; Trentham; Trentham Falls; Little Hampton; Mt Franklin; Dry Diggings; the Chocolate Mill (where the Murrins had fun drinking hot chocolates & choosing their chockies to take away); Franklinford; Shepherds Flat; Hepburn; the Hepburn Springs Golf Club (only 2 kangaroos & too far away to see clearly), and finally Vincent Street Daylesford and a chance to stretch our legs and inspect the shops.

Wandering along Vincent St, Daylesford

I went home after that for a rest, while Wes took the Murrins to Sailors Falls Estate, where Rob & Marg had opened their winery especially for us. I think it was another good experience and Wes certainly came home with plenty of his favourite Pinot Gris for our cellar.

We had invited Judi & Michael, Barbara & Gillie to come at 5.30pm for Aperitifs and to meet the Murrins, so we lit the fire, put out lots of nibbles, and welcomed our guests, who came bearing some beautiful wines. Michael helped Wes produce a yummy salmon & fennel pasta, while the rest of us chatted and got stuck into the wine, cheese & nibbles. It was a lovely night, and everyone was home again by 8pm.

Fortunately, Wayne, from Barclays in Ballarat, had fixed our dishwasher that morning and we were very grateful to Sandra, who stayed around our house until Wayne was finished rather than leaving him to lock up and put the keys back under the mat. After 8 weeks without a dishwasher, we were more than ready to get back into stacking & forgetting mode!

The next morning Wes and I had planned a sleep-in – instead we were wide awake at 4.30am, so he got up & dressed, cleaned out the fireplace, did some chores, had breakfast and eventually went back to bed with the Age to read. I got up slowly after a pot of tea, went around to Lake Daylesford Cottage to say goodbye again to the Murrins; walked Bilbo around the Lake; filled up with petrol; delivered Glenn’s mail to his home in anticipation of his arrival back today, and came back to watch the Olympic swimming (wouldn’t mind a call of the races instead of a commentary of where an Australian is or isn’t)! We were both hungry by midday and enjoyed some leftovers as Wes usually manages to cater for double the number of guests we have!

Lunch for the Murrins in Lakes Entrance – flathead tails, fish, chips, dim sims & potato cakes!

The next morning, my two boys went for their usual early walk, while I stayed in bed drinking tea until I had solved DA’s not so dastardly Friday cryptic crossword. Wes headed off to Trentham Golf Course for a lovely, but cold 10 holes, fitted in a visit to Trentham cemetery, and ended up at Chaplin’s meeting Noel Harvey, who wanted to run an idea past him. I did some shopping for Leanne, pumped water at Leitches Creek, and did a few more loads in the dishwasher.

That afternoon late, we drove to Melbourne to see Collingwood play the Western Bulldogs at the Docklands Stadium. As an MCC member, I can buy a seat for myself & a guest in the Centre Wing area on Level 2. We had a great view and as we were early, headed to the special club area for a glass or two of Shiraz. Every table had a container of peanuts with a spare container for the shells. We immediately thought of the peanut man, who used to visit all the suburban grounds on a Saturday afternoon with a sack of paper bags full of peanuts – ‘peanuts, shilling a bag, peanuts’. I also thought of my dear father, Perc, who loved peanuts in their shells and would have approved of this offering.

We were lucky enough to see a stunning close game of footy, where the scores were level 11 times and the Doggies held on to win by 3 points on their home ground. We were most impressed by the free water bottles on offer and the free water filling stations situated all around the ground. There was a young bulldog as a mascot and unlike most other teams, their scoreboard showed highlights from both sides during the breaks. If only the Blues had been able to match the Saints and played a close exciting game like this for the Murrins last Sunday.

We were so tired yesterday morning that we slept in and woke to find Brigadoon had descended on Daylesford and we couldn’t see past our decking. It was a tea & toast & watching the Olympics morning, followed by footy in the afternoon. Wes got very frustrated with Carlton again and retreated to the bedroom to watch a video. I had to let him know that the Blues were back in the game, and they only lost by 4 points in the end to a very determined Brisbane Lions outfit. We have been listening to the Olympics on the radio to get a rounder commentary, but it is very frustrating, as the TV is about 30 seconds behind real time.

Last night was the first Gay Pride AFL footy game between St Kilda & Sydney & there was a great atmosphere at the Docklands. It was an even first half, but the Swans ran riot in the second half and left the Saints in their wake.

This morning, it is a cool, damp morning – the boys have been for their early walk and I will take Bilbo to the Sunday Market shortly. After breakfast, we are driving to Torquay to have lunch with Robert & Marilyn Preston, where we will swap stories about our Scotland trips. Meanwhile the Murrins will catch up with Peter & Anka this afternoon, which means they will have seen all Leigh’s cousins on this trip to Oz.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 7th August 2016

 

Dear Friends, we enjoyed a different Sunday last week – the sun shone nearly all day! Bilbo and I pumped water at Leitches Creek before going to the Sunday Market for fruit, vegetables, honey & cabbage leaves. Breakfast was most enjoyable with Pasquale serenading us before everyone else arrived; Judi telling us about her trip to Caloundra to see her mother; Margot excited to be going to Coolangatta the next day for 5 weeks; Barbara keen to buy the latest Harry Potter book, and Janine relating her unexpected trip to Daylesford Hospital with a painful muscle spasm in her back. Bilbo was overfed bacon & eggs by Margot, who will miss her weekly ritual.

Pasquale in full operatic voice at 8.55am

When we arrived back home, I made a big pot of minestrone to get us through our busy week, and Wes did some Ancestry work before heading to the Daylesford Cinema to show the film, ‘Me Before You’. I joined about 20 others, who all enjoyed this funny, moving, moderately accurate portrayal of life for a wealthy young man who becomes a quadriplegic after an accident, and the effect he & his young female carer have on each other. It was well cast & acted and, apart from glossing over the more unpleasant day to day effects of quadriplegia, succeeded very well in giving us a glimpse into life in a wheelchair.

Afterwards we met at the Food Gallery for a quick cuppa and debrief. The café had closed for the day, but Pasquale assured us we wouldn’t be in the way if we had hot drinks in the centre of the room, where no one could see us! So we did.

We woke on Monday to light rain, so the boys went for their usual sodden walk around the Lake and arrived back just before the heavens opened. All thoughts of gardening were cancelled; Barry sent a message that he was too unwell to run gym classes, so I had an extra hour or so before meeting Judi for pots of Jasmine tea at Muffins & More.

We headed off to Jackie’s on Vincent for a long overdue lunch with our first Daylesford friends – Glenda, who sold us our house, and her husband, Joe, who introduced me to the Info Centre. We sat happily over a bottle of Passing Clouds pinot noir and Jackie’s yummy food for an hour and a half, hearing all about their recent trip to Canada, Alaska & Hawaii. When we arrived home, there was a message from Barbara that she couldn’t close her garage door, so Wes went straight over to solve the problem.

Latest crop of beanies & berets – coming to the end of Viva’s wool!

I washed both our cars on Tuesday morning, as they were so dirty after all the rain, and I needn’t have bothered as they look dirty again! Mike Hill’s funeral was held that day, so we set off via Trentham, where we collected Bob White, and joined 500-600 other mourners at the Coburg Town Hall. It was a wonderful celebration of Mike’s life and achievements, and I was very proud when one speaker quoted Warren’s tribute on Facebook as something that couldn’t be better expressed, and another speaker, friend, Elisabeth Jackson, chose to relate a story about early Council days, when Mike & Warren first met and the plans they hatched together. We saw quite a few familiar faces, including John & Jim Connor, Rocco Di Zio, Peter Russo, Alan Austin & his wife, Kelvin Templeton MP & others from Councils, VLGA etc. We were very pleased to find Mike’s partner, Lorna Pitt, as we were leaving, and gave her extra big hugs.

On the way home, we stopped at The Trentham Collective for a very late lunch & hot drink sitting in front of an open fire. Bob was very grateful for the lift there & back & shouted lunch, which was very generous of him. We came home exhausted after our big day and were in bed early.

It was raining again on Wednesday and quite cold in the wind. The boys walked early and I went to gym, after dropping off the latest crop of berets & beanies. Afterwards I had a fringe trim with Lyndal, before coming home to drink Jasmine tea and rub Deep Heat on a pulled muscle in my neck. I think I must have done it the day before, swivelling my head around to chat with Bob who was in the back of the car. Wes spent the morning at Barbara’s place helping out and filling bins.

We had a sleep in the next morning as we were both tired – Wes wasn’t feeling well & I was in some pain, so it was lovely not to have to get up early for a change. I headed off to EKO to have a facial & pedicure, and Wes opted for a quiet day inside, instead of doing all the chores that were on his list.

On Friday, it was icy cold with -1º, before the sun came out during the late morning & hung around for a while. Wes & Bilbo walked, and later I took Bilbo for another walk to the Post Office and around Lake Daylesford. I got out DA’s cryptic crossword, our passports arrived and we printed out updated information for Peter Russo, our solicitor, to drop in as we drove into Melbourne for the footy.

We had a very easy drive into town and were safely parked and queued up before the MCC gates opened. Once in, we put our bags down in our seats & repaired to the Hugh Trumble café for a drink and catch up with David Lazzaro, who was meeting his best friend, Matt, who lives in Tassie and gets over for one or two games each year. Sadly, the Pies weren’t up to the task of beating Richmond, but the game was close until the very end, so we remained entertained until the final siren.

How lovely to get home just on midnight to find Bilbo sound asleep on his bed, but he was very happy to move into our bedroom and zed away the rest of the night. Leigh & Simon & Charlotte flew into Melbourne early yesterday morning and it was lovely to speak with her.

In the afternoon, we went to watch Daylesford play Smythesdale at Victoria Park. As the Melbourne vs Hawthorn game was so exciting, we had the radio on listening to it while applauding the Doggies as they kicked lots of goals. Suddenly the radio died and we realised the battery was flat. At ¾ time, Wes used the jump leads to attach us to the next-door car and we drove home in time for him to get to the Daylesford Cinema to show the 5.30pm film. I did the ironing while watching the end of the Melbourne match, which was a famous victory for the Club.

Bilbo facing the wrong way to watch the local footy

This morning when Wes and Bilbo went walking the battery was flat again, so Wes jump started the car and drove it for about 40 minutes in the hope that it will get Bilbo and I to the Sunday Market. After that, we are driving to Melbourne (in the other car) to catch up for brunch at the Square & Compass with Leigh, Simon & Charlotte, before walking to the MCG to see Carlton play St Kilda. Leigh is a Carlton film, and her big request months ago, when she was planning this trip, was to see the Blues play.

After the game we will drop them at their Airbnb apartment in Robe Street, St Kilda, (where they are meeting my brother, Terry & his wife, Mary, for dinner), before driving back here.

On Tuesday, after visiting Leanne, the Murrin family will come to Daylesford and spend two nights at Lake Daylesford Cottage, just across the Lake from us. We are looking forward to showing Simon & Charlotte where we live, and reacquainting Leigh with one of her favourite places that she has already visited twice before.

Lovely photo of David & Jane Knox after Jane was released from hospital, where the doctors found a heart irregularity that can be handled by the taking of tablets – great news!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 31st July 2016

Dear Friends, once again, we had a fun breakfast, especially with the addition of Gillie, who popped in for a coffee and catch up. Bilbo was given far too much to eat as usual and slept away the rest of the day until dinnertime, when he woke on cue for a smallish repast.

You can see how cold it still was at 9am outside the Food Gallery

Wes drove off to Bacchus Marsh to listen to more poetry readings from Amit and others. Penny didn’t get there, but there were quite a few other readers and Wes got to read some poems himself. On his way home, he stopped at Tylden Cemetery, where he found a Munro baby (Viva’s side of the family); a Maloney family, and lots of Macaulays, relatives of friend, John Macaulay, who was interested in what Warren posted on Facebook.

On Monday, after gym, I enjoyed a lovely long catch up with friend, Di Lyttleton, at the Food Gallery. It was foggy and wet, so she was happy to forgo walking her dogs for the warmth of the café. When I arrived home, Wes told me the sad news that our dear friend of many years, Mike Hill, was at home in palliative care, as he was no longer able to go anywhere safely.

Sadly, Mike died of lymphoma on Tuesday, and leaves behind his partner, Lorna Pitt, as well as a great legacy to Brunswick through his work establishing Westwyck, and as a Councillor and first Mayor of the City of Moreland. He loved reading my Dispatches and often followed up on things like changing passwords or correcting any ambivalent statements I made. His last outing that I know of was to the footy on Queen’s Birthday, where he was delighted to see his Demons beat Collingwood. I didn’t begrudge him his excitement for a second.

I watched the film, Downriver, with Wes at the Daylesford Cinema on Tuesday morning and what a bleak film it was. There was barely a character to like in it, just some very fine acting and a very tragic story. This is an Australian film, a mystery drama, beautifully shot in Warrandyte. Afterwards, Wes went to visit his sister, Denise, bearing lunch, to celebrate her birthday; while I had lunch at Jackie’s on Vincent with Gillie Gough & Michael Ivanchenko. The other two shared some yummy, but meaty dumplings and I tucked into the Shanghai pepper squid with extra chilli sauce. We had a lovely time chatting about all sorts of topics and were toasty warm under the heater and near the open fire.

Stunning glimpse of Lake Daylesford early on Tuesday morning courtesy of Beck Walker

There was no Mah Jong and no Sandra on Wednesday, so after gym I came home and rested before we headed off into Melbourne to visit the Old Melbourne Gaol and attend a private viewing of  ‘Degas: A New Vision’  courtesy of our financial advisors, First Samuel, at the National Gallery of Victoria. We parked near the Malthouse Theatre and caught the tram along St Kilda Road into town. Our visit to the Gaol was superb. We are National Trust members, so it was free. We were welcomed very warmly and our options explained clearly by Fiona, who gave no impression that she was saying it for the umpteenth time that day. Inside a group of schoolgirls were being taken on a noisy guided tour, but we were able to wander in and out of the cells on all three floors without hindrance. The Gaol focuses on many things, but Ned Kelly’s hanging is the most historic event to have occurred here and there is a lot of information to digest. Wes has a forebear, Edward Adams, who was at the death at Ned’s request and he is shown in the picture taken just before Ned was hanged. The man who murdered Warren’s ancestor, Frank Cartwright, was imprisoned here and we found his cell as well.

Before we left, we visited a small room, which commemorated the 30^th Anniversary of the Russell Street bombings, which were meant to destroy the police complex, which was across the road from the Gaol. Sadly, they killed Angela Taylor, a young police officer, who was walking across the road to get lunch for her mates. The complex was damaged but not destroyed and there were very few injuries.

We caught the tram back to the NGV and found our way to the private viewing, where we were plied with excellent and plentiful food & drink by very friendly, experienced staff before we were given an overview of the Degas Exhibition, and then a tour accompanied by two volunteer guides. I was underwhelmed by this huge display – I found his paintings of women showed little or no empathy with the exception of what I think is his best work by far – The Absinthe Drinker (pictured). There were a couple of other paintings I liked, mostly horses, which he seemed to prefer to women! The highlight of the evening was catching up with dear friends, Tom Tyrrell & Deb Fowler.

We were quite tired by the time we arrived back home, well past our bedtime, only to discover that I had forgotten to close the door into the laundry, and Wes had forgotten to close the door into the bedroom, with the result that Bilbo had spent the time we were away lying on our bed in supreme comfort – when he wasn’t gnawing at the giant bone we had left to keep him occupied!!!!!

On Thursday, Wes had an early appointment here before driving to Strathmore to help Leanne with her computer. I did the supermarket shopping, so he could take some stuff with him and then had a very quiet day recovering from the excitement of the day before. Bilbo and I were in bed by the time Wes arrived back at 9pm and we decided to have a sleep-in on Friday morning, which was a good decision, as Friday remained wet & foggy all day.

Another of our Daylesford friends, Russ Wilkinson, has been very unwell and in hospital in Melbourne. We knew Russ back in Brunswick days when he was a member of the East Brunswick Progress Association, run by Vic & Vi Little. Russ has taught Daylesford & surrounds how to play Mah Jong and looks after the weekly group, the longest-running U3A class, which has been going since our inception.

Jane Knox’s father, Frank, had a fall in the shower on Sunday, and has been in hospital ever since. Jane & David has just arrived at the snowfields, when they got the news, so drove back home on Monday to be by Frank’s side. It is such a worrying time for us as parents reach their nineties and frailty sets in – we are very lucky if they don’t suffer mental issues as well. On Friday, Jane herself, ended up in hospital, and will have an angiogram tomorrow to find out why she hasn’t been feeling quite right.

Yesterday we woke yet again to fog and constant rain – 10-20mls per day on average. Wes and Bilbo walked early in it, then came home & dried off before Wes went off to attend a Council briefing for the new suggested home of the Hepburn Hub. Council has suddenly realised that we have a nearly empty building in the main street that could solve most of its space problems, and cost heaps less to alter than the plans they have been foisting on an unhappy Shire. They are choosing to ignore the fact that many ratepayers, us among them, suggested the Rex Theatre ages ago and were ignored.

Wes arrived home very pleased with the hearing he and others had received and hopeful that sanity would prevail in every respect. We had fish & chips for lunch in celebration and sat down in front of the open fire for an afternoon & evening of footy. Sadly, the Blues were unable to beat ladder leaders, the Hawks, but they tried hard to stay in the contest.

We were thrilled when Collingwood was able to come back in the last quarter after being headed to beat West Coast, and then settled down to watch an even contest between North Melbourne & St Kilda, where North were determined to celebrate Boomer Harvey’s record-breaking 427^th game with a win, and did.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 24th July, 2016

Dear Friends, we started our week very well with a good trip to the Sunday Market, a fun breakfast, where Bilbo got more than his share of bacon & eggs on toast, and arrived back home for me to make a big pot of minestrone soup, and Wes to spend some time in the garden.

You can just see Bilbo in his Collingwood coat sitting outside the window waiting for Barbara, Margot, Judi & Janine to arrive and say hello.

After a cold morning, the sun came out in the afternoon in time for us to attend our first ever ‘Commitment Ceremony’ between old friend, Chris Dobson, and new friend, Suzanne Brimacomb. There were nearly 100 invited guests and we were very adequately contained within a marquee extension of the garage and kitchen. Everyone we have spoken with agrees it was a loving and meaningful ceremony, and we can all only hope that they can be married within the next 12 months.

We arrived home to find ourselves quite exhausted after all our socialising from Friday to Sunday, and were in bed and sound asleep very early.

I went to gym the next morning and then enjoyed a very welcome massage from Nick Massaro, who was not long back from a lovely holiday in Rockhampton with his wife, Robyn. Wes made his famous fish pie for lunch and we watched episode 2 of the BBC’s Undercover, which we are really enjoying.

Wes spent 2.5 hours later in the day helping Margot with her computer, which desperately needed updates and was very pleased to come home to tea and toast.

It wasn’t cold on Tuesday, but very foggy – Wes & Bilbo walked early and I delivered my latest crop of beanies & berets to Mell Sappho, who runs Keeping Daylesford Warm. She is always very appreciative, which keeps me going!  

   

Berets & beanies are at the top of the page      

Wes, Lauren & Malcolm, AKA the A Team, were showing ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’ but I needed to go to Ballarat more than I needed to see that film, so off I went in the fog to pick up a few things that I just can’t get in Daylesford, as well as visit the NAB ATM to change card pin numbers & get out cash. The film was well received and the Daylesford Cinema decided to have an encore performance on Wednesday night as it was so popular.

In the afternoon, we had an appointment at our local Post Office, to apply formally for our new passports. It took about 10 minutes, including photos, and we found it a very easy and relaxing way to renew passports. We aren’t planning on travelling anywhere this year, but we both felt it would be a shame if the opportunity arose and we were unable to take it.

On Wednesday after gym, Wes and I headed to Muffins & More for a catch-up with Dot & John Smith & Valerie Lefel, as Dot & John are off to Coff’s Harbour for 5-6 weeks on the weekend. We had originally planned lunch, but John had double-booked, so Wes came in early for coffee and a chat.

John, wearing the Fair Isle jumper I knitted him, deep in conversation with Wes.

In the afternoon, I took Bilbo for a walk around the Gardens, while Wes took Barbara to do a big shop at Coles and to fill her car up with petrol. They had planned to do this in the morning, but Barbara very kindly agreed to the change of time so Wes could get to the café.

On Thursday, we headed off to Castlemaine on one of our regular outings exploring areas around where we live. We started at the Old Castlemaine Gaol, with a cuppa at the Governor’s Café, which was quite underwhelming as you can see from the look on Warren’s face! After that, we headed on our self-guided tour (you can go anywhere but upstairs!) and were even more underwhelmed, if that is possible. What a disaster this is and it could be such a wonderful and interesting place for locals & visitors in Castlemaine. Signage was appalling, finding out where to buy a ticket was difficult and we, along with other visitors, hadn’t worked out that the initials OCG meant Old Castlemaine Gaol and thought they referred to some Government Department that must have been using the many out of bounds areas.

Our next stop was the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens, where we did a circuit and encountered a few locals walking dogs, some mothers & kids in the excellent playground, and a few signs telling us about the fountain, lake, trees & old tearooms. We eventually spotted two workers inspecting new growth, but didn’t come away feeling that this was a particularly loved spot, bounded as it is by the railway line and streets.

We decided to visit Das Kaffeehaus for lunch, as we had planned to do some months ago, when we were going to meet Lovely & Malcolm in Castlemaine, but I was too sick to go. What a delightful spot – we loved the Viennese style of the décor, enjoyed the smiling, helpful greeting & service and best of all, found interesting meals that we tucked into! This place has that very rare person these days – a maître d’ and ours was a very attentive well-dressed female who seemed to have eyes in the back of her head, making sure no one was neglected.

 My meal was a special called serviettenknödel (friend bread dumplings with scrambled eggs & salad), while Wes asked for the best sausage on the menu, which came served with two kinds of sauerkraut & three mustards

After lunch, we headed for the Castlemaine Art Gallery, which is always worth a visit. Sadly, two couples were using the Australian artists’ room as a venue for catching up, so we exited quickly and found ourselves in the very back room, where there was a fascinating display entitled Beards & Influence. Clayton Tremlett has 12 large self-portraits of himself as various Australian bushrangers and it was amazing how different beards & facial hair make him look immediately identifiable as Ned Kelly or Martin Cash for example.

Down in the refurbished museum, we learnt much about Castlemaine’s history and early persons of note & influence, including Nellie Sheehan, who was their first female Councillor in 1942 & Mayor in 1954-5. We also read that the Campbell’s Creek cemetery had a Chinese Burial Oven and decided to visit it on our way home.

What a wonderful cemetery – we loved it – it is easily the biggest country one we have ever seen and gives the Chinese a prominent spot on a hill, where there is a marble plaque celebrating their achievements, particularly on the goldfields. The oven is bigger than the one at Maldon, but not in such good repair. However, we are not suggesting for a minute that this cemetery isn’t well looked after. It is immaculate, beautifully set out and on our drive through, we discovered that old headstones, those had fallen over, had been replaced carefully along the path, supported by the base of the hill.

We drove home thinking that our day had been a big success, except for the Gaol, which is desperately in need of TLC. Bilbo was delighted with our return and the countdown to his dinnertime.

During that night & early morning, there was a wild storm, which brought rain everywhere, so that even cars under cover were completely covered in water. It was too wet & wild to walk, or even to garden later, but I did go and pump water, plus do the shopping at Coles in between showers.

In the afternoon, I drove to Danny’s place in Northcote, so we could go to the footy together that night. We met Danny’s friend, Nu, who is a North supporter, and had a couple of drinks before going to our seats in the Docklands Stadium. Danny & Nu were seated on Level 1, behind the goals, but I was on the second tier, in an area available to MCC Members, which was a very good view. Sadly, the Pies didn’t bring their best footy to the Docklands, and we Collingwood supporters were most disappointed, after having gone to the game with some hope of a win.

Yesterday morning, Danny & I had breakfast at Square & Compass in East Melbourne, before heading our separate ways. Danny had a busy day visiting his daughter, Greta, and family; having an early dinner with a friend, and then driving to Bentleigh to a Trivia Night to support his son-in-law, Cory, who is married to Celia. I drove to Strathmore to spend the morning with Leanne and later drove back here through pouring rain, in time to watch Carlton just fail to topple the Swans at the SCG.

Wes had been to a poetry reading on Friday night, to support Penny Reilly, who was reading some of her poems in company with Amit Dahiyabadshah, an Indian Poet Laureate. He was most impressed and is planning to spend time with Amit & Penny again today, while I recover from my travels and disappointment!

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 17th July 2016

Dear Friends, it has been a busy few days since I returned from Sydney. While I was away, Wes visited Leanne, had a haircut, cooked Glenn Mack & Barbara Simpson a meat meal, ate lots of bacon which he shared with Bilbo, washed, ironed, made meals, washed up, gardened, watched footy, read and slept! I arrived back with only my own washing to worry about and with everywhere looking neat, tidy and clean.

I didn’t go to see the Tuesday film, but had a haircut and manicure instead. It was particularly cold & windy with snow promised later in the day. Apart from a flurry around 1.30pm, we went to bed without any sign of snow, but wakened the next morning to discover we were covered in the stuff.

Greenhouse, fountain & backyard views

Front yard, street & decking views

Everyone was very excited and FB was full of photos of white fields, snowmen, cars, trees and even cows covered in snow. Bilbo didn’t venture out at all – very happy to stay warm inside. I headed off to Mah Jong, where we were seated at a new table under the heater, which was wonderful until it turned itself off!

Table set for Mah Jong with Tommy in the background having his breakfast & catching up on the news

Wes went over to see what he could do for Barbara, but the weather prevented him from doing any outside chores and once the district nurse arrived, he was banished back home to computer work.

It was dry but very misty on Thursday and the boys walked early before the mist came right down and made it impossible to see beyond our back fence. The rosellas & magpies were glad to see me back, especially when I strewed birdseed on the lawns and on Fawlty Towers for them.

I had lunch with Rhonda Lubin at Cliffy’s, where we enjoyed a lovely thick soup and caught up on our respective travels. Cliffy’s was busy with everyone getting out of the cold. Later Wes visited Janine Hawker to help her with computer issues, which gave me no excuse not to cook special fried rice for dinner, which I did!

Bilbo & I had hoped to walk on Friday, but it was foggy, wet and cold, so we decided to give it a miss, as the weather in Trentham would have been worse. After shopping at Coles, where Mari & Wendy had missed me the previous Friday, I met Judi at the Food Gallery where we enjoyed some jasmine tea and toast and updated each other on our news.

Later that afternoon, we met friends, David & Penny Reilly at the Daylesford Hotel for drinks and a discussion on her upcoming poetry reading session with the current Indian poet laureate.

Yesterday we finally had sunshine and warmth – we had arranged to meet Gail & Terry White for lunch at Boathouse Daylesford and what an inspired spot it was. We enjoyed a yummy meal, lovely wine and some strenuous debates with Gail, who likes to instigate debates, especially when she thinks we won’t agree with her point of view!

The Pies were very disappointing at the Adelaide Oval last night against the Crows. Glad I wasn’t there! Shortly I will be off to the Sunday Market – Bilbo can’t wait…and breakfast at the Food Gallery to follow.

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Tuesday, 12th July 2016

Dear Friends, I forgot to tell you last Sunday that I would be heading to Sydney during the week with Danny Millman, and that there would be no Sunday Dispatch. You are getting a Tuesday Trumpet instead.

Although it was cold on Monday, it wasn’t wet, so Wes mowed the upper lawns and planted a Gallipoli Centenary Floribunda Rose (made in Germany) that I had bought from Ken Rae at the Sunday Market. I planted all the little seedlings I had bought to replace the massacred geraniums and the dog decking is looking a little better for some colour.

I also bought Bilbo a warm rug which he absolutely loves and demands be put on him as it gets cooler in the afternoon.

Wes took Barbara to lunch at the Farmers Arms Hotel to celebrate her birthday – her choice of venue, and they enjoyed their time out.

On Tuesday, I joined 16 others to see the film ‘Florence Foster Jenkins’, which I enjoyed very much, although I am still torn between reality and the deception. I haven’t decided yet which is better, but obviously, the deception was kinder as far as the story went. Wes and I met for a quick lunch afterwards at The Food Gallery, and then he visited his sister, Denise, who had rung needing help with her computer, while I went home to play with my new phone, which had been delivered that morning.

It was wild & wet on Wednesday, so there were no walks and only 4 of us turned up to gym. We devoted the morning to changing our Telstra passwords – always fun, as there are so many places you have to remember to do it, finishing off with the mobile phones. Wes visited Barbara, but couldn’t do much practical stuff because of the weather.

The afternoon was spent doing more passwords, as well as packing. It will be good to have a break from all this computer work – I am doing more than I usually do, while I work my way methodically through our e-wallet. Sandra came to clean, Mah Jong was cancelled because Valerie had to go to Bendigo, which suited Dot & me as it was so wet and unpleasant outside.

We were up early on Thursday, and off to the airport in Brigadoon conditions, which really only lifted around Keilor. Danny arrived just before us, so we settled into the Qantas Club and waited until our delayed flight finally boarded. Once on board, we discovered that only one runway was in use, so we had a further 40 minutes wait before we hit the skies. We arrived an hour late to driving rain in Sydney and caught the train direct to Town Hall Station, which was 1.5 blocks from our hotel, Metro on Pitt.

We checked into our hotel and contacted Jane Knox, who came into town to meet us and chat for an hour over a hot drink. Danny & I were hungry as we had missed lunch, so we headed to one of his favourite places, Fat Buddha, at the top of the Queen Victoria Building and enjoyed a couple of hours leisurely meal of chilli prawns & steamed fish.

The next morning we headed out for tea & toast at Kikko, one of my favourite spots in Sydney, which is also in the Queen Victoria Building, before enjoying a mostly dry walk around Darling Harbour, Chinatown, Paddy’s Market etc. We ended up in the mall, where I bought a new pair of pants from Kathmandu.

Kikko café

Back to Chinatown for yum cha lunch with Peter, a 79-year old friend of Danny’s, who had caught the train in to meet us. We enjoyed a very yummy lunch at Judi & Michael’s favourite yum cha spot. Afterwards, we had thought we would watch a film, but it was school holidays and not much on offer, so we elected to go back to our hotel for a rest instead.

 Danny & Peter at East Ocean

Later, we caught the train to Circular Quay, after panicking when we read that there were no paper tickets available any more – fortunately we spotted the fine print, which said ‘ after 1^st August’. At the Quay, we caught a ferry to Neutral Bay, where Jane picked us up and took us back to their home for dinner and a night of watching the Swans play Geelong at Kardinia Park. We had a wonderful night – beautiful meal, lovely wine, and a good win for the Swans. Jane very kindly drove us back to our hotel afterwards.

On Saturday morning, we decided to have breakfast in the park, so walked through the Domain to find The Pavilion was open for business. We walked through the door, past the open sign and were promptly advised that they weren’t open until 9am. I asked politely if we could sit until then, which we did and on the dot on 9am we were given our menus. If the view wasn’t so lovely, we would have walked straight out. Breakfast was fine and we continued our walk afterwards, all the way to the Opera House and back to our hotel via George Street. Jane & David picked us up and we drove to Homebush, in plenty of time for the match.

Danny, David & Jane at the Showgrounds Stadium

Apart from the incessant noise from the ground announcer, which made chatting impossible, we enjoyed our time there, especially after the first quarter, when the Pies suddenly decided to play and kicked 9 goals to 2 to take the lead. Jane, Danny & I were sitting together upstairs, and the rest of our party – David, Terry, Tim & Marjory were all on the bottom level. It was a very exciting game and a thrilling win, especially with Travis Cloke playing his best game in ages.

Afterwards we dropped Danny at Leichhardt to catch the light rail back to our hotel, where he was meeting his friend Min. The rest of us made our way to the North Annandale pub and later down the street to the Vinery Restaurant.

Marjory, Time & Jane perusing the menus

Jane & David dropped me back at the hotel afterwards, where sadly I seemed to have a bout of food poisoning and spent a most uncomfortable night, finally falling asleep at 5am.

I missed out on Sunday’s activities, which included a walk around a new development called Barangaroo and very yummy dumplings for lunch. I spent the day in bed, and around 1pm risked tea & biscuits, which fortunately stayed down. Our lovely hotel rooms included packets of biscuits, a clock radio, quiet & efficient air-conditioning and a wonderful walk in shower. The staff didn’t disturb me until early afternoon, when they rang to see if I was all right.

Yesterday, David picked us up at our hotel and very kindly drove us to the airport in plenty of time for our flight home. We sat in the Qantas Club and had fruit salad, which was just right for my sore tummy. Wes was at the airport to greet me and we had a lovely trip home, where Bilbo seemed pleased to have me back. I had a mug of soup before going to bed and am feeling much better this morning.