Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 21st May 2017

 

Dear Friends, this is a longer than usual missive as I’ve just returned from a lovely trip to Sydney with Danny Millman. When I left you on Sunday, 7^th May, we were about to head off to breakfast, where we were entertained by Janine’s stories of her trip to Hanoi with her son, Paul; by Judi’s précis of her week away with Michael at the Mornington Peninsula; by Barbara’s tale of a sleep specialist who asked, among other inappropriate questions, whether any of the group of paraplegics & quadriplegics in front of him, had ever woken up ‘feeling paralysed’? His Master’s student was no better when she asked them all to participate in a quiz called ‘Last Man Standing’ & invited them all to stand.

Wes & I headed off to Clunes for the 11^th Annual Book Town & had a wonderful time looking for treasures amongst all the books for sale. We came home with eleven, which cost us $28 in all – bargains every one. Each year this Festival gets better & better & we were most impressed with the organisation, as well as the numbers of residents having garage sales. Every shop we passed had books, even the IGA supermarket!

We came home via Allendale, which is such a beautiful hidden village of our Shire & admired the horses, the wells, the unmade main street & thought about the very different lives being lived in this place. As we were close to Kingston we drove along its magnificent 3 km Avenue of Honour, which comprises 285 trees, mostly Dutch Elm. At the time of the 1^st World War, Kingston was the administrative centre of the Shire of Creswick, which is why the Avenue was planted there & not in the much larger town of Creswick itself.

  

Bilbo Baggins with most of his toys within easy reach!

I had decided to miss the Tuesday morning film & filled the time with appointments instead – fringe trim, manicure & pedicure. I finished off with a lovely catch up with Judi over a carafe of Jasmine tea at her place. The afternoon was spent sewing up more men-sized beanies & a girl’s jumper & matching beanie. Jodie, who now runs Keeping Daylesford Warm had sent out an SOS, so I responded & she was thrilled to have a few more items for her first distribution, which was last Thursday.

Danny & I had a wonderful trip to Sydney. We had the serendipitous start of pulling up outside Qantas at the same time. Everything went smoothly & after checking into our hotel, we walked to Myer to get Danny some new casual shoes & me a new cosmetic bag. We were highly successful & ended up with afternoon tea in ‘Victoria Sydney’ on the 3^rd floor of Myer – chandeliers, patterned wallpaper & tall casement windows! Dinner that night was at Neutral Bay with Jane & David & their good friends, Stephanie & Aescel Bush.

Friday morning, we were determined to visit the crypt at St Mary’s Cathedral, so after tea & toast at ‘Kikko Café’ in the Queen Victoria Building, we set off across Hyde Park. Of course, there was a Mass for schoolchildren, which went on for 90 minutes, so we ended up doing a circuit of the Cathedral & then finding a patisserie in Woolloomooloo where we had hot drinks and admired the amazing array of goodies at ‘Flour & Stone’.

It was worth the wait – the crypt is magnificent & quite unlike any I have ever visited before. The terrazzo inlay marble floor is dominated by a huge Celtic Cross, which is adorned by celebrations of the 6 days of creation & the 18 names for Mary, the Mother of God. As well there is a small exhibition detailing the history of the early Australian Catholics & the first church on this site, which was destroyed by fire.

We walked back to Chinatown to meet David & Jane at ‘Marigold’s’ for yum cha lunch. After that, we caught the ferry to Manly & visited the surf beach, as well as spotting the International College of Management, where our nephew, Rohan Fell, is studying. We looked for him on the surf beach, but were out of luck! Danny had dinner that night with his friend, Peter, after we two had demolished most of a bottle of shiraz in my room!

I walked around Hyde Park early on Saturday morning before Danny & I went back to ‘Kikko Cafe’ for a healthy breakfast. Afterwards we headed for The Rocks & explored some of the oldest parts of Sydney, including the Garrison Church & Observatory area.

David & Jane picked us up back at our hotel & we headed to the Sydney Rowing Club for a lovely lunch with Terry, Tim & Marj before the footy. Lunch was Greek style food and I enjoyed a piece of barramundi to die for.

We arrived at the Sydney Showgrounds in good time & found we had excellent seats on the wing, three rows from the front, which meant we were very close to the play. The game was fast & furious & the lead changed 16 times over the 4 quarters. GWS grabbed the lead with less than a minute to go & were delighted to finally beat Collingwood.

Here we all are L-R Terry, Marj, Tim, Jane, David, Danny & Karen

We were dropped back at our hotel, Metro, in Pitt Street, and Danny headed off to dinner with his friend, Min, while I walked to the nearest convenience store & bought an egg & lettuce sandwich which I ate, which watching the footy on TV.

While Danny had a sleep in on Sunday morning, I walked to Circular Quay, the Opera House, Mrs Macquarie’s Chair & back through the Botanic Gardens, trying to avoid the Mothers’ Day Fun Run (missed the runners, but turned a corner & found the walkers)! Danny & I met at 11 for brunch at ‘Kikko Café’ yet again & were picked up by David Knox a couple of hours later & taken to the North Sydney League’s Club in Cammeray.

 Brunch at Kikko Café

Jane had bought tickets for 5 of us to see the Mothers’ Day concert starring the Australian Tenors & Marina Prior. The fifth was her 97-year old father, Frank, but he was too unwell to come, so Jane’s friend, Merrilyn, joined us instead. The concert was fantastic – loved the 5 tenors & particularly their rendition of the Seekers’ song ‘We Are Australian’, which would make a much better National Anthem than our current dirge, ‘Advance Australia Fair’, which makes me cringe with embarrassment each time I hear it. Marina was very accomplished & sang a wide variety of songs before inviting the tenors to join her in some operatic pieces.

Danny was off to dinner with his friend, Reece, and partner, so I took myself to Chinatown & walked upstairs to enjoy a meal at Red Chilli Sichuan, which prides itself on its authentic décor & food. Here is my steamed clams with unusual vegetables.

The next morning I was up early for a final walk around Hyde Park before Danny & I headed to ‘Kikko Cafe’ for breakfast on our last morning. We checked out & headed to the airport by train (so embarrassing that we don’t offer this easy form of transport in Melbourne) and all went well until we boarded our plane & discovered that not only was it full, but nearly everyone had brought their suitcases on board & the plane didn’t have enough room for them all. A chap near us opened the overhead locker that holds the pillows & blankets & tossed them out to everyone around him to stow under the seats in front. This took care of 3 of the cases & the remainder were taken to the front of the plane to be checked in. When we landed in Melbourne the crew had arranged for us to disembark at the back of the plane as well as the front, as many of those of board were seated quite a few aisles away from their bags. 

By the time, we had disembarked down the stairs & visited the toilets, my bag was at the carousel, so we headed out to the 1 minute pick up area, where Wes was patiently waiting for us. It was lovely to see him & he very kindly drove Danny home to save him a trip on the Airport bus into town & back out again to Northcote by train.

Since arriving home, I have gone back to early morning walks with Wes & Bilbo most mornings & am enjoying them very much. While we were in Sydney, I found it easy to walk 10,000+ steps & I find this exercise very beneficial, so have been trying to keep it since my return.

While I was away Wes spent his time helping Barbara, visiting Smokeytown with Brian Nash, watching footy & keeping Bilbo walked, fed & happy. Since my return, he has spent an afternoon with Glenn Mack; a day in Ballarat with Barbara while her roof rack & wheelchair apparatus were re-attached to her car; finally spent most of a day in our garden mowing & watering, and on Friday he had a most enjoyable time in Melbourne playing golf & having lunch with Danny Millman, Robert Preston & Tom Tyrrell.

I have been lucky enough to see three wonderful films this week. The first, ‘Denial’, I saw with Wes at the 10am Tuesday session here in Daylesford. It was most powerful, with superb acting performances by Timothy Spall as the dangerous David Irving, & Tom Wilkinson as the defence barrister. I was so proud to be an Australian when we banned David Irving from entering this country again in 1993.

The other two were part of a day at the Kino in Melbourne with Judi Allen. We caught the train at Woodend & saw ‘Things to Come’ that showed us a slice of life of a philosophy teacher in Paris. She is passionate about her work & enjoys passing on the pleasure of thinking to the next generation. This film is beautiful, poignant & intensely personal. After lunch in the food court, we went back & saw the stunning new Australian film “Don’t Tell’, which is the true story of a young girl who fights back in the court after suffering sexual abuse at a prestigious private Anglican school in Toowoomba. Jack Thompson is excellent as the barrister & the rest of the cast makes the horror of this experience come alive. The case changed Australian child protection laws & led to the resignation of the Governor-General, Dr Peter Hollingworth.

Yesterday Wes & Brian visited Lawrence, Ullina & Kooroocheang once the fog lifted & they could see the wonders of these small villages. And last night Collingwood played their worst first half of footy in 20 years & followed it up by a stunning second half to finally beat Hawthorn, our bête noir of the past 30 years. Fingers crossed that Carlton can run over Freo over there later today. And at 1.10pm this afternoon at the Docklands, history will be made when Eleni Glouftsis officiates as a central umpire in an official AFL match – can’t wait to see her walk out – hopefully to warm applause. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 7th May 2017

Dear Friends, you will be pleased to know that my wrist is much improved, although I still can’t really lift much with it. However, I have been able to get back into many of the things I enjoy doing, and, as those of you who commiserated with me agreed, it could have been so much worse.

We watched the footy last Sunday, sorry we weren’t there but knowing we had made the right decision. It was great to see the Pies have their second win for the season. Wes had spent the morning picking grapes at Sailors Falls Estate and had expected to have to return there on Monday morning. However, the team of 20 volunteers got it all done, and Wes came home in time for lunch, which I had made in his absence. I was feeling guilty that he had so much on his plate & I had so little….the result was a big pot of minestrone (cutting up carrots was the hardest) and a fruit cake fresh from the oven.

I had been due to go to Melbourne to spend time with my sister, Leanne, and had to cancel as I couldn’t drive, let alone drive that far. So I was thrilled to hear from her that my brother, Peter, & his wife, Anka, were in Melbourne briefly and paid her two visits.

Although I had advised the Jury Service that I would be in Sydney next week, I was called up for jury service starting on Thursday. I went online and pointed out again that I had sent a copy of my flights to them, & was rung immediately to say my service could be deferred until August. This suited me very well as I wasn’t looking forward to the 45 minute drive to Ballarat with my sore paw. Wes had offered to get me there, but he also had to drive Barbara there as well & it was going to be impossible for him to do both.

I am hopeful that by the time Danny & I board our Qantas flights next Thursday, my wrist will be much better & I will be less inconvenienced than I am at present. We are staying in Sydney until Monday morning, so don’t expect a Sunday Dispatch. The footy is on Saturday afternoon at the Showgrounds against Greater Western Sydney. Jane & David Knox are also going, as is Terry McDonald & his ex-in-laws, Tim & Marj. Jane has booked us into a Mother’s Day concert at Norths Leagues Club to see Marina Pryor with the Three Tenors.

I have been walking to the Post Office to check our box for mail each morning, as it is too cold early to join Wes & Bilbo. The exercise is good & I often meet friends, such as Annie & Maisie, along the way.

On Wednesday morning, we experienced our first real frost of the season – the rubbish bin lids were frozen shut and Wes saw some black ice when he took Bilbo for an early morning stroll around Victoria Park.

Happy photo from ANZAC Day – Pam Hicks, Kate Redwood, Ken Rae & Karen Maloney at Eganstown before the ceremony.

This week’s film was an Australian one – ‘Jasper Jones’ & everyone in the small audience enjoyed it, except for Wes, who was disappointed in the acting (except for Hugo Weaving) & the direction. It was set in a WA country town in 1969, where a young woman has gone missing. Toni Collette was excellent as the unhappy mother of the main character, her teenaged son Charlie.

Afterwards we repaired to the Food Gallery for hot drinks & a catch up with Jenny & Eddie Beacham & Jeanette Oakes. We talked for so long that we ended up having lunch there – yummy lentil soup for me & a croissant for Wes.

 A recent beautiful sunset – from our decking

We had been keen to get to Macedon to see their trees, which are stunning in Autumn and on Wednesday, after spending the morning in Barbara’s garden, Wes offered to drive Bilbo & me. We had missed the very best of the colours, but it was still very beautiful & we drove to Mount Macedon, up to the top & walked to the cross to enjoy the panoramic views available there. We had hoped to stop for a hot drink on our way home, but Macedon & Woodend were closed & we knew Trentham would have been as well. In fact, you are very lucky to find many coffee shops open after 3.30pm anywhere in the country as parents & grand-parents are busy picking up kids from school, kindergarten & day-care.

Wes & Bilbo at the base of the Cross, with all the ANZAC Day wreaths.

While Wes & Barbara were in Ballarat, I spent the morning doing one-armed gardening, which was an interesting challenge. I pulled out all the tomato plants, dug over the soil, put down wet newspapers & covered them with a fresh layer of soil & some gum chips. I also declared a finish to our purple beans & planted Brussel sprouts, silver beet & parsley in the free pots on the decking. After lunch, I turned the tomatoes into pasta sauce and sat down with a pot of tea to relax as I was quite exhausted after all that activity!

Wes finally got into our own garden on Friday & mowed the lawns to his heart’s content. Everywhere looks so much better & the birds can spot their seed from the air. We have started putting out a few strips of meat to entice the kookaburras to return, but so far, the magpies are snatching it up.

Yesterday we had been invited to Kyahl & Loz’s afternoon engagement party at Edinburgh Gardens, Brunswick Street, North Fitzroy, which meant that the footy was out. Collingwood was celebrating its 125^th Anniversary by playing Carlton at the MCG & a crowd of 70,000+ turned up, even though both teams are towards the bottom of the ladder. Sadly, for the Collingwood supporters, Carlton led from the first score & were never headed, running out easy winners by 4 goals. We heard the last quarter on the radio as we were driving back home. Wes was delighted that the Blues won, but sorry for me that the Pies were so insipid.

The engagement party was a very happy affair. Between them, Kyahl & Loz have 8 parents & the date was chosen as it was the only one that suited them all, especially Loz’s father, who flew over from Perth. We enjoyed catching up with Warren’s nephew, John Anderson, who is Kyahl’s father, and seeing his mother, Robyn, after an absence of many years. We spent most of our time with John & Dannielle & their 4 children – Malachi, Kalarni, Dublin & Irish. John’s father, John Anderson, was there with his wife, Maureen. As well we met the rest of Kyahl’s family including Lachlan & Kasen, who were young children when we last saw them. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 30th April 2017

Dear Friends, we enjoyed a lovely long lunch with Kyahl & Loz last Sunday, after a fun breakfast at the Food Gallery with Judi, Barbara, Janine & Margot.

Wes had excelled himself with a vegetarian pasta, salad, sweets & cheeses – I set the table & arranged the flowers – a trick I learned from Annie Smith many years ago, when David used to do the cooking & wanted her out of the kitchen!! They brought a beautiful bottle of French pinot with them, which they picked up at ‘Wine & the Country’ here.

On Monday morning, after walking Bilbo around the Lake a little later than usual, I stopped at our Post Office to pick up a parcel & discovered two bags of wool from friends of Kathy Lazzaro. Kathy had told them about ‘Keeping Daylesford Warm’ and how donations of wool were much appreciated, so they pooled their unwanted balls & sent them to me. I was very chuffed indeed.

Stunning lilies from Annie Smith – now into their 3^rd week!

ANZAC Day dawned cold & wet, so we decided to miss the Dawn Service and observe the ceremony at Eganstown instead. It was beautiful, as always, with the highlight of Sallie Harvey singing unaccompanied ‘And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda’.

Afterward we went for breakfast at Boathouse Café where we were looked after well by Susanne & Claire as usual. Wes very kindly drove me to Woodend, where I caught the train to Spencer Street & changed for Jolimont & the MCG, where I joined 87,000+ for the traditional (23 years now) clash between Collingwood & Essendon.  The ceremonies were moving, the joint banner was respectful & the game was played in an excellent spirit. Essendon were worthy winners by 3 goals.

On the way to the station, we had dropped off my Summer knitting to Jodie in Wheatsheaf. She has taken over running ‘Keeping Daylesford Warm’ from Mel & was most appreciative of the 20+ brightly-coloured beanies & berets, plus boy’s jumper & matching beanie that I had for her.

You never quite know what is around the corner, and I learnt that with a vengeance on Wednesday just as I was finishing off my gym routine and took an unexpected tumble. Luckily, I landed on my bottom, but managed to sprain my right wrist when I flung my arm out to break the fall. I was delighted to discover that I hadn’t broken it and am merely inconvenienced for a couple of weeks. Like everyone who has taken a fall they didn’t expect, I needed some rest and ended up with a couple of days in bed. Poor Wes had to collect me from the gym & take me to the doctor & later walk back up to West Street to pick up my car, rather than leave it out overnight.

On Friday, we were back at the Springs Medical Centre to get our flu injections & an extra pneumonia jab for me. The two nurses decided to administer both shots at once and did so on the count of three, standing on either side of me.

As well as looking after me, Wes is helping Barbara, whose car wheelchair was damaged when it fell from the roof-rack about two weeks ago. The car is drivable in spite of some damage, but she can’t use it properly until the wheelchair is back in place. Hopefully the ‘mad inventors’ in Ballarat will be able to fix it and prevent that happening again.

We have had to cancel some activities and postpone others. Each day I can do a little more with my right hand, but lifting, carrying & gym are all out for a while. This morning Wes has walked Bilbo early & taken him to the Sunday Market in my stead. After that he is off to Sailors Falls Estate for the morning to help with grape-picking.

Carlton beat the Swans yesterday in an unexpected victory, and Wes is thrilled to bits, especially when their Freo recruit, Alex Silvagni, played so well on Buddy Franklin. The worst part of the game was the dreadful fall onto his head by Swan Gary Rohan, who is in Epworth Hospital having scans after knocking himself unconscious. We were very upset watching it on TV – it must have been far worse to have seen it happen live.

Our Sydney friends, Jane & David Knox, had to say goodbye to their 18-year old cat, Dora, this week. We have been thinking of them – all pet owners dread that time & we know how much they are missing Dora.

We had hoped to get to the footy this afternoon, to see Collingwood play Geelong, but have decided it is just too much, so will watch it on TV instead & hope for an upset win over the unbeaten Cats at the MCG!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 23rd April 2017

  

Dear Friends, I do hope you enjoyed Easter Sunday. Mine was a mixed bag – it started well with the Market & I came home to yummy chilli fried eggs, which lasted me until dinner time.

Yummy eggs with Jasmine tea & special teacup

Wes, Maisie & Bilbo all drove me to Woodend to catch the 12.25pm train as that got me into Spencer Street to meet David Lazzaro & spend 1½ hours with him. This was another highlight & we enjoyed our chat, before parting ways – him to head upstairs to find his sister, Jess, and her fiancé, Eri, with his brother Freddie, keen to learn all about Aussie Rules.

I was sitting in the middle level, close to the action – if only there had been some to enjoy! It was a terrible game of footy & Collingwood played particularly badly. With 8 minutes to go and victory a dream no more, I headed for the exit & caught an earlier train home, to be met by Wes & dogs with sympathetic looks on their faces. A big glass of red wine went some way to restoring my good spirits.

Our Japanese Maple is looking more vibrant every day & we miss being able to discuss its beauty with Joan Testro, who always wanted more photos of Japanese Maples, particularly as hers very defiantly stayed green all year round.

Annie Smith arrived back from Singapore on Easter Tuesday morning & collected Maisie. Both dogs were very excited to see her & I suspect Maisie was just as tired as Bilbo was – he spent the rest of the day zedding, while I washed all his bedding that she had used. I wonder if Maisie woke Annie at 5.30am for a walk on Wednesday!

  

Wes had suggested we go for a drink at ‘Wine & Country’, a delightful wine bar opposite the Information Centre, so we set off on Tuesday afternoon at 4.30pm. Bronwyn Liddelow was on duty, so we left the choice of wines to her & enjoyed five different styles between the two of us – I think Wes liked the Beaujolais best, while I thought my Heathcote shiraz was very special indeed. We saw lots of friends, including Judi, Michael & Gillie, who were meeting others there for a celebration. We also spotted David Innes, who we have not seen in months & had a joyous catch-up with him.

Needless to say the next morning was a very slow start, and we agreed that I would walk Bilbo at 7.30am around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, which is always a treat & absolutely empty at that time of morning.

We are lucky enough to be visited by this pair of kookaburras at present – such a thrill to look out & see them perched on the garden arch.

Last Thursday we fulfilled a 40-year ambition, when we attended a morning concert of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber ensemble playing Mozart’s ‘Divertimento in D for Strings’; followed by Mendelssohn’s ‘String Octet in E-flat’. We had bought tickets when we first saw them advertised on 1^st January this year & were lucky enough to get the middle of the front row, which was a stunning position from which to see & hear. About a week before the concert, we received word that the world-famous violinist, Joshua Bell, would be joining the Ensemble for the Mendelssohn Octet. What a treat that was – he is absolutely mesmerizing & makes his violin sing unlike any other performer I have ever seen. We had wanted to see the Academy ever since our first visit to London in 1977, where we fell in love with the church of St Martin in the Fields & each visit since we have hoped to find the Academy performing – no such luck!

Afterwards we had lunch at ‘Waterfront’ on Southbank, where we enjoyed fried sardines, followed by perfectly cooked hapuku (one of our favourite fish). We first came across hapuku after we had been to Sri Lanka in 1979 & came home wanting to cook dishes using the seer fish of that country. ‘Canals’, the famous fish mongers in Carlton, advised hapuku & laughed when I wanted to order one. They suggested one or two steaks would be plenty & when the fish arrived, I could see their point.

We had travelled to & from the concert by train – drove to Woodend, parked the car & enjoyed an hour’s ride into Spencer Street AKA Southern Cross Station.

On Thursday night, the rain started & didn’t stop until mid-morning yesterday, giving us around 45mls in all, which was wonderful & well overdue. Wes had put the motor-mower in for service after he mowed Barbara’s lawns – good timing all round.

Our Lincolnshire aunt & uncle – Jeff & Kev Hoolihan have been in the wars & are currently both in hospital – fortunately the same one! We hope they will both be back home in Torksey Lock very soon indeed.

The outpouring of grief in our part of Australia over the unexpected death of John Clarke, comedian, actor & political commentator, has been amazing. We are feeling very bereft indeed & will miss ‘Clarke & Dawe’ at 6.55pm every Thursday night on the ABC.

As well as the mower needing a service, Sandra left us a note to say that our vacuum cleaner had packed up, and we discovered that our rice cooker had a slow leak. We went to Bi-Rite, where Tim was able to sell us a new vacuum cleaner, and order in a new Breville Multi-Chef Cooker. The cost of a replacement bowl was $45, so we preferred to pay a bit extra & get a new unit.

As I look out over our back yard, the magpies & rosellas are happily foraging for bird seed & worms, there is a mist over the Lake & Wombat Forest, our grass is green & shining with dew & there are glimpses of yellow & russet coloured trees through the gums.

Bilbo is sitting happily at my feet, waiting to go to the Sunday Market & then breakfast. We have Kyahl Anderson & his fiancée, Loz Sanders, coming to lunch, so it will be a very social & stimulating day for us all. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 16th April 2017

Dear Friends, when I left you last Sunday, Bilbo & I were heading off to the Sunday Market, with no idea that we were going to be pelted with rain the minute we arrived. There were only a few brave stall-holders & they were all clinging onto their stands in the hope they would stay rooted to the ground. Yvonne was very grateful to Marjorie Atkinson & me as we were her only customers at that time!

We ended up with 90mls in 24 hours & lots of storm damage over the Shire, including trees on roads & driveways, which the wonderful SES spent their time removing. Next door at no 76, a tree on the road verge split in two & one half ended up lying on the front gate. Fortunately, the visitor there had not parked his car in front of the gate, as most visitors do, or it would have been a wreck. Breakfast was a fun affair with Margot able to climb the stairs; a surprise visit from Glenn Mack, & lots of interesting conversations. David Castles had driven up through sleet from Box Hill, and we were pleased to have his company, while Bilbo had to share his bed & grub with Bam Bam.

We lit our open fire for the first time this year and enjoyed the warmth until we suddenly discovered that the house was filled with smoke. We suspect that Sandra, who cleans very thoroughly, had altered the damper setting at some stage, which meant the smoke went out instead of up. Wes fixed that up & we settled back to watch a very soggy but entertaining game of footy at the MCG, where the Blues finally won a game by 15 points over Essendon.

The film this week was ‘Beauty & the Beast’, which I was keen to see as I really like Emma Watson (Hermione Granger in Harry Potter). I found the film most entertaining, with wonderful effects. There were 30 of us in the audience & not all the popcorn was being eaten by small children!

Dot & I met as usual at ‘Muffins & More’ on Wednesday morning to play Mah Jong, but Ann-Maree & Heather had sold the business & finished up two days earlier, so we were wondering what it would be like. Much to our delight we were greeted by Bella & Lily, who usually serve the drinks & food on Wednesdays & everything was pretty much the same, even down to the vases of flowers on the tables.

Our friend, Annie Smith, was spending Easter in Singapore & when I discovered that no-one was available to look after her 7-year old Irish Water Spaniel, Maisie, I quickly offered & was just as quickly accepted. Maisie & Bilbo are very excited to see each other in the street, but we find they are both spoilt only dogs, who are having trouble accepting that someone else is getting the pats & treats.

On Good Friday, when we like to go for a long walk together, we took them to Trentham, where we walked the Wombat Trail, which has been enhanced by the very recent inclusion of the Wombat Loop, which cuts out any streets on your way to the Trentham Racecourse (except for crossing the highway at one point!).

Bilbo & I in the beautiful forest leading to the Racecourse

We had been invited to lunch by old friends, Al Ebenreuter & Kathy Hancock, so we left the two dogs together with dried bones & the run of the house, while we spent a very enjoyable three hours being fed & watered not too far away in Bridport Street. On our return, we were delighted to find the house in one piece and both dogs asleep, but in different rooms & on different dog beds.

Bilbo & Maisie with their bones – so funny!

Aussie Rules Footy was played on Good Friday for the first time ever. A crowd of 42,000+ turned up at the Docklands Stadium to watch the game, which was a tight-fought entertaining contest, lost by North Melbourne to the Doggies with the last kick of the match. I’m not particularly thrilled with footy being played on Good Friday, but I did enjoy watching the game.

Last night Wes did an extra shift at the Daylesford Cinema to help out, as there is a shortage of available volunteers over Easter. He was very pleased to have missed Carlton’s game against the Gold Coast, which they lost after being even at half-time.

This morning we are not off to breakfast as the Food Gallery announced it wasn’t opening until 10am on Easter Sunday, because of the penalty rates. I noticed they have relented & decided to open at 9am, but Barbara had already cancelled breakfast as 10am is too late for most of us.

So, after Bilbo & I return from the Sunday Market, Wes & I will have chilli eggs as a special treat. I have a seat at the Collingwood vs St Kilda game this afternoon, which is being played at the Docklands. Wes is going to drive me to Woodend to catch the Bendigo train into Spencer Street, which is right next to the stadium. This gives me the option of coming home on the Ballarat or Bendigo lines – neither has enough trains running, but the Bendigo trains are about 5 minutes after Ballarat, so if I miss the first, I can catch the next one.

I wish Wes well with feeding the dogs on his own. We have been putting their bowls on opposite sides of the house & that worked perfectly until last night, when they both ran to one side for Maisie’s dinner & then back into the kitchen to watch me making Bilbo’s meal. Wes eventually got Maisie on her own & fed her well before Bilbo started, as she is a very slow eater.

Happy Easter to you wherever you may be – we hope you enjoy a wonderful day with family or friends or both. We’ve given out some bags of eggs & received some lovely ones in return.

When I returned from gym on Wednesday to get changed for Mah Jong, this is what greeted me in the lounge, when I popped my head in to let Sandra know I was back!!!

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 9th April 2017

Dear Friends, it has really felt like Autumn this week – cool nights & mornings, followed by warm (but not too hot) days. The roses are starting to bloom again & I have planted snow peas in the box that contained the cucumbers.

We have enjoyed a very social week. On Monday, we had lunch together at ‘Jackie’s on Vincent’, where we were beautifully looked after by Lisa & Jackie.

                        

The next day was lunch at ‘Boathouse Daylesford’ with Judi, Michael & Danny. It was great fun & we sat in a table by the corner, eating, drinking & laughing for 3 hours or so. The mussels here are sensational, and Wes & I can’t go past them, especially with calamari beforehand!

Judi, Michael, Danny & Wes

I also spent a night in Strathmore with Leanne, as we had a few things to achieve together. Smokey, the cat, doesn’t bat an eyelid when I arrive and apart from losing one of his favourite spots on Viva’s bed, doesn’t seem to be inconvenienced in any way.

We were thrilled to have a visit from Michael, Linda & Lauren Kirby at the end of the week. They stayed at ‘Double Nut’ self-contained accommodation, owned by Glenda & Joe Rozen, which put them right in the heart of things. Wes met them late on Friday afternoon for a drink at ‘Wine & Country’, and returned home in time for a most exciting game of footy, where Collingwood was fortunate to beat the Sydney Swans by a point at the SCG. Unexpectedly, David Lazzaro was at the game with Jessica & Daniel – what a game to see! Jane & David Knox were there with their friends & Jane was kind enough to send congratulations to me even though she would have been feeling quite exhausted & upset at the end.

We started our morning with a walk around the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, which Mike & Linda loved. Bilbo was pleased to have their company as well. Here we are posing at the iconic vision that was the opening of the show ‘Bellbird’ for so many years.

Our next stop was ‘Larder’, where Martin greeted us warmly, congratulated me on the Pies win, and looked after us with very yummy breakfasts. As we were heading to Tuki for lunch, Wes & I were reluctant to indulge in our usual meals as we wouldn’t have felt like eating until dinner time. I tried the rice pudding, which was delightful & light, and Wes had the muesli, which he declared a winner.

Then we set off on a tour through some of the villages of the Hepburn Shire – Eganstown, Blampied & Smeaton on our way to Clunes. All three were taken with Clunes & in particular the main street, which they could easily envisage as a film set. Presently, a remake of ‘Picnic at Hanging Rock’ is being partially shot there, but there was no sign of the set when we drove through.

Since Wes & Brian have been going out most Fridays looking for iconic images of the Hepburn Shire villages, Wes has even more stories to relate & he drove us through some amazing countryside, pointing out where aborigines had been massacred; where large townships had existed briefly during the gold rush, and where families had been farming for generations. Lauren was keen to see sheep and fortunately we passed some alpacas & emus as well.

Fishing at Tuki – Lauren, Mike, Linda & Wes

The Kirbys just loved Tuki – we had a ball watching them fish – Mike caught 4, Linda 1 & Lauren had a beauty on her line, but it got away. Rob & Jan Jones looked after us brilliantly as usual & we had a perfect table behind glass with endless views of sky, mountains, volcanoes & water. The trout were perfectly cooked & everyone else tucked into the Tuki lamb & beef as well.

Wes drove us home via Maldon, where we stretched our legs, wandered into a few shops & had hot drinks in ‘Le Sel’, where those with room, indulged in a cake or pastry. It was pouring rain by then, much to our delight, as we are desperate for rain & there are 10mls in the gauge this morning.

We drove back home through Franklinford, Mount Franklin, Dry Diggings & Hepburn Springs, before dropping Mike, Linda & Lauren back at ‘Double Nut’. They had planned to return to our place later for wine, bread & cheese; but when the rain was pelting down, we all decided to cancel that so they could stay warm & cosy where they were.

We watched the footy until it was time for bed, and both evening matches were most entertaining. Freo beat the Doggies, appropriately, as they were the last team to beat the Doggies last year. Richmond had a good win over West Coast, Geelong were too good for Melbourne and Adelaide prevailed in the Showdown against Port Adelaide, which was a complete sellout at the beautiful Adelaide Oval.

Bilbo & I are about to head off to the Sunday Market in the gentle rain, before going to breakfast. Margot will be joining us again today after recovering from her recent operation and David Castles is hopeful of getting there with Bam Bam as well. The Kirbys have a 12.30pm flight home today, so we are not expecting them to have time to join us, much as it would be lovely to see them once more before they go.

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd April 2017

Dear Friends, we’ve said goodbye to daylight saving this morning with an extra hour’s sleep. For a while, our early walk around the Lake will be done in partial light, but before long, we will be back to needing the torch for the entire time we are out.

Once again, we have enjoyed some lovely highlights in our week. We had an unexpected visit from an old insurance friend, Mark Silviera, who was here with a bunch of motor cyclists who were doing their annual tour of part of Victoria & finished up with a weekend in Daylesford. He was sporting leathers & a very fancy bike, and we enjoyed sitting out on our veranda over a cup of tea catching up on news.

I’ve been able to pick lots of produce lately and am very proud of growing a handful of cucumbers & dwarf scarlet beans, as well as our best crop of zucchini ever & more tomatoes than we know what to do with! We have two varieties of chives, mint & parsley, as well as pots of French tarragon, spicy rocket, basil mint, Greek oregano & lemon thyme.

All the roses are in flower again & we both particularly love ‘Hot Cocoa’, which is prolific. This arrangement came from one of our two bushes & there are already enough blooms on it again to fill another vase. Not only is it a stunning colour, but it also has a lovely perfume.

                                                                                                                     The 4^th & final Test in India has been riveting and we are finding it very hard to stay awake until stumps each night, which is 10pm. We just didn’t have an answer to their bowlers, especially Judeja, who was a very worthy man of the match.

                                                                                                                                            

I’ve had a couple of unpleasant health experiences this week. On Tuesday, I went for my bi-annual eye examination at our local optometrist. Like most people, my eyes really don’t like stuff being squirted into them & resist as much as they can. However, after three lots of liquid and the usual tests, Sarah suggested she could spot a freckle on my left eye & wanted to photograph it, just to be sure it wasn’t something sinister. This involved a squirt of something numbing followed by some blinding flashes as she took 4 photos. The good news is that it was purely a change in pigmentation that is nothing to worry about; but the bad news was that I couldn’t really see very well. I had hoped to see the 10am film, ‘Patriot Day’, but walked along the street to let Wes know I would have to go home. Luckily, I ran into Brian Nash, who was looking for Wes as well & he drove me home, where I sat quietly with a pot of jasmine tea & a Labrador for company. It took 2 days before the dizziness disappeared & the feeling of bruising subsided.

The next morning at Mah Jong with Dot, I had a severe asthma attack, probably caused by a strong perfume and we had to finish early, so I could go home. I was quite exhausted from the coughing & wheezing, so went to bed after feeding Bilbo & was waited on with a G&T & yummy stir-fry.

We had planned a trip to the Melbourne International Flower & Garden Show at the Exhibition Gardens & when I realised that Collingwood was playing Richmond that night, we decided to have a very quiet morning, visit the Show in the afternoon, have dinner & see the footy at the MCG.

We did all that & enjoyed our time at the Flower Show. This was our favourite exhibit in the small garden section (the Hobbit Garden if you don’t recognise it). 

   

                                           

We had parked at the carpark on the AFL side of the MCG & caught trams to & from the Flower Show in Carlton. We arrived back at the G in time to have a meal in the Hugh Trumble café downstairs. As usual, two friendly staff members greeted us at the door & asked if we were happy to share a table, which of course, we were.

Lovely photo of Wes tucking into a huge parma – never again I believe!

We had great seats & the only downside to the match was Collingwood’s inability to capitalise on their opportunities in front of goal. Richmond thoroughly deserved their win, but weren’t top 8 material by any means.

We escaped from the carpark quickly & were home & in bed before midnight. We had left Bilbo tucking into a huge dried marrow bone & he wasn’t looking for dinner when we walked in the door!

The next morning, I was absolutely exhausted, so we decided it would be best if I spent the day in bed, which was the right thing to do. I spent my time reading, doing DA’s cryptic crossword, sleeping & eventually watching a most exciting rematch of last year’s Grand Final between the Western Bulldogs & the Sydney Swans at the Docklands, which was narrowly won by the Doggies.

Yesterday Wes volunteered to show the Lego film at 3pm, so Bilbo & I went to see Daylesford play Beaufort at Victoria Park. In spite of the wind, the kicking for goal was excellent & when I left at half-time, Beaufort had 9 goals, 1 point & we had 5 goals, 1 point. We lost by a larger margin in the end.

Bilbo looking relaxed with his back to the action – not worried about balls coming over the boundary at all!

Now I am sitting looking out into the garden at the parrots & magpies waiting for me to scatter seed. Bilbo is at my feet to make sure I don’t go to the Market without him, so I’ll try to remember to take him with me. Ditto with Sunday Breakfast – hopefully we won’t leave him behind at home then either – as if!!!