Daylesford ANZAC Day Dispatch - Sunday, 25th April 2021

Morse & Lewis after playing in the rain at Eureka Kennels, Ballarat - the owners sent us this photo while we were in Melbourne

We started our wonderful holiday week with a fun breakfast at Woodshed Café with Judi, Janine, Di & Glenda. When we told the staff we wouldn't be meeting up this morning because of ANZAC Day, they were worried we were going to stop coming, which was lovely. 

Our drive to Strathmore in Pearl went well & I learnt more about all the safety features we paid for as an extra package with the car. We spent a couple of hours with Leanne before checking into Quest Moonee Ponds, where we had a large apartment with KS bed, big lounge/dining/kitchen area & bathroom/laundry. It is in a perfect spot opposite the Moonee Valley Racecourse and close to public transport as well. 

That afternoon we caught up with old friend, Josephine Ward & her husband, Tony D'Aloia, at The Quiet Man Hotel in Flemington. We stayed for an early dinner & were very pleased to have coped with our first visit to a pub in over a year. Fortunately our table was well away from other patrons & I sat with my back to the crowd, pretending that it was just us there. 

Next morning was breakfast with Kathy, Ged, Karen & Malcolm at Code Black, Brunswick. This wasn't our first choice of venue, but was recommended and it was a perfect spot - probably the best breakfast place we tried. The staff were wonderful, we were able to sit for two hours away from others at a very roomy table, and the food was interesting & yummy. 

from the top - Kathy & Gerard, Malcolm & Karen, & Wes

I had spent the time before meeting everyone trying to reserve seats for today's ANZAC Day match against Essendon at the MCG. I was just filling in the last bit of info when I was timed out, so instead of being on Level 1, we are in the gods on Level 4. We have a reserved carpark, and are very excited to be seeing our first live AFL footy game since 2019. 

Later that day we visited old Daylesford friends, Bronnie & John Scarffe, who moved to Moonee Ponds a year ago. It was lovely to see them again & catch up on their new lives over a drink & some very yummy tapas plates made by Bronnie. 

The view from the Scarffes' balcony at night

On Tuesday we walked up Puckle Street to Chew Chew Café, where we met up with Danny Millman & Marilyn & Robert Preston. Once again the café was very obliging, letting us sit around for a couple of hours, catching up on each other's news. Robert gave me a most unexpected, but very welcome gift, which I will show you when it makes its way to our place. It was too heavy for us to carry back to Quest, so Danny took it home instead. 

Wes & Marilyn above, with Bobby & Danny below

Marilyn had suggested to Wes that we consider Sun Theatre, Yarraville, for a film and we took her advice. We loved the old theatre with its comfy leather seats, wide carpeted stairs, friendly staff & amazing choc-top selection (including my favourite, coconut, which didn't have a choc-top on it!) We saw the film, The Father, starring Anthony Hopkins & Olivia Colman. What a stunning experience that was!

We went back there again on Wednesday afternoon to see The Dry, with Eric Bana. I really enjoyed it, especially as it is set in Victoria, and is a successful adaptation of the very popular book by Jane Harper. Wes wasn't so impressed, but we both loved visiting the Footscray Market beforehand - hadn't been there for at least 20 years - so many wonderful smells & sights!

Breakfast that morning was at an old favourite, Square & Compass, with Gayle, Fraser, Tom & Deb. Once again we enjoyed catching up & hearing how everyone coped with COVID-19. It really has been lovely to see & speak with old friends again. That night we went walking along Puckle Street, Moonee Ponds & found Oriental Flavour, which served good meals with happy smiles. 

We had planned to spend time with Terry Borg on Thursday, but she had come down with a virus & wasn't well enough. We have been trying to meet each other for 15 months & will just have to continue with Zoom chats for a little longer. Instead we had breakfast at a little café around the corner from Quest. Next step was catching the 59 tram (90% passengers wearing masks) into the city, where we headed for the NGV to see the Australian impressionism exhibition She-Oak & Sunlight. We were overwhelmed by the sheer weight of numbers of paintings on display and particularly enjoyed Frederick McCubbin, Tom Roberts & Jane Sutherland. Back home on the train, where masks were the exception rather than the rule.

That night we walked to Angie's Kitchen just off Puckle Street, for a delicious meal of dumplings & other yum cha goodies, finishing with hot custard dumplings for sweets. Among other items for discussion, we laughed at ourselves arriving at the Shell Service Station & having no idea how to open Pearl's petrol cap. Eventually Wes consulted the manual & discovered that a light touch of the hand is enough to open it!

Our last day was Friday and after a light breakfast back at North x Northwest, had a walk around Queen's Park, which brought back lots of memories, before driving to Keilor Road, Essendon, to find The Maltese Pastizzi Bar/Restaurant. This delightful spot is small, but crammed full of Maltese memorabilia & all the famous dishes of this tiny country. We bought 4 dozen pastizzi before heading to Strathmore & lunch with Leanne at her place. 

After a couple of lovely hours together, it was time to drive home before the traffic got too busy. We were thrilled to arrive back here, but a little sad to find the frost had taken our basil & some of our chilies & cucumbers. Judi had left some limes & tomatoes, which sorted dinner & drinks for us - thank you so much!

Yesterday, while I went shopping at Coles, Tonna's & the Farmers' Market, Wes drove to Ballarat to pick up Lewis & Morse. They went straight into the laundry trough for a bath & were rewarded with bones, much to their delight. That afternoon we tried very hard to get Carlton over the line against Brisbane, but they just weren't good enough. 

Morse & Lewis thrilled to be back to normal - watching the footy with Wes

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 18th April 2021

 

Last Sunday was very cold with an icy wind & occasional misleading glimpses of sunshine! We took the boys to the Sunday Market so they could socialise, which they did very happily & consumed lots of shredded cabbage at the same time. Afterwards we met Judi & Janine at Woodshed Café for breakfast & debriefed Joe Rozen's celebration of the day before. 

Two wonderful photos from Jan Pengilley in Maleny - top is her dragon/bat plant & below is a camellia with a pumpkin vine growing through it & a pumpkin almost at the very top - they do things differently in Queensland!

On Monday, Judi & I had brunch at Bad Habits Café @ the Convent Gallery, where we were brilliantly looked after by Marija as usual. It was quite busy with lots of families looking for something warm to eat & somewhere interesting to explore afterwards. We caught up on each other's news & I was able to tell her that Annie Smith's daughter, Fiona, had rung to tell me the sad news that Maisie had died last week. She became very unwell & had to be put to rest. Fiona is going to bring her ashes back to Daylesford, which is lovely as Maisie enjoyed every minute of her life here. 

Maisie at our place with Morse & Lewis last year - all of them expecting a treat

The big news this week is the arrival of Pearl, our new Mazda 3 hatchback replacing Dolly Grey. We had been saving for our next overseas trip & when we talked about it, decided to spend the money on a new car a couple of years earlier than planned. There are no overseas trips in the pipeline until we feel safe flying away from Australia. 

Above, Pearl under wraps with a big bow & Below, unveiled. We are still learning all the many features of this beautiful car & are looking forward to driving her to Melbourne later this morning. 

While Wes did a U3A poetry session on Tuesday morning, I had a lovely manicure & pedicure with Alanna in Hepburn Springs. I visited Lyndal for a fringe trim on Wednesday & overspent my appointment time talking about her young foal, Sugar, who likes playing with a footy & with sticks when the mood takes him. 

We've both worked hard to make sure the garden will be self-sufficient while we are in Melbourne - Wes has trimmed & swept & watered, while I've pulled up all the summer vegetables that have finished & put in some broccolini, Winter savoury & found a spot for our pink rosemary.

We've also done some painting - second coats for me on two of our yellow (rich cream) doors & Wes is doing all the posts he can reach in their original shade (soft mauve). Just in case we needed a distraction, I found a dead rat in the laundry one morning and we were both thrilled that neither dog had done anything to it other than bring it in. We briefly accused our lovely neighbour, Glen, of dumping her unwanted rat, but she assured us she only re-houses live vermin!

Thanks Facebook - this is our Lewis to a t!

On Friday night, we went to bed at half-time in the footy, tired & quite convinced that Collingwood had no chance of winning after a good first quarter, followed by an extremely ordinary second. We woke to discover the Pies had lost by 27 points - not quite as bad as we expected.

Yesterday Wes took Lewis & Morse to Eureka Kennels in Ballarat, dropping me off at Victoria Park to watch the local footy - Daylesford vs Hepburn - the biggest game of the year. Sadly, we were about 10 minutes into the 1st quarter when Daylesford Captain, Josh Cowan, was tackled, fell awkwardly & broke this leg. There was no ambulance at the ground and by the time Wes returned to join me at 3.30pm, it still hadn't arrived (45 minutes after the incident). The game was abandoned as the lights at the oval aren't good enough to allow for playing footy in the dark, which is when it would have finished. 

We arrived back home in time to watch the last quarter of the AFLW Grand Final, where Brisbane, in their 3rd Grand Final, finally won, beating Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval in front of 30,000+ fans. We had been barracking for the Lions & were pleased to see them win. 

Last night Carlton were disappointing against Port Adelaide at the MCG, losing by 28 points. Most of the games were one-sided, except for the very exciting match between Sydney & GWS, which the Giants won by 2 points in the last minutes, after the Swans had led all day. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 11th April 2021

 

Dear Friends, we had a wonderful Easter Sunday & hope you did too. It was the most perfect day here in Daylesford & the Sunday Market was buzzing early. We got our fruit & vegetables from Yvonne, then took the boys home & drove back to the Woodshed Café for breakfast with Judi, Rhonda & Glenda. We were all thrilled to see Glenda & spent lots of time sharing memories of her husband, Joe, who recently died. 

Afterwards, Wes & I drove to Castlemaine to the monthly Farmers' Market there, but came home empty-handed. We were hoping to find some spelt bread for our neighbour, Glen, but were out of luck. Quite a few of the stall-holders were known to us & some had been at Woodend the day before. It's a hard job - you grow or create all week & spend the weekend selling it or trying to!

After watching Carlton have an unexpectedly good win over Freo, we had fish & chips with Peter Rumball sparkling red that night for dinner - perfect end to a lovely Easter Sunday. 

Chilli prawns with Lake House garlic aioli on our decking

We continued our Easter theme of something special every day & on Monday afternoon at half-time in the footy, we took the boys to the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens for a walk around, hoping most of the visitors would be gone, and they were. Wes baked a whole trout & served it with Dutch Cream potatoes (what else?) before we attacked our Easter chocolates - thanks to Judi & Rhonda. 

On Tuesday, after I had a lovely Zoom chat with Leanne, followed by another good catch-up with Terry Borg, we took the boys with us to Ballarat as Wes had been given a Gift Voucher that was supposed to work at Bunnings and didn't - however it was recognised by Dan Murphy's so we stocked up on spirits. 

Wes has continued his painting & has now finished the downstairs doors & windows on the two sides of our home that abound in them. We can't believe what a difference the coats of paint have made. I think that happens when you move into a new home (as we did, after previously living in pre-loved ones) - you expect everything to stay new-looking forever & it doesn't. Quite a few of his clothes are now definitely "painting gear", so he might need to brighten up his wardrobe sometime soon as well. 

At Mah Jong, we had fun, but not many games were won - we all seemed to be going for the same tiles & so we had to play a few Goulashes, where you can include blanks. Judi is starting to wipe the floor with Dot & I and any minute now will find herself not allowed to play the easy hands any more.

On Friday afternoon, Rob & Dene came in for a drink & nibbles & catch up, mostly so we could hear about their very recent trip to Tasmania, which they enjoyed. We had been to most of the places they visited & could picture where they had been with ease. In no time at all, a bottle of champagne & another of sparkling shiraz were demolished & it was time for dinner. 

Rob & Dene at Wineglass Bay

Yesterday afternoon was the celebration of Joe Rozen's life. Wes had been invited to speak & was one of ten, after Glenda & Joe's two sons had spoken. His topic was our time with Joe at the Information Centre (Joe & I worked together there on Monday mornings for over 10 years & Wes joined us for 7 of those years). Wes also reminded us of Joe's ability to sell raffle tickets to anyone & everyone & his wonderful way of making people feel special when he could find something in common with them (e.g. where they lived, what they did, where they came from). He finished his short speech with a rousing rendition of Carlton's theme song, We Are the Navy Blues, which was sung with great gusto by most of the guests. 

This photo was taken on our decking back in November 2010 when Paul & Pauline Jackson visited Daylesford

L-R Anna Szwed, Joe Rozen, Warren & Karen, Paul & Pauline

It was my first experience of a large group since COVID hit and I was comfortable while we were all sitting, but not keen to be mingling afterwards, so we left as soon as everyone got up. Joe's wife, Glenda, and his family, must have been delighted with the strong attendance & wonderful words spoken about an unforgettable character. I know we feel very privileged to have known him & to have been invited to his wake. 

We arrived home to find sticky buns waiting at our front door - a gift of Rob & Dene - and promptly demolished them with cups of tea, while we watched the Collingwood AFLW lose their Preliminary Final to Brisbane in a nail-biter at the Gabba. Next match was St Kilda, who after an indifferent start, overcame the West Coast Eagles and then I went off to bed to watch Collingwood be very lacklustre against GWS & lose by 5 goals. Meanwhile, Wes & the boys got Carlton over the line against a depleted, but spirited Gold Coast Suns. 

Daylesford Easter Dispatch - Sunday, 4th April 2021

 

Once again, we enjoyed a fun Sunday with a lovely early walk in the dark, followed by a trip to the Sunday Market with Lewis & Morse, and then breakfast with friends at Woodshed Café. Afterwards Judi came back here to be monstered by the boys and to do the last layer of plaster on our Hole in the Wall. 

Sadly the Collingwood AFLW couldn't overcome the Adelaide girls, who played brilliantly to relegate us to 3rd on the ladder & a game against North Melbourne. Meanwhile the Carlton girls finished their season on a high, beating GWS by 1 point. 

Lewis & Morse ignoring the excitement of the footy & luxuriating on their new pillowcases!

We were about to head off to visit Leanne on Monday morning when I spotted something lying on the dog decking. It was a large, dead possum. Lewis & Morse were busy ignoring it, which was wonderful. It appeared to have died of natural causes, and although I can remove large spiders & small dead birds, I had to call on Wes to do this particular job! 

We had a great visit with Leanne, sorted out a few issues for her, chatted over French vanilla slices from Bourkie's in Woodend, and arrived back here in time for Wes to have a telephone consultation with his doctor as he needed new prescriptions. Neither of us has suffered any side effects of our first COVID vaccine and we look forward to receiving our second injection & feeling more positive about mingling in society again. 

We have decided to make another, much shorter trip to Melbourne next month, and will visit with Leanne at the start & finish, as well as catch up with a few of those friends we had hoped to see back in February. At present, touch wood, Victoria is COVID free as far as local infections go. We realise that will change as more International flights arrive here, but hopefully the hotel quarantine will work & all those dealing with new arrivals will have had their vaccines. 

Once again, I have enjoyed a busy week of computer face-to-face chats - twice with Leanne, and once each with Jeff in Lincolnshire & Jan in Maleny, where masks are being worn again & there was a three-day lockdown. As well I visited Brian Nash, our wonderful local artist, to order some more of his beautiful cards.

Just when I thought our roses had finished, up popped these beautiful blooms

Judi, Dot & I played Mah Jong at Muffins & More where we had to contend with a couple of young women shouting at each other & their young son - all very friendly, but not conducive to good concentration. However, it is always fun to be together & we are such an institution that one of the early diners, Tommy, shifted table when he saw me arrive as he realised we prefer to play at the table he was occupying. I bought him a coffee, which will be a nice surprise for him next time he visits. Meanwhile Wes took the Mazda 6 in for service, mainly because he couldn't open the driver's door from inside, which was quite inconvenient!

We've enjoyed Easter - on Thursday I obeyed instructions to get some clothes & consulted Matt at Creswick Natural Fibres. I walked away with a couple of pairs of pants, a good woollen vest & a couple of tops to wear under it. I've done the right thing & binned two pairs of pants & two tops won't be far behind them! When I was shopping at Coles Supermarket, they were offering $20 WA lobsters again, so I bought two & we had them for dinner that night. Wes did a wonderful chili sauce & Dutch Cream potatoes to accompany them. 

That night the Pies were beaten by a point after the siren by a Brisbane side that refused to concede, even though they were never ahead after the first three minutes of a most exciting game. 

This wonderful cartoon was on FB this week & it reminds us of  Lewis, our super-intelligent Labrador

On Good Friday, we took the boys on an extra long walk before socialising them again at The Virgin Café. We bought some oysters at Daylesford Fish Supply and enjoyed them that night, after overdosing earlier on Cliffy's Hot Cross buns. 

Yesterday, Wes & I drove to Woodend to their monthly market, mainly to get some seedlings from Allandale Nursery. We met up with a couple who used to run Harvest Café, and bought some Dutch Cream potatoes from them. The market was well-run with lots of genuine farmers' stalls & plenty of patrons, without being too crowded. We came home via Kyneton & particularly enjoyed the colours of Lauriston. 

The afternoon was spent watching footy - first getting the AFLW Melbourne team into the next week, & then, against all odds, watching the Collingwood AFLW team come from behind in the last quarter to book a spot next Saturday against Brisbane in the other Preliminary final. 

Another beautiful sunset - we've been very spoilt this week

We finished our day with chili prawns sitting on the deck enjoying a sunset like this one. And all our talk to Lewis bore fruit - the boys slept through the night & coped with an extra hour in bed. 

This morning we've enjoyed walking in dawn light & appreciating the beautiful Autumn tones around Lake Daylesford. We're all off to Sunday Market soon & then breakfast at Woodshed Café with friends. 

 A glorious Easter bouquet from Bronnie & John Scarffe - thank you both so much for this lovely surprise

Daylesford Dispatch - Sunday, 28th March 2021

 

We started our week with another fun breakfast at the Woodshed Café - there were 8 of us & conversations flowed around the table. Bit by bit the staff are getting used to us & we have been able to order simpler fare than is on the menu if we prefer. Judi & I are enjoying the luxury of our Jasmine tea too. 

Sadly, our dear friend, Joe Rozen, died suddenly this week, aged 85. He & Glenda were our first Daylesford friends and we have wonderful memories of all the time we have spent with them both - singly & together. We are so pleased that they were able to come to lunch recently, although we didn't know at the time that we wouldn't see Joe again. He will be missed by everyone.

One of my favourite photos of Joe & Glenda all dolled up for a night out

We've enjoyed a social week in so many ways & some fun with Lewis & Morse. They both got very excited around 8am on Monday, thinking they were about to get marrow bones, like they did the previous Monday when we visited Leanne. We had to relent & give them treats to settle them down - such creatures of habit! They did like going back to The Virgin Café, and sitting outside on Friday morning. 

Wes & I have both done some painting when the weather allowed - we've had about 50mls of rain, which is very welcome, and much more manageable that NSW & Qld have been experiencing. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by the terrible floods. 

On Tuesday, we had a wonderful catch up lunch with Bryce & Debra Hatton. We have known them both for many years, as Bryce was GRE's rep when we were operating Maloney Insurance Brokers, and later he worked for us a broker for some years. They moved to Brisbane in 2005, when Bryce was offered a CEO position with an insurance company. They have three adult children & Debra has been running a gym for the past 6 years. We took them to Bad Habits Café at the Convent Gallery. The café was busy, including a table celebrating the birthday of its owner, Tina Banitska. It was the perfect venue for a leisurely lunch & afterwards we drove them around Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens before they headed to Melbourne airport & flew home.

 Lovely photo of Wes, Deb & Bryce outside the Convent Gallery

We've had a few Zoom chats - me with Leanne twice, and Kathy. Zoom is one of those benefits of COVID isolation, as it enables us to keep in visible touch with those friends who want to use it. This doesn't include Loud Gayle, who prefers to ring & keeps up the contact frequently, especially during footy season. Wes had a very successful long Zoom session with his O/S friends - Paul, the Pom; Bill, the Scot; Barry & Mike, the Yanks; and Bala & Raghu who are Indians, one living in the US. 

Judi & I went back to Bad Habits Café on Friday for a lovely lunch. Tina was helping serve tables & we had a good chat with her, as well as very yummy meals. There was no Mah Jong this week - Dot had an appointment & I needed a couple of quiet days, which I got on Wednesday & Thursday. 

A dispatch wouldn't be complete without a photo of Lewis & Morse - they have new pillowcases & were very happy to test them out yesterday afternoon

Yesterday we were very thrilled to have our first COVID vaccine injections at Springs Medical Centre. Our appointments were unexpected and very welcome. Like getting our flu injections last year, it was quite a social occasion, with everyone chatting to each other as they waited their turn, or sat recovering. We have had no adverse reactions so far. My arm is sore, but that is a very small price to pay. We even have the date booked for our follow-up injections in June - very impressive. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 21st March 2021

 

We started our week with a great visit to the Sunday Market, taking Lewis & Morse back for the first time since mid-March last year. They were thrilled to bits & Yvonne had shredded cabbage waiting for them. A young girl came up to play with them & they were in heaven, as were we. 

Breakfast was most enjoyable with 7 of us at Woodshed Café - Janine was giving out free lemons; Sandy, (prompted by David), regaled us with stories of the various local jobs she has, as well as a big painting project; Wes & Judi debriefed on the Indigenous History U3A talk they had attended; Glen told us about her newest grand-dog, Lennie, a 10-week old cavoodle, who is now best friends with her 1 year old grandson, Donnie, and I negotiated leaving a small tin of Jasmine tea behind the counter for our future visits. Local friend, Jenny Dickson, dropped in and may join us intermittently.  

We visited Leanne on Monday & had a most successful visit. We went armed with French vanilla slices from Bourkie's in Woodend, and had a lovely chat at the dining room table before spending time helping her with various things that need more than one person to be done successfully. 

Lewis & Morse doing what they do best!

On Tuesday, after a lovely walk & two excellent chats - one with Jeff in Lincolnshire on Messenger & the other with Leanne on Zoom, I headed next door to inspect the piles of DVDs, CDs & LPs that Glen was taking to the Op Shop. I couldn't resist Chariots of Fire, probably my all-time favourite film, and a wonderful BBC History of Scotland that I thought would appeal to Wes. Glen & I chatted until it was time for her to go to her knitting group. Meanwhile, Wes did some gardening before heading to the Daylesford Neighbourhood Centre for a U3A poetry session, which he loved. 

While Wes painted some more external windows & a door, I spent the morning at Muffins & More with Judi, having breakfast & playing Mah Jong. Kelly, the owner, very kindly allowed us to sit inside while the rest of the patrons had to stay outside, as she was spending the day with her grandson & Isabelle was running the cafe on her own, with Trevor in the kitchen. 

Stunning sunset from our balcony

On Thursday, I had a very busy morning. We did an hour's walk around Lake Daylesford, followed by a shopping trip to Coles, and two loads of washing, before a wonderful chat with Kathy & Karen on Zoom. We do enjoy catching up with each other's news & this is the next best thing to face-to-face. Then it was off to The Virgin Café @ Bellinzona for breakfast with friend, Gillie - always good to spend time with her. 

That night, inspired by Jeff Hoolihan's Sunday Roast story, Wes produced a roast for us. Mine had smoked cod & his had a lamb steak. Amazingly we polished it off, while watching the opening game of the AFLM season - Richmond vs Carlton at the MCG in front of 50,000 spectators (50% capacity, which was the agreed limit). Even Scott Morrison found his way to Melbourne to watch it, and managed to look bored, as he is a Rugby League man. 
The Blues played out of their skins, but were finally overrun by the Richmond machine, lead by their star player, Dusty Martin. 

Casual dining in front of the footy on TV

On Friday, after our 75 minute walk around Lake Daylesford (doing the entire circuit twice) I had a Zoom chat with Leanne before we took the boys back to The Virgin Café, which was a perfect spot for socialising. Two waitresses chatted to them, as well as a couple of friends, Liz & Brian, who appeared just as we were about to leave. 

from the top - Wes cuddling Lewis, our French pastries & the view across to Bellinzona, the hotel housing The Virgin Café

Wes cleaned all the study fly-wire screens, painted the window sills & watered, as well as watching a Canadian Poetry Zoom session, which he really enjoyed. I spent the rest of my morning with The Age, getting out DA's cryptic & ordinary crosswords before lunch, which is always very satisfying.

Late afternoon we watched the Carlton women start slowly before recording the highest ever score (87 points) for an AFLW game against the luckless Gold Coast Suns. Darcy Vescio was unbeatable with 5 goals, which made her the first AFLW player to have kicked 40 goals in total. 

That night, Collingwood turned up to play the Western Bulldogs, but were torn apart by a faster, fitter team, who made us look very slow & unco-ordinated (with the exception of Darcy Moore, who saved us from a 20-goal defeat with his long kicks out of the backline). The final margin of 16 points didn't reflect the lop-sidedness of the game!

Newly painted windows with beautiful reflections of our garden &  the Wombat Forest

Yesterday, we decided to have a break from house & garden activities. Wes spent a good part of the day in the study, while I indulged in the Coodabeens, Saturday's Age & endless footy - both AFLW & AFLM. The Collingwood women were too good for their St Kilda opponents & kicked their highest score ever to keep us in contention for a top 2 finish with the last home & away round next week. 

We woke to pouring rain this morning, which meant feeding the boys at 5.30am instead of walking. Wes very kindly looked after them while I went back to bed with a cup of tea & The Age - bliss! It's too wet for us to take them back to the Sunday Market, but we will make sure they don't miss out on shredded cabbage on our return. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 14th March 2021

 

We started our week with a good visit to the Sunday Market, after our walk around Lake Daylesford. There were plenty of cars in the main carpark at 5.45am, probably sensible drivers deciding to get taxis home after a big night at Boathouse. There were 7 of us at breakfast at Woodshed Café, where most of us chose the late special of interesting mushrooms on toast! We have decided to keep going with this café as they let us book & seem to be very amenable to whatever we ask - Judi & I brought some Jasmine tea & they were happy to serve it to us. 

Afterwards, Judi came back to our place to start work on the 'hole in the wall' in our bedroom. Lewis & Morse were thrilled to see her and had to be locked out so she could get cracking. We are very grateful to her for doing this job for us - repairing this large hole is beyond us. 

We were spoilt for choice with sport - during the morning the Kiwis blasted us to smithereens in the 5th & deciding T20 in front of a crowd, which was lovely for those who were in Wellington watching live again. This was followed by the Carlton AFLW playing & easily accounting for Geelong AFLW & then the big game between Collingwood AFLW & the Western Bulldogs AFLW at Victoria Park. The Pies were goalless at half-time after a spirited second quarter by the Doggies, but we came out a different team and won easily, which was unexpected and very pleasing. We are still sitting on top of the ladder, with three tough games to go. 

Our favourite players - Top - Chloe Molloy for Collingwood & Below- Maddy Prespakis for Carlton 

This was one of the quietest long weekends we have spent in Daylesford without the ChillOut Parade...apart from being wakened at 1am on Monday by a burst of fireworks, which lasted for a couple of minutes. On Monday morning, when we were walking around Lake Daylesford (collecting rubbish), I found an empty container which had held 36 fireworks. They had been set off near one of the small jetty/picnic areas & the evidence left there. 

Later I went to the pharmacy to collect our prescriptions & town was buzzing with lots of revellers eating late breakfasts and descending upon all the shops wise enough to open on the Labour Day Public Holiday, which is also International Women's Day. If Viva was still alive, and had survived without contracting COVID-19, she would have been 99. She was always so proud that her birthday fell on the 8th March, and that we had a female Prime Minister who sent her congratulations on her 90th birthday. 

Lovely photo of Leanne & Viva around Christmas 2004

During School this week, we decided, looking at our finances, and planning for the next 10-12 years, that we will investigate the Australian Centrelink Reverse Mortgage, which would allow us to have a couple more overseas trips (once it is safe to do so) and would help the remaining partner (if one of us should die unexpectedly), to stay in our home until that one is ready to downsize. We feel very relieved having made that choice, as we want to stay where we are - at least for the lifetime of Lewis & Morse. 

Wes has been busy painting again this week - finishing off the underneath of the dog decking & getting started on the external study door & surrounding area. He is getting more confident with his painting & doing a good job - giving everywhere a much-needed fillip. He's also been gardening, cleaned out our frog pond, repaired one of our chairs & spent hours on Ancestry, as well as preparing for his fortnightly International Zoom. He still Skypes with Barbara twice a week, does just about all the cooking & is in charge of spoiling Lewis & Morse with massages & treats. 

            Morse, Lewis & friend have a sleep after their dinner

We have looked at Solar Panels as a result of an approach by the Hepburn Shire asking if we would be interested. We went a long way down the path until we discovered that our 17-year old home has a Heritage Overlay and we would need a permit to continue. While we waited for such a permit to be discussed, the quota for the year was filled, and we have lost interest!

On Thursday morning just before Wes was due to host a chat with his International friends, his computer decided to have a hissy fit, and we had to make a quick change of plans. He moved into the Guest Bedroom, where I had the laptop set up for my 9am Zoom with Kathy Lazzaro, and I stayed in the study & was able to use my computer instead. We both enjoyed excellent chats - Wes got a lot out of the second long discussion on India's place in the world, and Kathy inspired me to clean out the surplus cutlery & tea-towel drawers. I put aside all the stainless steel pieces for St Vincent's op shop and all the threadbare tea-towels for Sandra, who uses them as rags. 

As well, I went for my first walk around Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens since Annie Smith died. I used to walk Maisie there sometimes, so there were lots of memories, going back to much earlier times as well - me, Casper, Annie, David & Woody.

Glimpses of the cool, green fernery at the Gardens

To finish off this interesting day, we had a power outage around 7pm, which no doubt caused angst in the local restaurants & those of us with electrical cooking only. We had decided on sandwiches for dinner, which needed no power, and, after giving the boys a cuddle, had an early night. I got up at 9pm when the power came back on to turn off lights & turn on the dishwasher.

Greg, the local IT whiz, returned Wes's computer on Saturday morning, having installed a much quicker hard drive, so he is delighted. Greg arrived just as we had both started painting - Wes was up a ladder doing the outside window frames of the study, I was on the floor staining steps into the study & the boys were prancing around post their baths trying hard not to get in our way. All the radios in the house were playing loudly so we could hear the Coodabeen Champions on the ABC. So long as he got his cash Greg wasn't fazed by any of this!

This morning we are taking Lewis & Morse to the Sunday Market, their first trip back for a year. Yvonne has been very keen & we've found a spot where we can tie them up safely out of everyone's way. Fingers & toes crossed that it all goes well.

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 7th March 2021

 

Life can be like this every now & again!

There were eight of us at breakfast last Sunday trying out Gary Thomas's Woodshed Café. Everyone enjoyed their time together, the ambience got a tick & it was fun to have completely different breakfast meal offerings. So we are off there again this morning & hope we may have found a new home for some time. 

Afterwards, we came home, gave the boys big marrow bone quarters to chomp on & drove to Strathmore to spend time with Leanne. Once again she was very organised & looking forward to our visit - we brought some French Vanilla slices, but she had arranged a platter of fruit, cheese & meats and set the dining table so we could sit there for our meal. Wes did everything on his list that needed doing & I spent most of my time on her laptop trying to make it run more smoothly & efficiently. 

Lewis & Morse content to bask in the sun after eating their bones

We arrived home in time to catch most of the AFLW Collingwood vs Melbourne game at Victoria Park, where the Pies were too good for the Dees. I can't believe that, after 4 years of mediocrity, we are finally looking good, playing like a team & sitting on top of the ladder for the first time. 

On Monday we had a good School session, which we are going to continue tomorrow. We decided to look at a 10-year plan & Wes has been working on it during the week, and we will make some serious decisions about our future soon. Afterwards, while he watered & gardened, I did some more painting. We both tidied up for a Zoom chat with Mike & Linda at midday & had a great catch-up.

Mike Kirby's Christmas gift of a ride in a special Porsche

Once every four weeks, I have three Zoom/Messenger sessions in a row on Tuesday morning starting with Jeff Hoolihan in Torksey Lock, Lincolnshire; moving on to Leanne Saundry in Strathmore, and finishing with Jan Pengilley in Maleny on the Qld Sunshine Coast. This involves three different kinds of weather, and we are constantly amazed at how different our lives are. In England they are just entering Spring, while we are enjoying Autumn, which is the prettiest season in Daylesford. In Strathmore there is never enough rain, and it always seems to be a few degrees warmer than us, while in Maleny it is always hot, humid & either dry or enjoying torrential rain. 

Lovely family photo of our God-daughter, Greta Millman, with her husband, Harry Ellsmore & their children, Jeremy (2) & Penny (8)

While I Zoomed & then had my nails done, Wes did heaps of painting & knocked over most of what was left to do on our dog decking & stairs. Lewis & Morse are not interested in painting at all & leave us alone when we get started, which is a bonus.

On Wednesday, Dot & Judi joined me at Muffins & More for a fun morning of chatting & playing Mah Jong - more chatting than serious playing, which is making it difficult for Judi, who is still a learner to remember all the rules & her favourite hands. Dot & I can remember how we felt when we were learning this wonderful game 20 years ago & are empathetic.

The next day we awoke to discover that Daylesford had been bombed with ChillOut decorations. Although this is a much smaller event than in the past, with COVID making large gatherings impossible, everywhere looks very festive & welcoming. 

After our walk, supermarket shopping & a great chat with old friends, Kathy & Karen, I settled down to get my computer work up to date and succeeded. My brain works best in the morning and that is when I try to do everything - quite often tiring myself out. The big drama was a flat tyre. I noticed on the way to Coles that the car was making a noise, as if a branch was caught underneath. When I got to Tonna's I looked under the car, and then discovered the flat front tyre. Adam Tonna very kindly pumped it up for me at the next door BP service station, which got me home. Wes removed the tyre, after finding the spare & jack (never used before), and took it to Jamie, our local tyre man, who declared the tyre was damaged & ordered a replacement which arrived 24 hours later. 

That night we opened the first jar of my plum chutney to have with our Atlantic salmon on English muffins & it got a big tick of approval. Thanks to Glen next door for sharing her produce so generously.

Friday was a cool & windy day, not an easy one for asthmatics, so I spent it inside, apart from our early morning walk. There are always lots of jobs to be done like cleaning the silver, washing, ironing & general tidying. There was so much sport to watch in the afternoon I was spoiled for choice - 4th Pink ball Test between India & England, which has been rivetting; 4th T20 between NZ & Australia, which we won easily, setting up an exciting 5th & deciding game today; a good win by the North Melbourne AFLW team against Richmond, & a close win by the Richmond AFLM against Collingwood in a practice match. 

Yesterday we invited Rob & Dene to spend time with us while there was an Open House happening at their place. It was a lovely catch up & Lewis & Morse enjoyed seeing them as well. Apart from that, Wes & I caught up on chores before I settled down to watch a similar amount of sport to the day before.