Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 17th October 2021

 

If you were lucky enough to live with us in the 70s/80s when we were in Maloney Manor in Brunswick Road, and found yourself in the Pink room, you too might have had this complaint, as Wes was in the study next door typing with two fingers on his portable Olivetti until all hours!

We've had a better week, with my health on the mend & some good things happening. On Monday, after shopping, we watched a film on the life of Chopin, made in 2010 & with incredible footage of Arthur Rubenstein & Daniel Barenboim playing. We learnt a lot about Chopin the person, and his love affair with George Sand & came away with a better appreciation of his music. 

On Tuesday we watched the 2010 UK film Made in Dagenham, which follows the fight by the women machinists in the Ford Factory to get better pay & ultimately equal pay for women. It is a very powerful film that moved us when we first saw it. All people of our generation are very well aware of the iniquity of pay rates for women, let alone recognition of us as equals. If you haven't seen it, it is on SBS on Demand. 

Last week I delivered the latest lot of beanies & jumpers to the Daylesford Community Op Shop, where the women taking my box of goodies asked me to thank Di, who makes most of the jumpers as they are very popular. As well, I managed to break the glass decanter that houses my gin (empty at the time), and was able to find a pre-loved Stuart crystal partner for Wes's whisky decanter at the Daylesford Mill Markets for a very reasonable price.  

For those of you who like working out whose legs & tails are where - another photo of Lewis & Morse getting very comfy

On Wednesday, Wes drove us all to Ballarat so I could visit the Linda McCartney photographic exhibition, which is part of this year's Ballarat International Foto Biennale. I had changed my ticket 4 times - twice because Ballarat went into lockdown & twice because I wasn't well enough and I daren't try to change it again. How lucky was I - no-one else at the Exhibition (in the beautiful Art Gallery of Ballarat) for the first 30 minutes & plenty of space to wander at my own pace. I must confess I had expected more Beatles photos, but there were lots of Paul McCartney, mostly in Scotland with their children. We visited The Mull of Kintyre some years ago & I was thrilled to recognise the scenery, the sheep & the horses. 

            My favourite photo by Linda is this study of Twiggy                    à la "Girl with a Pearl Earring"

The sadness of Ballarat, especially in Lydiard Street, was the number of empty shopfronts, mostly cafés, which depended on the Gallery & Cinema for much of their business. As there have been COVID cases recently there, we didn't do anything else except visit the NAB to get some cash. We discovered that our usual branch had also closed, another victim of shutdowns. Here in Daylesford we have been so lucky - so many local businesses are well patronised by those of us who live here, and although their profits are down, they are still surviving. In fact, one shopowner told me that he plans on closing over weekends once Victoria re-opens as it is so hard to keep track of those who are masked & vaccinated.

On Thursday, Wes was delighted that our Daylight Saving meant his chat with the Jackson 8 started at 7.30am our time and he was able to walk the boys beforehand. I took them out with me to deliver jars & magazines to Nick & Robyn, and then we went to Leitches Creek to pump water. I arrived home with a coffee scroll for Wes (his usual reward for spending two hours on a Zoom chat), before spending a very pleasant 40 minutes with Kathy & Karen on Zoom myself. We all had something to look forward to after the chat, and mine was spending over tea & a toastie with Judi at Muffins & More, which has re-opened inside. We both felt very comfortable there & spent a lovely hour catching up. 

We still can't take the boys socialising outside the Virgin Café, which was our habit on Friday mornings, but it should re-open very soon. Instead I was able to chat with Jan Pengilley after my early catch up with Leanne. Then into Vincent Street to get new name tags for Lewis & Morse as the writing had worn out on their original ones.

Yesterday as it was raining, we didn't walk the boys, but took ourselves to Muffins & More for an early breakfast. They were doing a lot of business, which was great to see. We enjoyed our Nordic eggs with spinach, and left after we finished eating as there were customers queued waiting to get in. On our way home, we dropped by Wombat Hill Nursery to get some more punnets of pleasure for Wes to plant, and stakes in preparation for our tomatoes which will be planted on Melbourne Cup Day, which falls on 2nd November this year. 

Bush peas going crazy with French tarragon to their left & broccolini to their right & various sages & thymes behind

Yesterday we enjoyed watching the Caulfield Cup day races, although we didn't have enough collects! Wes is in charge of Cox Plate next Saturday & is planning to do better than my quinellas & trifectas. I felt well enough to stay up for dinner & it was lovely to sit at the table together with the WBBL on in the background.

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 10th October 2021

 
This is another old but beautiful Peanuts cartoon - we are so lucky to have two & most of the time we're all together

Thanks for all the good wishes that came in last Sunday - much appreciated. We went to the Market as usual & came home with far too much of everything, so were able to share with our lovely neighbours. There are still only produce stalls operating, so the Market is quite small & easy to get around. We didn't need anything else as we have enough dog bones to last for three months & plenty of chilli olives for us. 

On Monday morning I did our food shopping at Coles as we were out of Jasmine rice for Lewis & Morse & starting to run low on important items like Vegemite, smoked salmon pieces & tonic water for G&Ts 🤣. We decided to spend School uploading various documents that Centrelink required (or else they would stop our pensions) and ran into trouble at the first hurdle. We had each completed a 5-page & 14-page document & Wes had written a covering letter. Once we uploaded the letter into the space for documents, there wasn't room for either of these required documents, (which had to be scanned JPGs or PDFs). 

Eventually Wes decided it would be easier to take the hard copies to our local Centrelink sub-branch & deliver them in person. After completing & signing a long document stating he hadn't been overseas & didn't have COVID etc, he was allowed into the office, where three helpful, but idle women, were waiting to assist. When he came back home, he decided to cover our backs by uploading a short letter to Centrelink explaining what we had done. God knows how people whose first language isn't English or who aren't confident or competent with computers & paperwork cope with our bureaucracies!

I woke on Tuesday feeling much better after a good sleep & enjoyed chatting with Leanne, followed by Terry in our regular timeslots. Lewis & Morse had stories for Leanne - wardrobe malfunction on the walk for Lewis & an evil duck who wouldn't get off the path & had to be circumvented for Morse. We keep thinking how lucky we are to have chanced upon two such delightful labradors. 

I had hoped to join Wes & the boys on the morning Lake walk on Wednesday, but it was too cold & I was still asthmatic, so gave it a miss & read the Age in bed with a pot of jasmine tea instead! Afterwards, I drove into Vincent Street to visit the Post Office & get some dog biscuits, as well as visit David & Annie Smith's grave to leave some rosemary - it is a year since Annie died & 14 years since David's sudden death. 

On Thursday morning, I enjoyed the weekly chat with Kathy & Karen & we were all delighted by some good news that Kathy shared about a friend of hers. Being able to drive 15kms in Melbourne has made a difference to lots of people & it is possible to catch up in parks with family members much more easily, as well as just walk somewhere different. 

These photos were taken one afternoon, about 30 minutes apart!

That night Wes had three Zooms, one after the other - a fabulous catch up with cousins; followed by an ALP Members' disability action plan webinar; and, finally a local ALP branch meeting. He took a bottle of good shiraz downstairs with him, which got him through the 2.5 hours. 

I had hoped to walk on Friday morning, but it was too cold & I was too asthmatic - couldn't even get out into the garden, where I have cucumber & zucchini seedlings as well as basil & tomatoes to get started in the greenhouse. Wes spent the morning shifting three roses from outside our bedroom to a bed at the bottom of the back garden, in front of our double wisteria, which we hope might bloom this year. Yesterday he moved our four lemon trees into the front as that double brick wall is so warm, it might just encourage them all to fruit at last!

Yesterday was dog washing day, which meant putting all their bedding through the machine - 1 did 7 loads in all - these boys are very spoilt with their sheepskin rugs, pillows, blankets & Afghan rugs! In the afternoon, we had a few bets on Caulfield Guineas day, and managed a couple of wins & a quinella. It wasn't enough to cover our outlay, but at least we now know a lot more about the Spring Racing Carnival fields than we did. 

Daylesford Spring Daylight Saving Dispatch - Sunday, 3rd October 2021

 

This is a very old cartoon, but one of my favourites

We went to bed early last night to cope with the start of Daylight Saving in most of Australia. After about 3 weeks of being able to see where we were going on our morning Lake Daylesford walks, we are back to darkness and Wes tells me there was no-one else around. Shortly we'll head off to the Sunday Market, where Yvonne will have chopped cabbage ready for Lewis & Morse, as well as bags of produce to feed them for the coming week. Ken will carry my bags to the car while Wes goes in search of eggs, bread & perhaps a new rose. 

I've had a great week of socialising via Zoom, starting with Ian & Robyn Robinson last Sunday; Kathy & Karen on Thursday, & Leanne on Friday. Wes joined me to chat with the Robinsons and also had his own sessions with Barbara Simpson. We were booked to catch up with the Kirbys but I was confined to quarters with bronchial asthma for about 48 hours, so missed out on them, and my Tuesday chats with Jeff & Leanne. 

When we turned around to see where the boys were after our chat with the Robinsons, this is what greeted us!

Our film this week was the other Shane Maloney book Brush Off, which we enjoyed, set as it was around the Melbourne Arts Centre with a wonderful cast & an excellent screenplay by John Clarke, who allowed himself a cameo role. 

On Wednesday we went for a drive to get out from under Sandra's feet. I still wasn't feeling wonderful, but kept my appointment for a trim with Lyndal and let Wes do the driving & delivering that is my usual fortnightly routine. We ended up in Trentham & bought a bag of Dutch Cream potatoes from one of the local farmers. They are so fresh & last for ages.

I've ended up back in bed by mid-afternoon each day - just got no energy at all. This is what happens - you feel on top of things, do too much & pay for it. I was even starting to think perhaps I had shrugged off chronic fatigue, but no such luck. Still, there are much worse things to have wrong & it isn't life-threatening. I'm getting lots of reading & re-reading done & have been watching the Indian Women's team give the Australians hell in our only cricket Test on the Gold Coast. 

While Melbourne is wearing the mantle of most-locked down city in the world, we have some more freedoms, but are treading gently, especially after Coles & Cellarbrations were listed as Tier 2 sites early in the week. I cancelled shopping & will do it early tomorrow or Tuesday & Wes is out of whisky, but drinking brandy instead. We will remedy that this week.  

The garden is looking lovely as I sit here in the study watching the birds fight over their seed & oats. Rob & Dene's oak trees are coming into leaf, our roses are green & healthy, the lavender is out & there are still a handful of daffodils nodding away. No sign of our tulips or irises as yet - we have that to look forward to. 

Double dose of labs - Lewis & Morse curled up together in a patch of afternoon sun

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 26th September 2021

We enjoyed our trip to the Sunday Market last week & are about to head off there again. Yvonne had lots of goodies ready for us, probably to say thank you that we travelled to her place & spent $50 the previous Sunday when the Market was cancelled with only 24 hours notice. We came home with enough food to feed an army & enjoyed sharing with Glen, Rob & Dene. 

One of the last vases of daffodils - Golden Ducat & Erlicheer. I have always preferred King Alfred & Golden Trumpet daffs, but Wes bought these beautiful double blooms & their only fault lies in their heads being too heavy for the stalks, so I just have to pick them & bring them inside, where they last at least a week. What's not to like?

That afternoon, Rob & Dene delivered the making of lemon curd & rhubarb tarts - 2 small ones for afternoon tea & 2 larger ones for sweets. We very greedily managed to eat both our tarts at the appropriate time & enjoyed them very much. We will miss these wonderful friends & cooks next door when they leave Daylesford. 

Monday was freezing with hailstones at least twice during the day. All plans to be outside were cancelled and we settled down to School, where we looked at all the advantages of our new phones together. We're finding Your Phone Companion a big help as well & using it to download our photos, answer texts & keep up to date with COVID news easily. As well, I'm loving being able to have Favourites on the Service Victoria QR code reader & finally being able to add another person, rather than duplicate the work when we are both visiting a site. 

It was cold on Tuesday as well, and after I enjoyed lovely long chats with my sister, Leanne, & our friend, Terry, we settled down to watch the film "Stiff" starring David Wenham on ABC i-view. Author, Shane Maloney wrote a series of 6 books with his hero, Murray Whelan, originally an assistant to the local Labor MP, set in the late 80s & 90s. They are based in Brunswick & two were made into films by the late John Clarke in 2004. We loved watching the film & felt very nostalgic as we both spent most of our first 50 years on earth in that inner-city suburb. 

Lewis & Morse enjoying the film with us

We have been going for a drive on Wednesday mornings with the boys - as there is no Mah Jong for me, and because we can explore our Shire, we have been enjoying these family trips. This week we headed to Clunes, but had to detour twice as workmen were busy felling unsafe trees or grubbing up roots of trees that had fallen over in the June storms. We ended up taking the boys for a walk on a track just outside of Talbot. The highlight was the sight of canola fields, shimmering like gold in the distance. 

Me with Lewis & Morse - they lost interest in posing for the camera - wanted to get into the car with their mattress & pillows!

We seem to have spent a good part of this week solving problems - trying to open Service Victoria accounts; returning orthotics that were posted out to me & look as though they would fit clown shoes; changing my ticket to the Linda McCartney exhibition at the Art Gallery of Ballarat to next month, (when I hope I will feel more like visiting that city), and making new facial appointments now that masked beauty therapists in regional Victoria can treat their customers unmasked. 

Beautiful early tulips in Albert Street, Daylesford

We missed out on the earthquake that impacted on much of Victoria, as well as parts of Canberra, South Australia & New South Wales. We were pleased that no-one died, and that damage seemed much less than it might have been.

On Friday, it was 6 months since our dear friend, Joe Rozen, died, so we visited Glenda with flowers & love. We are really missing Sunday breakfasts & catching up with everyone's news. Hopefully they will recommence again someday soon. 

Yesterday was spent getting into the swing of the AFL Grand Final, even though it was played in Perth, after last year being in Brisbane. The Coodabeen Champions excelled themselves with an entertaining two hours in the morning and Fox Footy had lots to watch during the afternoon. Finally it was time for the match to start & we found ourselves drinking Cofield Sparkling Shiraz & sharing a cheeseboard - Dees supporters would approve. The game see-sawed until midway in the third quarter when Melbourne decided to take control & kicked goal after unanswered goal to record a stunning win. The Western Bulldogs had no answers and the only consolation for their supporters was that they had plenty of time to get used to the idea that they were going to lose the match. 

Dees celebrating after breaking a 57-year Premiership drought

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 19th September 2021

 

        We're a bit like Snoopy  - haven't really embraced selfies!

When I left you last Sunday, we were heading out to visit Yvonne on her property at Wheat Sheaf to pick up our usual fruit & vegetable order as the Sunday Market had been cancelled. This was a sensible move as everyone was busy getting tested, isolating or avoiding crowds. As we drove past the Daylesford Station it was deserted & none of the shops nearby was open. We heard later that all the staff at Cliffy's had tested negative for their first test, which was very encouraging. 

I was feeling more energetic than I had in a fortnight and decided to stay up for drinks & dinner. We sat & chatted and just as Wes was deciding to cook we had a power outage. Instead of a hot meal, we ate cheese & Vegemite sourdough sandwiches with a glass of shiraz & of course, the power returned while we were eating! 

Wes took this impromptu photo of me with his new phone & liked it so much he made it his phone wallpaper

The COVID news has been very inspiring here and all hotspots have been reclassified as Tier 2. No-one we know has tested positive and there have been plenty of tests taken. Our Shire's vaccine take up rates are higher than average, which is very pleasing indeed.

On Monday we finished our School session on the poet & preacher, John Donne. We introduced a new element by finding the You Tube film on our TV and moved upstairs to watch it in the Auditorium. There were three more speakers, more poetry & prose was read out & a baritone sang some of the works that had been put to music. 

Once again, it's been a busy week for Zooming - me with Jeff in Lincolnshire, Leanne in Strathmore & Jan in Maleny - all on Tuesday morning, and old friends, Kathy in Burwood & Karen in Port Melbourne on Thursday. Wes chatted with Barbara in New Zealand twice and had a long Skype call with Paul in the Cotswolds.

On Wednesday morning, we got out of Sandra's way, by putting the boys in the car & heading off. First stop was a delivery of jars & magazines at Porcupine Ridge, followed by a drive to Trentham via Spring Hill. We set off to see how far we could walk along the Wombat Trail there, but there is still a lot of storm damage & trees down, so we were only able to walk about 10 minutes before heading back into town and enjoying all the daffodils & grape hyacinths in bloom as we strolled the streets. We finished up at Chaplin's for tea & toast & were joined by old friend, Bob White, for a lovely catch up. After that we drove home via Leitches Creek where we pumped mineral water. 

Another photo of me - this time pumping water - the storm destroyed most of the railings around this pump when a huge tree was uprooted. It will eventually be fixed, but isn't a priority because the mineral water hasn't been effected. This is a beautiful picnic spot & when I first retired I used to come here to eat my lunch - I brought Viva here a few times & she loved it too

Wes has been planting punnets of pleasure, washing the cars, mowing, staking, weeding and watering this week. I do my bit with handfuls of weeds, pot watering & purchasing of punnets. We planted some nasturtiums, statice & pansies & are in the market for cucumbers & zucchini. 

I've had plenty of down time again this week & have spent much of it playing with my new phone. I made the big decision to try Google Pay and I love it - not needing to carry credit & debit cards & loyalty cards is a great relief & so far I've managed with only a few early hiccups. I haven't been asking for receipts for small items for quite a while, but love the record that Google Pay makes of my transactions. School tomorrow is going to involve me teaching Wes how to do this, as well as some of the many enhancements I have found in Settings. Our old phones were 2017, and it is astounding how technology has improved since then, and just about all of the new settings I've found are excellent. 

One of the best photos of Lewis & Morse entertwined in sleep

Somehow we've survived this week without footy & without the usual Grand Final build up, which is happening in Perth. We've got our fingers crossed that no COVID cases come to light before next Saturday, as it would be a shame to play the match without a crowd. 

Daylesford Spring Dispatch - Sunday, 12th September 2021

 

I can fully understand Snoopy's response, although we do enjoy listening to the magpies early as they wait impatiently to be fed

We started our week with a lovely visit to the Sunday Market and tried to support as many of the few stalls that were set up. Afterwards, Wes made scrambled eggs on crumpets, which more than carried us through until dinnertime. We watched the second half of the Doggies win over the Lions & thought it was one of the best matches this year, although our Western Bulldogs fans assure us they were too busy riding every bump to know how good the game was!

Sprigs of wattle greeted us when we arrived at the Sunday Market - you can see me & Yvonne under her umbrella

I'm still not restored to full energy (chronic fatigue levels) and have been coping well with mornings, but wearing out by late afternoon. Wes has been very understanding, although he must wish someone would wait on him for a change. 

He's been busier with Zoom this week - chatting with Barbara twice (including a guest appearance by Gail & Terry White); hosting a get-together of old school friends, and participating in the regular 2-hour session of the Jackson 8. Meanwhile I had to cancel my Tuesday chat with Leanne & reschedule Terry Borg to Wednesday as I was able to keep my appointment with my podiatrist in Ballarat. I was very sorry to hear from Victoria Armstrong that she is retiring next month - selfishly sorry, as she has been a most impressive & helpful professional person since I first met her 13 years ago. I also had a most enjoyable chat with Kathy & Karen on Thursday morning. 

This stunning photo of the Blowhole comes courtesy of Glen Tandberg, who visited it for the first time this week

We were both impressed that Qantas decided to reward its Frequent Flyers with 1,000 points if they could prove they had received both jabs, and promptly applied for & received the points. Our health insurance is with Qantas Assure and we received a rebate from them as well. At present, with no easing of restrictions for the fully vaccinated, we are delighted with any little rewards we are given. 

We were thrilled to be given some freedoms on Friday - regional Victorians can now travel anywhere in the state except Shepparton & Greater Melbourne, and shops, services & cafes can re-open, although quite a few are choosing not to as the density numbers are so sparse it would be hard to make a profit. By that night we received the dreadful news that we had our first positive COVID case - we have nothing but admiration for how well it has been handled by the Springs Medical Centre, by Cliffy's and by the COVID testers who set up yesterday & today at Victoria Park. (Thanks to everyone who rang, texted or emailed to check that we were OK.) 

From a health point of view, I am getting better slowly - finally managed to get out with my boys for the early morning walk on Friday & have joined them again yesterday & today. I'm still in bed before dinner, but am getting more done each day & hope to be back to normal very soon. However, exciting games of footy by both Melbourne & the Western Bulldogs meant late nights for us on Friday & last night. Both Geelong & Port Adelaide had no answers to the stunning game plans that unfolded in front of their eyes. It augurs well for a good Grand Final at the Perth Stadium.

Finally, we were able to pick up our new phones on Friday when the shops re-opened & I spent 90 minutes with Tim moving data from our old LG G6 handsets to the LG K61 versions we have bought - bigger, brighter & better & lots to learn of course.  

First photo with the new phone - Lewis & Morse zedding

Daylesford Spring Fathers' Day Dispatch - Sunday, 5th September 2021

 

Once again - thanks to FB - I think Labs in particular learn this lesson very well

We were very grateful to be able to visit the Sunday Market last week & even Jeff was there with his dog treats, so we stocked up on dried bones & treats & could now probably all survive until Christmas! Yvonne had everything ready for us, as usual, which makes shopping so much quicker & easier - it used to be just the stuff for Lewis & Morse, but now it includes celery & fennel, which is much appreciated. Wes visited the Peros Wines stall to get a dozen of their eggs & a jar of their chilli olives, which don't last long once they are opened. Interestingly, we've never tried their wines - not something one feels like tasting at 8am!

Lewis & Morse making the most of a ray of sunshine in the lounge

That afternoon, we watched the Doggies & Bombers play a close match until half-time, and then it was all one way. The Bombers just ran out of steam and hopefully their supporters can be proud that they made the 8, which was not expected. They certainly did better than our teams. 

On Monday, we had a poetry session for School - Wes had found a wonderful You Tube episode filmed in St Paul's Cathedral celebrating the life & works of John Donne. We listened to an illuminating talk on his life, followed by reading of selected poems by two beautiful readers, one herself a poet, who put real meaning & understanding into Donne's work. Part II awaits us for another time. 

Daffodils smiling in our front garden - they pop up in the most unlikely spots as well

It's been much less hectic this week than last, but even so, I ended up spending Wednesday in bed in an effort to conserve energy. I certainly felt better for the rest, although I haven't managed to stay up for dinner any night, even though it makes life a lot easier for the cook/cleaner/slave. I've been accused of consuming the Hendricks gin too quickly, but I am sure only a small bottle of it made its way into our place, unlike the Jamieson, which was a very large bottle & therefore isn't finished yet. We did run out of cucumber, which was a shame as Hendricks just doesn't taste the same with lemon or lime. 

I managed to keep all our Zoom appointments - a great foursome chat with Ian & Robyn Robinson on Sunday, followed by a similar foursome with Mike & Linda Kirby on Monday; two catch ups with Leanne, and a good discussion with Kathy Lazzaro & Karen Stevenson. Kathy has been an amazing help with my knitting - always sharing great ideas she finds with me - the latest are Fair Isle beanies that are more of a square shape than the ones I have been making. Can't wait to try them out & they are perfect when you have small quantities of wool. 

Wes had an appointment with our doctor, Greg Stewart, and had a blood test & ECG as well. Greg was happy with the results, but not so happy to hear that I had been rung by a nurse from the practice telling me I had osteo-something (which I knew nothing about) and suggesting I have a bone density scan as a matter of urgency. She made an appointment with Greg for me, which I have cancelled, as I didn't need it, (and was getting very grumpy) especially after she asked me if my teeth were crumbling 😣.

Wes with his best friends when he decided to sit down with a cuppa & a very good book

Wes had a most enjoyable chat with cousins, which has become a monthly event & is introducing new members & new stories each time they Zoom. As well, he has continued to feed me new & interesting meals each night, although we indulged in fish & chips & were amused to watch Lewis & Morse tackling the leftovers the next morning. They attacked them with the same gusto we had, even throwing their vegetables around to get at the chips first. 

On Friday, when it poured with rain, we decided to have another Film Morning. When I emerged from my chat with Leanne, Wes had been out & bought a walnut bun for morning tea, chosen a film & the first episode of a new series & had the water boiling to make our tea & coffee. The film was Flawless, made in 2007 starring Michael Caine & Demi Moore with just about every good English actor around playing smaller roles. We had not seen it before & enjoyed it thoroughly. After a short break to discuss it, we watched London Spy with the very talented Ben Wishaw, as well as Jim Broadbent & Charlotte Rampling. It was quite an emotional & disturbing first hour, but we look forward to the rest of it soon. 

We're not the only ones who love our dogs - here is Myles Kennedy in Maroochydore with Crash

We watched both footy games and couldn't believe the change in Geelong on Friday night when they disposed of the Giants. This mean the Cats play Melbourne in Perth next Friday. Last night, the Doggies beat the Lions by a point in a stunning game at the Gabba - it was good enough to have been the Grand Final. Now they face Port at the Adelaide Oval next Saturday. 

Finally, we decided to go ahead with Pension Boost, that we looked at seriously last year. The procedure was smooth, and although we were told it could take some weeks, we received our first payment last Friday, approximately two months after we set things in train. We are most impressed & feel very happy with our decision, which enables us to stay here for as long as we can. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 29th August 2021

        Lewis & Morse need to go to confession daily methinks (with thanks to Daylesford Pet Appreciation FB page)

We started our week with a lovely visit to the Sunday Market, where Ken carried my basket & bags to the car for me, Lewis & Morse greeted the odd local coming in, Yvonne provided amazing bounty & we found a stall selling scones & decided to try them for a change. 

After I had put everything away, shared some of our goodies with neighbours, Glen, Rob & Dene, and tidied the kitchen, Wes cooked scrambled eggs which he served on crumpets - a very yummy breakfast indeed. The sun was shining, so I picked a vase of daffodils to brighten the entrance of our home, balanced Reckon, did a back up & prepared for the footy - Collingwood & Essendon, two very old, bitter rivals. The previous Sunday, Wes & Jeff Bain had spent a very enjoyable time fishing together, but COVID put the kybosh on that recurring, so we settled down to enjoy the footy. The Pies were no match for the Bombers, who were Finals bound for the first time in years & played like they really meant it. 

Meanwhile, we were very sad to read of the death of long-time Brunswick Rotary friend, Ted Bailey, who stayed in touch over the years & found happiness a second time with his friend, Wendy Watson, after losing his wife, Maida, back in 1997. Ted was 92, but looked & acted younger & always had a glint of mischief in his eyes. 

We've had a big week of Zooms again - we both chatted with Jan Pengilley in Maleny; I spent time with Leanne on Tuesday & Friday; Terry Borg & I had a good catch up; Wes spoke with Barbara on Monday & Friday; we are catching up with Ian & Robyn Robinson on this morning,(in lieu of meeting up in person with Lewis & Morse in tow); Wes hosted a get-together of St Bernards' Old Boys; as well as a pre-Finals Footy chatfest with old friends, & was part of another very successful early morning Zoom with the overseas Jackson 8.

This was taken just before they took the left pillow outside, stripped off the pillowcase & removed the pillow label 😲

We discussed Spring plantings & Norton Cloud back-up during School on Monday. We decided to start yet another Keep note for our Spring plantings, in particular making note of failures, which seem to get repeated most years. We were both frustrated by Norton insisting we back up to the Cloud, and it took me until 1.15pm that day to work out how to disarm it, which I did for both of us with much glee. We love Norton, but not the extra sales pitches. 

I was annoyed to discover that I had run out of energy in the middle of the week, which meant I spent quite a few hours in bed - the only way to get back on track. As a result I missed out on a Zoom chat with Kathy & Karen, and had to postpone food shopping by a day. Wes was wonderful, as always, and happily provided meals & drinks to my bedside. I'm still not able to last the whole day out of bed, but this is much better than early on when I first developed chronic fatigue and was bed-ridden for days on end. We've obviously gotten much better at managing it. 

Latest knitting using alpaca as well as wool donated by Kathy & Maree 

We've been watching the footy as well as the Paralympics. Port's demolition of Geelong suggests they mean business; GWS & Sydney played a very exciting close match with the Giants surviving to win by a point, and Melbourne were far too good for Brisbane last night. This arvo we'll be keen to see if the Doggies can beat the Bombers to rescue their year, which has been spiralling out of control. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 22nd August 2021

 
Perhaps I should try my hand at quilting 🤣

What a wonderful breakfast we started our week with last Sunday after an enjoyable visit to the Sunday Market. There were 8 of us & the conversations flowed. Gary Thomas, the owner & chef of Woodshed Café, was also our waiter & barista as Zari was studying for exams. Our meals were lovely, very generous serves & the young waiter was attentive. Thanks everyone for making it such a fun time together. 

On Monday morning we discussed our trip to Adelaide for the Ashes Test & decided it is looking most unlikely at present, especially after increased cases everywhere & the absolute stupidity of 69 people gathering in a private home for an engagement party over the weekend in Melbourne. So selfish, when everyone else has been cancelling their parties & celebrations & wakes. 

In the meantime, our lovely neighbours, Rob & Dene, have put their home on the market again. If you would like a treechange with great neighbours & friendly labradors, please consider it - https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-daylesford-136998886 We are really going to miss them when they move.

Lewis making sleep tricky for Morse, who doesn't need to contort his body to get comfy

We've both been busy with Zoom again this week, especially with the extended lockdowns. I've chatted twice to Leanne, had a long catch-up with Jeff in Torksey Lock, and cheered up old friends in Melbourne. Wes has spoken with Barbara in New Zealand twice & sent/received copious emails from the Jackson 8. 

Wes hadn't been feeling well & ended up spending Wednesday & Thursday in bed, mostly sleeping, which is the way he recovers from illness. Lewis & Morse nearly went crazy looking for him & had to be given quick visits when he was awake. They love me because I feed them, but they adore him because he cuddles them & chats to them more than I do. He had a COVID-19 test on Friday morning just to be sure & received the all-clear 24 hours later. 

Meanwhile, I played Mah Jong with Dot & Judi, shopped, took Thursday's Herald Sun back to Kim at the newsagency in return for The Age - Steve very rarely makes a mistake in delivering our papers, but neither of us is interested in anything the former paper has to say!

It's been sad to hear stories of people from Melbourne being refused entry in local restaurants & shops. I understand that after 200+ days in lockdown over the past 18 months, people are getting stir crazy, but we only have to look at the numbers in NSW, which reached 825 yesterday to know that hard lockdowns are the best ways to stop the spread. We just have to try to obey the rules, get vaccinated, wear masks indoors & outdoors & care for each other. 

On Saturday, after COVID cases were found in Shepparton & Bendigo, our Premier, Dan Andrews, decided regional Victoria should go back into lockdown until at least 2nd September. This makes sense & should help stop the spread of the highly infectious Delta variant. Masks for children are now considered useful as so many of the current cases are young people & children, unlike last year when the older ones were most vulnerable and died. 

We cancelled Sunday breakfasts, Mah Jong, USA Classes, a get-together with Ian & Robyn Robinson, a trip to Ballarat to see the film, Respect, and looked at all the jobs & projects we can get stuck into here. 

Thank God for the footy to keep us entertained, even though both our teams bow out this weekend. What an exciting set of games we've watched so far - the Doggies just failed by 2 points in a thriller to beat Port Adelaide; Melbourne won after the siren against Geelong to take top spot; Hawthorn & Richmond played a draw to celebrate Alastair Clarkson's last game & Brisbane managed to score enough points against West Coast to make it into 4th place on the ladder. Carlton weren't disgraced losing to GWS by 14 points. I can only hope the Pies put up a good showing against Essendon this afternoon. 

Lovely photo of Carlton's much-loved Eddie Betts who retired yesterday - GWS wore their indigenous jumpers in his honour

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 15th August 2021

 

I'm sure our boys feel the same way about their dinner bowls! 🤣

We realised recently that our good intentions of drinking in moderation had fallen by the wayside, so we decided a couple of weeks ago to go back to our original plan - Mon-Wed dry & Thu-Sun please yourself. We are still sticking with that & probably sleeping better & feeling healthier.

When I left you last Sunday, we were heading off to the restricted weekly Market and decided to take Lewis & Morse as the sun was shining for a change. Yvonne was delighted & fed them their cabbage, while Ken, who hasn't been around in ages, was thrilled to chat with Wes & the boys as well. 

This is for Terry Borg, who tells me how much she looks forward to seeing Lewis & Morse each week in my Dispatch 

That afternoon Collingwood continued their trend of being unable to beat Hawthorn - it looked as though it would be a massacre, but we regained some poise & the margin was 19 points in the end. Essendon upset the ladder leaders, the Doggies, and for the first time in some years, every spot for the Finals is up for grabs with 2 rounds to go. 

On Monday, we looked at MyGov & Telstra Plus to make sure we were getting the best out of both organisations, as well as changing emails, pins & passwords. By the end of it we realised that we will need new phones sooner rather than later, as we don't have the technology to cope with wi-fi charging. That's a whole new ballgame!

Later that morning we received the unexpected & very welcome news that Regional Victoria would be going out of strict lockdown, although visitors are still not allowed in homes. We immediately contacted friends to make plans to catch up at breakfast, and reinstated cancelled appointments. I also enjoyed long phone calls with local friends, Dot & Sue, and caught up on their news. 

After Zooming with Leanne & then Terry, I was pleased to be able to have a manicure with Juls, although I didn't expect it to take 2 hours on Tuesday morning! Her first husband had died the previous weekend, so I encouraged her to tell me all about their relationship & marriage & she more or less downed tools & regaled me with wonderful stories. I had no idea that she had married an Australian former priest, who met & fell in love with her in the Phillipines. 

Wes was able to keep his appointment with our local optometrist, who has taken copious notes of previous visits & remembered that she was not to force him to accept any treatment against his will e.g. drops in eyes will not be tolerated under any circumstances. He came home with a good report, very little deterioration, no problem with driving & new bi-focals on the way. 

The latest crop of beanies & mitts, along with jumpers knitted by Di, which I delivered to the Daylesford Community Op Shop this week for distribution

Judi & I met at Muffins & More for toasted sandwiches & Mah Jong, which we stopped playing once the café got busy for the lunch trade. We enjoyed the catch up as well as familiarising ourselves with the game again after a few weeks' break. 

On Thursday, Wes had his early morning Zoom with the Jackson 8 and enjoyed it immensely. Meanwhile I had a good catch up after shopping with Kathy & Karen on our now weekly Zoom chats. We had planned to order take-away from Jackie's on Vincent that night, but when restrictions were lifted, we visited for lunch instead with our oldest local friend, Glenda Rozen, and caught up on her news, as well as told stories about her much-loved & missed husband, Joe. 

Our first few daffodils heralding the approach of Spring

On Friday we were able to socialise the boys at The Virgin Café, where the waitress made a fuss of them in the fog! We've had enough sunshine this week for Wes to spend time in the garden again. He chose some punnets of pleasure - Icelandic poppies & violas, which he has planted in the new rose garden & surrounds. 

Yesterday we spent in a familiar pattern - every second Saturday, Wes washes the boys & I wash their bedding & clothing. Six loads later, everywhere is looking much cleaner - until the next time. We enjoyed the Coodabeen Champions, followed by non-stop footy starting with another unexpected loss to the Doggies against the Hawks at Bellerive Oval. It got worse as the Blues were thumped by Port, the Saints were gallant against the Cats & the Pies capitulated and let Brisbane run all over them losing by 14 goals. 

Today's a new day - our walk around Lake Daylesford was beautiful with dark clouds reflected deeply in the water before dawn broke. We're shortly off to the Sunday Market and then will be catching up with 6 friends for breakfast. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 8th August 2021

 The perfect cartoon for COVID times!

Our week started beautifully with a good visit to the Sunday Market with Lewis & Morse, followed by a most enjoyable breakfast with friends Judi, Janine, Di, Jeff & Peta at Woodshed Café. The rest of the day was spent watching Olympics & footy, with the highlight being Emma McKeon's elevation into superstar status with her 7 medals. 

We said yes to a free Telstra TV and devoted Monday School to installing it, only to discover when reading the instructions, that it does nothing we don't already have via our Smart TVs & Foxtel packages. So, if anyone would like it, you are very welcome to it (with the proviso that you need to be a Telstra customer). The package gives you the ability to stream films & TV shows, watch live sport (not AFL) & free-to-air TV. You need a TV with an HDMI port, an internet connection & a TV antenna. 

Wes spent the morning creating a new garden bed for our beautiful pair of Pumpkin Patch roses that we bought to celebrate our Anniversary this year. Glen Tandberg has bought us a Greensleeves rose to go in with them, once Spring Park Nursery has supplies again. 

We usually like to plan an outing every second Tuesday, and it has been a film at Regent Cinemas, Ballarat recently. However, we weren't sure we wanted to travel in the rain & fog, plus no film leapt up & begged to be seen, so we settled for chez nous instead. While I was chatting on Messenger to my aunt, Jeff, in Lincolnshire, followed by a Zoom call with my sister, Leanne, in Strathmore, Wes produced a short list of 10 films available on ABC i-view & SBS on demand. 

Top of the list was the 2010 Mike Leigh film Another Year with a star-studded cast including Ruth Sheen, Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville and a cameo by Imelda Staunton. We had seen this when it came out and it certainly deserved a second look. One of Mike Leigh's strengths is what he knows about us all & we could spot friends, rellies & ourselves in this wonderful slice of life.

On Wednesday, Sandra came to clean & it was raining heavily, so we planned to take the boys to Castlemaine, (where we were promised sunshine), for a walk. It was just as wet there, so we headed to Harcourt, and finally turned off for Maldon, where we were able to take them on interesting paths for about 30 minutes. We saw an old mine, a huge old chimney, some footings for past buildings & ended up at the lovely railway station, where you can catch a steam train. We have done this trip, which goes to Castlemaine, and is great fun. 

Morse & Lewis sniffing the jonquils in Maldon

On Thursday, the number of COVID cases grew & it quickly became obvious that Victoria would have to go back into lockdown, which we did that night. We were so pleased we had enjoyed our drive to Maldon, bought some items that would not be available for the next week or so, and had a list of films ready to watch when the Olympics finish. 

The footy has been surprising to say the least - Geelong lost to GWS at Kardinia Park, which no-one expected; Carlton were beaten by Gold Coast, and lost any glimmer of hope of finals; and St Kilda picked themselves up & beat the in-form Sydney to be once more in contention for the finals. Collingwood is playing Hawthorn this arvo and I'm not confident.

Finally, we seem to have been blessed with more birds than normal this week. It starts early when the kookaburras laugh at us as we walk around the smaller part of Lake Daylesford. We arrive home to magpies carolling as they wait for their breakfast, and as I write this, there must be 50 birds on our back lawn - all chatting, sharing seed & oats, and dipping their beaks into the bird bath as they leave. Lewis & Morse are safely inside recovering from the walk, breakfast & post-prandial massages from Wes. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 1st August 2021

 

Wes is the writer in our family & this is for him 😊

Thanks to everyone who responded to my reports of our snow flurries - it was lovely to know you were reading & thinking of us. Sadly the snow didn't last, but the cold did and it was Tuesday before the sun started shining again. Wes promptly got out into the garden & did wonders moving pots and making decisions for Spring. We had discussed our fruit trees for this week's School, and decided to move some of the citrus out to the front up against the brick wall, which stays warm most of the time. The rest will get a severe pruning & admonition to be abundant with produce in 2022!

We've been glued to the Olympic swimming & so proud of all our Aussies, who have been performing at their best in front of their peers from the rest of the world. There have been plenty of other wonderful stories from all around the world in all the disciplines - just doing your best time can be a win for some of these athletes. 

Lewis & Morse enjoying the Women's Road Race

We have been given some quite considerable freedoms since Tuesday night - about to travel freely in Victoria, have treatments, visit restaurants & gather in groups (but not in our homes). We still have to wear masks indoors & outside, but that just seems very sensible & a small price to pay to avoid getting the Delta strain of COVID-19. 

Among the many Zooms & phone chats I've had this week, my favourite is probably the friend in Wheatsheaf, who told me that a pregnant kangaroo had landed up at her back door wanting help. She took her to the Wildlife Sanctuary and they rang her two days later to say she could collect the kangaroo, but did she realise that it likes toast for breakfast & prefers sitting at the table to eating it outside. My friend was planning to turn one of her sheds into a home with straw on the floor & an 8-slice toaster nearby. 😊😊

Judi & I met for tea & toasties at Muffins & More on Wednesday morning. We decided playing Mah Jong is not within the spirit of our new freedoms, but wanted to catch up & support Kelly & her staff who are so very good to us. There weren't many customers, so we were very pleased we did & left just before we were blasted out by some very strong wind & rain. 

We did enjoy being able to catch up with neighbour, Glen, outside Virgin Café, on Friday morning. Lewis & Morse were delighted, and took only a short time to settle down. We are so lucky to have these opportunities to spend time with friends & family as the numbers in Victoria continue to drop. 

Wes watching the Olympics with Lewis & Morse

On Friday, the Blues brought their A game to beat St Kilda comfortably, much to the delight of our household & many others to judge by the number of texts going to & from Wes's phone. We did keep an eye on the soccer & were delighted to see the Matildas beat the Poms in the soccer quarter finals in a gutsy game that went to extra time. 

Yesterday it was my turn to be proud as the Pies stunned the Eagles with the first eight goals of the match & finished up winning by 50 points. It has been rare this year that both our teams have won & we have had plenty to chat about on our early morning walks around Lake Daylesford. 

We're about to head out for our usual Sunday activities and will be able to take Lewis & Morse to the Market, before meeting friends for breakfast at Woodshed Café. It's the last morning of swimming, so we'll enjoy that before catching up on the athletics.

This daphne was a cutting from Nick Massaro a couple of years ago & it certainly likes the spot we chose for it