Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 27th June 2021

 

                                        Who knew?

We spent our Sunday quietly after all the early excitement of the Market & breakfast, in preparation for our busy week. The footy was good with Essendon holding out Hawthorn for a good win in Tassie & we caught up with an episode of Vera over dinner.

On Monday we drove to Strathmore to spend time with Leanne, our first visit for five weeks, because of lockdown. She was thrilled to see us & we conquered a few issues, spent some quality time chatting & were home again by early afternoon, much to the delight of our boys & neighbours. Lewis & Morse had taken their giant bones into their bedroom, which smelled particularly fruity when we opened the door!

Fat tummies & exhaustion post marrow bones

The next morning, while Wes walked the boys, I prepared their breakfasts & had a quick shower in time for an early chat with my aunt, Jeff, and cousin, Leigh, who was in Torksey Lock visiting her for about 2 weeks. We enjoyed a wonderful hour of hilarity with the occasional serious chat about COVID & its effect world-wide. Afterwards it was time to talk with Jan Pengilley in Maleny. She was looking good & our 40 minutes flew by as we shared news & stories. 

Jeff's family all together at Torksey Lock

L-R Amelia, Simon, Leigh, Jeff, Mike, Kelly & Archie in front 

My next move was to the Optometrist in Vincent Street as my glasses frames had snapped over the weekend. They can't be repaired & are no longer made, so I had to chose new frames (ugh!) and, as Sarah was free, had a 40 minute eye test to see if I needed new lenses as the others were 4 years old. My eyes got a good report, with only a couple of adjustments, and by the time the Victorian Govt special deal & the extras rebate was applied, the whole thing cost me $37.50. Bargain! I was told it would take two weeks, but they were ready two days later, which was fantastic.

We had bought tickets to see the film, Dream Horse, starring Toni Collette & discovered it was a true story, set in a Wales village. We enjoyed every minute of the film which was crammed with good actors, an excellent script & brilliant photography. Wes even had a cry, which is a sure sign of success. 

The next busy day was Wednesday, where I did my usual deliveries, before having a toasted sandwich & umpteen games of Mah Jong with Judi. Meanwhile, Wes drove to Woodend & caught the train into the city for a catch up lunch with old school friends at Il Gambero in Carlton. Beforehand, he went to Pellegrini's, a Melbourne institution, for a short black coffee & strolled into Lygon Street Carlton, finding loads of memories along the way. 

For our Anniversary, we had bought new doonas for our bedroom & the guest room, and of course they arrived on Tuesday, when I was too tired to be able to change everything, so I did it after lunch. I am thrilled with the result, which completes the rearrangement of artworks that we did last year. 

Guest room with birds & our room with bright quilted colours

We had planned to walk extra early on Thursday so that Wes would be ready for his Zoom with overseas friends AKA The Jackson Eight, but it was raining at 5am, so we had an extra half hour sleep & the boys were fed at 5.30am, which they didn't mind. The Zoom chat went very well & introduced a new chum, South African, Wendy Roberts. 

After shopping I had a great Zoom with Kathy Lazzaro & we discussed knitting, COVID, films & pumpkins among other topics. Always good to see her- we will have been friends for 50 years in 2022. As well, I received an email from Ian McKenzie, leader of the Friday morning Bushwalking Group to say there will be no walks until next month as everyone is too busy repairing their own properties, let alone having time to make tracks passable for walkers. He included this photo of the Spa Country Railway track - an area from Daylesford to Bullarto (about 10 kms), which has almost 1,000 trees blocking it. This tourist attraction is going to require a huge amount of work to get it operative again. 

It was pouring rain on Friday morning, so we were unable to go for our big walk, or take the boys socialising. I chatted to Leanne on Zoom, before settling down with Wes to a morning on the computer. I had hoped to change all our passwords this June & this was a good day to start. That night we watched in amazement as the lowly Saints kept the mighty Tigers to 2 goals 10 behinds in a most unexpected win at the MCG in front of a small, vocal crowd. 

Yesterday was dry when we woke, so we took the boys for two complete laps of Lake Daylesford to make up for all the walks we have been missing. While they chomped on bones, we visited the Daylesford Farmers' Market, bought raffle tickets for a wheelbarrow of wood; snaffled French vanilla slices for afternoon tea; Wes scoffed a snag in bread with lots of tomato sauce, and we relieved Mrs Peros of one of her boxes of eggs (Wes saying no to a small glass of coffee liqueur on the grounds that it was too early in the day).

That afternoon the Pies played well but fell just short of beating Freo in front of a small crowd at the Docklands stadium. All the games were close, with North managing another win, Port just beating Sydney & Melbourne holding off Essendon. 

It's raining again this morning & we will decided shortly if the boys can come with us to the Sunday Market. After that & breakfast, we are off to Melbourne to celebrate our mate, Danny Millman's birthday at a restaurant in Moonee Ponds. 

 Stunning night sky during the week - makes a change from brilliant sunsets

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 20th June 2021

 

When I left you last Sunday, we were off to the Market, followed by breakfast. We enjoyed a fun time at the former, where Yvonne accused me of spending too much money at her stall, and were very sad to hear over breakfast how much damage Janine's property had suffered. She is being very brave and, apart from being without power for 40 hours or so, realises that so many others were worse hit when falling trees impacted on their homes & sheds. 

I just love this photo of Glen's grandson, Donny, chilling out with his best friend, Lennie.

During the weekend we had both enjoyed listening to ABC Classic FM play the Top 100 Music You Can't Live Without. We were pleased to find that most of our selections made the list, although neither of us agreed that Beethoven's Emperor Concerto deserved top billing. My highest choice, The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams, came in at number 3, and the version played, by Richard Tognetti, was sublime. 

That afternoon, Rob & Dene shared with us & Glen, a beautiful cake, made from our cumquats, with cumquat liqueur to wash it down. It was a perfect finish to our dinner, which had been minestrone with toasted English muffins while we watched the footy. 

We were delighted on Monday morning to be able to walk around Lake Daylesford once again. Council had organised for the paths to be cleared, but there are still hours of work to be done removing the dead trees & debris. School was a wonderful lecture on one of our favourite poets, WB Yeats, and we learned about his belief in the spirit world & the effect it had on his poetry. 

More Anniversary photos including gnocchi & fritter dishes

That afternoon, I was glued to Fox Footy, first watching this year's Big Freeze sliders go down into the ice bath, and then holding my breath as Collingwood managed to beat the ladder leaders, Melbourne, at the SCG. This was Nathan Buckley's last game for the club as coach & he was given a fairytale ending with a gutsy win.

On Tuesday I had a long appointment with Alanna, my last with her for about a year, as she is expecting a baby in early November, and has been advised to stop giving treatments at the end of June. We've been friends for many years - first when she worked for Emma at EKO and later when she opened her own business Spa+Beauty. I am going to have my next manicure  with old friend, Juls Weiss, who runs Julsindulgence in Hepburn.

That night we had dinner at Jackie's on Vincent, our local Asian fusion restaurant, where we enjoyed different meals from our usual choices - Wes had pork belly, which he declared the best he's ever had, and I got stuck into the garlic prawns. We both had different sweets as well, which were seriously yummy & beautifully presented. Lisa was kept busy with at least a dozen take-away orders while we were there & another 12 people eating in. 

Our sweets - coconut panna cotta & dark chocolate fondant - guess who had what!

It was time for a haircut on Wednesday with Lyndal Conroy, whose family train, race & breed trotters. I was thrilled to hear that they had suffered no lasting damage in the storms & that none of the horses had been injured. By the time I saw her at 9.30am, she had already been up for 4 hours exercising & feeding the horses with her father, Glenn. 

Dot, Judi & I enjoyed a fun morning of Mah Jong, where we didn't do much fish-waving, as wins were few & far between. Meanwhile Wes had been busy in the garden & tells me he is up to date with his June compulsory chores there, and only has a few hundred optional ones to go. 

The latest photo of our delightful Lewis & Morse enjoying their day bed together💛💛

This week, as usual, I have appreciated everyone who is happy to have a Zoom chat - Leanne, Terry, Kathy, Karen & next week, Jan & Jeff. We find that seeing each other is so much more satisfying than being on the end of a phone & I am most grateful for all the support & encouragement I get from all my friends. 

On Friday, we were able to socialise the boys at Virgin Café, where the young waitress, Tori, makes their morning by giving them lots of cuddles. She says it is the highlight of her week - seeing them get thrilled when they spot her. 

Lewis & Morse excited to see Tori who is cleaning tables in the background

One of the big puzzles this week has been finding the foglights on Pearl - it was foggy on Wednesday when I was delivering newspapers to Ken Rae at Spring Park Nursery in Eganstown & when I went to put the lights on, they weren't sitting in the usual spot. When I could stop safely I did and consulted the manual, but they didn't rate a mention, so I rang Ballarat Mazda only to be told that my Mazda 3 model doesn't have foglights & to drive through fog with my lights on normal, not highbeam. 

We were thrilled to have our second Astra Zeneca jabs yesterday afternoon - can't believe how quickly those 12 weeks have flown by. It was certainly much more relaxed at Springs Medical Centre, than when we had our first injections. Neither of us had had any reaction & are pleased to have completed that step. We realise it won't stop us contracting COVID-19, but it should lessen the effect.

Last night we sat down to a beautiful meal of poached tuna steaks with baked cauliflower & blue cheese sauce. Wes had really outdone himself. We hoped that Carlton would come back refreshed from their bye & be competitive against GWS at the Sydney Showgrounds, but it wasn't to be. Apart from a couple of forays, the Blues were completely outplayed & seemed to have lost their system. 

This morning we've had a lovely walk around Lake Daylesford, fed Lewis & Morse & are getting ready to take them to the Sunday Market, before we head off to breakfast with friends. 

Daylesford Queen's Birthday Weekend Dispatch

 

What a wonderful motto!

When I left you last Sunday, we were heading off to the Sunday Market in Brigadoon weather. It was misty there as well with light rain falling. Yvonne had organised all our food as usual & we were able to shop safely & speedily, although not everyone was wearing masks as requested, or using the QR code check-in.

There were 8 of us at breakfast, which made for a very interesting morning - whole table conversations were followed by small group chats & we didn't leave until 10.30am. When we got home, I washed & sorted all our fruit & vegetables, before making a big pot of vegetarian minestrone soup. Rob & Dene delivered New York cheesecake slices for our afternoon tea, which was a lovely surprise. 

While Wes did a big clean up under the house & got his fishing gear together, I tackled a couple more library shelves in my effort to make a bit more room & donate a few more books to the Daylesford Primary School's Book Fair later this year. When he arrived back upstairs, I was watching the highlights of the Collingwood win over the Crows, much to his surprise 🤣🤣.

We loved this cartoon on the Labrador Retriever site on Facebook - it doesn't just apply to Labs, but they do have the saddest faces when you leave them

Sadly, Carlton couldn't spring a surprise win over West Coast at the SCG. Wes was as frustrated with his team as I have heard him in a while & was calling for heads to roll. He appears to have been heard as there is going to be an enquiry into the whole football department. 

        Above, Lewis is watching the Blues with Wes while        Below, Morse luxuriates with the new bed all to himself

On Monday School, Wes requested a refresher course on electronic banking, so we had a good look at the NAB online banking app & discovered some handy tools that will give him information he requires without consulting Reckon, which is on my desktop. I headed into Vincent Street afterwards & discovered that every business is finally displaying a QR code, which is compulsory - now to get 100% compliance from us, their customers. 

It was too wet to walk on Tuesday, which meant I could catch up with my aunt, Jeff Hoolihan, in Torksey Lock, at 6.30am our time. We chatted for an hour & I was pleased to see her looking & sounding well, if a little bothered by the English Summer heat, which is so muggy. Afterwards Leanne & I had a good chat on Zoom. She is being very sensible about the lockdown & understands we can't come to visit her until travel restrictions between Metropolitan Melbourne & Country Victoria are eased. 

Latest crop of my knitted items heading for Daylesford Community Op Shop

Later that morning, we drove to Regent Cinemas at Ballarat to see the film, Minamata, produced by & starring Johnny Depp as American war photographer, Gene Smith, who is persuaded to visit the Japanese coastal town of Minamata to see the effects of mercury poisoning on those living there. It is a very powerful film, largely accurate, and also stars Bill Nighy. We are so pleased we saw it & remained masked throughout the film, as did most of the dozen patrons. 

It has been very wet each morning & we've not been able to walk Lewis & Morse as much as we would have liked. However, we have made it up to them by purchasing two more of their favourite beds, which allow them to be comfortable wherever they are. Two are now in their bedroom for sleeping at night & the trampoline bed from there has moved downstairs into the study and has two mattresses & two pillows, which they much appreciate.

Judi, Dot & I played Mah Jong at Muffins & More, as we watched the weather get worse & worse on Wednesday morning. By the time I arrived home, the rain & wind were very strong & the noise was remarkable. This storm continued through the night & included thunder & the sound of tree branches cracking. We were very lucky to have not much damage ourselves, but there were big branches in the street the next morning & many roads were impassable. We had about 100mls of rain over the two days & nights & everywhere was saturated. The power was out overnight & late morning at our place, but neighbour, Glen, came to the rescue with a large thermos of boiling water to keep us going. 

On Friday morning we were finally able to walk Lewis & Morse again, but we couldn't do complete circuits of either side of Lake Daylesford as the fallen trees blocked the path & they weren't the top priority of Council or the SES. However, it was dry enough for us to take the boys socialising at The Virgin Café in Hepburn Springs, where the staff made a fuss of them, and our friends, Jane & John gave them cuddles as we were leaving. We drove around the area afterwards seeing the damage, which wasn't as bad as places like Olinda, but many people had been impacted by the storm & been without power for much longer than us. 

Great FB photo showing a small example of the damage on the Lake Daylesford walking tracks

Thanks to everyone who contacted us in some way to see how we were going - much appreciated. We are so pleased we had our gum trees cut down a few years ago - we miss them, but they would have fallen & done a lot of damage. Rob & Dene had some water damage & contacted a local person to clean their carpet. It turned out to be George Weiss, who with his wife, Juls, used to be our neighbours in that house. It was so good to see them both again.

Yesterday was our 51st wedding Anniversary & we had booked lunch at the Garden Room in Blackwood Ridge's Garden & Nursery on the recommendation of our other neighbour, Glen. We had originally planned to celebrate on Friday, as this Long Weekend is usually so busy. However, the roads were impassable & the chef contacted us to ask if we could visit yesterday instead, which we did. We were amazed to discover when we arrived that everyone else had cancelled their bookings, and we were the only guests for lunch. We felt very honoured, sat by the window looking out on the pond & gardens & enjoyed a 4-course Winter menu with a bottle of Heathcote Sparkling Shiraz. We'll be back after this wonderful experience. 

This morning we've walked the boys around Victoria Park where all the tree damage has been cleaned up & it is still dark as I sit here looking out. We're off to the Sunday Market shortly & then breakfast with friends at Woodshed Café. 

Daylesford Winter Dispatch - Sunday, 6th June 2021

I'm sure I've used this Snoopy before, but it is so true about dogs & their hearing as all dog owners know. Our boys can be dead to the world downstairs, but hear me open the dog treat drawer through two closed doors with a set of stairs in between. 

When we reached the Sunday Market last week, we were delighted to find they finally had the Service Victoria QR code for us to check in. Yvonne was organised & even gave me a small bag of chopped up cabbage for Lewis & Morse as they had to miss out on a visit. As we couldn't meet friends for breakfast, we sat down to crumpets & honey with the Sunday Age, which was a great consolation prize. 

Lewis & Morse still enjoying their new bed, especially in minus temperatures

Wes was inspired by Dene's cake of the previous Saturday, and decided to made a chocolate mud cake, which he did most successfully & iced as well. We weren't able to share it around as he had used the only round tin he could find, which was a cheesecake tin, so there were some issues with removing the cake when it was cooked. 

Carlton played well against the Swans before finally running out of puff. Our friends were rugged up at the SCG with the temperature down to 15°. Meanwhile we were in short sleeves in sunny Daylesford, where the temperature was 12°, but felt much higher.

On Day 4 of our lockdown, it was -2° as we walked around Lake Daylesford. Our pond & both bird baths were frozen solid & all cars not under cover were iced up. School was a discussion of the Adelaide Pink Ball Ashes Test coming up in the middle of December. We are keen to go, if it is safe to do so, and have been on the lookout for a new boarding kennels for Lewis & Morse. I've contacted kennels in Ballarat & Creswick, which both seemed promising. We've ended up choosing Creswick as they replied promptly & offer excellent rates on boarding & hydro-baths. They are also closer than Ballarat, which is a bonus. 

Stunning early morning photo of Lake Daylesford by Frank Page

On Tuesday, after a lovely Lake walk, I came home to Zoom chats with my sister, Leanne, & friend, Terry Borg. Both were looking good & coping well with lockdown & Leanne was able to tell me she had finally been given her first Astra Zeneca jab. I walked into town to get our prescriptions from the pharmacy & was delighted to see everyone masked up & distancing. I came home with date scones for morning tea, which we enjoyed sitting on our decking with a pair of labs looking for crumbs. 

On Wednesday we finally welcomed a couple of plumbers to fix a few issues, most urgent being a dripping kitchen tap, which has needed to be swathed in towels day & night to stop the water going into the cupboards under the sink. None of the local plumbers that Wes contacted replied to him & he finally found a Ballarat-based one who was happy to help us. The blokes arrived on time & took two hours to solve our issues. Wes spent the time upstairs with them, while I minded the boys in the study. We three all needed the loo once the all clear was given!

What we didn't expect was that the plumbers hadn't checked their work before they left, which meant they had to return the next morning. The kitchen tap was fine, but the upstairs cistern had no water in it & water was flowing from the downstair's basin into the cupboard. Fortunately more experienced plumbers arrived early & fixed these issues. Wes looked after them while I did supermarket shopping & then Zoomed with Kathy & Karen. 

On Friday we managed to walk two complete laps of Lake Daylesford before the rain started in earnest. We had hoped to take the boys socialising at Virgin Café, but it was closed until this coming Friday, so we had breakfast at home after I had an early Zoom chat with Leanne. We were excited to have the lockdown conditions eased in Regional Victoria, and happy to keep wearing masks indoors & use QR codes everywhere. 

Morse & Lewis staying in touch

Yesterday our downstairs jug decided to leak all over the filing cabinet on which it sits, so we mopped up the water & gave it the flick. I went to Mitre 10 to get a replacement & was pleased to see that they had a QR code, as did Wombat Hill Nursery, where I picked up some coriander seedlings & a lemon verbena plant. Wes had washed Lewis & Morse, and in spite of the minus temperatures, (-2°, feels like -6°), they went off playing chasey skidding over the frozen back lawn. 

We had picked all the figs from our tree after the leaves fell & tried to get them to ripen in the sunshine through the lounge windows. I managed to get 1kg that I stewed with honey, ginger & a vanilla bean & we declared that a great success. 

We woke this morning to rain & mist, so we all missed out on a walk, which meant I went back to bed after feeding the boys, with a pot of tea & the Sunday Age, where I read all about Collingwood's exciting & unexpected 5 point victory against Adelaide yesterday afternoon. We welcomed back Jamie Elliot, who promptly kicked 6 goals straight & was the difference between the two teams. Fingers crossed the Blues can have similar success against West Coast at the SGC this afternoon. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 30th May 2021

 

Poor Snoopy, what a deprived life he leads - a bit like Lewis & Morse! Welcome to my last Autumn Dispatch, even though we've had a few wintry days, that season doesn't come upon us until Tuesday, and we will have our fingers & toes crossed that we get some snow sometime during the next three months.

Last Sunday when I left you it was still very cold, with frost on the lawn & garden. By the time we had visited the Sunday Market, and had a lovely breakfast at the Woodshed Café, it was thawing out & Daylesford was thronged with visitors everywhere - at the Market, in the cafés & shops & particularly at Lake Daylesford. We could barely get around, especially late morning, when we drove to Springs Medical Centre to get our flu injections (at last). We were lucky enough to score Beth Quinn, wife of our doctor, Greg Stewart, and she was happy to do both of us at once, and to give Wes THE pneumonia shot he was missing (Prevnar 13). We usually get our injections together & aren't sure how that happened, however it has now been fixed. 

We had decided not to go to see Collingwood & Port, especially as I was still so tired from our abortive attempt the day before, so we settled down to a few chores before watching three games of footy. The Pies lost by a point to Port after leading for most of the game. We just became too defensive & scared of making mistakes. 

Monday School was physical activity as we cleaned out a stationery drawer & the yellow cupboard at the front door. Both were treasure troves of surprises as well as throwouts & we felt much better once we had done it. Wes then swept up the Autumn leaves once again before washing both cars. 

Glen's girls - Nellie & Willow sharing a snooze in the sun

That afternoon we attended a celebration of our friend, Annie Smith's life, at the Convent Gallery. Annie's daughter, Fiona, and her family all came over from Freo & we were lucky enough to be two of the 100 guests they were able to invite. Annie had at least 300 Daylesford friends, which made it very difficult for Fiona to choose. We enjoyed catching up with some old friends & raising a glass of champagne to Annie at 5pm, her usual time for bubbles. 

On Tuesday morning, Wes walked the boys, so that I could chat with my aunt, Jeff, at 6.30am our time (9.30pm hers) & that worked well. I was able to prepare the boys' breakfasts before having a shower & making a pot of tea to lubricate the voice! Next was a good Zoom catch up with Leanne & we finished our call in time for me to speak with Jan Pengilley in Maleny. Our usual timeslot wasn't convenient for her, so we rescheduled for Friday morning. 

Then I went to see Alanna for a manicure before Wes & I collected Judi & drove to Ballarat to see the Australian film. "June Again", starring the wonderful Noni Hazelhurst. We three loved the film & are so pleased we saw it. It was pouring rain when we emerged and stayed that way until early the next morning. 

Early morning rituals - me putting coats & leads on Lewis & Morse

When we walked around Lake Daylesford on Wednesday, our way was blocked by fallen trees just past Monet's Bridge. The boys weren't too sure what was happening when we turned around & retraced our steps, but provided they got treats at the usual spots, they were happy. The small lake out the front of Lake House had broken its banks & the path was submerged in water in a couple of spots, which made for tricky manouevring.

After I did my rounds of deliveries, I had a fringe trim with Lyndal, who had been doing repairs to horse fences after the storm. Then Judi & I met to play Mah Jong at Muffins & More & had a most enjoyable morning, although we did miss Dot, who wasn't well enough to join us. We tried a variation suggested by the book we work from, which was to play a Goulash for the last game & instead of discarding tiles, to place them in their trays instead. Once we got used to it, it was easy & meant we had fewer tiles to pack away at the end of the game. 

On Thursday morning, it was a 5am start so that Wes could catch up with his Pom, Scot, Yank & Indian Zoom friends. I set off to Coles for my usual weekly groceries only to discover the carpark extra busy and customers walking out with large packs of toilet paper under their arms. At this time we didn't know if there would be a lockdown or for how long, but we did know that something had to happen with over 100 potential COVID sites, since an International traveller arrived in Melbourne & tested positive, after a fortnight's hotel quarantine in Adelaide.

Kathy & I had our usual Thursday morning Zoom chat & were joined by Squiz Murray, which was a lovely surprise. We all met when working for the Dept of Labour & National Service, back in 1972, and the friends we made from those four years I was in the Public Service have remained friends for life. 

Shortly afterwards the 7 day Victorian lockdown was announced & we were sorry to realise that for the second time in 12 months, our dear friend, Libby Edgoose, would be unable to catch up with family & friends. She lives in Queensland & we were to have seen her next Friday for lunch. We are sorry to miss her, but very pleased that the State Government has taken this step as the latest rash of COVID 19 positive tests is growing & there are too many hot spots for anyone to feel safe. 

I was meeting Judi & our friend, Sue Longley, for lunch at Bad Habits Café, and decided to walk there. I took my umbrella in case the rain returned, and rather bravely undertook the serious hill in Central Springs Road. Everyone I met on the way was pleased we were going into lockdown and I was most impressed when I arrived at The Convent Gallery to find masks indoors were already mandatory. We enjoyed wonderful service from Bec Walker, and very yummy lunches & were so pleased we managed our get-together before the lockdown.

As I was leaving to walk home, I received a text message from our pet shop, letting me know that the dog bed we had been interested in, had unexpectedly arrived at their shop. I rang Wes who picked me up & we went straight there, unable to get within cooee as everyone was still busy buying up toilet paper from Coles. 

We think Morse & Lewis rather like their new bed!

On Friday, we donned our masks before doing two rounds of Lake Daylesford & everyone we met was masked, which was very encouraging. It's just a shame that people can't get their injections easily now that they can see how important it is to be vaccinated against COVID-19. We enjoyed our first day of lockdown & I even cooked dinner for a change - mushroom & spinach cream sauce over penne. 

Yesterday, we did the same two rounds of the Lake and had plans for outdoor activities which we postponed, as it was cold enough for snow & no-one at our place wanted to go outside. We listened to the Coodabeen Champions before settling down to watch the footy. Meanwhile, our Freo friends, who are still here with lockdown, sent a photo of their new family member, Brodie, that they collected on Thursday. We are so pleased, because Maisie's death has left a large hole in their lives. 

Les with Brodie, a 7 month old male rescued kelpie

Collingwood & Geelong's total score of 14 goals, 28 behinds made for a very frustrating afternoon, especially as the Pies couldn't score a goal in the first half. Amazingly, we lost by only 10 points. Our neighbours, Dene & Rob delivered a piece of beautiful homemade lemon curd & passionfruit sponge during the last quarter, which lifted our spirits. 

We woke this morning to find that Essendon had beaten West Coast over in Perth, which is no mean feat. We were the only people out walking & we did two complete laps again, which really tires out Lewis & Morse. We're about to go to the Sunday Market, masked & distanced, before coming back home. We have our fingers crossed for the Blues against the Swans in Sydney this afternoon. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 23rd May 2021

 

We started our week with a lovely visit to the Sunday Market, followed by a fun breakfast at Woodshed Café, where David Castles put in an unexpected appearance, much to everyone's delight, as it is ages since we have seen him. We started discussing Newcastle (NSW) among other topics & discovered that David's band, Sidewinder, played many gigs there in the 70s & that he had known the town well. I wonder if Jane & David Knox, our Sydney friends, who were both born in Newcastle, ever went to see David sing. 

For some reason I had a burst of energy & made another pot of minestrone, baked a fruit cake, cooked rice & pasta for Lewis & Morse for the week, and did sundry other kitchen activities such as filling up jars with pasta, biscuits, muesli etc. It was quite a relief when the footy started & I could sit with my knitting & the open fire. Sadly the Blues weren't able to beat Melbourne, but a four-goal loss to the ladder leaders is a pretty good result. Essendon had a narrow win over Freo in the earlier game & West Coast were far too good for Adelaide in Perth. 

Quintessential Winter photo of Lewis & Morse

On Monday morning, we were about to start School, which was focussing on poetry when Carole Hardwick rang to say John's cancer had spread & he wanted Wes to know. Wes immediately decided to drive down the next morning & join John at his usual Tuesday morning tea at Chew Chew in Moonee Ponds. This got me thinking that I could go with him & visit Leanne instead of waiting until next Monday & that was appreciated by Leanne.

Our visits went well - Leanne & I solved computer issues together, while Wes was a very welcome guest at morning tea & John really appreciated him making the trip. We got back here in the early afternoon, in time for me to keep a facial appointment with Emma - my first since February, so we had lots of news to share with each other. 

The next day I had a Zoom chat with Terry Borg, who had very kindly agreed to postpone our usual fortnightly Tuesday chat, so we could go to Melbourne. Wes joined me & we enjoyed a fun catch-up before I headed off to play Mah Jong with Dot & Judi. This week's innovation was little rubber fish for us to brandish when we were 'fishing', which is the step before going Mah Jong. Meanwhile, Wes did more painting of the windows & doors on the decking & finished it off on Friday, as well as getting a first coat on the outside of our bedroom window.

Thursday was another social morning - after walking, shopping & making a pot of tea, I had a catch up with Kathy & Karen where we shared some wonderful laughs & reminisced about the knitting & crochet we had all done over time (Kathy & I were the knitters & Karen the only crochet star). This was brought on by a lovely photo sent to me by Joyce Spiteri, letting me know that tops I had knitted many moons ago were being used by her daughter, Jess, to clothe her twin sons, Oliver & Ethan, who turned 1 that day.

My next chat with by phone with old friend, Sherryn Danaher. It was so good to hear her voice & it will be lovely to see her if I can persuade her to Zoom next time! We caught up with some of our news until it was time to go as I couldn't stop coughing! Around that time we finally received the texts from Springs Medical Centre that we have been longing to get - flu injection appointments for us both, which is happening at 11.20am today. 

It was freezing on Friday when we did our two circuits of Lake Daylesford, frost crunching under our feet when we crossed the bridges and no-one around until just before we finished at 7am. The sun was out by the time we were ready to take the boys socialising, after I had another Zoom call, this time with Leanne. 

Wes with Morse at the Virgin Café

Yesterday didn't go quite to plan. We set off driving to the MCG to see Carlton play Hawthorn & discovered that the huge traffic hold-up we encountered after an hour was due to the Western Freeway being closed for 4 days. Apparently lots of us were completely unaware of these roadworks & it became obvious that we would not get to the MCG on time as Ballarat Road couldn't cope with all the traffic. We turned around & drove back home, arriving at the end of the 1st quarter. Lewis & Morse were delighted to see us, as they thought we would be gone for hours, which was why they had been given huge bones. 

Glen took this wonderful photo of Lewis staring through the fence at her yesterday afternoon

We ate our sandwiches & drank our tea from thermoses as we watched the rest of the game & saw Carlton beat the Hawks by 4 goals to record a very welcome win. The next match was worthy of a Grand Final as Adelaide won by 1 point over the previously unbeaten Melbourne at the Adelaide Oval. We were absolutely exhausted for some reason & only lasted a short time watching the Doggies & Saints. We were shocked to see this morning that the Western Bulldogs beat St Kilda by 111 points. 

We're just back from a very cold walk around Lake Daylesford & are heading to the Sunday Market, before catching up with Judi, Janine, Glen & Glenda for breakfast at Woodshed Café. Then we are having our flu injections & we'll see how we feel after that whether we head off to see Collingwood play Port Adelaide at the MCG (via the Calder Highway this time). 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 16th May 2021

 

We started last week not streaking, but quite cool when walking & at the Sunday Market, where the boys wore two of their 'new' coats courtesy of Yvonne. She was delighted to see them wearing the jackets her mother had made some years ago & gave them an extra big serve of shredded cabbage. I made my first Minestrone soup for the year & we've been enjoying it all week. 

Lewis & Morse had given me a big box of bulbs for Mothers' Day - mostly daffodils, so we planted them as School on Monday morning, as well as some Bush Peas, Broccoli, Freesias & Grape Hyacinths. Right on cue the rain came down just as we finished the planting, feeding & mulching & it continued on & off all day.

We enjoyed a great chat with Mike & Linda Kirby on Hope Island, Queensland, and discovered that Linda is the new Head of Entertainment for where they live. Their daughter Lauren's current boyfriend is a Victorian who barracks for Melbourne & has not known the Demons to play like this in his lifetime!

On Tuesday we took the big step of going to the Regent Cinemas in Ballarat to see a film. They offer a Senior's Card membership for $15, which covers you for 5 years & gives you reduced prices, opportunities to earn points & free films. We chose to see Six Minutes to Midnight, mainly because of Judi Dench & agreed afterwards that the title of the film was the cleverest part of it. It was very underwhelming, and although based on the true existence of a girls' school, the storyline was quite unbelievable & untrue. However, we celebrated having an outing & taking Pearl for a long drive in the rain!

Later that day, Wes visited Jeff Bain for a good catch-up chat, no doubt over a bottle of red, while I relaxed & started watching the wonderful series, Miss S, set in Shanghai, which Judi had alerted me to. It is a Chinese version of Phryne Fisher and even paid homage to Australian red wine in the very first episode. 

The sun came out on Wednesday, so Wes tackled some more painting of the sliding doors on the decking, while I delivered newspapers to Eganstown & Epicures & jars to Porcupine Ridge, before spending a fun morning with Dot & Judi playing Mah Jong. We had decided last week to try a few hands we've not attempted before, mainly because there are no illustrations for them. Judi proved the best at this, and both Dot & I are determined to get better & beat her next week!

We're running out of roses finally, but I managed to pick this small posy & a similar one for Dene this week

The time of the fortnightly Thursday morning chat that Wes has with Paul, Barry, Mike, Bill, Bala & Raghu has been changed to 6.30am, which means that we now get up at 5am to walk the boys. By the time we feed them breakfast & Wes gives them a quick post-prandial cuddle, he is ready for the Zoom chat, which he really enjoys. 

Meanwhile I went supermarket shopping at Coles, bought Dutch Cream potatoes & various pastas at Tonna's & arrived back home in time to put everything away before enjoying a 45 minute Zoom catch up with Kathy. Usually Karen Stevenson joins us, but she had another commitment, and we hope she is able to chat with us next Thursday. 

Lewis & Morse have re-instituted their serious game of chasey since we had some heavy rain. This involves Morse chasing Lewis until he gets him in a headlock & removes his collar. This game is only played the one way - Lewis never does the same to Morse. They are both so thrilled when the game is over & we have to scour the backyard looking for Lewis's black collar!

Typical post chasey behaviour!

On Friday morning, although it was cold, we did our two complete laps of Lake Daylesford (75 minutes), and during that time Morse managed to get his front foot through the neck of his coat. We decided to remove the coat altogether & I'll have to make sure it fits more snugly next time it's worn. Fortunately they have a supply of jackets & there were plenty to chose from yesterday. It was too wet to do socialising at Virgin Café, and they were very disappointed! Like their mother, they love routines. 

Collingwood started their game against Sydney very well & then fell in a heap, unable to kick goals & totally outplayed at the SCG. We were delighted to see North Melbourne finally have their first win for the season & for the Doggies to beat Port at the Adelaide Oval last night. Fingers crossed the Blues put up a good showing this afternoon against the Demons. 

Lovely photo of Jane & David Knox with Terry McDonald in the middle at the SCG before the game

Daylesford Mothers' Day Dispatch - Sunday, 9th May 2021

 

Our week started well with a fun visit to the Sunday Market, where Yvonne was delighted to see Lewis & Morse wearing their coats that her mother had made many years ago for dogs long gone. As we walked in a young man & his toddler were also arriving & the fearless toddler stopped to be licked & loved by the boys. It was a wonderful interaction all round. We were then joined by Janine & Glen (& briefly by Judi before her flu injection) for a most stimulating breakfast catching up on Glen's news & with a debrief from Wes of the launch of the True Crime app in Melbourne the day before. 

Morse & Lewis delighted to wearing their new jackets

That afternoon Carlton beat Essendon by 16 points in a close, exciting game at the MCG. Wes & all his Carlton supporter friends were very excited as they didn't really think the Blues would bounce back enough from the last few weeks. 

On Monday we looked at Winter planting of vegetables for our School session & later in the week visited Wombat Hill Nursery to get some seeds & seedlings. We haven't been particularly scientific with our plantings over the years, so we're trying to turn over a new leaf & check the online advice. 

This beautiful maple, the gift of Denise Robinson many years ago, continues to delight us each Autumn

I spent the afternoon sorting out all my wool - both Kathy Lazzaro & her friend, Maree Littlepage, had given me big bags of leftovers & I have now filled two large plastic containers with wool sorted by ply & colour. Keeping Daylesford Warm has folded as there is no-one available to take on the admin role, so both Kathy & I have been searching for somewhere else to take our offerings. Fortunately, Michelle Clifford who runs the Daylesford Community Op Shop was delighted to hear that I had hand-knitted garments, so I delivered them to her on Wednesday & she wants more.

This week we've had quite a few changes to our usual routines - Zoom chats have been cancelled, postponed or swapped & I took advantage of the free time to speak to local friend, Sue Longley, whose husband, Bill, died nearly one year ago. She is planning on getting a Burmese cat to keep her company, which is a wonderful idea. I did chat with Leanne twice, and had a great overdue catch up with Jan Pengilley in Maleny - we always have lots of stories & laughs to share. 

Jane & John's decking & the view from it in Hepburn Springs

Jane Barrett & I had been planning a get-together for nearly 6 months since she & John moved into their latest home in Second Street. We finally made it happen last Thursday morning & it was fine & sunny so we sat on the decking & enjoyed the view, along with some raspberry & apple cake from the Hepburn General Store. 

Wes had to buy a new ladder & he is loving it - especially now he is painting the outside of our doors & windows on the main decking. He is doing such a good job after years of thinking he couldn't paint. Lewis & Morse watch him from behind the glass, secure in the knowledge they will get a cuddle or two from him when he comes back in to rest. 

Here is our beautiful ornamental grape which has survived this week's winds & rain to produce its finest Autumn colours yet

He also arranged for his third cousin, Maryanne Phelan, to meet some of his first cousins via Zoom & that was a big success. Gary, Glenn & Amanda all joined the chat & were able to tell Maryanne where they fit in the family as well as hear her stories. Ancestry has been an amazing tool for so many people to find other family members as well as unknown info about their forbears. 

On Friday we decided to walk the boys in their "new" coats & they were quite delighted with that decision. We had a very long walk - it takes about 75 minutes to go around Lake Daylesford twice & their reward is to go socialising with us at The Virgin Café in Hepburn Springs. Our neighbour, Glen, joined us & we enjoyed an hour or so sitting in the beautiful gardens catching up & watching Lewis & Morse be spoilt by the wait staff. 

Yesterday, Collingwood finally recorded another win, albeit by 3 goals against bottom team, North Melbourne. North's coach, David Noble, is the father of one of our players, John, and history was against him. In the 9 or so AFLM & AFLW games where fathers have coached against their offspring, the offspring's side has always won. 

Daylesford Autumn Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd May 2021

 

Lewis & Morse would be thrilled if Wes could do this for them every night!

When I left you last Sunday, we were heading off to the Sunday Market, where Yvonne had old dog coats to give me as well as sell me heaps of fruit & vegetables. We came home & changed & drove to Eganstown, 10 minutes away, for our favourite ANZAC Day service. This little hamlet started its own ceremony over 20 years ago & it has kept its charm - an open fire with billys boiling, tins of ANZAC biscuits, a piper, a bugler, a guest speaker & Sallie Harvey singing And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda, which never fails to bring everyone to tears. Local friend, Gordon Nightingale, spoke about The Night Witches, a Russian all-female Air Regiment. If you are interested in reading about these women, please click on this link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_Witches or youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAKETovlLbw

After some billy tea & biscuits, we headed back into Daylesford for the March & laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph. Wes & I had been asked by Catherine King, our local MP, to lay her wreath as she had to be at the Ballarat ceremony. There were over 50 wreaths, which is wonderful for our little town & both the Brass & the Pipes & Drums bands played beautifully. 

Back home we got changed for footy at the MCG & drove to Melbourne, arriving just as the entertainment started. Although we were up high, we were on the wing, with a great view of the play, which we enjoyed after all that time confined to what the TV screen chose to show us. There was a services band, a local band, an excellent ANZAC Day ceremony, and a stunning rendition of both the NZ & Australian National Anthems. 

This is one of my favourite moments in the match - both teams run out through one banner that commemorates the ANZACs

Although we got the early jump on the Bombers, we were no match for them once they got ahead, and were lucky to lose by only 24 points. The atmosphere around us was very friendly with no ill-will or bad scenes. As is usual here, Pies & Bombers fans sat side by side, and while they didn't always see things the same way, they barracked hard for their respective teams. 

We drove home, our first experience in night driving in Pearl, and found all the safely features a big help as it was a dark night. We were greeted by a woof from Morse, and both sets of neighbours assured me that the boys had been very well behaved while we were away. No doubt the giant marrow bones helped!

We were pleased to have a day at home on Monday. After School (where we worked out how to add photos to our Artwork Inventory) - while I did washing, computer and house chores, Wes gardened, moved the lemons trees under cover, cleaned our main decking & picked the rhubarb for me to cook. Lewis & Morse lost interest in both of us & spent their day finding the best sleeping spots. 

Our weeping Japanese maple certainly loves its new home in the garden - it has never been this bright red before! I took the photo at dawn which is why it looks fuzzy

The next morning after a wonderful Messenger chat with Jeff in Torksey Lock, Lincolnshire, and an equally good Zoom call with Leanne, we headed off to Geelong Gallery to see the Rone Exhibition. Callum Preston, son of our friends, Bobby & Marilyn, had made the set & his wife, Mo, produced the Exhibition. Mo suggested we might like to see it, so we bought tickets & used every minute of our hour's time. Tyrone is a superbly talented artist, who specialises in beautifying abandoned buildings inside & out. He is particularly skilled at "trompe l'oeil" - if you haven't seen this & can get to Geelong Gallery before it ends on 16th May, please do. 

Tyrone Wright in front of part of his piece de resistance at Geelong Gallery

We were lucky enough to have a catch up lunch with David Lazzaro at an Italian restaurant close to the Gallery when we were finished. It was so good to spend 90 minutes with him, hearing about how he & his family are going & the effect that COVID had on them all. We were just about to leave when our neighbour, Glen, sent this delightful photo of our stickybeaks.

On Wednesday, after doing my deliveries & pumping water at Leitches Creek, I joined Dot & Judi at Muffins & More for a lovely morning of Mah Jong. The other two had played last week while we were in Melbourne, and were quite cheeky about how they had ignored the rules that I so love & enforce. Back here, Wes got started on the upstairs decking painting the uprights & outside door frames & Morse!

After our regular Zoom chats, we both got some gardening done on Thursday & Friday, which were more beautiful sunny days after cold mornings. Wes mowed everywhere, watered, and we both got beds ready for Winter vegetable planting, which is going to be tomorrow's School topic. I had a fright when I couldn't open anything on my computer, but Wes worked out it was the mouse that was faulty, so we changed it & everything went back to normal. I have been meaning to get started on Trip Advisor, as we went to so many places while we were in Melbourne, and it was good to get a few reviews under my belt before I forget everything I liked or didn't like about where we visited!

Yesterday we headed off to Melbourne mid-morning, and Wes dropped me off at the MCG, where I was meeting Danny for lunch & the game. We had excellent seats on Level 2, but so enjoyed chatting over lunch that we just made it out to our seats before the match started. Once again the Pies weren't good enough & we lost by 24 points, which was flattering. 

Lovely photo of Danny at the Hugh Trumble café

Meanwhile, Wes parked Pearl near St Patrick's Cathedral & headed off to the Town Hall for the launch of "the world's first augmented reality  true crime experience" - a phone app on the Eastern Market Murder of 1899 of his great-grandfather, Frank Cartwright. The app takes you to 10 heritage sites & hidden laneways in Melbourne giving you an idea of what life was like at that time. Wes's cousins, Gary Testro & Amanda Testro, joined him for the launch, and enjoyed sitting together afterwards at Juliet Melbourne Wine Bar debriefing on the event & catching up. 

Lewis & Morse were delighted to see us when we arrived back home around 6pm, but once again giant marrow bones had kept them occupied. We were all in bed early after our big day & busy week, and are looking forward to a quiet Sunday at home together after the Sunday Market & breakfast with friends. Carlton play arch-rival, Essendon, this afternoon, so we'll be watching that with fingers & toes crossed.