Dear Friends, it has been a while since I wrote to you. We
were in the middle of a visit by Pam & Pete and the remainder of the weekend
went very well. We all enjoyed a good time at Sunday breakfast where Mary
Goodall regaled us with her thoughts on life in Bendigo (always worth hearing
Mary’s thoughts) as she stimulated some interesting conversations. Margot went
to a lot of trouble over Bilbo’s breakfast and Pam & Pete were most
impressed with the big round table upstairs where we dined in solitary
splendour.
Margot putting egg
on top of the Vegemite on toast
After dropping Bilbo home to recover, we spent quite a long
while on the road showing Pam & Pete the areas within a 20-minute radius of
Daylesford including Hepburn Springs, Glenlyon, Trentham, Little Hampton,
Franklinford, Mt Franklin & Shepherds Flat. We drove around the Wombat
Botanic Gardens, tasted mineral water in Porcupine Ridge, visited the Chocolate
Mill for hot chocolates followed by ice cream with chocolate topping and
completely avoided Vincent Street, which was wall-to-wall cars and people.
Pam & I rested and watched the footy while Wes &
Pete drove back to Trentham where they managed 9 holes of golf before the light
faded. Wes made yummy pizzas for dinner and we sat around laughing over ‘That
Was the Year That Was’ 1995 & 1996.
Pete getting stuck
into his chocolate ice cream
On Monday morning, we gave our guests a lovely brunch of
eggs on muffins with mushrooms & bacon & baked sweet potato before they
left to drive home before the traffic got too heavy. They were perfect guests,
very appreciative and loved spending time with Bilbo as well as the open fires
we lit each afternoon. Later in the day, we watched the Pies beat the Demons in
a great game of footy at the MCG, where fund-raising continued for a cure for
Motor Neurone Disease. Eleven celebrities, who had each raised at least $1,000,
went down a slide into an ice pool especially created at the G for the
occasion. It made for hilarious entertainment, and like most other footy
followers we found ourselves donating for the cause. Neale Daniher who was
diagnosed with MND two years ago has decided to go down fighting and so far over
$2.3M has been raised for research into this invidious disease. I don’t know
anyone who didn’t already admire and like Neale, so he has tapped into that
enormous goodwill and is doing wonders by going public and raising awareness as
well as money.
The next morning was spent by me having a facial with Emma
& Wes showing ‘Pitch Perfect 2’ at the cinema. I was telling Emma what a
terrible film he was showing & she confessed to having taken her two
daughters to see it in Gold Class at Ballarat! We kept saying we must start
packing for our week in Melbourne, but didn’t, which meant we left it until the
last minute, which was Wednesday afternoon post Mah Jong for me, and post time
with Barbara for Wes.
We had a wonderful week and couldn’t have done any more or experienced
better weather. We dropped Bilbo off at Eureka Kennels, where he was warmly
welcomed by Andrew & Annette. We had decided to drive to town even though our
accommodation had been chosen because it was across the road from Southern
Cross station. This enabled us to go to Queen Vic Market in the early afternoon
and buy lots of smoked trout, spicy meat, cheeses, dips, interesting bread and
naughties to feed the Stevensons & Lazzaros who were all visiting that
first night. We discovered that parking was $18.50 per 24 hours at City Point,
668 Bourke Street, where we were staying courtesy of Melbourne Short Stays, so
there was no argument, and we were pleased to have it on two days when we
really needed it.
We checked into our apartment, which sadly didn’t have the
promised view of town, but was clean and functional without being exciting. I
had booked it because of position and the washing machine & dryer, which
meant we could pack lightly. We went for a walk after we had unpacked and found
ourselves at Federation Square, where we visited the Ian Pottery Gallery to see
the World War I & II Exhibition. This was very moving and we were pleased
we had gone, until we were caught in the lift for 35 minutes. Fortunately, it
was a big lift and there were only 4 of us, one of whom didn’t want to engage
and one of whom went into panic mode. While Wes calmed her, I spoke through the
doors to the staff on the other side who got me to try holding down various
buttons for different lengths of time. The music in the lift was AC/DC, which
was not conducive to calmness or hearing and we eventually got that turned
down, but not off. After 15 minutes, we were told the technician would arrive
in 10 minutes and that was the last we heard from anyone until the lift
suddenly took us down to the ground floor. We complained about being left
alone, but that fell on deaf ears. We then couldn’t exit the Gallery as it was
closed and no one seemed to be able to open the doors.
Wes, Karen, Kathy,
Ged & Malcolm
By the time, we got back to our apartment it was 5.50pm and
our guests were due at 6pm, so our presentation left a little to be desired and
we didn’t even get a chance to change clothes. Everyone arrived on time, were
suitably shocked by our experience but then settled down to eat, drink and tell
great holiday tales as both couples are not long back from exciting trips.
The next morning we had a slow start, then hit Tasma
Terrace, the headquarters of the National Trust, where we discovered there was
nothing we could look at either there, so headed for St Patrick’s Cathedral,
then St Peter’s Anglican Church & finally ended up via the Exhibition
Gardens at the Melbourne Museum. We had free entry with our Seniors’ cards and
headed straight to Phar Lap. I have been looking at Phar Lap since I was very
young and remain in awe of this beautiful, huge, talented horse. We did look at
the rest of the Melbourne exhibit and found some footage of the 1909 Grand
Final between South Melbourne & Carlton, which the Bloods won by 2 points.
We celebrated our Anniversary with a very yummy lunch at
‘Bamboo House’, (at the top of Little Bourke Street), an old favourite, which
quickly filled up with diners. Warren was able to shake hands with Bill
Shorten, who he had seen so recently. The food was as good as we remembered
with Wes having Sichuan dried fried beef, me indulging in Sichuan chilli prawns
and both of us sharing a dish of Mermaid’s Tresses (shown below).
I posted this photo of Wes in his Icelandic jumper on
Facebook and we got 120 likes plus a few comments, which was wonderful indeed.
Afterwards we decided to go to the Kino to see ‘Gemma Bovery’,
a delightful, quirky French film, which we both enjoyed very much. On our way home,
we dropped into David Jones and bought new sheets and towels, which were much
overdue. It was fun carrying them back on the tram!
On Saturday we
decided to walk from our apartment to find Mad Duck Café in Docklands and we
were very pleased we did. It was a lovely place for breakfast with attentive
staff, good cutlery suitable for cutting thick toast and a view of the water.
From there we walked to the National Gallery of Victoria to see the ‘A Golden
Age of China’. We were entitled to free tickets which was good and we found the
exhibition breath-taking. There were so many priceless artifacts, clothes and
paintings all in the one place – it was overwhelming. We walked back home via
the Book Tables in Federation Square and managed to pick up 4 second-hand books
that we desperately needed.
In the afternoon
we went to see ‘Woman in Gold’ at the Kino, and we are so pleased we did. Not
only is it a stunning film with wonderful acting by Helen Mirren in particular,
but as we were coming out of the complex we spotted an old friend, Ted Bailey, who
we haven’t seen in years. We knew each other through Brunswick Rotary, but lost
touch when his wife died. He now has the companionship of Wendy, a widow, who
lives in Queenscliff and they seem very happy together. We shared a drink and a
long chat before they left and we went to Yum Cha Café for an early dinner.
The next morning
we had made arrangements to catch up with Robert & Marilyn Preston at
‘Smith & Daughters’ in Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. Their younger son,
Callum, and his fianceé, Mo, run this trendy vegetarian bistro and during this
week they opened their second venture, ‘Smith & Deli’, which is a block
away and will offer lots of fresh produce and takeaway food & drinks. We
were able to have a quick look into the new shop as there was an opening for
the press later that morning.
We left the
Prestons and walked to the MCG, where I had managed to get a Balcony pass for
Wes. However, Gayle & Fraser had combined to get him a Long Room pass, but
I had forgotten to ask him to pack a tie, so we weren’t able to use it.
However, we did spend some time with Gayle and at half-time, while she and her
friend, Heather, were indulging in afternoon tea, we went upstairs to the Frank
Grey Smith bar, found a couple of armchairs and some red wine and spent half-time
and the third quarter there. It was a
good game until the Greater Western Sydney team were decimated by injuries and
Collingwood ran out easy winners in the end. I discovered the next day that my
brother, Peter, and his wife, Anka, were in Melbourne that weekend, and that
Peter had also been at the footy.
Wes & Loud Gayle in the MCC
After the game
we came home to finish off leftovers and burnt the toast! The cheap toaster in
our room didn’t have a setting between barely brown and burnt black as we discovered
when the smoke alarm went ballistic. A tall man from another apartment came to
the door and turned the alarm off for us.
We had made an
appointment to see Peter Russo, our solicitor, on Monday morning, to discuss
our wills and Joan Testro’s estate. Before our 10am meeting, we drove to Sydney
Road and found ‘Foxtrot Charlie’, which was a rather stylish new café offering
interesting breakfast dishes and with a barista who listened. After breakfast
we went for a walk up and down Sydney Road and were sad to see it looking so
neglected.
Wes enjoying a hot latte at Foxtrot Charlie
Our time with
Peter Russo & his offsider, Francis, was very useful. He was pleased to
receive our completed Executor’s Dossier, Certified copies of the various
Powers of Attorney, as well as a printout of most of the information he would
need if we should die together. As we have known each other for 30 years or so,
it is easy to be dealing with him about these matters, and we are confident our
affairs are in good hands.
Our next visit
was to Leanne, who had been delighted to hear that we had a car and could see
her, so we spent some time in Strathmore chatting and catching up on each
other’s news. She had been visited by Peter & Anka on Saturday, which was
how she knew Peter was at the football. After that we had hoped to visit both
Leanne Meli & son Jack, as well as Greta Millman & daughter, Penny, as
both these wonderful mothers have driven to Trentham this year to see us, which
is a big call with a 2-year old in tow. Sadly every number we had for Leanne
was discontinued and Greta didn’t hear our call as she & Penny were feeling
unwell and were asleep.
So on the spur
of the moment we headed to Cinema Nova in Carlton. Wes dropped me off to see
‘Dior & I’, which I absolutely loved. The tiny cinema I was in was full and
we were all in accord – oohs & aahs here, gasps there and tears at the end.
Wes meanwhile parked the car and went to see ‘Partisan’, which sounded very
futuristic and unpleasant. However he bumped into Tom Tyrrell, (who was off to
see ‘Woman in Gold’ with his wife, Deb), on the way in, so we ended up sipping
wine at ‘Jimmy Watson’s’ across the road after our films finished.
The next morning
we walked to Hardware Lane looking for a café Wes had found on Trip Advisor,
but ended up at ‘Larder Section’ instead, mostly because of the warm smile
& greeting from the waitress as we went past. We sat outside under a heater
and enjoyed our food, hot drinks & banter. First stop after that was the
‘Immigration Museum’, which we had never visited before and loved. We found it
endlessly fascinating, informative and provocative. We found ourselves at the
Art Centre next where there was a display on Wartime entertainment both for
& by the troops & at home. Next stop was the Ian Potter Gallery for a
cuppa & biscuit & rest. We love the benefits of our NGV membership
which give us the rights to use the members’ rooms at both locations, where
there is free tea, coffee & hot chocolate & usually ANZAC biscuits.
St Paul’s
Anglican Cathedral was just across the road, so we visited it and found it very
beautiful indeed, especially its unique sandstone appearance, stunning organ,
skylight and stained glass. Next stop was the Old Treasury Building where we
reminisced about our schooldays after seeing some very old footage of line-ups
and daily exercise routines. There is quite a lot about the Gold Rush period,
as well as historic documents relating to Victoria’s development. I learned
there that we were the first place in the world to introduce secret ballots for
voting.
We spent a
couple of hours back in the apartment reading & resting in preparation for
a light meal at ‘Quaffs’ in South Yarra, where we had been invited by our
financial advisor, Anthony Starkins, to hear a presentation. We walked in right
on time to find Tom & Deb were there as well. Apart from catching up with
them & Anthony, we listened to an interesting speech from the Funds Manager
of First Samuel, who was then bombarded with thoughtful questions by Warren
& Tom.
On Wednesday we
had breakfast with Ben Lazzaro at Cumulus Inc in Flinders Lane. This place is
very popular for lunch & dinner, but not quite our style for breakfast. Ben
had asked Wes to the footy today, but was happy to compromise with this
catch-up instead. We spent a lovely hour with Ben hearing about his family
& work. On our way to catch the City Circle Tram we bumped into Carlo Carli
& Robert Larocca, old Brunswick friends.
The trip on the
tram was delightful. It took an hour, went all the way into Docklands and
deposited us outside the State Library at the end. We both loved being on the
old green & yellow tram (now painted maroon) with wooden panelling. Apart
from catching the bus to school, all my travel before I left home was done on
trams and most of them were these beautiful ones. Our tram was full of Maroon
& Blue supporters poking cheek at each other, with the Queensland Maroons
far outweighing the NSW Blues. They were all in Melbourne for the 2nd
Rugby League State of Origin game at the MCG, which attracted a crowd of
91,000+.
We wandered into
the Library and looked at the permanent display on early Melbourne with
emphasis on Ned Kelly, although a lot of the artefacts are on loan to the
Bendigo Gallery which has a special Ned Kelly Exhibition going. Another floor
was devoted to beautiful old books & memorabilia from the archives...it was
a sumptuous display and well worth the visit.
Dinner that
night was at ‘Seamstress’ in Lonsdale Street – this is a formed textile factory,
which has been turned into a contemporary restaurant & bar serving
interesting cocktails & Pan Asian food. We loved our meal, enjoyed our
Jamaican-born, German waiter & would go back again like a shot. What a fun
experience!
On Thursday
morning we woke to light rain and headed across the road to ‘Kinfolk’, which is
staffed mostly by volunteers and devotes its profits to charities. We supported
Cathy Freeman’s Foundation. I have to comment that we found service very slow
and the breakfast menu uninspiring, so settled for raisin toast which arrived
with enough butter to scrape onto one piece. The hot drinks arrived as we
finished our toast, so perhaps there is some room for improvement there, as the
waiting staff seemed to enjoy chatting with each other much more than engaging
with the patrons.
Footy fans having a kick on the MCG after the game
We packed up
quickly, loaded the car and after returning the keys and paying the final bill,
set off for home via Yarraville, where Wes had to pick up the key to Joan
Testro’s home. We had an excellent drive here and arrived to find 30mls of rain
had fallen and the grass had grown. I got started on the unpacking & washing,
while Wes drove to Ballarat to collect Bilbo, who had been bathed and was
waiting patiently for him to arrive. Bilbo got an elephant stamp for being best
dog at Eureka Kennels yet again.
In the afternoon
I balanced Quicken and answered those emails I had neglected while we were
away. Wes prepared for yesterday’s trip to Melbourne and then spent time with
Barbara making sure she was OK and had survived a week without his assistance.
We defrosted some homemade tomato sauce and enjoyed a yummy pasta meal for
dinner before falling asleep in front of the footy.
Yesterday Wes drove to Malvern and spent his time
interviewing three different real estate agents as requested by Joan’s three
daughters. He had a short rest before getting changed and driving to Flemington
Racecourse for a St Bernard’s Secondary School reunion. There were only a
handful from 1965 including Tom Tyrrell & John Hardwick, and this group
decided they needed to have their own 50th Anniversary celebration
which Wes & Tom will organise.
I was very lazy
this morning & stayed in bed reading the Age and getting out the cryptic
crossword before Bilbo & I headed out for a walk into town to pick up a few
things & collect our dry-cleaning. Wes spent some time on the computer
debriefing on yesterday before allowing himself a rest in preparation for this
afternoon’s Carlton game. He had hoped to do the mowing but the grass is too
wet for that.
Robert, Marilyn
& Karen outside Smith & Deli in Fitzroy, ‘the hippest place in
Melbourne’
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