I was so pleased I had sent last weekend's Dispatch on Saturday morning & really appreciated all the lovely messages of support I received as a result - emails, texts, Messenger & FB. Thank you.
Wes & I enjoyed a lovely meal at Bad Habits café, our best ever we agreed. Then he & Morse drove me to Ballan Station to catch the train into Melbourne. We were relieved we had left early as there was a problem on the freeway & cars were being directed off it & onto the Ballan Road, which chewed up 12 minutes until we were allowed to pass the barriers into Ballan.
Lovely photo of Wes at Bad Habits
I checked into my "cell" in Ibis Style Hotel in King Street & decided to have a rest before heading into Flinders Lane, where I was meeting up with David & Helen Lazzaro before the game. We enjoyed a lovely catch up over crepes before walking together to the MCG.
Squeezy room for one
As I was early, I went to the 2nd Level to see Gayle Gibson & was able to relax over a glass of bubbles with her. She suggested I try for a seat out the front & I was fortunate to get one in a great spot with no-one behind me & most people near me masked. Gayle & I had a good chat & she showed me a couple of photos from my time at Collingwood in the 80s that I didn't have.
Me, Gayle, Sharon Lendrum & Kerry Brennan above &
below with Brian Taylor in his playing days
The Pies played well & I was so proud of them, as well as being delighted I didn't have to rush off at the end to catch a train home. Instead, I walked with everyone to Flinders Street, where we discovered that very few trains were going to Southern Cross Station and eventually caught the Werribee train which dropped us all off where we needed to go. My hotel was 5 minutes' walk from the Station & well-lit even at 11pm.
The next morning, I had breakfast with Karen Stevenson (AKA Lovely) at Degani's café at Southern Cross Station. We both enjoyed very yummy meals & had about an hour together chatting before it was time for me to catch my train home. The trip was very peaceful with only 7 people in my carriage. Wes & Morse were waiting to greet me & congratulate me on the win.
Last Sunday was very special as it marked 50 years since I first met good friends Kathy Lazzaro (nee Ashton) & Squiz (Ian) Murray. We met on my first day of work at the Department of Labour & National Service in Flinders Street. Kathy was the first person to show me the ropes & showed me kindness that I have never forgotten, while Squiz was memorable for being late to work, which was a regular occurrence. Our boss, Betty Rae, ruled off the Attendance Book each morning, leaving a line for him as she knew he would make it up at the other end. We have shared so many wonderful times over those 50 years & marked the occasion by having a G&T in our respective homes at 5.30pm that night.
Squiz & I had the same Japanese gin - his with rosemary & mine with lemon - I don't know what brand Kathy's was but it was colourful, with lemon as well.
On Monday morning, Wes decided to surprise me with School & I found we were watching the history of the Collingwood Football Club, which was a most welcome change from our usual more taxing assignments. He spent the rest of the morning in the garden, while I washed all of Morse's bedding, which displeased him so much he went & dug up his marrow bone from Maddy, which must be a couple of weeks old now!
My new exercise regime is going well - I plan to do it three times a week & go for a walk on the other days where possible. And Wes is enjoying doing proactive gardening now that his project of clearing up a huge pile of branches is finished. Morse isn't interested in either of these activities unless they impinge on his bone burial spot.
A drift of daffodils & a superb rhododendron at the Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens
This week we've had our usual Zoom chats with friends & family, which are such wonderful ways to stay in touch even though we are too far away from each other to visit easily. Wes also had a long Zoom with Overseas Friends & learned all about a new member of the group, an American named Bill. I had brunch with Judi before we played Mah Jong on Wednesday. We both enjoyed very yummy breakfasts & her French toast was quite something to behold. Neither of us took photos as we were hungry & now we are sorry we didn't!
I discovered during the week that I missed out on an MCC reserved seat for the Grand Final, which means I will have to queue up that morning & hope for the best. It's a good thing I am booked into a city hotel. The gates open at 8am & no-one else is allowed into the ground until 9am, which gives the members in the queue best chance at getting a seat without panicking.
On Friday, Wes went to Melbourne & stayed overnight with Tom. His visit was prompted by an invitation from Tom to attend a Card Night with other old mates, and Wes used the chance to catch up with his nephew, Leon, on the way to lunch at the Maribyrnong Boathouse with his cousins, Gary Testro & Amanda Testro. He really enjoyed his catch up that night with old friends & he took Tom to breakfast yesterday morning to thank him for his hospitality.
While Wes was busy, Morse & I did loads of washing, went for a drive together, played, and then sat & relaxed with The Age crosswords & later AFLW footy. Sadly, the first Preliminary Final between Geelong & Brisbane resulted in a drubbing for the Lions that night - Geelong are almost unbackable for the Flag after that effort.
No pre-match nerves for Morse!
Wes arrived back here in the pouring rain to a rapturous welcome from Morse & me. We were pleased to see him, especially when he produced fresh oysters for half-time in the footy. Late afternoon we watched Collingwood rally in an exciting last quarter against Sydney. It would have been cruel if we had won, as the Swans had led every minute of the match & were deserving winners of a memorable Preliminary Final at the SCG. I'm very proud of the Pies & looking forward to next year.
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