Daylesford Daylight Saving Dispatch - Sunday, 2nd October 2022

Not sure Morse would know what to do either, but he certainly dances at mealtimes!

This will probably be a bit longer than usual as I have some extra days to catch up on. Wes & Morse drove me to Ballan Station on Friday (Grand Final eve) late morning & I caught a fairly empty train to Southern Cross & then another to Melbourne Central, which was a hive of activity, which meant it took me quite a while to find the exit to Swanston Street!

I was staying at Essence Hotel, the only reasonably-priced place left when we made the late decision that I would go to the Grand Final & stay over. Reception was wonderful and I had high hopes of my room, which turned out to be another cell, slightly bigger than the last and with a superior bathroom & colour scheme! After I unpacked, I went back downstairs to catch the train to Richmond to watch the Collingwood AFLW side play Essendon at our Olympic Park ground. Sadly, it was pouring rain when I emerged & after 10 minutes showed no signs of abating, so I went back upstairs & watched the game on my phone.

Small double bed, TV & window & storage space

That night I walked to Little Bourke Street & had dinner at Westlake, which has been one of our favourites over many years. As at my last visit, I was ignored by the male staff & waited ages for someone to take my order, while larger parties were attended to immediately. I decided to have a prawn omelette, which was OK with a glass of pinot noir, which was decidedly better. I'll have to find a new Asian restaurant to frequent from now on. 

After not much sleep, I got up early & caught a train to the MCG which got me in the queue at 6.50am, towards the back. As usual, the MCC staff did a brilliant job of people management, and 10 minutes after the gates opened at 8am, I was seated on Level 3, waiting to be given my seat ticket. By the time I left the MCG to have breakfast, the entire queue had entered the ground & the barriers were being dismantled. We had all been wanded & had our bags searched while we queued, and in lieu of turnstiles, the staff had hand-held barcode readers, which made entry very swift. 

I decided to celebrate with breakfast at Hotel Windsor, where I enjoyed Jasmine tea & eggs Royale before sitting in their foyer for 30 minutes or so & watching the passing parade of excited Geelong & Sydney fans. 

Delightful Jasmine tea 

Before returning to my seat, I headed into the Long Room to spend a very pleasant hour with Gayle Gibson and we celebrated with a glass of bubbles. Once the Grand Final entertainment started, the atmosphere livened up & everyone enjoyed singing Up There Cazaly with Mike Brady (aged 74), who wrote this song in 1979 & has been singing it ever since. 

Then came Robbie Williams & we were thrilled with his extravagant stage, costuming, dancers, singers & musicians. He paid tribute to Shane Warne, wished John Farnham well & encouraged us all to sing along with him - Let Me Entertain You, Angels, You're the Voice & Kids (with Delta Goodrem). Wow!

Geelong (established 1859) played a perfect game of footy & the Swans (established 1873) were never in the hunt. We supporters of other teams all dodged a bullet when our sides didn't make the Grand Final, as no team was going to beat Geelong that afternoon. I enjoyed watching their teamwork & how they shared out the goals, while feeling so sorry for the Swans fans, many of whom had come from NSW to cheer on their side. 

Afterwards I went back to my hotel before heading out to Carlton in search of dinner. I found myself at Tono at Borsari in Lygon Street where I enjoyed a hearty meal of spaghetti with calamari & a glass of red. 

Wes picked me up from my hotel around 9am the next morning, after I had walked around the perimeter of Melbourne Uni, past Newman Chapel, where we were married in 1970, and past the various Halls of Residence and the Conservatorium of Music. We visited my sister, Leanne, and had a great time talking about the Grand Final, before we came back home, where Morse was waiting eagerly for us to arrive. He was delighted to see me & waggled his whole body for 5 minutes!

On Monday, in lieu of School, Wes drove to Wheatsheaf where Yvonne lives, to collect our fruit & vegetables, as he had been unable to fit in a visit to the Market before picking me up. Later that morning I had my monthly massage with Sarah, who has moved out of the main building at 39 Albert Street & into her own space, which is lovely. We get along well & the hour flies by, especially now that my muscles are responding well to her ministrations. 

Two beautiful memories of my time in Melbourne - tall yellow tulips in the Fitzroy Gardens & stunning blossom in the Treasury Gardens

We've had a most enjoyable week - Wes has chatted with Barbara in NZ twice, as well as catching up with his Overseas Friends to discuss Ukraine. I had a good chat with Jeff in Lincolnshire & two Zooms with Leanne, as well as a catch up with Old Friends. It was my week for a haircut & my hairdresser, Lyndal, is a Geelong supporter, so we had plenty to discuss. It was also time for a manicure and Juls, who doesn't really follow footy, but has a family of Collingwood supporters, is still devastated that the Pies couldn't beat Sydney in the Preliminary Final. 

Yesterday, I made an impromptu visit to Leanne early, as there are lots of things she needs help with, and I hadn't been able to provide that help the previous Sunday. She was thrilled & we chatted through issues, as well as did lots of practical things. I had a good run to Strathmore there & back, but was tired by mid-afternoon. However, a stirring last gasp win by the AFLW Pies against the Saints was just what I needed to keep me going!

As usual, I changed all the clocks late afternoon, so we had dinner & went to bed at our usual times, which gave the three of us a good night's sleep before it was time to walk Morse in the dark again this morning. 

This beautiful kookaburra joined me on the decking at lunchtime on Friday - sadly, we were fresh out of mice, frogs & insects, so he didn't stay too long!