flashman181

It’s a quiet room on a high floor so slept ok , sleep of course being a relative term these days. We have a special dinner tonight so will try and be a quiet day in the drinking and eating caper but 6 pm seems a long way away at present . Time to look for some coffee first up and so I hopped to it. Here is one I prepared earlier

We ended up walking a bit further than first planned as first option didn’t open until 8:30 am. Bloody Victorians 😏 Next option then was Brick Lane and as always with Google maps always head off in wrong direction initially 🕺🏻 . We did find it though down yet another laneway which wasn’t called Brick oddly enough. As it was now approaching 8 am we stayed for breakfast as well and not disappointed . In fact could not finish it all

Across the road there was a cat cafe and if wasn’t full certainly would have tried the Persian Porridge but like I said was fully sated and certainly didn’t need a furball as well.

Melbourne has always had a great street art scene but some more have been added now with Flash Forward laneway murals. We had a map and noted a few near us so when in Rome……try the Burmese Bruschetta.

Hopefully will see more over next few days . Now it was time to roll back down the hill and head home for a breather before some shopping at DFO given that must naturally stand for David Ferguson Outlet ?

Did I mention my ankle is fucked already 🚶

So a 30 min rest so the Osteophytes could line up again and off to DFO. CLP keeps an ear out ( pay attention) for any cultural events in our vicinity so maybe should have been alerted when she suggested we walk through the Convention Centre in case it rains. Well it is Melbourne. And I walked right into it. Well limped . There was a Van Gogh exhibit on at The Lume . There goes the next 60 mins of drinking time. To be fair it was rather brilliant and glad I talked her into it . Photos can’t do justice to the immersive spectacle but when has that ever stopped me. Cutting down the 40 I took was the tricky part especially as the great ones are usually easy to pick out – I am in them 😏

While the display was great standing for an hour wasn’t so I needed liquid sustenance and a nubile nurse . Ok a beer and a frisky fraulein would have to do so we headed to Munich Brauhaus

Then it was off to the the shops cleverly avoiding any large indoor structures along the way. I had minor success with a new pair of dress pants but that was about it folks. By now the ankle was gone and still had to make it back home a few klicks. And then it did rain……

Somehow made it home and time to chill for a few before our anniversary dinner tonight at Grossi Florentino. One morning of kulcha is enough for this LBD

Well, what a superb meal that was after a dodgy start. We arrived early so settled in at bar at the 3 level establishment . Sadly , Basil Fawlty in a dress was the bartender. Hopeless service and attitude. Then we went upstairs into a whole new world. The level of service and attention to detail was simply exemplary. We had looked at Gran Tour degustation on line and not impressed but the menu presented tonight intrigued so we hooked in and added the paired wines. Our first degustation many many years ago was here and it bought back wonderful memories. The food was varied , plentiful and delicious and they didn’t skimp on the wine servings. A perfect meal takes time but you don’t notice and neither did we after 4 hrs! Some great fun people watching – we had The Kardashians behind us, Jared Kushner and family next to us , a group of money launderers adjacent and Red Dress in the corner. Which just leaves the photos

Tomorrow mornings plans are currently on hold …..

We did get to Brisvegas yesterday for a quick drive and drink soirée to celebrate Claude’s birthday with Della clan. The weather was lousy but luckily no accidents and we made it home ok . I was very sensible drinking wise of course with a big week ahead. Yeah right….

Sunday has dawned a little clearer but won’t need sunglasses anytime soon. We have arranged for a “local” drive service to take us to airport at 9 am as fares back and forth equate to a weeks parking anyway and much more relaxed. The obvious first flaw in the Maroochydore plan is a distinct lack of Qantas Club so some mixing with GU must be endured

By 9 am the sun was a blazing and we headed off in our Beemer. A bit early for check in but all good and by 10 am was sitting in a GU gathering area looking at our $37 for two small coffees and two sandwiches ! And by two sandwiches I mean two slices of bread stuck together and cut in two 😏 Methinks it’s Brisbane airport all the way from here .

Plane left on time 👍🏻 Exit row seats are very good value . Even though flying at lunch time all we got was a muesli bar and a cup of tea ! We arrived on time and then lickety split to The Langham. Had done the old “ special occasion” ruse and had been promised something special in our room on arrival for our 20th anniversary….

Wow. Luckily we were full from the muesli bar …. It’s a lovely room of course with great views

Then it was time for Tradition #1 and of course we knew where the nearest Irish Pub was. Being Sunday arvo there was some live music as well

Our only real plan for today was to visit the Icebar at 6 pm so had some time to fill in and did a quick reconnoiter of Fed Square and then wandered down a lane as you do in Melbourne and MoVda looked quite so why not even if only 5 pm. Excellent Tapas as always and some red stuff to cleanse the tonsils

Wandered back to Icebar in Fed Square for something a bit different and it was good fun. Had a cocktail and a game of air hockey while generally loitering for 30 mins. Glad we did it as was unique but not sure it’s a life changer . Amused at the dolly birds rocking up in shorts .

Then we wandered back out to Fed Square as it was finally dark and caught the Constellations light show . Very impressive

Then it was time to saunter back to our lodgings along the always impressive Southbank with the impressive Melbourne skyline. The weather was great and we had already done so much in our first day and if nothing else something was already very apparent

Now I remember why I am getting this ankle fused 😰

With Armageddon approaching I headed off to Flashman Inc at Nosunshine Coast a couple of days early as didn’t want to miss a thing before making a V line to Victoria on Sunday

Ok so technically you only catch a V Line once in Victoria but where is the fun in that . We had decided to fly out of Maroochydore rather than Brisvegas. It then made sense to fly back into Maroochydore duh. Simple you would think but of course Qantas in 2022 is a nightmare so after they changed our flights weeks ago still have not got a correct eticket to reflect that but have been assured all is good. We should know about 1135 on Sunday and take an altitude reading and hope it’s closer to 30,000 feet rather than 0 feet or my attitude reading could be off the charts !

Sitting here on Friday at Maplehead it is presently hosing it down as predicted . Yeah I was shocked too. We are hoping to drive to Brisvegas and back tomorrow to see my Mum and also help celebrate Claude’s 92 nd birthday at Burbank, but not the one in California . That is the plan but if this rainbomb hangs around past today as is now looking likely then we may be cocooned here for another day as roads may become flooded etc. It would be ironic , bordering on a tad annoying , to be flying out of Maroochydore on Sunday only to be stuck in Brisvegas.

So provided we get off the ground on Sunday we will spend 4 nights in Melbourne at our go to hotel there The Langham before catching a …… wait for it …..V Line train to Bendigo to freeload at Harcourt North with family for another 4 nights . Because Qantas changed our late afternoon flight to an early morning flight on the Tuesday we V Line it back to Melbourne on the Monday afternoon to spend a night at The Grand hotel before early flight next day . There could be eating and drinking involved but too early to confirm that yet …. hopefully Number 1 son may also be in Melbourne at the same time . CLP and I will actually be celebrating 20 years together of which we actually spent about 7 months together under the same roof but when I see that hopeful look in her eyes I just may give her an upgrade from C to P ie Current to Probable. No promises .

So now we wait to see what Old Whiskers has in store for us over the next 24 hrs . The only certainty in immediate future is a date for a Grind and Bind on June 2 nd. Better get some walking in next few weeks because after that it will be lay down Sally for several.

So, finally got in to see orthopod 1 – lets call him Dr Kneedy – a month ago and general concensus was yeah its on the way out but if not too painful 24/7 suck it up Princess and these helpful words only cost $220. Bargain. As he was so approachable I asked about my ankle. Ok, that needs to be fixed. Whew. When can we do that ? Ah no I dont do ankles you need Orthopod 2 next door – lets call him Dr Wankle. And I guess that will be another $220 ? He just smiled and wrote out a referral for a visit and a new xray.

Saw Dr Wankle last week and maybe should have been on alert when I walked in and saw

Ok have looked at xrays and that looks painful. No shit Sherlock. There are 3 things we can usually do

1. Nothing – how did that work out for ya the last 40 years ?
2. Replace joint – not possible in your case – too far gone (not first time have heard that)
3. Final offer – fuse the ankle

So basically, crawl back out or accept final offer ? Yep. Oh so what does a fusion entail? Pain and a lot of rest afterwards but will be able to walk much easier because your wallet will be a lot lighter. Gotta love orthopod humour. “I call it Grind n Bind for short. Have you ever seen a carpenter fix a wonky leg on a coffee table? Basically some chiseling , some grinding, some smoothing and then a shitload of screws and a plate”

“Will I still be able to pass through Airport security?”

“Well, not quickly” Fucking orthopod humour.

“How about golf?”

“Well your short game will still be good, it will just include your tee shots now” He was on a roll, so gave up

Basically 6 weeks in plaster and then 4 weeks at least in a moon boot. I rang Elon Musk (well at least tweeted him) to book my space flight but he suggested I may need to boost my hospital cover to be

Discussed with CLP as she will be Nursey Mercy and she seemed overjoyed with the prospect of me living there for 6-10 weeks. At least I think they were tears of joy

So we have a trip to Melbourne next month for 10 days and then we line up on June 2nd for the slice and dice. Seemed best to do in winter when cooler and wont be so frustrated looking at pool and not being able to swim. Means cancelling short solo trip to Sydney but the way Qantas operate these days that was always a 50/50 chance anyway eh. Does mean for Xmas in July at YabbaDabbaDo I will be waited on hand and foot like a Roman Emperor so not all bad …..

Speaking of Offers, Paramount have released a 10 episode limited series on the troubled making of The Godfather called ….. wait for it…… The Offer. I knew of many of the problems with local “family” and casting but this seems a tad embellished even with Ruddy involved. The casting is spot on though so well worth a watch

10 episodes, 10 weeks ……. spooky eh.

And a new Festivus was born. No Poles seen but a few Italians were lurking with intent. As is the tradition each year the Della clan descend on The Poderosa @ Flashman Inc for varied periods over Easter but always full attendance at Saturday lunch. The weather forecast was promising so I ducked down a day early to make sure

Satisfied it would be suitable for any and all campers then did a quick mow of the property while CLP set about cooking to plan. Eskies were packed with alcohol and ice and mints left on pillows for the woosy boys taking the indoor option .

First arrivals then were RJER with their new Caravan in tow. An impressive looking home away from home indeed. Then BC2 and Quinn rolled up while T&B followed shortly after with their camper van just in time for lunch

The weather was holding beautifully if a tad on the cool side . I could see some Flannos in my near future

Not a lot of swimming was done that day despite a it being a glorious looking day . Basking in the sun was ok but getting out of the pool was brisk . Guess we could sit around and have a drink ? That’s the arvo taken care off so let’s just gaze at the full moon as it rises so we can go to bed and start again tomorrow

Another glorious day dawned and time to set up for the midday feast before the horde descends. We are old hands , and even older bodies, at this caper now and soon the table was set while CLP worked up a lather in the kitchen . I was on coffee duty so was full of beans as usual

We sat down for a wonderful meal with all attendees present . There was plenty to drink, eat and drink and frivolity ensued. The deconstructed Pav was a particular treat

I had cleverly set up the table in close proximity to the 3 Vintec Wine fridges and the sense in this soon became apparent when the two bottles Ant bought were quickly consumed and it was still daylight . Rick was put in charge of choosing after Ant took at least 2 minutes to choose the first Amaranta. Wisely Rick just decided to work his way down from the top left shelf. Simplicity is always my first principle too. Somehow we then had to make it out to the relaxing chairs outside so …….. you know we could have a relaxing drink. It was only going to be leftovers for dinner so not a lot of planning required. Then Rick bought out the special Rums and the rest of the night was a blur. I did make it to bed but to be fair was only one screen door to deal with

This morning then of course was a special day especially for the girls . It was still dark when we heard the first noises so CLP quickly ducked out of bed. Not a smart move in hindsight

There was a knock on the door and there were the Munchkins ready to hunt

Suitably pleased with their haul the rest of us settled in for a lovely hot cooked breakfast by Ant . There were a few spots of rain as the campers prepared to pack up and leave. As always it was a lovely couple of days with too much eating and drinking but we only do it once a year. Deasterella that is …. The eating and drinking will resume next gathering at ADJG next month for Claude’s 92nd birthday . This just left the cleaning up to do. It wasn’t that hard

It’s been a busy few weeks with a couple more ahead. Back down to Brisvegas for a few days as CLP is house sitting in Wilston so thought would try bar stool sitting just down the road for a few.

A day or two first twisting by the pool . And by twisting I mean as in beer bottle tops. Simply glorious day but the doom and gloom merchants were getting their crayons ready for Easter forecasts.

Next day then off to Brisvegas and check in first on Family Matriach at Carseldine. Back in the Aged Care home now and mostly peaceful I guess but still sad to see the deterioration. Then onto our lodgings for next few days . We have some family affairs to attend on weekend but first up let’s roll down the hill and jam with Fritzen again. I hear it’s happy hour . It was . You can tell by my smile eh

Across the road Frogger style after a few sherbets ( and 50c wings!)for some din din at Mings Mings and some great Vietnamese tucker highlighted by some Wasabi prawns. I am putting this out there too fans, Pork Belly is overrated . You heard it here first .

Thursday dawned a little cloudy as predicted . Todays plan then was to head on down to Redcliffe for the morning and catch-up with some Bee Gees and maybe a large seafood platter hopefully in that order because those boys can eat. Well at least the living one. This involved some trains and buses and maybe some hobbling at the end. The ankle is struggling at present and maybe because of all the driving. Or maybe because it is fucked 🤔 You be the judge – assuming of course you are a Radiologist and have great eyesight and a magnifying glass.

It was a surprisingly long train short on people for a long trip. An hour later we arrived at Kippa Ring and sauntered to bus stop and then off we went in search of some coastline. This only left one question then …

Yes we are. It was windy and the sea was a tad riled but a pleasant walk followed by a surprisingly good coffee filled in an hour nicely . You know, between buses

Then it was onto bustling Redcliffe and down Abba Avenue , across Beatles Boulevard and into Bee Gees Way. it started to rain but only a few Spicks and Specks so no Tragedy even if on Holiday before First of May. This is why they say I am More than a Woman deserves….

Then it was down to the waterfront and take a short walk on a long pier. I may be a bit confused there 🤔 The weather was still behaving itself and while I wouldn’t be jumping in the water anytime soon it is a lovely esplanade

This only left one task to complete our odyssey and that was to point some wood at a jetty . Another bus ride then and we were ready to tuck into some lunch by now. The Belvedere is renowned for their Seafood Hamper for two so quickly sent CLP to the jetty while I hooked in. Sadly she came back so had to share the meagre portions 🤠

Certainly worth a crack but while ample in size it lacked a certain quality – something I have never heard luckily . We steered clear of the oysters in particular and tried most of the rest and certainly kept stomach from growling. At least until later tonight maybe 🤞

We still had another 90 mins of public transport with the luckily sparse GU so will sign off now . A relatively quiet day tomorrow before Toowoomba on Saturday

In the meantime has anyone heard if Tiger is playing in The Masters ? It’s impossible to find any news about it……

Another quiet night had us scratching at the door at 6 am for our morning walk and coffee. Another lovely day has dawned for our last full day on our short sojourn this time round. Seemed to be an Espresso Engine now on every corner so having tried a different corner today I also went balls in and got a cappuccino instead of a flat white. No one can accuse me of being predictable eh

Speaking of being predictable , after a solid 12 hours thinking about it have booked flights to USA for October. Doubt we will ever return to the great deals prior COVID given we are still basically Mid COVID and the world needs a bex and a lie down at present. It’s an interesting trip where one heads south to Melboring before flying in the expected direction to LA. It’s all to do with what planes Qantas use where and why and Brisvegas still not what one would call a travel hub it seems. Then return to Sydney before home to Brisvegas. Of course also still have to book some internal US flights but that can wait another 12 hrs at least. Now for todays plan…

Revolves around a lunch at Alchemy with HPFA Anthony of the Della clan which just leaves morning and afternoon to fill in so to speak. Think we can lock in The Gresham again for late arvo shenanigans – did I mention they had Guinness on tap? A mid morning coffee and a mid afternoon snooze and the day virtually fills itself in eh

Tradition #2 at least survives with a coffee at the always reliable Sugar n Spice . I could barely contain my excitement

Ok , let’s head off to lunch for a couple of hours and then home for usual snooze and a bath. Yeah right . We were Drinking with Dellas. The food at Alchemy was truly excellent and we had a beer and then shared a bottle of wine . A normal lunch enjoyed and all according to plan

Then Ant suggested a second bottle of wine . The rest is a blur. We then went onto The Gresham for Tradition #2 – finally some black stuff

A perfect end to a pleasant lunch. Then Ant just naturally said “ So two more Guinesses “? Well , of course

Then Ant asked where the toilets were but collared the waiter on the way out and before you knew it

By now CLP had switched to Soda Water but I felt my inborn masculinity/stupidity had been challenged so naturally ordered two more Guinnessesssssssss while Ant was checking the Stockmarket

At last sanity prevailed as the clock struck 6 pm and CLP had been asleep for the last hour. We bid farewell to our drinking buddy at bus station and wobbled home for a night of possible sleep but certainly sweet dreams. It has been a magic few days and I bid adieu until the next breakout bonanza of booze and bon vivant escapades.

Average night sleep as usual when in a new place after a day of imbibing . There was some racket outside late at night and can only assume it was one of those Hollywood celebs swanning around in between shooting latest epic Jungle Cruise 2 on the Brisbane river. Can’t say I can place the face but they have so much work done these days it could be anybody. Ouch, hey that hurt

Looks like a booteeful day dawned so headed out early for our morning coffee. We are creatures of habit in case the penny hasn’t dropped yet folks. Espresso Engine on Turbot St seemed as good a place as any to start . We got there before the early morning rush of workers (hee hee) but was already doing good business

Always been considered a Star but now it is official and as a Star club member there was a rather good breakfast special on at The Kitchen. Put CLP to work washing the dishes first up and then we got stuck into the smashed Avo Egg Toast Bacon combo and twas rather good.

Speaking of Breakfast my partner in crime , R of RJER fame mentioned on weekend about the new Rum bar at the Brekky Creek Hotel . A plan formed , dissolved and then reappeared as if by magic . Back to room to chill for a couple and then mix with the GU on a shortish bus ride to be creek adjacent for some rumbos before hooking into a steak at midday. Of course, after the floods the creek may be adjacent to the bus stop which will make for a short walk.

Brisvegas has always been a great city to walk around but there certainly is a lot of construction and road closures in the CBD at present. Also sad that City Cats are not running yet

We headed off at 10:30 for todays adventure and caught our bus. Mask compliance 80%. Got off at the bus stop near Brekky Creek which certainly is a better idea than our usual plan off jumping off moving vehicles at random locations. A mirage appeared on the near horizon

Of course food can wait when there is rum available. We worked our way along the various sub stations ( non French of course ) until we got to 41. An impressive place and quiet with just the cheery barmaid behind the bar. Well, talk about fookin useless. Tried to engage her in what one normally does at these establishments and just got a blank look. Eventually decided on a shot of Jamaican and went back later for some Peruvian juice. Great idea. Lousy implementation . I drank and soon forgot my grievances .

Then time for some meat of the red variety . Who on earth thinks it’s a great idea to have Scan, Tap and Pay caper at a pub is a goose. Anyway , it worked ok and soon we were pumping that cholesterol up with the best of them . Great meal washed down with a Balter XPA , a brand which is suddenly everywhere in Brisvegas

A slow stroll then through Newstead Park which seems to have recovered well before bus trip home to chill for a few. There was an impressive erection to be found if you looked hard enough, a lesson for us all.

After a suitable R&R we headed for afternoon drinkies and made a beeline for a CLP recommendation at end of Mall – The Gresham. It ain’t cheap maybe but to relaxasalubriate ( patent pending) in such elegant surroundings was an excellent way to end a long day .

Did I mention it had been a long day ?

Devoted followers and casual stalkers would know the plan was to slowly re enter the world of travel in baby steps before eventually travelling back to USA late October 2022. As an aside the actual accomodation in USA is already booked and no flights yet. Breathe Breathe. With Qantass charging 10 k to catch a single engine Cessna to LA at present they will be waiting a bit longer. Luckily no bad news on the horizon like exorbitant fuel prices……. I digress

So, we are off to Brisveags for a few days at our new fave , The Treasury Hotel and Gambling Den. Once our old fave The Stamford went down the Not Welcome Camp path for tourists we had to look around and very happy with this choice . First up though a day to chill at the Ponderosa Pool at Flashman Inc.

Luckily it was St Patricks Day and had the green sluggos ready

Righto its Saturday morning and time to head down to Brisvegas and a quick reconnoiter in Wilston in preparation for an upcoming house sitting gig for CLP. This of course brings Fritzenjammer Beerhall into play for lunch and the old burger and beer double play

After ingesting sufficient calories to last the next few hours it was onto RJER for a catchup and a short babysitting gig with the Terrific Twin Terrors. I need a drink. Hey , there’s one . Sadly they were out of General Shitfaced 6 packs 😏

In a sign of appropriate affluence it was then time to swim in another pool I dont have to clean 170 klm apart. Frivolity ensued and some removed their swimmers but my lips are sealed. You would think though at CLPs age……

We woke the next morning, luckily, and headed to the park for some coffee and croissants to celebrate the J of RJER fame turning 22……. Then it was off to our lodgings and see if we can snare the ” We are old, early room please” deal at 10 am. Close and we only had to wait 45 mins so quickly ducked into mall for some necessities . Our room was great as always and in case ya need some convincing

We had dinner booked at Donna Chang across the road so a light lunch was in order and of course our one tradition in Brisvegas – that first Guinness . There is a pub just across the road called Irish Murphys , as opposed to say Tokyo Joes , that we have enhanced previously. It was quite , great. It was quiet because they had run out of Guinness, bad. So, you didnt think there would be a run on this week🤦🏻‍♂️ What was your last job, the vaccine rollout ?? So, we settled for some perfectly fine Asahi and will chase down the black stuff tomorrow maybe.

Back then for a quiet afternoon before Donna Chang tonight. I assume it has an oriental flavour but have been fooled before

Dinner at Donna Chang was excellent as expected . We were sensible and didnt over indulge but tried a wide range from the Dim Sum menu washed down with a splash of the good stuff.

There were no wuffer thin chocolates available so we went with a couple of fortune cookies . Imagine my surprise when we found out they were Seinfeld fans as well

And so our first full day and a half in Brisvegas comes to an end. In fact, you could say we were shown the door …

So, with the world slowly opening up like the Aussie top order in a T 20 it was time to get a slide rule and a globe out and see where we could go. As slide rules sadly dont bend our options were rather limited. Luckily Flashman Inc at Sunshine Coast was in a straight line due south . As there was an Old Fart (64) birthday to celebrate this month and a new pool to christen this seemed a perfect place to dip our travel toe into the water boom boom. . I’m here all week try the Fish Fingers ( in keeping with aquatic theme)

Now CLP is the person the Dalai Lamai has on speed dial for when he feels stressed. Building a pool and dealing with a range of Tradies was always going to have problems but she had coped rather well and eventually we had some water sitting there just needing some concrete and a fence

It is amazing what a difference concrete and a fence make mind you

Now we just needed some chemicals and a functioning pump and filter and its party time. A relatively simple task you would think in 2022. We certainly had the chemicals needed and a Pool Boy ready to go

Time for the final sign off and lets see some bubbles baby. Ah no the pump is DOA so lets just leave the water sit there for another few days but YOU may want to throw some chlorine in. What’s this YOU crap fella ? So we had a very large outdoor bath for the weekend and luckily weather was rather mild. Finally a new pump was installed and all systems go . Lets drink to that

Time to strip down and get wet and put that pool boy to work

It was a lovely first morning under clear blue skies. 3 days of this caper and my summer tan will be complete. Back to the pool post lunch and commented to CLP how quiet the pump was and small the bubbles were. Lets just check those jets for sign of life. Yep, dead as a doornail . Another pump dead and this time we even tripped the safety switch. We had no filtration happening and a gang of swimmers and party revelers arriving in less than 48 hours. No doubt a Tradie will help us. Yeah right. Long story short, soonest we can get out is next Monday so just hold your breath under water for the next 72 hours. Luckily the temperature wasnt too hot and after a glorious Friday the actual day of festivities dawned rater cloudy not that little optimist me was worried…..

Anyhoo the gang all arrived and the skies suddenly parted . Frivolity ensued. Exhibit A-E

A bountiful lunch helped replace all thos calories burned off by the hi jinks which just left us one job to do. Install the umbrella if for no other reason then to tempt the weather gods. It worked but we still had another lovely afternoon poolside. Exhibit F

Now that the Pool had been officially christened it was time to settle into the other weekend event of celebrating a birthday . At my age you go early just in case but next Thursday as I sit at home patiently and alone in Maryhole waiting for the Postie to arrive with all my presents I will have this lovely day of celebration to remember. CLP had outdone herself with a Pool cake which odlly had a massive fence but no gate ?

That just left afternoon drinkies to deal with before a lovely dinner to round out the day. I shant bore you with endless images of me drinking. Again. It was a wonderful 3 day extravaganza before bidding farewell to the gang Sunday morning and heading back to reality AKA Maryhole

So, that is February sorted how will we fill in the rest of the year? Aiming for a monthly event to keep one engaged in the outside world we have a few days in Brisvegas for March, Easter at Ponderosa for April and then a week in Victoria come May. CLP would like to chill for a little while after that so I will finally cash in my flight credit for Sydney and have a quick week there come June. That then just leaves the solo USA trip late October to finish planning.

Not a lot else going on in the world of great interest to moi. The West Coast swing in PGA golf is a great watch with beautiful course under blue skies – Torry Pines, Pebble, Riviera etc. I may be in the minority here but I find the loutish behaviour of yobbo yanks at the Party Hole in Arizona disgusting

Of course February does also include that Day of Roses so lets sign off with a duet from the Redrum Ravers….