Melbourne: Booze, leggings and incest
Thursday morning. I wake up, potter around a bit and get my house in order (No, that's NOT a euphemism) then prepare for the flight. Quick train trip to the airport, having checked in online and I've dropped my bag off with about an hour to spare. It's just after 10am. To the bar for a refreshing (if bastardly expensive) Bloody Mary, just to get things going. Despite the cost, which is expected at the airport, it was very tasty and just what the doctor ordered (I love my doctor).
I wandered around the terminal for a while, when a lovely young lady asks me if I'd like some wine. Well, it IS 10:30 by now, that's almost lunchtime! Why the hell not?
3 tastings and 10 minutes later, I've ordered a case. A mixed dozen. To be delivered to work within 7 days (in fact, it arrived today). Oh dear... Still, it was a good price and it's nice to have something decent to drink, should one ever have guests for dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast.
Now I have to dash as it's time to get on the plane. Lovely talking to you Kim-the-wine-girl, good luck with your hangover. Before you ask; yes, the fact that she had a hangover may have encouraged me to buy. I like people who believe in their product.
The flight was fairly uneventful, but the Melbourne flight usually is. I arrived early, grabbed my bag and was whisked off to Prahran, to be greeted by the cats. F had to dash off to work again, leaving me with 2 cats, a quarter of a bottle of tequila and Season 1 of Mad Men. Her boyfriend came home just as I finished the tequila. Perfect timing! Then it was off to the costume shop to ensure out outfits for Saturday night were suitable.
After changing the size 36 leather pants for some leggings (far more appropriate) we headed out for dinner at a local Mexican place. I forget the name, but it's near the Jam Factory. Frasnkly, I wasn't impressed. I mean, the food was OK, but it was far too "fusion" for my tastes. The hottest thing on the menu seemed to be a honey-mustard chicken burrito. It was good for what it was, but hardly a culinary sensation. After dinner it was off to the cinema to watch the remake of Nightmare on Elm St.
It wasn't a bad film, as such, had a few good horror moments, but I'd not recommend anyone rush out to see it. That said, the good bits are worth seeing on the big screen. A cheap-arse Tuesday film.
Post-movie beers were required, so we grabbed a six-pack and headed back to the flat for what proved to be one of the earliest nights of the weekend.
Friday morning. I wake up. Late. F and I head down to Borsch, Vodka and Tears. It was... a little weird being back there, I must admit. I love the place but it holds a few memories about which I have mixed feelings these days. That said, I'm glad I went. Healing is always going to take time. Anyway. Coffee and a cabbage-and-sausage strew were consumed, then SS showed up and the drinking began again. Or continued. Whatever. F had to dash off to pick up Dad, so SS and I decided it was time to catch up. After a hit of "the cure" (a combination of absinthe and espresso) we wandered down to the Union for a tequila and couple of pints, then decided to go to his place in Kensington, stopping in the city for another refreshing pint. Then off to the White Rabbit Bar, near Kensington station. It was a lovely little place, a combined second-had record store and pub/cafe. Drinking continued until L showed up, at which point it continued some more.
Eventually it was getting close to the time I was supposed to be meeting family for dinner, so SS tagged along to a rather nice restaurant in Prahran, where we ate great food and drank a lovely bottle of wine (Cockfighter's Ghost Merlot, for those of you playing at home).
Now it gets funny. A couple of girls showed up. F greeted them and I assumed they were friends of hers. I turn around to introduce myself to the two good-looking ladies, only to discover one of them is my cousin (who I'd not seen since she was a small) and the other is an older cousin's daughter (last seen about 23 years ago)!
Whoops! Fortunately this was all discovered before I could make a total fool of myself. Of course, my family probably expect me to make a fool of myself. We all hung out and had a great time for the next few hours. Then it was time to go home... via the bottle shop. Back at the flat LC (F's boyfriend's dad) and I spent a lot of time talking about music and holding up the walls. Eventually someone made us all go to bed.
Saturday morning saw us back at Borsch, Vodka and Tears, where I was told by my loving sister that I was not allowed to drink until that evening. I ordered a Bloody Mary anyway. Then two coffees and a large fry-up breakfast. We all wandered around a bit, before heading back to the flat for a much-needed nap.
We woke up in time to get tasty burgers for dinner (from Grill'd, who make bloody excellent burgers), then get ready for the party in an absolute mad rush. I went as Jareth, the Goblin King from Labyrinth. F was Alex from Flashdance , SC was Teen Wolf, Dad and LC were the Blues Brothers and SC's mum was Princess Leia.
It was brilliant! We headed to the venue, which was very nice, grabbed drinks and waited for the guests to arrive in all their 80's-movie finery. There were some great costumes, including two Beetlejuices, a Jack Burton, an Indiana Jones and 3 guys from Top Gun.
The night got very hazy from there, but we all had a fantastic time. I met a number of F's friends, all of whom were awesome. We wound up going to a post-party party and finally staggering in around 5am, well and truly merry.
Sunday we slept until about 2, before getting up, going out to where SC's folks were staying & then heading to the Railway for a beer while I waited for B to show up. He eventually arrived and we started a pub crawl that took in the Railway, the Windsor Castle, The Prince of Wales, the Espy and another pub with a forgotten name. I had an early night. I was in by 11 and about ready for all that sleep I'd been avoiding
Monday... Monday I slept. Then watched movies. Then slept.
Tuesday, I got up, showered got dressed and arranged to meet up with SB for a coffee. She drove in and we went back to Borsch for caffeine. Then we wandered along Chapel St, chatting and looking for somewhere to get a beer. We wound up back on High St, near my sister's place. Then Shannan dropped me off at F's office, where I waited for the car to the airport.
Another dull flight later, K picked me up so I could visit E, who'd missed me immensely, for a while, then dropped me back home.
And thus, another Melbourne adventure came to an end. As always, I had a bloody brilliant time. There were a few lows, but those were purely to do with my own mental state. I really do love that town.
I wandered around the terminal for a while, when a lovely young lady asks me if I'd like some wine. Well, it IS 10:30 by now, that's almost lunchtime! Why the hell not?
3 tastings and 10 minutes later, I've ordered a case. A mixed dozen. To be delivered to work within 7 days (in fact, it arrived today). Oh dear... Still, it was a good price and it's nice to have something decent to drink, should one ever have guests for dinner. Or lunch. Or breakfast.
Now I have to dash as it's time to get on the plane. Lovely talking to you Kim-the-wine-girl, good luck with your hangover. Before you ask; yes, the fact that she had a hangover may have encouraged me to buy. I like people who believe in their product.
The flight was fairly uneventful, but the Melbourne flight usually is. I arrived early, grabbed my bag and was whisked off to Prahran, to be greeted by the cats. F had to dash off to work again, leaving me with 2 cats, a quarter of a bottle of tequila and Season 1 of Mad Men. Her boyfriend came home just as I finished the tequila. Perfect timing! Then it was off to the costume shop to ensure out outfits for Saturday night were suitable.
After changing the size 36 leather pants for some leggings (far more appropriate) we headed out for dinner at a local Mexican place. I forget the name, but it's near the Jam Factory. Frasnkly, I wasn't impressed. I mean, the food was OK, but it was far too "fusion" for my tastes. The hottest thing on the menu seemed to be a honey-mustard chicken burrito. It was good for what it was, but hardly a culinary sensation. After dinner it was off to the cinema to watch the remake of Nightmare on Elm St.
It wasn't a bad film, as such, had a few good horror moments, but I'd not recommend anyone rush out to see it. That said, the good bits are worth seeing on the big screen. A cheap-arse Tuesday film.
Post-movie beers were required, so we grabbed a six-pack and headed back to the flat for what proved to be one of the earliest nights of the weekend.
Friday morning. I wake up. Late. F and I head down to Borsch, Vodka and Tears. It was... a little weird being back there, I must admit. I love the place but it holds a few memories about which I have mixed feelings these days. That said, I'm glad I went. Healing is always going to take time. Anyway. Coffee and a cabbage-and-sausage strew were consumed, then SS showed up and the drinking began again. Or continued. Whatever. F had to dash off to pick up Dad, so SS and I decided it was time to catch up. After a hit of "the cure" (a combination of absinthe and espresso) we wandered down to the Union for a tequila and couple of pints, then decided to go to his place in Kensington, stopping in the city for another refreshing pint. Then off to the White Rabbit Bar, near Kensington station. It was a lovely little place, a combined second-had record store and pub/cafe. Drinking continued until L showed up, at which point it continued some more.
Eventually it was getting close to the time I was supposed to be meeting family for dinner, so SS tagged along to a rather nice restaurant in Prahran, where we ate great food and drank a lovely bottle of wine (Cockfighter's Ghost Merlot, for those of you playing at home).
Now it gets funny. A couple of girls showed up. F greeted them and I assumed they were friends of hers. I turn around to introduce myself to the two good-looking ladies, only to discover one of them is my cousin (who I'd not seen since she was a small) and the other is an older cousin's daughter (last seen about 23 years ago)!
Whoops! Fortunately this was all discovered before I could make a total fool of myself. Of course, my family probably expect me to make a fool of myself. We all hung out and had a great time for the next few hours. Then it was time to go home... via the bottle shop. Back at the flat LC (F's boyfriend's dad) and I spent a lot of time talking about music and holding up the walls. Eventually someone made us all go to bed.
Saturday morning saw us back at Borsch, Vodka and Tears, where I was told by my loving sister that I was not allowed to drink until that evening. I ordered a Bloody Mary anyway. Then two coffees and a large fry-up breakfast. We all wandered around a bit, before heading back to the flat for a much-needed nap.
We woke up in time to get tasty burgers for dinner (from Grill'd, who make bloody excellent burgers), then get ready for the party in an absolute mad rush. I went as Jareth, the Goblin King from Labyrinth. F was Alex from Flashdance , SC was Teen Wolf, Dad and LC were the Blues Brothers and SC's mum was Princess Leia.
It was brilliant! We headed to the venue, which was very nice, grabbed drinks and waited for the guests to arrive in all their 80's-movie finery. There were some great costumes, including two Beetlejuices, a Jack Burton, an Indiana Jones and 3 guys from Top Gun.
The night got very hazy from there, but we all had a fantastic time. I met a number of F's friends, all of whom were awesome. We wound up going to a post-party party and finally staggering in around 5am, well and truly merry.
Sunday we slept until about 2, before getting up, going out to where SC's folks were staying & then heading to the Railway for a beer while I waited for B to show up. He eventually arrived and we started a pub crawl that took in the Railway, the Windsor Castle, The Prince of Wales, the Espy and another pub with a forgotten name. I had an early night. I was in by 11 and about ready for all that sleep I'd been avoiding
Monday... Monday I slept. Then watched movies. Then slept.
Tuesday, I got up, showered got dressed and arranged to meet up with SB for a coffee. She drove in and we went back to Borsch for caffeine. Then we wandered along Chapel St, chatting and looking for somewhere to get a beer. We wound up back on High St, near my sister's place. Then Shannan dropped me off at F's office, where I waited for the car to the airport.
Another dull flight later, K picked me up so I could visit E, who'd missed me immensely, for a while, then dropped me back home.
And thus, another Melbourne adventure came to an end. As always, I had a bloody brilliant time. There were a few lows, but those were purely to do with my own mental state. I really do love that town.