It's cold. It's wet. It's windy. 12 deg C, showers, 100 kmph wind gusts.
What's the difference between here and Auckland? Ummm ... not an awful lot.
The photo is of the [non-working] Wheel at night - the ultimate white elephant - worked for about 4 weeks, before a heat-wave distorted some of the metalwork. Now they have to take it apart and fix it. Only problem is, when they built it, it was in the middle of a swampy open paddock. Now, it's surrounded by a shopping mall.
http://www.onlymelbourne.com.au/melbourne_details.php?id=12219
The Costco VIP opening was pretty impressive - over 2500 people thru the door between 1600-1700. Food. So much FOOD! Lots and lots of lovely food. And that was just the stuff on the shelves! Lots of pretty, shiny toys. Lots of pretty shiny toys I'd like to buy. My brother is the Night Floor Manager - or something like that. Not nearly as high up the foodchain as my father made out, but still has a staff of 8 reporting to him in the deli section. OMG! The deli section - huge, pizza-sized brie and camembert, for about $30! Crayfish, salmon, meat, shellfish .... ooooh. Walk away walk away.
NZ won't get a Costco till they've opened up about 5 in Australia. Darn - we're stuck with Gilmour's.
Took a train ride out to Craigieburn to visit my friend Wendy - haven't seen each other since February - she came over just after the drought and the Black Saturday fires. Nice train-ride to the end of the line. She has a very nice house, with a "Man Shed" out the back, sewing area, husband's play area, where he can play his guitar till all hours, treatment room ...
So good to catch up and chat and gossip. Slightly hindered by the presence of father dearest - but a brief escape to the Shed helped. Scrummy pumpkin soup for lunch.
Overly exciting trip back - bunch of scruffy, white-trash kids had taken on some Indian boys. White boy got pummelled, and they brought their fight onto the train - looked for a bit as if they were going to trade blows, till some older Indian men got involved and seemed to break it up. When the Indian boys got off the train, the white boys hung out the door abusing them, and the Indian's tried to pull them out the door of the moving train. Can I go home now?!
Bill & Mick have gone off to steal a newspaper from the bar around the corner, and visit the money machine. Somehow it's my fault that Bill hasn't had a chance to get any cash out, because I'm always in a hurry to catch a train or something. Counting. Slowly. To 10.
I will be so glad when his hearing aid arrives from the States. Then we'll find out if his hearing is the only problem.
More tomorrow night.
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