What I left out of yesterday's post was the horrific car crash into a pavement seating area outside a hotel. resulting in the death of five people and injuries to others. Daylesford is known as a gay old town, and yes, many gay people live and or operate businesses in the area. Each year the gay Chillout Festival is held there.
R took me to Daylesford for my fortieth birthday and it was a nice weekend. I think where we stayed was called The Balconies. It was nice private accommodation. The gay owners gave us a bottle of champagne because one of them blurted out that that I was having a massage. What? I didn't know about that. Another gift from R. The massage was funny because the masseur suggested I was aroused and he could help with that. I wasn't and I said no. No doubt a happy ending would have cost extra.
Photo from booking.com.
One day we lunched at that very hotel where the car crash occurred. The street dining was probably set up during Covid and back when I turned forty, we dined on the upper verandah (ok, now I've got it. Spell check doesn't like the h at the end of verandah. In this case, I know I am correct. Bugger orf spell check) of the hotel. It does make the horrible event seem a little more personal when you know the venue.
As I said, the owners of The Balconies were very friendly and were of a similar age to us. One night they asked where we would be dining and we mentioned a place near the nearby mineral spa town, Hepburn Springs. They then said that they had a single guest, a gay guy from Malaysia and he would be so happy to have your company over dinner. I can't remember anything about him now beyond he was good company and it was a nice dinner. And no you with your filthy thoughts, that is all that happened. The thought never entered my head.
Those killed and badly injured in the crash were of Indian heritage and it is kind of nice that they were Australian enough to be dining outdoors at the pub. I remember an Indian workmate remarking how disgusting it was that Australians sat out in the gutters to eat and drink. I should have replied to him that I thought he was disgusting for fucking his workmate Carla behind his wife's back.
What did prick up my ears was that one of the victims was a woman aged 44 with her partner who was 30, I think. Sadly they won't reach old age and see how the age gap works in older years.
This was supposed a quick two line supplementary post, but it took on a life of its own. Forgive an old man reminiscing.
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Reminisce all you want. I am always interested. And yes, I am sure that a happy ending would have cost significantly more.
ReplyDeleteThat was indeed an appalling tragedy. I hope that they didn't see it coming.
A very sad accident indeed EC. A happy ending always costs more.
DeleteI enjoy reading your reminiscences.
ReplyDeleteDifferent people, different lives, are all interesting.
Thanks JayCee.
DeleteDaylesford is too pretentious for me now. I used to buy glass arts from the local glass blowers who seemed to be stoned all the time. He often gave me too much change as he only took cash. The happy ending in massage is surely complementary not legal really. lol.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, I've lost track of what is legal in that area. Work from home has taken on a new meaning. At least stoners are quiet and pleasant, if a bit puzzled about what they are doing. The more modern drugs are bad, and as always, alcohol is the worst.
DeleteI'm glad you recalled this. What a sad tragedy and I, too, enjoy your recollections. It made me smile that you got a bottle of bubbly.
ReplyDeleteMy husband paid for me to get a massage years ago. He went all out and the visit included warm oil poured over my scalp.
Hilariously, the treatment took out the color my hairdresser applied just the day before *and* I felt as if someone was urinating on my head. lol The name slips my mind but never would I indulge in that again.
Warm oil poured over you hair Darla? Weird, and I am not surprised it took the colour from your hair.
DeleteI remembered the term. It's called shirodhara. I shudder at the memory. lol Some practitioners use milk over oil, which seems even worse. Best wishes!
DeleteYou would have liked the man who used to empty the coin box in the tv in the shared house I lived in when I first worked in Leeds sharing with 4 others in a 3-bedroomed house. When he came to collect his money, he always greeted us "Hello Menzies" and asked questions about who shared bedrooms with who.
ReplyDeleteTasker, cool that you had coin paid tv. I might have told the coin collector to eff orf perve for asking such questions, depending on his looks and charm factor.
DeleteWhen families didn't have enough money for interstate or overseas holidays, Daylesford and Hepburn were very popular. What a total tragedy for those families having a restful holiday this month.
ReplyDeleteHels, as I recall the weather that evening was pleasant and they were living the Australian dream. So sad.
DeleteReferring to the massage, you mentioned something called a "happy ending". I assume this involved a few jokes and some light music. Perhaps a bit of dancing too?
ReplyDeleteYP, no. We had a game of two up, where the victorious winner takes all. Allow your imagination to run free with that.
DeleteIt is awful for the families, but the driver. Omg. He was having a medical event. I can guarantee you that he will be broken too.
ReplyDeleteI guess the driver will be broken, a respectable person who was a diabetic. I haven't seen it myself but apparently some called for revenge upon him. If his doctor advised him not to drive, then I think that if it all comes together, he is innocent. If his doctor should have advised him not to drive, then maybe the doctor should take some blame. Real accidents are rare, but in this case, it could have been.
DeleteI was a bit upset how quickly some people were demanding the driver be charged with murder before the cause was proven, but it was an appalling tragedy.
ReplyDeleteYou have some wonderful memories and great stories.
I didn't hear that Merlot but I suppose it is a natural reaction. I expect full justice will follow. Thank you.
DeleteIt was in the newspapers here and on the tv news. The hotel looks nice. I prefer an h on the end of verandah too.
ReplyDeleteRiver, thank you for the reinforcement about the 'h'. It is, as I am sure you know, an Indian word.
DeleteGood times at Dalesford then Andrew!
ReplyDeleteIt is a nice place much smaller than I thought it would be, we passed through there a few years back as I have a friend in Ballarat so we came Dalesford way from the north.
Such a dreadful accident, one doesn't expect to get killed or hurt whilst dinning outside, but it did happen - so sad.
It is small Margaret, and when we think of the town we include nearby Hepburn Springs. We haven't been there since and we should return. It really was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
DeleteHow awful that a pleasant meal out should end so horrifically.
ReplyDeleteYou're not an old man, are you??
JB, three score but not plus ten...yet. I am feeling old.
DeleteA pretty place and a truly dreadful accident. I often wonder about the repercussions of such events, the trickling down of the tragedy for generations.
ReplyDeleteHappy endings are elusive.
XO
WWW
WWW, yes like the butterfly flapping its wings in the Amazon.
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