We are being a bit social of late. Clocks is a gambling venue at Melbourne Flinders Street Station. (This seems to be the correct way to refer to multiple stations within a large city) 87 year old Brighton Antique Dealer likes going there for a flutter and we have dined there with her. Sister turned up her nose when we said we went there at times.
R and yours truly went there for an early dinner on Friday night and we had a terrific time. The cliental is so just so diverse, the food is good for the price and the service is good.
Melbourne Cup horse racing eve, our building hosted a barbeque dinner and we really enjoyed ourselves. We met our new neighbour who is very nice and friendly. As an engineer, he works from home and told us to visit for coffee anytime. That was kind but we won't.
Come cup day we were in a city pub at 11am that had government controlled gambling facilities to put our $2 bets on each horse race for the day. I used a machine and just managed to get by bet on for the first race. R did not. My horse in this race came third I think, so I will receive a minor return. We changed to marking cards and it became so difficult. R lodged his cards with the cashier and went to pay, but it was cash only. Each bet had to be manually cancelled by staff as we didn't have much cash. To get cash, we had get the guard to open up a machine and supervise us as we extracted cash. Then we put our bets on and paid with cash. I said to R, I think we are in America. We must be better prepared next year.
When we were in England earlier this year, R oldest sister gave us this tin of tea to give to Mother. We never got the chance. We did tell Mother about the tea. I tried a cup of the tea this afternoon and it was ok, nothing special. I dream of the best tea I've ever had at a tea plantation in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. I like tea but I am not a regular drinker of tea. I'd never heard of Ringtons. Have you UK people?
ABI Brother is getting serious about selling his house and moving to a retirement village. He, Ex Sis in Law and her daughter Hippie Niece took him to a brand new retirement village active lifestyle estate and it is nice but I prefer the well established one near to where he now lives. But it is his choice. I think he can afford it but it is hard to get a straight answer from him about his finances.
I don't know what the correct medical word or phrasing is, so I will just say Ex Sis in Law is in hospital after her lap band surgery. She has been quite unwell post surgery, though all tests and scans have shown nothing.
Tomorrow I am going to the German school in Melbourne by tram to buy an advent calendar for Jo. I have bought her one each year since she was four years old, now sixteen. This may be the last. The early ones were chocolate and lolly filled behind the windows, but this one is a not so traditional German calendar.
It is seeming like later this month we will visit Step Mother in northern Victoria, who we haven't seen for a couple of years. She is old now and her partner is mid nineties. I was a bit concerned about their situation and it seems her partner will stay locally and Step Mother will move to be near her daughter in the Latrobe Valley. Tradie Brother and ABI Brother will visit too, and stay overnight with Step Mother, while R and myself will stay in a nearby motel.
There is perhaps more I could tell you but be grateful I am not.
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You have been busy. And social. As is not uncommon I forgot about the race that stopped a nation until after it has been run. Oops.
ReplyDeleteDidn't stop you at all EC. The phrase is a bit of an exaggeration.
DeleteI had to ask Professor G about lap band surgery. Sounds like quite a procedure. I hope she feels better soon.
ReplyDeletePS .. never heard of Ringtons tea here.
DeleteShe is much better today JayCee. Probably out of hospital. Ringtons blend their own tea. This in a Google search, '5th generation family business since 1907 delivering tea, coffee and biscuits direct to your door. Free doorstep delivery or shop online'.
DeleteI've never heard of Ringtons tea. I like a little flutter now and again and get very excited if I ever win, even if it's just a pound or two.
ReplyDeleteMarie, see my reply above. Yes, that's what it is like for us on the day. I invested $40 and won $38. It was fun for the cost of $2. R did his $40.
DeleteRingtons sell tea to your door, possibly only in the north of England. I've never seen it in shops. They have been arouns for decades and seem to have a fleet of little vans. I can't imagine how they make a profit. It is suposedly special, but I've never tried it. A chap knocked on our door a few months ago trying to sell it but I wasn't interested.
ReplyDeleteTasker, I think R's bought it from a regular door to door person. I heard her ordering things to a man at her front door. You'll stick to the Waitrose own blend, I suppose.
DeleteThe decision to sell the family home and to move into a retirement village is a tough one. Although I would do it myself, other people see it as the start of the steep slope in the downward direction. I hope your brother makes the right decision for himself.
ReplyDeleteHels, I think many people make the move too late, as my mother did, well didn't as she was never in a retirement place. But she have done so after Step Father died in 2009. It will be better for him. He is fit but needs more social contact, aside from pub mates. Both of the ones he is considering have pools and bowling greens.
DeleteSo many people enjoy the retirement villages, and it is nice to have everyone of a like age, and organized activities, etc. I personally don't know that I would like it. My cousin called them 'wrinkle ranches', which made me laugh, but I don't know that I'm social enough where they would be any benefit to me.
ReplyDeleteDebby, Wrinkle Ranches makes me laugh too, but then I think perhaps I should be in one. This is the point though, you don't have to be social. You have your own unit and don't have do anything more than give a polite hello if you run in to people. We tried to convince Mother of this, she not wanting anyone to know her business, but we failed.
DeleteHopefully brother finds a place where he will be happy.
ReplyDeleteLap band surgery often has some unpleasant side effects in the early days. It's not as severe as a sleeve where they actually remove part of your stomach.
I remember advent calendars with pictures behind the doors. We never had chocolates or lollies when I was a kid. I am tempted to by the gin advent calendar!!
Merlot, I honestly don't know exactly which surgery she had aside from it being a common one. She can't eat solid food for one year. If you find that gin advent calendar, please get me one too. Or two, too.
DeleteThere is a wine advent calendar available, order at theaus.wine/cat it's $150 plus delivery from The Australian Wine company.
DeleteThe silly season is coming. Good that you are getting active and worked up along with the vibe. That Melbourne Flinders street place seems interesting. I would look into it.
ReplyDeleteRoentare, I first noticed the station names in London, and it is common in Europe, say 'London Waterloo'. 'Edinburgh Waverley'. 'Paris Gare du Nord'.
DeleteThank you for the tales. Especially, "...but be grateful I am not." You always make me laugh through adversity. It's what keeps us going.
ReplyDeleteDarla, after the post was published, I remembered that there was one more thing to add that I'd forgotten, and now I've forgotten it again.
DeleteThere were no chocolates in the advent calendars we had as children. The pictures behind the doors were the reward. From time to time contention about whose turn it was to open a window or whether someone had jumped the gun with a sneak peak.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how your own (rather lovely) private tradition with Jo started. As you suggest, maybe it has just about run its natural course.
Indeed not, MC. We had deprived childhoods. Yes, fights with my brother when one of us went out of turn, or peeked. I had forgotten that. I think then Little Jo was about four or five when I gave her the first advent calendar, for no real reason beyond that I could. Unusually R has never been involved. I do it myself. One year I bought the calendar from Germany for a reasonable price, and it was lovely, but oh the postage cost. Yes, it probably will be the last year for the calendar. Jo will be disappointed this year as there aren't chocolates within. It was crap chocolate anyway, according to Sister.
DeleteHa! I knew there was something wrong with "sneak peak." Pretty sure my spelling is getting worse with age.
DeleteI take it your sister doesn't approve of gambling.
ReplyDeleteKirk, she is snooty about gambling although she probably was in a sweep for the Melbourne Cup.
DeleteI have saved the link for the German Advent calendar and hope it can still be used next year. I already have advent calendars for this year. No chocolate or lollies for the twins, they have storybook calendars with a little book behind each window. The calendars are bigger and heavier than I expected, but can probably be reused next year. In my fridge I have one for my son with a selection of twelve cheeses, so only twelve windows to open but he won't mind. They're available at Woolies in a refrigerated cabinet close to the Deli section, $28.
ReplyDeleteI like you and R being a little more sociable locally, it's good to get out instead of getting on each others nerves by being inside together 24/7.
River, you have found some good calendars. I like the sound of the cheese calendar. Getting on each others nerves is what we do at times and it has been bad of late. About the time he gets up from his afternoon nap, I usually go out on my own. It is a bit of a break from each other. R loves tv and I can be indifferent at times, hence me sitting here at the desk and he in a lounge chair watching tv.
DeleteWell you have been busy and are going to be it seems. Good to get out and about whilst you can.
ReplyDeleteMargaret, we haven't had much family or friend contact of late but things are looking up, and then there will be too much happening. Never rains but pours.
DeleteI am still sick so I am stingy with comments, I fear to comment the wrong thing !
ReplyDeleteI know Gattina. Don't blame yourself. You are getting old and it comes with problems.
DeleteI haven't been to a horse race in years, I should do that.
ReplyDeletePersonally TP, I don't really approve of horse racing and the cruelties involved. The statistics for injured and subsequently killed horses are shocking.
DeleteYou've been having fun. Well done. I'm quite anti-social. I like chatting to people but soon want my own space again.
ReplyDeleteJB, generally I am quite anti social, but when something works well, I enjoy myself.
ReplyDelete