Surprises

"Andrew, we are taking you out on Saturday for lunch for your birthday." The whole point of being away for my birthday was to avoid such things, but it seems it was all in vain. It was also a day or so short of Kosov's birthday.

It was going to be a car trip to the charity shop, then to the big green shed for some gap filler and a duster for home. Apparently though, something was booked, so without a clue where we were going, Phyllis' phone guided us from the South Melbourne charity shop towards Richmond, then north. We are going to Easey Street in Collingwood, it seems. There is nothing much there but local people my age will remember the infamous street where the Easey Street murders occured. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easey_Street_murders 

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/the-case-of/introducing-the-case-of-the-easey-street-murders/105922022

Finding an on street car parking space was challenging, after dropping off Kosov in Easey Street as we were a bit late for whatever was happening. We found a space and Phyllis reverse parked not quite expertly, but not badly. I knew it was paid parking, but I was feeling a bit stressed by not knowing what was going on and forgot. We walked down Easey Street to meet Kosov and I remembered the paid two hour parking. Phyllis went back to deal with it. I didn't give him the car remote, so I hoped he didn't have to put a ticket on the dashboard, and he didn't. He just had to enter the car registration number plate on the parking pay machine, and pay of course, which he did with his phone. 

Kosov greeted me at the doorway into a dim building, we were checked in and told the stairs were to the left. Ok, five storeys we climbed and ended up in an eating area. We were seated at our table and there were nice views from our seats. I looked around a bit, and what hit me was the double sliding steel doors, with a handle. OMG, we are in one of those three old 1970s retired Hitachi train carriages, sitting atop a four storey building. What a super surprise, and the meals were nice. 

Later we wandered along Smith Street and stopped for coffee at Kent Street Bar. We were supposed to go to the big green shed in Port Melbourne after lunch, but I'd had enough of 'being out'. 

Once home, I received the bottle of wine I mentioned on Sunday there was a heap of tiny Cherry Ripe bars, and a special meal was made for me and this appeared attached to the shelves.

The next day a parcel arrived containing various things Phyllis and Kosov had ordered. For me there was a new black case for my phone, which I love, and also this case for my car's black fob. It's not a match to the colour of the car but not far off. 

The cafe carriage is far right. The others might be offices. There is a lift but I think that is used as a dumb waiter.

So the next day after Kosov went to work, Phyllis drove us to Brunswick to collect what he had ordered for Kosov, a three kilo container of Nutella. It absolutely poured with rain on the way home, as Phyllis negotiated the tricky Haymarket Roundabout, and then another massive roundabout at South Wharf. I thought Phyllis may have been in the wrong lane in the heavy rain as we traversed the Haymarket Roundabout, because a car blasted its horn at us, but later after checking maps, we were not in the wrong lane, the horn blaster was. 

We soon reached Bunnings in Port Melbourne and bought what we needed, along with a sausage with onions in bread each at the charity fundraiser barbeque.

This tale will be continued.