The Last Day...

Wednesday afternoon, we stole Chris's bartercard and drove to St Kilda for dinner and some authentic gelato. Earlier in the afternoon we'd watched a TV show on how it was made, and it looked positively Drool-Worthy. I'd never had it, either, and that HAD to be rectified.

It took twice as long as it should have to get to St Kilda because we'd timed it perfectly with rush hour traffic. By the time we got to the main street where the restaurant was, night had fallen and the streetlights lit up the very posh shopping strip. Because we still had an hour before our dinner reservations, we were total rebels and had gelato FIRST. 7 Apples provided us with some EXCELLENT treats: a scoop of cherries and cream and a scoop of award winning hazelnut...



BEAUTIFUL.

With a few minutes before dinner, we walked up and down the street to help things digest. ;) There were SO many cake shops!!



Also, there was a homeless man singing Queen's We Are the Champions at the top of his lungs. ;)

We ate dinner at Amigos, directly across from 7 Apples. The place was small and dim and manned by two women and an Asian man... no Mexicans in sight. The menu claimed the food was Mexican 'Inspired', which sent up a small red flag but the food still sounded good. Caroline went for a sampler dinner of traditional tacos and such, and I tried a ricotta and grilled veggie burrito. Since the meal was free, we also tried some cocktails.


The food was disappointing. It was good, but once we got the bill for $75, we were horrified. I've had far better homemade Mexican.

After eating, Caroline showed me St Kilda beach. In the darkness, the water looked inky and ominous. Seagulls circled the lighthouse. Yachts floated silently in the distance. It was cool and peaceful--but this popular beach gets very crowded during the day.

The days have been filled with relaxation and shopping. Thursday Caroline and I went out for more photography. We returned to Heildleburg park, where Caroline takes Paddy to play ball, and walked the winding, secluded trail. Each turn brings a new landscape; ponds to paddocks, creeks to woodland. Beautiful old eucalyptus and red gum provide whispering shade and perfume the air. There is plenty of space to lose yourself, and aside from the occasional Mad Cyclist, it is easy to believe you are in a private heaven.


That night, we had Tara over for dinner and TV. She brought some episodes of her new favorite show, NCIS: LA, and we watched three episodes while chowing down on a HOMEMADE (even the dough) pizza!

Most of the toppings came from Caroline's garden, too. We'd done some more gardening out back, tearing out the expired plants and grass and preparing for a new rotation of winter crops. Although it didn't take more than a couple hours, the result was amazing!

Friday morning Caroline and I packed the wagon and headed to Chris's house. We'd talked him into coming with us up to Hillie's for the weekend, as a mini-vacation and as a chance to do some work on the house. He doesn't get to to go Pyramid as often as Caroline does, so he had a lot to take up there: an old blue BMW and a tandem trailer full of rubbish to burn. The trailer was attached to the station wagon and Caroline was given the choice of either driving the pulling the trailer (on a fairly windy day) or driving the BMW, which had only been certified to make the single trip, as it was not truly trustworthy. But manhandling the wagon and the trailer was more intimidating, so Caroline and I took the little blue Beamer. Which turned out to be the safer choice; Chris didn't even make it out of the driveway before the trailer started to come loose and then rammed the car. Between Caroline and Chris, they got everything sorted out, but the wagon's bumper is now dented and pierced with a bolt. ;)

The Beamer ran pretty well. Aside from sounding like a lawnmower and struggling to get above 100 kms/hr, it was safe and would make for a great story later. We stopped for lunch about an hour in to the trip, at which point we noticed one of the BMW's rear tires was low. CHRIS told us it was a slow leak, and that he needed gas for the wagon so we'd stop at the next PETROL station and air up the tire. Everyone loaded up and I got the sunroof open on the BMW, and we pulled out onto the road.

And then we hear The Noise. A strange buzzing sound, lower in pitch than the lawnmower-engine. It seemed to be coming from the back of the car. I checked the rear view mirror and saw that we would not be able to simply air up the tire...

It was shredded. I assume since the car hadn't been driven in ages, the rubber had dry rotted? But Good Big Brother Chris had it replaced in ten minutes, and we were back on the road and made it to Hillie's with no other problems.

Friday night Chris, Caroline and I wandered next door and chatted with Hillie's long-time neighbor, Con, around a small fire. Another local, Terry, stopped by for a few minutes and everyone caught up on some town gossip. Close to 10pm, Con's family arrived: his wife and four boys, and his parents-in-law. Like Caroline and Chris, when they aren't living in Pyramid, they live in Melbourne, and they have known each other for roughly 20 years. Soon after, Caroline and I headed off to bed.

The weekend was spent working and relaxing. Chris did an AMAZING job on in the kitchen, installing some beautiful cupboard doors and installing a new sink.


Even though it rained all day Saturday, we were still able to have a much-anticipated bonfire. Caroline, Hillie and I, with the help of Con's boys, unloaded the trailer and made a huge pile of rubbish in Con's backyard. Chris and Caroline and I went grocery shopping and that night, everyone enjoyed sausages and chicken wings and later, toasted marshmallows.

Because he had to work, Chris got a ride back to Melbourne with Con on Monday. That afternoon, Hillie's brother John came over for lunch. Hillie made a delicious pan of slop--LASAGNA--and we enjoyed the meal outside. Then we played another few rounds of Dutch Euchre, of which I won by a landslide. Still beginner's luck, I think. ;)




Tuesday Caroline and I spent the ENTIRE day shopping. We hit EIGHT op shops in Bendigo between 10am and 4pm--see Track my Tour for the map. The back of the station wagon was FULL. And I bet we spent no more than a couple hundred dollars, max. If bargain hunting was a sport, we would be in the pro league. :)

Wednesday Caroline and I (with the dogs in tow) headed back to Melbourne. After very strategicly packing the car, everyone got big hugs and we said goodbye. Hillie is so generous and I appreciate her opening her home to me. I'll miss her!

Traveling through Bendigo, Caroline and I accidentally got sucked in to a few more op shops. The dogs were angels in the car and thankfully it was cloudy and cool. To reward them we took a couple jaunts through some parks. When the car was COMPLETELY full, we decided to call it quits and get some food.

The View Street Cafe seemed as good a place as any, so we walked in and stared at the menu. Everything sounded great! I ended up with pumpkin soup and Caroline ordered Risotto. Both were delicious! We also snagged some desserts: I got a berry and ricotta tart and Caroline got a lemon meringue slice. Then we headed home FOR REAL.



Getting home was good. We unloaded and filled the living room with our goodies. The dogs ran around like made (they hadn't been in Melbourne for a few weeks) and for dinner we had some leftovers and a heap of stir-fried veggies from Caroline's thriving garden. We drank tea with our cafe desserts (YUM) and watched Dog Squad; a German shepherd tracking some copper thieves and a German Shorthair detecting drugs in cars at a prison entrance.

So that brings me to today, my last day. *sigh*

This morning we refused to mope. We headed to Bulleen so I could make a list of the veggies I'll be planting when I create my garden, and then we had to make one last stop at Tea Too since customs will let me take unopened packs of tea over the border. After buying out the store, Caroline and I stopped at one last op shop and we got some stuffed animals at a seriously discounted price. Then the grocery store to buy ingredients for my Last Supper... MEXICAN! Tonight Chris and Tanya and Tara and her mum and nan are all coming over. Caroline and I are making a black forest cake for dessert, and will have lots of types of tea to sample.

The guests will be here in half an hour, and this will be my last blog entry until I'm home. I will be logging my travel through Track My Tour, Facebook, and Twitter. Here's the itinerary:

 QANTAS AIRWAYS          QF25    ECONOMY CLASS   (O)  CONFIRMED
DEPART     30APR10   MELBOURNE                          0600
ARRIVE     30APR10   LOS ANGELES                        0630
CHANGE OF AIRCRAFT ENROUTE (2 hours in Auckland, New Zealand between 11:40am and 1:30pm)
DEPARTS FROM:TERMINAL 2
ARRIVES AT:  TERMINAL B

Friday, April 30, 2010
Midwest Airlines # 1926 Operated by: /REPUBLIC AIRLINE INC - Please check in with the operating carrier

Los Angeles International (LAX) to Kansas City International (MCI)
Departure (LAX): April 30, 11:55 AM PDT (morning)
Arrival (MCI): April 30, 5:15 PM CDT (evening)


Class: Economy Seat: 13B | Seat is confirmed


UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!