Meeting Tom and Claire in Middle Brighton, and Lottie in Ocean Grove
/It was magical driving up to the Baths on Monday and seeing Tom and Claire sitting on the wall, with grins from ear to ear. They look so well! We had bear hugs and kisses. Tom and Claire have been in Melbourne since July and are hoping to travel and work for a year….they are obviously happy. So good to see that.
Their boss (Chef) Paul invited us to eat in the restaurant, his treat. Wow, what a treat it was! We had impeccable service, Champagne aperitif and the fine food was sensational. Three hours and lots of tales later we headed off to Ocean Grove to collect Lottie from work and then to Claire and Lottie’s home, in Barwon Heads. Lottie as lovely as ever, so mature and sociable. AND a beauty too! Claire=proud. So good to see you Lottie!
Tuesday was Melbourne Cup Day. This national holiday causes much excitement in Australia and gambling on the horses is a widely accepted norm. We were invited chez Nields, and arrived around 2pm armed with plenty of fiz and some antipasto. We had breakfasted earlier en masse at the Beachouse, delicious. More catch up time with Tom and Claire. The Nield ‘Cup’ party soon got going as their fabulous friends arrived. Their luxurious family home is the perfect venue for such occasions, we spent time watching the races (well not me), chatting, wandering outside to observe the acrobatics (!!) and we ate BBQ’d sausages and bread lovely made by Andy and Claire. The evening was memorable, we saw Robyn Booth (after 16 years!) and we enjoyed an hour or two in the luxurious spa! We all had a blast. It certainly was a night to remember! Wednesday was big walk day with Stanley and a snack at the Heads, then a big chillout. Necessary to recover from the horse race day! Oh….nearly forgot. Lottie camping out tonight. What’s occurring!
