No sooner had our plane touched down in Melbourne than we were “full on” into the next half of Pat and Bill’s tour down under. For the second half of their stay, we would be adding more family to the mix. Sheila, Andrew and the kids were in town for a holiday having come down from Hong Kong via Coolangatta & Byron Bay and thus, we were eager to spend the next week showing the whole gang the town we had come to call home.
Once again Linton had drafted and re-drafted a clock-work itinerary that saw trips to the museum and Imax, Eureka Tower, Aquarium, zoo, etc. The four kids got along famously and we loved to watch them laughing and playing together. Their endless hide and seek game in the museum park was a highlight.
We broke bread together many times in many different places and hosted a few brunches and lunches chez Macpherson as well. La Porchetta, our cheap and cheerful neighbourhood trattoria, entertained everyone’s pizza and red wine craving after the museum. On another night, Alex and Simon Davies, who knew Sheila and Andrew from their own days in Hong Kong, joined us down in the Docklands for all the meat we could eat at the Bluefire Grill.
Linton and I actually hit the bars of Melbourne with Sheila and Andrew for the first time since we’ve been here and I am sorry that it hadn’t happened sooner. The Melbourne Supper Club – where we were accosted by that drunken Kiwi, the Spice Room – where we might never have got in on a busy night, and the Carlton Club – where the red velvet wallpaper and life-sized stuffed animals were the main attraction – all got our money… but not that much as we stayed for one and were home by midnight!
On another night the adults hit the Melbourne Comedy Festival to laugh along with comedian Mark Watson – whose observations about how boring Adelaide is and the noises old men make was his best stuff. Earlier that day we were all at the footy watching our beloved Hawthorn get creamed by Port Adelaide. Another fun time at the “G” though we are starting to think we are bad luck for the Hawks! After the game, the entire Davies clan joined us for some wicked wheel – gluten free crust and all – back at our place. The Pavlova (pictured) was a highlight! The visiting, chaos and constant food and drink were fabulously fun and made the week fly by too fast.
After waving goodbye to the Cunninghams, the pace didn’t let up as we bundled into a cab and headed for Cirque de Soleil’s Dralion playing in the Docklands. Something about seeing that famous yellow and blue tent flying the Canadian and Quebec flags struck a very patriotic tone in my heart. Pat and Bill toured the Great Ocean Road on the next day – a “must” when you’re in this part of the world - and we spent the last day of their visit with a sumptuous lunch at The Press Club, a Yarra River cruise and a wander through the laneways and shopping arcades.
And then, incredibly, it was over. With a few tears and hearty hugs we bid farewell to Nannie and Grandpa as they made their way to Sydney and the final stage of their tour. Their 25 day odyssey had come to an end and it seemed like only yesterday that Lint had started to plan for it. This time the hearts were not quite so heavy though, knowing we would be reunited in a mere three months’ time.
At times, this entire year has bordered on the surreal because of the familiar feel of life in Melbourne. Apart from the obvious absence of family and friends, there isn’t a lot here (save the heat and deadly animals) that separates it from life back home and we have found, at certain times, its “normalness” pushes us to want it to be more different. When family has arrived, that sense is enhanced in both directions – the city is new and different again because we see it through new eyes but the experience becomes “more normal” because we have our family around us. Selfishly and perhaps somewhat insecurely, we were hoping this week might help to validate this life choice by sharing a small piece of it with family. And though we set out to “show off” the city and to celebrate the success of our year; in doing so, the week also became a wonderful reminder of the role family plays in shaping who we are and the way we view the world.
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