Quality Time!

And not just Quality Time but Quantity Time, too, with most of my darling boys.

S2 and his wife have been living and working in Dublin for a few years, before that they were in Barcelona, and I haven't seen them for 3½ years.

Last Monday evening they came to Melbourne. The Sweetheart and I picked them up from the airport (two hours late...) and drove them to their hostel in St Kilda (sharing a room with 8 other backpackers - but CHEAP living!), to dinner and we had a great catch-up. So very good to see both of them, and nothing seems to have changed. They are both still funny and clever and happy, and such a peaceful couple.

Tuesday there was a big rally for live music, S.L.A.M. - Save Live Australian Music. The state government has changed the laws for venues with live music where the venue owner now has to provide security no matter what. One publican had two people in his bar - and one was playing guitar to the other one. He was fined $600.

That is our friend Gus Read-Hill holding the banner, on the RH side of the photo. He came all the way down from Castlemaine just for the rally. His late dad was a pretty special music man...

Three of my boys came to the rally. This is the most I have had in one spot for 8 years. Never had more than two at any one time - that is a long time for a Mummy not to be with her family I reckon.

This is my ¾ of my handsome boys and their lovely women.

We marched from the steps of the State Library at the top end of Swanston Street, down to Bourke Street and then up Bourke to Parliament Hous. Following the Rockwiz Orchestra on a flat bed truck playing "It's A Long Way To The Top".

This is a Youtube clip someone kindly put together:




And we marched - when we were assembled at the end S4 climbed on a tram shelter and got some good crowd shots, too.
There were people massed from Spring Street all the way back down to Swanston Street. Such a great feeling.
Oh - and only one police car behind us when we were leaving. Not much security....
On Wednesday we drove to Geelong and then back to the other side of Melbourne looking for a car to buy. The Subaru dealership in Geelong had an Impreza that was nothing like the one that was shown on their website, and the useless used car dealer (with the scary porn name of Rod Gohardly or similar) was most apathetic about selling anyway. Apart from also being a thousand dollars dearer than advertised the car didn't look like it had been driven for months, and the engine was all corroded and dirty.
S2 asked "What sort of a deal for cash?" and Mr Gohardly said "Dealers prefer financing - we get more money that way".
And this is for a $20,000 second hand car!
We walked. Actually, we almost ran!

We found a great Subaru Impreza at a Honda dealer in Doncaster. And they couldn't have been more helpful, additionally, the car had driven 10,000 kms less, was a year younger and three thousand dollars cheaper than the one in Geelong.
They were very happy with a bank cheque, and handed over the keys after giving the car a roadworthy, and us lots of lovely cups of tea, coffee, etc.
Boo sucks to you apathetic and pathetic used bomb dealer in Geelong.

Here are the happy new vehicle owners.

On Sunday they came up and stayed, yesterday they left to head off to Albury where they are planning to live.
They just need a house to rent. And quickly, too cos they have booked a removalist for next Tuesday to pick up all their treasures which have been in storage on the Central Coast (between Sydney and Newcastle) since before they went to Barcelona.


And you are probably wondering what has happened to the give-away to celebrate my blogaversary, too...
Stay tuned - there is a quilt zipping through my sewing machine.
Be patient.
Stay tuned.
No, stop shoving at the back. Be patient, I said!!!!!