Good Golly Miss Molly

When Lindsey announced some time ago that she and I were to attend a hen night, I can't say that my heart absolutely leapt with joy. Were I to tell you that up until this moment I have successfully avoided all henny parties, this would probably give you some idea how excited I was by the idea.

But needs must.  Lindsey had bought me a ticket (!!) and it was only from 6 to 7:30 (!!!!!) and how awful could it possibly be?  Anyway, Jess and Emily were coming too, and I rather like Fiona, whose hen night it was.  I pinched one of Lindsey's skirts and got dressed up.  Well, in as much as I ever get "dressed up".

The party was in St Kilda, in an art gallery. I was a tad disconcerted to walk in to find a circle of easels with paper pegged on.  This would tend to suggest that we were expected to draw something.  Gulp.  Drawing is emphatically not one of my many talents.  And what were we expected to draw? There wasn't anything in the middle for us to focus on.

And then there was.  A young man.  In a gown.  And then - not in a gown, but completely, absolutely and totally naked. And in a pose.  My God -- it's a LIFE DRAWING party!!!!!!!!!  And we had to draw him not once, not twice, not even three times - but four.  And one of them was a combined drawing where you did a bit, then moved on and did a bit more to someone else's picture. And one was a colour picture that was put into a book and presented to Fiona as a memento.  I've never been to a life drawing class before (as you would expect, given that drawing is not one of my talents).  I don't suppose I'll ever go to another.  But I can at least now say that I've been to one!  And, come to that, to a hen party :-)

And, as one of the guests pointed out, with a life drawing do you get to see more than you do with a stripper.  Well, you see exactly the same amount, I suppose, just for longer.

The eating and drinking has continued apace.  We've had lunch with Pat in Ballarat, and sat outside in the afternoon sun while she and I drank wine and The Builder remained abstinent so he could drive Ian's new Peugeot home.  Lindsey and I (and Emily and Jess) had magnificent Middle Eastern food in Balaclava after the hen party (the hen and her mates went clubbing, I think). We've had a family Sunday lunch in Mount Martha (where Lindsey, The Builder and I still are).

The Builder went to the football with Simon, Ian, Christian and Cassie while we were chasing after naked men.  Simon is a member of the Melbourne Cricket Club so gets to go to football matches at the MCG.  He gets to take guests as well.  The Builder was quite impressed that his first visit to a match at the MCG was in the members' bit.

It's a lovely day today.  Tony is off to golf.  The rest of us are going to Sorrento. Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula, not Sorrento in Italy!

Fiona is a bit worried about her wedding on Sunday.  Many of the guests are coming from England, including her brother and the groom's parents.  It seems that a volcano has erupted and brought air traffic to a halt around Europe.  And the guests probably don't now have time to get here by boat!!