So, said Lindsey on Monday evening.  What do you want to do tomorrow?

I opined that I wanted to be on holiday.

Right, said Lindsey.  That means we need to go to the beach.

So mid-morning on Tuesday, Lindsey, The Builder and I hopped on a tram and took ourselves off to St Kilda for a potter on the beach, a walk along the pier, lunch in a beach side cafe and a general potter about.

The cafe was rather nice.  They were offering a meal deal.  $25 for an entree, a main and a drink.  We pondered our options over a glass of wine.  The waiter put the wine cooler on the table next to Lindsey and reminded her that she had to share.  It was not just for her.  I selected my food, and asked for a class of fizzy wine.  The Builder selected his and asked for a beer.  The waiter informed Lindsey that in that case she didn't have to share the bottle of wine and did she want a straw?

When he brought the cutlery, he also brought a huge straw for Lindsey!!!!!

I do like a waiter with a sense of humour!

We wandered back through St Kilda and its many eating places (the Jewish culinary presence seems much less strong - where have they all gone?) up to Albert Park and then onto another tram to head back into town.

I am sure that you are all aware that it is not permitted to take sharp objects on board when flying on planes.  I was actually quite surprised on Etihad that they give you real cutlery instead of the flimsy plastic stuff that most airlines provide.  Because of this, I always carry my keys, which have a penknife attached, in my suitcase.  On this occasion, however, I didn't even think about my keys until the woman at checkin asked if I had anything sharp with me.  But where were they.  The suitcases were about to go down the roller thingy.  I wasn't sure which of the carry on bags the keys were in.  There was nothing for it but to let the bags go and for me to hunt the keys later.  I had to throw away my extremely useful Swiss army penknife ;-(

So we headed into Melbourne Central to the knife shop to buy another one.  I was rather taken by the little, purple one.  Though I am not sure how practical it would have been.  I use the penknife mainly in the garden and for opening printer paper boxes and printer cartridge containers at work.  The little knife might not have been quite large enough.  In the meantime, Lindsey had found another, larger one (alas, not in purple) and had pointed out that this one would be more useful, that it wasn't much more expensive than the one I was looking at, and that she would buy it for me as a present (this was remarkably generous of her, for we had bought her a present in Abu Dhabi - and in Abu Dhabi that present remains.  I think we left it in the departure lounge :-S ).  I now have a new Swiss Army penknife ;-)

It is pub night on Tuesdays.  Simon and Ian (who we had run across on a tram in the course of the afternoon) joined us and we went to the Crown and sat outside in the beer garden which is protected from the wind and coolth of the evening by a large wall. It was nice, pub food, which was seasoned well by the language of the woman on another table.  I think that at least every third word, possibly even every second word sometimes, was the Eff word!  I'm not even sure that she was aware she was using it!

I woke up at half past four this morning ;-(  I am still awake, although it is now a little after 7 and light.  It is just as well I have my nightie and dressing gown on, though: