Allan's Organ

You may recall the organ I wrote about last week that we saw at the Macedonia in Lancefield and Allan was quite smitten by. Well the days passed and I was wondering if he was still thinking about it and considering buying it. I tried to give him a gentle prompt by the following Wednesday. Remember I didn’t want to be too pushy, and he hadn’t discussed the topic on the Saturday whilst he had been installing my garden lights. Anyway he sent me a depressingly negative email about how the piano stool we’d seen didn’t come as a package with the organ and would have to be bought separately, how the cost to ship it down to Melbourne was looking exorbitant, how he was worried that it might be too heavy for his floorboards, how his dog had died and his woman had done left him with four hungry children and a crop in the fields….

So I thought, OK; time and distance have cooled him off. So after a bit of email to-ing and fro-ing I suggested that we might take a trip up to Lancefield the following (last) Saturday and pay it a visit, just in case seeing it again might tweak his heartstrings. And he told me there was no need to visit it as it already had a sold sticker on it. With his name on it! Ratbag!!!

St. Patrick's @ the Macedonia

Went up to Lancefield for St Patricks Night on Friday. A friend has taken over management of the old Macedonia Hotel which is now a wine bar/gallery/antiques place/café. It was a great place. Everything was spread over four floors and there was a traditional balcony around two sides of the second story where you could sit out and enjoy fabulous views (until the sun went down of course). I bought a 1940/50s Diana Pottery vase because I needed a souvenir. Allan fell a bit in love with an organ (the kind you play) and I’m keen (without being too pushy) for him to buy it. It’ll look really groovy and he’ll enjoy playing it and restoring the bits that will inevitably need restoring.
The event was an official ‘opening’ party for the new management of the establishment. We were greeted with a complementary glass of champagne and lots and lots of yummy finger food throughout the night. It was a great vibe and I hope they do really well there. I’ll be going back to enjoy a browse and afternoon tea in the not too distant future.

Chocolate

Last Saturday Jessica booked us on a Chocolate Walk around Melbourne CBD. Our group (Elaine, Jessica, Jamie, Seona, Phil and myself) and half a dozen other souls were led on a choc-ucational stroll around some fine chocolate establishments, learning a little about the history of the chocolate making families and, of course, sampling the very fine wares. The guide was a fun person who had been doing this for twenty years, so she really knew her stuff. And one of the highlight places we stopped at was Koko Black, in the Royal Arcade. We sampled to-die-for Belgian truffles and had a look around the place. This establishment is just around the corner from where I work, and I had always thought it was ‘just’ a chocolate shop. But it’s also a chocolate lounge where you can enjoy a range of totally decadent chocolate dishes and drinks (both alcoholic and non). A taste sensation and a special place to go for a leisurely afternoon tea. My favourite place on the tour. Seona and Phil went back to try it on Sunday and voted it a hit.