Albert Park - Melbourne Vic

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVIE!

Two daze for the price of one.

Saturday we went to the Queen Victoria Market for a look see - Judy found the fairy shop and it was all i could do to drag her away with the threat of coffee and food to save her from buying the full fairy dress. Just a small something for a small fairy back home.

Then down to the track for qua lies - what a blast! The young bucks, especially D Riccardo kept sticking it right up to the olde grade - they had better watch themselves!

'Our' Daniel had pole the lost it and then had it and finally settled for 2nd spot, 2nd only to Lewis Hamilton - not a bad effort for a number two!

Sunday - the day of the big race. We slept in - Judy needs a catch up after two big days

Anyhow we caught the good old tram - except they announced that some 'persons' were protesting against the incumbent Federal Government and that Melbourne City was blocked and the tram was being diverted down La Trobe Street (possibly the worst Governor that Victoria has had  - how ironic). That left us leading the rest of the mostly German racegoers on a merry old walk up La Trobe for 4 city blocks and down Spencer Street to the shuttle trams and what normally took 1 hour took 2.

The race itself was pretty uninteresting from a race point of view, but Nico did a fantastic start and Daniel held on to 2nd comfortably enough for the entire race - but what about that rookie Kevin Magnussen holding 3rd in his first race - once again i say that those old head had better rethink how badly they want to win because the new boys in town want it more than they do. Drive of the day should go to Bottas - he was giving it his all and despite hitting the wall and tearing a wheel and tyre off still came home sixth. Even Button showed some form. Could be the beginning of a great season.

This year we thought we'd have a bite to eat and a cup of tea before joining the tram queue, which we did at 7:25, by 7:50 we were on a tram - great, much better than last year. The tram roared off - and promptly stopped and started and stopped and 50 minutes, yes almost 1 whole hour, later we arrived at Souther Cross station. Gads it must be all of 3km. Then we waited for our 112 to West Preston, due in 3 minutes, no 4, no wait it'd been changed to an 11d and 20 minutes later turned up as a 112 anyway.  So just over 2 hours after we left the course we arrived back at stop 47 and grabbed the car for the not so short drive to the camp-site.

I celebrated by drinking an entire bottle of whine whilst Judith consulted her sister regarding their mothers state of health.

Tomorrow we will turn up at Nova expecting to drop the van off and get it fixed. Who knows what they will say when we actually park it on their doorstep?

We have a few days booked at some place down near Sorrento (that's in Victoria, not Italy) so we'll have to see how it goes.

It's been fun, dunno if we'll do it again next year

Cheers, B&J