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  • Day 102

    A Sneaky & Unprovoked Theft

    June 11, 2020 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Maggie and I usually try to avoid trips to the inner suburbs of Melbourne. The combined effects of heavy traffic, lack of parking spaces and too many people, are enough to keep me heading in the opposite direction. Over the past decade we have spent a lot more time in Paris, than in the Melbourne CBD. Sometimes, however, there is just no avoiding such a venture. Today was such an occasion.

    Maggie's bike was overdue for its first service, so we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather, load the bike and head into the city. After dropping the bike at the bike shop, we had a couple of hours to fill in, before it would be ready to collect it again. Since we were ready for a coffee fix (and Maggie needed a toilet), we drove to the St Kilda Baths and visited their coffee shop.

    A few minutes later, Maggie's bladder was happy and we both had a coffee and a cake to enjoy by the pier. We sat down and looked out over the bay. It was absolutely still and I had to admit that it was beautiful. Out came our cakes and we started eating. It was here that things took a terrible turn for the worse.

    Out of nowhere came a flapping of white wings, a large seagull swooped over Maggie's left shoulder, neatly collected her cake and disappeared into the distance. And that was that. She was rightly miffed.

    "I was enjoying that", she sadly stated.

    "Well the seagull is enjoying it now", I added.

    You might think that such events would be very rare. The problem is that Maggie has a history of such attacks. Three years ago we were sitting by the waterside in Dinard, France. Across the water, we could see the famous stone walls of the citadel of St Malo. It was an idyllic place to enjoy our lunches.

    On that occasion, we had both bought a baguette and Maggie had just started on her raspberry tart. Anyone who has traveled with us would know that Maggie absolutely adores those cakes, and she was obviously looking forward to eating it and savouring every single mouthful. It wasn't to be.

    She had barely started when a huge seagull appeared from the sky and snatched the entire treat. If that wasn't bad enough, it also simultaneously emptied the entire contents of its bowels all over her. She was left without her tart, but liberally covered in fresh, warm bird droppings. It certainly put a rapid dampener on the mood.

    The next twenty minutes were spent wiping off the poo and remembering the tart that might have been. It was a day that will go down in the annals of infamy, but today indicated that history really does repeat itself.

    Fortunately, the rest of the day went in a more positive fashion. After picking up the bike, we returned via Bentleigh East. This was the area that I grew up in the 1950s, and I am always interested to see how it has changed over the decades.

    Ever since I lived in Harper Ave, there had been a run down milk bar on the corner of Tucker and Paterson Rds. For decades this decrepit looking shop somehow managed to stay open, even though the peeling paint and grubby windows made it look like a place to stay well away from. We were surprised (and pleased) to see that it has now been completely remodeled into a lovely cafe. It was a perfect place to enjoy a late lunch.
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