It is Sunday morning as I write this - it took me nearly a day to recover from the culminate effects of a most enjoyable, but busy Friday!
The Butter Bean was due for it's first service (12,500 km) on Friday, so Bob and and took it out to Fyshwick when the service section opened at 8:00 am and popped round the corner to "Pellegrinos" a newish cafe which was doing a roaring trade for breakfast. We co-ordinated our diaries a little (I was to find out later that I am missing some important dates still), and enjoyed perhaps the best coffee we have had since recording our experiences this year. Full bodied, good crema, and no hint of bitterness. Generous mugs were $3.50. Service attentive and iced water freely available. Great for Fyshwick, but not so convenient for us!
After an hour or so, we hotfooted it over to Manuka to attend the annual PM's XI Cricket match. Once upon a time, it was predictable that this match would be held on a Tuesday in early December, however just as the tradition of an Australia Day Test Match on Adelaide Oval has been swept aside, the match is now a movable feast, with this year being held as a curtain raiser to the long awaited Ashes Series.
The match was sold out, and upgrades at the ground meant that our seats were undercover (the best available when I booked as soon as the bookings opened in June) and in the manner of other grounds around Australia, there was only the smallest 'hill' area left on the eastern side of the ground in front of the Corporate Marquees. Peter, the PRB was already there when I arrived, as Bob waited outside for his friend Brian.
The crowd seemed to be older and more sedate than previous years, few attempts at getting a Mexican Wave started seemed to gain momentum, and I can't recall an "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oi Oi Oi" all day. Brimming cups of beer were still being drunk from 10:00 am, but the cricket was the focus on the day.
The Australian Team was typically a development squad, with the obligatory ACT Player amongst them, although as the first match of the season there was no retiring cricket legend as in previous years which has seen Tubby Taylor, Mark and Steve Waugh lead them on to the field. Perhaps Darren Lehmann should have been called up?
By contrast, the English team was almost full strength, with Flintoff, Giles, Collingwood and Trescothick . Winning the toss, they elected to bat first. Numerous newspaper and media reports have covered the match better than I, but sufficed to say it was a cracking match! I nipped over the Manuka during the lunch break and found a 'modern chinese' cafe who made me a bowl of clear noodle soup with bok choy (not on the menu) and I had this and a pot of chinese tea sitting in the weak sun before heading back to the match.
The Butter Bean was due for it's first service (12,500 km) on Friday, so Bob and and took it out to Fyshwick when the service section opened at 8:00 am and popped round the corner to "Pellegrinos" a newish cafe which was doing a roaring trade for breakfast. We co-ordinated our diaries a little (I was to find out later that I am missing some important dates still), and enjoyed perhaps the best coffee we have had since recording our experiences this year. Full bodied, good crema, and no hint of bitterness. Generous mugs were $3.50. Service attentive and iced water freely available. Great for Fyshwick, but not so convenient for us!
After an hour or so, we hotfooted it over to Manuka to attend the annual PM's XI Cricket match. Once upon a time, it was predictable that this match would be held on a Tuesday in early December, however just as the tradition of an Australia Day Test Match on Adelaide Oval has been swept aside, the match is now a movable feast, with this year being held as a curtain raiser to the long awaited Ashes Series.
The match was sold out, and upgrades at the ground meant that our seats were undercover (the best available when I booked as soon as the bookings opened in June) and in the manner of other grounds around Australia, there was only the smallest 'hill' area left on the eastern side of the ground in front of the Corporate Marquees. Peter, the PRB was already there when I arrived, as Bob waited outside for his friend Brian.
The crowd seemed to be older and more sedate than previous years, few attempts at getting a Mexican Wave started seemed to gain momentum, and I can't recall an "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie Oi Oi Oi" all day. Brimming cups of beer were still being drunk from 10:00 am, but the cricket was the focus on the day.
The Australian Team was typically a development squad, with the obligatory ACT Player amongst them, although as the first match of the season there was no retiring cricket legend as in previous years which has seen Tubby Taylor, Mark and Steve Waugh lead them on to the field. Perhaps Darren Lehmann should have been called up?
By contrast, the English team was almost full strength, with Flintoff, Giles, Collingwood and Trescothick . Winning the toss, they elected to bat first. Numerous newspaper and media reports have covered the match better than I, but sufficed to say it was a cracking match! I nipped over the Manuka during the lunch break and found a 'modern chinese' cafe who made me a bowl of clear noodle soup with bok choy (not on the menu) and I had this and a pot of chinese tea sitting in the weak sun before heading back to the match.
After the game, Bob and I raced home, showered and changed to meet friends for a light meal before going to the Australian Opera's production of the G & S Pirates of Penzance. While I am not a particular fan of musicals per se, it is difficult not to be amused by G&S, and starved for 'proper' opera in Canberra it was good to have an occasional bit'o kulture.
I would have loved to have been at the cricket, too, Flashduck. Enjoyed reading your write up of the day.
Booking early seems the "GO" for cricket these days.