Adventures

My dad would have turned 77 this week and in celebration I planned to raise a very special glass to his memory, like I look forward to doing on that one special day in October each year. Just myself out in the backyard, gazing up at the stars with my ears filled with some of his favourite music in remembrance for an hour or so, a glass of one of his favourite tipples in hand.

And this year instead of the customary tumbler of scotch ice and soda (J&B Rare was his go to), I picked out a very special bottle with a hugely deep connection with not only the man of the hour but also my family.

But so far in this genius idea I’ve hit a couple of snags. Firstly I’ve found out I don’t have anything in the house to open it and worse than that, I may have left this brilliant idea about ten years too late…

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Welcome to the closest I’ll ever come to being Red Bull F1 guns Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez.* My Friday morning started in a radio studio and ended with a fast and furious Red Bull joy flight that momentarily turned my 75 kilo frame into something heavy enough to take the world of sumo on with.

And mother of god, did I love every single high speed and upside down second of it.

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‘You’re not coming home until after your follow up appointment next week.’ – My lovely wife, dictating in no uncertain terms how things were going to go for me post nasal surgery. And in her mind she probably thought I’d be sleeping through the days and couching the whole week and a bit off at mum’s place while pain killers took over the majority of the heavy lifting.

I pretty much decided to do anything but. So welcome to Al’s ‘Melbourne on a budget’ recovery edition!

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For the record, I’ve never won big at Powerball and neither has anybody I know. We’ve never been invited around for a lavish BBQ in a house won by Powerball (or won by anything really) nor have I come to work and found a co-workers banged up Toyota Corolla has suddenly been replaced by a Bugatti Veyron in Italian Red in the staff carpark.

Still, I will be buying a ticket in this week’s 150 million dollar draw…along with just about half the country it seems.

Quick edit: It didn’t go off. Nobody won the 150m Powerball and at the time of writing it’s hit record highs of $200 million aussie dolleredoos.

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Oh good, I’m lost again. Last week it was the streets of Evandale SA, this week it’s the Brookfield Maze VIC where you’ll probably find me buried under a nearby hedge soon enough. I should have ventured in with a flare or two. Maybe some more provisions. And at least a ball of string to help me find the exit again…I’ve been walking in this maze for a bit, it’s been a while since I tripped over the way out..

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*Results may vary.

I’ve been lost in holiday wilderness and now that I’ve crawled back home in the dying days of 2023 the house is about to be descended on for the last big family shindig of December. (And then when the smoke clears, maybe then I’ll get some sleep?) In the meantime here may be my last post of the year, one final breath before the madness knocks on the door and invites itself in for a sleepover.

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