Yesterday was the first Tuesday in November. The day, once a year on the same first Tuesday of November, that Australia stops to watch a horse race, The Melbourne Cup. Our family friend, John, wanted to take me out to lunch at a local leagues club to celebrate my recent birthday. The decision to go there was determined by the small but significant fact that I have Henry and he would have to dine with us. This leagues club is usually very child friendly so it seemed an apt choice. I picked up John who recently had a car accident and has injured his leg so it's difficult for him to get around comfortably. Just getting in the car almost caused him to injure his other leg but we made it and after driving around the three car parks in the seering heat we finally found a park which had been vacated only seconds earlier. I unloaded Henry and all the other paraphenalia one must cart around with a small child and we headed off to enjoy the airconditioned comfort of the club.
We decided first to get a cool drink and select our favourites to win the race and place our bets. The place was crowded. A mix of ages out to enjoy a day of punting and champagne drinking. Henry was the only person under the age of 18 however. Since he hadn't had his morning sleep he was slightly grumpy but the lights, the noise and the brightly coloured chairs and carpets had him captivated and he was no longer happy to sit in his pram and just enjoy the sights. He had to explore and touch. I let him down for a moment knowing I would regret it. I was trying to study the race form guide, enjoy my gin and tonic and mark my bets on the betting cards. Henry wanted to crawl under tables, inspect young womens handbags (he seems to have a handbag fetish) and try to steal abandoned drinks from tables. Since John was hobbling with a walking stick he wasn't in any form to help out by chasing Henry around. I grabbed Henry, locked him in the pram again, shoved his dummy in his mouth and much to my surprise he promptly fell asleep.
This was our cue to quickly place our bets (I placed a small amount of money on all the favourites hoping I'd come out even eventually) finish our drinks and head down to the restaurant where they serve a buffet lunch. Henry stayed asleep while we ate several servings each (Yum!) and dessert. He woke just as I was taking my last mouthful. Great timing. He was famished when he woke and tried some potato wedges, BBQ chicken pizza and followed that up with some jelly and ice cream. The highlight of his lunch was the tractor spreading fertiliser on the football field directly in our view through the glass wall. He was in heaven as tractors, trucks and any large pieces of machinery are his favourites. He kept calling it a car though. 'Ooooohhh car" he called out and pointed. After eating he was of course ready to reek havoc again but the race was about to start and since we were dining in the outdoor patio area we had no view of the television. We decided to head back to the lounge where we had placed our bets earlier. We arrived just in time to see the history making race. The same horse, Makybe Diva, who had won the previous two years won again. This has never before happened in the history of the Melbourne Cup. There were cheers by everyone. Henry thought this was pretty exciting too and gave his own form of a cheer.
Serious punters never bet on the Melbourne Cup because it's too hard to pick a winner. My father, a serious punter, never did and always warned me against it. I never bet any other time of the year except on the Melbourne Cup. Obviously I still didn't listen to him in my adult years. I had placed a small bet on the winning horse not really believing she had a chance of winning it again. Fortunately for me though I almost made my money back. John had spent a substantial amount of money but won nothing. You win some you lose some. Cliche's always come in handy at a time like this.
It became obvious at this point that Henry wasn't going to rest quietly. He could see the lights and hear the sounds of the poker machines in the room next door. Children are not allowed in there and it was an effort to keep him away. I decided to bring him home hoping I'd be able to get him to enjoy another sleep but no. He was fired up and ready to destroy things at home. I was so incredibly full of food I could hardly move so I had to just let him loose. By the time Ben and Maya came home the house resembled a bomb site. I apologised to them both for my ineffienciency and explained that my stomach was still trying to digest lunch. Ben cooked a delicious dinner - prawn soup (as if I needed it), Maya played with Henry until he was tired enough to sleep and then we watched some television. Maya remembered her homework, as she does, late at night when we're all gearing up for sleep so tired and still digesting I helped her with that. Sleep came easily.
Now it's a new day. Henry woke at 4.30am and was ready to roll. There was no getting him back to sleep this morning, at least not until 7.30am. He's still sleeping soundly as I write this. As busy as he is he is so very adorable. Learning new words and throwing new tantrums everyday.
....two hours later......Just when I thought the day was going smoothly despite the 4.30am start Henry woke from his sleep and had taken off his nappy. Guess what was there, smothered all over the blankets and his hands and everywhere else???? you guessed it! Two showers before 9.30am! Sigh.....it's going to be a long day after all.
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