The Race That Stops the Nation

Yep, it was Melbourne Cup day today...when we have sumptious lunches at work, champagne and sweepstakes for the race and everything stops while the race is on. Even the patients are in on it...there's a TV in the waiting room.

Today started off wet and cold, the train was more crowded than usual and I had a couple of difficult questions to sort out when I got to work. I couldn't face anything until I had made a plunger of coffee and while I was doing that, G came up to where I was making my coffee, threw a butter knife in the sink and muttered, "I had a difficult patient." It took a couple of seconds then I laughed like mad, which earned me some strange looks from other staff members until I explained what he had done and said.

Later, the money was taken for the sweepstake, lunch time came around and we put all the goodies out on the table. B wondered out after the horses had been given out and was going on about a loose zipper. I thought he said he couldn't sit down because he had a loose zipper. However, his horse's name was Zipper! Unfortunately, he didn't zip fast enough, nor did my horse and we blew our money...all of $8 in my case.

However, we had a beautiful luncheon, the champagne went down well (too well for S, who knocked her glass over...before she'd even taken a sip!).

We're happy in Queensland as it was a jockey from the Gold Coast who won. Because of the horse flu, there were no horse races here, but that didn't stop the punters. They raced camels instead or, oiled by a few drinks, ran themselves.

So, four o'clock came...the one glass of champagne had made me less enthusiastic for work than usual, and I went home. I was able to get a seat on the train...until two stops later when we were held up by a "police incident" and had to change trains. Probably someone who had lost too much money or had too much to drink...idiot! Consequently I was home half-an-hour later than usual...sigh...oh well, you get that.

I hope you had a profitable Melbourne Cup Day...it's a pity the Reserve Bank met today...interest rates are sure to rise.