melbourne was great - i am only just recovered - never worked so hard in my life  - which is more to do with the fact that i have had an easy life than the work was so full - on   haha

I did encounter some drama (of course) when one week before we left i had a call from The Framer asking why are there 5 boxes at the barge for him to pick up ...?  These five boxes were the ones Barrata and I packed up with the framed and unframed works for melbourne A MONTH EARLIER in order for them to get to darwin and from there join our newly framed works and arrive in melbourne one week before we did ...  perfect plan right ... plenty of time

wrong!

there was a minor panic that was quickly relieved when the five boxes were put on a bus with firm assurances it would be in melbourne within 5 days ...

no worries

wednesday night we arrived into melbourne and I went to the exhibition buildings to see Basil Hall and learn that no, the boxes hadn't arrived and worse still the address (his son's) that the boxes were sent to was fully vacated that day (his son moved house) and so no-one would be there to receive them ... ha!

on thursday we had from 8am till 4pm to set up the exhibition before the grand opening at 5pm...

11am  -  I learn the boxes are L O S T  .... no-one is too sure where they could be....

12.30 -  learn the boxes are in A D E L A I D E ...

2.40   -  the boxes are now on a plane to melbourne

5 pm  -  Grand Opening

6.15pm -  BOXES ARRIVE !!

and at least they arrived right ... and we quickly scooted them thru the corridors from the back entrance, unpacked and propped them up against the walls where i swear no-one could tell that wasn't intentional   haha

after that initial near disaster we cruised thru the rest of the weekend - got to listen to copious amounts of jazz and drink copious amounts of coffee by day and me - wine by night ...