Horse Sense over Common Sense...

Wine of the Week:
Balgownie Estate Bendigo Shiraz 2006 - A very nice Shiraz one has to say; which dispels the view that a lot of New South Welshmen have that a good shiraz can only be found in the Hunter Valley. It is good to start and gets even better with every sip or gulp - whatever your drinking style may be. 
Balgownie Estate has it's cellar doors at the Yarra Valley and Bendigo - we stayed in the Yarra Valley where we tasted the full range of wines; the reds being the pick of the bunch (surprise, surprise). If you can stay there as well, it is both comfortable and relaxing with some bargains during the week.
http://www.balgownieestate.com.au/


Tomorrow is Tuesday November 2nd - the first Tuesday in November.

Melbourne Cup Day.

The Spring Racing Carnival and in particular Cup Day is a particularly dangerous time for me and many others. See, give me an ounce of knowledge and I think I can rival Ken Callendar or Max Presnell in the punting stakes. I start pouring over the form every Saturday from Caulfield Cup day onwards, supplementing my limited knowledge with the tips from the papers and those far more knowledgeable in the racing caper than I. It doesn't help when I picked Shocking to win last year - just added to my delusions of grandeur.

But I digress...whether you follow racing or not, Melbourne Cup day is a very unique day. One state gets a public holiday while the rest of the country looks at ways of trying not to work...while drinking and punting at the same time. 

The tagline for the Melbourne Cup is that it is "The Race that stops the Nation" and I have learnt over my thirty eight year existence that it does indeed, stop this nation. I have watched the Cup in many different ways - on a TV in a classroom as a kid, in various bars and pubs, at corporate lunches to last year where Trish and I were at Flemington to see the Cup for the first time. It is definitely one of those things that should be on one's sporting 'bucket list'.

One thing is common - time stands still as all eyes and ears are focused on the three and a bit minutes it takes for the field of twenty four to complete the 3200m.  Hope rises and falls with every gallop until the winner reaches the post and we either celebrate or utter that most comforting of words..."there's always next year". 

PS: Thanks to those who are far more knowledgeable than I and are very willing to share their racing expertise with me. You know who you are and I (and the NSW TAB) thank you.

One more thing...
Wine goes well with a number of things; one of those is music. Last night, we saw Holly Throsby at the Brass Monkey in Cronulla. She always puts on a great gig and last night was no exception. Holly Throsby plays the type of music that is perfect to listen to on a Sunday afternoon with a glass of vino or watching and listening the rain tumble outside. She has a number of CD's out including her just recently released first children's CD. Check her out on http://www.hollythrosby.com/