Made with love

There has been roadwork outside my apartment from 9pm until the early hours for the past two nights.

Not minor stuff, endless jackhammering.

Can you imagine what their penalty rates must be? Buggered if I know why the work can’t start until 9pm. What’s wrong with doing it in the middle of the day between peak hours?

There are loads of streets they could detour the traffic onto by day. But no, they’d rather keep hundreds of people awake at night.

The jackhammering fiesta has followed a building being knocked down around the corner from 7am every morning.

So. Much. Bloody. Noise.

Anyways, all those late nights and early mornings mean there’s not much creativity in the tank.

Fortunately I have a blog post up my sleeve from about 10 days ago that I didn’t get around to publishing.

It’s about how I live a very circular life.

Two Friday nights ago DD took me to a fabulous bar in Manly called The Cumberland and ordered me a glass pink wine.

It was noisy in the bar and I am a bit deaf so I didn’t understand what he was telling me about the wine’s provenance.

It was only after I’d downed half a glass that I finally understood it was Kirk Pengilly’s rose. I didn’t even know the former INXS guitarist had a rosé. He’s been very low key about it for a celebrity in the drinks business.

The circular part of the story is that I drank rosé with Kirk and his wife Layne Beachley at a party last year.

I wrote about it in a blog post called “When a rock star buys you a drink”.

The blog began with the words: “Life got very surreal on Sunday. I was in a shout with INXS guitarist Kirk Pengilly and surfing icon Layne Beachley, then I handed The Sandhill Warrior a giant, blow-up Subway sandwich.

“I was expecting to wake up at that point, but it wasn’t a dream, it actually happened at The Warrior’s significant birthday party.”

The Warrior is DD’s personal trainer and is regarded as one of the finest fitness and motivational coaches in Australia. The “Sandhill” bit is because he’s famous for his brutal workout sessions in the sandhills at Palm Beach.

DD was one of the main organisers of the birthday event, with help from workout mates including Toughen Up Tony and Mark the Shark.

Layne and Kirk were there because The Warrior got to know Layne during his 13 years training the Quicksilver elite surfing squad around the world. He also helped her and Kirk get in shape to walk the Great Wall of China.

I’m not quite sure how I ended up talking to Layne and Kirk. DD offered to introduce me, but I was too shy. Then, somehow, we were chatting, my glass was empty and Kirk offered to buy me another one.

Yep, a rock star was offering to go in a shout with me.

Later, I asked Kirk and Layne if they wanted a drink and Layne wanted to know if my pink wine was any good. I screwed my nose up. Kirk was mortified and started apologising for choosing the wrong one. Eeek! I assured him there was never going to be a right rosé at a bowling club.

Little did I know that Kirk and Layne are even bigger fans of rosé than me …

As he writes on the Kirk Pengilly Wine website: “When I met my wife Layne on a blind date, the likelihood of us hitting it off was slim. We were from completely different worlds. My livelihood was nocturnal and hers was dayturnal. I worked inside and she worked outside. I drank white wine, she drank red. Then we discovered Rosé, something we both loved. Late one night, on tour with INXS, Layne asked me ‘what do we have in common that will keep us together?’ I answered, ‘Rosé’. Now, nearly two decades later, I wanted to make a Rose that celebrated our marital bliss.”

Oh, my heart!

Kirk Pengilly Rosé is a mixture of Grenache & Mataro (uncertified) organic grapes grown in McLaren Vale.

It’s very good. So good that I ordered a second glass!

Anyways, DD sent Layne a terrible picture of me drinking the wine at The Cumberland.

I was slightly startled that he had Layne on speed dial.

And Layne very kindly texted back saying she was glad we liked it!

As for The Cumberland … wow … you must go!

It’s behind a secret door in a deli in Manly and it’s absolutely gorgeous. It’s so popular you need to book. We could only get a table at 5pm.

I asked to have their signature cocktail, which turned out to be also called The Cumberland. It features The Glenlivet Founders Reserve, Pedro Ximenez, honey and smoked cherry and is served up in a glass hood filled with smoke.