The little shops that lined Main Street in Mornington may have looked exactly like they did the last time I was there but yesterday felt different.

It felt like a goodbye.

Yesterday was Raven’s last visit to her eye doctor before he referred us to another optometrist so much more closer to home. I felt kind of sad about it as I find he’s an excellent doctor but at the same time, I know it’s for the best. That was one of the things I wanted to discuss with him, as well.

So that was it. That was the end of our journey with him.

With all the doctor’s appointments and eyeglasses fittings and everything in between that we had to drive to Mornington to in the last three years, I couldn’t help but develop an affinity for the street with its corner bookshop, pet shop, clothing boutiques, cafes, and op shops. (Most of all, the op shops.) I kinda like the relaxed but high-end/retirement vibe. People walking about with their poodles and labradoodles. Older folks sipping coffee al fresco, silver blond hair glinting in the sun.

I took Raven to the toy shop to have a look around. When she wasn’t wandering through the aisles marveling at the toys on display, she was at the Bluey section, excitedly showing me the merchandise of her favorite cartoon character.

On the way home, I told Raven to keep an eye out for the beach. I always love the coastal view and the little surprise that you get just around the bend at this high point along Nepean Highway.

We didn’t intend to pull over but Jeff suddenly did, a quick impulse decision on his part reminiscent of a hoon driver with a fetish for compulsive adventures. Something that was so memorable in the end.

Because standing there on Oliver’s Hill Lookout Point, we got to witness the sun setting in shades of yellow and orange against a sky that just that afternoon finally turned blue after a week of rain and grey.