We set off from home to Brett’s Wharf, looking forward to pizza, friendly hosts, and a wine or two at Julius in Fish Lane. The ferry was late, and we were told it would be terminating at Hawthorne, with other travel options to the city to be announced.

On the way to Teneriffe, the crew let us know that due to industrial action, buses were available to take us into the city. As we’d checked only the other day, pets aren’t allowed on any other form of public transport.

We alighted at Bulimba on the promise of a 25% discount through EatClub at Romeo Italian. We ordered generously. At 1:55pm, my husband received an SMS saying we needed to pay the bill within 15 minutes to claim the discount. The payment, discount included, was declined twice — so we paid full price.

Do you think we paid $35 for an Uber Pet to take us home, or waited until the strike lifted at 4pm and put that money towards another bottle of wine?