Football, daisy chains and fireworks

I had such a gleeful day today, from start to finish. My little inner spring of contentment is burbling away.

I woke up feeling good from a dream in which I reconnected with the boy I dated briefly at the end of high school. It was just so lovely to spend time with him again and I was pleased he'd left the religious sect he belonged to back then (really!) and we could be together again. Strangely, I didn't feel let down when I realized it was only a dream - just a little warm and fuzzy inside.

I woke up to an absolutely glorious spring day - blue skies and sunshine and a forecast top of 28 degrees C, which is unusually warm for this time of year. I wore one of my new Red Bubble T-shirts with my arms bare all day.

And today wasn't just any day - it was the biggest day on Melbourne's sporting calendar - the Australian Football League (AFL) Grand Final. When I went up the street this morning, it was teeming with football fans of all ages wearing their team's colours, many of the kids with painted faces. A chopper was hovering high overhead. A tabby cat wandered among the brunching football crowd on the footpath looking very unamused by it all. The atmosphere was amazing. Even I was feeling a little nervous excitement and I don't follow either of the teams that played.

Eight hours hours later the game was over, and the underdog scored a victory over the reigning premiers, which had only suffered one loss all season. I wanted the underdog to get up - I have friends who follow them and I'm happy they are so happy (although both of my bosses support the losing team....).

I wandered down some new, unexplored streets again today when I was out and about, including The Vaucluse, which is an exclusive enclave of the suburb of Richmond. It has beautiful old houses with shady trees and gardens full of flowers that scented the warm air. In other streets lined with squat terrace houses, you can almost smell the history, it's like a vapour. I love it.

On the way home I saw some daisies in the park, the same kind that I used to make daisy chains out of when I was a kid growing up on a farm, sitting in a paddock in the sun with the girls from next door.

And then tonight, as I was sitting on my couch setting up a profile on StumbleUpon, fireworks exploded, perfectly framed against the night sky through my loungeroom window (below). They were just across the river in the park and so loud it sounded like bombs were exploding around me. It's like living in a weekend war zone here in the warmer months, and although they give me a fright sometimes, I love the fireworks and the fact I don't have to leave my house to enjoy them. I just turn my head! Yet another reason to relish living in this flat.

Aaaahh...

Have a gleeful weekend everyone!