Last day, first day

Today is my last day of work for three weeks. Hurrah! Tomorrow I'm catching a plane to Port Macquarie to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve with my mother, whom I haven't seen since last Christmas. I'm looking forward to it.

At the start of the year, my mum moved from Port Macquarie (a bustling city of about 70,000 on the mid-north coast of New South Wales) to a little town inland called Wauchope. I've been there before briefly a couple of times, but I'm looking forward to exploring it properly and taking some photos.

We're also planning to spend some time up in the nearby mountains. It's such picturesque country up there - so green and lush all year round, which is a  welcome change after the drought and dry grass down south.  (Click here for some pictures...goodness me, looking at those photos makes my camera finger itch!)

Of course I'm also looking forward to putting my feet up, reading some books and enjoying some maternal spoiling. Oh, and NOT  BEING AT WORK!

I'm not sure when I will have a chance to blog again - partly due to being away and partly due to more laptop problems (*shakes fist at 'puter*) - so I will wish you all a gleeful Christmas now. May your festive season be bursting with the simple pleasures that make this time of year special.

Finally, thank you all for reading and commenting and sharing your glee with me throughout the year. Looking forward to more of the same in 2010!

Sundae Sunday

My driver's licence might tell you I'm 37, but on the inside I'm nine years old. Check out my new lip gloss...

It smells like chocolate pudding. Mmmmm.  I did manage not to buy one in every flavour (there was also vanilla, butterscotch and strawberry shortcake). I also resisted the hair gel with glitter in it, although I did think "Oooh! Cool!" when I saw it on the shelf...


Vampire coincidence

Yes, I'm still going on the Angel box set. Last night I discovered this neat little circle of vampirey connectedness:

* Angel is a vampire;
* The theme to the show is performed by a band called Darling Violetta;
* The name Darling Violetta comes from the greeting Bela Lugosi used in letters to his mistress Violetta; and 
* Bela Lugosi starred in the first authorised film adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula!

(PS Yay for Google and Wikipedia. I loves the interwebs!)

I wonder if this is why Darling Violetta was chosen from a number of contenders to perform the theme or if it was just a coincidence? I prefer to think it's the latter.

The theme for the show is infact a nice piece of music. I've always loved the cello in it. It gives me goosebumps. I've been listening to it all morning on repeat. You'd think after having heard it so much in the past few weeks I'd be tired of it, but no. Here 'tis: 

Strange, but cool

I visited the arid gardens in the Botanic Gardens on my way home. Succulents and cacti are kinda weird, but interesting and great subjects for photos. Very sculptural and textured.

Happy happy joy joy

Happy happy joy joy #1

There was a letter in the mail box from my real estate agent when I got home tonight. The sight of it made my heart pound. You see, my lease expires in less than two months and I've been preparing myself to get a notice to vacate so the new owners can redevelop the building.

Fortunately before I opened it I twigged that a notice to vacate would have been sent by registered post so the poundy heart stopped. I opened it and -YAYS! They're putting new carpet in the stairwell in January!

No, I'm not especially thrilled about new carpet - the expenditure on new floor coverings means they won't be redeveloping any time soon and I get to stay! Hurrah! *happy dance*

My flatmate (who's now back from her trip) told me last night she's going to look for a place of her own when the lease is up. If we had to vacate, I would have done the same, but I love living here so much that I'd prefer to stay and get a new flatmate.

This is such a relief. I've lived here for five years - hard to believe it's now the longest I've lived anywhere since I left home in 1992 - and for probably three of those five years I've been living with the possibility of vacating so the owners can redevelop.

Of course there is always the possibility they will still redevelop in the future, but you'd think after spending money to carpet three flights of stairs, they won't be doing it for at least a couple of years. It's not like the existing carpet is a safety hazard or horrendously worn out.

Hopefully when the time comes to find a new flatmate it will be as effortless as it was last time, and the new flattie will be as good as Anna.

Happy happy joy joy #2

I have got a whole three weeks off work, starting on Christmas Eve. I'm SO hanging out for it. I haven't had a full week off work all year (mostly because I've been trying to save my annual leave). Not that I've been working hard or anything. I'm not burnt out...just sort of drained by the boredom. 

My office closes on 24 December and re-opens on January 11 so everyone has to take that time off, but I'm taking a couple of extra days.

I'm going to visit my mother in New South Wales for about 10 days over the Christmas-New Year period and then the rest of the time I will be having a staycation in Melbourne, which, as many of you might recall, I love to do. I get almost as excited by that as the prospect of having a proper holiday.  

I'm already compiling a list of things to do with my time off...

Champagne and Reefer

Can't recall if I've posted this video already, but I love the song so much I'm gonna do it again. This is from the Rolling Stones concert doco Shine a Light - the Stones featuring special guest Buddy Guy.

Love the blues. Love Buddy Guy's enormous voice and his guitar work. Love the harmonica. It gives me goosebumps.

Paddling and sunset

As I was walking home tonight I saw two young guys paddling downstream on surfboards. Standing up, with paddle in hand. Oh-kaaaay then.

The sunset tonight

Dear reader

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from a reader who said he had signed up to sponsor a child through the Smith Family's Learning for Life program after reading my blog about it.

If you are reading this now, I haven't been ignoring you! I've somehow managed to delete your email without trace. I'm hoping you are reading this, because I wanted to tell you how pleased I am that you decided to help give a kid a brighter future. Yay for you.

It also feels pretty good knowing I played a part in it too.

(Feel free to email me privately again if you'd prefer not to make a public comment. )

Today I...

...spent the warm, sunny afternoon in the Botanic Gardens.

...wasn't the only person alone, reading.

...took my shoes off and felt the grass on my feet. I saw the prickle before I stepped on it.

...read the paper properly.

...found the nine-letter word in the Target puzzle. Electrode.

...finished reading my book, the first one I've finished in ages.

...watched the fairies darting about in the sunshine.

...spotted an eel in the murky water. It saw me and hid under the algae/slime. There's a drawing of an eel in the book I just finished.

...saw a cygnet. Fluffy.

...admired the jacaranda.

...took photos....

The William Tell Rest House (with eel habitat in foreground)

Water lilies

Some kind of thistle

Everlasting daisies (the petals feel like paper)

Moon watching, leaf watching

The past three nights as I have been lying on my couch watching (you guessed it) Angel, the moon has appeared in the corner of my loungeroom window, big and yellow and full, and slowly arced its way across the night sky. I've been watching the man in the moon almost as much as my TV screen, and he's been looking back at me.

Last night the moon drifted in and out of light cloud. It was a little spooky, but awesome, and also quite a fitting backdrop (OK, sidedrop) to my DVD viewing since Angel is a creature of the night and the show has taken a darker, more dramatic turn in series two.

I like that I can lie on my couch and gaze at the moon. It's one of the many things I love about where I live.

Leafwatch

The leaf on my deiffenbachia is all but unfurled now. Yay. And what's more, another tiny shoot has appeared (just in front of the stem). Double yay. I definitely haven't killed it. Phew.  

Well, whaddya know?

Still no computer at home. Angel marathon ensues.

You may recall that Angel doesn't dance, but hel-lo! David Boreanaz does, and with his shirt off too. *wolf whistles*

Thank you, YouTube.

NaBloPoMo: over and out

Yay! NaBloPoMo is over and I get to cross something else off my list of 101 Things to Do Before I'm 40. OK, it's not quite as impressive as becoming an early riser or a vegetarian, or even lasting a whole week without dropping the F bomb (still working on them), but it's done.

Thank you for reading...or should I say persevering?

My laptop is in getting fixed which means I have more time for...watching Angel!  Hurrah! I started season two last night, which features Angel 'singing' Barry Manilow's Mandy at a demon-friendly karaoke bar so Lorne (the green dude with the horns) can read his aura. When Lorne asks him why he chose Mandy, Angel says because he thinks "it's kinda pretty". Not quite as amusing as the dorky dancing, but still chuckle-worthy.

Venting

OK, I've had an annoying day, so let me just say I'm glad there are only two posts left in NaBloPoMo, including this one. I've enjoyed it, but it has started to feel like an obligation, rather than a pleasure.

I'm writing this at an internet cafe in Richmond because I um...computer raged my laptop and the hard drive has decided to punish me by not working. I wouldn't need to punch it if it didn't make me so angry, so I'm blaming it.

So I had to walk to the net cafe in the rain because someone stole my umbrella from the gym change rooms today and I didn't buy a new one.

All that, and I spent most of the afternoon with soggy socks after walking to the gym in the rain (my next umbrella needs to be one of those family-sized ones that can take out the eyes of half a dozen people in one go). Soggy socks are not at all good for one's state of mind.

Sighs. I'm going home now. 

Hair, green, more Angel

I got my hair cut and coloured today. Same colour (blue/black) and same style (super short). It always gives me a little boost having my hair done.

More rain today. I'm really happy to see that the grass on the banks of the river and the hill at Birrarung Marr has greened up again after our spring heatwave, even if it's only a matter of time before it dies off again.

I'm looking forward to another quite night in with Angel tonight. Still going on season one.

Do not taunt the octopus

It's Fridayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! 

Today I want to tell you about some websites that make me chuckle (and help to pass the time at work).

I think I've already mentioned Go Fug Yourself, but for anyone who enjoys checking out post awards ceremony photos of madly and badly dressed celebrities like I do, it's a must-see. It's a highly entertaining snarkfest (with a good heart).

A more recent addition to my favourite websites is Regretsy, a piss-take of the mad, bad and hilariously insane handmade stuff people sell on the art and craft site Etsy. Seriously, you have to see that stuff to believe it. People are NUTS.

My favourite thing is the custom made vulva necklaces. Send a photo of your lady bits and the artist will whip up a little replica for you to wear around your neck. Because one vulva is never enough, right?  You'll be pleased to know, ladies, that if you're too shy to send a photo of your nethers, you can opt to describe them to the artist instead. I can't imagine anyone who thinks a vulva is a fabulous accessory to wear out in the wide world would be shy, can you? 

Today I also had a look at a site called Oddly Specific which is a website about "peculiarly exacting signs".  I love the "Do not taunt the octopus" sign. Love the picture. Love the phrase. I don't know how exactly just yet, but seriously I am going to find a way to use that expression in my daily life (starting with the headline for today's blog). I encourage you to do likewise. DO NOT TAUNT THE OCTOPUS! Say it!

Finally, a blog that makes me smile every time I look at it. Colour Me Katie is the blog of a talented young American photographer. She is so wildly creative and whimsical and her photos are so bright and colourful, it's hard not to feel a little bit happier after you leave. The people of Brooklyn are so lucky to have her and her wonderful, whacky street art in their midst.

That's all. Also, it's Fridayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Thunder! Rain! Leaf! Skirt!

I woke up this morning to thunder and rain. Eureka Tower had its head in the clouds when I left for work and there was another thunderstorm in the afternoon. The lights at work flickered and my computer turned off. I had my fingers crossed for a black out so we could go home, but no such luck. Oh well. The rain was great. We still badly need it.

Still alive

The new leaf on my almost-dead deiffenbachia is unfurling verrrrrrrry slooooowwwwly. I thought its resurrection might have stalled mid-furl, but no - every day it unravels a tiny bit. It looks healthy.

New

I wore a new skirt to work today. It's nice having something different to wear instead of the same work clothes. Also, it only cost me $10 at the new South Wharf DFO.

I see a little silhouette of a clam

And now for another funny video. No, not Angel this time. It's the Muppets singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Love it.



(I couldn't get the video to fit - click on it to watch it on YouTube)

Angel of mirth

I have been watching this video of Angel all day and cackling like a loon. I can't get enough of it. I had my cranky pants pulled up to my armpits when I got to work this morning, but repeated viewings of this video put me in a good mood. I laughed away my ill humour. Told you Angel is awesome.  

The video shows Angel (in the black) and Wesley (in the cable knit jumper) dancing like dorks. Apologies for the Crazy Frog music - it's not in the actual episode, but I think it makes the scene even funnier because Angel is such a brooding, ernest vampire-with-a-heart who likes to spend time alone in a dark room and here he is busting out the circle-claps and other dorky dance moves. Bahahaha.

I watched the episode last night and nearly wet my pants. See, this is the benefit of having a bad memory - I'd forgotten all about it! I'd also forgotten about the episode where Angel sings Mandy in a karaoke bar until I found it on YouTube. I have that to look forward to.

I hope I'm not boring you with my Angel waffling. It's probably very tedious for you, but I am enjoying it SO much.

Just for something different. Here's a picture of the sunset last night, seen from my loungeroom window.

Yum

I think I've mentioned my allergy elimination diet here before. I won't bore you with the details, but it's been going on for quite a while now and it's not a particularly gleeful experience.

I love food and I don't like not being able to eat what I like, so it's a joy when I make something that is actually nice. My low-allergy potato salad gets the thumbs up. It's only potato, leek, celery and mung bean shoots, which is pretty dull, but the tangy mayonnaise makes it. I've had it with a steak for the past two nights. Tonight's was particularly juicy and tender.  

Oh, of course it's also a joy to be feeling better, although my progress is slow and I have a way to go yet. At least I'm heading in the right direction.

Rain, rain and more rain. And more phwoar

Well, did it rain! It was raining when I got into bed, raining as I drifted off to sleep, raining when I got up during the night to pee and raining when I woke up this morning. It rained until lunch time and then a little more in the afternoon. It was bliss.

We've had more than 40 mm of rain this weekend. It hasn't rained like this in ages. Everything feels clean and refreshed and cool. Aaaah.

It was good weather to continue my Angel marathon. I'm onto the third disc now. Only 27 to go after that. One of the (hot) main characters has died, but a new (hot) main character has joined. It's wall-to-wall hotness. This is the new hot guy - Wesley.

C'mere and let me tend your wounds, Wesley

Oh, and it's funny. It's the writing that I love the most. Really. I wouldn't pay that much money just to look at hot guys. I can do that on the net for free.

I did leave the house in the afternoon to buy food. When I was walking home through the park, I head a low roar over the top of my iPod. I took my ear phones out and looked up to see a low flying plane (a big one) emerge from a gap in the clouds and then disappear again after a few seconds. It's not common to see planes that large flying so low around here.

Soggy, sewing and phwoarness

City in the rain

I got caught in the rain walking home today. My leather thongs got all slippery and squishy and hard to walk in and the bottom of my jeans got soggy and dragged along the ground, but it was ace all the same. So refreshing.  

I'd been over to The Thread Den with my friend Anna practising sewing in zips, and it was really humid and sticky when we emerged, drained but (sort of) triumphant. The rain really cooled things off.

And it's still going now - it's been coming down steadily for hours. I hope it's still going when I go to bed.

I think I might watch one more episode of Angel before I call it a night. I watched the first episode last night and the opening music gave me goosebumps. I'm loving it...especially loving seeing David Boreanaz (who plays the role of Angel, the demon-slaying vampire-with-a-soul) in a black singlet....and with his shirt ripped open....and in a towel...Phwoar. *fans self*

See what I mean?

Looks like someone else got caught in the rain. Here, let me dry you off....

Speaking of sewing, Anna and I struggled with putting in zips, but I think we'd got the hang of it by the end of our sewing session. They weren't pretty, but they were functional. Learning new things is hard...but at least it might help to stave off dementia.

Jacaranda and a cool change

There's a jacaranda tree in the Flagstaff Gardens! See? I never knew. I don't get over that side of the CBD very often. I love jacarandas. It's a whole tree of purple and purple is my favourite colour.

When I lived in a small country town, there was a little white weatherboard cottage up the street from us with a green tin roof and a jacarandah in the yard. The purple looked so pretty against the white and green house.

Cool

Our spell of hot weather came to an end today with a stormy cool change and a little rain. What a relief. Love the smell of rain on hot bitumen.

There's meant to be more rain tomorrow. Yay for rain.

Angel (hee, just as I typed 'Angel' then, Gin Wigmore sang the very same word!)

I got the Angel DVD box set on my lunch break today. I didn't let the 37 degree heat deter me from my mission.

Happily, I have a relatively free weekend coming up and I plan to spend quite a bit of it lying on my couch watching Angel and his cohorts slay vampires, demons and so on.

Angel and Gin

I nearly choked on my lamb chop tonight as I was browsing through the day's junkmail over dinner - in a good way. I've been looking for a DVD box set of the full series of Angel for quite some time, to no avail. And there it was tonight, sitting in the BIG W catalogue! Big W, of all places! Yays!

I. Must. Own. It.  It can be an early Christmas present to myself....er...as well as the pair of rather expensive shoes I bought last weekend. Hey, if I don't spoil me, who will?

I love Gin

Remember the mix 'tape' I got from my NZ Twitter pal? Well, one of the songs on there is by a young NZ woman called Gin Wigmore and she is fantastic. How did I not discover her before now? Thank you Twitter pal!

I bought her debut CD Holy Smoke last night and it's great. I am playing it right now quite loudly because....MY FLATMATE IS AWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYEEEEEEEEEEE! *jumps on up and down on bed* Ahem.

Here is a song called Oh My:

Stationary and crisp

Spotted on Bourke Street

Ah, I love it when I spot a spelling error. This isn't as pleasing as finding a mistake in The Age newspaper, but it's still pretty good, especially given the name of the shop. Or maybe they sell statues?

Years ago I pressed a boyfriend to name something about me that irritated him, and all he could come up with was my penchant for pointing out spelling errors on signs and in menus. Either he thought I was just about perfect or he was lying to me.

Crispy

There's lots of crispy leaves on the footpath in my street lately, I suppose because the hot weather has dried them out nicely. CRUNCHY CRUNCH CRUNCH!

Have I mentioned that I have my flat to myself for nearly a month? Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Wheeeeeeeeeee!

I have my flat to myself for just over three weeks. Woohoo! My flatmate is about to get on a plane to fly to Europe for a holiday. I reckon having the place to myself makes me almost as happy as overseas travel makes her.

Looking forward to:

* sleeping, showering and peeing with the doors open;

* not vacuuming again until the day before she returns;

* not having to creep around when she's sleeping;

* playing my music as loud as I want;

* not spending so much time in my bedroom; and

* being able to watch a DVD whenever I want and not worry about the noise bothering her if she's in bed.

And now I'm going to watch a DVD.

Fan email and new shortcut

I got a lovely email yesterday from a "fan" of my Girl in Melbourne photo blog. It always makes me happy to hear from people who like my blogs.  

He's from England. I know the internet is not really a novelty these days, but it still gives me a little buzz to know someone on the other side of the world is looking at a photo I took - and keeps coming back to look at more. 

Although I started the blog for my own enjoyment, getting positive feeback does make it more rewarding. 

Shortcut

I have lived in this building for nearly five years and yesterday I discovered a new shortcut from Punt Road to my place. Better late than never!  What's even more pleasing is that it cuts out the worst of the hill.

Green thumb (sort of), holding hands and shiny

I'm probably talking too soon here, but I think I have managed to coax one of my indoor plants back from the brink of death. Go, me!

OK, let's overlook the fact that it's probably my fault that it was knocking on the door of plant heaven to begin with, but I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself for saving it.

It thrived when I first bought it, but it got the sulks when I repotted it in winter and then I had to repot it again because I forgot to put pebbles in the bottom to aid drainage, thus making it even crankier. All the leaves started fading to a pale green and going crisp and brown around the edges. I progressively cut them off until all that was left was a green stick in a pot.

And then a leaf started to shoot out the top! Hurrah! That's a start...

My other indoor plant, a spathyphillum, is thriving. It's got two flowers at the moment. They usually have flowers when you buy them (as mine did), but they die (as mine did) and often never get any more (as mine didn't!).

Aww

I saw an older couple strolling across Morell Bridge and holding hands today.

Awesome

I also saw a mint-condition 1950s Chevy rumbling down Swan Steet, glinting in the sun. So shiny! So long!

A pleasant afternoon

I had lunch with a friend today, one of those friends I've talked about whom I don't see very often (this was our third get-together this year), but it's just like old times when we do.

And what's even better is that I know, without a doubt, that spending time with her will put me in a good mood. We always have a laugh and I feel so upbeat afterwards. And so I did today. Yay. We compared dating experiences and had a good cackle at those strange creatures known as 'men'.

We went to St Kilda for lunch and sat at an outside table under the shade of an umbrella. There were yachts on the bay, plenty of people on the beach (not so much in the water) and a refreshing sea breeze. It was a very pleasant way to while away a few hours on a Saturday afternoon.

My parents did it in Deni*

The last couple of days haven't been quite so hot. It's been pleasantly warm with a nice sea breeze when I've left work to walk home. Tonight as I neared home, the sun had that really nice warm, hazy summery glow about it.

As I walked home along the river, it reminded me of lying on my towel on the sandy beach of the Edward River when I was a kid, with the sun glinting off the water as it sank behind the gum trees on the other side of the river....which makes me think of the town where I was born - Deniliquin, in southern NSW.

Here's some photos (not all my own). Just because.

Me (when I had long hair - November 2007, this was) sitting in the Simpson Band Rotunda in the Waring Gardens. It's named after my mother's family, particularly my grandfather, who was a fixture in the Deniliquin Town Band for most of his life.

Deni is the self-proclaimed Ute Capital of the World and home to the Ute on the Pole (ute = utility vehicle). Every year it hosts the Deni Ute Muster at which they attempt to break the world record for the most utes in one place. Yes, it's a bogan's paradise.

The Edward River, I think in better times. It was badly affected by the drought when I last visited in November 2007.


The lagoon in the Waring Gardens, a pretty park right opposite the main street.

It's been just over two years since I visited. I'm feeling the urge to go back. I only lived in Deni for five years (although I've visited family many times since) but it will always have a place in my heart. My family has history there. My grandparents are all buried there. Anyone up for a road trip?

Oh - the asterisk in my heading refers to the town's former slogan "Do it in Deni". Yes, really. I think it's a shame they abandoned it. *shakes fist* Curse you political correctness! Oh well. I'll always have this fridge magnet.

Church house

Because I haven't been walking to work in the mornings due to the heat, I've been taking myself on a little wander on my way home to make up for the lost exercise. Tonight I walked through the Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens, East Melbourne, the grounds of the MCG, then across the rail lines and the river.

East Melbourne is another suburb with beautiful old buildings - and also this rather odd confection of old meets new on Powlett Street:

It looks like someone has gutted the church and built a big black glasshouse in the middle of it. I'm not entirely sure that it works looking at it from the outside...but how awesome would it be to live in it?

Oh...well, that pretty much is what happened. Google informs me this is the Cairns Memorial Presbyterian Chuch and it was converted into an apartment block after a fire in the 1980s.

Eep! Nearly forgot to post today! I had logged off and was flossing my teeth and looking forward to sleep when I remembered I hadn't NaBloPoMo'd. Phew!

I heart South Yarra

Have I mentioned how much I love the area I live in? Apart from being so close to the city and having the Botanic Gardens as my backyard, there are so many beautiful old buildings nearby.

Here's a few photos I've taken in Park Street recently:

I love this red door and the pots of flowers.

I stayed in this buiding for a few weeks when I was at uni and it was a fairly scummy guest house. It's looking much nicer these days now that it's approaching the final stages of a posh make-over, although I can't help feeling sorry for all the permanent residents (many of whom were marginalised by unemployment and/or mental illness) who've been turfed out. I imagine it will be turned into a boutique hotel like The Hatton Hotel a few doors up.

Don't you have a statue in your front yard?

PS I didn't end up buying a Paperblanks journal or diary after all. Even the smallest diary is too big for my needs and there weren't many small journals left. I'll just have to have a look online.

Stationery...oh, and sweaty men

I discovered a gorgeous range of diaries, journals and address books on a lunch time wander through the Block Arcade (above) recently. I caressed them lovingly, but there were so many of them and they were all so purdy, I couldn't decide which one to buy.

They range is called Paperblanks and you can have a look at them on the company's website here. I saw them at Card n Caboodle, but I've just found an Australian website that sells them online (only I can't tell if it's the complete, latest range).

I'll be wandering past Card n Caboodle on my lunch break tomorrow so I'll have to pop in and have another look at them.

Can you tell I've been saving this up for a day when I was struggling to find something gleeful to write about? I actually have a list of stuff ready to plug holes...

The only other thing I could come up with today is that the hot weather encourages muscular male joggers to take their shirts off. Sorry, girls, I didn't take photos.

Mix tape, shade and serenity

Yay! My 3-CD 'mix tape' from my NZ Twitter friend Kimode arrived in the mail today. I'm just uploading them to my iPod now. Can't wait to listen.

Summer has hit early in my part of the world. We've had three days of above 30 degree C temperatures with more to come, which isn't particularly gleeful for those of us who don't love the hot weather. But it is nice not to have to wear a warm jacket - or any jacket - to and from work.

I caught the train to work this morning (also not a gleeful experience), but I walked home in the heat tonight on the south side of the river, which is shaded by trees pretty much all of the way to my house. It was a surprisingly...not unpleasant walk.

I have also taken to detouring through the Botanic Gardens for the final part of my walk home now that the gates are open later. It makes the journey a little longer, but it's worth it for a little burst of serenity at the end of my working day.

Fishnets ahoy!

New York cabaret star Meow Meow

So, the Gangsters' Ball is over...I feel a little deflated now after all that build up, but it was a fun night. Great performers, great music, a fantastic venue (love The Forum) and heaps of eye-popping outfits.

There were men in all black with white ties and braces, zoot suits, fedoras and wingtips, and women in everything from figure-hugging evening gowns, fringed flapper dresses and full skirts with stiff petticoats to corsets and burlesque-style lingerie. It's not every day you see a woman strolling along Flinders Street in French knickers and suspenders! I reckon sales of fishnets in Melbourne would have spiked this week too. They were everywhere (including on my very own pins).

Anyway, I said I'd post a photo of my outfit so here you go:

Chickened out on the really red lippie, but this was still pretty red

Imaginary boyfriend...I'm doin' it right

For photos of stuff besides me, check out Girl in Melbourne.

Ball time

Tonight's the night the gangsters and their molls (and burlesque girls and swing dancers and rockabilly guys and gals) come out to play! My outfit is ready to go. My girly beauty rituals are 80 per cent complete. I can't wait.

It's been a hot day in Melbourne, which should make for a pleasantly balmy evening.

I got the finishing touch for my outfit today - a red Olga Berg clutch purse to compliment my red pout. It was only $30 too. I'm such a bargain hunter... Luckily it's big enough to hold my camera, which means I will hopefully have some photos to show you tomorrow.

Stay tuned...

The verdict

I'm so glad I posted my blog early last night because I didn't get home until very close to midnight. Phew!

The symphony was great, especially the Haydn and Cherubini pieces - MUCH more melodic than last time, and none of that plinky-plonky percussive filler stuff. It was pleasing to the ear and also to the eye. I like watching all the violin bows moving in unison and everyone leaning forward to turn the pages of their music at the same time.

I failed in my efforts to be more high brow though (that was asking too much of myself). I couldn't help smiling at the conductor's paroxysms, but at least he was mostly obscured by pianos during the Haydn piece.

I met my Twitter friend Trevor, who is a musician himself, at Fed Square before the symphony and we had a bite to eat and a chat (particularly about music) as the sun sank lower in the sky. After the show we got a coffee and cake at Southgate (yes, diet fail).

Real-life Trevor was pretty much the same as Twitter Trevor, only quite a bit younger and much more into progressive rock music than I would have expected for a guy who plays the flute! But I like to be surprised by people (in a good way).

I've met five of my Twitter friends now.