Movie, deluge, new music

There was a torrential downpour in Melbourne last night. It was ace. I've mentioned before how much I like the novelty of freak weather (part of me even enjoys extremes of heat and cold too, which is a bit weird).  I don't like to see people's property damaged, of course, but I do get a kick out of seeing intersections submerged and plumes of water spraying into the air as cars go by.

Corner of St Kilda Road and Linlithgow Avenue.  There's a kerb,

gutter and footpath under there

I was at a Southbank restaurant with my friend Luke when the deluge started. Within a few minutes the restaurant staff had to move diners out of the covered balcony area because the floor was covered in several centimetres of water, and then use brooms to disperse the little lake. When we left the restaurant, Luke spotted these funny little clouds in the city. We took photos and when we looked back half a minute later, they'd completely vanished.

We then went to see True Grit at the art deco Sun Theatre in Yarraville. I'd never been there before and had wanted to go for a while. It is indeed a lovely old cinema, although I was disappointed we were in the Davis cinema and not the more evocatively named Trocadero or La Scala. Oh well. The Davis is very aesthetically pleasing with the red, rose-patterned backlit panels down either side. (Check out the couches and the red lady triptych in the La Scala though!)

I've never been to Yarraville before either.  I've lived in the eastern, south-eastern and northern suburbs, but never the west and I rarely have cause to go there. Although it was dark and the rain curtailed our wandering, I liked what I saw of Ballarat Street. The bookshop at the Sun Theatre is pretty ace too (but I'm not allowed to buy more books until I get through the pile on my bedside table).

This week's musical find

I saw a poster at Melbourne Central today for an upcoming show by a UK singer/songwriter called Gabby Young. I'd never heard of her, but something about her look piqued my curiosity. I looked her up online when I got home and...well, she's great.  She has an amazing voice. I love the theatrical, old-timey circus look of this video  - and the fast beat and big brass of the song.  She's in Melbourne in a few weeks. I must go.