Old friend, squee-fest, day trippin'. And balls.

My weekend of fun and frivolity continues. I met a friend from my uni days whom I haven't seen for months on Victoria Street in Richmond. We had lunch* and a good catch up - she's one of those precious friends you can go ages without seeing, but you slip effortlessly back into the friendship like it's a pair of comfy slippers.

After lunch Carly and I went over the road to Daiso, the Japanese $2.80 shop (that's inflation for ya). I've never been there before, but Carly - who's still a big kid like me, only she has small kids - is a veteran and loves it. It was a hoot and a squee-fest. We alternated between giggling at the hilariously translated directions on stuff and exclaiming, "OH MY GOD! That's SO cute!".

My frivolously awesome purchases:

* a set of animal erasers that are not only cute, but scented.

* a set of wee pencil topper erasers shaped like animals.

* a microfibre cloth in the shape of an apple. I might be more inclined to clean the dust off my laptop now.

* a scouring pad with strawberries on it.

* a watering can shaped liked an elephant.

* a set of brightly coloured sticky tabs.

* three correction tape dispensers....one shaped like a penguin, one like a rabbit and one like a chicken. I couldn't decide.

* a tin of little coloured pencils. OK, so I've gone a bit overboard on pencils.

* a photo frame. Just plain black. Not sure how that slipped through their quality control.

After that, I walked up to Smith Street and poked about a second-hand shop, took photos of old signs (more! More old signs!) and I finally spotted the building that housed the famous MacRobertson confectionery factory! I've read a little bit about it and founder Macpherson Robertson in books about Melbourne and have wondered where it was and today I spotted it! It's up the Alexandra Parade end.

Guess what I just found out? I googled MacRobertson and discovered that Douglas Mawson named part of Antarctica MacRobertson Land after him! (He funded the expedition) How ace is that?! I don't know why, but this pleases me immensely. Macrob was an eccentric and fascinating man - one of the most notable characters in Melbourne history. I must find out more about him. 

Anyway, after that I wandered up to Brunswick Street and bought bagels. I passed a girl sitting outside a cafe in the sunshine, bent low over a notebook, writing furiously. As I waited for the tram outside a nursery, a girl pressed her nose to a honeysuckle flower, closed her eyes and inhaled its perfume. Sometimes I wish I could take photos of people without them seeing. I'm too shy to ask. I know! I need a spy camera! That wouldn't be creepy at ALL, would it? 

I headed into the city to meet a friend. We met on the steps of the State Library. He indulged me by letting me show him all my silly purchases. He liked the bagels best. Boys, eh?

Speaking of boys...

The guy I like^ is taking me on a day trip to the Mornington Peninsula on Good Friday. (He lives down that way.)  I can't wait. I haven't been down that way for years, although that's not really the reason I can't wait.  

* I ordered the beef ball soup thinking it was balls made of beef but after biting into the first one, I wasn't so sure. Very rubbery. Squeaked against my teeth a tiny bit. Carly said, "You've seen testicles before, haven't you?" Me: "Yes, but only inside a scrotum; not...on the loose." Carly: "Didn't you grow up on a farm?" Me: Yes, but I've still only seen bull testicles attached to a bull." They weren't unpleasant. The ones in my soup, I mean.

^ If you haven't already guessed, that guy is Luke.