Footy and figs

Yesterday was one of the major events of the year in Melbourne - the AFL grand final, held at the MCG stadium just a stone's throw from our place. But Luke and I went against the tide of sports fans pouring out of Richmond Station and caught a train out to Moorabbin for a barbecue at my friend Bertie's place. 

It was a fun day out. At half time, a few of us kicked the footy on the oval next door to Bertie's place (the home ground of the St kilda football team).  It's been a long time since I've kicked a football. I used to be pretty good at it when I was a kid. Apparently I've still got it because I kicked a goal yesterday. Go, me...oh, all right. It was a set shot while I was standing right in front of the goals. But still! 

There was a full moon over the oval as Luke and I headed back to the station. 

Are these figs or feijoas? I spotted them hanging over my neighbours' fence yesterday and at first I thought they were figs and got a bit excited. I'll be able to eat freshly picked, locally grown figs! But now I'm not so sure. I'll have to keep an eye on them and hope the birds don't get to them before they're ripe enough to pick. 

Henry Wagons tweeted a link to photos from his album launch on Friday night. I'm in two of the photos and Luke's in one. We're famous!

J and Jayne's long weekend

Me and J at Coles late Saturday night. Do I know how to

 show a foreigner a good time, or what?

My US friend J has been and gone and it was fun. I enjoyed showing off my town to him and since the long weekend was all about packing in fun stuff (and none of the usual boring stuff that has to be done on weekends), it was like a little holiday for me too.  I felt like I'd been away from work longer than three days.

On Saturday we watched half of the AFL Grand Final (Mark I) with the masses at Fed Square and the end of the game at the the Eureka Tower Sky Deck, which was almost deserted. A good time to go! We could see the crowd at the MCG and hear the roar of the crowd at Fed Square from 88 floors up.

Although the drawn game was anti-climactic, at least J can say he was in Melbourne for the historic 2010 drawn Grand Final.

After the game we strolled along Southbank as the sun set. It rained a little, but then there was a rainbow over the city.

Saturday night we ate a quick dinner in North Melbourne before seeing Dave Callan's Fringe Festival show, Woman. Back in the city,  J loaded up on Tim Tams at Coles. He couldn't get enough of the chocolatey Tim Tam goodness.

On Sunday we went to St Kilda and ate breakfast outside at The Espy in perfect spring sunshine. The weather could not have been better. We meandered the length of the Esplanade market where J bought presents for himself and friends, and then along Acland Street, which was thronged with people enjoying the warm weather.

 

From St Kilda Pier

That evening we went to a threatresports show at Theatreworks on Acland Street, which was the first time I'd seen theatresports live. On Monday we hired a car and travelled the Great Ocean Road to Port Campbell. The weather wasn't as good as the day before, but it was still mostly sunny and we didn't get rained on.

 

At Sheoak Falls

It was beautiful as always, especially the lush green pastures glowing in the late afternoon sun. I think I almost like the rural parts of the GOR more than the seaside bits.

Another rainbow, near Port Campbell

Us and some of the remaining 12 Apostles

We ate dinner at a pub in Colac and then hit the highway for home.

On Tuesday it was back to work for me, but I met J after work for Philip Escoffey's Six More Impossible Things Before Dinner, which was very entertaining (regardless of whether you think he's a con man or a mind reader).

And then J was gone! Four days really isn't long enough to see Melbourne...

All happening

It's been a big, noisy weekend around these parts. The footy's back, which drew hordes of people to the MCG, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix screamed its way to the chequered flag just the other side of St Kilda Road from my place.

Even though I sometimes have a little whinge about being crushed on a tram with sports fans or having the bejesus scared out of me during fireworks season, I do love being in the thick of things. No way would I swap it for a life in the suburbs (and yes, I have lived in the suburbs).

Today we were blasted by the sonic boom of a fighter jet flying over the grand prix circuit, followed by a couple of hours of high-pitched squeal from the Formula 1 cars, and then The Who fired up for the after-race concert.

I love the buzz in the city during a major event - even if I don't care much for the event itself, but as it happens, I am fond of both AFL and the grand prix. Yes, I admit it. I like fast, noisy cars. I find the rumble of a V8 engine aurally pleasing. I was socialised that way, having grown up with a rev head father and brother and been carted around various motor racing events in my childhood. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

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!