Sunday wanders

Walking across Morell Bridge this morning I spied a man and a small boy picnicking in a spot out of the gusty wind. They sat close together on one side of the blanket, the boy's head resting on the man's shoulder. I wanted to take a photo of this sweet little scene, but I couldn't do it discreetly. 

I took a tram into the city and when I was crossing Collins Street, I passed a little girl in an orange tracksuit, blowing on a harmonica.  She had a mop of dark hair. It made me smile. 

I went to Melbourne Central, where I discovered a gorgeous little flower shop called Morning Flowers (it's probably been there for ages - it's me that hasn't). 

 Succulents, terrariums, tiny posies, and wee pot plants galore

Such a pretty shop

I bought three of the aforementioned wee pot plants, which I'm too tired/lazy to take photos of right now. 

I did some wandering about the laneways. 

 Union Lane

Street heart, just off Degraves Street 

So much to look at on Presgrave Place

 Off Degraves again

Off Degraves again 

This piece above is great and I love the huge curve of colour that surrounds it, but it makes me wistful for the fantastic mosaic that used to be there which said, "Random acts of gentle anarchy". I loved it, and now I miss it even more after discovering its history (because I couldn't remember the exact wording and had to consult the Google). 

The work was created by Sayraphim Lothian during a workshop with a visiting UK "craftivist and rebel ceramicist" Carrie Reichardt. Sayraphim describes herself as a "public artist, investigator of guerrilla kindness [and] craftivist". I love the idea of guerilla kindness - leaving "tiny handcrafted artworks out on the street for people to find and take home, injecting tiny, unexpected and magical moments in passers-by’s lives. They aim to remind people of the niceness of life, as rewards for those who take the time to stop and look around them once in a while" I like to take the time to stop and look around me all the time. So, yeah, I miss the mosaic. I will keep an eye out for her tiny handcrafted artworks now. 

I went to a couple of art and craft shops to get supplies for a few projects I have in my mind as a result of spending too much time on Pinterest (still). I'm feeling very creative lately, although I haven't actually created anything thus far; I just lie awake thinking about what I'm going to make. I wonder if this has to do with being off the anti-depressants (a surge of creativity, I mean, not lying awake thinking, although that could be too)? 

 Happy button is happy (despite being trapped under tape)

I have an extra long weekend coming up in a couple of weeks (I'm taking the Monday off before Melbourne Cup Day so I have five days off. Wooh!) so I'm planning to immerse myself in arts and crafts then.

 Crossing Morell Bridge on my home this evening

 As above

Cool clouds

* All these pics and more are on my Instagram feed. 

The joy of flowers, a new book

I bought flowers for a friend this morning. I chose the blooms myself  - a combination of orange roses with a deep pink blush that reminded me of peaches, a purple flower whose name I can't recall and white lisianthus. She loved them.  Her mum died two weeks ago (today was her first day back), so it made me happy to put a smile on her face. 

While I was at the florist shop, I spotted two varieties of flower I'd never seen before - swan flowers (more like scrotum flowers, if you ask me) and white bouvardia buds, which were tiny little white boxes on stems. 

I bought a new book today - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - and the woman who served me said she loved it, which pleased me. It's quite a departure from my usual reading diet and I confess it was the images associated with it on Pinterest that piqued my interest.  This is probably less tenuous than the time I bought a book solely because it had the word 'fuck' on the back cover. That was Zigzag Street, the first ever Nick Earls' novel I read, which started a love affair with his writing.  

I'm about to head off to bed to start reading The Night Circus now. 

JBPM: day 20

Dan the nursery cat

He looks stern, but Dan was friendly and enjoyed my pats. His owner at the Glasshaus nursery in Richmond said a lot of people take his photo and post it to Instagram, so maybe he's tired of posing for the snaparazzi. It must be tiresome being a celebrity. 

I think it's funny and a bit odd when people give their pets human names. My family had neighbours once who called their dog, a collie, Kirsty. I wondered if they had a child would they call it Lassie. (They didn't. They had three boys.) 

I cooked three recipes from Pinterest for dinner tonight. Three! New dishes I haven't made before, too -  lime and coconut chicken, avocado and coriander rice, and a mixed berry cobbler. The cobbler wasn't quite right - it didn't rise much, for some reason, and it was a little well done around the edges  - but it was yummy, especially with a generous dollop of whipped cream.  

Speaking of food, I had the blueberry pancakes with lemon curd and creme fraiche at Moth to a Flame for brunch again today. SO good. It was accompanied by the perfect hot chocolate too.  

Luke is watching funny videos on YouTube and roaring with laughter. I have been laughing at him laughing. He has one laugh that goes "HAAA-HAAAH!" that I find particularly amusing. 

Great

I spotted another old sign from my office window today.  I think this is on the side of a building on Lonsdale Street. The structure you can see in front of it is the back of a façade that's been preserved after the demolition of buildings to make way for a new shopping centre behind Myer. 

I came across this Tumblr blog via Pinterest - what a beautiful collection of photos. I pinned the hell out of it, especially the old doors and windows. 

After the rain...

Grateful, crafty, fantastical

Today is a public holiday in Australia for Anzac Day. I had toyed with the idea of going to the dawn service since I live so close to the Shrine of Remembrance, but I couldn't face such an early start on a cold and wet day. Yes, I know that's sooky, especially when you think about the sacrifices made by those who have served their country in appalling conditions. I had a nice sleep in instead, but I did take time to be grateful for living in a safe, peaceful country with a roof over my head and a warm bed.

I made myself bacon and eggs for brunch (yum) and then spent most of the rest of the day on the couch reading blogs, indulging my Pinterest addiction and listening to music. I didn't set foot outside into the cold drizzly day at all.

I also made a light shade for the light in my loungeroom. The original light shade (the same as the one below) fell to the floor and smashed (eeep!) before I moved in and it's been a naked bulb ever since, which is a bit ugly.

But today I had a brainwave and decided to make a shade myself. Ta-dah!

Naked no more

It's one of those Christmas paper lanterns kids used to make at school (still might, I don't know). It took all of 15 minutes to make and put up. I love the patterns the light makes on the ceiling. 

I forgot to show you the paper hearts I made during my three-week staycation.

There's five of these ones and four smaller ones hanging in a row from the pelmet box over my loungeroom window. Simple, quick, inexpensive, colourful and fun (they co-ordinate nicely with one of my My Little Ponies). I also took some cool photos of them before I hung them up.

 

And I forgot to post a photo of the big feather I found at the Abbotsford Convent a couple of weekends ago. Here tis:

While moodling about on the internet last night I came upon the fantastical art of Catrin Welz-Stein. I love it, especially this piece. And this. And this one.

Speaking of fantastical stuff, have a look at the video clip for The Shins' song The Rifle's Spiral.  Thanks to my loyal reader and interwebs friend Margaret for sending me the link. 

I also found this: 

It's similar to one of my favourite quotes by Robertson Davies: "Every man makes his own summer". 

Two weeks in, autumn light, flamboyant shoes

Taken on my walk home tonight

Two weeks into my new job and I'm still enjoying it. So far I'm finding the learning curve much less steep than when I started my previous job. I often had moments of self-doubt for the first six months inthat job and seriously worried I wasn't cut out for it. I might not have enjoyed it at the time, but it was good for me. I guess a lot of things in life are like that (you might recall one of my 39 Secrets of Adulthood is 'Sometimes things that suck can still be kind of awesome'. Yup.) 

I had drinks last night with two friends from my old firm last night. That job was good for me in more ways than one.  

Indian summer

We've been having a very mild autumn in Melbourne with sunny days and mid-20s temperatures. It was raining this morning, but it turned into a sunshiney day which then gave way to  quite a balmy evening. There's something special about the light in autumn. In the late afternoons at work I've been enjoying the view from my window of the city bathed in soft, yellow light. As well as the State Library, from my 21st floo windows I can see the tops of St Pauls Cathedral, the Manchester Unity Building, the Century Building, and the MCG and AAMI Park in the distance. I also have a pretty good view of the construction site between Myer and Melbourne Central - they've demolished almost everything that was on the site, except for a  section of façade that's several storeys tall. 

Pressies

I arrived home a couple of nights ago to a parcel I'd ordered online last week. Nothing scholarly  like books - just a pair of rather flamboyant shoes. And they fit. Yay!  The shoes are further evidence that my obsession with black and white stripes is getting out of control...

I've had a few other online purchases arrive lately too. It's good being absent-minded because I order stuff and then forget about it. 

Tonight I arrived home to a parcel from my mum containing a bunch of those crocheted, padded coathangers that she made for me. They're daggy and nanna-ish, but they're so good for hanging knits and other garments prone to getting out of shape on wire hangers.

I haven't spent all my time online shopping though - I found  this great photography blog via Digital Photography School last week. If you're into photos of urban decay like me, you'll love it. He takes some fantastic black and white photos too. 

I've also become addicted to Pinterest. The girl who sent me the invite to join did warn me...

Other gleeful highlights since my last blog: 

* Luke and I are going to see the Black Keys in October. We've been waiting for them to announce another tour after the last one was cancelled. It's such a long time to wait!  Wah! 

* I have been eagerly anticipating the release of Jack White's new solo album, Blunderbuss. I bought it today and I'm listening to it now. I like it. Jack is doing a show in Melbourne in July too.   Must. Get. Tickets. 

I bought Blunderbuss at Basement Discs in a basement below Block Place, one of Melbourne's bustling laneways. It cost more than buying it online or at JB Hi-Fi, but I felt good about supporting an independent record store. (Coincidentally, tomorrow is Independent Record Store Day. I won't be visiting an indie music store though - I'm going to a market at the Royal Exhibition Building, one of my favourite Melbourne buildings.)