Dish lickers

A pair of greyhounds on Chapel Street 

Skulking about Richmond

I didn't go to yoga this morning because I woke up feeling very body-weary. Later in the morning I took the bus to an 11.30 appointment in Richmond because I didn't have the energy for a half-hour walk. But then I wandered for eight kilometres* around the back streets of Richmond taking photos before walking almost all the way home. 

If you saw someone in red boots skulking around between Bridge Road and Victoria Street taking photos of things on people verandahs and in their front yards, that was me. 

I posted my pics to Instagram when I got home and was amused and a little creeped out when I noticed I was being silently watched while taking a photo of chairs on someone's verandah! 

This photo is a little blurry because I rushed to get a shot of the dog while it was still sitting on the seat. 

It started wagging its tail when it saw me and I assumed it was going to come for a pat, but it got down off the seat and headed straight for the open front door! 

Some more of my photos:

 Snail lunch

 Closed up

 Love the shutters and entrance. Near Richmond West station 

 Shutters and statue

 Verandah seats, also near Richmond West station 

 As above

 Pretty garden and cottage on HighettStreet 

 Verandah bike, Lennox Street 

 Buttery yellow and blue 

Verandah couch 

 Conformity is overrated

 Verandah seat with wine glass

 Lovely lavender

 More verandah seats 

And couches

  * according to my VivoFit

Greyhound love

The rain over the bay yesterday

I have become obsessed with greyhounds. We had a pet greyhound called Bess when I was a kid and I've long wanted to have one of my own one day, but lately I just really, really, really want one. Seeing them in the news more because of the recent ban on greyhound racing in New South Wales hasn't helped. I guess saving a squillion photos of them on Pinterest doesn't help either. Today I found a series of photos of Borys and Walter, a Bengal cat and rescue greyhound, who are best friends. It's so cute it hurts. 

Greyhounds are actually ideal dogs for apartments because they are very lazy, but we aren't allowed to have pets, and I wouldn't go and get one on the sly. One day maybe...

I love these dog portraits, and of course I like the greyhound/galgo ones the most. There's some dog breeds in there I've never heard of - like the Silken Windsprite and the Azawakh. Look how adorably gangly the Azawakh is! 

My week is half over. Yay. 

Drizzly Friday

On my way to catch the tram into the city today I saw a woman throwing a ball to her dog. The dog took off after it so excitedly that it overshot the ball, lots its footing and then slid along the wet grass on its back for a few metres. 

In the city I saw a woman put a hand of bananas and a bag of bread rolls into the coin collection of a homeless person as they slept. 

I'm looking forward to getting my scruffy hair cut and coloured tomorrow. 
 

November: day 27

Big tree (and little tree)

I stood behind a young woman at traffic lights today and she had such a luxuriously thick plait that I wanted to reach out and run it through my hand. I didn't of course. #creepy

A saw a dog and his owner playing fetch in the park one my way to work and the dog was SO excited.  If I had to pick an image that captures the joy of anticipation, a dog waiting for his owner to throw a ball would be it.  

I thought I forgot my iPod this morning, but I found it in the inside pocket of my bag when I was on the tram (which is when I need it most).

It's the weekend and there's only 17 working days until I'm on holidays. 

November: day 14

This dog has fluffy pantaloons

Visiting the corpse flower

We wandered over to the Botanic Gardens to visit the Titan Arum this afternoon. As expected, there was quite a queue to enter the tropical glasshouse, but a little white terrier in a  jaunty red cap helped entertain the masses. 

We were let through the doors after about 50 minutes lining up in the warm sunshine. 

The Titan Arum was at the far end of the glasshouse, and there were plenty of other plants and things to look at on the way to it, including the fern-shrouded pond in which I spotted two teeny weeny goldfish. 

The carnivorous pitcher plant

Spiral 

 And here it is!

The smell? There was hardly any smell at all! You had to stick your nose right up close to get a subtle whiff of its rotting flesh aroma. This is surely the first time ever people have been disappointed by the absence of a horrid stench.  

 The spathe (the phallic bit is the spadix)

The Titan Arum grows very, very fast. This one was only a 1.5cm shoot on 6 February but grew to 2.53 metres in only 35 days. Earlier this month it sprouted 38 centimetres in just 2 days! It's the tallest Titan Arum grown in Australia. 

Luke getting up close and personal 

This Titan Arum - which grew from a tuber weighing 34 kilograms - was cultivated from seed harvested by David Attenborough when he was in Sumatra filming the Private Life of Plants. 

  

Three types of ordinary happiness

As I crossed the footbridge over the freeway this morning, a woman approached with a miniature schnauzer on a leash. The dog stopped and, resisting its owner's tugs of the leash, poked its head through the railings and paused to watch the traffic surging towards the tunnel.

A little further along, a black dog ran towards me with a big stick in its mouth. It stopped and looked back for its owner. It waited, stick still in mouth. Then when its owner caught up, it started wagging its tail and took off again.

Not long after I got to work, an online friend posted this Leunig cartoon on Facebook:

(I tried to make this bigger but it didn't work. Sorry.) 

Three minutes of happiness borrowed from a dog! 

I also experienced the happiness of both partners in my team being away. It was even more relaxed than yesterday.

And the joy of arriving home to the aroma of corned beef. Luke had it bubbling away on the stove. We had it for dinner and it was delicious, especially with a scrape of zesty dijon mustard. We have leftovers too. 

JBPM: day 12

While I was waiting at a bus stop this morning I looked up to see a small dog staring intently at me from an open car window. Even when I met its gaze, its stare didn't waver. It was funny, but slightly unsettling. The lights changed and the car took off so we'll never know how long the dog would have stared at me. 

How many times have I walked along Bridge Road in Richmond over the past 10 years? Many, many times. But I've never noticed this splendid old mirrored sign with gold lettering before. It says 'Famous Reynella Wines'. Yes, that's my reflection. And a bonus Golden Gaytime ad. 

Luke's parents gave me a bunch of lilies for my birthday. The first bloom opened on Friday and now the sweet aroma has perfumed our flat . I love that smell.   

Nick of time, Mexican, Bess

Phew, it's not midnight yet! I was lying in bed then suddenly remembered I hadn't posted today.

I had delicious nachos and lemon margaritas at Mexicali Rose in Richmond tonight. Yum (except for the margarita that was very salty and had to be returned).

Luke and saw a greyhound on Swan Street after dinner. I like greyhounds. We had one as a pet when I was a kid. Bess was a lovely, placid dog. Coincidentally, now I think about it, we were walking past a restaurant called Bess when we saw the greyhound. It stopped near the open door of Bess as if it had got a whiff of something good.

It's the weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeekend! 

Dog joy, leather, ice

It's hard not to smile at the unrestrained joy of dogs at play. Tonight a little black dog playing in the park with its owner came running towards me so boisterously I laughed out loud. A few weeks ago I saw a little terrier spinning in circles on the spot with excitement as he waited impatiently for his owner to throw the ball to him. He was spinning around at such a dizzying speed I'm surprised he could run in a straight line.

I bought a new handbag made of beautifully supple leather a few weeks ago. The leather smells fantastic.

I've got a thing about Zooper Doopers at the moment, even when it's not hot.  (A Zooper Dooper is  flavoured ice in a tube). I like to leave them for a few minutes to get a bit melty before I eat them. I don't know why, it just makes them better.

Surprise, growth and sausage dog

A new building in Docklands - it's modern, but I like it

I made my surprise visit to Adelaide for my brother's birthday on Friday and it was fun. He had no inkling I was coming and although he is a man of few words, I could tell he was rapt I was there (along with Mum, who made her surprise appearance the day before). I'm happy I went.

I noticed today the trees along the river are finally showing signs of spring growth. I was starting to worry about them.

I saw a man walking a sausage dog on way home (they'll always be sausage dogs to me). A sausage dog never fails to make me smile.

Zhoozhing and lamingtons and greyhounds

A veil of cloudage

It's nearly 10.30 on Saturday night and I have spent all afternoon and tonight cleaning and tizzying up my flat. Once I started I couldn't stop! I didn't eat dinner until after 10 - I didn't realise how late it was.

I've been on my feet almost non-stop since about 11.30 am and I'm utterly worn out, but the place looks good and it's satisfying knowing that it's clean - or cleaner anyway. I have more to do tomorrow before a woman arrives to look at the room.

It only occurred to me when I woke up this morning that the place could use a some freshening up - a bit of a zhoozh - so I walked to Ikea (about 4kms according to Mr Pedometer) and went a little loco. I got a new rug and a floor lamp for the loungeroom, some storagey things and a few things for the bathroom. All it needs now is an indoor plant...

By the way, Mr Pedometer says I've walked about 43 kilometres in the past seven days.

Reminiscing

After Ikea I ate a yummy lamington muffin, Muffin Break's Australia Day offering. It reminded me of when I used to help my mum make lamingtons when I was a kid. She'd dunk the sponge cake in the chocolate sauce and I was in charge of coconut application. I used to end up with lamington fingers.

I patted a whippet on my way home. Lots of people don't like greyhoundy type dogs, but I love them. We had a greyhound when I was a young un and she was a beautiful, placid dog. When the greyhound races were shown on the sports report, my brother and I used to pick out a white dog like ours and yell, "Go, Bessie!" at the TV. Makes me smile thinking about it.

Last year I saw a couple walking their two greyhounds - well, walking one and wheeling the other in an old fashioned pram. It must have been injured. It certainly looked very embarrassed. That makes me smile too.

On the way home last night

Random glee

* A tasty dinner ending with yummy lemon tart at a restaurant (called Birdie Num Nums!) with a bunch of new friends.

* Exploring a street I've never been to before and thinking, "Hey, I feel really at home here".

* A man with his face painted like Marcel Marceau...driving a Magna stationwagon (one of the dullest, most conservative family cars there is).

* A beautiful and unusual flower (above). Is it an azalea?

* Half-peeled banana cufflinks. I'd like to meet the guy who'd wear them!

* A drunken sailor - or at least a very disconsolate dude in a sailor suit - sitting on the steps at Windsor train station.

* A pair of dogs standing at the automatic door of a Priceline store looking in after their owner, the golden retriever's nose just poking inside.

* An hour spent nosing about the Chapel Street Bazaar second-hand wonderland. I saw framed prints of 1940s "nudie cuties" nestled up to a picture of Jesus, the ugliest Madonna and baby Jesus ornament in existence (below - that's seashells stuck on a heart with sand glued to it) and a chocolate tin the same as the one my mum used to keep her loose buttons in when I was a kid. It was priced at $58!

* Saying Onitsuka Tigers (the brand of my new sneakers) in my head with a silly Japanese accent.