NaBloPoMo: day 12

Old knob

We ate lunch at Parlour Diner on Chapel Street today. I had a beef burger that was oozing - OOOOZING! - with melted cheese. Twas an oozapalooza. It was sensational. They also do amazing onion rings, which I shouldn't eat (they upset my belly), but they  are irresistible. 

I got a good dose of vitamin D when I was out and about this afternoon and yesterday. 

I'm meeting an old friend from uni for afternoon tea tomorrow. She's down from Wollongong for the weekend. It's been a few years since I've seen her.

Friday wanderings

Luke and I had a pleasant day out in the Dandenongs on Friday. We visited two gardens and two waterfalls and had lunch at a (former) piggery. 

I'd often seen pictures of the Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens on Instagram and thought we should go for a look, so we did. Then we spotted the George Tindale Memorial Garden just a few hundred metres down the road, so we had a look at that too. 

The Piggery Cafe is just next door to the Alfred Nicholas gardens and we had a quick lunch there. We said hello to the two pigs who live in the grounds (until they end up as lunch, I guess. I think they might have an (o)inkling of their fate because they were not as happy as pigs in mud are supposed to be. They seemed pretty glum.) 

Anyway, here are my photos (out of order but *shrug*):

 On the walk to Sherbrooke Falls

 Mossy log on  Sherbrooke Falls walk

 Even the fungus had moss on it

 Moss

 Sherbrooke Falls (or, more accurately, Sherbrooke Rapids)

 Conifer at George Tindale Memorial Gardens

 Succulent at George Tindale Memorial Gardens

 One of several lovely old lamps at George Tindale Memorial Gardens

 The pigs at The Piggery (yes, he's peeing; no, that's not why I took the photo)

 Bee watering hole in the trunk of a tree fern

 There were a lot of hellebore at both gardens 

 Bugs

 Both gardens also have a lot of azaleas which are a riot of colour right now

 Another hellebore

 Very big insect (the leaf  is bigger than my hand)

 More fungus

 The lake at Alfred Nicholas Memorial Gardens

 The lake again

 I took A LOT of photos of the hellebore

 Curly leaf thing

Another leaf

Old signs and cute cottages in Seddon

That one yard in the neighbourhood...

Luke and I went west for brunch today, to the inner western suburb of Seddon, which is tucked between Footscray and Yarraville. We had a nice meal (with friendly service) at a Spanish cafe called Lola and then a wander around the streets...well, actually a drive because the wind was too icy for wandering on foot.

I might have mentioned before that we're a bit snobby (which I should be ashamed of, being a working class bogan from the bush, but I can't help it). We've never lived in the western suburbs and we've never want to live in the western suburbs because....well, it's the western suburbs. 

But let me tell you, Seddon is delightful. DE-lightful. We were utterly charmed by its streets of beautifully renovated little cottages with bullnose verandahs edged with intricate iron lacework. We drove along,  looking from side to side, exclaiming, "Oooh, that one's nice!" "Look at those windows!" "Oh, they're all so cute!" "IT'S ALL SO PRITTEEEEEE!" (Those last two were me.) I even liked the few the unrenovated ones because I like urban decay too.  (I didn't take many photos because I wasn't on foot.) 

We liked Seddon so much that when we got home we looked online at places to rent in the area, but sadly there were very few in our price range. Boo. (Not that we're looking to move now, but we'll have to sooner or later because the flats in out building are being progressively renovated and then rented at much higher prices.)

There was also some stellar ghost signage in Seddon and surrounds.  

 ETA peanut butter...makes you glad you're hungry 

The ETA sign has been retouched (regrettably, in my opinion), but the others haven't, probably because time has revealed two signs on top of each other  ('Grocer' up the top and 'TJ Cawthorn' underneath), which I'm guessing would be a trickier restoration job.  

 Drink Cinzano

I was pretty chuffed when I saw the Yarra Coffee Palace sign above. I got Luke to pull over and then I was thrilled to see this on the side of the same building: 

Temple Bar Tobacco...Mild & Mellow

Warm, 1800, surprise chip

Coming home this evening

We had another warm autumn day today, a perfect day to be free of the office. I was out and about for most of the day getting sh!t done and getting some vitamin D along the way.

I've done just over 18,000 steps today, which is considerably more than my average. I don't feel as if I've walked that far, which is unusual; most of the time I feel as if I have traversed a much greater distance than I actually have. 

I love that moment when I'm at Hunky Dory on a Friday night and think I've eaten all my chips, but then I find one hiding under a piece of lettuce (no, I shouldn't be eating chips on my modified diet, but I'm only human...). 

A spontaneous Sunday adventure

Great Ocean Road from Teddy's Lookout, Lorne

Luke and I made an impromptu visit to Lorne on the spectacular Great Ocean Road yesterday. We had lunch in a little town west of Geelong called Birregurra just for a day out somewhere different, but rather than head back home on the highway, Luke suggested we head south to Lorne since it wasn't that far away. It's hard to say no to zooming along the GOR. 

With our bellies full of lamb snags (Luke) and beef burger (me) supplied by farms in the Birregurra region, we set off. The trip took us from farmland, through the forested Otways National Park to the coast.

Fabulous old petrol bowser at Deans Marsh 

A ghost sign on the building behind the bowser

While in Lorne we took in the view from Teddy's Lookout and visited the lush spendour of Erskine Falls - my first time there. It's not the mightiest waterfall we've visited, but the setting is beautiful. Cool, green and cavernous. 

 Erskine Falls near Lorne

Kookaburra sits in the old gumtree

We dropped into the secondhand bookshop in Birregurra (naturally) and while we were there, the owner dropped a bookstand on the floor near my feet. I picked it up for her and she said that meant I would get a surprise. Apparently that was a thing when she grew up - if someone drops something and you pick it up for them, a surprise will come your way. Country karma, I suppose. My surprise is due on Wednesday. I assume it's going to be a nice surprise. 

It might have come early actually. I thought the interest I pay annually in November for an investment thingo hadn't been debited from my account, but today I realised it had; it was just much smaller than usual. This means nearly all of my tax return can go towards other, more tangible things, like saving for holidays next year.  Yay. Oh, OK; I did buy some shoes too.    

JBPM: day 9

Happy birthday to me! I've had a lovely, relaxing day. It began very, very early with a birthday kiss from Luke before he left for work and then I went back to sleep for a few hours. 

I stayed snuggled in bed for an hour reading before getting up. I took myself up to Swan Street for brunch. I'd put quite a bit of thought into where to go to eat - the blueberry pancakes with Greek yogurt and orange syrup as Hellas Cakes? The semolina pancakes with rose jam, yogurt and pistachios at Demitri's Feast? Or the blueberry buttermilk pancakes with lemon curd, creme fraiche and citrus sugar at Moth to a Flame? Hmmmm...decisions, decisions... Eventually I settled on Moth to a Flame because I've only had their pancakes once (a while ago), and they also do a top notch hot chocolate. 

Fortunately the buttermilk pancakes were still on the Moth menu and they were still yummy. So tangy. I love citrus. 

Then I got my nails done (purple) and headed for home because it was so cold. Colder than forecast even.  We've been having a cold winter after a very mild autumn, which is giving me the opportunity to wear my doona parka (but mostly whine about the cold). The last couple of winters haven't been cold enough to wear the parka. It was raining a  tiny bit as I walked home so I pulled up the furry hood, rather than bother with my umbrella.

Tis me! I'm 42! 

I spent the rest of the afternoon lying under a quilt on the couch eating Lindt chocolates and re-watching Bored to Death. I love that show, especially Ted Danson's character, George. Don't be a milquetoast!  

Luke took me out for dinner to a French restaurant just across the road from where I had brunch...oh, that was after we locked ourselves out of our flat and Luke broke in the back window, which required him to lean out over a three-storey drop to the concrete below. My hero! 

Anyway, dinner. I had roasted partridge for main - the first time I've eaten it - and  Luke had salmon. For dessert I had rhubarb souffle with white chocolate custard. The waiter bought the souffle to our table, poked a hole in the top of it and poured the custard into the hole. The souffle rose up on the tide of custard until it was floating a few centimetres higher than the ramekin it was served in.  A bit of performance art and perfect winter comfort food. 

We were going to the movies, but we didn't have enough time after dinner. No matter. We'll go on the weekend. 

All in all, a delightful day. 

Day 29: Jolene and other old White Stripes songs

I've just found a bunch of old White Stripes songs on iTunes. B-sides mostly, if that terminology still applies - stuff that's not on their albums anyway. I'm sure the songs weren't there last time I looked. They are mine now. I will listen to them tomorrow. 

I've been listening to the White Stripes - my favourite band - today. I have many favourite songs, including the live Under Great White Northern Lights live cover of Jolene. It's just so damn raw. It gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. I doubt another straight man has so convincingly begged a woman not to steal his man before.  

I had yummy lemon cheesecake gelati at Fritz tonight. We're still doing our Friday night Grill'd and Fritz thing (although we haven't had the gelati so much lately). Soon the weather will be warm enough for us to start walking there again instead of driving. 

I spotted a ghost sign on the way there tonight. I can't believe I haven't seen it before since it's on a road I've been down many times. I guess I've just been looking the wrong way every time.

I watched Masters of Sex after I got home from dinner. It was excellent, of course. 

Day 9: A delicious din and surprise flower

We went to a new place for brunch today - Moth to a Flame on Swan Street in Richmond. It was so noisy I felt like I had supersonic hearing. People laughing, crashing cutlery and crockery in the open kitchen, a banging door and coffee machine noise combined to make me never want to come back, even before my meal arrived. But dammit! My blueberry pancakes with lemon curd, creme fraiche and citrus sugar were scrumptious, and my hot chocolate was just about perfect too. There were several other dishes on the menu that took my fancy so I might just endure the cacaphony again. 

I'm also going to make my own lemon curd and citrus sugar. I love lemony things. 

My spathiphyllum is growing a flower, which is most unexpected because a few months ago the poor thing was so sickly I thought it was going to die. Once I realised what was wrong with it I managed to revive it, but I didn't think it would flower again because they can be finicky about flowering at the best of times.   

Luke is on the way home with kebabs for dinner. Yum. I'm starving. 

Seedy, MOO, creaky

Morell Bridge by night

I forgot to mention I also made sesame and sunflower seed butter yesterday. I was ambivalent about the flavour when I sampled it after I made it, but after another taste test tonight, I gave it the thumbs up. It tastes good and smells deliciously nutty, and it's very easy to make. 

I've made quite a lot of recipes from Pinterest now. I like to think this justifies the amount of time I waste spend on there. 

I had drinks and food at the Money Order Office with Bertie and Lauren on Friday night. The Money Order Office, which is in a basement behind the GPO, has an interesting history. According to the MOO website, not only did it house the GPO's money order facilities, but from 1933 to 1970 it was the office of Prime Ministers such as Robert Menzies. The front door came from Buckingham House (later Buckingham Palace) and dates back to the early 1700s. Had I known, I would have taken a photo of it. When Bertie and I were walking down the stairs, the door was slowly creaking open like the front door of a haunted mansion. 

I did take a photo of an old sign in the stairwell though. 

Second breakfast, old signs, under the bridge

Luke and I went to Yarraville in the inner west today. We had lunch (or, more accurately, second breakfast, which is becoming quite a habit for us) just near the Sun Theatre. The section of road in front of the cinema has been laid with pretend grass, which is dotted with colourful deck chairs and outdoor chairs and tables. I think every suburb should have a lawnstreet. 

After second breakfast, we wandered about with our cameras. There were quite a few old signs. 

 There are several signs here. It looks like it has been
 a chemist for many years

 Robur Tea maybe? 

 Engineering Patternmaker

Lots of engineers in Yarraville

Plumber and sewerage

Before heading home we stopped near the Westgate Bridge and went for a walk. As we walked under the bridge, I got Under the Bridge by the Red Hot Chili Peppers stuck in my head. 

(Bonus Australian flag for Australia Day)

  

This snake amuses me. It looks too cute

 Egret slouching in a shrub

 The Stony Creek Backwash walkway

 A cormorant resting on the skeleton of an old boat

The same cormorant followed us, apparently eager

 to pose for more photos

 Big Bird was here

 Very big ship on the way to the docks

 No, it didn't hit the bridge

Yet another coincidence

This morning I went to the video store (yes, we still hire movies) to borrow Pride and Prejudice, the BBC version with Colin Firth and that scene. I haven't seen it and decided I should after Luke's mother and sister waxed lyrical about it on Thursday night. Luke's mum all but swooned as she described Colin Firth emerging from the water in his wet shirt. Teehee.  I don't understand why women go weak at the knees over Colin Firth. I think he's an English ponce, so perhaps watching him in Pride and Prejudice will help me to understand.   

Anyway, the coincidence: the video store guy had a TV on the counter and there was a quiz show on. I didn't hear the quiz master ask the question, but the answer was....PRIDE AND PREJUDICE!!!