The Dressmaker, dinner, laughing

A two-in-one ghost sign on La Trobe Street

I enjoyed The Dressmaker last night. It was funny and sad, and the scenery and cinematography were stunning. And the costumes! Gorgeous. 

We had another tasty dinner tonight, partly because I made potato salad and cucumber salad again. I reckon I could eat both every night. I have a very high boredom threshold for food I enjoy. We also had corned beef and curried cabbage. 

Dylan Moran is doing stand-up on the telly as I write this. I love listening to Luke chortling and guffawing. It's my favourite sound. 

Street art hotspot, Sausage Saturday, lean and pointy

This little guy looks quite Seussian, no?

A few months ago I discovered an amazing street art hotspot in Windsor called Artists Lane, which runs parallel to Chapel off Green Street. I visited again today after my pilates class. 

 

Don't mess with this sword-toting woman

Hippo, birdy, giraffe, oh my!

Sausage Sunday has come early this weekend. It's Sausage Saturday! As well as potato salad, I made a German-style cucumber salad with dill and sour cream.  T'was yum. *pats belly* 

Now it's time to watch The Dressmaker.   

No post from me yesterday. I felt lousy most of the day and the high point was when I got home and crawled into bed to sleep. And this photo. I'm so lean and pointy! 

Winner!

I won a DVD on Twitter! Who says Twitter is pointless, eh? Last night I entered a competition to win a copy of the acclaimed documentary Searching for Sugarman, which tells the story of two South African music writers' attempts to track down an enigmatic American folk musician who was a superstar in their country in the 1970s. The musician, Rodriguez, was rumoured to have died after setting himself on fire on stage or from a drug overdose and these two guys set out to see if the stories were true.  

Luke and I had wanted to see the movie since it was first released, but somehow never got around to it, so when I saw the promo for it on SBS the other day I set myself a reminder to watch it. I kept thinking, "It's a shame Luke's not here to watch it with me", but now I've won myself a copy - just by retweeting a tweet by the distributor - we can watch it together when he gets back from his trip. (He returns in just over a week.)

I'll put the DVD on the shelf with the book I won on Twitter ages ago. 

Day 30: Kensington spider, Little Prince, Proud Mary

Luke and I visited the inner western suburb of Kensington for lunch today just for something different. 

We each bought a book at the bookshop next to the station. I got an old Puffin paperback of The Little Prince, which I've never read before. It has a handwritten message inside the front cover:

For L.P Isaac Ricardo 

With best wishes for this week, and next month, and next year, etc, etc 

Leslie Oct 1969

I've started reading it and I'm quite charmed.

We ate at the White Rabbit Record Bar.  I had a strawberry spider (icecream soda) with my panini. I first ordered a lime spider, but they were out of lime, and they were out of raspberry as well, so I had to settle for strawberry, which tasted like raspberry anyway. 

Then we took our cameras and wandered around a bit looking for ghost signs. This Velvet Soap sign was the best find. 

Can anyone make out what the white lettering - a separate sign - says? Bleached something?  There was an Empire Cocoa sign on the other side of the building.

We saw the 20 Feet from Stardom at the movies. It's a documentary about the back up singers to some of the biggest musical acts of the 21st century, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder.  It was a bit too long, but I really enjoyed it. It really iss a story that hasn't been told before. The singing is (not surprisingly) AH-mazing and the women featured are engaging and sassy. 

One of the singers featured is Claudia Lennear, who was part of Ike and Tina Turner's Ikettes. The doco included a bit of this clip of Ike and Tina doing Proud Mary. I've seen this numerous times before. I love it (the Ikettes appear around the three minute mark).

Day 6: Flicks with the chicks

I went to a Flicks with the Chicks session at Gold Class tonight with Bertie, Lauren and Rosie (another friend from my old work). The session includes the movie, a glass of bubbles on arrival, finger food and dessert, and a showbag with girlie stuff and edible things. 

We saw Enough Said, with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini in one of his last movie roles. I enjoyed it -  it's not hilarious or ground-breaking, but it's sweet and likeable. 

Southbank was still buzzing when we left the cinema. Warm weather will do that. It got to 30 degrees C today and is still 24 as I type this at almost 11.00pm. 

I'm really looking forward to bed. Goodnight. 

NaBloPoMo Day 4: Dinosaurs, day off, delish

We hired a DVD on Saturday night. Yep, we still go to the store and hand over a few dollars to take home a movie to watch. We're techno dinosaurs. But I'm in no rush to swap hiring for downloading because the store we go to is a little independent business that has been on Swan Street in Richmond for at least 20 years. We don't hire movies very often, but when we do, I like the idea of supporting a local business. 

Plus, when we went on Saturday night, there was a big tabby cat in the store and you don't get to pat a cat when you download a movie, do you? The store owner said the cat wasn't fat, it was "big boned". 

Tomorrow is a pubic holiday in Melbourne for the Melbourne Cup horse race. Yay, a day off work! I'm not fussed about the race, although I did go in the $10 sweep at work just for the hell of it. My horse is called Sea Moon. I have no idea whether it has any prospect of doing well. 

We had my new favourite salad for dinner tonight. So fresh and tasty. It's just avocado, tomato, cucumber, feta and coriander chopped up with a dressing of lime juice and tiny bit of sugar. We had it with lamb fillet, which I managed to cook just right. Delish.   

Televisual ESP, cheesy, musical inspiration

Yesterday evening, for reasons I know not, I felt an urge to re-watch Amelie. A little later on I was flicking through the channels and there it was, showing on SBS One. Is it one of those movies that gets shown every two months, like the Back to the Future movies on commercial TV?  It was about half way through, so I didn't watch it then, but I will soon.

Cheesy

Luke bought some marinated artichokes during the week which didn't end up getting used, but I didn't want them to go to waste (they came from the deli, not out of a jar). This morning a recipe popped up on Pinterest using marinated artichokes - a baked chicken dish with garlic, tomatoes, cheese and basil - so I made it for dinner (with some added spinach). It was so quick and easy to make, and very tasty. Is it possible for anything topped with golden, slightly crispy cheese to not be tasty? It was perfect Sunday night fare. 

Musical inspiration

I haven't bought any new music in months and was lacking inspiration, so I asked Twitter for suggestions. Jane (Gleeful reader, logophile and writer of the Six Degrees of Sir Thomas Urquhart blog) suggested this song, which I like very much, and not just because it has our name in it. 

The song was performed and filmed for Radio National and was on a playlist of 39 songs and interviews uploaded to Youtube by the broadcaster. I spent most of the afternoon listening to and watching them - such a wide variety of performers, most of whom were completely new to me. I liked Paul McDermott and his band singing Slow Ride, the work of Tuba Skinny and Moriarty, Gordon Webster and Friends with Every Day I Got the Blues, and watching RN Drive host Waleed Aly trying to play the kazoo, using a kazoo made by the world's only kazoo museum. (Can you believe that? Only one!) 

A few other Twitter people made suggestions too, but I haven't looked them up yet. Feeling much more inspired now. 

Massage, book bargains, The Dude

I had a Thai massage after work Friday to ease the tight, sore muscles in my upper back and shoulders. It was AMAZING! Easily the best massage I've had. The pressure was perfect - hard, but not too painful - and she hit all the sore spots. I'll definitely be going back. 

Luke and I went into the city yesterday. We visited Embiggen Books, but left empty-handed, which I was actually a little relieved about since I already have too many unread books. But then we couldn't resist the pull of The Book Grocer on Elizabeth Street. We left with six books - four for me, two for Luke - for $50. A bargain, yes; but all those unread books... My four books are  all about words and books.  

I'm currently reading Bertrand Russell's Conquest of Happiness, which I bought at the op-shop for $2 a couple of weeks ago. Last night I read the line: Man is perpetually toiling, and matter is perpetually in motion, yet nothing abides, and I immediately thought, 'The Dude abides'! That's because I saw The Dude's costume at the Hollywood Costume exhibition yesterday. The Dude is the main character in The Big Lebowski. Definitely not the flashiest costume there! 

A productive day

I've just collapsed on the couch after a very productive day, the last of my extra long weekend. *sad face*

Today I have: 

• been to the gym (walking there and back);
• watched the final three episodes of Pride and Prejudice. I liked it, but I remain immune to the supposed charms of Colin Firth. And I was very let down by the famous wet shirt scene women go ga-ga over. I even watched the scene on YouTube just to make sure the DVD hadn't been altered. And of course it was just the same. Is that it?!;
• made a batch of banana and oat muffins. I tweaked the recipe by using cow's milk instead of almond milk, blueberries instead of choc chips, and adding brown sugar, maple syrup and protein powder. Turns out I accidentally improvised by forgetting to put the eggs in too, but they turned out fine. A little rubbery perhaps, but tasty. The over-ripe bananas didn't go to waste;
• roasted pumpkin and cooked chicken for my lunches during the week. I'm still having chicken, roast pumpkin and beetroot salad for lunch. If I really like something, I can eat it every day for weeks - months even - without getting sick of it;
• stewed rhubarb;
• prepared my breakfast, lunch and snacks for tomorrow. This eating well business is quite labor intensive, but it's worth it; and
• completed assorted other boring domestic chores.

I'm quite tuckered out.

Another coincidence, fireworks, ripe bananas

Another Pride and Prejudice-related coincidence happened today. Just before I started watching it this afternoon, someone I follow on Twitter tweeted that she was watching Pride and Prejudice ahead of the 200th anniversary of the book's publication tomorrow. I didn't know about the anniversary until I read her tweet. 

I'm three episodes in - about the point where Mr Darcy proposes to Elizabeth with the famous line, "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you" and she angrily rejects him. A swoon-worthy line, no doubt,  but I'm still not aware of any weakening of my knee joints. 

Luke and I watched the Australia Day fireworks while perched on a couch in front of our loungeroom window last night. Ka-BOOM! 

There are three over-ripe bananas in our fruit bowl. Today while browsing Pinterest I found a recipe for oatmeal cupcakes that calls for three ripe bananas - the riper the better. I think I'll make them tomorrow (only with blueberries not choc chips).

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!!! 

Weekend of glee

Luke and I had lunch at Booktalk Cafe in Richmond yesterday. As the name suggests, it's a café and a bookshop rolled into one. Although I've been there numerous times, I only just noticed that there is a little brass plaque on the back of each chair with an author's name on it. Mine said 'Anita'. Dunno who that is, but I like the idea.  I also liked their collection of games, though we didn't have time to play.

'Please enjoy of puzzles and games and fish' 

(written before the fish went to fish heaven)

After lunch I bought supplies to make another terrarium - a much bigger one this time. I can only just get my arms around the bowl when I hold it in front of me. I got a ladder fern and some moss to go in it, but will get another fern as well. The moss came from a damp spot on the ground at the nursery; the nursery lady slid a knife under it to loosen it and wrapped it in cellophane for me. 

I'm going to plant this one myself, but haven't had time so far. The moss has a temporary home on top of a pile of potting mix. I've been misting it with water to keep it moist and happy. 

On Friday one of my workmates told me she was going to the Studley Park Boathouse for lunch on Sunday and I decided I wanted to go too. I haven't been for more than 10 years, even though it's a short drive away. Luke and I went on Saturday afternoon.

The Studley Park Boathouse opened in 1864 and is Melbourne's oldest operating boathouse. It's set in extensive bushy parklands along the Yarra - if it weren't for the hum of traffic, you could easily forget you're so close to the centre of a big city. 

You can hire kayaks and canoes, as well as the row boats for a punt on the Yarra, but we only took photos of them. Here's an old sign of a different kind: 

Not sure how many swamp hens the boats can carry

Fungus

Skeleton

Kane's Bridge. It was rebuilt in the 1930s after being 

 washed away in a massive flood 

Crossing over

Swirly tree

Red gums

The Yarra is brown because of the highly erosive soil in the

 catchment area. It's extra brown after rain.

 The boathouse's resident geese

No Gleeful post would be complete without a duck

Boat garden

On Saturday night we had dinner on Chapel Street. For dessert I had stewed rhubarb with meringue, and rosewater sorbet, served in a glass with a woolly ball of pistachio Persian fairy floss on top (as was Luke's pistachio icecream). I've seen the fairy floss in shops before, but never tasted it. It was yummy, but weird, like eating air (like normal fairy floss, I suppose!). 

Then we headed to the Astor Theatre to see The Avengers.  I love The Astor. It's the last single screen cinema of its kind still operating in Melbourne and stepping inside is like travelling back to the art deco splendour of 1930s, when the cinema opened. 

The ladies powder room

Marzipan, The Astor's calico cat, was in attendance and enjoying the comfort of a moviegoer's lap in the foyer when we arrived. As we were leaving she was sitting on a comfy lounge chair being fussed over by people. I love that the cinema has a resident moggy. There was a cat in residence when I first went to The Astor in my uni days, so Marzipan is obviously not the first feline to fill the role. 

Oh, the movie was good, but I knew it would be since Joss Whedon wrote and directed it. 

Sunday 

I got my hair cut and coloured today. I've added some blue highlights to the top of my usual blue/black hair. As you might have guessed, I have no plans to start acting/looking my age despite my impending 40th birthday. (I'll post a photo another time). 

It was rather chilly and raining lightly when I left the hairdresser, so I got a hot chocolate to warm me up. I don't think I've clutched a hot beverage so enthusiastically before. 

Movie signs, city signs, mini machine

Luke and I went to see the new Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie Dark Shadows last night. Depp plays a vampire who is buried alive (and mortal) in the late 18th century and unearthed in 1972.  It was visually stunning (as you would expect for Tim Burton), very silly and quite funny. I also liked it because there's several old signs in it. 

Speaking of old signs, this afternoon Luke and I took our cameras and wandered the laneways of the city. We covered territory I have already traversed but I still found old signs I hadn't noticed before. Here's a selection: 

 Drewery Lane

I think this was Drewery Lane too

 Forget where this was - looks like a two-in-one

 Stuff cutters!

 Two-in-one (albeit the same sign). This is on the old 

CUB malt house on the corner of  Victoria and 

Bouverie Streets, which has 12 or so loading bays 

(or something) with numbers like this

 Repco

 Elizabeth Street - old sign and old Aussie flag

 Guildford Lane

 Guildford Lane again

 And again

Little Lonsdale, I think 

I also took lots of photos of old windows. You can see them here. 

My mini sewing machine arrived! I ordered it Monday night and it was delivered Wednesday morning. Speedy! It's very cute, especially the foot pedal which is smaller than my hand. It feels quite sturdy though. I'll post a photo of it tomorrow. I haven't had a chance to play with it yet, but I plan to stay home tomorrow and give it a test drive.