Thunder and rainbows and faux Mondays

A little rainbow this afternoon

Cold weather has finally arrived in Melbourne. I'm not thrilled about the cold, but I was a little thrilled by the thunder clap that greeted me when I left for work this morning (thrilled and a tiny bit scared). I quickly decided to take the bus to the tram stop (which was probably a good idea anyway because my ankle was sore from too much walking yesterday). 

I was also thrilled by this rainbow and another bigger one that appeared not long after.  

I kept thinking today was Monday because of the public holiday yesterday, but it's not! Wooh! Tomorrow is the last day of my working week already. 

Happy discoveries

I sprained my ankle on Friday - more than a twist, but not serious enough to need medical attention - and the most annoying thing about it is that I can't walk to work this week. I can walk almost normally again now (albeit with some pain), but I should do the sensible thing and let it rest. Boo.

So it was with some irritation that I set out for the tram stop this morning, but then when I was passing Gosch's Paddock I spotted a big patch of mushrooms growing in the grass and then I wasn't annoyed anymore. I took a photo then kept walking and I saw more mushrooms! And then more! There were A LOT of mushrooms. I love autumn.

I made another happy discovery at lunch time. I went in to the newsagent near work to get my daily Pepsi Max and Freddo Frog fix and I don't know why, but I checked to see if they stocked Flow magazine. I was sure they wouldn't because it's a run-of-the-mill, not-too-cool-for-school newsagent, not at all hipsterish like Mag Nation, where I got the last one.  But they had it! I was stunned. And then I was doubly stunned because it was fully HALF THE PRICE I paid at Mag Nation! Wow. 

I might start reading it tomorrow - it's a public holiday here tomorrow for Anzac Day, which makes it the third short working week in a row (wooh!). Last week was only two days long for me because I had Tuesday off as well for mum's visit, which is a subject for another (belated) post.

  

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. 

November: day 3

Luke and I decided to go beyond our usual brunch/lunch hangouts today so we ventured over the Westgate Bridge to the pretty seaside suburb of Williamstown. 

I just love the little old cottages there  - they are so damn cute - and it's a great spot for ghost sign hunting. I don't have any photos of the cottages or ghost signs, so you'll have to take my word for it. 

I do have photos of lots of boats though. We saw the usual ranks of yachts and the HMAS Castlemaine  (which is permanently moored at Gem Pier), but also some huge cruise ships docked at Station Pier and a container ship (sans containers) making its way out to the bay. 

Cruise ships to the right. They were bigger than they look here

(I didn't have my 'real' camera so the photos aren't great) 

 Yachts

 More yachts and the Westgate in the distance

 HMAS Castlemaine (now a museum)

 Boats and a bit of the city skyline

Love this old boat

It was breezy on the pier

We saw starfish in the shallows (Me: Look! Starfish! It always thrills me seeing creatures in the water) and an egret fishing for lunch. After having an icecream, we headed off home. 

Back to work tomorrow but now there's only three days until the weekend! 

November: day 2

View from work today

Work was very quiet today because so many people - including my boss - took the day off to make a four-day weekend. My phone only rang once and hardly anyone interrupted me all day. I liked it. 

I have no plans at all for the public holiday tomorrow. I love having no plans. JOMO is practically my middle name.   

I went to pilates after work even though I was really tired and just wanted to go home (which is me every day).  I walked through the the door of the pilates studio like a hunchback and strode out feeling tall and straight. I've been doing clinical pilates since May or June. I haven't noticed any significant lasting improvements yet (I'm a physical wreck - these things take time), but I sure feel better after each class.    

It's November

Hello, November! Yes, I'm making another (mostly likely half-arsed) attempt at resurrecting my blog by participating in NaBloPoMo. Sometimes I wonder if I should abandon blogging altogether - if I really wanted to write this blog, I'd just do it, wouldn't I? 

Regardless, here I am. Thirty posts in 30 days. 

I've had a very lazy weekend, which was just what I needed. My body was feeling broken after walking down 38 flights of stairs during an emergency evacuation drill on Monday, a migraine on Thursday and a very vigorous (but excellent) massage that left my back and neck feeling bruised. 

Thursday's migraine was the first I've had in almost a month. This is almost unprecedented! I'm on new prevention medication that's working well so far, and I'm only on a half-dose at this stage. Happily, the side-effects are minimal. 

This coming week is only four days long thanks to the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday on Tuesday. I have to work tomorrow but it will most likely be very quiet as so many people take the Monday off as well. 

Today: brought to you by the number four

Sun-scald

Four days, four walks to work! Now four days off! *laughs like The Count* 

Another walk, good boss, word nerd stuff

I did walk to work again this morning. It was hard going due to my body feeling as if it had been run over by a small tractor during the night, but I got there. Go, me. 

I do have the day off on Friday too. Yay. I thought my boss might want me to cancel my leave day because the other secretary who's joined my team has had to take the week off, but I checked with him and he doesn't. He's a very fair and reasonable boss.  

I had an intense day at work today so a short week will be very welcome.  

Here are some links I've been saving up for my fellow word nerds:

Barrister and human rights advocate Julian Burnside on why he is resisting the lure of Scrabble, and some of the English language's weird words. 

Julian Burnside again on getting worked up over a word missing from the Oxford English Dictionary - the 20-volume version, no less. The word is 'philtrum', that groove above the middle of your top lip. 

A (long) story  by nature writer Robert Macfarlane who has been collecting unusual words to describe the landscape. I like 'roarie-bummlers' (fast-moving storm clouds) and 'sun-scald' (the glare of the sun on water). "It's a lexicon we need to cherish in an age when a junior dictionary finds room for bluebell but has no place for 'bluebell'." 

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.   

The bright side of the dark

I'm not sorry summer's over, but I am a little sad about the end of daylight savings. Walking home in the dark isn't all bad though. The sun was setting as I crossed Prince's Bridge and once it got dark, the lights of the city and the traffic on Brunton Avenue reflected on the black water of the Yarra.  

After I took the photo above, a colony of bats flew over my head, silhouetted against the clouds, which were lit up by the city lights. (Incidentally, 'cloud' is another collective noun for bats.)

The end of daylight savings also means I get to see the city glowing during the late afternoon 'golden hour' from my office window. 

 

I'm having yet another long weekend soon. The Anzac Day public holiday is on Thursday 25 April, and I'm taking the Friday off as well. Luke and I are heading to the seaside town of Venus Bay on Friday and staying the night (Luke works Sundays). I've never been there before. I'm looking forward taking in some coastal vistas. 

I got an unexpected email from a woman I used to work with in my old old job (the one I left in 2010). We lost contact, but her email was a pleasant surprise. It made my day. 

Another long weekend, kinda fun, home grown

Look how leggy I am! 

And how tiny my head is!

I have another four-day weekend coming up. I was going to arrange to leave early next Tuesday for the Ghost Sign Hunter event, but then I realised Monday is a public holiday for Labour Day so I'm taking the whole day off. A four-day weekend and a three-day week. Wooh. 

I started a new program at the gym tonight. It wasn't quite as hard as I expected and it's even sort of fun. There's one exercise where I throw a ball at a wall and another one that's like climbing a rope, only I'm sitting down and the rope's on a loop.  I climbed 100 metres. 

I used some basil from our herb garden in my lunchtime salad today. 

Scorching, tennis, long weekend

Pretty clouds yesterday morning 

Yesterday was searingly hot - a top of 40 degrees C (104F) - but I still walked home. I'm grateful for shady trees and a Calippo for making the trek slightly more bearable.  

I'm off to the Australian Open tennis tomorrow. In the eight years I've lived walking distance from the stadium, I've never been to the tennis. I was much more of a tennis fan in my teen years than I am now, but I'm sure it will be a fun day out. If nothing else, it will be a new experience. (Thankfully, it will won't be anywhere near 40 degrees.)

I'm having an extra long weekend for Australia Day on 26 January. I've taken off the Friday as well, giving me four days off on a row. I can't wait. 

Hot chips are ace, but I especially like the really crispy ones that have probably been through a few fry ups before making it onto your plate. They're probably about 90% oil. They're bad, but they're good. 

Something to look forward to

I'm a giant!

I'm not sure of the original source, but a smart cookie once said happiness is having someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to.  

I have many somethings to look forward to at the moment. Luke and I are going to see The Black Keys at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on 25 October.  We had tickets to see them a couple of years ago, but the show was cancelled, so I feel like I have a double dose of anticipation building. It better not be a rainy night (it's an outdoor venue). 

Then I have an extra long weekend at the start of November. Luke and I are going to a wedding on the Friday and it's a public holiday in Melbourne on Tuesday for the Melbourne Cup, so I'm having Friday to Tuesday off work. On the Monday night, we're going to see Henry Wagons and the Unwelcome Company at the lovely Thornbury Theatre. Other than that, I will potter about at home. 

Then as I mentioned in a previous blog, I'm off to Sydney for Christmas and New Year's Eve with Mum. I've got a full two weeks off work, and will spend the rest of my break in Melbourne. I love a staycation. 

And then! My friend Bertie is getting married in February and just before that I'm off to the seaside at Sorrento for her hen's weekend. 

Oh, and The Horologicon by Mark Forsyth (the author of my beloved Etymologicon) comes out on 1 November. The start of November is going to be gleeful indeed.

Right now,  I'm looking forward to going to bed. 

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". 

Early Friday, shower, cereal

It's Friday tomorrow, but thanks to the public holiday on Tuesday, it doesn't feel like we're nearly at the end of the week. I'm glad we are.

I had a shower when I got home from work. It's amazing how much better you feel after a shower.

Lowan Whole Foods Cocoa Bombs...not the most nutritious breakfast cereal going, but tasty and gluten free. Yum.

Novelty, surprise Thursday, comfy

Today's pretend-it's-the-weekend novelty was taking myself for dinner and a movie. I had a quick bite at one of those cheap but tasty Japanese places on Swanston Street (which I frequent often) and then saw Catfish at the Kino.

The meal was satisfying; the movie less so, but it was novel, and that's the important bit.

Oh, wait

I seriously kept thinking today was Monday, so I was pleased every time I managed to get my addled brain around it being Thursday and, more importantly, tomorrow being Friday.

Comfy

I nearly always wear high heels to work, but today I wore ballet flats because my feet are sore from so much walking yesterday* and they were so comfy. SO comfy. I'm not sure I can go back to heels...which means I'll need to have all my work pants taken up and lose a few kilos because heels really do elongate you.

* Jayne goes to Castlemaine post still to come. It's too late for me to start it now.

Jaunts

Reading in the Treasury Gardens

I'm excited to be taking a little jaunt into regional Victoria on the Australia Day public holiday this Wednesday. I decided it would be nice to do something with the day off rather than sleeping until 11.00am, so I'm catching the train to Castlemaine, which I'm is (I'm told) a lovely little town with cafes, galleries, shops, an old theatre, botanic gardens, walks and a lot of gold mining history.

Visiting three towns in regional Victoria that I've never been to before is one of the things on my list of 101 Things To Do before I'm 40. I've been through Castlemaine many times, but never to it, so I am counting it as the first of  the three towns.  Yay. I'm looking forward to fresh photographic pastures too.

I took a little sojourn on my way home today too. I'm hoping injecting a little novelty into work days might help them seem less dreary and a teeny tiny bit more like a weekend, so today I walked home through the Treasury and Fitzroy Gardens, and the back streets of Richmond. I bought mixed lollies at the Rowena Parade Corner Store and wandered little streets I've never ventured into before. (Due to enthusiastic sub-dividing in the olden days, Richmond has a lot of little streets.) The walk home took twice as long as usual, but it was a sunny afternoon, I like the exercise and love exploring my neighbourhood.

A day off...and the awesomeness of Wagons

Aaaah, public holidays. Ya gotta love em. Today is Melbourne Cup Day, a day off for the horse race that is the pinnacle of the city's spring racing carnival.

It's dubbed the "race that stops a nation" but it didn't stop me lazing away the entire afternoon in the gardens in the sun (and er...eating a Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate bar while reading about the evils of the sugar!).

I had a nice sleep-in this morning after a late-ish night out last night to see the Wagons gig at the Northcote Social Club. I was not disappointed - it was sensational. I absolutely loved it. I can't pick a highlight, it was awesomeness wrapped in stupendousness and rolled in chocolate sprinkles.

I plan to see them again at The Famous Spiegeltent in a month, which will be a double delight - great music and a special venue.

The support acts last night were pretty good too, especially Sydney's Dead Letter Chorus (below). I'm totally loving Aussie music right now.

Melburnians, what did you do with your day off (if you got it)? Anyone been to a great live gig recently? What about to the Spiegeltent?