Three snippets of glee

My alarm went off this morning (after several snoozes) and I thought it was 8.00 am but it was only 7.50 am, so I got another 10 minutes of oversleeping done. Yay.

On the way to work I found a little secret pocket on the inside of my parka. Just perfect for my iPod. Sweet.

I bought a pair of jeans tonight for about 75% off. Ace.

Yay...and dang

Coz it's yellow like lemon

This afternoon I got a craving for lemon tart, thanks to Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream...mmm, tangy (to sniff, not eat).

But since I was at work, I thought I'd make do with a piece of lemon slice from the bakery near my office. It was approaching 5.00 pm and they were closing up when I got there. Everything had been removed from their display cabinet - except the lemon slice.

That was a gleeful coincidence, but sadly the slice itself was disappointingly lacking in lemony tang. Don't buy lemon slice from Kenny's on Queen Steet, OK?

Choccy sampling, calf-patting and PM chatting

Well! I had a great day today. I emerged from under my doona at about 9.00 am and set out for the Organic Expo in Carlton at around 11.30. The wind was cold, but the sun was shining.

Passing through Fitzroy Gardens on the way to the Organic Expo

A brief stop in the grounds of St Patrick's Cathedral

As I approached the Carlton Gardens, I saw that the fountain in front of the Royal Exhibition Building was in full flow and sparkling in the sun, a sight that gladdened my heart.

The Hochgurtel Fountain

Wow. I'd forgotten how stupendous the interior of the Exhibition Building is. I spent as much time looking up as I did sampling organic food (mostly chocolate, but also tea, cordial, vegetable chips, relish, nuts and goji berries) and skincare.

I also patted a calf in the mini farmyard set up to entertain the youngsters (not that I've never touched a calf before - I've seen them being born). The kids with their tiny little horns were really cute (the goat kind, not the human kind.)

I loved the Bert's Bees beeswax products and bought myself a lip gloss and a pack of miniature hand, nail and footcare products in tiny little pots and tins.

A close up of the ceiling

I was also really impressed with a product called Onya Weigh, which is a little pouch containing 5 reuseable nylon drawstring tulle bags to use instead of plastic bags when buying fruit and vegies. I bought one of those.

I had planned to go to the Pompeii exhibition, but I was too weighed down with goodies, so I just popped into the gift shop for a quick look. I bought myself a copy of Melbourne: Then and Now, a book of photos of how Melbourne buildings and landmarks used to look and how they look now.

Then I headed for Brunetti's for a hot chocolate pit stop.

One of several pairs of sneakers suspended from power lines in Pelham Street, Carlton

Waiting for my Italian hot chocolate at Brunetti on Faraday Street, Carlton

I dropped into Readings bookshop for a browse. And who should I see there, but Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. I knew he was in the area because I'd heard someone point out his car parked beside the shop. I was looking at some books and then I looked up and he was standing right beside me. As I was taken by surprise, I just said, "Oh, hello. I didn't realise I was standing right next to you." Yep, inane. He just smiled. (After I got home I realised I had smudges of hot chocolate on either side of my mouth. Inane and grubby! How embarrassing!)

The PM's visit was very low key. A few people approached him and he chatted with them briefly. He posed for a photo. He bought a pile of books and then left. Half the customers in the shop probably had no idea he was even in there. Still, he's not Barack Obama.

A bad photo, but I didn't want to be too obvious!

After buying a book (Ethical Eating by Angela Crocombe) and texting a bunch of people to tell them I'd just talked to Kevin Rudd, I walked back into the city and caught the tram home, very, very weary after covering about 12kms.

It was getting dark - the sky was a deep blue and a smiley moon was hanging over the city. A gleeful end to a gleeful day.

Waiting for my tram

The new soccer and rugby stadium is looking good

Crossing the Yarra

Ah, Fridays....

I love Friday nights, that feeling of being on the brink of the weekend, with two whole days ahead of me without work.

But what I really love is when I don't have to be anywhere at any particular time on Saturday and I can go to bed without setting my alarm. That's how it is tonight. I have quite a bit of stuff I want to do tomorrow, but all of it I can do at my own leisurely pace.

I'm going to the Organic Expo at the Royal Exhibition Building, partly to look at organic stuff and partly to look at the inside of the World Heritage-listed building. I've been inside a couple of times, but not for a few years and it's always worth a look.

Then, since I'm right next door to the museum, I thought I'd drop in and check out the Pompeii exhibition...and then, who knows? Maybe a hot chocolate at Brunetti's...a poke around Readings bookshop...

Maybe I should set an alarm anyway.

A tasty coincidence

Last night I conjured up a whole chocolate shop with my mind. No, really.

When I left work, I had a hankering for Lindt's Lindor Balls, so I went in search of them. Then on Collins Street, near Tiffany's, I discovered an entire shop stuffed with Lindt chocolate goodies. I'd never seen it before. It was still open. Mmmmmmm...Lindor Balls.

*imagines Johnny Depp at my front door* ............................Dang.


I love this guy...

The video is crappy (what's a studder?) - just listen.

Useless trivia: I saw Demetri Martin in a coffee shop near my work a couple of years ago during the Comedy Festival.

Open wide, come inside

Well, I did my share of stickybeaking at some of Melbourne's landmark buildings during Melbourne Open House on Sunday. I had a fun day walking around with a friend in the winter sunshine, having a natter and seeing sights I'd never seen before.

I changed my mind about starting at Queens Hall at the State Library and instead arrived early at the Manchester Unity Building to try to beat the crazy queues. And we did. And it was worth it. The highlight of the day for me was walking out on the 12th floor roof top entertainment area of the MU Building to see the corner spire-thing looming up ahead of us against the blue sky (above). I think both of us said "Wow" out loud.

If you look just to the left of the clockface of the Town Hall in the picture below, that's where the outdoor roof top area is.

We then made our way up to the State Library to see Queens Hall, which has some unusual but impressive chandeliers and beautiful pale green and gold leaf ceiling roses (below). It's a little shabby around the edges, but it's apparently going to be renovated and reopened to the public. Yay.

After a quick squiz at the La Trobe Reading Room (no trip to the State Library is complete without it), we jumped on the City Circle tram through the Docklands to our next stop, the Mission to Seafarers. It smelt enticingly of the meat pies and sausage rolls they were selling to the Open House crowds, but we resisted the baked goods. I didn't resist the urge to give the old ship's bell (from the Moreton Bay) in the Celia Little room a tentative "dong". Not quite the same as ringing a bell at St Paul's...

Pull meeeeeeeeee!

The Mission building is still in relatively original condition and features a lovely little chapel with maritime themed stained glass windows and a pulpit carved to look like the side of a ship, a courtyard (with fish pond! Oooh fish!), a private garden and a large, round, domed room that used to be a gymnasium, but which is currently hosting an exhibition of maritime themed photos (below).

We walked back into the CBD with a stop to have a look at the foyer of the Grand Hotel, which, as it turns out, is not that grand really, but it does have a little library and chess boards in it, which I thought was pretty cool. This wasn't part of MOH, we were just nosey.

Next stop was Donkey Wheel House, a narrow building on Bourke Street I'd never noticed before. The building is now owned by the Donkey Wheel Foundation, a philanthropic organisation. It's very much in original - and rather shabby - condition and is mostly empty. It's crying out to be converted into an art gallery or something like that. There are already some art installations in the basement of the building.

Top floor

Basement

After that we made another impromptu stop at the St Augustines Catholic Church which is one of the oldest churches in Melbourne (I have never paid so much attention to churches as I have these past two weekends!).

Then we had a quick look at the very modern Denmark House where the thing that most interested me was this newspaper headline:

Is there not a Danish word for sex? I'm assuming sex is not a Danish word for something else!

Niagara Lane, just because

After that we stopped at the Collins Street Baptist Church, which was also a bit of a 'wow' moment - I had no idea there was such a large church behind that facade. It's quite unlike any other church I've been in - a very open space, quite light and airy and with greeny-blue carpet throughout.

Finally, after deciding not to wait 45 minutes to see the kitchen at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant, we popped into the T&G Building (aka KPMG House). We were captivated by the glass ceiling feature, which changed colour (below).

The modern office tower bit of the T&G Building

And then we were done. I decided not to wait in line to see Capitol Theatre. Instead I treated myself to a Belgian hot chocolate and lemon cheesecake at the Chokolait Hub (becoming a habit...).

Then I caught the tram home. I'd walked just over 12 kms by the time I got home and I was worn out. I had a long soak in the bath and was in my pjs before 7pm! Just like when I was 10, only there was no soup and toasties in front of the Wonderful World of Disney on the telly.

See my other blog for a few more pictures.

Melbourne love

I bin up in that there spire, I have

I was feeling a teeny bit deflated going back to work on Monday after my ace mini road-trip last weekend. I had been looking forward to it for so long...and then all of a sudden it was over.

But, Melbourne being the hive of events and culture and awesomeness that it is, there's always something to look forward to and I'm feeling inflated with gleeful anticipation once again. For serious, my cheeks are even puffed out.

This weekend, I'm having a sticky beak at a bunch of old city buildings during the second annual Melbourne Open House (MOH) on Sunday. It's part of the State of Design Festival and boasts an impressively expanded line up of 32 buildings this year. Some are old and some are new; all are architecturally or otherwise significant. Most of the buildings are not routinely open to the public, if it all.

You may recall that I'm excited about seeing Queens Hall at the State Library. That's where I'm going to start and I plan to get there early so I don't miss out. Last year a massive crowd descended on the CBD for MOH, which meant I missed out on getting my foot in the door of a few of the buildings on my list...but I did get to ring a great big bell at St Paul's Cathedral (above)! Bing bonnnnggggg!

I also want to see:

The bizarrely named Donkey Wheel House (formerly the Melbourne Tramway and Omnibus Company Building), which was built in 1891 and hasn't been renovated so "its character is beautifully exposed", according to the MOH program.

The Mission to Seafarers building in the Docklands. Built in 1916-17, it is the Melbourne home of the Anglican Church-run Mission to Seafarers, which "cares for the practical and spiritual welfare of seafarers of all nationalities and faiths". Its interior, featuring Tasmanian hardwood panelling, is also largely intact.

Capitol Theatre. I visited it last year, but I want to see it again because it's spectacular.

Manchester Unity Building (below). I missed out on getting inside this Melbourne landmark last year, so I'm going to have another crack at it. The tour includes the 12th floor rooftop entertainment area and the "magnificent" Boardroom.

And a few others too. There's an MOH photography competition running, so I will of course have my trusty Canon clamped to my hand (not that I wouldn't have anyway!)

So much to do, so little time

I know I have said this before, but I love the way that no matter how well I think I know Melbourne, there's ALWAYS something new to discover. And there's always new stuff to see and do.

A couple of weeks back I grabbed a copy of the litte Winter Hot Spots 09 book produced by That's Melbourne. It is a compact treasure trove of events and activities the city, written in a refreshingly fun and quirky style (Melbourne staid and stuffy? Pah!).

Some stuff I have highlighted:

The City of Melbourne Laneways Commissions, which are being progressively unveilled in city lanes (the first can already be seen in Lingham Lane). I'm looking forward to the arrival of Call Notes in Hardware Lane on 8 August. It's a series of solar powered sound devices which will play popular tunes from the last 60 years...sung by birdies! The brighter the sun, the louder the birds will sing. This is right near my work and preferred sushi provider so I will be able to hear it every day.

Craft Victoria. I didn't know Craft Victoria on Flinders Lane has a gift shop featuring the work of local designers. But then I keep forgetting craft isn't just for nannas anymore.

In a similar crafty vein (not that I'm crafty, but I like to buy stuff), North Melbourne is home to the Thread Den "sewing lounge" and fashion boutique. Hot Spots 09 says Thread Den:

"..conjures up images of bobby socks, Chevys and hula hoops. The den recently underwent a make over and now has a powder room...a kitchen with an aqua hutch, flying ducks on the walls and a garden made of Astroturf".

They sell local designers' creations, vintage gear, and cute accessories; they run sewing classes and they have eight sewing machines for hire. They can even hover at your elbow like Mrs Krepp from Year 8 Textiles to help you with that tricky zip, if need be.

Outside-in Cinema. Free movies at the State Library! Every second Wednesday there's a movie (mostly docos) on the big screen. The State Library could host an evening of sandpapering your own eyeballs and I would think it was an awesome idea.

Also in North Melbourne are Arthurs Circus - "home to real, down-home collectible shiz, things that make you nod your head and smile" and Wally Johnson's Antiques - "one of Melbourne's most obscure curiosities [with] 6000 square feet of tightly packed, dimly lit, old world gold".

And then there's Salvador Dali: Liquid Desire at the National Gallery of Victoria and the A Day in Pompeii exhibition at the Melbourne Museum.

So much to do...Do you ever go to bed on Friday night feeling impatient for it to be morning so you can get out there and do stuff? Like a little kid on Christmas Eve?