Nine years ago today...

I've lived in my beloved South Yarra flat for nine years today. Nine years! It's the longest I've lived anywhere in my adult life. In some ways it feels as if the time has passed quickly, but when I think about all that's happened in that time - I've had four jobs and four relationships (counting the current ones); I lost my dad (four years ago next April); plus I finally went overseas and I've been again since then. 

This flat - our fabulous sunny flat, so close to the city and the Botanic gardens, with its lovely views and free heating - has been one of the few constants in my life and one of the key sources of my happiness over the years. I love this flat. I love living here. 

I found this on Pinterest today: 

I've clearly been unconsciously abiding by this rule. For Christmas I bought TJ - the boy who loves The Octopuppy - a book called The Boring Book. It's about something else I love - words.  

Three working days until holidays...

Relief and vicarious happy dance

I recently started to worry (for reasons I won't bother explaining) that we were going to be turfed out of our flat so it could be renovated. I was poised to be devastated at having to  leave my home of the past 8 1/2 years - I really would be devastated! I love this place. I never want to leave! This flat and this location are a major source of contentment for me. Sure, I'd be happy elsewhere eventually too, but it just wouldn't be the same. 

But, good news! We don't have to move! I'm so relieved!  

In lieu of a happy dance, I bring you a video of Tom Jones dancing up a storm in 1968. I'm incapable of watching it without laughing my head off, and I'm not easily moved to fits of  laughter. Wait for the dancing at around the 1:17 mark. Hil-AIR-ious. 

 

House spotting, The Muppet Show and rudie bits

It's been a while! This is the old post office in Windsor

I paid a visit to the Crepuscular exhibition at the City Gallery on my lunch break yesterday. As well as a display of stuffed creatures and owl wings, there was an aerial photo of the city and very inner suburbs from 2004 and my house was on it (not that it was my house in 2004). It wasn't quite as gleeful as the time I found a calendar with photos of Melbourne and my house was in the picture on the front cover (albeit very tiny).

Luke and I started watching The Muppet Show on DVD last night. Ah, memories. The first show features the famous Ma-na-ma-na segment. I think I might watch more tonight.

I bought a book yesterday called Carnal Knowledge which explains the etymology of the words we use to describe parts of the body (correct biology terminology a well as common phrases and slang). Yes, I admit that while looking at it in the shop, I flicked straight to Chapter 5: Below the Belt. C'mon, who wouldn't?

We are having a lovely winter so far. There was more blue sky and sunshine today - I walked to my osteopath appointment in a T-shirt (and jeans).

Home holiday, spider house, tasty

My flatmate is moving out in a month and I've decided to have a short break from sharing. I can't wait! I LOVE living alone. I could afford to continue living here alone, but it's an insane amount of money to shell out in rent every week. It would mean curtailing my lifestyle and savings, which I don't want to do. I'll just have a little holiday at home for a month or two before looking for a new flattie.

There's a house on my street that has a large spider web in the front yard with a large spider in it (and a smaller spider). I'm glad the people who live there have left it where it is. I look at it every time I walk past (while trying not to look as if I'm perving in their front window).

I made a tasty salad during the week with spinach, baby beetroot, fetta, toasted walnuts and mandarine segments. I'm going to make it again this week with lamb sirloin. Yummmm.

Ducks, extra leave and an anniversary

I saw this little duck family on my way to work this morning and then I saw it again on my way home. The ducklings are so tiny..

Mama and Papa Duck are one of two pairs of ducks who seem to call the banks of the Yarra between my place and the city home. I do see larger groups of ducks from time to time, but I see these two pairs on their own all the time (although I suppose I'm just assuming it's the same pairs! I need to start looking for disinguishing features.)

There's also a pair of swans which live in the area and have hatched cygnets on the bank.  I know they're the same pair because one of them has a marker with a number around its neck. I like seeing the familiar birdy faces. It's like having pets, but without responsibility and poop duties.

I got my extended holiday! Yay! Just as well because I've compiled a rather extensive to do list that will no doubt fill up the whole 16 days.

Yesterday was my sixth anniversary of moving into this flat. That's the longest I've lived in one place since I left home (although I was at my last place for five years).

I can't believe I've got to stay so long here considering how often the flat has been sold, but I'm so glad I have. I love it. I won't be moving until I have to (as much as I'd like to live on the other side of the river).

The sea, the moon, the music

I saw the sea from a city building again today. The sea and much more besides, since I was on the 42nd floor this time. I could see tiny people kicking a ball around on the grassy flat in Birrarung Marr, lines of cars glinting like mica in the midday sun as they stretched into the distance and a wee yacht on the bay near the St Kilda pier. Oh, and my house. At least I thought I could pick out the tiled roof of my building anyway. I will never tire of saying, "I can see my house from here. No, really!".

A girl serving me in a shop told me she liked my glasses (I was wearing my new purple specs).

When I was walking home in the twilight I looked up and the full moon hit my eye like a big pizza pie. Very light rain started to fall as I walked along the river. I liked it. AAMI Park sparkled like a very large jewel.

I have downloaded two new albums (new to me). The John Steel Singers' LP The Beagle and The Dove, which is great,  and also...Lisa Mitchell's debut Wonder. I hesitated there because, as Aussies reading this might know, Lisa was a contestant on Australian Idol a few years back. I'd not paid her debut album much attention due to music snobbery, but really, there's a reason why she's not being held back by the Idol stigma. Her album of sweet, quirky, catchy folk tunes is truly lovely. It's a nice surprise when you discover your preconceived ideas were ill-founded. Opening your mind rarely ends badly.

It's hard to pick a favourite, but here's one that has whistling in it:

My big day out

Last night I set my alarm for 9.00am and when it sounded, I turned it off before deciding I wanted another half hour's sleep. But I accidentally reset it to 9.30pm and I woke up without an alarm AT EXACTLY 10.10am. On 10/10/10, people!  What are the chances, eh?

Anyway, I was a bit slow to get going, but I did eventually emerge from my flat into an absolutely stunning spring afternoon. I walked to Collingwood and Fitzroy and wandered about the backstreets and the main roads with my camera, enjoying the grunge and the diversity.

I live in a suburb marked with the prettiness of affluence, and while I do like that, it turns out that I love urban decay. My suburb is also very vanilla, and Collingwood and Fitzroy certainly have a lot more flavour.

If I ever have to leave my flat, I'm definitely moving north of the river. Maybe I could find a place to rent on the street in Fitzroy I wandered into today that shares my last name? I never knew it was there!

From Fitzroy I headed into the city via the Carlton Gardens with its fabulous fountain, and then to the NGV's Ian Potter Centre at Federation Square where I visited Stormy Weather, an exhibition of contemporary landscape photography, and a couple of other exhibitions. I liked the landscape photography the best, especially the work of Nici Cumpston. 

It's been a long time since I've been to the Ian Potter Centre. I really like it as a space - it's so light and airy and geometric, and the recessed windows scattered around are like art works in themselves - you can't help going up to them to see what you can see framed in them.

I caught a tram home (I'd been on my feet for nearly 5 hours), pottered about for a while, then walked back into the city beside the calm, black river for k@osmos  in the Alexandra Gardens, which was pleasant. From where I was sitting, I could see a little smile of a moon hanging between the Arts Centre spire and Eureka Tower.

And now to bed.

Last day, lights and more new music

Tomorrow is my last day in my mind-numbingly boring job. Yay. I can't wait to feel the weight lift off my shoulders when I walk out that door for the last time. Perhaps I might even feel my life force start to seep back, although I expect my elation will be somewhat tempered by uncertainty since I still don't have any temp work lined up. I do have a couple of prospects, however.

Light show

The lights have been on at AAMI Park for hours every night this week and it looks amazing. I've been enjoying the light show from my loungeroom window. The stadium's distinctive "bubbles" are made up of triangular panels which have a light at every point and the lights change colour and flash on and off in waves that ripple across the surface, so that the stadium seems to sparkle. I love it.

Speaking of my flat, I have it to myself for the weekend. *happy dance*

Thanks again, YouTube

I've made two new musical discoveries this week thanks yet again to the wonders of YouTube: Holly Golightly and Ludella Black (both former members of The Headcotees). I remember Holly from the White Stripes' song It's True that We Love One Another, but I'd never listened to any of her own stuff before. I likes it.

Yes, her name really is Holly Golightly (last name Smith), obviously after the main character in Breakfast at Tiffany's, which, coincidentally, I just happen to be reading at the moment.

I have downloaded their latest CDs to my iPod tonight. I has happy ears.

....and breathe

My life has been hectic and stressful lately, but tonight I'm having a quiet night at home to relax and catch up on things I've not had the time or energy to attend to. I also have the flat to myself, which makes it doubly nice. I'm sitting on the loungeroom floor in my pjs and I can see the city lights out the window. Love where I live.

Walking home tonight I saw them testing the LCD lights that are embedded in the shell of the new sports stadium, which has been named AAMI Park. It looked great. I can't wait to see what it's like when it's finished.

I'm uploading three CDs I bought tonight on my way home - Florence and the Machine's Lungs, the limited edition of Angus and Julia Stone's new album, Down the Way and the DVD/CD set of the White Stripes' documentary Under Great White Northern Lights. Yays! New music!

The packaging of the Angus and Julia Stone album is gorgeous. It's like a cloth-bound book with the title printed in gold lettering and it's fastened shut with a ribbon. Inside, lyrics and vintagey photos are printed on nice matte paper and - the best bit - is a frontispiece with "This album belongs to _________". How cute is that?  Listening to it now. I like it so far.