Books, bubble wrap, buildings

A rainbow yesterday

Now that I've given up shopping for shoes and clothes - and I haven't been shopping online much at all - I miss the little thrill of parcels showing up on my desk at work every week or two. I did buy some books online recently though, and they showed up yesterday. Yay! 

I bought Oliver Jeffers' A Child of Books (a kids' book) and The Well of Being, a picture book for adults described as "an enchanting illustrated enquiry into the pursuit of happiness, and what it means to be radically alive in our daily moments". I haven't read either yet. 

I have stomped all over the bubble wrap with giant bubbles that the books were wrapped in however.  

I bought two more books today (Hannah Kent's new one, The Good People, and Clementine Ford's Fight Like a Girl) so I have another parcel (and more bubble wrap) to look forward to next week.  

I've often wondered about the history of the magnificently grand but faded building occupied by JB Hi-Fi on Chapel Street and now I know, thanks to someone I follow on Instagram who linked to a blog post about it. It was originally the Prahran Arcade, which housed 30 shops, Turkish baths, billiard rooms and an OYSTER SALOON.  I don't eat oysters (gak!) but if I did I would want to eat them at a saloon. 

After two very cold days (by Melbourne in October standards), we are set for a couple of days of  mid-20s temperatures. Hooray! 

Warmth, seven weeks in, reading again

Only a few days now until I'm off up north for my holiday. The forecast is for unseasonably warm weather while I'm there. It's going to be 27 degrees on the day I arrive - 10 degrees warmer than what I'll be leaving behind (which is itself relatively mild for a mid-winter's day in Melbourne).  I guess I'll have to fell my winter leg hair forest!

It's nearly seven weeks since I stopped shopping for shoes and clothes. Most days I don't even think about it (which I think is because I don't work near any clothes or shoe shops and there's only one on my way home from work - out of sight, out of mind). It feels kind of strange. Strange, but good. 

I'm enjoying Meghan Daum's The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion. I'm enjoying being in the habit of bedtime reading again too. I'm looking forward to getting into bed and reading a chapter (if I can stay awake that long). 

Still dry, new stuff, crescent moon

I managed to avoid the worst of the weather again today. It rained when I was on the tram heading to work, but stopped just before I got off. 

I wore a new skirt and top today - well, not new to my wardrobe, but today was the first time I've worn them due to my recent shedding of kilos.  

I enjoyed my boss-free day in the office today. I spent most of the day completing the self-assessment for my performance review on Monday. I'm glad that's done. 

There was a yellow crescent moon above the city as I crossed the river on my way home tonight. 

Good timing, goofy laugh, no boss

This morning

There's been more wet and windy weather about today, but I timed my comings and goings perfectly. I arrived at an appointment this morning just before heavy rain pelted down, and I got home tonight after pilates minutes before the wind whipped up again. 

My pilates instructor has a goofy laugh that makes me laugh too. 

My boss wasn't interstate today - dang! -  but he will be tomorrow and Wednesday. Wooh!

Dark and stormy

There was some wild weather in and around Melbourne today. We didn't get much, if any, the city, despite some ominous clouds. I love being able to see the changing weather out the window at work, especially when it looks stormy. 

 Looking east - despite appearances, these clouds 

only produced light rain 

Looking south - the bay is so dark!

We've had a very warm autumn so far, which I've enjoyed even though it feels a bit wrong to enjoy the effects of climate change, but I'm happy it's getting cooler now because it means I can finally wear my new winter boots. Yay!

November: day 5

The rain hits the city (again)

We had some crazy weather in Melbourne today. Even a (thankfully wimpy) tornado! The photo of the CBD above (excuse the dirty windows and reflections) was taken a short time after the tornado moved through the northern suburbs. We got a pretty decent downpour. I love it when it rains, but isn't cold (mostly when I'm under cover). It was sunny again when I went out for lunch and when I walked home. Crazy, but convenient!

Luke and I bought a mirror to go over our mantelpiece a while back and today a handyman came to hang it up. I found him through Airtasker and he did the job (as well as hanging two other pictures) for half the price as the guys recommended by the mirror shop. Wooh!  (I was going to take photos of the mirror to show you, but now I can't be bothered getting off the couch. Another day.) 

The place we bought the mirror at - Mirror Mirror on Hoddle Street - is pretty awesome even if you aren't looking to buy one. It's wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling mirrors - little ones, gigantic ones, sleek modern ones and super ornate ones, and some gorgeous art deco ones. (My absolute favourite was a huge art deco fan-shaped mirror, but it was waaaaay too expensive and too big anyway.) The shop is all so sparkly and shiny and silvery and golden. And you can check your hair looks OK whenever you want. 

Me in the mirror shop

Fake Friday, sunshine and pavlova

Today was the last day of the working week for me. I now have four days off. Yay! I don't have any special plans; I'm just worn out and need a rest. I've had a pretty full-on year and haven't had a week off since Christmas. (I'm not taking a week now because I went into negative leave at Christmas and it's taken months for me to catch up.  I don't want to use too much of what leave I on resting at home.)

I probably will leave my bed/couch/house though. I have an appointment with a neurologist about my migraines, and dinner with the girls on Friday night. I might get a massage, maybe an eyebrow wax and tint. Thrilling stuff, I know.

Happily, the weather is on the improve from tomorrow, with sunshine and milder temperatures than we've had for the last month or two. Good timing, me! 

I've had delicious mini-pavlovas for dessert the last two nights. Makeshift pavlovas, anyway - pre-prepared meringue nests with whipped cream and berries, no cooking skills required. I did whip the cream though.  I have enough for the several more serves too. It's pavlovapalooza. 

I've worn different pairs of new shoes to work the past two days and have no blisters or tender spots.  

JBPM: day 17

I really love having my back scratched. Luke just gave my shoulders and upper back a good scratching and it was amazing. I reckon I could have my back scratched for an hour the way most people have massages. 

It was a cold day today and it started to rain at lunch time. Bad timing, rain. My boss came back into the office and declared that it felt like 5 degrees out there and we should avoid going out if we could. I hadn't had lunch and I was hungry so I had to go out. I dithered in my warm office for a little longer then got up to get my jacket. And the rain had stopped and the sun was out again! Good timing, me.  

As I walked back to work with my sushi a pair of women came out of a restaurant on to the rain-slicked path. One looked up at the clear, blue sky and exclaimed, "Where did that rain come from?" Her friend said, "It's Melbourne, Chris."  (Melbourne is commonly said to experience four seasons in one day.)

I went to the pantry for the peanut butter when I got home after work and was disappointed that it was gone. Luke must have finished off the jar, I thought. Before closing the door, I moved the sugar to a higher shelf and there was the PB, hiding behind it! Yay! (I wonder if Luke put the sugar there in an effort to save the last of the PB for himself? Ha!)  

Warm, Tour de France, Bach

I got my gloves out on Tuesday morning in anticipation of a chilly week ahead, but the last few days  have been glorious. Today's top was 25 degrees, just a few weeks away from winter. Twenty-five!  Yeah, I guess this is global warming at work and we do need rain, but it's hard not to enjoy an unseasonably warm spell when you're expecting the mercury to drop. The morning sun streams through my window at work, which always lifts my spirits. 

I've been struggling to get myself to the gym more than once a week for months now and I haven't had the energy for cardio, but tonight I did my best workout for ages and I feel better for it. I did 30 minutes of cardio, including 15 minutes on one of the new bikes that offer a range of Tour de France courses. I cycled through French countryside and high up on cliffs. 

A woman at the gym had two vinyl albums in her locker. One was JS Bach. I don't know why, but it made me smile. 

Good timing, deliciousness, not Sunday

The clouds cleared and the sun came out just in time for the wedding Luke and I went to yesterday afternoon.  The ceremony took place outside, on a lawn right at the top of the dunes at Sorrento Back Beach.  Mother Nature could not have been more obliging. 

The service was followed by a cocktail style reception. The food included the Mother of All Fruit and Cheese Platters:

It was  HUGE, looked amazing and was loaded with deliciousness. You can't really see it in my photo, but the cheese was garnished with two green olives made to look like mice, with little ears and a tail.

I wore my red shoes and a dress I bought for under $50, which somehow manages to be figure-hugging and super flattering. I always feel good when I wear it. Luke looked very handsome in his grey suit.  

I had a massive sleep in today (not on purpose). It was early afternoon by the time I emerged, so we didn't end up going to the St Kilda Cemetery. Instead we went to Demitri's Feast, another Greek-influenced café, on Swan Street for brunch. We sat in the warm sun in the rear courtyard. I had honey oat crumble which was very tasty. It looked good too - those little pink bits are flower petals.

I keep thinking today is Sunday because I had Friday off work. But it's not. Yay!  

Splice, shady, sleepy

It was warmer than expected when I left work tonight. The weather has been quite summery - perfect for a pine-lime Splice on the walk home.

I decided to walk on the south side of the river because it's shadier than my usual route on the north bank. There was a very nice cool breeze blowing.

This morning I woke up an hour before my alarm. Ah, a weekday sleep in!

Movie, deluge, new music

There was a torrential downpour in Melbourne last night. It was ace. I've mentioned before how much I like the novelty of freak weather (part of me even enjoys extremes of heat and cold too, which is a bit weird).  I don't like to see people's property damaged, of course, but I do get a kick out of seeing intersections submerged and plumes of water spraying into the air as cars go by.

Corner of St Kilda Road and Linlithgow Avenue.  There's a kerb,

gutter and footpath under there

I was at a Southbank restaurant with my friend Luke when the deluge started. Within a few minutes the restaurant staff had to move diners out of the covered balcony area because the floor was covered in several centimetres of water, and then use brooms to disperse the little lake. When we left the restaurant, Luke spotted these funny little clouds in the city. We took photos and when we looked back half a minute later, they'd completely vanished.

We then went to see True Grit at the art deco Sun Theatre in Yarraville. I'd never been there before and had wanted to go for a while. It is indeed a lovely old cinema, although I was disappointed we were in the Davis cinema and not the more evocatively named Trocadero or La Scala. Oh well. The Davis is very aesthetically pleasing with the red, rose-patterned backlit panels down either side. (Check out the couches and the red lady triptych in the La Scala though!)

I've never been to Yarraville before either.  I've lived in the eastern, south-eastern and northern suburbs, but never the west and I rarely have cause to go there. Although it was dark and the rain curtailed our wandering, I liked what I saw of Ballarat Street. The bookshop at the Sun Theatre is pretty ace too (but I'm not allowed to buy more books until I get through the pile on my bedside table).

This week's musical find

I saw a poster at Melbourne Central today for an upcoming show by a UK singer/songwriter called Gabby Young. I'd never heard of her, but something about her look piqued my curiosity. I looked her up online when I got home and...well, she's great.  She has an amazing voice. I love the theatrical, old-timey circus look of this video  - and the fast beat and big brass of the song.  She's in Melbourne in a few weeks. I must go. 

  

Babies!

My dieffenbachia has produced offspring! (The mother plant is still alive after I coaxed it back from the greenhouse in the sky, but it's not thriving. It keeps getting a new leaf, which starts to shrivel up as soon as it unfurls. Hmmmf. Any thoughts?)

I find it very pleasing to push slivers of garlic into small incisions in a lamb mini roast.

Today I discovered citric acid and sugar added to soda water totally tastes like lemonade. Not someting most people need to know, but I'm back on my allergy elimination diet (again), and sometimes I get bored with drinking water.

Aaaah. Another hot weekend in Melbourne capped off with a cool change.

Hello, baby

While NSW and Queensland choked on dust today, Melbourne had a purdy rainbow.

Photo taken by my Twitter pal Nathan Milson

Yay! I'm a quasi-aunt again! Thomas James was born tonight at 7.12 pm weighing in at 3.39kgs. Mum and bub both doing well.

And in more baby news, I found out tonight that another friend is expecting her third baby in March!