365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 281 (Friday 8 October 2010) : Melbourne Day 1 - That Sinking Feeling

What a glorious day!

After a luxurious lie-in with my guy in our hotel room, we ventured out on the streets of Melbourne (amazed, on the way, that Equitable Place, the laneway where our hotel is located, was jam-packed with cafes and people, when it is normally deserted.... so Brigadoon like it was unnerving!) for brunch in Degraves Street at The Quarter. If anything the laneways were busier than at the weekend, but we found a table at a place called The Quarter, staffed by lovely friendly people, with provided great service and yummy food.

After sopaking up the simultaneously busy but relaxed vibe - well we were relaxed anyway! - we went wandering through the Block and Royal Arcades for some shopping, stopping to buy some hard rock candy @ suga (the process of making and rolling out the candy was fascinating), and Smurfs (same shop as the last trip), before we caught the free City Circle tram from near Flinders Street station to the Melbourne Museum to see the Titanic exhibition (we had tickets for the 1.30pm session).

The Museum is as funky and modern as they come and is located in the Carlton Gardens behind the original Exhibition Hall, which was built in 1889 for the big Melbourne Exposition. A truly beautiful building and accented nicely by its far younger modern sister, and the wide slate-lined plaza that separates the two.

What an amazing exhibition! I thought I knew everything there was to know about Titanic since it is one of the most reported on events of the 20th Century but the beautifully put together exhibition, which included some of the more than 6000 items brought up from the Titanic wreck such as crockery, big slabs of the Titanic's hull, tools and poignant personal belongings. We were each given a card with the details of a passnger on board, and at the end of the winding exhibit, which took us 2 1/2 hours to go through so detailed was the information presented in it, we could check if that person lived or died. It was heart breaking to realise that 400 people of the 1500 + who died could have been saved if only the life boats had all been fully filled! It was a wholly immersive experience, both knowledge-wise and emotionally and when we finally emerged at 4.20pm (after the obligatory souvenir buying stop), we were exhausted but still managed to spend some time in the dinosaur and animals exhibits before the Museum closed at 5pm.

                                  The First Class corridor on Titanic

At that point I could have quite happily curled up and slept! But who wants to rest when you have such a lovely, fascinating city as melbourne to soak up and enjoy? So after an aborted attempt to ride the tram - it was ridiculously crowded and we lasted two stops before giving up and going back to walking - we walked back via the Melbourne Central shopping mall and the newly renovated MYER department store, which is funky indeed, stopping briefly to check out RMIT where my guy did his degree, found Dame Edna Place (which is really a grotty little laneway with some stars stuck to the bitumen, before finally stopping for tapas at Degraves Espresso where the tapas was delicious, the atmosphere bustling and fun but the wine portions a total and utter rip-off. It was the only slightly sour note in an otherwise delightful day.

                                    My beautiful guy outside RMIT

We did a short cuddle and shut-your-eyes nap before heading out for dinner about 9pm over at Southgate on the other side of the river at the Blue Train cafe (via a very funky footbridge). The cafe is funky, and while dessert was yummo-scrummo-in-my-tummo (Toblerone cheesecake is da bomb!), my main was ordinary and near tasteless. Still it was wonderful having more time to chill and chat with my guy, and the lovely night out we had capped off a wonderful day of just the two of us being together.

Wonderful indeed.

TGIF Funny (Yes I know its Thursday but I have Friday off so therefore...)

Here's some more Vimord cartoons, which are totally cool, and funny, and wonderfully idiosyncratic. Join their mailing list and get them every day for a wonderful start-to-the-day giggle!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 280 : More Up, Up and Away-ing!

If Virgin lets us.

Well so far, so good. Their just re-lauched web check-in system worked beautifully this morning so fingers crossed that the bag drop at the airport goes as smoothly and our flight leaves on time. Despite all their recent software travails, I am ridiculously confident our flight to Melbourne will take off on time and we'll have no issues at all. But then I have always been a glass half-full optimist!

So what are we doing in Melbourne town, which if you'll remember, I totally and utterly fell in love with on my last visit?

We're off to see Hairspray the Musical - yep if you ever wanted any more evidence that I am totally gay, then this is it! - on Saturday night with my guy's friends, Mark and Charlie and their friend Dilhara, as well seeing a Tim Burton exhibition at Federation Square and a Titanic exhibition. Add to that brunches, markets, family and friends's visits and it will be a totally fun, busy weekend.

Nicest part is that my lovely guy and I have Friday all to ourselves, which is lovely at the best of times, but especially since (a) we'll be in Melbourne, that loveliest of cities (don't worry Sydney is still my favourite city in the world), and (b) I haven't see him a lot lately with all his work in Bathurst. I can't wait!

(And yes that is my underwear in the picture above.... I really must learn to edit my photos better!)

POSTSCRIPT :

The check in at the airport (stopping for a pic at my guy's favourite badly named store....its hilarious! See above) and flight to Melbourne were totally uneventful - thank you Virgin Blue who have been a one airline disaster area of late and got it together in time for out flight tonight - and the Sky Bus to the City went smoothly too. We were in our hotel room and then out eating a very late meal in Chinatown at Ling Nam Resturant (basic but food yummy and house wine, surprisingly, OK), via a big Hairspray ad in Bourke Street that I am hammed it up in front of,  by 10.15pm after a walk through a still very busy city centre. Great to be back Melbourne!

I am Lying Like a Mat Baby!

These are so cool... I wish I had an actual front door (I live in an apartment block) so I could have all of them and use them on rotation, depending on my mood....

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 279 : Humidity...and Some Kulcha!

I am not a fan of sweating.

I mean who is really, but then most people don't sweat a volume approaching Niagara Falls daily water throughput when their body even contemplates the concept of heat? Yes I just need to think about heat and my body, without even so much as hint of actual heat anywhere near it is off and running. Naturally I am a fan of fans, and airconditioning and while I love the idea of Summer - Christmas, Sydney Festival, Mardi Gras etc - I hate the stifling, clothes-drenching temperatures that come with it, and being away from the aforementioned fans and air conditioning.

Today was the first day I truly felt the heat after a gloriously cold Winter, and while the effects were soon ameliorated by a cooling breeze on the train, and ice cold air conditioning on the bus (I love you Telfords!), I dread the coming heat and must remember the only trains I can get from here on in are the 6.40 and 7.40 trains, which thanks tour incompetent state government, are the only air conditioned ones on my line.

I hope it cools down tonight thought when I go to see the Australian Chamber Orchestra with my gorgeous guy and my friend Fahmi. My guy has the subscription, and has taken me a long a few times, and I have surprisingly loved it. I am not usually clasically inclined, but the ACO play brilliantly well, with verve and passion and it's a pleasure to witness any of their performances.

It should be a great night!

It was lovely - while Schubert was my favourite thanks to his use of melody and fun (he liked to write populist music for the masses), the pieces by Beethoven and Brahms were also wonderful....... and I done got Kulcha too with my gorgeous guy doing a fabulous job explaining all the musical terms, and holding hands into the bargain. Life can be lovely.

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 278 : You're Unremarkable!

Today was remarkable for its unremarkableness.

I can usually find something distinctive in any day but today I still felt somewhat sub-par (I know! Use of a sporting metaphor.....points for the gay man!) after being sick yesterday and so after a yummy dinner of kanga bangas, sweet potato mash and broccolini, and a new episode of Stargate Universe, and the always wonderful nighty night chat with my lovely man, I slept.

Yep, I slept.

That's as ambitious as the day got.

As I said, unremarkable.

But bliss on a stick.. and then some.

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 277 : Sneezing and Fire Alarms

What a weird mix you say.

Not so fast I say when you live in the eclectic Inner West where fire alarms in densely packed apartment clocks go off with rdiculous regularity - we may have all our music crammed into a device smaller than a ciagrette packet but we still burn the toast with uneasing alacrity - usually at 3.30 in the morning (not my boyfriend's apartment block, thank goodness but close enough to wake us up good and proper)...

...and where for no reason at all, I then spent the next hour, not getting back to snuggly sleep but rather, sneezing and snorting till I resorted, at my boyfriend's suggestion (who was his usual absolutely sweet caring self, even as I smorted and sneezed my way through the wee small hours) to Dimetapp Night capsules which stopped the blessed running tpa of my nose, and gave me much wanted zzzz's......

But it appears I now have a cold and the day has been spent sleeping endlessly in bed, reading, and missing out on a friend's birthday afternoon tea, which I hated missing because I am an extrovert and social events are not to be missed EVER. But my boyfriend's good sense prevailed and so I stayed home and slept the afternoon away while he and had fun and high tea with the gang.

Maybe he'll bring me back a scone?

He did! ...and more! Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the Birthday Boy, Brett, I got a wonderful care package with a savorury scone and a sweet scone, lollies, a piece of the birthday cake and some yummy small maccaroons.... totally delicious and a truly lovely gesture by Brett. Thank you!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 276 (Sunday 3 October) : Lazy Day in Daylight Saving Land

A blissful day.

A long lazy lay in, brunch (mushroom, oplives and cheese in bell peppers omelette plus apple & pear juice) on the balcony with my gorgeous guy, and a languid afternoon.

Finished off with a romantic dinner at Tandoori Palace on Oxford Street - well as romantic we could manage when both the waiters were on their first nights ever in the restaurant with no supervision and lots of panic on their parts! They were trying so hard, and the food was delicious, that I wasn't angry at them but it did make it hard to stare dreamily into my beloved's eyes when then waiters were ripping past our table with all the ease and panache of a class of ADHD-afflicted six year olds!

(Photos above - my gorgeous guy with his Hoops & YoYo gifts and the stunningly bright coluourful flowers he brought me. So lovely!)

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 275 (Saturday 2 October) : Yum Cha Finds its Way to me Again!

A delightfully lovely, if overcast day.

After a semi-langorous sleep in (as langorous as one can maange when you have to leave for the train at 10 a.m.), my darling guy and I enjoyed the delights of Yum Cha once again (third time lucky lately!) with my work friend, Tricia (who's on maternity leave) and her husband Gerald, a gorgeous daughter, Vivienne, who was perfectly behaved throughout the meal.

It was lovely to see Tricia after almost 8 months - she had come into work once or twice but never long enought to talk properly - and this time, we chose Palace Restaurant in Piccadilly Arcade, just off Pitt Street. The food was scrumptious, and time flew as we caught up on all the news that was fit to be had.

All Yum Cha'd up (see we have had it so often lately it is now a verb!), my gorgeous guy and I headed out for spot of relaxed, ambling shopping....firstly jeans and a business shirt for me, then classical CDs for him at Fish, pop CDs for me at Red Eye before catching the train via Circular Quay, which cann't be beaten for public transport views.

Rain or no rain, a perfect relaxed Spring Day topped by dinner that night with my lovely friends Warren, Peter, Ian and Fahmi at Tre Viet Restaurant on King Street, after drinks and nibblies at my place.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of this lovely day, I got a text from my sister, Rachel, with the latest photo of my cuter-than-cute nephew, Bodhi. He is just adorable!

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 274 : TGIF x a Gazillion on a the Eve of a Long Weekend

Today I went home at 1pm sick with some weird fever and horribly exhausted.

After a lovely long nap, I felt somewhat better.

I feel even better still when my gorgeous guy walked in the door.

With pizza. (I would have loved seeing him without the pizza I should add! But hey you know that!)

Which we drank with wine...

Before eating ice cream sundaes....

Yes I know it wasn't good for me - with the exception of his kisses and cuddles which were, as always, divine.

Anyway, it's Friday night, and I need comfort food after a long exhausting week of swimming, walking and working....

Yet still I felt somewhat guilty and that inspired the photo (above).

365 Pink Feather Boas All in a Row - Day 273 : Duck Again!

Yes I know the ducks only just featured in the blog but frankly they are just so gosh darn cute that I can't resist showing them off again. There is something magical, and de-stressing about seeing wildlife up close and personal, especially in the middle of one of the most unnatural environments in the world - the corporate office.