AlexBlog

Melbourne

Category : Australia

The bus journey was hell. The bus drivers were really grumpy and on a couple of the stops wouldn't let anyone off just to stretch their legs. I manage to get off at 3am for the first stop and breakfast. Although not hungry and half awake I did the automatic thing of getting up, getting off the bus and ordering a fry up. I don't know why maybe I was dreaming of it.

We got to melbourne on time about 8ish if I remeber. I was to meet tink. Tink is a friend of mum's who came over and stayed when I was 12. Now a friend of mine. We had a laugh then and a laugh now. No tink you and robert (her husband from UK) are far from dull! It was a bit strange as I haven't seen tink since 12 years old and I had no idea what she looked like. The same for her! Funny enough she hadn't changed a bit and she thought I looked just like mum.

I dropped my bags in her car as she went off for work and of course after a coffee and went exploring melbourne. First I headed right down to the station which is a beautiful art deco station. Next I walked to the war memorial which is over the bridge. I went via the southbank which is just like ours and the botanical gardens and Alexandra Park. Had to go there. Oh after some raison toast and coffee to start the dayagain!

On the way I stopped at the art gallery of new south wales which was showing an exhibition of the impressionists but because of the que and the time I decided not to go there yet.

After that I walked back through Elizabeth street to the coffee shop where I agreed to meet Tink. We walked to another coffee shop and got the biggest sandwhich ever. We walked to a near by park and caught up on a lot of things. Family stuff so I won't include it here. Got to say it was bloody freezing.

After that I went to the Melbourne Goal where ned kelly was imprissoned and hanged. Bought a melbourne goal beer cooler. Had to be done. This was all around the univeristy campus. By that time, after walking the streets some more and fading fast I went back to find tinks work and couldn't remeber where. Eventually after meeting at the same coffee shop she drove us back to her home in brighton.

Their house is wonderful. It's a 1930's art deco place all one level but with loads of character and what us londerners would class as a huge back yard. They have done up the kitchen and it looks reaaly smart. They have 2 beautiful cats, Zig (grey, who was a bit poorely when I arrived) and Albert (brown). They are young cats and are spoilt to death. They are treated like their kids and are absolutely adorable especially the way tink and robert make a fuss of them and tink deny's liking them. Yeah right!

Robert has a lovely old MG which is ihs pride and joy and I must say I don't blame him it's lovely and in very good condition, especially as he uses it every day for work. I met Robert for the first time I think and He's alovely guy who obviouslly doats on Tink and also likes playing pranks on her. Liek stealing her trolley in a supermarket when she didn't know he was even in the supermarket and she was at the end of a shop.

It's also great hearing more Ozy slang like "route", but the best was the conversation with tink on leaving the car park on who is a beaper and who isn't. If you beap on exiting a car park more than likely your a neard, so she and some of her friends at work (non beapers) guess who is a beaper and who isn't. It was the besarest but most hilarious conversation.

That night before tink cooked dinner she had to make a cake for work. It's for what they call a beak off for charity. If you loose you get a wooden spoon if you win a bottle of wine. They pay 3 dollars and buy all the food and everyone at work eats it. There were I think about 6 in this competition.

Tink was making a lemon (what I would call a swiss roll but I forget the official name) cake. She was actually making 2 but because she was busy talking to robert and myself she put 2 lemons in instead of two table spoons I think. Oops. Then when stiring teh mixture it went everywhere and she said that's it there's no way I am winning the bake off. Robert and I found it hilarious as tink is a great cook and it was us distracting her. Well she made two, saved us the end slices and also cooked a fab dinner then went to bed after a couple of glasses of wine. We were all tired I think as she has to get up at 5am for work and robert not much later.

Next morning after taking great advantage of a hot shower, my own room and bathroom I finally got up. By the time I had done the post office things it was quite late anyway. I took the train in and went to Victoria Market. The train was a great experience and the centre part is like our circle line but with only 4 stops. I couldn't reallky get lost with Tinks instructions but she forgot to tell me to initialise my ticket beforew I got on the train so I had to explain I was new to the system when I got there. I organised my camera film and walked to the market. It's an old building and behind has lots of market stalls all filled with fruit and veg, tourist gimmicks (yes I bought the kangaroo warnign signs etc) and clothes. You name it its got it. The food hall was wonderfull. Cold meats, cheeses, olives etc. After wandering that for a few hrs I set off for the gallery of Victoria.
The exhibition was good. Some great work and some more unusual pieces. I couldn't say they showed a lot of my favourites (degas) there were some nice ones I wasn't too familiar with and of course the monets and van goughs (yawn).

Ther better one was the french graphic artistists prints, sketches and etchings. Picasso, Toulouse letrec amoung others. These were great. The gallery itself although it had excellent work and even modern/old furniture design (yes dad your chair was in there), was really confusion to navigate. Finding the escalotor for a start was a missiopn. Till you got the hang of it I got lost several times and had to back track/. It's also a bit dark. Excellent work there though.

After that I took a stroll down the south bank again and stopped on the opposite side of teh river and booked a boat cruise. It lasted and hour there and back and went all the way down the river past the south bank, train station and maritime museum all the way until it got to the docklands and then back again. After that as time was getting on I went to centre point which is a bvig building you can do the lookout from the top. There's a great view of melbourne. From there I went back to the train station and home to tinks to get ready for a girls night out.

That night I was meeting my mums friend Jewels. She has the heart of gold and is wonderful but she doesn't beat around the bush on what she thinks. She's so outgoing I can understand why mum and her get on so well. Lightning does strike twice on either side of the globe. Jewels 60th is comming up next year as well as my mums.

Also was belinda and christine. These are all tink and jewel's friends that they used to work with while teaching. Belinda and christine are the only ones that teach now.

The other bit of news was when I got back I asked how the bake off went. She only bloomin won it! Got the free bottle of wine. Good for her...I did say the extra lemon was the secret ingredient. She was even told by her colleague Ken it was the best cake ever. I bet Robert had a giggle when she told him at work.

After dolling up a little we met at this place. Not sure if its a bar, restaurant, hotel or gambling place. It seems to be all. We had a laugh although belinda and I were the only ones drinking. She was a bit tipsy and to be honest so was I.

I had a go at the deer shoot me up game which tink had been raving on. Was lousy at the deer but manged on the turkeys. Glad we went after other wise I would have been addicted.

I said goodbye to tink as jewels was driving me to her's. On the way she took me to the scenic route as she lives more in the country. She basically took me up her mountain! It was alovely view further down but unfortunately foggy. We left and went back.

I met Goerge her scottish husband. He is a lovely and very intelligent man who loves his beer (60 or turning 60). They met through the union. They have a lovely cottage house with lots of orchids. Jewel breeds and grows orchids. T%hey also have a cute little scruffy dog who had pancreatitus so no more beer for him.

Jewels and i chatted as we couldn't interupt george as he was in the middle of star treck. Oh lord not another treckie. Jewels went to bed and I stayed up talking and drinking with george until 3.44 (i know as I looked at my watch).

Next mornign boy was I tired but we went to the national park (name goes in here) to see koalas as I hadn't seen any. Well it was hoot I managed to see fruit bats, wombats, liar birds koalas (who don't do much and don't pose for the camera), duck bill platapie. Infact we preitty much saw all the park because we couldn't find the exit. The best bit was the bird of prey show. The birds are free to fly about and do prietty much as they want. Some amazing birds from ofsprey (who didn't do as it was told) to owls and some huge big eagle type. Will put in the names later.

Next was the wineries. Jewels and I had such a giggle. We go to teh first which is the rochford estate and try from white to red including rose. I liked a couple so sent them home... not too be touched..... mum! We had to swill the stuff around take a sip and empty the rest in a bucket. What a waste. Well I said ohh this one you can really taste the pepper. The woman said oh you have a good pallet and I replied and I even smoke too. Jewel thought this was a hoot.

We went to another and had a glass of rose after tastign and the best antipasto lunch. I was sozzled a bt by then. It was like being in france. Next was another winery by which time I tgink we were both tipsy and I bought another couple of bottles. I refrained from buying any at the middle one as I didn't lke their wine lables. The wne wasn't bad though.

After that Jewels took me to a couple of the houses her and george were doing before sale (they clean them and prep them from top to bottom before the buyers come in). The houses were really cheap price wise for what they were in comparison to home and good for first time buyers. Thought the bedrooms were a bit small though.

After that it was back to tinks for dinner and more wine. The bottle she won from he bake off. The next day Tink was taking a day off work to take me down the great ocean road and the 12 aposcles or as she described the 12 rock things that stick out the water. It was a long drive but oh what a road. We set off by 5.30 and made good progress. t was cloudy and cold to start but the sun soon came out. Boy what photos have I got of this amazing coast lne. We saw blow holes and the great 12 aposcles leaping out of the water...fgeratively speaking.

After that it was back and a quiet night. After trying the locality of shark fish and chips called skint i think (tnk help I forget the name). It was a beautiful meaty but sweet fish. Yum!

Next day I headed back into town on a mission to do the ian potter centre. Amazng galleries and work even if I still don't get some of it. Then after that I did the moving image museum. They also had the melbourne film festival on at that time.

I forgot to mention bfore all this I got the train to great brunswick street. It's where all the weirdos hang out. Basically my kind of place, like camden back home. Mixture of goths and new age people. Great boutique shops but i resitsed. It's a great caffe culture so I stopped and had another breakfast. Poached eggs and spinch (yep spnach craving still there). It was the best I ever had, with hollandaise sauce and muchrooms cooked in balsamic vinega. Yum!

After the gallery I got side tracked and looked at all my photo cd's in an nternet cafe for a couple of hours. I hadn't seen them before. Gosh did the 12 rock things come out well.

After that I had to get back to tinks as I was to see an AFL footie match live. The st. kilda saints V the ****bluffs (tink what they called?). Well I was barracking (cheerng) for st kilda (the saints) and tink had bought all 3 of us saints scraves. Jewel was supporting the other side so we had to rub it in as we were meeting her at half time.

Well I think I understood the rules. Was a bit confused about making a mark or when exactly they can tackle but got it in the end. I was also scared to shout anything other than go the saints incase I got it wrong but tink thought I made a good afl barraker when I accidently let slip out "oh don't fuck it up again". Oops!

Next day tnk and robert took me out for a day of cross country skiing. I didn't actually believ there was any snow as where we hired our ski's no snow. Further up through the black tree forest no snow. I managed to stay awake on the bit just to see the trees. Tink was amazed wthin a minute of being in the car ... zonk, sound asleep.

The hire of all the gear was so cheap compared to europe. I was a bit nervous as I am not a skiier, by skill or frame of mind. Well what can I say it was such a laugh. Not only did I fall down hill but I was an expert at falling up hill. I thought this was hillarious.

It was great fun and hard word and I can't say I looked my best. We stopped for lunch while lour hands froze...neadless to say I didn't really smoke that day. Next there was a bit where I fell over, tink fell over, anyone who came near us then fell over, I fell over again trying to get up, so did tink, more people that came near us fell over. We were like fall over magnets. At this point I couldn't stop gggerling. Roberts at the top thinking what the heck!

The next bit was when tink fell over on the flat. She managed to do a 180 while having one ski up into the air. It was hilarious, robert and I couldn't stop laughing. Mind you she hadn't fallen over much at all that day. Robert fell over while being nice and getting tinks pole for her.

It was a great day and teh hot chocolate was well worth the wait and so was tinks fabulous shepheards pie. She fell asleep on the sofa with the cats (great photo I got there). Needless to say we all went to bed early. I was asleep all the car journey back as well.

The next day was more relaxed. Robert took me for a spin in his MG. Boy is it a beaute! Sounds wonderfull too! After that we went to St Kilda. That's another trendy town. Had the best slouvaki and I bought some cakes for later. The cake shops were something to die for.

After that it was a relaxing day until we got ready for dinner. We had a fabulous thai meal (yep still cravng thai food) with Jewels and George where jewels was on great form. I can see how her and mum get on so well. Well that was my last nght wth them all and I couldn't say that I felt most at home. All 4 are absolutely wonderful and spoilt me every step and I can't wait to come back and visit. More wine tasting with jewels and tinks delicious cooking.

Posted by alexd at July 23, 2004 03:59 AM