So kids and elders, I made a new years/ end of january resolution to stop the festival & social frenzy and get back to some serious work but unfortunately I have failed and have done much of the same this month! ah well I’ve been having lots of good fun and making the most of the last of summer, (which I have nearly survived somehow in the heat) here are a few things I've been doing recently in the amazing city of Melbourne…
Lets start with some watersports. my housemates and I left at the crack of dawn to go and meet some family friends & their speed boat packed with sporting goodies. We went to a huge man-made lake called Hazelwood which is primarily part of a water cooling system for the 1600MW Hazlewood power station, because of this the water is beautifully warm & has also been allowed for sports. We rode the ‘extreme biscuit’, wake- boarded, kneel-boarded & I tried my first go at waterskiing, all resulting in cuts, bruises and full body work-outs. We took a picnic, the brilliant Aussie Bush Kettle and spent the whole day in the water and relaxing on the bank. The following day we were left very sore & sunburnt but hell it was worth it.
In relation to my broken resolution, we partied firstly to celebrate my housemate, Bubsy’s 23rd birthday, a simple but always sterling bbq at our place. Lots of food and company, drinks & music, finished with Junior getting egged/ flour-bombed by every guest due to a lost bet. City- wise I have been to some more of the CBD’s finest, a couple of favorites have been the bars E Fifty Five, www.efiftyfive.com, La La Land, www.lalaland.com.au, Horse Bazzar, www.horsebazaar.com.au/?page_id=3 and a raving Dubstep night at Mercat Cross. I also went to the pre-opening night of Tinning Street’s new photographic gallery, www.tinningstreet.blogspot.com, free wine and great photography, lots of trendy Brunswick guys & gals and a chat with the artist made a great event. After we grabbed some delicious Turkish food in an authentic restaurant, went to a Shisha bar for a smoke and tea and then onto a little bar called Black Pearl on Brunswick st for pear cider, you really can’t beat melber’s culture.
My FAVOUITE day of this month, surprisingly as I am a single lady, was actually Valentines day. This fell on a Sunday, and more importantly, St Kilda Festival Day. The two main streets, Ackland & Fitzroy in St Kilda, and the entire beach-vibed southern city spot was closed off from traffic along with the waterfront & was transformed into a mighty festival destination. My friends Ally and Rosie have a flat right in the heart of it all so they had a bbq for a group of us before we headed down to the masses below. There were Stages set up left, right and center, music coming out of every bar in the area, people, people, people, sunshine, stalls, beer and more people. All the music acts were local bands and artists, so I wasn’t too familiar, but no one else seemed to be either, and no one cared. The weather was perfect and so was the day, who needs a man aye! My love went to Australia that day.
It was that yummy day, Shrove Tuesday recently too, and so I joined in the feasting and made pancakes with the girls Dee & Jamie at their huge house in an old bakery which was fitting! We have given up Arnott’s products for Lent because they are all naughty. I also went with Jamie the other night to a ‘Black Night’ aboriginal film evening at an open air cinema in Treasury Gardens. These aim to bring together the white and indigenous cultures together through the art medium of film. With a ginger beer in hand & fruit bats flying above as the sun set, it was an ethnic experience and really interesting to watch.
Seriously now, I really am getting back to work now, a solid three months at least of saving is ahead of me starting next week. Back to the photography focus aswel, I’ve still been snapping away, more social than professional. However I have a new Olympus Pen DSLR so I have been playing around with the flash, lens’s and filters on that, will post some new images soon via linked facebook page. I have a planned road- trip to Newcastle via Hunter Valley & Sydney coming up too so im sure I’ll get my snap on then. I’ve been here 6 months now, and had originally planned to be home roughly around that mark, but there is too much to leave at the moment and I’m not quite done with this buzzing place just yet.
