Tourist in your home town

Back in April, we went to Melbourne as a family for a week,to celebrate the birthday of Mr BB. I had a morning to myself in "town" quite early one day, before most shops were open, and I wandered past some of my favourite places just to say 'hi'.

Back in the olden days, "the nineteens" (i.e. 1980s, 1990s; as Master 7 says), I went to school in the inner city. A bus, train and a tram, then a walk, and we were there. This opened up the city to us as we all travelled some distance to get there, and we spent a good deal of time in the city after and before school.

We knew lots of short-cuts and lane-ways, places to go, hideaway spots, parks, fountains, cafes, and shops. The Sportsgirl Centre was being built, as too was Southbank, McDonald's was underground, and we'd meet the guys from the boys' school Under The Clocks.


courtesy Flickr
I love reminiscing as I walk around the streets. The Hill of Content Bookshop where I bought "Joseph and His Technicolour Coat" illustrated by Quentin Blake in the mid-eighties. Pellegrini's where a glass of Fruit Cup is available at any time to go with magnificent minestrone. Where an old boyfriend got Mark Seymour's autograph for me before an underage "Hunna's" concert at the (gulp, how embarassing...) Metro...


Ancient Times' House where I discovered my love of all things Ancient and Egyptian. A mummified cat sticks in my mind. Little Lonsdale Street where Dad took me to my first Archeological dig in 1983, a dig I went on to study at uni ten years later!


Job Warehouse which has NEVER been open when I have gone past! Now For Lease - tragic end of an era. Those moths have been in the windows for DECADES.


The Manchester Unity Building - a gem of Art Deco (sorry Steve, Moderne) architecture.


The Nicholas Building where I love riding in the old-style, hand-operated lifts. Of course one must visit Button Mania...



At the end of the day though, hopping on a tram is the best reminiscence of them all. Catch a tram to This Park , which has old ones that we used to ride to school as play structures for kids. They've been a drawcard for years. Despite numerous vandal attacks however, they are restored and ready for you any time you fancy a picnic. My two thought they were brilliant!

SEVEN

Seven. Lucky for some. Master Six has now reached that magical number.

I feel humbled by the amount he has grown, what he has achieved, how he blooms every day. He is my perfect little man and he is growing up so fast.

Mr BB took the big day off work so we could marvel that seven years ago we were at the Freemason's watching Nee Naw tap dancing to pass the time in delivery suite. A great way to celebrate the achievements and to mark being parents, together, for 7 years.

Master 7 took lamingtons to school to share with his classmates. Grandparents came to Canberra for the party. He coped with the fuss admirably. We are so proud of him.

Happy Birthday Darling.

xx

Victims of fashion or trend setters??

I have been enjoying the comments on the fashion-doyenne post from last week, and have had some lovely links and photos sent my way.

A dear friend has sent through this lovely shot (weddings seem to score well in the "what was I thinking?" stakes - perhaps a message there for any Bridezillas out there...

I love the make up, the hair, the 'cocktail hats', the frills, the lace gloves, and the colour. Excellent example of the genre. Eyes had to be obscured for permission to print - there are reputations to uphold!


Also in the wedding style, circa 1990. These lovelies are related to me, so I can comment that at the time these dresses were superb! Taffeta shot with blue and red and fresh perms too!


Carnation bouquets with some gyp to fill them out. Classic. 'Twas a great wedding too!!

I will draw the Giveaway tomorrow - don't forget to comment here to be in the 300th post and One Year Blogaversary draw.

j

eBay drool-worthy...

My cousins had this - I thought it the ultimate toy... Buy it here!

The owl and the pussycat went to sea...

eBay vintage swap card goodness here. Wish I had kept/could find my old swappies. What did you collect as a kid?

j

A Little Giveaway...

I realised this morning, that very soon I will be reaching the 200 post-mark. Let's celebrate with a giveaway!

It's a giveaway of things I love, that I want to share with you...

YARN
VINTAGE PILLOWCASES
FABRIC PIECES
OPPY FINDS
CHOCOLATE
APRON
BUTTONS!

You will be considered entered if you comment on this post. Easy. Just to amuse me, in the style of Julia Zemira on Rockwiz, tell me either the first album you bought, or the first concert you went to!

Yours cannot be more embarrassing than mine. Trust me. Although the first album I bought with my own money was Rickie Lee Jones, a cassette from Brashs, which I am quite happy with, the concert some years later, was NOT Uncanny X-Men at the Nunawading Skate Ranch, as I like to think, but Bros (this is a youtube link I didn't want to embed!). At the Tennis Centre. There, I said it. Too awful.

I am happy to post to warmer areas, so this is not limited to Aussie readers!

Just wanting to share some lovelies. This will be drawn once we have moved house, so you have a week to rummage through the old brain and make me laugh or kow-tow in awe of your brilliant taste!

J

Procrastinating lady on the Tour De France

Do you know the song that goes: 'Sophisticated lady...' made popular on the 'Come in Spinner' soundtrack? (I like the Ella Fitzgerald version, but I digress..)

My hubby likes to sing it to me with 'procrastinating lady...' as the words. He has witnessed my stellar ability to procrastinate for 14 years, and counting.

(See my Mixwit addition)

Last night in a moment of the above, I thought I'd get my Quickstitch wrist band done for the KAL. Super quick and easy, using stashed yarn. It was rather fun doing something silly like that! Anything to avoid Something Hard That Requires Concentration (my KAL project)...

Anyway, thanks to help from Bells who referred me to knittinghelp.com and to Madalyn who described an ssk perfectly to me, I am off and racing again on the lace pattern.

Since the race started on Sunday, I have already started another scarf (one can never have too many!) and my meterage for the World's Longest Scarf (Ravelry link). I think that if I get this green jersey it will be a miracle! Can King of the Mountain defer?

Anyway, one of the challenges by the organisers of the KAL is to link your project to France. Let me explain... National Lampoon's European Vacation makes me laugh. It shouldn't, it's a dreadful film. I just like the idea of the family winning Pig in a Poke (pig, piggle, very long bow...)
and having a painfully bad holiday. My experiences of France have been so different to this stereotypical view of the country!

I can link ANYTHING to France. Like in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, where the father can link any word to the original Greek etymology... (see how I digress, I cannot keep to the topic, let along one pattern!!)

So. Hubby and I spent a chunk of our honeymoon in France. I visited France in '96 doing my backpacking thing. "Forget Paris" and "French Kiss" are two of our favourite dvds to relax to. My French is poor and often confused for an Eastern European dialect. I love the IDEA of French food, but in reality balk at too much garlic.

I love France, the country, the people, the design, and try to keep travel memories alive by comparing things of the now to things there. I can therefore say that the piggle, for Miss 2, can be linked to France because SHE IS the embodiment of the cheeky Madeline in the books...
She says NON clearly and passionately. Her favourite colours are red, white and blue. She is oneday going to climb the Eiffel Tower and declare it a view worth the queue. She will marvel at the Musee d'orsay, the Musee d'orangerie, the cost of a baguette, have her portrait drawn in Montmarte, wonder why she never listened in French class when she needs to find the post office. She will go hungry so that she can buy a little black dress on the Champs Elysse, walk everywhere in lieu of the Metro, send her mother a postcard from Monet's Garden, sit for 3 hours in front of her favourite Van Gogh, talk to the gargoyles on Notre Dame. All of these things I wish for her in every stitch, and more. The piggle will always be as frustrating as asking for directions in Giverny, explaining that the flight was delayed 'a cause du broillard' (because of fog - spelling unknown!!), and as memorable as the dollhouse furniture in a hidden arcade in Paris.

Vive la tour!