the effects of the coup in Bangkok on my family there
- nephew, upon hearing that the news channels were shut down, concerned that the Cartoon Network might be shut down
- children get day off school
- next door neighbour child thinks that it’s because “all the teachers have been shot”
- sister and her husband forced to go to coffee shop down the road, because local coffee shop is shut
- 6 soldiers with M16s spotted at pool next to said coffee shop
I do know from my time in Colombia that it's not much fun seeing lots of gun-wielding soldiers on the streets, so let's hope it all settles down soon.
R
You what?
It was brought to my attention*, that when some people, like
Macromantics, say the word "can't", it sometimes sounds like that C word.
Which brings a whole new meaning to The Sound of Music when Mother Superior says: "Maria, what is it you can't face?".
R
* TripleJ again
Melbourne highlights and lowlights
Highlights:
- breakfast on Acland St, St Kilda, served by a particularly gorgeous waiter
- shopping on Acland St
- coffee in Williamstown with a gorgeous view of the city
- shopping on Chapel St
- the atmosphere at the AFL game
- the Picasso exhibition
- the beautiful Yarra valley on the drive in
- turning my travel companion into Juanes' biggest fan
- seeing people other than white anglos
Lowlights:
- being forced off the freeway at Benalla due to an accident and ending up driving into Melbourne via the Yarra valley, which meant about 100 traffic lights to get to the MCG via the eastern suburbs, turning a 3 1/2 hour trip into a 5 1/2 hour trip
- getting rained on at the AFL
- the ACCA (Australian Centre for Contemporary Art) exhibition - I like modern art, but this exhibition made no sense and was kinda boring
- logging on to email when I got home, and discovering that the friends I thought were out of town were actually in Melbourne all weekend, waiting for my call
There are actually more highlights, but as they mostly involved shopping and coffee, I thought I'd omit them so as not to be too repetitive.
R
oh the excitement
I'm going to Melbourne for the weekend. When you live in regional Australia, Melbourne is exceedingly exciting.
On the agenda:
- Go to the AFL tonight (make of that what you will)
- See the ocean
- Go to the markets
- See the movie Scared Sacred
- Shopping
- As many cafe stops as necessary
In other news, Ms Mac is right as always. I bought choc orange tim tams the other day on her recommendation, and they were (past tense) spectacular.
R.
why I love coming home
This is what I come home to. I love my garden. I wonder how long it will stay beautiful and when I will actually have to start giving it some tlc.
My magnolia tree, last night. At least, I think it's magnolia. I blame my lack of plant knowledge on my parents moving us to a first floor apartment for most of my formative years. We had geraniums on the balcony, so I know that they look like at least.
One of my criteria when looking for a house was a verandah to hang my hammock. Bliss.
And here's the view from my hammock (if I'm lying in it the opposite way than I am in the photo, obviously). I have more or less the same view from my bedroom window, which is where I've put my desk.
The back garden is not quite as pretty, and is getting a bit overgrown. I probably need to do something about it soon. But on the other hand, there are all these pretty flowers popping up - not to mention mint - mojitos anyone?
And finally, my wonderful lemon tree. I've always wanted a lemon tree. I also have a kiwifruit vine and an orange tree. Notice how blue the sky is behind the lemon tree.
And that's my photoblog for today.
R.
