16th March

I've been laid low by the flu which seems to have taken on several people this week. As a result I've been trying to keep quiet and largely stayed at home; but there were a few events this week I just couldn't bear to miss!

I had a great dinner at Borsch, Vodka and Tears with friends on Wednesday. They've got an incredible range of over 60 different vodkas available on their drinks menu, and we managed to try at least 6 (chocolate vodka is incredible...) I really loved their food though - I tried a plate of pierogi, polish dumplings rather like Italian ravioli with three choices of filling. Even better, the staff were more than happy to collate a plate of several flavours so we could try them all at the same time. It got a little hard to maintain a conversation later though, as we were entertained by a duo of accordian and violin. With its muted lighting, cosy seating and rollicking music, I definitely felt I got the European experience!



We migrated down to Middle Brighton on Saturday disregarding the stormy weather, because my cousin was getting married. Just before the ceremony the weather cleared up and the view over the jetty from the Middle Brighton baths was jewel-like. With perfect timing the sun finally broke through for the first time that day just as they signed the marriage certificate and the sudden mood change reflected the feelings of the gathering immediately.




Later on in the night as we partied away (I was happily impressed by the level of service and the food was yum) the storm swept by again and it was great to see the waves rolling passionately below us through the water blurred windows. Middle Brighton is a lovely part of the coast to walk along - I've previously wandered along the Artists walk, which has a great collection of information boards detailing the artistic history of the area and shows some of the paintings inspired by the landscape. It's interesting to see how they compare to today's landscape.



The Kew festival is on right now, one of the many suburban festivals that occur in Melbourne throughout the year. They're well worth checking out, especially if you have kids. There were some really interesting sounding events on this year that unfortunately I'll miss out on, including an outdoor movie screening, heritage bus tour and art exhibitions; all of which are free. I did manage to make it to the Boroondara Symphonic Band performance on Sunday. They presented a huge program to a French theme in a local church. Gershwin's An American in Paris was fun, especially as they had children for the audience come up and play the 'taxi' horns up the back with the percussionist. But the highlight was the grandiouse Symphony no. 3 (if you've seen the movie Babe you'll recognise it) which sounded fantastic on the church organ - the hair stood up on the back of my neck!




It's pretty amazing to see how thirty people who generally haven't studied music in any serious capacity can gather and work together to perform music to the standard I heard on Sunday. There are community-based ensembles all over Melbourne - maybe you should check out when your local performers next have a show on.

I wish

• JCVD, until March 18th at ACMI. A semi-autobiographical film about Jean-Claude Van Damme's career with more than a little self-deprication.
• The Melbourne International Fashion Festival March 15-22, multiple venues. I'm fascinated by this festival, I think, because I know so little about it but I think it would be interesting to find out.
• Inner Voices March 15 and 16 at Hamer Hall. Bach and Sibelius are two of my favourite composers and I'd love to hear how the guest violinist Pekka Kuusisto interprets them.

9th March

Melbourne has settled into autumn with an early onset of chilly weather. But the sun still shines occasionally, and Moomba ushers in the next round of festivals after summer's hectic program.

Moomba is one of the longest running festivals in Australia, and it's snuggled deep into the colloquial history of Melbourne. It has run annually over the Labour Day long weekend since 1955 and has undergone a face lift in recent years to try and refresh its image and relevance. The most recognisable elements of Moomba are its street parade, the Birdman rally and the watersports which splash along the Yarra river. I've never really attended a Moomba in its entirety and my memories largely consist of wandering around the carnival rides with a pack of teenaged friends. This year there was also a great line up of live music, so I thought I'd revisit those carnival experiences.
The huge stuffed toy prizes and terrifying rides are still there, but the stalls now line both banks of the Yarra and look really pretty at night with all their lights on. I was really impressed with the program, which included all manner of activities from beach vollyball, dance classes and exhibition shows. We wandered through at night after work but I think the festival is probably best experienced during the day when there are many more varied and interesting activities. Skill games and noisy rides are only diverting for so long when you're short on cash, and in that sense Moomba hasn't changed much for me at all. But it was great to see bands like Augie March perform for free and our mob of twenty-somethings still had a fun night out.

As per usual, I got a craving for fried potato, so we visited Lord of the Fries. I'm torn on this place - I love the concept and their menu always makes my mouth water. And I will agree with everyone that their burgers, while expensive, are damn tasty. But I'm just not sold on the fries - my box came out slowly and the chips were over cooked and a little too salty. The sauce of the month - Andaluse - was similar to what I remembered in Europe but not as strong a flavour. Given how much I loved that sauce on Belgian fries, I might just have to have a go at recreating it myself at home instead!

Saturday hosted the first urban golf tournament in Melbourne (as far as we know). Part mini golf, part bar crawl and definitely entertaining for both players and observers, we formed teams of four and careered around Carlton and Fitzroy following a course which spanned kids playgrounds, a private home and the Fitzroy Town Hall. Golfing dress in as rediculous a manner as possible was mandatory and we even picked up some extras on the way from the local street dweller to limousine drivers and a buck's night! I've discovered corners of Fitzroy I'd never seen before and had even more fun than I could have predicted. If you'd like to participate in further events, consider emailing the organisers.

I farewelled a good friend on Sunday from the spacious and relaxed confines of the Little Creatures Dining Hall. This venue appeared while I was busy traveling around Europe so I've been looking forward to checking it out since I first noticed it. The area is perfect for large groups of people as the wooden tables are generously proportioned, plus the noise level never got too much to interfere with our conversation even though the hall was packed when I arrived. Drinks are a little expensive, but with Little Creatures products on tap we weren't complaining too much :)

I Wish

There's always events or attractions I don't have the time or money to see, here's a list of the things I'm most disappointed about missing in the upcoming week:

• Dancemassive 3-15 March, multiple venues. A fantastic looking program spread over three locations with tickets starting as low as $10. I'd love to see more dance and this is really accessible.
  
• Stitches and craft show 11-15 March, Melbourne showgrounds Flemington. This long running exhibition has recently had a change of ownership and I'd be interested to see the new direction it'll take. Plus with colder weather coming soon I'm starting to take more interest in my knitting needles...
  
• Alice in Wonderland until 15 March, 20 Ovens st Brunswick. Drawing on the hallucinogenic qualities of the story, this piece of theatre sounds really intriguing.

a Melbourne flâneuse

Charles Baudelaire, once described a flâneur as a "gentleman stroller of city streets". This image of someone who wanders through a cityscape observing, questioning and participating really appeals to me.

I live in Melbourne, a city that shows her best face to those with the time and patience to wander slowly through her; peek down laneways and linger in coffee shops. I think it is in my blood to take joy in these activities, and I thought I'd share my discoveries on this blog. Hopefully it inspires visitors to dig deeper than the façade, and locals to look twice at the familiar.

I'll recount my adventures and discoveries with each entry. My aim is to show what is possible within Melbourne, reflect on her qualities and reflect one person's relationship with the city she loves.