Upmarket shopping

Melbourne at the moment is a shoppers' paradise.  With the new H&M store opening three weeks ago and still no lack of queuing customers, together with the week old Emporium, a multi-million dollar, four level fashion extravaganza adding to old favourites such as Myer, DJs and Melbourne Central, it is possible to shop undercover and in air conditioned luxury for at least 5 hours.

Shoppers queue hour on hour to get into this shop.......even when it is pouring with rain.

I still haven't seen inside H&M and will now have to wait until my next visit to Melbourne to see if it is worth all that fuss.

Fire engines were parked outside Myers and David Jones when I finally emerged from my hours of shopping.... No the firemen weren't shopping or putting out fires.  In fact they were collecting for the local, Telethon, a charity that collects for childrens' hospitals.

The new Emporium was an elegant space with lots of high quality shops; home to some exclusive fashion houses from a number of Australian designers as well as new outlets from Japan and Europe.

One arm of the Emporium

An elegant shopping forum

Melbourne Central seemed almost dated by comparison
with its newer neighbour, but it still retained a buzz and many
loyal customers.







This well know icon is in its centre and was just as impressive this time around as when I first saw it some years ago. Well worth a visit for its historical value.

Another eyecatching piece was this large pocket watch hanging from the balcony above.

                                      

It caught my eye at 2.34 and my ear at 3.02 when it entertained me and other tourists with a rendition of, 'Advance Austalia Fair'.

After a days shopping I was pretty tired and more than happy to catch the number 96 back to St Kilda.

Nights in Melbourne

Melbourne is a great city and is well known for its music and night clubs, but if you are not into the club scene maybe one of these alternatives will appeal.

Etihad Stadium

Melbourne is renown for its sport and sporting stadiums. Aussie Rules, Soccer and Rugby as well as Tennis and a myriad of other sports are well and truly catered for in this vibrant city. Here we were watching soccer; Melbourne Victory playing Sydney for a place in the finals.  We only saw the first half and then had to dash across town to catch Will Anderson in his great one man comedy show.

It was a great show and he is now appearing in Minneapolis.........some distance from Melbourne!

Melbourne is also very well known for its amazing restaurants, not only for the number and variety but for the outstanding quality and value for money. Certainly it has the march on my home town of Perth. On the way to a highly recommended Argentinian themed restaurant we came across this piece of steet art and I marvelled at the time and effort put into something that at best would only last 24 hours.

I do wonder how the artist feels when the ever threatening Melbourne rain finally descends and washes away all that hard work.

Perhaps they are simply pleased that people bother to stop and take a photograph in admiration of the work and their devotion to this transient art form.



San Telmo was the restaurant that we were heading for and to say the meal was delicious is no exaggeration. The dishes are served to be shared; consequently the taste buds get a real workout.

Susi was not the only one who enjoyed the wine.

Talking of wine, one of my most enjoyable experiences this time was a visit to, Milk the Cow,
an innovative wine bar on Fitzroy Street in St Kilda.

Here they serve tasting plates of wine paired with appropriate cheese.  It was an epicurian delight. and pleased us all.

Individual wine and cheese tasting platter

Of course if an hour or two of escapism is more your style there is nothing like a good movie, and so we headed for Chapel Street in Prahan where, in an upmarket centre, we found an equally upmarket cinema showing, The Grand Budapest Hotel.   

The foyer, complete with cocktail bar.

Of course Melbourne has much more to offer and this is just a snapshot of how we spent a few of our evenings over the Easter break.

A beach walk.

A magic autumnal morning on St Kilda Beach

Reacquainting myself with one of my favourite walks, along St Kilda  Beach, on a perfect morning. A great  start to my Easter holiday in Melbourne.

At the end of the famous St Kilda Pier I discovered, along with a number of others, this breeding pair of penguins.

This early morning view of the city through the masts of numerous yachts was also captured from the pier.

This seemingly abandoned backpack and sleeping bag was apparently  under surveillance.

Note read:  " Please don't touch....This camera's watching You      Thanks."

I did wonder if the backpack was still there when it's trusting owner returned......I do hope so.

Didn't spot any fish.

No fish, but two young ladies were frolicking by the water's edge.  Actually in the water is more accurate.

They may not be dressed for it, but they were having fun......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 BUT.........not as much as this puppy

 

He was having a ball! 

A perfect morning for a walk along the beach.

Bubble

So much fun from soap and water.

Big Boys Toys?

Fancy dress shopping is not the usual boring affair that most grocery shopping expeditions turn into. However it wasn't the fancy dress shop that caught our attention this morning; but right next door was this hitherto unknown gem.

www.hobbytechtoys.com.au/‎

It was like an Aladdin's Cave of Big Boys Toys......trains, planes, ships and cars.  What an amazing array of specialist toys.

from meter long remote controlled planes suspended from the ceiling to.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                              ...... to radio controlled warships

but while the Dads were looking for their dream toys, the littlies were also catered for.....I even saw buckets and spades and colouring books.

What a great shop.

Goodbye to a wonderful little theatre.

The Harbour Theatre is on the move again.  Their current Fremantle venue is soon to be demolished to make way for a new hotel.  It is sad to see the demise of this lovely little gem, though it looks as though the new home for this highly successful theatre group, run entirely by volunteers, will be a winner.

The Harbour Theatre moves to the Camelot in Mosman Park where the chosen cast will perform in a romantic comedy, "A Love Affair".  Let's hope this well know venue becomes a more permanent home for this highly successful troupe of performers.

Pat and John, regular volunteers at the Harbour Theatre, serve their last drinks at this venue.

0ver 100 dry days

Perth has just had a very hot dry summer.  Over 100 days without rain combined with countless days of over 30oC temperatures made yesterday's autumnal change a welcome relief. The promised showers eventuated late in the afternoon. The temperature dropped and we had our coolest evening in over three months.  Today the clouds remained together with a few light showers as I wandered among some local artists' sculptures at Deep Water Point in Mt Pleasant.

Here are a few that caught my eye

This was sculpted from limestone and not wood.

These white plastic shapes reminded me of jellyfish with the rain adding to the overall impression. (let's hope I haven't just insulted the artist).

But take another look...........further on

Shades of Anthony Gormley's sculptures on Lake Ballard.

Something quirky and colourful to counter gloomy skies.

There were a number of others that would get my vote so it was worth the Sunday morning stroll.

See what I mean, Jellyfish!

Summer in Perth 2014

I locked myself out of my Blog......and it has taken me months of on and off trying to get back in....but here I am back again.

Perth  has seen a few very hot months, but now the summer has gone; AFL football is back on the TV and I, for one, am not sorry to see the evening temperatures begin to fall.  It is very hard sleeping when  night after night the temperature refuses to drop below 20oC. 

The photos give a small insight into some of  Summer's offerings.

A few of my friends,  enjoying an early morning coffee after a walk with our four legged companions. The dogs aren't too fussed about the coffees, but really enjoy the sausage rolls.  What else did I do over the summer, well  here are a few more insights.

An outdoor concert at Point Walter....there were lots of people and it was hot.


Outdoor concerts, picnics, displays and shows are all the go during Summer ......and why not, the weather is almost guaranteed to be fine.

Lunch with friends at
Matilda Bay Restaurant.

A few visits to the local flea market.
These are held every Sunday at
the Melville shopping centre.  A number of my
friends never miss it and take great
delight in purchasing various items at
BARGAIN?? prices






Maybe the Casino is more your style......Mum enjoyed the outing even if we didn't put anything in the pokies or spin a roulette wheel.  Lunch was the only thing on our minds.

If crowds and the beach are your preference then there is no place like Hillary's Boat Harbour. complete with a water playground, shop laden jetties and Aqua, a world class aquarium.



 .


Add to that a variety of visits to the river, Kings Park, the city, movies and the theatre......yes all play ...what more do you need when on holiday?                                                                      

                  What more do you need? .......well there's .home cooking and lots of laughter........Thanks Mum.                                                                                                                                       



 

My Spring Garden

WA's floral emblem is the kangaroo paw.  This red spike is about 1.8m (6ft) tall

This sparkling blue ground cover is another native and has proved a great addition to this flower bed.

The unseasonable wet  weather has seen a huge increase in these slimy creatures. They have even taken to coming inside though I am quick to show them the door.

 

However these beautiful blooms were a welcome addition to the decor.

Celebration

Family celebrations can be fun or a trial;  think back to Christmases spent with family and be honest have they all been laughter and happiness or have a few cracks appeared between various members?

Luckily last night we appeared to have had a flawless evening, though it  must be said that on the way home we did see one family representative walking to the nearest station after his lift seems to have left the party........without him. Oh well no evening is perfect.

The meal was deliciious and cake caused some appreciative oohs and aahs.....

Cake made by the baker at Prince of Vienna in Attadale WA

though I was pleased I wasn't cleaning up after we had left.