Ahhh...the delights of shopping in Melbourne. There are so many things to recommend it. Great shops, no attitude and lots of lovely things to look at. After a sumptuous breakfast supplied by our hosts, Fairy and I caught the tram into the city. We got off at exactly the right spot about 50 metres from where we were staying (thanks to my very lovely husband who booked it as a treat for my birthday). We dumped our bags and went in search of good shops and more specifically a shop called Quick, Brown Fox. I had discovered these shops (there's more than one) on a previous visit and was already a fan. Fairy was yet to sample their delights. So we wandered along streets, down laneways and through arcades, sampling chocolate (mmm...Koko Black and Haighs) and playing with finger puppets along the way. I kept telling Fairy that I knew where we were going but have to admit that my memory was hazy but eventually we found it and had great success (though I should've bought those shoes/cardigan/top). We made some purchases and then found a creperie in this groovy little lane and had a late lunch.
After our delicious crepes we decided to do some more shopping (our eyes were getting a triple treat). I had bought a great dress, kind of Joan Cleaver meets Brie Van der Kamp but it needs a cardie to complete it. Fairy patiently helped me in my quest for the perfect cardie but it proved to be elusive. It is surprising how many are available and how they are all just not quite right. At one stage we wandered into sportsgirl (where I took this marvellous up the nostril self portrait of us trying on hats.
A live DJ was playing and building to a rather alarming climax so we scuttled out as quickly as we could manage without a walking frame. Young people! We looked at a few more shops and I tried on more hats (can't help it, must be a condition but seriously who could resist a red cloche particularly when they are reading a book set in the 1920's?)
We returned to our accommodation and investigated our room (or rooms as was the case). Fairy was delighted to find that we had a mini bar consisting of a bag of radishes, an open bottle of wine and a beer. Well, who wouldn't be?
We workshopped our outfits and got ready. Wendy arrived and we headed out in our glad rags for a cocktail and then Wicked.
Wendy led us to Gin Palace for our pre-show refreshments and it was a great choice. It's all mood lighting and chaise lounges and waiters all trained in witty patter. Wendy ordered something with berries and alcohol and I was going to have something with pineapple (and alcohol) which wasn't available so I had a spiced tequila swizzle (I almost wrote swivel then, maybe that's what you do when you have more than one). It was potent and I was glad that we had some very tasty bar snacks. I also knew that we wouldn't eat till after the show (after 11 and I normally eat at nana o'clock). With ten minutes to curtain up we paid, and dashed around the corner and got to our seats with oodles of time. I was intrigued by the green glowing cocktails at the theatre (Ozmopolitans) that people were clutching as we slid past them to our seats.
The show was great. I didn't realise until the night that we could've seen the last performance of Shane Warne the musical and I was disappointed about that. And after all the issues I had with Ticketek it had dampened my enthusiasm slightly, but it was fantastic. Great costumes and funny, I wasn't expecting funny.
I haven't read the book (Wicked by Gregory Maguire) but am planning on doing so at some stage in the next year or so. Actually I'd like to read it sooner than that but I have book group and library books hanging over my head. I was surprised to see not one but two former Idol contestants in the show, Millsy and Anthony Callea, though Anthony wasn't on the night we went. Millsy was and what a revelation. He can act, he can sing, he can do so much more than be famous for schtupping Paris H.
After the show (never did get an Ozmopolitan, though somehow I don't think it would've tasted very nice. It looked like it consisted of creme de menthe and ice) we had dinner in Chinatown. I was keen to go to Supper Inn which is a funny place off the main street in a very innocuous looking building. The first time I found it I saw people disappearing up a laneway and could smell good smells. Then I saw signs for the good food guide and a queue stretching down the stairs and I knew I was onto something. We didn't have to queue for long before we were seated and sipping on our Tsing Tao beers. Wendy had a BBQ pork and dumpling noodle soup which looked so delicious and Fairy and I shared duck pancakes, scallops with ginger and shallots and Salmon with Asian Green. Yes, that's just one green. Then we walked back to our room where once again we chatted late into the night then reluctantly went to bed (especially Wendy who scored the most uncomfortable sofa bed in he world).
Jack and I cooked a batch of black bottomed cupcakes this afternoon. Jack was in charge of stirring and quality control and he did a fine job. The cupcakes turned out well too.
The week before my family was due to arrive (or as Garn used to say 'Royalty') S decided that the deck really needed to be replaced. I questioned the logic of this as I has spiders that I had to ask to leave and numerous other things to tidy. But as it turned out S was right in suggesting it. The removal of the boards revealed that they had been supported by, well, nothing. That really is a floating floor. All we needed is everyone to gather at one end of the deck(like they were at Jack's first birthday), make a sudden movement and they'd be propelled into space like a giant springboard. It could have been very exciting.
The reason why Jack was such a champion at blowing out his two (he can now say the word two) candles was because he practised. Firstly with a book called Happy Birthday Maisy. He did try with a whistle that my Dad gave him which activated a Thomas the Tank Engine but he kept on sucking instead of blowing and Thomas was going nowhere.
On the day of his birthday Diane produced some party blowers (is that what they are called? really?) and he got the hang of things quickly. Must have been the people teaching him. He now likes to travel with one at all times just in case.
I made chocolate butterfly cakes (they were really for us - I used cream and Hank's boysenberry Jam)
and little quiches and Elise brought more cupcakes (which proved to be very popular). Everyone seemed to have a lovely time but we knew it was time for a nap when a bit of argy bargy appeared on the scene.
My friend Nellie made the same cake for J1's birthday but apparently hers ended up looking like a sofa.
We weren't worried about Jack being so enthralled with his cake till it was time to cut it and he looked horrified. 
He did manage to eat some cake (and feed some to Noel) 
then ran to the freezer to get an ice cream. That ice cream gene is very strong (it comes from both sides of the family).
Maybe it was the personalised number plates. He drove it around the house and the yard
and even took it on the slippery dip.
Some got eaten on Sunday morning but I took the rest to playgroup on Wednesday. I was worried that they might be funny by then but I refrigerated them and tested one to make sure. The cupcakes were a big hit. There were lots of blue lips (which is not the desired hue at playgroup). 
Most of the kids seemed to struggle after ingesting that much icing but the parents had no such problems.
And this is Jack and his farm
and this is how the farm looked after about half an hour of playing.
The gates (balsa wood) were dispensed with post haste. And the tractor just kept on driving through the fences. The farm now has a considerably smaller amount of fence posts than it started with, no fencing wire or gates but the shed is still standing and the number of animals seem to increase daily. So many of them do seem to have very realistic jatz crackers (as Noel would say) so I guess that's not surprising. And I took Carol's advice and added a Zebra and a Tyrannosaurus Rex just to mix things up a bit and Jack seems pleased with this. The sheepdogs and Rex seem to play together very nicely.
When we were away Scarlett used to watch Jack on Youtube, but she seemed disappointed by the real thing when we returned. Last Christmas they were starting to play together (or unwrap presents) .
It's been a busy couple of weeks here (someone had a birthday) and this is my first chance to sit down and write. I suppose it's the blogger's paradox. If you have plenty of time to blog, that usually means that not much is going on and the blog isn't going to be that interesting but if you've got lots on, well you get the idea. So of course I returned home from Melbourne and there's been book groups, a visit from Soph and Karen, a night of wine, chocolate and women (!) at the licorice factory and of course the ongoing birthday celebrations that look to go on for a few more days yet. Before I overwhelm the bleaders with birthday photos I better finish what I started.
The last day in Melbourne, which seems like a million years ago, was what I would think of as a typical Melbourne day. Overcast but we weren't bothered, luckily I packed a spare cardie. 
We had breakfast in another little laneway cafe which was nice. Well, the food was nice but the staff seemed distracted. I asked for the ricotta on toast and the waitress looked at me and said, "eggs benedict" which is an easy mistake to make as they sound so similar. The couple in the booth next to us became a noisy foursome when a surprise visitor turned up. We couldn't work it out but were entertained by the squeals and foot stomping.
I did get some slippy sloppy noodles (aka prawn rice noodles) which are a favourite and some lovely chinese broccoli.
With time moving quickly and people eyeing off our table we picked up our suitcases and headed to the airport. There was a funny incident on the way with a wigged out guy in a petrol station and police with pepper spray which could have gone pear shaped but I was delivered to the airport at just the right moment. The check in man for Rex guessed my identity (maybe it makes the time go quickly and yes, he did get it right) and I was Wagga bound.
After our delicious crepes we decided to do some more shopping (our eyes were getting a triple treat). I had bought a great dress, kind of Joan Cleaver meets Brie Van der Kamp but it needs a cardie to complete it. Fairy patiently helped me in my quest for the perfect cardie but it proved to be elusive. It is surprising how many are available and how they are all just not quite right. At one stage we wandered into sportsgirl (where I took this marvellous up the nostril self portrait of us trying on hats.
A live DJ was playing and building to a rather alarming climax so we scuttled out as quickly as we could manage without a walking frame. Young people! We looked at a few more shops and I tried on more hats (can't help it, must be a condition but seriously who could resist a red cloche particularly when they are reading a book set in the 1920's?)
Wendy led us to Gin Palace for our pre-show refreshments and it was a great choice. It's all mood lighting and chaise lounges and waiters all trained in witty patter. Wendy ordered something with berries and alcohol and I was going to have something with pineapple (and alcohol) which wasn't available so I had a spiced tequila swizzle (I almost wrote swivel then, maybe that's what you do when you have more than one). It was potent and I was glad that we had some very tasty bar snacks. I also knew that we wouldn't eat till after the show (after 11 and I normally eat at nana o'clock). With ten minutes to curtain up we paid, and dashed around the corner and got to our seats with oodles of time. I was intrigued by the green glowing cocktails at the theatre (Ozmopolitans) that people were clutching as we slid past them to our seats.
I haven't read the book (Wicked by Gregory Maguire) but am planning on doing so at some stage in the next year or so. Actually I'd like to read it sooner than that but I have book group and library books hanging over my head. I was surprised to see not one but two former Idol contestants in the show, Millsy and Anthony Callea, though Anthony wasn't on the night we went. Millsy was and what a revelation. He can act, he can sing, he can do so much more than be famous for schtupping Paris H.
After the show (never did get an Ozmopolitan, though somehow I don't think it would've tasted very nice. It looked like it consisted of creme de menthe and ice) we had dinner in Chinatown. I was keen to go to Supper Inn which is a funny place off the main street in a very innocuous looking building. The first time I found it I saw people disappearing up a laneway and could smell good smells. Then I saw signs for the good food guide and a queue stretching down the stairs and I knew I was onto something. We didn't have to queue for long before we were seated and sipping on our Tsing Tao beers. Wendy had a BBQ pork and dumpling noodle soup which looked so delicious and Fairy and I shared duck pancakes, scallops with ginger and shallots and Salmon with Asian Green. Yes, that's just one green. Then we walked back to our room where once again we chatted late into the night then reluctantly went to bed (especially Wendy who scored the most uncomfortable sofa bed in he world).
