In honour of my last day working in the City

Three things I do now that I didn't do before ...

1. Look both ways before crossing a one way street - I came pretty close to being hit by a cyclist going the wrong way one day.
2. Keep an eye on the traffic, even when crossing the road with the lights - again with the nearly being hit! The worst time (yes, it's happened more than once) I was more than half way across, so the lights had been red for a long time, when a 4WD came flying through and had to swerve to miss me.
3. Stand on the left side on an escalator, walk fast/run down the right side - this should be a thing everywhere.

Three things I won't miss ...

1. All things relating to public transport - the feeling of being herded like cattle through gates when leaving a city station; slow and cancelled trains when it's too hot, too cold, too wet, bats fly into the wires, grass fires mess up the signals, thunder storms mess up the signals (etc etc etc); crowded trains whenever any of these events occur and a new ticket system that doesn't work properly, just to name a few.
2. Getting through security at the various courts - I understand it's necessary but the guys at one of the courts in particular are just plain rude about it all. The others are generally friendly enough and I have become more used to it over time but I'm still not going to miss it.
3. Elevators - like a lot of things, this comes back to my mild claustrophobia and panic attacks but I will be very, very glad to not have to travel in a lift multiple times a day.

Three things I will miss ...

1. The views - roughly once a week I will find myself in an office that is ten or more stories up with fantastic views out to the mountains, over one of the parks or across the bay. These offices of course have floor to ceiling glass windows and I am more than happy to spend my time waiting looking out of them.
2. The architecture - yes, I find the concrete jungle rather oppressive at times but if I keep my eyes open and focus the little snippets of gorgeous architecture around I realise that it really is a rather beautiful place to wander.
3. Last, but certainly not least (in fact probably the most), coffee - the little corner of suburbia that I'm heading to does have two cafes across the road but at the moment I have no idea what sort of coffee they serve up. I have definitely been spoilt for choice in my time in the city and will miss the quality and variety.

A Breath of Fresh Air

~ It was refreshingly (comparatively) mild outside this morning. So much so that I decided to walk to the station instead of catching the bus. In fact, I strolled rather than rushed, breathed deep instead of stressed, savoured the blue sky and fluffy pink-lined clouds, smiled at the gum tree at the oval (I'll take a photo of it for you one day Emma) and just simply took my time.

~ Then it started raining.

~ and then it stopped, right in time for me to go for a lunch time walk ... which I did, again breathing deep the (relatively) fresh post-rain air, the Korean Barbeque, the Chinese bakery, the Indian spices on my way to make some sale purchases (Torchwood Season 1, The Office (US) Season 1, Castle Season 2, Camelot and the latest from The Temper Trap - in case you were wondering).

~ I have a bad habit of checking my Blogger stats, I don't really know why but I do find out some interesting things. There are a lot of people who stop by but don't ever comment, that's fine I don't comment on every post I read either. I get more traffic when I'm actively commenting on other blogs, obviously. Posts with more photos and less words seem to attract more comments, not sure how to take that!

~ Last Friday Two Thursday's ago (seriously where did the extra week go?) I popped in to my stats to see that I HAVE MY FIRST FOLLOWER!! Sorry, I know it's really not that exciting but seriously Ali, it had been a pretty rough day and you put the bounce back in my step.

~ Speaking of bounce, we're babysitting The Sparky's niece on Saturday ... she's a great kid and it should be fun but we've already decided that if she has a melt down or an 'accident' then she's going outside with the dogs!

~ Just kidding (of course)!

~ and speaking of the dogs (because it's Friday after all) ...

another oldie, way back when he was still less than a year old

I've gone to Queensland roaming and I don't know where I are ...

What? A girl can dream can't she ... and really can you blame me when it looks like this outside today ...

lest you think I'm cheating this was taken just before midday today ... the middle of the day and look how dark it is!

not quite so bad when I angle down ...

Side note - see that van on the right? That's a court transport vehicle, I see a lot of them at my end of town. You know they're carrying someone high profile or really bad when the laneway I walk down in the morning is lined with gun-totting law enforcement!

This however is not a pity party ... I like Melbourne remember ... it's a re-introduction to some fabulous poetry (or introduction for those of you not raised in the Australian school system).

I was sitting on the train heading home the other day, having forgotten to pack a new book to read I pulled out the iPad and took a look at what was on there. Not feeling like committing to one of the books on there I pulled up The Man from Snowy River and Other Verses and found myself reading ...

Clancy of The Overflow

A.B. Patterson

I had written him a letter which I had, for want of better
Knowledge, sent to where I met him down the Lachlan, years ago,
He was shearing when I knew him, so I sent the letter to him,
Just on spec, addressed as follows, “Clancy, of The Overflow”.

And an answer came directed in a writing unexpected,
(And I think the same was written with a thumb-nail dipped in tar)
‘Twas his shearing mate who wrote it, and verbatim I will quote it:
“Clancy’s gone to Queensland droving, and we don’t know where he are.”

In my wild erratic fancy visions come to me of Clancy
Gone a-droving “down the Cooper” where the Western drovers go;
As the stock are slowly stringing, Clancy rides behind them singing,
For the drover’s life has pleasures that the townsfolk never know.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wond’rous glory of the everlasting stars.

I am sitting in my dingy little office, where a stingy
Ray of sunlight struggles feebly down between the houses tall,
And the foetid air and gritty of the dusty, dirty city
Through the open window floating, spreads its foulness over all.

And in place of lowing cattle, I can hear the fiendish rattle
Of the tramways and the buses making hurry down the street,
And the language uninviting of the gutter children fighting,
Comes fitfully and faintly through the ceaseless tramp of feet.

And the hurrying people daunt me, and their pallid faces haunt me
As they shoulder one another in their rush and nervous haste,
With their eager eyes and greedy, and their stunted forms and weedy,
For townsfolk have no time to grow, they have no time to waste.

And I somehow rather fancy that I’d like to change with Clancy,
Like to take a turn at droving where the seasons come and go,
While he faced the round eternal of the cash-book and the journal-
But I doubt he’d suit the office, Clancy, of The Overflow.

(here)  

 

As I read the italicised verse I found myself nodding and smiling at the familiarity (for those who don't know me well, for me this is tantamount to standing up in the middle of the train and dancing as far as public displays go).

I'm pretty sure my desk was around when Patterson penned those words ... and not in a nice antiquey way ...

 

So, if you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would it be? As nice as it would be to visit my folks at the moment, Queensland would not my first choice ... I think I'd be back in Venice given my 'druthers.

Oh Melbourne,

how can I possibly stay mad with you when you send a day like this to break the cold and the wet ...

In what may become a series

I've been mulling over this idea for roughly eleven months now. Not because it's greatly groundbreaking or earth shattering or even worthy of the time that's been spent on it in my mind so far but because I'm not sure if I can commit to it.

It came about as I was talking to friends over the Queens Birthday long weekend last year, they were about to depart to spend an indefinite amount of time in London and I commented how I would like to get away from Melbourne myself. When they asked where to my response was along the lines of 'anywhere but here'. It was at that point, as those words came out of my mouth, that I realised I had spent almost exactly twenty years not liking living in Melbourne. Twenty years!

I decided then and there that it was time to do something about it. You see, my choice to not like Melbourne was exactly that - a choice. When I first moved here with my family I was determined that I would be leaving again just as soon as I turned eighteen and so I chose not to settle, chose not to get attached and chose to hold onto my absolute hatred of city/suburban life.

Obviously the strength of those feelings didn't last long - I made friends, I enjoyed my life and I met The Sparky (the one and only reason I didn't run away at eighteen). I no longer hated living here but at the same time I still held on to the negativity I associated with living here.

Over the last eleven months I have made a more conscious effort to acknowledge the things that I do actually like about Melbourne, always with the thought in the back of my mind that I should start blogging about them.

And so I give you the first post in what may become a series of posts  ... 'I like Melbourne'. Not 'I love Melbourne' because that is too strong, not 'I <3 Melbourne' because that is to cutesy, just 'I like Melbourne'.

What was it that caused this thought to finally come flying out of my mind and onto the page you ask? The scene I saw outside of my office window earlier today -

I don't know what it's for but they did at least ten takes just while we watched - the lady in blue walking from the carriage, up the steps and into the door again and again and again.

A little slowness in the hustle and bustle of the city, artistic creativity, leave slowly turning autumny and beautiful historic buildings - just some of the things that I like about Melbourne.