Winter Melbourne

Little monkey foo foo socks – check

Vintage hues cardi – check

Manual noro scarf – check

Roarin’ forties hat – check

Green Leather trenchcoat – check (yes, the avatar is based in some reality)

Half-blood prince audiobook for drive – check…

We are ready to head to Melbourne for a rainy winter day!

I may not have had the best colour co-ordination in the world, but I was very glad I threw everything in the car yesterday when I caught up with long-time friend CT yesterday. In preparation for Saturday’s big release, I have started listening to HBP again, and a drive to Melbourne and back meant I got a good 2 hours of Pottiness in.

I have known CT since I started high school, and in the past couple of months he has shouted me dinner a couple of times, so I decided to use my creative ways to make a little thank you for him. He is a retired goth who has not yet reformed his wardrobe, so I didn’t think he would appreciate a sweater. After a quick trip to the beading shop I had purchased all I required to make a couple of earrings (my first attempt at ‘real’ jewellery) – tiger’s eye and silver(?) earrings. A (non-imperial- see below) dragon on one, and a Scorpio scorpion.

And on with the day…

First up – brunch! Caramelised banana, maple syrup, cinnamon and ice-cream pancakes at an eclectic café in Fitzroy. I can’t remember the name of the place, but they served breakfast til 4pm – la vie Boheme!

CT and I then discovered we both wanted to see ‘The Great Wall’ exhibit over, so we dashed over to Melbourne Museum in Carlton. I didn’t mind the nil photography rule until we came to the most beautifully embroidered Emperor’s gown – it was gold silk with gorgeous, precise embroidery of, amongst other symbolic totems, the Emperor’s five-toed dragon. It is astounding that something that intricate could be made 250 odd years ago, before modern machinery. Of course, I can’t find a picture of it online anywhere either, so trust me, it was divine! (oh, and with all the layers of clothing, we were glad that the museum had a free coat-check)

It was still raining, and our metered parking was running out, so we did the completely lazy and un-green thing of driving the car a whole 3 blocks to Lygon st where we decided to spoil ourselves with a hot chocolate – and if you are talking hot chocolate on Lygon, there is only one place to be!

I love how typically Melbourne this photo is – it is pouring down rain, but we are so social we want to dine al fresco just so we can people watch and enjoy the fresh air!

I tried a koko black chilli blend hot chocolate – oh la la! Very warming!

It just so happened that The Knitters Workshop was on the way back to Coburg (CT’s residence) so we dropped in. (Didn’t think I make a trip to the city without a stop at an LYS, did you?) I manage to pick up a back issue of Jo Sharp’s knit for half price (apparently ‘shop-soiled’ – it has a small tear in the back cover) and CT mentioned that he would like a scarf. I tried to sway him towards a grey black merino with long colour repeats, but apparently this would have been too outrageous for recovering goth CT (see comment about un-reformed wardrobe above) After handing him skeins of different fibres, his only request was that it ‘not be scratchy’. The mohair was dropped like a hot potato, and he ended up choosing an 80/20 merino/cashmere blend that was on sale. I grabbed the last 3 skeins, paid and we left. (CT later forced money for yarn and labour upon me – lo and behold, my first commissioned piece)

Deciding that the weather was taking a turn for the worst (hail!) and that peak hour was almost upon us, CT managed to talk me into staying for dinner – which was real Melbourne, nay, Victorian fish’n’chips take-away (Melbourne fish’n’chips they throw your flake, potato cake, dimmy and chips in the same basket to cook, dump all the contents onto a sheet of waxed paper and bundle it all up in butchers paper – it means that when you settle down in front of the telly, the paper provides an instant tablecloth to catch any spills that may occur. None of this Sydney, cardboard box and your potato scallop will cost you extra! And yes, I am a tad bit biased, why do you ask?)

All in all, the day was brilliant – I have missed Melbourne so much in the past couple of years, so it was fantastic to bundle up and enjoy a cliché or two!