Reading

Here I am enjoying one of life's great pleasures.

Origami

A friend made this origami crane for me years ago. Along with my laughing Buddha and other favourite things, it decorates my work space.

Growth

Each year around Jeannie's birthday, I'm going to take a photo of her in this same laneway. This is her around her first and second birthdays. (I need to mark the spot where she stands so the composition's the same each year!)

A laughing Buddha

This happy Buddha sits on the shelf above where I work, along with other favourite things that keep me sane when work is insane.

Neighbourhood cats

I love the way cats have the capacity to appear from nowhere.

A new art space

I was excited to come across this place near Middle Footscray station this afternoon. According to its blog, a new exhibition is due to start tomorrow.

Light

This photo doesn't really capture it, but the way the late-afternoon sunlight was falling on this man at a bus stop was lovely.

Cows

Growing up on a farm, I've always had a soft spot for cows.

A Parisian scene

We were supposed to visit friends in Sydney this week, but had to reschedule because we both have too much work on at the moment. So that I could at least do some pretend travel, I bought this lovely old picture of Paris today.

Demmon Dodo

This is Demmon Dodo, a garden gnome my darling Dad recently gave to Jeannie. Dad's name is Desmond Joseph, but when he was a kid he could only say Demmon Dodo, and this is who the gnome's named after. There's a whole other story attached to this gnome that makes me weep when I read it; basically he's been sent to protect us all and now lives happily in our garden. Last time Dad visited he brought along someone to keep DD company: Unca Barry.

Functional items as art

This is detail of some grids that have been placed at the base of newly planted trees in Yarraville to catch and channel rainwater. I love that the council's turned something that could be very mundane into something beautiful and poetic. (Fall sweet rain, flow to me, on your way through earth, nourish this tree.)

Autumn sunsets

Something about the lengthening shadows and cooler evenings at this time of year make the sunsets extra special.

A camel

It's not every day you see a camel in downtown Seddon. Well, actually, it is. This one's permanently posted outside Precious Myrtle, a shop that sells beautiful Middle Eastern tiles and hand-painted ceramics.

A bird on the wire

We had some time to kill before going to play group this morning, so Jeannie and I just sat in her room for a while watching and counting birds through the window as they came and went from the electricity wires across the road. It was a simple and fun game, especially as she is learning how to count!

A solar-powered queen

We love this queen doll decorating a shop window around the corner from us. Her right hand gives the royal wave, powered by the sun. She's also available in canary yellow and fuschia.

Baking Anzacs

Every so often I wake up with an urge to bake Anzacs, just like my mum. This morning was one of those mornings. I love the smell of baking even more than the taste.

NGV's water wall

Here's Jeannie and her cousin Danny enjoying the wonderful water wall at the NGV, something that I'm sure evokes happy childhood memories for so many people.

A serenity happy tour

I would like to go on one of these.

Live music

I went to see Elbow at Festival Hall with my friend Dana tonight. It was a fabulous show, made especially so by the extremely charismatic lead singer Guy Garvey (whose big sister used to babysit Mick when they lived in Manchester!). The support act, Bombay Bicycle Club (top), was also great.

Running

Or in my case trying to jog, sometimes shuffling. I've taken up running again this year, and although I only run a short distance three times a week (on a good week), it's amazing what a difference it makes to how you feel. (This shot was taken at Scienceworks, where you can race against Cathy Freeman.)

Other people's front yards - part 3

I found this modest outdoor seating arrangement with a picture of Starry Night touchingly romantic.

A glassy hill

As opposed to a grassy one. I stumbled upon these hills of broken glass this afternoon; they were so beautiful the way they sparkled in the sunlight.

A good bakery

We're fortunate enough to live around the corner from what would have to be one of the best bakeries in Melbourne, the Sourdough Kitchen. In the short time it's been open, it's become incredibly popular, sometimes with lines out the door, but it remains low-key and down-to-earth. The only downside of living so close to it is that I now eat far too many buns.

Public libraries

One of my favourite things to do with Jeannie is to take her to the library. She loves it, I love it, and it's air-conditioned in summer, warm and cosy in winter.

Silos in the city

I love this taste of rural Victoria in suburban Sunshine.

A bee mural

Now that I have a bee mural (this one's at Yarraville train station) and a butterfly mural, I just need a bird mural.

A surprise playground

We were at this warehouse shop in West Sunshine and on the way back to our car, Jeannie spotted what looked like a turret quite a way in the distance. From where we were, we couldn't tell what it was, so we were intrigued to get closer and find out. We drove around for quite a while and couldn't find any obvious entrance, until we finally found a dead-end street with a bridge that crossed a creek and led to what turned out to be a fantastic new, half-finished playground and picnic area. I found out later that it's called Buckingham Reserve and should be finished this year; it'll be amazing when it's all done and the trees have grown.

Colour

I find the combination of colours on this decorated roller door very pleasing.

Grandkids (and nieces and nephews)

It was Arthur's birthday on Friday. We have dinner at his and Maureen's house most Sundays, so tonight we celebrated. These are his four grandchildren: Rose, Danny and Paddy in front (my gorgeous niece and nephews), and Jeannie eating a strawberry behind. He is so beautiful with and much loved by all of them.

A drink with a friend

A few vodkas with my friend Emma who always makes me laugh = happiness.

A red telephone

This is our friend Peter's old telephone, which he still uses. He's one of the few people I know who has resisted the lure of the mobile phone.

Street art - part 2

Pretty thrilled we now have a Baby Guerilla at the end of our street.

Giddy

This is our cat Giddy. She's a very cool cat and we love her so much. She's kind of a cat-dog, as she follows Jeannie and me when we go to the park up the street and plays with all the kids there.

A flowering gum - part 2

The flowering gum I referred to in my 31 January post is now flowering! And what exquisite beauties they are.

A good filing system

This proud, old-school, paper filing system in a doctor's office struck me as being like a work of art.

A picture wall

Arranging pictures on a wall is quite a skill, one that our friends Neryl and Tim have down pat in their incredibly cool '60s house.

A rainy day

It rained almost all day today, which is a rarity in Melbourne. What I like about days like today is that it gives you an excuse to stay in all day doing bugger all. I know this is more a photo of a flower than rain (can you even see the raindrops on the window?), but it's all I could manage under the circumstances...

A magnolia

This flower on our dwarf magnolia tree was a tight bud this morning, but by the afternoon had opened almost completely. They're such incredibly beautiful pure-white flowers with a divine scent, although they only last for a couple of days once they've opened.

Lunch with your husband

Every Thursday, when Jeannie's with her grandparents for the day, Mick & I get to have lunch together - without distraction. Lately we've been going to this wonderful little Japanese place around the corner called Ajitoya.

Simplicity

Love the understatement of this house's exterior.

The docks

I've definitely got a thing for the docks. Love this view from Lonely Planet's head office.

Not half a tree falling on your house

It was not so much the terrifying 1am wake-up call or the minor damage to our house that upset me, more the fact that the council will have to remove the remainder of this lovely tree in front of our house, the one I referred to in my 4 January post.

A groovy typeface

Hopewood is a health retreat I visited this weekend for some research I'm doing. It's one of the oldest retreats in Australia, reflected in this wonderful font reminiscent of 1950s Los Angeles.

An empty deck chair ...

... just begging for someone to recline in it.

Flying

I know people say you get sick of flying if you do it too much, but I really don't think I could ever tire of it.

A grassy hill

There's a perfect grassy hill at the end of Collins St in Docklands that makes me want to get out of my car and run up it every time I drive past. Today I finally did, although I had heels on, so it was more of a totter than a run.

Dusk

Even a 7-Eleven can look a bit romantic in the twilight hours.