Hometown ramblings.......

After our last two weekends away it was time to stay at home again.  With no particular plans we started our Saturday with a lazy morning at home over breakfast and the papers before heading out to the city for lunch at Lorca's in Centre Place.

As it was a lovely afternoon we decided to walk home along the river and here we found some of the Grand Prix action outside Crown.  These two gorgeous Yellow Ferrari's  had caught the attention of the passing traffic with everyone stopping for a photo op with them.  I just let the cars take centre stage.  

Later that afternoon we jumped in the car and went in search of a new birding site we had read about in a recently purchased book.

 Banyule Flats is not far from home and soon after we were wandering along some lovely walking tracks.  We passed lots of people walking dogs, riding bikes and playing sport but did not see too many birds.  Wrong time of day obviously but we'll try again another time.  

We drove home from there around the Main Yarra trail and found the whole area to be very pretty and certainly worth some more time there.  We finished our day with dinner and a movie at home.

The next day Bill surprised me with Gold Class tickets to the lovely Rivoli Cinema in Hawthorn.  We saw Tracks which is a wonderful movie based on the true story of a young girl in the '70's who walked across Australia from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean WA alone with just 3 camels and a dog.  At one point she had to have an Aboriginal guide as she was crossing sacred grounds but the rest of the time she was alone.  A really fascinating story.

The old Art Deco cinema is just beautiful having been renovated and decorated maintaining it's original grandeur and charm.  So nice to see something kept and not knocked down and a high rise monstrosity replace it as seems to happen so often now.

Back at home we prepared for another week at work and wondered what next weekend would bring.

Bill was away during the week and I enjoyed a night out with some of the girls from work.  We had dinner at a lovely Turkish restaurant on the banks of the Yarra opposite the Convention Centre.  Webb Bridge looks nice at dusk but not too many people crossing in the rain.  Shame it was such a wet night but inside was warm and dry and the food at Byblos was very tasty.  

With Bill home for the weekend we had another slow start to Saturday and then walked up to the South Melbourne markets for some shopping, had lunch at Bunyip Cafe across the road before coming home for a quiet night in. 

Sunday morning we were up bright and early as we were meeting friends for brunch at the Fairfield Boathouse.  This lovely old building started life in 1908 as a boatshed, picnic, camping and refreshment  area.  Boating and canoe carnivals were popular but over time it deteriorated, fell into disrepair and finally closed in 1980.  After five years of being a shelter for squatters and possums it was renovated and reopened in 1985 and has taken pride of place in Fairfield Park and is now a beautiful cafe on the banks of the Yarra.  

Sitting on the balcony on a glorious Sunday morning just watching life on  and along the river was such a lovely way to start the day.  Lots of people passing by walking, jogging, riding, rowing and just generally enjoying a lovely autumn morning let us all enjoy the few hours we spent there.  Good food, good company and a gorgeous morning - what more could you ask for.

Saying goodbye to Grant and Merilyn we had a walk down to the bridge we had been looking at all morning.  This is a footbridge crossing the Yarra here at Fairfield and it has the best view of the old boathouse from the middle.

Walking back up to the car we came across the Fairfield Amphitheatre and loved this beautiful old bluestone construction. The views from here are wonderful taking in the boatshed, footbridge and river.  

Back at home we had a quiet afternoon and evening and all too soon the alarm was telling us it was time for another week at work.  One day we will not be ruled by this tyrant clock and I can't wait!

Until next time........