Saturday 9 April 2011

A RESTFUL SATURDAY


“My guitar is not a thing. It is an extension of myself. It is who I am.” - Joan Jett

The day today was thankfully rather more relaxed than yesterday. A late breakfast (at 7:30 am, as usually I am in at work by 7:00 am) and then a leisurely walk in the garden. The day started out fine, although windy, ahead of a change in the afternoon that brought rain. It’s still raining now and probably will for the rest of the night. How pleasant it is to listen to it gently falling outside, while in a warm, dry room…

We went and visited some friends in the morning and then did our shopping in Sydney Rd, Coburg. The street was busy with people were milling around the place, in and out of shops, in cafés and malls. This is multicultural Melbourne at its most vibrant with Turkish, Vietnamese, Greek and Lebanese shops, Chinese and Yugoslavian restaurants, Middle Eastern, Indian and Pakistani people talking their language as they walk in the street, many wearing their traditional clothes. We bought fruits and vegetables at the market, cheeses and bread and then finished by going to the library where we borrowed some books and CDs.

As it was still early when we got home, after putting away the shopping we went out again, this time to the Fairfield Boathouse by the Yarra River. This is very close to home and it is a beautiful restful place with extensive parklands all along the shores of the river and many venues for all sorts of entertainment and sport. Once again many people had the same idea, but nevertheless we enjoyed the walk and took some delightful photographs.

This evening was lovely as always and as I heard a some Spanish music on the way home, here is a wonderful Fandango by the group Mojacar Flamenco, featuring dancers Lauren Santiago, Misuda Cohen, Micaela Castellanos, with musicians Stephen Dick, Johnny Sandoval, Paulo Gustavo, playing Stephen Dick’s music.

5 comments:

  1. Hello:
    The simple pursuits which you describe here really are the essence of life. The Sydney Road where you shopped sounds delightful - interesting, multi-cultural, and lively.
    The picture of the waterside reminded us of the many villages straggling the Danube in the Hungarian countryside - relaxed and very natural. How lucky to have this so close to home.

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  2. Yes, Jane and Lance, we are very lucky. This is an idyllic spot and visiting it keeps us sane in this mad world. Quite often it feels like stepping back in time and visiting the "good old days"...

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  3. so nice to hear that u had a pleasant weekend nick....i had a blast myself...really relaxed...yet not slow...when i manage lots of things of my choice in two days...i feel so good about monday...

    ps. i feel good about mondays in any case...gets my baby brats n their father out of the house and lots of me time...grins

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  4. What a fantastic piece of music and dance! I am a bit of a sucker for all things Spanish so this was a special treat for me!
    Thanks for this video, Nicholas.

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  5. Hmmmm, looks like you are surrounded by parks. All I can see out of my window are tall apartment buildings :-(

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