A most successful weekend II

On Sunday we headed off to the Queen Victoria Market, along with seemingly half the city. We grabbed some breakfast first, including some round doughnuts that reminded me of oliebollen (one of my favourite seasonal treats), and then made a beeline for the deli zone. To get there we had to pass through the meat section, which I found a bit much - loud, crowded, and omg the smell! *shudder*

The deli section was still crowded, but the huge range of cheeses and cured meats and other treats made up for it. Willie chose some cheeses, I chose some tea, and we both tasted some different raw honeys.

When we emerged from the market, we found a spot to sit and have some cold drinks, and then scored a raincoat for me from a nearby tramping/outdoors shop. The weather is no longer the boss of me... :)

Willie in cheese heaven!

Our goodies from the market

A well-deserved rest (and iced coffee)

That evening I took a tram to St Patrick's Cathedral, to listen to the choir that sings at their evening Mass (the St Patrick's Cathedral Singers). In the course of my research on choirs in Melbourne, this group had seemed like a good one for me to get back into choral singing - it's similar enough to St Mary's choir to not be too far out of my comfort zone, but it's a smaller, auditioned choir, which will encourage me to work hard.

Not even the main entrance - this is a side door!!

The choir sang some pieces by Mozart (Missa Brevis and Laudate Dominum), and various chants and responses. They have some lovely voices among them, and I was impressed with their general skill level. I noticed that there was much less Latin than at St Mary's, and a little less singing overall in the Mass. But the building is stunning, and I was especially taken with the wooden angels 'hovering' in the ceiling (see my last photo below).

Looking towards the altar

Looking back towards the entrance

I decided to take the plunge, and when Mass was over I tracked down the choir director and explained that I was looking for a choir to join. He said he was in need of more sopranos (hooray!), so I filled him in about my musical background, and did a mini audition in the choir room. That was a bit scary because I wasn't warmed up, but I gave it a shot nonetheless. I sang some scales, sight-read a little bit of plainchant, and sang a bit of the soprano solo from Laudate Dominum (which, fortuitously, I've been learning).
I made the grade, and now I have a choir!

A most successful weekend I

Now that I've (mostly) recovered from another very busy weekend, it's time to tell you all about it. :)

On Saturday Willie and I went on a clothes-hunting mission out to a suburb called Brunswick. First stop was the legendary jeans shop Dejour, where same-day alterations are included in the (very reasonable) price! This place didn't have a great range of sizes (I ended up wearing their largest women's size), but I managed to find a burgundy pair and a mustard pair that were a pretty good fit. The assistant drew chalk marks where the tweaks needed to be made, and we headed out for lunch.

Tucking into ham & pineapple pizza at Tre Espresso

After a tasty pizza at a cute bar/cafe, we wandered further down Sydney Rd and rummaged through the second-hand clothes at a vast op-shop called Savers. I found a long brown wool coat for $15, but alas, it has now been claimed by Willie. *shakes fist*

Brunswick has some neat architecture, especially if you look up!

 

 
We returned to Dejour and I tried on the altered jeans. The mustard pair needed one further tweak, and then I had two new pairs of really awesomely well-fitting jeans! In one fell swoop I have doubled my pants collection - not bad for an afternoon's work.

By the time we had caught the train back to our apartment we were pretty tired, so we had a nice relaxing remainder of our Saturday. We went for a swim, and then made pikelets for dinner, with jam and cream. Mmmm!

Catching the train back into town...

Exploring II

Willie and I went for a Sunday stroll along the Yarra river this afternoon.
Lots of interesting buildings and bridges and sculptures to be seen, as well as a choice bit of graffiti...

We ended up crossing the river and getting some tasty Turkish snacks (called gozleme) from a stall outside the Arts Centre. We wandered over the road to the Botanic Gardens to eat them, sitting on the grass. There were lots of colourful birds flying about and making a racket, so it was all pretty idyllic!

Exploring I

I swear Melbourne is made of gingerbread. Gingerbread and trees.

I took these pics on my phone, on my way home from lunch and birthday-card-posting yesterday. All on Collins St, I think...

Melbourne for beginners

Well, I'm finally here! Yesterday was my first full day in Melbourne.

In the morning, Willie and I headed out to brunch with a friend at a fantastic place in Hardware St, which was well worth the wait for a table. I had a pot of French Earl Grey tea, and some delicious baked eggs with asparagus. I managed to drip pistou down my front, but luckily I had my trusty Bright Side scarf to cover up the evidence. ;)

By the time we got back to our apartment we were both severely in need of a nap, especially as I never sleep well in a new bed, and my day of travelling on Saturday was pretty draining. When we woke up, there was just enough time to get dressed up, grab a bite to eat, and scramble to get to the Arts Centre for the performance of L'Orfeo. We just made it (hurrah)!

It was amazing to hear this live! The instruments in particular sounded fantastic, in various colourful combinations of violins, viols, lirone, recorders, cornetti, sackbutts, harpsichords, organ, regal, theorbos, Baroque guitars, and percussion.

After the opera, we walked home and again collapsed with exhaustion.
I expect I'll start to feel more like myself in a few days, but until then I'll have to try to take it easy...