Another Snuggie Night

Post lecture........ Sleep!!!!!!!

Ready Steady Cook

I ate lunch watching Ready Steady Cook. Daytime television. Lecture writing. Need to go.

Rye Weekend

My first 'weekend' in five weeks, I got to hang out with RJ, Kate and Hugh at Rye for a night.
When we got to the apartment, we discovered that we had a mini-golf green in the back yard. The novelty wore off for me after about twenty seconds (after I realised how bad I am!), but I have to admit that Hugh is in all respects a mini-golfing genius.

The real reason for the weekend was to go back to the Peninsula Hot Springs - I hadn't been here since August last year. It ended up being really hot and sunny yesterday, so the springs weren't heated to be as hot as they usually are. Not to be an asshole and all, but I actually wanted a cool one yesterday.

OK, the bad part of PHS yesterday: I was kind of annoyed that there were only three robes left for hire, just like last time they only had 'summer robes' and not enough for all of us. There needs to be: 1. the option to hire in advance of arrival, 2. more experienced front reception staff and a 'already booked' fast queue 3.less people allowed into the springs at any one time. After going to Hepburn Bathhouse a month back, I was struck this time by how super-crowded this place is. I don't have the opportunity to come here unless it's a weekend at the moment. This is going to sound mean, but I also think that children aged 3-12 should not be allowed here. It would just fit in more with the whole 'zen' thing they're trying to theme the place as too, to get rid of the pool bombing kids who understandably get a little over-excited at times. Or... they could create a separate 'kids-friendly' family wing or something?

I didn't go to the pool 'on top of the world' yesterday, you can see the long queue for the pool here. It just wasn't worth it. No one was getting out quickly, and if you got in you have to sit there feeling people watching you and resenting you. It might have been extra crowded because it was getting pretty close to sunset. Also, it is such a small pool that you often end up seated across from some dreadlocked dude that you don't want to look at, or else there is someone annoying who wants to get 'close' to their partner, and Kate also said 'there are a lot of bugs up the top'.

Below: Doing the reflexology walk. So on the plus side, I still had a really beautiful and relaxing day overall. There was a new lakeside pool that has a fantastic spa (although it only works for the first 15 minutes of every hour???), and we all got to hang and chat and eat sour coke bottle lollies and say nothing and recharge after difficult weeks all around. There were still lots of places where we could go where there was the possibility to hang out in quiet... just not the really well-known signature places. The hamam didn't feel as hot as usual, but I got all woozy from it and had to jump in the plunge pool afterwards to recover!

Kate and Hugh: looking like the ultimate rehab tourists!

So today RJ, Kate and I drove around the Peninsula, doing sight-seeing stuff. We went to Bushranger's Bay from Cape Schanck on a little bushwalk. Then we went to Flinders for lunch, I ended up getting a vanilla slice from a takeaway place there that has a world record for the largest vanilla slice in the world. So they make these gross, tall slices that taste like gelatinous, clotted cream with vanilla essence added. OMG it was so sickly, I ate three mouthfuls and then couldn't eat any more...

Here's a photo of my face next to the slice, so that you can see how ridiculously tall this thing is. I have to admit that I am a big fan of vanilla slices, and I am always willing to try a random Victorian bakery in order to see if it really does have 'the best Vanilla Slice' in Australia or whatever, but let me tell you I think I'm now done for life. I am done!

Imagine getting married and having a vanilla slice wedding cake that tastes like gelatinous cream with vanilla essence added to it... just imagine...

Today ended up with a wander through Ashcombe Maze, the classic hedge mazes were really nice and tall and confusing, the weather had changed though to the dreary and we were all a little exhausted and over it. We did the rose maze, thought about doing the lavender maze, and then left for home again. It was a happy weekend. It is good being able to relax and not work all through the weekend or be sick for a change.

Teen Witch Mag Issue 2

This arrived in the post today, it's so damned good, there are tattoos and stickers and collector cards!

Melbourne Zoo Again: 'SE Asia style'

You know what they always say: when the going gets tough, the tough go to the zoo. So yeah, I went back to the zoo two days after joining . It was like twenty six degrees today, blue skies, bright light, I was having a shit day on campus so I decided to take an early one and spend the last hour at my new favourite place. It's a ten minute bike ride! I could come here for lunch every day!

There was an ice cream truck outside, so I made sure to get a chocolate soft serve before going in.

The weird thing is that I didn't really take that many photos of the animals today. I only had time to go to the tiger/elephant 'South East Asian rainforest' area of the park, but all the photos of the animals are long-distance, dark, blurry and shady.

"Hati hati"! The Melbourne Zoo have really gone all out with the SE Asian stuff!

So today I saw tigers, elephants, butterflies and meercats. When I was leaving at closing time, I bumped into Irit, and it is CARAZY but she has just become a member too! I am so glad to have a zoo buddy now, together we can help start the revolution...

Finally, here's the beautiful entrance to the Butterfly House. Again, I didn't get a good photo of a butterfly inside, but believe me, it's amazing in there. I remember going to a Butterfly House with Sylvia and Alex in Chiang Mai in 2011 and there were like two butterflies in the whole place. But the MZ one is heated to 26-31 degrees every day, so alongside the pretty 'flies this is also a good 'winter escape' option in the Parkville region. I can just take my books there and hang out all day! Today I got here at the end of the day, which is the beginning of 'roosting time'.

Melbourne Zoo

I joined the zoo! As in, I became an member of the zoo, which means that I get 365 days a year of zoo action at Parkville, Healesville and Werrribee. And if I go to Taronga in Sydney I'm also covered! I am very excited... this was my present for yesterday. I can't believe I've never thought about doing this until now, after all I'm like a twenty minute bike ride away from this place and it is such a weird and beautiful place. I have membership to see all of these amazing animals and also to be able to hang out whenever I want in an incredible themed park space.

It's like an autumn wonderland at Melbourne Zoo at the moment. I didn't end up getting to the zoo until half an hour before closing, so I couldn't even visit most of the animal areas yet, but this is all ahead. I went to the zoo once last year, but it was part of a 10km fun run so it was a little psychedelic, running past all of these gorillas and lions while people are taking photos of you and you feel like you are going to die at the same time. This way, I don't need to worry about a 'once only' visit, I can come and go for short times or long, whenever I feel like it, my whole relationship to the space will change.

I spend a lot of time at Royal Park, why haven't I thought about doing this before? I mean, it makes perfect sense!

This is the themed 'Asian rainforest/jungle' section of the zoo, close to the gorillas (who were already in bed when I went past at 4:45pm yesterday avo).

Here's one guy I managed to catch before I left!

Some fish near the platypusary - the platypus was moving too quickly to take photos of it.

Friends, Cats, Dogs

Just hangin'...