Saturday, June 30, 2012

Astro Turf, Art and more of 40

Astro turf, is it wrong? Our children love it, partly because they don't encounter it too often. This is at Fed Square, real grass would struggle to grow here due to the high level of pedestrian traffic, so its probably astro-turf, or concrete.
  


  





Took myself off on a tangent googling astro turf - check out
http://www.justlivegreener.com/greener-home/306-is-artificial-grass-eco-friendly.html 
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/artificial-turf-versus-real-grass-which-is-greener.html


After visiting these sites I think there are probably more astro turf negatives than positives. The advice to wash your hands after using it because of the chemical residues and bacteria sounds pretty ewww, but then washing your hands is pretty good advice in general. More plastic in the world is probably never a good thing. At our rental, we are gradually removing more and more lawn and replacing it with garden, we never water the lawn, and we mow with an electric mower.

Real turf, complete with duck poo splodges to dodge, definitely wash your hands after visiting here. I love this steep hill in Birrarung Marr, so many children gleefully tumbling down it, and then giddily returning to the top. Give them a hill and they will roll.




  
The little Bowerbird took a while to get the knack of it and then when she finally did she bumped her head.

Totally unrelated, but to end the 40th Birthday visit to the city, weekend story. 
Drawing on art created by Vincent Fantauzzo in the Art Gallery. Some really cool textas were placed next to this huge pastiche of photos and visitors were invited to embellish them.

  This little one had no qualms about drawing on walls.
 Looks like he's doing something he shouldn't.







 SO MUCH FUN. 

 NGV Kids Corner, playing with leaves.




 One of my favourite Melbourne buildings viewed from inside the NGV Kids Corner.


Inspired by the circus, the middle Bowerbird attempts juggling.
 Another Birthday Cake to celebrate the big four O.




I love all the art in the city, not so much to enjoy around us. We do good trees, but the Big Bowerbird even found a lovely one of these to climb amongst all the concrete and bustle.


The Big Bowerbird wore my Nannas old hat (a treasured possession) to keep warm, and to disguise the fact that we forgot the brush - she attempted using the apartment's fork with limited success.


Melbourne, mid winter, is really the bomb, especially when your'e spoiling yourselves for a birthday treat. Not quite the overseas adventure we like to talk about (hello Tattslotto quick pick), but a great substitute on a budget. Was one of those weekends that felt like a week had past in just two short days.
  


Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Grateful for 40

You can create leaf graffiti on the fountain in Melbourne's City square, it's addictive.
Always a blinker

 





Are you up for it?

 















Grateful for a birthday weekend that was so big it won't fit in one post.  Grateful to have a man turning 40 in my life, despite his foolish smoking ways. 40 sounds so grown up, big enough to stop with the puffing that's for sure.  Grateful to have found him and spent the last 22 years together. Grateful for an excellent weekend - 40 times grateful.


Grateful for

  1. A trip to the city - such a delight for we country mice. 
  2. Easy cheap parking.
  3. The sparkling city skyline
  4. The meandering brown Yarra linking the country to the city.
  5. Elevators and escalators that still totally rock our children's socks
  6. Good coffee and delicious donuts and Danish overlooking the Yarra
  7. Edamame and Miso at Chocolate Buddha
  8. Lemon scented gum trees
  9. A sense of adventure
  10. Tall bells chiming in front of a beautiful tent
  11. Finding cheap tickets to Circus Oz on Ebay and then discovering those tickets were front and centre, the best in the house.
  12. Enjoying amazing stunts, acrobats, acting, costumes, magic and music. An excellent show that celebrated diversity and multiculturalism
  13. Green grassy hills, so perfect for rolling down
  14. Sunshine and clear skies in the middle of winter
  15. Happy healthy children, and parents, for a whole weekend
  16. Rainbows and double rainbows
  17. A golden sunset
  18. A Festival of Light
  19. Lanterns, beautifully made by children and given out for free
  20. A lantern dance to celebrate the winter solstice
  21. Sculpture, especially a gleaming metallic flying saucer
  22. Large paved surfaces and fake grass - a novel new play area for the kids
  23. Art, art and more art. Drawing on pictures in the gallery with textas (see next post).
  24. Free delicious lentil soup sipped near a campfire
  25. Big drums played loud and well
  26. A game of Carrom and enjoying the spirit of sharing with many cultures
  27. An amazing Melbourne event - The Light in Winter- one to be proud of
  28. A sleeping child
  29. A quiet moment
  30. Sushi trains and the joy they bring our children, the littlest devoured a whole bowl full of seaweed salad.
  31. Good wine.
  32. A lovely hotel - found after agonising over the bewildering array of choices. Lots of space and a comfy bed. You would not believe how hard it is to find a room for a family of five in the city. 
  33. Waking to magnificent city views, a first for us.  We always get the bargain rooms that look out onto carparks.  We could see the sea and all the way to the hills of our home.
  34. A swim with all the Bowerbirds
  35. More good coffee and pastries - there was a lot of eating and a lot of walking.
  36. Royal Arcade, especially Babushkas, the smell of chocolate and the games and toy stores.
  37. The shot tower in Melbourne Central and a little vintage market lurking inside. There were even vintage clothes in Sportsgirl, real  - old ones, who would have though the day would come?
  38. The strums of guitars and the sweet smell of donuts at the Vic Market. A visit to a pet store that has everything, from scorpions to hopping mice and Nemo.
  39. The free city circle tram arriving to rescue worn out feet and the kind man who smiled and was happy to share his seat.
  40. A 3.00pm lunch that sounded a little exotic for our children's palates, and was definitely a little late for their temperaments, but turned out to be perfect. The little Bowerbird said of the polenta chips "these are the best chips ever!" Great staff and a perfect end to the weekend at The Mess Hall.

I could really go on, such an indulgently good weekend.












Linking with Maxabella Loves 52 Weeks of Grateful

 

 Happy 40th Birthday Stephen, glad I got to share it with you.