things I love melbourne

A door

the cosmonaut — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 10:37:48 +0000

It’s amazing old buildings like these are another reason I <3 Melbourne. This must be a heritage listed building, because it seems to be closed. How I’d love to live or work somewhere like this, just to be able to walk through those doors every day.

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To market, to market

the cosmonaut — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:36:03 +0000

Early Sunday morning I rode my bike down to the South Melbourne Market. It was so empty! At least there wasn’t anyone to get in the way of the photo’s. I loaded my bag with delicious fresh goodies: silverbeet, tomatoes, potatoes, pears, onions, avocado, continental parsley, lebanese cucumbers, zucchini, bags of dried lima beans and dried soup mix, lots of nuts (toasted almonds, cashews, macadamias and hazelnuts), red cabbage and strawberries. I’ve been eating like a queen this week!

‘I think, what has this day brought me, and what have I given it?’

- Henry Moore

Best coffee in Melbourne

the cosmonaut — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:01:19 +0000

There are only a few places that can truly be recommended for the ultimate latte or espresso experience. When there’s such great coffee around, why settle for anything less?! People, you must be FUSSY with your coffee. Life is too short to drink rubbish. Here is where you must go to satiate your caffeine cravings:

Batch
320 Carlisle St, Balaclava

Newtown S.C.
180 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

19 Squares
31 Blessington St, St Kilda

The Galleon
9 Carlisle St, St Kilda

Ray’s
322 Victoria St, Brunswick

Orange
126 Chapel St, Windsor

Journal Cafe
253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Degraves Espresso
23 Degraves St, Melbourne

Loco Cafe
436 Glenhuntly Rd, Elsternwick

The Armstrong St Food Store
30 Armstrong St, Middle Park

Mart 130
107A Canterbury Rd, Middle Park

Cheeky Monkey
89A Swan St, Richmond

Las Chicas
203 Carlisle St, Balaclava

* photo by CoffeeGeek

Lazing around

the cosmonaut — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:24:41 +0000

Autumn leaves are covering the backyard, the air is crispy cold and the sun is shining! Hello perfect day! Fatso the Catso is working it sunning himself, while hot cups of tea in the back garden keep me warm and toasty. I don’t k now who’s lazier today, me or the cat.

‘Look at everything as though you were seeing it either for the first or last time.’ – Betty Smith

‘I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.’ – Arthur Rubinstein

Misty morning walks

the cosmonaut — Fri, 22 May 2009 04:07:56 +0000

Mist has blanketed the bay these last two mornings. With no wind, the water is still like glass and the birds are quiet, making it eerily silent. And amazingly beautiful and peaceful!

“Follow your bliss & the universe will open doors where there were only walls.”
— Joseph Campbell

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up & try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait & watch & work: you don’t give up.” — Anne Lamott

St Kilda

the cosmonaut — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:05:44 +0000

The sunshine is back again! Here’s a few things I love about St Kilda:

The Espy, my local pub. See the palms reflected in the windows!

The boatsheds, which I pass on my morning jogs

The pier with a cute little cafe at the end, which has burnt down at least three times in it’s life!

‘The appearance of things change according to the emotions, and thus we see magic and beauty in them, while the magic and beauty are really in ourselves.’ Kahlil Gibran

Gingerboy, I love you

the cosmonaut — Wed, 20 May 2009 06:51:14 +0000

Gingerboy is turning into the restaurant we all go to for birthdays. The food is unbelievable. This made me unbearably happy because delicious food is pretty much one of the biggest loves of my life.

I ate most of the dessert, too. Well, I had to or it wouldn’t get eaten! The others were being ridiculously polite and not stuffing their faces like me. (These were shared dishes, mind you – I wasn’t leaning over and eating their desserts off their plates. Although… it was so scrumptious that actually, I prolly would have! Ha!). I felt like I needed to roll back to the car, my tummy was so tight. Oh yes, I ate a lot.

Before dinner, we had drinks at the bar upstairs. I had a cocktail (of COURSE!) - the Confucious Sour. Scrumptious! Yes, it was very sour in a lip smacking way, and so tasty I nearly drooled. Little golden elephants stood guard over candles at the bar, and my bartender was a hottie. This gives me plenty of reasons to go back!

“Curiouser and curiouser!”

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would

be what it is, because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary wise,

what is, it wouldn’t be. And what it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?”

Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

A rainy autumn’s night meal

the cosmonaut — Sun, 17 May 2009 07:45:15 +0000

I hid away from all the rain and cold last night, and made thick pumpkin soup, served with rye toast spread thickly with spinach dip and aioli, along with creamy blue cheese and crackers. And for sweets, my favourite: custard fruit tart from Europa Bakery on Acland St (Ah, but of course. I mean, where else would one go to find something to satiate one’s very very sweet tooth).

So there, now you know what I eat!

Night lights

the cosmonaut — Thu, 14 May 2009 10:48:20 +0000

It’s growing dark by 5.30 now, and the lights all around St Kilda start sparkling in the sky.

Here’s some beautiful music for you to relax to

Para One – Passion

Autumn in St Kilda

the cosmonaut — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:10:13 +0000

It’s growing icier and colder and greyer each morning. The heat of summer feels a distant memory. I walked through the St Kilda botanical gardens this morning on my way to work. The frost had melted on the grass, and everything was lush and green after Saturday’s rain. It was so beautiful and peaceful; I might make this detour every morning!

“If the day and night be such that you greet them with joy,

and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs,

is more elastic, more immortal – that is your success.

All nature is your congratulation,

and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself.”

Henry David Thoreau, Walden