On Tuesday we were treated to this dramatic sky on our way back from a ‘playdate’ in the park with the Playgroup mums…
Our exercise class was cancelled on Wednesday, but a couple of us met up anyway and nobly ran the perimeter of the botanical gardens pushing the buggies (although the uphill section did defeat us!). We drank our coffee reward in the children’s garden which Maisie loved – she hugged the sculpture of the Magic Pudding and was off exploring every corner, wading in the vegetable beds, climbing the rockery (you’d be proud of her, Lizzie!), getting soaked in the fountain. They’d roped off the areas around the trees as there were so many bees busy pollinating – nice to hear that the bees here are thriving still. We took our usual route back home though Albert Park, which took an awfully long time as Maisie insisted on walking, and not in a straight line! I spotted some new birds today – an Australasian Darter (or, better-named, the Snakebird!), and a Great Egret. There were a few pairs of Pelicans too, which always make me happy.
In the evening I hurried into town for the early start of a Bollywood film. Entitled ‘Three Idiots’, it is apparently the highest grossing Bollywood film ever. Released in 2010, it is modern in its sensibilities, with a well-plotted story about three young engineering students and their college hi-jinks. You can see why it has such broad appeal – it’s zippy, funny and entertaining, utterly wholesome (albeit peppered with toilet humour) and wears its deeply moral stance fairly lightly. It also throws in the spectacular scenery of Ladakh for the finale. The three leads were far too old to be playing students, but Aamir Khan, who’s actually a decent actor, had just about enough zany energy to suspend disbelief! As I walked out of the cinema, Federation Square had become a big Bollywood movie theatre. They were showing one of Amitabh Bachchan’s greatest hits (Kaala Patthar) on the big screen, for free. There weren’t many people watching (it was a bit chilly) which was a shame as it was an excellent spectacle. I watched a big song and dance number and a dramatic sinking ship scene before my energy started to wane.
Summer appears to have returned this week, but a gentler version, more like the golden English summer days that we vaguely recollect from our youth! On Thursday Myomi and Christopher joined Maisie and I for an afternoon at the beach. At last the children are beginning to entertain themselves – Christopher burying himself in the sand, Maisie driving all the plastic trucks along the boardwalk. There was actually time to relax and chat and soak up the rays!
It was Neil’s 40th birthday on Friday, and we all spent the day together. The weather was glorious so we had a picnic at the beach, and Maisie enjoyed paddling (the icy chill of the water didn’t bother her at all!) and flying (see picture!). She had a big tantrum when it was time to pack up and go!
My friend Rachel babysat for us in the evening, and Neil and I went out to see a film together. It was called ‘German Brothers’ and was part of the German film festival. The director had a fascinating back-story, born in Australia to German/French Jewish parents – one a leader in the French Resistance, one who escaped from Auschwitz, who together, successfully brought the best of European culture – food, modern art, fashion, to Melbourne, establishing legendary restaurants and galleries. His film touched on all this, but was mainly documenting his recent friendship with a German musician who has spent his life trying to come to terms with his family’s Nazi past. The two of them toured key WW2 Nazi sites in Berlin and Poland and tried to reconstruct history and make sense of it. It was an interesting idea, but a rather scattershot approach meant that it was never more than the sum of its parts. And it was almost drowned in 1970s-style synth noodlings (courtesy of the German musician).
Neil had to teach on Saturday morning so Maisie and I headed into town to meet him off the train at lunchtime. We visited a couple of commercial art galleries on Flinders Lane. The first featured some incredibly striking photographs by two Mexican/Australian artists working in collaboration. One is a costume designer, another a photographer/cinematographer, and they had dressed as Mexican goddesses – vivid in make-up and traditional costume, in iconic Melbourne and Sydney locations, and had staged a shamanistic ceremony in a crumbling warehouse. All the images had huge energy and power – they had quite an impact on me! The second exhibition was in a gallery that focuses on craft-based work (it reminded me of the now-defunct Crafts Council gallery in Islington that I used to love going to). There were a series of garments hung on hangers on the wall (see picture) – at first glimpse they appeared to be just that, but on a closer look, they turned out all to be wooden sculptures!
As we left the gallery, the street was filled with protestors marching towards the state government buildings, campaigning for the introduction of gay marriage (note the pink Australian flag above). In Australia gay people have no legal relationship rights at all – there isn’t even civil partnership here. It is shocking.
Behind Federation Square we came across a pop-up allotment patch – neat rows of wooden-walled square raised beds apparently tended by members of local businesses in their breaks(!), full of vegetables (peppers, aubergines, lettuce, red chillies), herbs (a wonderful scent of basil) and little citrus trees.
In the late afternoon, on the Federation Square stage, there was a free-style street-dance showcase, with live street art (unusually the artists were painting rather than spraying their images). The highlight was a face-off between several pairs of superb dancers from a local street-dance school, who had to aggressively demonstrate their best moves to a randomly selected track. There was a real mix of physiques and styles – reggaeton, breakdance, body-popping – one guy was huge and wobbly, but amazingly light on his feet. The girls were the best (see picture) – their strength and flow and attitude was amazing!
On Sunday it was Mothers’ Day in Australia (Maisie’s gift to me is pictured below – note that it isn’t quite as it appears – the most basic bottle of any spirit costs $40+ here, so it’s a treat rather than a daily necessity!). Mothers’ Day is a pretty big occasion here with lots of special events scheduled, including the inevitable fun-run (I was able to resist the temptation!!) and an afternoon of classical concerts. We took Maisie back to an exhibition I had attempted to see before, showcasing Australian artists active in the 1980s (perhaps the only internationally well-known one being Leigh Bowery). Maisie had a 15-minute meltdown where her screams seemed to penetrate all three floors of the gallery, but after that she was quite amenable so we’ll have to hope we’ve broken through some kind of art barrier there! I popped into a little exhibition of art by sixth-form students and was surprised by how polished it was – beautiful Claymations, delicate engraved portraits on blackened coke cans, an elegant evening dress made of neckties, a svelte sculpture of seaweed and mussel shells and some beautiful lino-printing and lettering.
Appropriately for the day (or not, maybe), I went to see a Filipino film entitled ‘Thy Womb’. Set in a remote sea-dwelling community (precarious clusters of stilt-houses), it was about a middle-aged midwife and her devoted husband who are unable to have children, but are so desperate to do so that they seek a second young wife to bear them one. The film successfully combined their wrenching quest with beautiful ethnographic cinematography of local life – rug weaving, medicine ceremonies, fishing, markets and weddings. There were some stunning and shocking shots – huge basking sharks drifting under the protagonists’ little fishing boat, lightning storms, and most unusually, actual footage of a woman giving birth – the latter made the audience gasp, as it’s not something you ever really see at all!
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