Things are so busy once it gets to this time of year. The working weeks are flying by, and not only our weekends but our weeknights are so often full. Parties, drinks, dinners, catchups, gigs. The weekend just past was no exception.
The arrival on knock-off time on Friday brought with it a huge storm, dragging with it wind, rain and lightning to cool the sweltering city. Captain Brenno dropped by for a few beers, some rock and roll and rainbow spotting.
The storm blew itself by party time and Asha, Anna Anna, Mak and I slammed some dumplings in the city, before heading to the opening night of the Melbourne Music Festival at Birrarung Mar.
An outdoor art installation/night-club/architectural oddity had been brought out from Europe for the week, and the large light light filled crates that pulsed with the music took some of the focus away from the $9 small beers and sometimes disappointing music.
World’s End Press put on a really good live show, but had their set cut short (with a few dance floor hits still in reserve) because the Cut Copy/Midnight Juggernaught 3-hour combined DJ set was due to get underway. We had a great time dancing, and the tunes were ok, but it wasn’t much of a performance – just 5 guys looking fairly bored on stage, at one stage with four of them playing with their phones. Not worth cutting a live band short for. I ended the night with glitter on my face, which i struggled to get off all weekend (i still keep finding bits).
Saturday we went to the Spanish festival on Johnston St. It was a awful day weather wise, but the day just got better and better. One of those days that
starts hungover and nursing beers, where each time your drink runs out you decide to just have one more before leaving, and soon you are buying jugs, which turns into sangria, then tequila, and dancing in a Mexican restaurant to an incredible Mariachi band while a man in a giant hat shreds on an electric guitar.
The street was filled will meat being rotated over charcoal, dough being shaped and fried, limes being cut, onions sauted and cerveza guzzled. The food highlights for me were chicken tinga tacos with onion and coriander, tacos of shredded pork (carnitas) soaked in lime juice with heaps of salsa, another taco what Ana told me was a Cactus (i forget the name), and hot, crunchy, doughy, sugar-coated, chocolate dipped churros.
Our Mexican friend Ana, who I last saw yelling and dancing in front of the Mariachi singer, surely had a great birthday.
Sunday was a family bbq, and the a good chance for everyone to wind down, chat, and sit around with the newborn Isabelle and oooooo and aaaaahhhh and cheer when she farts. Patch and Liana had come over from Adelaide to see gorgeous Isabelle, Tommy and Bloss came (before she went to get “crunk” with the rest of her nursing class), and Asha and I all got together with James and Nic.
Slip in a Sunday night potter.
Perfect weekend really.
Ryan.
