Melbourne!

I have spent the day in the company of magnificent women! One of whom is only 8 days old, and is utterly adorable. Baby!Treacle is the sweetest, snuffliest infant in all of Australia and has built a massive following among the good citizens of Victoria as she went out to greet her public. But that is part of a longer story ...

treacle_tartlet  and I were theoretically going to a 'popular culture convention' in Melbourne today.

And look, we did actually go ... for about 90 minutes. We had a brilliant tram ride out to the showground where it was being held, sat behind (unintentionally) hilarious teenagers, had a lovely chat with a quartet of delightful cosplayers, met a security guard who was so thoroughly archetypal that we decided he was actually cosplaying a security guard, charmed and were charmed by a comic artist and then, faced with yet another long queue in the sun with no shade on offer save my parasol (treacle is several inches taller than me, so it was not an easy share!), we fled.

After seeing no one, not even the lovely kerryblaze  nor my friends Deense and Belle.

However, it was a good flee! We traipsed off to the markets and purchased organic treats for lunch and breakfast. Then we foolishly went into my favourite shoe shop and a pair of red Fluevogs followed me home. Then we trudged down to the NGV with the full intention of seeing art, but ate macarons instead. At each spot we were surrounded by people commenting on the tinyness, sweetness and general perfection of the treaclette. And rightly so, she is a very good baby, especially when doing duck and seagull impersonations.

And then each to our respective hotels, for rest and restoration.

After a brief nap, which should have finished 10 minutes earlier so that I had a chance to brush my hair and put on a spot of slap, it was off to dinner with blindmouse  and frankkincense , and kerryblaze  was able to join us, too! This was tremendously good news as I had been hoping to meet the first two for a good year or more, and after meeting up with the last in Sydney, was thrilled to have another opportunity to chat. But there was even better news as two of mouse and cense's friends were there and they were brilliant company!

A rollicking dinner was had, in which it was decided that since many of the girls are in bandom and I know nothing about MCR or Panic, we needed to begin a Laura Marling fandom, with associated orang utan. NB: If such a thing already exists, please let us know. Googling has turned up nothing as yet.

Topics of conversation ranged from the desirability of Karl Urban, to re-imagining the mediaeval through Chaucer, to the ubiquity of Hugo Weaving. Ms Blaze has taken possession of a secret stash of something for someone, about which more may be revealed in the future if all goes well, and I am hoping to catch up more with the two hilarious and bright young folks we met tonight. Also, all the best people eat kangaroo! 

I had a wonderful time, and was only mildly horrified to look at myself in the lift mirror on my return to my hotel. Flakes of mascara on both cheeks, hair that looked as though a cow had licked it, and bags under my eyes that Louis Vuitton could sell as coin purses. Still, people enjoy my company for my amusement value, not my looks!

Tomorrow, treacle and I will see famous people who we will fail to recognise and go out for cocktails with that chap from Torchwood, who she at least will be able to spot at a distance. Personally, I'm hoping for Hugo Weaving to make a surprise appearance, as I am good at noticing him ;-)

In other news, HAPPY BIRTHDAY shezan  and angela_snape , you're two people who I wish I heard more from. May your day be filled with beautifully behaved pets, tremendous presents, and no volcanic ash.

And on that last note: after fluffy snow and volcanic clouds, does anyone want to lay money on what the next cause for European transport chaos will be? I am torn between supporting plagues of locusts and Godzilla ...

Melbourne!

I have spent the day in the company of magnificent women! One of whom is only 8 days old, and is utterly adorable. Baby!Treacle is the sweetest, snuffliest infant in all of Australia and has built a massive following among the good citizens of Victoria as she went out to greet her public. But that is part of a longer story ...

treacle_tartlet  and I were theoretically going to a 'popular culture convention' in Melbourne today.

And look, we did actually go ... for about 90 minutes. We had a brilliant tram ride out to the showground where it was being held, sat behind (unintentionally) hilarious teenagers, had a lovely chat with a quartet of delightful cosplayers, met a security guard who was so thoroughly archetypal that we decided he was actually cosplaying a security guard, charmed and were charmed by a comic artist and then, faced with yet another long queue in the sun with no shade on offer save my parasol (treacle is several inches taller than me, so it was not an easy share!), we fled.

After seeing no one, not even the lovely kerryblaze  nor my friends Deense and Belle.

However, it was a good flee! We traipsed off to the markets and purchased organic treats for lunch and breakfast. Then we foolishly went into my favourite shoe shop and a pair of red Fluevogs followed me home. Then we trudged down to the NGV with the full intention of seeing art, but ate macarons instead. At each spot we were surrounded by people commenting on the tinyness, sweetness and general perfection of the treaclette. And rightly so, she is a very good baby, especially when doing duck and seagull impersonations.

And then each to our respective hotels, for rest and restoration.

After a brief nap, which should have finished 10 minutes earlier so that I had a chance to brush my hair and put on a spot of slap, it was off to dinner with blindmouse  and frankkincense , and kerryblaze  was able to join us, too! This was tremendously good news as I had been hoping to meet the first two for a good year or more, and after meeting up with the last in Sydney, was thrilled to have another opportunity to chat. But there was even better news as two of mouse and cense's friends were there and they were brilliant company!

A rollicking dinner was had, in which it was decided that since many of the girls are in bandom and I know nothing about MCR or Panic, we needed to begin a Laura Marling fandom, with associated orang utan. NB: If such a thing already exists, please let us know. Googling has turned up nothing as yet.

Topics of conversation ranged from the desirability of Karl Urban, to re-imagining the mediaeval through Chaucer, to the ubiquity of Hugo Weaving. Ms Blaze has taken possession of a secret stash of something for someone, about which more may be revealed in the future if all goes well, and I am hoping to catch up more with the two hilarious and bright young folks we met tonight. Also, all the best people eat kangaroo! 

I had a wonderful time, and was only mildly horrified to look at myself in the lift mirror on my return to my hotel. Flakes of mascara on both cheeks, hair that looked as though a cow had licked it, and bags under my eyes that Louis Vuitton could sell as coin purses. Still, people enjoy my company for my amusement value, not my looks!

Tomorrow, treacle and I will see famous people who we will fail to recognise and go out for cocktails with that chap from Torchwood, who she at least will be able to spot at a distance. Personally, I'm hoping for Hugo Weaving to make a surprise appearance, as I am good at noticing him ;-)

In other news, HAPPY BIRTHDAY shezan  and angela_snape , you're two people who I wish I heard more from. May your day be filled with beautifully behaved pets, tremendous presents, and no volcanic ash.

And on that last note: after fluffy snow and volcanic clouds, does anyone want to lay money on what the next cause for European transport chaos will be? I am torn between supporting plagues of locusts and Godzilla ...