It looks like all we do is eat

When I look at photos I've been taking it looks like all we've been doing in Melbourne is eating! It's a bit like that in Melbourne, such interesting food.

But we've been doing a few other things too! Lots of swimming (in the complex pool) and walking, a bit of shopping, some gawking at things, visitors and visiting. I love Melbourne.

As it happens, the Grand Prix has been on while we are here. The river bank precinct is full of motor sport related stuff and the distant scream of the big cars thrashing around nearby Albert Park can be heard through the windows of our apartment. It all leaves me rather cold, this rev-heady thing. Surely there are more worthwhile things to do with one's time on the planet than to spend it burning up huge amounts of fossil fuel seeing if you can go faster than the next bloke in an expensive tin can on wheels?

It's a huge industry though and lots of people love it. I studied Kris and Ed having a go on the simulators to see if I could understand the attraction. Nope. I still don't get it...

Here's something else I don't get - gambling. This is the interior of the Crown Casino. Astonishingly opulent.

At the other end of the entertainment spectrum, in a completely not-opulent setting, we enjoyed an evening of comedy and burlesque at Club Voltaire in North Melbourne. Key word: emerging. This is a setting for emerging talent. The stand-up, Taco, has a gig at the forthcoming Melbourne Comedy Festival next week. Some of the other acts were a little questionable and had me mentally thinking up treatment plans for the psychopathology on display.

But this girl was fun, Dominique had a little circus routine going and recruited Ed's son, Jordan to stand on the equipment and hold it down for one of her poses. Jordan is studying to be a professional musician. His view of the evening was that it was two hours of his life he would never get back. But us old fogeys had heaps of fun and made the most of it by participating and calling out and even going on stage (me) for the knife throwing act.

Old friends from Canberra, Kris and Ed came to stay with us for a couple of days. It was great to share some time with them. And some clothes with them - Melbourne's weather turned suddenly nasty and they had to borrow jumpers and scarves.

One morning we breakfasted in Fitzroy at one of Melbourne's fantastic little cafes - this one is sort of Tex/Mex/South American and served wonderful food in an eclectic clutter of stuff from south of the border. Lian and Wim (below) are sharing an apartment and a cat at present. It seems to be going OK.

Fitzroy is such an interesting and vibrant place. But it can be dangerous. Below is the scene on the morning of our carefree breakfast, in a street around the corner from Wim and Lian's apartment, in front of the supermarket where they do their shopping. A young man died there at 5am, from stab wounds to the neck. Chilling.

I'm glad I was able to see and hug this other young man (below) on that morning. This is Wim wearing his "I'm humouring my mother" expression.