Heaven and Hell
Last Thursday was a glorious crisp and crunchy sunny spring day. Not too hot and not too cold. A veritable Goldilocks day. It was perfect weather for a picnic in the park at the top end of town. But that particular activity was already scheduled for the very next day.
Thursday evening would be spent at a discussion group on the topic of “What makes us tick”. So it made sense to find some place to lurk near the bus route. The first visit to the group’s new meeting venue way back in May had made it quite obvious that this was not a place to linger any longer than necessary. It too had been a beautiful sunny day but a bit crisper and colder than at this time of year. But being unsure of exactly where the new meeting place was and how long the bus took to get there, decided to make a day of it rather than just timing it to turn up an hour or so before the 6.30pm start
It took a week to recover a visit to the hell hole that is the Galleria shopping centre. Izzie hates large shopping complexes at the best of times but this place is just so enormous, so noisy and crowded and infested with rug rats and squealing rampaging beasties.
The group used to meet in a cafe right next to the train line in a pretty old suburb with lots of spooky little streets and interesting locations to lurk. Was most peeved indeed when they changed their opening hours to match the rest of the nanny cafes in the area meaning that the venue was no longer suitable for long and rambling discussions about life, the universe and everything.
So the grand plan was to lurk in a lovely old bit of the city and to catch the bus around 4pm in order to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic. It would also be an opportunity to find some interesting locations for lunch.
Been trying out various cheap and cheerful Asian restaurants in the search for kosher cuisine suitable for vegetarian serpents. Figured it was time to broaden the horizons beyond dahl and basmati rice.
Chinese vegetarian food is generally bland. The only spice option seems to be chili and more chili. Malaysian and Indonesian seem to have the best of both worlds with both a Chinese and Indian influence along with one marvelous magical ingredient - satay sauce.
Found a pretty poky but seriously cheap and cheerful Indonesian joint on the north side of town. The owner is very friendly and the food is cheap but decent. In spite of the low prices it is not your average greasy spoon. It also happens to be a short walk away from a gorgeous little cafe on Lincoln Street overlooking a spooky art deco cooling tower.
Izzie likes the quiet quirky places that are just off the beaten track and these two are little gems. It is also wonderful to walk along the side streets looking at the gorgeous old houses and gardens.
The two previous visits to this cafe had been on rainy days so was not tempted to sit outside. Found a little nook in the corner with a view to the tower. It’s the perfect place for shuffling decks of doom and doing squiggly sorts of things. And last Thursday was no different. Had intended to leave the nano index card ritual for the Freo street festival this weekend. The only reason being that was the time of starting it last year. It seemed silly to waste a perfect opportunity in a place already associated with inspiration. Having rituals and schedules is nice but it should be a scaffold or a framework and not a prison. So got out the good old Dark Grimoire deck and enjoyed an hour or two of nostalgia brainstorming the first two chapters.
Was a careful serpent and ordered a decaffeinated coffee. It cost 50 cents extra but was not going to take the chance. Could not afford to ruin a beautiful afternoon with any neurotic psychotic nonsense. Also had a pot of tea but like so many cafes the water was disgusting so it tasted like mud.
On leaving the cafe to catch the bus noticed some tables on a veranda right next door and some umbrellas in a cute little garden. At that stage it was near closing time and one of the waitresses was bringing in the chairs. This too was part of the cafe but had never seen it before. Firstly came from the opposite direction each time and secondly on all the other visits it was raining so they had not put them out. Instead of moping about this missed opportunity with endless ‘If only’s figured that this would be the perfect place to sit next time. Was most definitely in a ‘half glass full’ mode.
Slowly slinked down the street smelling the roses before sitting at the bus stop near an old church. Izzie was still a happy and blissed out serpent.
The bus to the Galleria shopping centre was packed full of humans. Lucky most of them got off in the next few stops as it is a major old fashioned shopping strip area.
Was surprised to arrive at the final destination some twenty minutes later. Had been expecting a trip at least twice as long. Bummer. Could have better spent that time pottering around in that pretty church garden or peeking in the nearby shops and cafes.
So now here we were in a soulless industrial wasteland with no parks or quirky cafes. There is nothing but big bargain barns and the shopping centre from hell and two hours to kill before the start of the meeting.
Tried to find some eatery on the western side so at least it would be possible to stay outside in the sunshine. No luck at all. Was hardly ten minutes in the place and was already a jittery blubbering wreck. Could not quite work out was it the shops or maybe that coffee was not as decaffeinated as it should have been. Had been perfectly fine until entering the doors of that first circle of serpent hell. Could not believe that the previous state of inspiration and contentment could evaporate so instantly.
Was eventually inspired to try the quieter areas upstairs where there was outside seating in the sunshine. At that stage was feeling pecking as well as totally miserable. The Izzie normally avoids food courts like the plague but there would be no where else around to grab some munchies. Coffee was of course completely out of the question
There was the usual assortment of pizza, pasta, burgers and greasy spoon Chinese stuff and all at pretty inflated prices. Made do with a combination plate of noodles, omelette and assorted vegetables. It was edible but certainly not nourishing. It cost more but wasn’t even half as good as the Mi Goreng at the little Sparrow Indonesian eatery visited earlier that day. Guessing that at least half the price of the meal went to paying the exorbitant rents for that monstrous shopping carbuncle
By the time of finally making it to the meeting in yet another over priced and over rated greasy spoon joint (Fast Eddies) was a blubbering brain dead zombie. At this stage it was very apparent what does not make Izzie tick - lots of shops and hordes of horrid humans. But for the majority of those in that place shopping seems to be nothing short of a religious ritual.
Decided that the next time they have a really interesting topic and the Izzie is ever tempted to attend, will time the transport to arrive just before 6pm at the bottle shop next door and to use the shopping centre as nothing more than the safest way to get there without getting lost in the monstrous maze that is Morley.
Yesterday paid another visit to that little Indonesian place before wandering over to the Lincoln Street cafe to sit out on the veranda soaking up the sunshine. Even took the chance of having a normal cup of coffee - caffeine included
Walked past the bus stops and that pretty church and ended up in a pretty old park with Moreton Bay fig trees. It’s been a good year or so since lurking there. The lakes were a bit on the nose with algal blooms and sludge but that did not deter the black swans and ibises from lurking there. There were also many tiny birds picking insects on the trunks of the plane trees. It was like another world light years away from that shopping hell.
Had a heavenly hour sitting in the sunshine watching the birds flitting about and singing. Also indulged in reading the adventures of the little devil Jakabob from Demonation as he gets dragged up in a net from the ninth circle of Hell. That infernal place is best kept between the covers of a book.
There are so many beautiful little spots in the older suburbs of the city with cafes, parks and ponds along with the rickety bockety ramshackle old houses lining the narrow streets. There’s no need for Izzie to ever lurk in the Badlands again and resurrect the real demons and Dementors
Thursday evening would be spent at a discussion group on the topic of “What makes us tick”. So it made sense to find some place to lurk near the bus route. The first visit to the group’s new meeting venue way back in May had made it quite obvious that this was not a place to linger any longer than necessary. It too had been a beautiful sunny day but a bit crisper and colder than at this time of year. But being unsure of exactly where the new meeting place was and how long the bus took to get there, decided to make a day of it rather than just timing it to turn up an hour or so before the 6.30pm start
It took a week to recover a visit to the hell hole that is the Galleria shopping centre. Izzie hates large shopping complexes at the best of times but this place is just so enormous, so noisy and crowded and infested with rug rats and squealing rampaging beasties.
The group used to meet in a cafe right next to the train line in a pretty old suburb with lots of spooky little streets and interesting locations to lurk. Was most peeved indeed when they changed their opening hours to match the rest of the nanny cafes in the area meaning that the venue was no longer suitable for long and rambling discussions about life, the universe and everything.
So the grand plan was to lurk in a lovely old bit of the city and to catch the bus around 4pm in order to avoid the worst of the rush hour traffic. It would also be an opportunity to find some interesting locations for lunch.
Been trying out various cheap and cheerful Asian restaurants in the search for kosher cuisine suitable for vegetarian serpents. Figured it was time to broaden the horizons beyond dahl and basmati rice.
Chinese vegetarian food is generally bland. The only spice option seems to be chili and more chili. Malaysian and Indonesian seem to have the best of both worlds with both a Chinese and Indian influence along with one marvelous magical ingredient - satay sauce.
Found a pretty poky but seriously cheap and cheerful Indonesian joint on the north side of town. The owner is very friendly and the food is cheap but decent. In spite of the low prices it is not your average greasy spoon. It also happens to be a short walk away from a gorgeous little cafe on Lincoln Street overlooking a spooky art deco cooling tower.
Izzie likes the quiet quirky places that are just off the beaten track and these two are little gems. It is also wonderful to walk along the side streets looking at the gorgeous old houses and gardens.
The two previous visits to this cafe had been on rainy days so was not tempted to sit outside. Found a little nook in the corner with a view to the tower. It’s the perfect place for shuffling decks of doom and doing squiggly sorts of things. And last Thursday was no different. Had intended to leave the nano index card ritual for the Freo street festival this weekend. The only reason being that was the time of starting it last year. It seemed silly to waste a perfect opportunity in a place already associated with inspiration. Having rituals and schedules is nice but it should be a scaffold or a framework and not a prison. So got out the good old Dark Grimoire deck and enjoyed an hour or two of nostalgia brainstorming the first two chapters.
Was a careful serpent and ordered a decaffeinated coffee. It cost 50 cents extra but was not going to take the chance. Could not afford to ruin a beautiful afternoon with any neurotic psychotic nonsense. Also had a pot of tea but like so many cafes the water was disgusting so it tasted like mud.
On leaving the cafe to catch the bus noticed some tables on a veranda right next door and some umbrellas in a cute little garden. At that stage it was near closing time and one of the waitresses was bringing in the chairs. This too was part of the cafe but had never seen it before. Firstly came from the opposite direction each time and secondly on all the other visits it was raining so they had not put them out. Instead of moping about this missed opportunity with endless ‘If only’s figured that this would be the perfect place to sit next time. Was most definitely in a ‘half glass full’ mode.
Slowly slinked down the street smelling the roses before sitting at the bus stop near an old church. Izzie was still a happy and blissed out serpent.
The bus to the Galleria shopping centre was packed full of humans. Lucky most of them got off in the next few stops as it is a major old fashioned shopping strip area.
Was surprised to arrive at the final destination some twenty minutes later. Had been expecting a trip at least twice as long. Bummer. Could have better spent that time pottering around in that pretty church garden or peeking in the nearby shops and cafes.
So now here we were in a soulless industrial wasteland with no parks or quirky cafes. There is nothing but big bargain barns and the shopping centre from hell and two hours to kill before the start of the meeting.
Tried to find some eatery on the western side so at least it would be possible to stay outside in the sunshine. No luck at all. Was hardly ten minutes in the place and was already a jittery blubbering wreck. Could not quite work out was it the shops or maybe that coffee was not as decaffeinated as it should have been. Had been perfectly fine until entering the doors of that first circle of serpent hell. Could not believe that the previous state of inspiration and contentment could evaporate so instantly.
Was eventually inspired to try the quieter areas upstairs where there was outside seating in the sunshine. At that stage was feeling pecking as well as totally miserable. The Izzie normally avoids food courts like the plague but there would be no where else around to grab some munchies. Coffee was of course completely out of the question
There was the usual assortment of pizza, pasta, burgers and greasy spoon Chinese stuff and all at pretty inflated prices. Made do with a combination plate of noodles, omelette and assorted vegetables. It was edible but certainly not nourishing. It cost more but wasn’t even half as good as the Mi Goreng at the little Sparrow Indonesian eatery visited earlier that day. Guessing that at least half the price of the meal went to paying the exorbitant rents for that monstrous shopping carbuncle
By the time of finally making it to the meeting in yet another over priced and over rated greasy spoon joint (Fast Eddies) was a blubbering brain dead zombie. At this stage it was very apparent what does not make Izzie tick - lots of shops and hordes of horrid humans. But for the majority of those in that place shopping seems to be nothing short of a religious ritual.
Decided that the next time they have a really interesting topic and the Izzie is ever tempted to attend, will time the transport to arrive just before 6pm at the bottle shop next door and to use the shopping centre as nothing more than the safest way to get there without getting lost in the monstrous maze that is Morley.
Yesterday paid another visit to that little Indonesian place before wandering over to the Lincoln Street cafe to sit out on the veranda soaking up the sunshine. Even took the chance of having a normal cup of coffee - caffeine included
Walked past the bus stops and that pretty church and ended up in a pretty old park with Moreton Bay fig trees. It’s been a good year or so since lurking there. The lakes were a bit on the nose with algal blooms and sludge but that did not deter the black swans and ibises from lurking there. There were also many tiny birds picking insects on the trunks of the plane trees. It was like another world light years away from that shopping hell.
Had a heavenly hour sitting in the sunshine watching the birds flitting about and singing. Also indulged in reading the adventures of the little devil Jakabob from Demonation as he gets dragged up in a net from the ninth circle of Hell. That infernal place is best kept between the covers of a book.
There are so many beautiful little spots in the older suburbs of the city with cafes, parks and ponds along with the rickety bockety ramshackle old houses lining the narrow streets. There’s no need for Izzie to ever lurk in the Badlands again and resurrect the real demons and Dementors