Revisiting My Dissolute Youth

Actually, I don't suppose my youth was particularly dissolute. I married quite young and had a child at 21, so there wasn't much opportunity to be properly dissolute. But I did spend quite a lot of my 20s and even part of my 30s in and around Carlton, Parkville, North Carlton, Brunswick. And Lygon Street was a favourite haunt when I was an undergrad.  

I was working on Thursday and opening on Friday, so I stayed in East Melbourne overnight. I was due to meet Freyja and Simon in a pizzeria on the corner of Lygon and Elgin Streets at 7:15 on Thursday evening. So I had a bit of time to spare after work.

I caught a tram into town and went to Daiso. They didn't have any of my favourite mints. Where they usually are, there were Christmas decorations. They did have other tempting things, though. 

Then I took another tram to Lygon Street and went for a walk down one side and then back up the other side. When I was an undergraduate, Lygon was pretty much 100% Italian. All sorts of pizzeria, pasta places, coffee shops, gelateria. And a few other things, like toy shops, kitchen shops, Readings, the bookshop. But mostly, Italian food shops. I think there was an occasional Greek one, but not on the main strip. Apart from the souvlaki shop on the corner, where we would go if hungry in the evening for souvlaki and chips.

Now you can get absolutely any nation's cuisine that you could possibly want. And still pizza and pasta and plenty of coffee

I met Freyja and Simon in the pizza and pasta shop on the corner of Lygon and Elgin. We had a vegan pizza, a vegetarian pizza and a meaty pizza, together with a glass of wine each. Then Simon suggested that we head to a wine bar for an after pizza drink. And we went to a back bar at Jimmy Watsons, where I don't think I've been for 35, perhaps 40 years. It was never a regular haunt. If we were going drinking we usually went to one of the nearby pubs. But we did go when we were feeling flush, or had an occasion to celebrate. Or whenever.

And it's a lovely place. You can see why it's survived. Lots of little bars and courtyards and terraces. And friendly, chatty but not obtrusive staff. "You haven't been here for 35 years? Welcome back! But why not? Where have you been? England? Ballarat? OK. I guess that's a reasonable excuse!"

I was, however, reminded that I am not, in fact, in my 20s or even 30s anymore when it was time to get up on Friday morning! I had a 7:30 start so needed to be up by 6, if I were to have a gentle slide into the day. Getting up was not high on my list of favourite things to do at 6:00 on Friday morning!

I can't remember now if I mentioned it, but when Lindsey and I were in Japan in March we visited the Sekigahara Battle Museum and I bought Stella a Samurai teddy bear in the museum shop. Alas, at some point someone stole it from her bear cabinet. We suspect one of the casual staff. If it had still been in the facility someone would have found it and I don't think any of the permanent staff would have nicked it. If they had light fingers, I think they would be gone by now. Anyway, it doesn't matter who took it. It was gone.

Ross was recently in Japan and he went to Sekigahara. Austin selected a replacement bear. I e-sent the money for it. Austin purchased it. Ross brought it from Japan to Ballarat. Lindsey brought it from Ballarat to the surgery. And today, I took it to Stella's place in Mount Clear. It was, I'm sure you will agree, an excellent family venture!

We have not put it in the bear cabinet. Let us not tempt fate. We have put it next to Tony's memorial bear and with the little "Stella" teddy Stella was given when she first moved in:

And Austin sent over a bag full of my favourite Japanese mints, so it didn't matter that Daiso didn't have any.