Freyja, Simon, Stephen and Ross are actually on holiday. They're in Western Australia, about to take the Indian Pacific across the Nullarbor to Sydney. (I have been tormenting Stella by saying that they are camping their way across the continent 😆; Lindsey says they're "tramping" - camping on a train).
While they are away, someone is coming in to make sure Ghost, Freyja and Simon's cat, is fed and watered. And I have come for the weekend so she has someone to play with. Lindsey is feeding my cats while I am cat-sitting Ghost. It's a Cat Shuffle!
I was working on Friday, so came to Westgarth after work, stopping for fish and chips on the way. Ghost is not a people cat, on the whole, unless she knows you really well. However, I bribed my way into her heart and stomach at Christmas with LOTS of cat treats. She clearly remembers me as the Crazy Cat Treat Lady and, as soon as she realised it was me who had come in on Friday evening, went and sat where the treats are kept and miaowed at me. She also wanted my chips, but cats don't eat hot potato chips. Or so I told Ghost!
I had intended to go into the city yesterday but there wasn't anything I particularly wanted to do in the city and the forecast was for a hot afternoon. So I didn't. I pottered around in the local area instead. I'm in the funny position that I know Westgarth (which is part of the suburb of Northcote) reasonably well. The tram from the city out to work goes along the High Street. I am moderately familiar with the streets around Freyja and Simon's place. But I don't really know it properly. So I took the opportunity for a bit of an explore.
But first. Breakfast! I had had a cup of tea when I got up but they have a proper coffee machine. I have a plunger jug at my place and am a bit intimidated by machines that make coffee. So I went to the 4 Beans cafe, which I have been to before when we were going to Marlo and bought takeaway coffee for the trip. They make good coffee. It turns out they also make good food!
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| I got there about 20 minutes after they opened. It was filling up when I left |
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| A double shot cappuccino. It was on the edge of being too strong for me! |
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| You cannot complain about the amount you get when you ask for poached eggs on toast with a side of bacon |
I decided to head out mid-morning to look at the local shops. I had heard tell of a fancy pants deli-type shop in the Westgarth shops that I might like. Instead of using one of the pedestrian crossings across the railway I decided to go up to the vehicle crossing - only to find that the lights and boom gates were stuck and nobody, either in vehicles or on foot, could get across. Traffic chaos abounded! I found a pedestrian bridge and went over that
Terra Madre is indeed a fancy deli/supermarket/grocers. It is also much like a Tardis. Looks like an ordinary shop outside. Goes on forever, inside, and is much like a rabbit warren. Couldn't find any tea, though I assume there is some, somewhere. But I did find pasta and a tomato pasta sauce, parmesan cheese and coffee milk, fancy sparkling waters. Many, many other tempting things, but I didn't really need all the tempting things. Plus, of course, I had to carry everything back to the house!
The boom gates were still stuck down when I went back. I crossed over the train tracks at one of the pedestrian crossings
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| Most vehicles gave up waiting and turned around and went back or along small side streets |
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| I think this truck was going to have considerable difficulty turning around! |
I decided, later in the afternoon, to go and have a look at the Merri Creek, which runs along the bottom of Freyja and Simon's street. It was still quite hot, but it wasn't humid and there was a gentle, cool-ish breeze blowing. One day, when it is a bit cooler, I'll go for a proper walk. For yesterday, a gentle potter was sufficient.
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| Sitting on my knee, no less! |
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| Plaintively wishing I would let her out into the courtyard. |
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