Steam Trains, Snow Leopards and Smoke

The weekend was very people-y.

I was at work on Friday for some meetings and training, which naturally involved there being people.

On Friday evening I went to a small drinks party in the North tower (I live in the South tower). There were three other people, plus me, which wasn't particularly people-y and was very pleasant. We are members of the Garden Group and it was good to catch up over drinks and nibbled for a general chat, rather than in the garden for a garden-specific conversation.

I had a Zoom Japanese class on Saturday morning. The class was almost full and was fun and interesting. I had done the material before but it's not something I need to use all that often so a refresher was good.

I was doing some of my regular morning Japanese study when I heard what sounded remarkably like a steam train blowing its horn. But where would there be a steam train so close that I could hear it? You know - maybe at the very large station out in my backyard? Maybe?

I checked and there was indeed a steam train at Southern Cross, due to go out just after I was due to meet Lindsey to catch a not-steam train. So I wandered over a bit early to have a look

The train was going on a day trip to Seymour and there were lots of people boarding for the trip, plus people on the platform taking photos and wandering around. I took a few photos and made my way to the platform I actually needed to be on.

Lindsey and I took the train out to Melbourne Zoo where we were meeting Freyja and Simon. Simon was going to a "Prepare lunch for the spider monkeys and feed them" experience. Freyja, Lindsey and I went for a wander around while he was doing that and then met up when he was finished. The zoo was quite busy. It was a beautiful winter's day and families had come out in numbers. Plus, there was a child's birthday party in one of the function rooms. It was all a bit busy and noisy for me, but I hadn't slept well on Friday night, had been awake since mega-silly o'clock and wasn't in the best of moods. Also my back, hip and knee were very grumpy. We did, however, see the snow leopard cubs which was a great pleasure.

 

We had morning tea with the giraffes

We saw some dinosaurs

We saw some lemurs

And we saw lions and a wombat and seals and penguins and lots of other things. We were there for the seal talk, which was very interesting and also fun.

Then we all went to the Cornish Arms in Brunswick for a late lunch.

It wasn't such a nice day yesterday but we four went to the Alphington market anyway. It was drizzly and rainy but not too bad and there were still quite a few people there. My kitchen is now adequately vegetabled up. Lindsey came round to my place around 2:30 because brother Matthew was in town visiting William and they came around for afternoon coffee and a catch up.

They had just left when Matt rang to tell me that "The North tower is on fire!!!" On fire? Really? Can't be too bad; they haven't evacuated the building. I went out to have a sticky anyway. There were people stood around on the Marvel concourse watching smoke billowing from a balcony (and perhaps also the flat) fairly low down. There was a lot of smoke. Matthew, Lindsey and Will were stood back, watching. The host of Friday's drinks party was also stood outside. The Marvell security people wouldn't let her back into the building. Fire engines came, Lindsey, Matthew and William went away and E and I went down the stairs from the concourse to Harbour Esplanade and came in through the front entrance.

It is alleged that someone had put a piece of brisket in a smoker, gone inside and inadvertently fallen asleep, burning the brisket and producing Very Much Smoke. It will have been an expensive nap. Not only was the brisket rendered inedible but they will almost certainly have to pay for the fire brigade to turn out which will be expensive. Plus, barbecues are not permitted on people's balconies. The OC regulations say nothing about smokers but I wouldn't be surprised if smokers are considered to be a form of barbecue, in which case the unfortunate dozer may be fined by the OC committee as well.

It is raining quite hard today. I will still need to go to the supermarket at some stage. And I am supposed to be heading out for dinner later. But for now I am inside, in the dry with a warming cup of tea. No extra people in my flat. Just me and two felines.