A taste of Melbourne...

Ah Melbourne, how I do love catching up with you.

We've just had a short holiday staying with family and seeing old friends. My brother lives in North Fitzroy so my parents flew in too and we all stayed together for the weekend. Just lovely.

The boys love their Very Cool Uncle. Highlight for my five year old was the sleep-over at his place or perhaps more accurately the computer games on his TV.

The boys played soccer in the hallway and soccer in the park, kicked up the leaves in the street and entertained their grandparents.  The cat flap was an unexpected bonus.

Making the most of the babysitters we shopped a little, walked a lot and ate out.

We wandered down Brunswick Street, had brunch on a much-changed Gertrude Street, bought  indigenous art at the Australian Print Workshop and checked out my brother's new studio in an old Carlton mechanics' workshop.  He's still cleaning off decades of grease and painting it out but it's already  home to the sort of stuff little boys (and even their non-sewing mums) would love to have at home.

This was endlessly fascinating, almost as good as a cat flap.

As we spent Sunday morning with my cousins, my husband told me it was his turn to catch up with his family  - turns out he meant the Collingwood Football club. I think he's actually serious. Football is no laughing matter.

It was the first father/son football match for them and yes I checked, it is okay to dress like that in public in Melbourne. In fact, expected.