Winter weekend in Melbourne.

Spent a grey day wandering the streets of Melbourne, playing tourist in our hometown.  From the portico of the GPO, to the windows of Harrold's with their wonderful Thom Brown catwalk pieces on loan, to the lovely La Belle Miette facade now at the top end of Collins Street and wandering many more of this cities streets and lane ways.  Ah, Melbourne it is a great city.

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Tasty Clubbing.

One from the vault. This photo has just surfaced from the mid 90's.  Mr Brown and Stella Constellation spending another riotous evening at Melbourne's notorious Tasty nightclub.  

Tasty will soon mark the 20th anniversary of the police raid that made it infamous.

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ENUF @ The Atrium

Our wonderful village of Melbourne is hosting the Aids 2014 conference for its 20th anniversary.  We hopped along to the Atrium at Federation Square on Friday evening for the launch of ENUF Already, a central cultural component and exhibition within the conference.

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ENUF Already.  Fighting the stigma surrounding HIV/Aids.

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Nic-naks from the castle #27.

This lovely little find from Oedo Antique Market in Tokyo has found a few friends and a spot to call home at Nic-nak Castle.

New life at Mars.

MARs, (Melbourne Art RoomS) takes a bold step into a brand new universe of its own.  While many galleries in Melbourne are downsizing or disappearing, Mars has left its Port Melbourne digs and set up orbit in Windsor in a brand new custom build space.  Saturday night was the grand blastoff with Jud Wimhurst's Safe/Secure helmet couture taking top billing on the main floor.  A galaxy of art aliens turned out to wish Mars director, the vivacious Andy Dinan, well with her new locale. Mars features several gallery spaces and a dedicated viewing room for video based presentation.

Jud Wimhurst, Safe/Secure.

Mr Brown and Andy Dinan, Mars director.

Check out life and work on Mars at 7 James Street, Windsor.

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To good times and drinking friend in Japan..

And a thank you to our friends that shared a drink or two with us in Japan and made our adventure a little more interesting and humorous. Tess and Anthony downing a few mugs of Sake with us at a bar in the Golden Gai.

And of course our fun foodie companions, Chris and Ruby, accompanied us on several bar and restaurant forays in both Tokyo and Kyoto.

Ah.  Good times in Japan.

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Nic-naks from Nippon #19.

Goodbe kitty, sayonara Japan.

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Asakusa and the Senso-ji.

The Senso-ji Temple is Tokyo's oldest shrine dating back over 1000 years, before Tokyo, or even Edo were thought of.  Like most Japanese temples it has been rebuilt many, many times, but it is still a draw card for tourists and Toykoites alike.

The crowds, the incense smoke, the pagodas, the kimonos.  Its all a bit Disney and historic at the same time.  Gotta love Japan and its theatre.

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