Local Beach

I went for a walk along the beach at St Kilda last Sunday. It was a windy day but sunny and warm, so it wasn't such a bad spot for a walk for a couple of hours.

Even though it's not my favourite beach in Melbourne (in fact it's probably the least likeable beach in the whole city, although there are some horrific ones in the western suburbs) it's closest to where I live.

On that day there were dozen of kite surfers taking advantage of the windy conditions. This is a really impressive sport to see up close - the upper body and arm strength required must be massive. Also due to the wind and storms of the previous few days, there were lots of dead jellyfish washed up on the shore. The creatures are fascinating and beautiful when you see them in the water, looking like transparent gaudy carnival tents with streamers trailing. Out of the water, they retain their shininess but lose the magic they have when floating.

St Kilda / South Melbourne has a great mix of old colonial style 'terrace houses', 1970s dinginess, and contemporary style. Somehow it all works. Not sure if I could live there though.

Storm

There was such a violent storm in Melbourne yesterday that it took everyone by surprise. It lasted about an hour and caused huge flood and wind damage. There were even golfball sized hail stones! I've never seen anything like it. Check out these ridiculous photos (taken from The Age website)

I was at Chadstone shopping centre in the eastern suburbs when the storm struck. The mall has a large complex of plastic atrium roofs. The sounds of the huge hail stones and heavy rain hitting the plastic was about as loud as a plane taking off. Sections of the shopping centre flooded in less than ten minutes. The whole exciting fun thing of a huge storm suddenly looked dangerous. I slipped on the wet marble floor several times. After the fifth time of slipping I thought I had better sit down and wait it out at a cafe.

This photo was taken at Southern Cross train station, where a section of the roof collapsed.

This is at Flemington horse racing track, where races where being held when the storm hit.

There was so much hail of such a large size it settled on the ground for more than an hour. It looked like snow - in mild autumnal March!

Ne Me Quitte Pas

One of my favourite French songs is "Ne Me Quitte Pas" ("Don't Leave Me") by Belgian singer/songwriter Jacques Brel. 

It's a classic - mainly, I think, because it's so emotional, raw and wrenching. The grim persistent desperation of the original somehow gets lost in the translation, unfortunately. I've had a try at it, see what you think.

"Don't leave me, you have to forget,

Anything can be forgotten, and it's already drifting away.

Forget the time of misunderstandings and lost time - 

You just have to know how -

To forget all those hours that killed sometimes,

Throwing around words like "Why?", "Heart of Happiness".

Don't leave me.

I will offer you pearls of rain

That come from countries where it never rains.

I will till the soil until after my death

To cover your body with gold and light.

I will create a kingdom

Where Love will be King,

Where Love will be Law,

Where you will be Queen.

Don't leave me.

I will invent for you insane words

That you will understand.

I will speak to you of those Lovers

Who have known twice their hearts enflamed.

I will tell you the story of a King

Who died from not having been able to meet you.

Don't leave me.

People have often seen fires erupt again

From an ancient volcano

That they had thought too old.

It is apparently the scorched soils

That give more wheat than the best April.

And when the evening comes,

For the sky to blaze,

Do the Red and the Black not marry?

Don't leave me.

Don't leave me, I won't cry, I won't speak.

I'll hide over there, watching you dance and smile,

Listening to you sing and then laugh.

Let me become

The shadow of your shadow,

The shadow of your hand,

The shadow of your dog.

Don't leave me."