The Serious Art of Writing

I have declared to the world that I am a writer quite a bit today. Out and about in St Kilda I've found a couple of cafes in which to briefly set up camp. For the small consideration of a cup of coffee (or in one case a scrummy hot chocky), I have been able to sit happily in the warm with my travel companion Sussy filling in the atmospheric authenticity of my novel. Big Mouth cafe and bar on the corner of Acland and Barkly Streets and The Vineyard Restaurant on St Kilda's Esplanade are the first two trendy, friendly establishments to feature as settings in my novel. The cafe staff and clientèle hangers around have been very interested in what I am doing and Sussy, my wee EeePC jobby has been attracting a fair amount of attention. It's so dinky that folk don't believe it could be a real computer. Haha! My cunning plan in action!

I am way impressed with how friendly cafe staff are this time round. Maybe when we visited in March, Caroline and I were just not engaging successfully with them because the hospitality staff encountered on that visit all seemed to be stand-offish like they had hemorrhoids or some such, making them ultra grumpy. This time however I have introduced myself and my project to the cafe folk and received a very different response. Maybe it's that my enthusiasm for what I am doing is glowing from me or perhaps it is actually interesting to people but whatever the reason, I am welcome at cafes now. At Big Mouth the duty manager Brendon even sat down to read over my shoulder and asked to be named in the book. Here you go then Brendon you get your name AND picture on my blog! The pretty lass with him is co-worker Sandra.

It's raining here today. I thought that I might escape the rain if I left Auckland but – er – no, apparently not. However Melbourne rain is different. It is frigging cold for one thing! A high predicted of 12 degrees today – high?! That is like the radio announcing that it was a balmy 15 degrees when I visited the Catlins once in December. I guess the rest of the world is a hardier bunch than Little Miss Auckland here. I do like the rain when I have the time and freedom to dance around splashing about in puddles, singing as I go. It's only when I need to turn up somewhere clean and dry that it is a pain. Or when it never seems to stop. I prefer weather variety. It's the spice of life so bring me sunshine, bring me rain, just not snow 'cos I didn't bring my skis.

So it's cold we've established but I knew it would be so I'm not complaining. I have my thermals so the cold is my friend. The rain, I could have done without after Auckland's persistence but as I said, Melbourne rain is not like Auckland. There is no wind attached. the rain comes here straight down in heavy curtains. If it hasn't set in for the entire day as it has today then the rain sheets are sudden, heavy and you had better have an umbrella or be able to run for cover fast! I like Melbourne rain, it is committed and as that could be said to describe the crazy Kiwi lady splashing about like a looney in puddles, it is my kind of rain.