Neither flies nor mosquitoes are spoiling being outside.
Have you noticed that the cicadas are quiet this year but there are clouds of white butterflies everywhere?
This week a four-year-old, her mother and grandmother got up with the sparrows and drove to Melbourne to be at Rippon Lea Estate (Elsterwick) by 10.30am to see Tinkerbell and her friends sing and dance in the garden.
There were lots and lots of little fairies who searched the gardens afterwards, determined to find more fairies. Dads and grannies were numerous, not just mums.
Tinkerbell’s performances finish on January 23.
We had previously seen Wind in the Willows in the Royal Botanic Gardens (running until January 30) and are now planning to see Alice in Wonderland at the Athenaeum Theatre before it finishes on January 22.
Our four-year-old has taken to live performances like a duck to water. Falling in love with Alice and her friends can never happen too early. My grandmother read all her stories to me from a very early age and they were our daughters preferred stories too.
Alice is our family tradition so it goes without saying that we would make day trips to Melbourne to see her and also to meet Tinkerbell, Ratty and Mole. Other families possibly go to see Harry Potter, in time we will too.
There is so much for children to enjoy in Melbourne this summer at the State Library, Museum and National Gallery Victoria (NGV). We have put Shaun the Sheep Circus Show on hold for another year.
After seeing Tinkerbell we picnicked on St Kilda Beach and lay on our back flapping our arms and legs to make fairy imprints in the sand then decorated them with shells and seaweed for others to find. This was great fun.
We brushed ourselves off and went to the NGV for a bit of glamour. The Coco Chanel Exhibition was gorgeous but trumped by the pink pond. Its reflection in a certain light turned people into iridescent moving shapes. It was wonderful and mysterious. Even adults tried to see the pink colour in handfuls of water.
There are only so many dresses a four-year-old will look at yet ours was quite clear about her favourites which included all the sparkling evening dresses. She also loved the jewellery.
Coco is interestingly quoted about wearing her own jewellery pieces, some of which are very large.
“I willingly cover myself in jewellery because on me they always look fake. The folly of wanting to dazzle makes me sick. A piece of jewellery should cause astonishment at most, not envy. It should remain an ornament and amusement,” she said.
For us, being reminded about the role of the little black dress and the classic two-piece suit of numerous reincarnations was nostalgic.
We talked for ages about how we mourn beautiful, simple, yet classic design that flatters the figure and is easy to wear.
Few today wear a beautiful suit to work or to lunch and rarely justify a sequined evening dress that might only be worn once.
Dressing for occasions like the opera, theatre, formal dinners and dances has sadly passed. We pondered whether this is progress or the demise of style?
It was then time to head home, with one detour.
We headed for the adventure playground in Royal Parade, Parkville which is fantastic and one of 25 extraordinary parks to choose between.
Three generations enjoyed every aspect of our day trip to Melbourne. We all laughed, had fun and practised safe health requirements. It was a win, win, win day.
— Suzie Pearce
