One Fine Day
On a Tuesday in April
We decided to go on an excursion to the city on Tuesday in the last week of term 1. It’s been delayed for a few weeks due to the rain forecast and the harmony day event. We planned to gather at 9 am and take the train to the city, Flinders Street Station. Six students were at the station when I arrived, and we waited 20 minutes for latecomers. Two more students came before we got on the citybound train.
It's been a while since I was in this train, and the scenery outside the window looked different. The familiar barren fields of the western suburbia spread broader and more desolate this time, which would be a mere impression rather than a change. Nearing the city, I noticed high-rise apartments towering over the western fringes that I couldn't remember that they were there before. Things are changing.
Forty minutes into the train ride, we were in the city. We squeezed into our plan quite a few places to explore by lunchtime when we'd be catching the train back to Werribee. The first destination was Royal Botanic Gardens. We caught a tram outside Flinders Street Station. We were passing Melbourne's art precinct, the art centre and national gallery, along the boulevard flanked by plane and elm trees. St Kilda Road. There have been few changes from what it was when I first came to Melbourne, apart from the modern trams running alongside. Opposite the art precinct is the ever-neat and green Alexandra Gardens. I glanced at the silent faces looking out the window of the tram.
We got off at the Shrine of Remembrance, around which we'd walk to get to the botanic gardens. We posed for a photo in front of the memorial building. School students were on excursions sitting at the far back stairs, which gave a lovely backdrop for our photo shoots. Brisk walking across the wet grass glistening from the morning sun soaked my toes through my mesh trainers. We got to one of the gates within minutes and started to stroll along the garden paths. We could enjoy a pleasant garden walk with few visitors around. Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne was founded in 1846 and it extends across 38 hectares that slope to the Yarra river with trees, garden beds, lakes and lawns.
A few pale faces, swathed in a head scarf, were getting used to the Aussie sunlight, their long skirts fluttering carefree in the wind behind them.
Do you like flowers?
Yes, I do. Workalem, whose dark skin radiated like a supple petal, asked from behind me as I zoomed in over the flowers. A busy mum of four young kids will get to a stage sooner or later when she nurtures her soul with this kind of trivia. The garden flowers are showy but aren't pompous, and they seem to know the virtue of harmony. Among them, this purple flower emanated a noble aura. It is called Princess Flower. A plant identifier app taught me they are popular among the royal botanic gardens.
Oil-producing tea-oil camellia, lavender look-alike lobster bush and daisy look-alike garden cosmos blossomed under the autumn morning sun. They looked familiar yet unknown to me till today, just like people passing by in the street. We scattered, walking along the way to the lake while chatting away or taking photos of each other.
We came across Bloodleaf. The vivid red bush was like firey flowers and Chinese silver grasses danced to the breeze next to them. They looked good together, or they didn't. At least they were thriving and surviving, and that's the main thing.
We arrived at the lake and took a breath on the benches, looking over the lake. Under construction? A worker was hanging around the mini greenhouses on the lake's edge. They might have built them to protect young plants until they become strong enough to endure the harsh seasons. Pinky lotus flowers were floating above the dark canvas of the lake water. I called the worker to ask about the way out of the gardens. It was now time to move on. We had a few more places to visit, Federation Square and Queen Victoria Market. We retraced the way to Flinders Street Station, across which Federation Square is located.
The square was near empty as usual on most weekday mornings when we arrived, and I could see that no one was excited. Folks found it a rather dull place, for there needed to be something to do or to see, apart from the modern architecture and flagstones under the feet. I felt an impulse to run around chasing each other as I did at school long ago. I longed to revert to my childhood. We were idling on the side lawn for a few minutes.
So we left the square behind and jumped on the tram for Queen Victoria Market. We bought our lunch from the shops inside the market and munched them at the street table before browsing the market stalls. Their eyes twinkled brighter than they did in the botanic gardens. Fresh fruits and veggies, meat and poultry, something to bring back home and cook for dinner at market price, is exciting. Lost in the crowd at the meat section, I stood in front of my favourite poultry shop beside Workalem, whispering that their chickens were always fresh.
1 kilo? Half a kilo? 2 kilos, please.
Do they like chicken? Yeah.
Do they eat a lot? Yes, they do.
She stacked up 2 kilos of chicken breasts on top of strawberry packs inside her shopping bag full of groceries. We retraced to Flinders Street Station and waited for the homebound train, tired and content.
