EATERY

Yu-U is a hidden gem, nestled quietly off Flinders Lane - and when I say hidden, I really do mean hidden. The only clue to you get is a tiny, square sign next to a graffiti door just off Olivers Lane and of course this little post on the Sorelli website! A short, narrow red door from the outside leads to a gastronomical pleasure house, which earned a chef’s hat in the current Good Food Guide. Once you close this red door behind you, some steps lead you downstairs and suddenly you are in a different world. The light is dispersed in such a way that one feels partly awake and partly in dream state. The décor is Japanese minimalistic timber furnishings with private rooms. The petite hostess welcomes you with a gentle nod and leads you to your table. Bookings cannot grow beyond 6 people. This is a quiet, intimate place.

ART-ATTACK

Melbourne street art tours is the first street art tour in Australia that is run by street artists. You will get an overview of the Melbourne underground street art scene. Each tour will be led by one of Melbourne’s elite street art stars. With local knowledge on just about everything, the guide’s will treat you to some of Melbourne’s hidden underground treasures. You will discover some of the most interesting street art and galleries in the world, as you are led down hidden laneways and arcades with the tour finishing at the famous Blender Studios. (Here you will get to see artists and street artists at work, together in a massive city art studio.) Website: http://www.melbournestreettours.com

BEAUTUFUL NOISE

Have you ever had the pleasure of hearing Cecilia Bartoli live? Apparently she does not plan to come to Australia because we are too far away from the rest of the world. Well, if you are not planning a trip to europe anytime soon, you can hear Cecilia on utube or buy her CDs locally. Her latest CD was released October 2009 - Sacraficium is a CD worth having as part of your collection. Hearing Cecilia on this CD will affect any sensitive soul - her singing is so moving, its as though she is right before you. Take a look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZdcp_FpfqI
Sacraficium is dedicated to the thousands of boys who were sacrificed for the Beauty of Music. Cecilia Bartoli uncovers the extraordinary world of the 'Castrati', and sings the glorious music they inspired with her brand new album SACRIFICIUM.
This aria is from Vivaldi's opera, "Bajazet." 'Sposa son disprezzata'. Piano - Georg Fischer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jr3WNaMJMA8
Cecilia Bartoli - Vivaldi - Bajazet - Sposa son disprezzata

HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE...

Have you ever heard of this word - GONGOOZLER ?
Apparently, it means an idle spectator. This is one of the odder words in the English lexicon and not only because of its strange appearance. It suddenly started to become popular in Britain from about 1970 onwards, but with very little previous recorded history attached to it. It is closely linked with canal life, and even now it seems to be a word especially favoured by those who like to mess about on narrow waterways. It is said to have been a bit of canal workers’ slang, originally for a person who stood on the towpath idly watching activity. You might expect that it would date from the heyday of the canals in the early part of the nineteenth century, but it is actually only recorded from the end of that century or the early twentieth. It was given wider public notice by the late L T C Rolt, who used it in his book about canal life, Narrow Boat, in 1944. It is said to derive from a couple of words in Lincolnshire dialect: gawn and gooze, both meaning to stare or gape.
However, nobody seems too clear about this

HIDEAWAY

The Grampians are not only spectacular to visit, but also, the rock material that composes the high peaks of the Grampians mountains is sandstone which was laid down from rivers during the Devonian era 380 million years ago. Not everyone knows or has been to the Wonderland Loop. Set out from Halls Gap, follow this loop walk around the spectacular Pinnacle Lookout. Follow the Silent Street ravine to a series of rock formations and the intriguing high-walled Grand Canyon.