Melbourne
The Melbourne International Film Festival...never in a million years would I have thought I'd be telling people that I was going to a film festival, let alone one in Melbourne. Yet, here I was on, on a plane to Melbourne (finally, no thanks to bloody Jetstar...mumble, grumble). I had a movie to see. I had a new friend to meet for the first time in person who was kind enough to offer me her home and hospitality. I had sight-seeing to do and photographs to take. I had to meet a cheeky young man who had promised me a cuddle after watching his traumatic film performance. All this, thanks to a book.
My beautiful Caroline met me at the airport with a most excellent hug and the announcement that we were meeting her godson for dinner later. A car-park adventure and postponement later, we were heading to her place to meet her family instead. Caroline, her parents and fur-babies made me feel extremely welcome and we chatted until late in the evening before crashing in utter exhaustion, thanks to my messed up flights during the wee hours of the morning.
Friday was a very relaxed affair. After brunch Caroline drove us to the mountains to see Mount Macedon and the beautiful bushland.
We had a shot of caffeine and bit of a hike through the mud to discover some awesome views...
...and fluffy wildlife. Can you spot it?
Just before sunset I caught a peek of the Mt Macedon War Memorial through the encroaching mist.
I got to have a bit of photographic fun, catching a rather dark and cloudy sunset for my Polaroid Blipfoto journal.
We tried to visit Hanging Rock on the way home, but, unfortunately, missed opening times. That trip is on the agenda for my next visit. Still, we encountered a wombat on the road on the way, so the slight detour was totally worth it.
More deep and meaningful conversations happened that night (no surprises there) before we crashed, ready for our big MIFF Centrepiece Gala premiere of Holding the Man the next day.
A Slight Detour - A Personal Pilgrimage
The day of the premiere, Caroline was kind enough to take me to the cemetery where John had been laid to rest. She had already been there with Craig in an effort for them both to find some closure and to pay their respects to this remarkable young man. This is how hard the story hit them, and I understood completely. I took flowers, bright and cheerful tulips from Ms Holland. I stood at the grave and sent a message to the beautiful boy that I'd never known, but who had touched me so deeply. It felt terribly wrong, seeing that single headstone there with no Timothy Conigrave beside him.
He should have been there.
:'(
I followed all your Melbourne adventures on twitter, but it's nice to read a bit more than just 140 characters. This entry however is still way to short, so I'm waiting patiently for the next part.
ReplyDeleteI followed all your Melbourne adventures on twitter, but it's nice to read a bit more than just 140 characters. This entry however is still way to short, so I'm waiting patiently for the next part.
ReplyDelete