Out Walking

Bruno and I head out for a walk. It is a grey day, threatening to rain throughout the whole walk, although it never did.

Just me and Bruno, just the two of us.

I'm listening to Janis Joplin. I've been listening to all her albums right through the last few days, and I finish Kozmic Blues and start with Pearl.

The punters are lining up outside the cafes two and three deep and we have to push through. My friend Jill loves to send me articles on how Fitzroy is trendy, the latest how Gertrude Street has been voted the 2nd coolest street in the world, of some such shit. It is a joy to be so popular, I think, as I push through the tourists standing gormlessly about.

We head into the grey Carlton Gardens below the grey sky and Janis sings Cry Baby. It seems kind of fitting.

The park is melancholy under the heavy grey sky. I try to take some moody photos but Bruno is not cooperating and he continually pulls me away as I line up the shot.

We pass a woman walking a staffy.

We head passed the tennis courts and the pop, pop, pop of the ball being hit, and we head down to the corner to get pooh bags. Bruno, of course, wants to go over to the courts to find tennis balls, his favourite thing, but with a little persuasion he sees it my way and trots along next to me.

We head up to the Rubick’s Cube and get 10 more pooh bags from the dispenser there. We're getting low and the rolls were full.

The woman and the staffy reappear heading towards us again. She is not keen for her staffy to say hello to Bruno and she pulls him away as we meet.

We walk back through the piazza between the museum and the Exhibition Buildings.

I try to walk diagonally across the square in front of a prep school group all dressed the same who were filing in five parallel lines in single file to their buses. We were just slipping across in front of them when Bruno stops as we got to the last line instead of continuing to walk and that line of children were on us quickly. And moments later we had the handsome teacher and many small hands patting Bruno.

“What a gorgeous creature,” says the handsome young teacher. “He must be popular around these parts.”

“Yes, he is,” I say.

“I bet,” says the handsome teacher.

Bruno laps up all the attention. I wish I'd had a camera. Well, of course I do have a camera, but it is all too quick for that.

We turn for home.