For all the people who complain about there being  nothing to do in Perth, bah humbug.

Friday night went to the Nova 937 Eskimo Joe album launch at the Astor – nothing better than a gig with seats! Love those showcase gigs where you get a short, sharp set. Great to see the Astor getting a new lease on life. Inshalla is one of those great no-filler albums you can just play and play, as I have for the past week.

Afterwards had dinner at Hanami. So many places to choose from in Mt Lawley these days compared to 20 years ago when there was only the Desert Cafe.

Driving through Northbridge on a Saturday morning is a killer. Watch out for the one way streets when trying to take short cuts to avoid William St mayhem.

My new favourite bit of Northbridge is around Brisbane/Palmertson St.  Those with a sweet tooth should head for Rochelle Adonis cakes at 193 Brisbane for divine nougat, cakes and tarts. She is only open Wed to Sat.  I also spotted a new Italian patisserie nearby so must go back to check that out soon. With Tarts and Le Papillon nearby, I may undertake a cake crawl….

Mt Lawley restaurants seemed quiet on Friday compared to the crowd at Tony Romas in Perth on Saturday.

If you want ribs on a Friday or Saturday, my tip is get there by 6.30pm because they don’t take bookings those nights.  That said the wait at the bar didn’t seem overly long. No sign of recession with people tucking into plates of ribs and giant cocktails. Loved the complimentary bread basket with herb butter, a nice touch.

Only quibble was with the kid in the booth behind me who kept reaching over and grabbing at my hair. Hello parents, if I can keep my kids seated why can’t you? If all mothers have eyes in the backs of their heads why couldn’t this one see her kid standing up on the seat facing the wrong way?! Ended up swapping with my daughter, and the kid couldn’t quite reach her head.

Perth seems to have an awful lot of lights on in the city after dark. Why? Even the Harbourtown carpark was ablaze with lights Saturday night and we all know Perth doesn’t have late night trading at weekends, although I live in hope.

Mandurah is amazing. We have driven by rather than into Mandurah the past few years but today we went to visit friends at their waterside apartment and were surprised how much had changed. Had fish and chips at Cicerellos and then coffee over at Ninos. So many cafes and restaurants to choose from. And the drive is much quicker now! Next time we might be more organised and catch the train. Dolphins were an added treat.