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 Blogging time was spent locked in our building's lift. 

Sunday Selections

I'm joining in with Elephant's Child and River for this week's Sunday Selections. Just some randomness. I wish I was quick enough to capture the mudlarks, small birds, seeing off cockatoos, large birds, in flight for a couple of hundred metres. 

Point Ormond, Elwood Beach. Blissful.

Hoardings around Metro Tunnel works change at times. These are rather good and seem to stretch to infinity.

Trams used to run along Domain Road, South Yarra. Not anymore.

Clivia at a nearby building.

Stomped out cigarette butt here, rubbish bin a metre or so away. Too far to walk.

This 'tip pruned' pretty tree was I thought a Cheels cherry, sitting above an azalea, but I now don't think it is.

A rather nice single malt Scotch whiskey as a birthday present, with a handwritten label no less. Ok, ok, a printed handwritten label.  

A couple of weeks ago we were freed to the point we could travel 15 kilometres home for one of five reasons to leave home. We went to Altona Beach for food, as did many people. We bought food and coffee and the two old grannies sat on a park bench.

Such light only lasts a minute or so. 

I've learnt my stretching band is called a resistance band. The freebie from my physiotherapist snapped and gave a nasty flick to my hand. My muscles have grown.

I ordered this superior one by click and collect. I was cross with Rebel Sport because I could not do so without giving my exact home address. Why, if I am collecting it? 

We had to move a side table near where the Christmas tree normally stands and came across a few baubles that had rolled underneath. I stuck them in this bowl and they are still there.

Clearly not my photos and the photographer is identified. The number 6 tram overran the Glen Iris terminus and hit the buffer planter box. It is not the first time this has happened.

As you can see, the tram actually derailed. I understand a motor car was somehow involved.

Freedom Friday

Not quite. Retail is still only click and collect or delivery for another week or so, however we can now visit friends and family in the greater Melbourne area.

The government tried to play down Freedom Friday, but the media made sure that it was pointless. We woke this Friday morning to hear of pubs and bars having opened at midnight, people lining up outside hair and nail salons and people feeling very gay and joyous. Later there were family reunions and school kiddies back full time in classrooms. 

We rose so early and were at the barbers by 10.45, a cracking effort by us. Some were queued at 7.00 R, we have to catch one of these tram car thingies to get to town. After eleven weeks, the car can have a day off. 

While there was an outside queue, Barbers on Degraves Street was terrific. Three cutters were at work and there were about seven in the queue ahead of us. As after the last long lockdown, the boss was there to monitor and make sure everyone was happy. Working forwards, we stood at the back of the line, moved to desk chair then two stools, a two person bench seat and then a bench seat inside. We waited about an hour, but time well worth it. The owner had clearly worked out a deal with a local cafe and asked if we would like coffee. We said yes, and the cafe delivered it to us. Later she came along with mints in a bowl. She was quite touchy feely, which sometimes makes me feel uncomfortable but she did not. She was just so lovely and naturally nice.

It took me a little finding out but I had time to kill as I waited and it turns out the photographer who took outside photos of the queue and then was given permission to photograph inside if no customer objected was from Newswire. What it that? Ah, news.com.au and he is a Rupert Murdoch minion. Maybe we will be in the tabloid papers tomorrow. 

Feeling like recently shorn sheep, we bounced up to our usual cafe in Centre Place for a plate of  bacon, toast and scrambled eggs and wow, I had forgotten how good the taste of coffee is when served in a china cup.

This not being locked down thing is a little tiring so we adjourned to home for a good long rest and regained our energy for dinner out at Rosco's, just a three stop tram trip from home. As we do, we overordered and we gave no thought to starving Biafrans. Except I did. I hate wasting food. Not a lot was really wasted. Why were we once so concerned about Biafra and where is it? A copy and paste.

a secessionist state in West Africa that separated from Nigeria and existed from May 1967 to January 1970

Not a bad day really although R of course found fault with me and gave me what for about something, but I can't remember what it was.  Water and a duck's back.

Friday Funny

By the time a new coalition government is formed in Germany, there is a good chance Angela Merkel will be the longest serving Chancellor of Germany, exceeding Helmut Kohl. I instinctively disliked her initially, being of a party called Christian Democrats. Oh, religion in the party name! I am not keen on that.

Who would have thought she would go on to be one of the most powerful political leaders in the world.

The Merk is such an interesting person because she is so uninteresting. Germany does have a little history with 'interesting leaders'. For nigh on twenty years the uninteresting Merk has ruled with aside from admitting a large number of Arab refugees, without great controversy, and Germany remained prosperous. You really have to respect her for presiding over a generally stable and prosperous Germany. 

Nevertheless, no politician can't have the piss taken out of them. As usual before publication I've watched this several times and each time, I am still amused, this last time by the final line. Viewing time, 2.45, Tracy Ullman playing both roles.

On our floor

Our new neighbours who paid AU$1.3 million moved in Monday last. Steph would be in her thirties and introduced herself to us when we met at the lift. She is bright and bubbly and there is a baby. Her adjacent neighbours, who rent, have a toddler. 

Since I began this post last week, I have met Steph in the lift. She had her I suppose 18 month old boy with her. He has the same name as R. From what I could see of the sole time we saw her partner, he looked and sounded pretty good, even when masked.

There isn't an apartment on any level that ends in four, as the building was originally marketed at Asian folk and four is unlucky number for some Asian people. Even one of the lifts does not display level four, but there is a fourth floor, and there is a level thirteen too.

Until the the top three levels of 19 to 22, the apartments above the 10th to 18th level are all the same design. There are six apartments on each level, five are three bedroom and one is two bedroom. The two rear three bedroom apartments don't have views although they did when the building was opened. The office building behind was extended upwards with a residential component and so the rear apartments lost their very nice views. 

Aside from the afore mentioned new residents at the beginning of this post, on our floor there is us, a pleasant single woman about my age who bought her apartment a few years ago, a friendly European born guy with a slight limp with a female Asian partner who I think have lived here nearly as long as we have, an older Asian couple who are nice but rarely seen, and a smoking hot guy with his wife and now grown baby to be a toddler. 

Ah, so you are dying to hear more about the smoking hot guy??? Maybe not. He is very very handsome, speaks beautifully, is very well groomed, fab thick dark hair, always impeccably dressed...rather like a younger version of me really. Alas I saw him topless in the lift as he was going down to the pool for a swim. I don't think I've ever been so disappointed since I learnt that Father Christmas was a fiction. What a wonderful thing that men can expose their chests and nipples and women can't. Well, a bit strange really.

There is a couple we know well in the building who we get along with well but he has dementia and she has mentioned that they may move to Queensland to live near a son, and that would mean (I have to check a couple of people) that we are the longest term residents in this building of 128 apartments. 

R always thinks we should move form this place 'no better than public housing' but when I ask where, what sort of place and we need to able to afford it at a change over price, he has no answer. 

I've ordered my individually measured box to carry me away.