At South Wharf shopping centre today I bought a meat pie for lunch. It had foreign objects in it, namely two large chunks of meat. I am not sure that I like chunks of meat in my pie. It makes me wonder what the rest of what is in the pie is made of. Best pie in Melbourne: Brumbies Bakery pepper pie. Some go past quality control and are extra peppered. Yum.
Week in, week out, The Age Green Guide has a page of small ads for computers and parts and then a double page of the same. So easy to skip past. Where was it this week?
Thursday, October 07, 2010
Upmarket tram shelter
Amazingly this tram shelter had kept its decoration for a few days. Even the butterflies taped and wired on have remained.
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Spring is nigh
I missed the boat a bit with this one. I wrote the post last month and now Spring has well and truly sprung. While Spring can be nice, it is not always. The weather can suddenly get very hot. There can be nastily gusting northerly winds blowing rye grass pollen in from the inland grasslands, causing massive outbreaks of hayfever. The weather can turn freezing cold. Actually, I think we had all of those today, plus a good bit of rain too.
But in the northern hemisphere where snow and ice are to be found in winter, it must be huge relief to see the end of Winter as Spring arrives. We Australians can only imagine what it must be like to try and drive in ice conditions. Don't worry Ann, they are only little bumps, you can watch.
Later edit: Fen's photos give you an idea of what started off as a quite warm but windy day ended up as.
But in the northern hemisphere where snow and ice are to be found in winter, it must be huge relief to see the end of Winter as Spring arrives. We Australians can only imagine what it must be like to try and drive in ice conditions. Don't worry Ann, they are only little bumps, you can watch.
Later edit: Fen's photos give you an idea of what started off as a quite warm but windy day ended up as.
Are we such dirty beasts?
I cast my mind back forty years.
People thought nothing of dropping rubbish on the ground. Only a small minority now persist. My father thought nothing of throwing cans and bottles from the car into the roadside bush. We burnt combustible rubbish in an incinerator and the rest was dumped in the bush. Although I do recall a tale of a stranger who dumped rubbish in a neighbour's bush land and an address was obtained from the rubbish and the police informed.
We we lectured at school by someone from the local fire authority about the dangers of bushfires and how to prevent them. They could be started by dumped roadside glass. A classmate collected all the glass he could find on his way home from school that afternoon, until he could carry no more. What quiet roadside would now have such a collection of glass?
Incinerators, cars, trucks, briquette heaters and hot water services, open fireplaces and solid fuel stoves used to pump huge volumes of poisonous smoke into the air.
Melbourne in Autumn was often covered in a thick soup of smog. It happens very occasionally now and the smog is not full of lead from petrol as it used to be.
Our local Yarra River downstream is cleaner than it has been for 150 years.
Our Port Phillip Bay becomes cleaner and cleaner.
After the banning of CFCs, the hole in the ozone layer is repairing itself.
Problems with greenhouse gases and global warming have been recognised and the matter is being addressed, albeit at a snails pace.
World wide, public transport is being recognised as much more sustainable than private motor car transport and a lot of money is being pumped into PT after years of neglect.
Be it in your neighbourhood or country based, if you start polluting, you may suffer the wrath of the law but you almost certainly face the wrath of activist groups that can now form at the drop of a hat due to the internet.
In spite of a proliferation of nuclear weapons, none have been used in war since WWII.
We all feel doom and gloom about the environment at times, but in the last forty years, we have come a long way, in spite of the huge population increase. If we do as well in the next forty years as we have in the past forty years, the world should be well on the way to recovering from the assault we perpetrated on her over the past couple of centuries.
Signed,
Pollyanna.
People thought nothing of dropping rubbish on the ground. Only a small minority now persist. My father thought nothing of throwing cans and bottles from the car into the roadside bush. We burnt combustible rubbish in an incinerator and the rest was dumped in the bush. Although I do recall a tale of a stranger who dumped rubbish in a neighbour's bush land and an address was obtained from the rubbish and the police informed.
We we lectured at school by someone from the local fire authority about the dangers of bushfires and how to prevent them. They could be started by dumped roadside glass. A classmate collected all the glass he could find on his way home from school that afternoon, until he could carry no more. What quiet roadside would now have such a collection of glass?
Incinerators, cars, trucks, briquette heaters and hot water services, open fireplaces and solid fuel stoves used to pump huge volumes of poisonous smoke into the air.
Melbourne in Autumn was often covered in a thick soup of smog. It happens very occasionally now and the smog is not full of lead from petrol as it used to be.
Our local Yarra River downstream is cleaner than it has been for 150 years.
Our Port Phillip Bay becomes cleaner and cleaner.
After the banning of CFCs, the hole in the ozone layer is repairing itself.
Problems with greenhouse gases and global warming have been recognised and the matter is being addressed, albeit at a snails pace.
World wide, public transport is being recognised as much more sustainable than private motor car transport and a lot of money is being pumped into PT after years of neglect.
Be it in your neighbourhood or country based, if you start polluting, you may suffer the wrath of the law but you almost certainly face the wrath of activist groups that can now form at the drop of a hat due to the internet.
In spite of a proliferation of nuclear weapons, none have been used in war since WWII.
We all feel doom and gloom about the environment at times, but in the last forty years, we have come a long way, in spite of the huge population increase. If we do as well in the next forty years as we have in the past forty years, the world should be well on the way to recovering from the assault we perpetrated on her over the past couple of centuries.
Signed,
Pollyanna.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Road Mayhem
Traffic mayhem around the highrise all day today. Firstly a truck driver thought his truck could fit under a bridge that it could not and the truck tipped over. I hope the full weight of law comes down upon him. This happens too often and caused terrible problems. This is the fourth this year at the same location. Read some more here by Daniel.
Then I understand a truck tipped over at the corner of Albert Road and Kingsway. Eventually Queens Road and Kingsway inbound were closed and much of the traffic fed into St Kilda Road. Mayhem ensued. The copper trying to control the traffic lost his temper after a while and started getting very annoyed with stupid drivers.
Then I understand a truck tipped over at the corner of Albert Road and Kingsway. Eventually Queens Road and Kingsway inbound were closed and much of the traffic fed into St Kilda Road. Mayhem ensued. The copper trying to control the traffic lost his temper after a while and started getting very annoyed with stupid drivers.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Gimme my hour back
I
I corrected a few machines. It only took passenger R fifteen minutes to correct his car clock, eventually resorting to the instruction manual. Ahh, he said, and suddenly he knew how to do it. In the meantime I had heard some weird radio stations.
While we were having afternoon tea in Emerald, I realised that the day was later than it felt. It felt like mid afternoon but it was nearly 4.30.
Once home, it did not feel natural to have a six o'clock drink. Too early, my mind was saying. The clock said otherwise so I compromised and poured a glass of wine at 6.30.
I felt like I was rushed this morning, an experience I always try to avoid. I was rushed. I lost an hour somewhere and I won't get it back until next year.
I corrected a few machines. It only took passenger R fifteen minutes to correct his car clock, eventually resorting to the instruction manual. Ahh, he said, and suddenly he knew how to do it. In the meantime I had heard some weird radio stations.
While we were having afternoon tea in Emerald, I realised that the day was later than it felt. It felt like mid afternoon but it was nearly 4.30.
Once home, it did not feel natural to have a six o'clock drink. Too early, my mind was saying. The clock said otherwise so I compromised and poured a glass of wine at 6.30.
I felt like I was rushed this morning, an experience I always try to avoid. I was rushed. I lost an hour somewhere and I won't get it back until next year.
Choof Choof
Puffing Billy was late departing Gembrook. There was a problem with a train at Emerald Lake. A phone call from a mobile phone was the clearance for PB to depart, but there had to be paperwork handed over too. I am not sure who the passengers were waving to. I seemed to be the only person there and I was busy with camera. Makes for a nice video though.
Switched ABI Brother's computer back to dial up from wireless broadband that was marginal reception. I tried to suggest that ADSL for $20 a month was ok for him, but he wanted dial up for $5 a month. It works for his needs. Given he has not been online for some time, he had 75 emails to check. So funny to hear a modem dialling in to an isp.
Train was late departing and Mother and R were fed up watching the impatient steam engine hissing steam, so they both went to lav before we left and then Puffing Billy left with only me as the witness.
We headed to Emerald for a Devonshire Tea, but were held up by PB crossing the road. Our Dev Teas in Emerald cost us $9 for three of us. Must have been a mistake. We did not argue but enjoyed our scones jam and cream and tea in the warm air under an umbrella.
I was driven crazy by motorbike noise. I was driven crazy by car noise. You know where I live and on our street I don't hear traffic noise, but in the country, the noise of passing traffic annoyed me intensely. Ban motorbikes from the Dandenongs. They are the jetskis of the hills.
Later Edit: According to a newspaper, a carriage came adrift from the engine in Emerald, hence the delay.
Switched ABI Brother's computer back to dial up from wireless broadband that was marginal reception. I tried to suggest that ADSL for $20 a month was ok for him, but he wanted dial up for $5 a month. It works for his needs. Given he has not been online for some time, he had 75 emails to check. So funny to hear a modem dialling in to an isp.
Train was late departing and Mother and R were fed up watching the impatient steam engine hissing steam, so they both went to lav before we left and then Puffing Billy left with only me as the witness.
We headed to Emerald for a Devonshire Tea, but were held up by PB crossing the road. Our Dev Teas in Emerald cost us $9 for three of us. Must have been a mistake. We did not argue but enjoyed our scones jam and cream and tea in the warm air under an umbrella.
I was driven crazy by motorbike noise. I was driven crazy by car noise. You know where I live and on our street I don't hear traffic noise, but in the country, the noise of passing traffic annoyed me intensely. Ban motorbikes from the Dandenongs. They are the jetskis of the hills.
Later Edit: According to a newspaper, a carriage came adrift from the engine in Emerald, hence the delay.
Sunday, October 03, 2010
Just another Sunday.....no Saturday
I was sitting on the balcony on this balmy evening and noticed a group of Colllingwood supporters get off a tram and walk across the road. I don't really care to have Collingwood supporters in our neighbourhood. They look 'out of area'. God forbid, another lot alighted from another tram. I suppose they all have cheap digs at one of the Queens Road hotels.
Our day was long. Don't say I am doing too much in my condition. I did little.
9.30 we were off to Prahran to do a little bit of shopping. Only the essentials, the home cellar was empty, thank you Dan, aka Woollies, and we needed a chop for a barbecue.
11.00 At a friends house auction in South Oakleigh. They sold, for just a bit less than they hoped.
12.00 Our misogynist friend had all these woman neighbours calling in to see how the auction went.
1.00 Our friend's female friends stayed on for a barbecue. One ran into our friend at the local shopping centre and thought he looked stressed about his house sale and wanted to give him a big comforting cuddle. Please, do women see gay misogynists as challenges?
1.15 Sister delivers Little Jo for us to look after while she enjoys the privilege of a pre 1984 MCC Ladies ticket to gain entry to the football final final. Sister takes our car and leaves hers with the baby seat.
2.30 Barbecue finished and watching the football match. I finish reading Thursday's newspaper and a few pages of the RACV mag. I never go anywhere without something to read.
3.30 I vaguely entertain Little Jo, so R can watch the football, but given the match is uneven, R comes out to play with Little Jo. She was good with me, but I am no substitute for Uncle R.
4.00 Little Jo receives a pink bag with a black boa strap from our hosts. They also gave her two puppets and some glitter paint.
4.15 Puffed with pride with Little Jo. She behaved well, was mostly polite to many strangers and did not spoil the occasion.
5.00 We depart. It was a long day. I am weary. The footy result is clear. Sister took R's car and I have to drive Sister's manual car home. What nonsense to have to move that silly stick around all the time, never mind the clutch. Haha, Sister nearly put her self through the windscreen in R's car, pressing on the brake like it was a clutch. I did not press on her car's brake without the clutch until the car stalled.
5.40 Tradie Brother rang to inform us of a death in the family.
5.50 Mother called to make sure I knew of death in family.
6.00 Sister calls and says she will be to our place soon. I inform her of death in family.
7.00 Get out pizza menu. Where is Sister? Drinking with friends? It is well past time to hand Little Jo back to her mother.
7.10 It takes Sister 15 minutes to walk to football ground, but one hour plus to walk home.
7.15 Sister arrives. Order pizzas. Please can we eat on our knees I plead. I just can not sit up at a table to eat. Sister gives Little Jo a bath.
8.00 Sister and Little Jo depart.
8.05 It is not the first time I have said it, but once they had gone, I said to R, Peace in our time.
8.30 Pour large glass of Scotch and sit down to watch The Bill.
Our day was long. Don't say I am doing too much in my condition. I did little.
9.30 we were off to Prahran to do a little bit of shopping. Only the essentials, the home cellar was empty, thank you Dan, aka Woollies, and we needed a chop for a barbecue.
11.00 At a friends house auction in South Oakleigh. They sold, for just a bit less than they hoped.
12.00 Our misogynist friend had all these woman neighbours calling in to see how the auction went.
1.00 Our friend's female friends stayed on for a barbecue. One ran into our friend at the local shopping centre and thought he looked stressed about his house sale and wanted to give him a big comforting cuddle. Please, do women see gay misogynists as challenges?
1.15 Sister delivers Little Jo for us to look after while she enjoys the privilege of a pre 1984 MCC Ladies ticket to gain entry to the football final final. Sister takes our car and leaves hers with the baby seat.
2.30 Barbecue finished and watching the football match. I finish reading Thursday's newspaper and a few pages of the RACV mag. I never go anywhere without something to read.
3.30 I vaguely entertain Little Jo, so R can watch the football, but given the match is uneven, R comes out to play with Little Jo. She was good with me, but I am no substitute for Uncle R.
4.00 Little Jo receives a pink bag with a black boa strap from our hosts. They also gave her two puppets and some glitter paint.
4.15 Puffed with pride with Little Jo. She behaved well, was mostly polite to many strangers and did not spoil the occasion.
5.00 We depart. It was a long day. I am weary. The footy result is clear. Sister took R's car and I have to drive Sister's manual car home. What nonsense to have to move that silly stick around all the time, never mind the clutch. Haha, Sister nearly put her self through the windscreen in R's car, pressing on the brake like it was a clutch. I did not press on her car's brake without the clutch until the car stalled.
5.40 Tradie Brother rang to inform us of a death in the family.
5.50 Mother called to make sure I knew of death in family.
6.00 Sister calls and says she will be to our place soon. I inform her of death in family.
7.00 Get out pizza menu. Where is Sister? Drinking with friends? It is well past time to hand Little Jo back to her mother.
7.10 It takes Sister 15 minutes to walk to football ground, but one hour plus to walk home.
7.15 Sister arrives. Order pizzas. Please can we eat on our knees I plead. I just can not sit up at a table to eat. Sister gives Little Jo a bath.
8.00 Sister and Little Jo depart.
8.05 It is not the first time I have said it, but once they had gone, I said to R, Peace in our time.
8.30 Pour large glass of Scotch and sit down to watch The Bill.
Saturday, October 02, 2010
Another one bites the dust
Three weeks ago, Sis in Law's, that is Tradie Brother's ex wife, Mother had her leg amputated because of diabetes complications. The prognosis was good and the the amputation healed well. Last night Tradie Brother called and said that while the operation was a success, her lungs and kidneys were failing and if she was removed from oxygen, she would die. Her decision was exactly that. Today oxygen was removed, so she will die soon.
She has been cheerful to the end. My nieces and nephews have pretty well always had her in their lives as she and their granddad lived in a flat that adjoined Tradie Brother's house. She has visited us here at the highrise and appreciated the large toilet that could fit a wheelchair.
All that happening on the day of Chainsaw Niece's 18th birthday. We did not go, but Mother and ABI Brother fronted up for the barbecue for Chainsaw Niece's birthday, that did not happen. Chainsaw Niece ordered pizzas and charmed the delivery guy into a significant discount. 'Nan', Chainsaw Niece said to Mother, 'you are the only one left now'.
Quite so. In 2000 they lost Poppy Wally, my father.
In 2008 they lost their mother's father Bill and their father's step father, Laurie.
Seems 2010 they are losing their Mum's mother.
Meanwhile, their Dad's mum live on, Mother.
Mother is feeling very mortal. She has lost her ex husband, son's father in law, her childhood friend and bridesmaid, her husband, her late best friend's husband, and now her son's mother in law. Mother is actually the only person of that generation left in our immediate family, excepting Step Mother.
I wrote most of this last night, after oxygen had been removed. Sis in Law's mother died today between 3/4 and full time during our football final grand final. She clearly did not want to see Collingwood win.
She has been cheerful to the end. My nieces and nephews have pretty well always had her in their lives as she and their granddad lived in a flat that adjoined Tradie Brother's house. She has visited us here at the highrise and appreciated the large toilet that could fit a wheelchair.
All that happening on the day of Chainsaw Niece's 18th birthday. We did not go, but Mother and ABI Brother fronted up for the barbecue for Chainsaw Niece's birthday, that did not happen. Chainsaw Niece ordered pizzas and charmed the delivery guy into a significant discount. 'Nan', Chainsaw Niece said to Mother, 'you are the only one left now'.
Quite so. In 2000 they lost Poppy Wally, my father.
In 2008 they lost their mother's father Bill and their father's step father, Laurie.
Seems 2010 they are losing their Mum's mother.
Meanwhile, their Dad's mum live on, Mother.
Mother is feeling very mortal. She has lost her ex husband, son's father in law, her childhood friend and bridesmaid, her husband, her late best friend's husband, and now her son's mother in law. Mother is actually the only person of that generation left in our immediate family, excepting Step Mother.
I wrote most of this last night, after oxygen had been removed. Sis in Law's mother died today between 3/4 and full time during our football final grand final. She clearly did not want to see Collingwood win.
Strike a light!
Without thinking about it, I assumed this tower was the historic Dimmeys clock tower and when the development is built behind the now closed Dimmeys, we would no longer see the tower. Something made me pick up the binoculars and take a proper look and of course it is not the the Dimmeys clock but the match makers Bryant and May clock. Redhead matches are no longer made at the factory, instead imported from Sweden.
There was nothing wrong with the colour in this shot. It was interesting afternoon light.
There was nothing wrong with the colour in this shot. It was interesting afternoon light.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Lost Photos
The Age's Green Guide photography writer, the venerable Terry Lane, wrote this week about losing digital photos because of either a camera problem or theft (or possibly your own stupidity). I assiduously back up photos when on holidays to either a computer hard and memory stick or to cd at a public service, so I haven't lost any digital photos.
We have however lost photos in pre digital times. Yes, kiddies, cameras used to have film in them that had to be developed. There was none of this rattling off a hundred clicks to get five ok photos.
R put the camera down in a changing room in a Bangkok market and walked out without it or a creeping hand removed it. We soon noticed and returned but it had gone. We lost our most recently taken photos. No problem we thought. Our travelling companions had their camera and had been snapping away at the same things we had.......except, they had neglected to put a roll of film in the camera and only discovered it when the film did not seem to be running out.
I can't be so critical as we did exactly the same when we went snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. No photos of the luxury boat owned by John Farnham that we sailed on, no reef photos, no photos of hot guys who were with us. Nothing, because there was no film, even though the camera indicated there was.
While not quite the same, for our New Zealand holiday we borrowed a 35mm camera, having previously only used an instant cartridge camera. The colours in the photos turned out very odd and while the images are clear, they are spoiled by the overall colour.
Oh yes, just remembered, we arrived in London and had time to kill before we could check into our room and spent some time in Hyde Park, but only took phone camera photos as I had forgotten to charge the camera before we left Singapore and the battery was flat.
Oh, they just keep coming. A family party and I forgot to put the large camera card in the camera and taking photos at the largest size meant I took very few before the card was full.
I'd like to hear of your camera disaster tales, or perhaps you don't have any. I can think of one person who forgets to charge her camera batteries, and charge the spare batteries.
We have however lost photos in pre digital times. Yes, kiddies, cameras used to have film in them that had to be developed. There was none of this rattling off a hundred clicks to get five ok photos.
R put the camera down in a changing room in a Bangkok market and walked out without it or a creeping hand removed it. We soon noticed and returned but it had gone. We lost our most recently taken photos. No problem we thought. Our travelling companions had their camera and had been snapping away at the same things we had.......except, they had neglected to put a roll of film in the camera and only discovered it when the film did not seem to be running out.
I can't be so critical as we did exactly the same when we went snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef. No photos of the luxury boat owned by John Farnham that we sailed on, no reef photos, no photos of hot guys who were with us. Nothing, because there was no film, even though the camera indicated there was.
While not quite the same, for our New Zealand holiday we borrowed a 35mm camera, having previously only used an instant cartridge camera. The colours in the photos turned out very odd and while the images are clear, they are spoiled by the overall colour.
Oh yes, just remembered, we arrived in London and had time to kill before we could check into our room and spent some time in Hyde Park, but only took phone camera photos as I had forgotten to charge the camera before we left Singapore and the battery was flat.
Oh, they just keep coming. A family party and I forgot to put the large camera card in the camera and taking photos at the largest size meant I took very few before the card was full.
I'd like to hear of your camera disaster tales, or perhaps you don't have any. I can think of one person who forgets to charge her camera batteries, and charge the spare batteries.
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