High Riser

Sister News

2009-12-08T00:39:00.001+11:00

Sister is no longer preggo. Nowt more to say except we are a bit sad.

WTC Wharf

2009-12-07T10:13:00.001+11:00

After our initial visit to South Wharf and the new DFO shopping centre, a few days later I returned to the area for a slower look around the World Trade Centre Wharf. It was Oaks Day. Flinders Street was abuzz with people going off to the horse races but there was decent number flowing into So Cross Station too. A very good train service was being provided, with a train every couple of minutes and people being marshalled via PA to stand at an end of the platform and get into certain carriages.

Opinions are now being expressed on South Wharf and the new DFO store. Take a look here and here and our own visit here. While it is not far from the nearest tram line, there certainly doesn't seem to feel like there is any effort by DFO to attract anyone from the tram lines. No obvious connection at all. I will go out on a limb and suggest that if there is not a quick increase in activity in that area, DFO will fail at this location. From the tram, you must cross a wide and busy road, wind around a couple of buildings, cross the river on this bridge, then walk along the river bank.

Plenty of work is happening on the World Trade Centre Wharf. It might be quite good when it is done. The eateries inside the WTC were quite busy.

Just for Jahteh, I took this closeup photo of the fish. The ever so clever Altissima guessed that they are old Commonwealth Games river fish and that makes sense to me. I found a few more along a short lane.

I am really not sure, but I think this barge might have something to do with putting a new sewerage trunk line under the river.

Back on my way into the city I stood on a corner and looked at this new apartment building and how close it is to the railway line. A few metres from the balconies, a train passes by. Trains are not quiet beasts. Even with double glazing, the occupants would have to hear the trains, or feel the vibration surely. As for the balconies, well, would they really be usable?

An Outing and I'm Not Racsist But

2009-12-06T22:36:00.006+11:00

It was my ABI brother's fiftieth birthday last week. In case you have forgotten, ABI is Acquired Brain Injury. I no longer refer to him as brain damaged brother. He hired a venue last night for a party and we attended, as did most of our family, along with his friends. It was an ok night, although very late for Little Jo to stay up. R looked after her today while Sister and Bone Doctor went to some hockey match in Parkville and they both fell asleep together on the bed. Once again I was working.

Mother looked very nice in her $10 Savers dress. Step Mother came down from Echuca way by train for the occasion. Tradie Brother got quite drunk. Par for the course. Sis in Law and Tradie Brother's girl friend did not speak but nor did they come to blows. Mother and Step Mother are long past that point. Caught up with Dreaded Nephew for the first time since his return. We brought him back into town to catch up with friends at Riverland Bar. Nice chat in the car on the way back. Good kid and much more mature since his return from old Blighty. His two sisters worship him.

Remember, well I can hardly, but when ABI brother was on tv show earlier this year. Something about a gang of interstate girls meeting up with some local Pakenham guys. The guy who was with my brother when the show was screened was there. He was the same one ABI brother did the Ashes cricket tour with. I met him and his girlfriend.

Now she was interesting, if a bit challenging. Via ABI brother, they both knew rather a lot about me. She invaded my personal space just slightly. Not too badly, but enough for me to note a slightly visible moustache. Maybe she had a wrong impression of me from what my brother had said and she spoke a little too frankly.

"I am not a suburb snob, but truly coming out here to Pakenham is the pits." The obvious response was "Ah, so where do you live?" "Yarraville". I refrained from making a remark about what Eastern Suburbs folk might have thought of Yarraville twenty or thirty years ago. I think I made positive comments about Yarraville and Williamstown. Bah, she probably lives in Spotswood. (can a young person tell me if meh is an appropriate alternative to bah?)

She did seem like she would be good fun though, but as nominated driver, I wasn't there to have fun. She had not finished there. Slight paraphrasing follows.

"You know your work, well, how do you deal with all your co-workers? I am not racist, but......". I lack the energy to fight the good fight on much more than a non emptied rubbish bin these days. I just replied along the lines, "Well, they are rather like us actually, except a bit different".

She still hadn't finished. Sheesh, I only spoke to her for five minutes. She was surprised that I did not give her the obvious answer about the biggest problem I have in my work place. My reply was my workmates and their work performance, rather than very obvious things that most people, and she, suspect.

Thinking back on it now, I guess she had had a decent drink.

ABI used to drink heavily but no longer does since his accident some ten years or more ago. But last night, he drank a lot of beer. Tradie Brother and his girlfriend were staying the night at ABI brother's place. None of them had cars there, but I was very insistent about them getting a cab home and not walking and crossing Princes Highway in a less than sober state.

Families, who'd have 'em. Well I would really. You know who you are and your simple remark made me appreciate my brothers and sister more. I am fortunate indeed.

Little Jo went off when Mama Mia came on the Juke Box. Her eyes even went weird.

Missed a bit

2009-12-05T17:01:00.001+11:00

When I painted the roof of our house in Balaclava and I ran out of paint, I thought does not matter. No one can see this bit from any angle. I did not foresee Google satellite or the even better nearmap.com

View Large Map

Cricket

2009-12-05T16:00:00.000+11:00

Not too often I write about cricket. The cricket on the radio in the background can be ok provided the commentators don't start yelling or get overexcited. I find it quite soporific.

My mind switches from a hot Aussie day with everyone trying to find shade while the match is played, to a game on an English village green, with polite clapping and dozing off in the sunshine.

Then there are memories of childhood cricket games in the back yard with so much energy expended and biffing my brother on his scone with a stump.

I had interesting responses when I wrote about my brother going to the Ashes in England earlier this year and various cricket grounds, and in another about Henry Blofeld.

I have recently read that the marvellous Bellerive Oval in Hobart, Tasmania has had night lighting installed, possibly the last of the major cricket grounds to do so. As I noted in a post, it must be in one of the best settings in Australia.

I listened a bit to the cricket in Adelaide yesterday. There was, guessing here, a West Indian commentator. He was amusing, clear speaking and knowledgeable. I did not catch his name. Who was he?

And to throw in a bit of depravity, I think Shane Warne is hot.

This is where I may get things wrong. A month or so ago Sheffield Shield cricket was being played. It is an interstate competition and very few people were going to see it, in spite of tickets costing less than $10. I believe one game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground with its capacity for 100,000 spectators, had less than two thousand.

Full of knowledge about cricket, I have the answer. Forget about charging. Throw open the gates to all and sundry and play these games at friendly local cricket grounds. A Sheffield Shield match played at the glorious Junction Oval might even have me sitting in the Blackie Ironmonger stand. Just give me a nudge if I snore.

Tiger Teeth

2009-12-05T11:46:00.000+11:00

I am not convinced that it was a good idea for Victoria to pay $3.5 million to Tiger Woods for him to visit here to play in a competition. Y'know, it is a competition. Prize money and all that. It no doubt amused a few, but caused endless headaches for people trying to go about their business in the area when Tiger was playing. In spite of the money he was paid, the he would not even visit the burnt out town of Marysville for a charity golf match. Was that to be an extra $500k?

I will ignore the elephant in the room and just talk about teeth. I like a nice set of teeth. I like white teeth. Some black people and some Asian people seem to have natural extra white teeth. But there is such a thing as teeth being too white.

American tv shows often have people with teeth that are too white. I not like.

On one side of the Atlantic you have England and their teeth are just teeth, and just very natural on the whole (Queen in waiting excepted. I respect her her for not having them fixed). On the other side of the Atlantic you have the US, and from what I see in tv shows, many have scarily white teeth. Was it Farah Fawcett Majors who started this?

So aren't Tiger's teeth just that too bit white, especially considering where they might have been. Funny, I like black guys and I like Asian guys, but Tiger just does not do it for me at all.

Indiana Hoosier

2009-12-04T13:23:00.001+11:00

Well, I know where Indiana is but I have no idea what a hoosier is. I could look it up, but that is no fun, so tell me. I am sure a hoosier doesn't make hosiery. Here is clue. My US spell checker wants me to give it a capital H.

It comes from the title of a book our friend in Japan sent me for my birthday in October. I am such a slack reader these days, it took me nearly a month to read it and it is not large. The full title is, An Indiana Hoosier in Lord Tsugaru's Court.

The book is a US citizen's views on Japan as a resident for twenty odd years. He lives in the same village in northern Japan as our friend. It was a good read and for anyone who is thinking of visiting Japan, highly recommended.

Naturally it is written from an American perspective and so some is a little foreign to us down under.

Here a just a few of the many chapter subjects. Most chapters are only a couple of pages, making it an easy read.

Public Transport
Toilets (of course)
Postal and Parcel Services
Gift Giving
Divorce in Japan
Valentine's Day
Net Cafe Refugees
Student Suicides
Harvest Time
Recycling
and many travel hints.

One of the saddest chapters was one about adoption. Essentially, Japanese couples do not adopt children, meaning there are many children brought up in orphanages. I am sure the question of gay couples adopting children would be very alien. Our federal opposition leader Abbott would thoroughly approve. He would much prefer a child to be brought up in an orphanage than with gay couple.

Poisoned Chalice

2009-12-04T06:08:00.001+11:00

Once again a woman has been appointed as Premier of a state, in this case NSW, when the present government cannot possibly be re-elected. Denials that she won't be a puppet of the right wing of the NSW Labor Party don't convince me and probably no-one else either. How should we say it? Premier Keneally has been Kirnered? Or Lawarenced?

Yesterday I was very proud to receive recognition by my union for my thirty year membership, yet I say without hesitation, ex NSW Premier Rees only came across as union thug in a suit.

The last Premier of NSW, Iemma, was rolled by the left wing of the party because of his plans for privatisation of electricity generation in the state. The only ever elected female premier in Australia, Anna Bligh of Queensland, has lost much of her popularity for similar reasons.

From our Victorian experience of privatisation of power generation and delivery in Victoria, you will get a much worse service and now the companies want us to pay them to not pollute the air!

People do not want basic services privatised. What they want is good management of utilities by answerable governments. Good managers work with unions and good unions work with management. At times it might be necessary to make stands, but generally workers via their unions and management get along much better than they ever have in Australia's history.

So Ms Keneally is the sacrificial lamb and I would suspect one of her orders before the government falls is to privatise power and maybe more.

The Last Tram from Clapham

2009-12-03T11:49:00.000+11:00

The kind of intact Kingsway tram tunnel can still be seen in London. It was much celebrated by The Goons with their comedy radio piece, The Last London Tram. I have it as MP3 file. Can't recall where I found it but I am sure it is not hard.

The essence of the story was that two and a half years after London's tram system was closed down and the office was being wound up, a pin was discovered on a board indicating there was a tram still in the Kingsway tunnel around two years after the tram system closed. Sure enough, there was, complete with driver and conductor. They also had a passenger who refused to disembark because he had paid his fare to a place but the tram was to run to the depot as the last London tram. The driver and conductor refused to move the tram without a guarantee of a ceremony. Very amusing.

I am not sure about all of London's trams, but certainly the tram that ran through the tunnel was powered via a conduit between the rails and not by overhead wiring.

The tunnel ran from Southampton Row near Holborn Station along the length of Kingsway to emerge under Waterloo Bridge on the north bank of the Thames River. Some of the tunnel has been used for a motor car tunnel, but much is still intact.

What a marvellous thing to still be in situ in London, but London was not alone with having trams running in tunnels. Sydney trams after crossing the Harbour Bridge ran in tunnels to terminate at Wynyard Station. The Sydney tunnels are still there. One is used for carparking. I surprise myself. I have written about the Sydney tram tunnels before.

You can read of an exploration of the Kingsway tunnel here.

I believe this tram is descending into the Kingsway tunnel. How can you tell? Originally single deck trams ran in the tunnel but later curves on the roof were removed to allow double deck trams to use the tunnel.

It is locked off now, but this is the tunnel entrance
You can see it here with Google's Street View.

View Larger Map

Bank Statement

2009-12-02T21:46:00.000+11:00

How long have I been saving those receipts I receive when using my credit or eftpos cards? Ever since plastic cards have been around, so a good while.

My first card was a BankCard, a bank credit card, with only a five hundred dollar limit. Now I think one of a few I have has a $26,000 limit. The less credit I use, the more the banks increase my limits. Pity they didn't when I needed them to.

Each month when the credit card or savings account statement arrives, I check the slips of paper off against the statement and also check my payslips off against the statements.

I have just stopped this month. I have never found an error in the bank's favour and perhaps two errors in my favour. Retailer loss there I think.

So when I am using an auto teller, I no longer request a receipt and I throw the slips from retailers away.

I will keep some as proof of purchase. I will keep them when I travel overseas. I will keep some to remove petrol vouchers. I will still carefully peruse my banks statements, but otherwise life will be just that tiny bit easier.

So am I the last person ever to save the little slips of paper and check them off against my bank statements?

Never mind a week

2009-12-01T20:32:00.000+11:00

It would seem that a day is a long time in polictics. The leader of Her Majesty's Opposition Party in Australia is the the Mad Monk, Tony Abbott.

It must be nearly ten years ago that our friend in western Victoria reckoned Abbott was hot and that he would like to tie him up and do unspeakable things to him. Perhaps he could have started with some wax strips.

Should Abbott ever become Prime Minister, I will be off to New Zealand.

Hawkie summed up rather well when asked what he thought of Abbott as opposition leader. Temporary. We can only hope.

Pic from New Matilda.

The hair Blanche. Do something

2009-12-01T19:47:00.000+11:00

Wot you sayin? I looked gay even when I was young? No-one took photos of me in overalls. Note AWA Deep Image black and white tv, Wonderheat slow combustion heater, deer hide lounge suite, and Ktel record changer sitting on the HG Palmer Hi Fi record player and radio. The Bone Doctor has been busy scanning some of Mother's old photos.

We had a big lounge room which we never used. Instead we used the dinette where we never dined and it looks very like a lounge room.

Sunset

2009-11-30T21:49:00.003+11:00

It must have been a pretty special sunset. Scott was the first off the mark with his photo from that night, followed by the Frisky Librarian. The building behind us normally blocks our view of sunsets, but clearly this was a special occasion. Beautiful sunsets surely tell us that the world is bigger than us. Here is my effort. Note the reflections in Albert Park Lake.

Must watch tv

2009-11-30T21:28:00.002+11:00

This should be interesting. Tomorrow night on tv is one of a series of tv shows about the Royal Family. Tomorrow night's show is about Kanga, aka Lady Tryon, a Melbourne lass, a 'close friend' of Prince Charles and married to an English lord. If you would like to know a bit about her before you see the show, check out the website of a blog mate who was consulted during the making of the show. I'll be watching for her name in the credits. I expect her blog has already had more hits than it ever has.

http://tooraktryon.blogspot.com/

Boring or not so boring politics

2009-11-30T20:54:00.002+11:00

At the age of sixteen, I, like most of my age, thought politics were boring. Many people of that age now would agree.

Although I demonstrated against the sacking of Whitlam and against John Kerr and his actions at the age of 18?, I had little understanding of what it was all about. I was with the mob. The Queen, through her representative, the Governor General, sacking our democratically elected government still bothers me muchly. In instilled into me a life long hatred of the Liberal Party, oddly not the Queen.

By the age of thirty I was quite fascinated by the mechanations of politics and I knew more about politics than I could have ever imagined when I was young, far more than I know now.

While sometimes I have flashes of interest, such as what is happening or not happening in NSW, my interest has gone down hill since I was thirty. My most frequent thought about politics is 'well, there is no surprise there'. I hope for our future there aren't too many people like me who just roll there eyes with extreme cynicism. Cynicism is not a good thing, especially in young people. Not that I have any really young readers, especially as Reuben has deserted the blog world, but young people really need to care with passion. It is too late for me to change the world. Please young people, have a go.

However, having said all that, I am glued to the radio and tv with the botheration in our Tory party, the Liberals. The conventional newspapers just can't keep up. New world is here. Maybe tomorrow there will be a new lamb to the slaughter. So exciting.........but then nothing will really change will it. I will return to my despair.

I cut and paste an email I received from a friend today. It might just make myself and R change the way we buy pork, leaving only the fresh chicken meat problem to deal with. If by me pasting in this email changes one person's actions, it is worth while me doing it. Ignore what is clearly an advertisement if you want and hunt out your own free range pork supplier.

Hi everyone,

If you saw the 60 Minutes segment the other week regarding pig farming in Australia you would have been appalled at the conditions the pregnant sows are kept in during the term of their pregnancy. It is acceptable in Australia to pen these sows giving them only an inch between them and the bars that trap them. Pigs are very intelligent animals and you could visibly see the distress these animals were in..

Anyway it really upset me and seeing as I can’t give up this meat completely I have vowed to use free range pork from here on. I thought I would share this information with you and hope that you can also consider the plight of these animals and try to use only free range as well..

I did some research and found a local supplier of free range pork is Otway which is stocked at most Safeway and Coles plus other speciality shops.

Interesting point, lean Otway pork has less fat than a chicken breast and is perfectly cooked when the it runs pink to clear when skewered, don't over cook.

http://www.otwaypork.com.au/stockist.htm

PS – I don’t have shares in this company

Memo to KDR

2009-11-30T12:48:00.003+11:00

Who knows who is responsible for maps to be found in our trains and trams. Generally, they are good and easy to understand, but here is one that is less than clear for those who don't know.

Where does the number 3 tram go after it crosses Chapel Street on its way to the city? It is very clear where the 3A goes, but the 3 just seems to disappear, not to be found again until the blown up map of the city centre.

Actually, I just took another look. The 3A is not so clear. What happens to it in Fitzroy Street? The 16 continues along Fitzroy Street, but where does the 3A go?

What is the new company slogan? Think like a passenger or something like that. Well, map person better get on and make a start.

Catch Up Bits

2009-11-29T21:03:00.005+11:00

Well well. Who's handsome visage gazed out from the MCV freebie gay paper this week, replete with Movember moustache.

Saturday night a week or so ago, we caught up with a dozen or so people for an Indian meal at Bala Da Daba in Glen Iris to celebrate a friend's birthday. It was very enjoyable and the venue was more suitable for a large number than the Ripponlea branch.

I was standing outside the restaurant enjoying the fresh air and the rain that was pouring down when a 4wd ran into another car and the 4wd ended up with its nose into a dry cleaner across the road. Sad to say, I don't think the 4wd was at fault. I think it was east bound in Malvern Road and a west bound car turned right into Tooronga Road in front of it. It was the full deal with ambulance, police, fire truck and later tow trucks. I noted the traffic light was green and so it wasn't a case of the 4wd going through a red light.

Sunday I worked and R looked after Little Jo. He took her into see the Myer christmas windows. The weather was still wet, so the there wasn't a crowd. Wednesday night Sister played cricket, so we looked after Little Jo again. How would you parents of young children like to have baby sitters on tap like Sister has with us?

Friday night just R and myself et at La Porchetta in South Yarra. I am not keen on most La Porchettas, but the South Yarra one is very good. The twenty five minute walk home with a full guts and a couple of red vinos was damn hard work.

Speaking of guts, Friday I had brunch at Gutz in Brunswick Street. I was a bit stressed because I too much to do that day, but I was determined to pleasure myself in Fitzroy for an hour or so but I can't say I felt relaxed.

Yesterday was Mother's mega garage sale. By 7.30 we were having breakfast at the Scottish restaurant under the arches (freeway) in South Melbourne and at Mother's by 8.30. Sister and Little Jo were already there along with Tradie Brother and his girlfriend who organised it. Mother made $660 and she was pleased and said we will have another. Given she did nothing, I am not so sure about that. Late Step Father's tools sold pretty well along with old videos and books. Clothes did not, but women's shoes did. The sale cleared about a third of what needs to go. We did make a hard rubbish pile though.

We came away with a 1000 piece jigsaw of Victoria's Twelve Apostles, about thirty Hogan's Heroes dvds for a workmate of R's, a device for removing lids off jars and some old maps, but the funny one was a foot spa that we had given Mother a few years ago and she used it twice. It had been a long day and last night I was looking forward to a foot spa. I got an extension lead, plugged the unit in at the base of my lounge chair, filled it with water and switched it on and nothing! It is now gone to our next hard rubbish pile.

Little Jo admiring the Myer window animatronics. Something about a pig called Olivia. No idea.

Intercom

2009-11-28T21:53:00.000+11:00

Help me. Life is too busy. It is happening faster than I can write about it. Lucky I have this post I prepared earlier. Change date from 5/11 to 28/11

This is our intercom for visitors to announce their arrival, for us to see and hear who it is and for us to open the front door to let them in. Our building is now ten years old and it is hard to believe we have lived here for seven years.

If it was a building built in the last couple of years, instead of having bulky black and white CRT monitor, it would be a colour LCD and sit very flat against the wall. Still, it does the job. We can see and hear whoever calls up, just not which shade of fuchsia they are wearing.

The bottom button is to open the front door to the building. I emailed the English maker of the intercom a few years ago to find out what the other two buttons do. They don't do anything and I forget what they said that they could do.

The flexible cord is discoloured compared to the rest of the unit. Not even bleach will get it the same as the intercom.

Note the phone plug below. When we moved in it had one of those big ugly old Telecom plugs. God knows why they used them. Same in my bedroom. I did not worry about the one in my bedroom as it can't be seen, but I very quickly changed this one to something a little more attractive and discreet.

Tramming it

2009-11-27T22:10:00.002+11:00

Tramming is good. I did a good bit today. Four lasses boarded one tram to check the operation of Myki scanners. They marked the check sheet. Fail, fail and fail. I am just guessing really. One scanner worked after a 3 second scan. The other did not until the third try.

I have seen these scanners work in Singapore and London. They take about 1/3 of a second. People scan without stopping in their stride.

I was waiting for an air con tram to get home. A Z1 class pulled up followed by Z3 class. Neither had air con. The Z3 had smoke coming out from between its wheels.

I picked up my fifty bags of shopping and bolted to the front tram. I am not getting on a tram about to explode into flames, or get stuck behind the smoking tram, no matter how cool a subsequent air con tram may be.

I watched out the back window of the tram I was on to see if the tram behind burst into flames. It did not and when I got off the tram I was on, the smoking tram was behind with no sign of smoke. Weird.

While not long ago I had a decent whinge about rough tram drivers, but of the seven or so trams I caught today, I noticed nothing about the tram ride, so it follows that all drivers were good.

Street Walking in Fitzroy

2009-11-27T17:06:00.000+11:00

I have given you colour and movement from various inner Melbourne places. Here are places I have visited that I can remember.

Williamstown
Newport
Altona
Kensington
Footscray
North Melbourne
Brunswick
Fitzroy
North Melbourne
Clifton Hill
Prahran
Richmond
South Yarra
Windsor
St Kilda
Elwood
Balaclava
South Melbourne
Middle Park
Albert Park
Malvern
Port Melbourne/Beacon Cove/Garden City
Oakleigh
Murrumbeena
Pakenham
Bentleigh
Warragul

There are probably more places and a few yet to visit. Don't ask me to do Camberwell. I hate the place. I don't mind Hawthorn though.

Maybe you are wondering where I like the best? Oh, you aren't. Never mind. I will tell you anyway.

Has to be Fitzroy. Not saying I want to live there. Balaclava was 'interesting' enough for me.

We recently took an early Saturday morning outing to Fitzroy because R needed an emergency haircut. You know how it happens. You let it go a bit and then suddenly realise it has to be done yesterday. Normally we would not dream of driving to Fitzroy, but it was early Saturday morning and I was not at the wheel, just navigating. Toorak Road, left into Punt which changes to Hoddle, along Johnston and into Brunswick Street. Plenty of pay street parking.

R had his hair cut while I took a walk. I know the streets west of Brunswick Street reasonably well so this time I walked east. Mein gott. Napier Street and the majestic Fitzroy Town Hall. Along the way there were some old signs and a not so great park with a wonderful muriel.

Plenty of old houses, mixed in with new apartments and some good use of old buildings converted to apartments. The bottles littering the streets perhaps dumped by people sitting in cars drinking is a good enough reason why it is not a place for me to live. But no matter, Fitzroy is just a wonderfully interesting place to explore.

I just happened across the Fitzroy Town Hall by accident. What a majestic building. It really needs some land around it to set it off properly, but land is in short supply in Fitzroy.

The rear of the the town hall seems to have been tampered with or restored.

The Napier Hotel on the opposite corner to the town hall is not flash on the outside, but even fairly early in the morning customers were sitting outside taking in an ale. The old highly glazed tile work looks to be original and the pub has beautiful stained glass windows.

The Rainbow Hotel seems to be an original name, so gay peoples, don't get excited. The hotel is ever so small and seems to have live bands playing in the evenings.

You just cannot turn a corner in Fitzroy without seeing a mural. The graffiti writers seem to leave them pretty well alone. I think Fitzroyites should be very proud of their murals. Here are just a few.

Invincible Metcard

2009-11-26T20:46:00.004+11:00

I snapped this with the thought that there wasn't much point repainting this sandwich board as Metcard will soon become redundant, to be replaced by our ever so expensive and much delayed Myki system.

Now I am not so sure. The guessed Myki start date by many, mid November, has passed by. The new system must be very complicated as they have had to employ 'Myki Mates' to assist the public. Rumour has it that Myki Mates have been temporarily laid off, indicating there won't be a Myki start soon.

Btw, cigarette buts are bad enough, but at least they wash or blow away. How disgusting is chewing gum badly disposed of. City of Stonnington is obviously too busy with clearway parking to be bothering about chewing gum removal, or cleaning public rubbish bins for that matter. They are disgusting too. City of Melbourne can take a bow on clean rubbish bins.

City of Stonnington Clearways

2009-11-25T21:41:00.001+11:00

What is City of Stonnington up to? Cities of Yarra and Boroondara too I believe. Stonnington, led my Mayor Claude Ullin is alternating between playing dumb and then defiance over installing new clearway signs. We no understand. There has been no consultation. We won't do it.

With the well organised protests by shop traders, Stonnington and Yarra have already wrung out a concession from the state government. The afternoon clearway times have been modified and so won't be quite as effective in clearing the roads for trams to run smoothly.

For as long as I can remember City of Malvern, now the enlarged Stonnington has been anti public transport. But the laws have been gazetted and there is nothing to stop them being enforced, regardless of what signage there may be on the street, so take care in Stonnington.

These are roads controlled by VicRoads and the council has no say, so the quicker they put up the signs, the better for all.

Otherwise I think they would be due for punishment from the government by increasing the number of clearways to include the length of Glenferrie Road, Burke Road from Dandenong Road to Doncaster Road and Chapel Street from Dandenong Road to Victoria Street.

There are absolutely no votes of any numbers for our Labor state government in these areas. Go for it Pallas and Brumby.

The Tracker

2009-11-25T21:37:00.001+11:00

This might sound all a bit colonial and a case of 'yes sahib' and 'no sahib', but read on.

Our ex NT policeman friend was often the sole policeman covering a large area of the Northern Territory. He was supplied with, as you would expect a 4wd, radio equipment and lodgings of a very modest nature. Sometimes he had to also operate the postal service and in one case, the telephone exchange for two hours a day. If he was called to connect a caller out of hours, there was a decent surcharge and some extra pocket money for him.

But he was never really alone. A few steps behind him, well sometimes in front of him, was his tracker. The tracker was an Aborigine and naturally an expert in tracking. The tracker lived in a hut near whichever police station the policeman happened to be working at. Later the tracker acquired a wife who lived with him. I suppose he went on to have children.

Just last year our friend ran into his old tracker when in the NT for other matters. There wasn't an outpouring of emotion. Just a friendly greeting and smiles by two vastly different people who thought of each other with mutual respect.

While he would never admit it, I expect our friend was very attached to his tracker.

Ageing Disgracefully

2009-11-25T13:00:00.008+11:00

No, not me. I am just ageing, neither nicely nor disgracefully.

Radio broadcaster, music expert, writer, columnist and funny girl Myf Warhurst recently went to an opening of an art exhibition with works by a female artist who is in her eighties. Myf said she does not normally go to such places, but there was free champagne and she wanted to meet the artist and meet her she did.

The artist pulled Myf's top down and examined her breasts and then pulled her top back up and they then had a nice chat.

After the formalities the artist took a bottle of champers and poured some of it over her own head and skulled the rest. She then pulled her dress up and dried her face off. Myf said that the artist was not wearing old lady underwear. The mind boggles.

Who on earth can this outrageous old duck be?

Surely not this kindly looking old lady who I saw briefly interviewed on tv where she lamented the closing of the el cheapo Dimmeys Department Store?

Photo is by blogger Jenny Luca who wrote a couple of rather interesting posts about her daughter meeting the woman. Pt 1 here and pt 2 here. The person who I refer to earlier may or may not be the person below, but I know where my money would be.

Urban Myth

2009-11-24T13:29:00.000+11:00

This may well be an urban myth but I not going to search to find out because the idea appeals to me greatly.

You know that particle accelerator thingie called the Hadron Collider that cost umpteen billion Euros? Well, like our much slower human particle accelerator, the Southern Observation Wheel, it broke.

We are told the Hadron Collider may come up with the beginning of the universe. What? It will spit out a photo of god?

It would seem our much cheaper and slower wheel broke because of poor construction.

But it was just one of those little freaks of nature that brought the multi billion euro Hadron Collider to a grinding halt. An overflying bird dropped a baguette upon the Collider and it went kaput. So, we can blame the French.