Tram Town
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
What's Red Bull to do?
| Category: Sport F1 In the interviews, Red Bull are making a big noise about Seb disobeying team orders, but really, what are they going to do about it? Does Christian Horner really think that having Seb apologise is enough? Someone called for a race ban but I can't see that happening. I took my question to the internet, and have come up with a tried and true method for dealing with kiddies that can't get along: they need a new Tshirt!  Labels: F1 |
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Revisiting the Chooks Walk
| Category: Local creeks Walking with Spotty along the Chooks walk in West Brunswick was pleasantly surprised to see the re-emergence of actual chooks!
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Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Travelling close to home
| Category: Spotty Having just installed the dog-door, we were able to convince Spotty (with a little help with Bones) that she should use it as her own.  |
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
City Skyline - from High Street Northcote
Category: Tram Town Tourist This view of the city from the corner of High Street and Clarke Street Northcote is one of my favourites. I got this shot on a cold but sunny morning in May 2012. 
From this point I'm looking over the area of Northcote known as Westgarth - south Northcote if you like. Here, the main road heads up a bridge from the Westgarth village, sometimes called Rucker's Hill after one of the early settlers, with many steps at this corner down into the streets. I've known lots of people who have lived in this area over time - in Clarke St and at least 3 families in Charles St at different times. You can walk to the train, or a number of different trams, and the Merri creek with a bicycle path can get you into Collingwood, Kew or even the city. Nowadays I drive through it each day on my way to work.
When I took this photo the other day I realised I wasn't the first to admire this view - at the top of the bridge someone has stuck a drawing of the skyline with most of the buildings named - thanks Dave!
 
This shot shows the drawing stuck to the end of the bridge. In the distance on the left, you can see the large building that is the Westgarth Cinema. For a short while it was known as the Valhalla, which started its life in Richmond, a cinema I frequented often in the 80s. How many student households had a copy of the Valhalla movie program on the back of their toilet door?
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Sunday, June 17, 2012
Walking along the inner city creeks
Category: Tram Town Tourist We've been enjoying a few local walks with the dog around the Tram Town creeks of late, meeting a range of wildlife. This is a far cry from the mess we called creeks back in the 60s and 70s when factories regularly emptied their waste into the water - you'd never let your dog swim in it, let alone drink from a creek. The ones near us were riddled with blackberry bushes (though I recall much jam was made from our childhood collections). Here's a shot of Spotty on the "Chooks" walk.  Unfortunately, the chook run looks all boarded up now. There are still sheep in the paddock next door - this is inner city West Brunswick, along the Moonee Ponds Creek.  The black swans of Edwards Lake didn't seem upset by humans, but when a dog came near their chicks they were very specific about how close it could get. I think Spotty was a bit alarmed at these "ducks" that fought back instead of being chased.  There is a well camouflaged hawk perched in this gum tree, no doubt keeping a watch out for any tasty looking vermin.  |
Sunday, March 18, 2012
| Category: F1 It's a big weekend here in Tram Town Melbourne. At around three o'clock down at Albert Park, there is going to be a parade around the lake of past Australian F1 drivers. We'd all expect Sir Jack and Jonesy to be part of it but I wonder if Tony Gaze will participate at 92yo. He has three step-grandsons going around during the day (the Davison boys). He was the first Australian pilot to shoot down a jet fighter. He was Squadron Leader of the first Allied jet air wing. He flew with Douglas Bader. He helped establish the Goodwood motor racing circuit in 1948. He was the first Australian to drive in a modern Formula One race. He represented Australia in the world gliding championships in 1960. The big Mystery to me is why it took until 2006 for him to be awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. |
Monday, January 16, 2012
| Category: Food That Cafe in Melville Road has changed hands and now proudly sports an informing "Under New Management" splash on the main window. I don't know why you'd buy a going business and then tell the punters it had changed unless you had intelligence that people didn't like the previous management. I'll put that mystery behind me but I had heard that it had gone "downhill" from a "less-than-reliable" source. I gave it a go anyway. The Eggs Benedict was just as good as it used to be, if not better. 
The plate bothered me a little as I am reliably informed that the optimal shape for a dinner plate is a squircle but never mind, the food was great. The coffee was as good as espresso gets for my money but I would take plunger coffee anytime over espresso (Just One Guy's Opinion ™). Also, they now do free WiFi. Ask your friendly attendant for the security key. Recommended! as Jerry Pournelle used to say (maybe he still does). PS (just for you, Jack) a squircle is defined as:  |
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Category: ComputingAlthough a fantasy gift, the Kitchen Computer represented the first time a computer was offered as a consumer product.I'd never heard of The Honeywell Kitchen Computer until I stumbled across it in the early light this morning. Picture here. "If she can only cook as well as Honeywell can compute". |
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
| Category: Wealth Were I to have an infinite source of funds I would buy a whole mess of stuff from MiniSteam. They even have multi cylinder Stirling engines! |
Thursday, October 13, 2011
