Wikipedia A$

I have donated to Wikipedia in the past and I just received this email wanting a recurring monthly donation, which I thought about doing but this got under my skin. A couple of dollars a month is cheap for how often I use Wikipedia.

But I am really pissed orf about the suggested amount.

What is A$? Is is it American dollars, and so should be expressed as US$. Or is it Australian dollars, expressed as AU$? US$ and AU$ are very different amounts. US$2.75 is AU$3.83, plus bank charges for buying foreign currency. 

The sheer arrogance towards the rest of the world that comes from the US at times is gobsmacking. I wonder if this is a deliberate ploy to make Australians thinking they are paying in Australian dollars, when I think they are probably paying in US dollars. Whatever, Wikipedia is not receiving a donation from me in the immediate future. 

By supporting Wikipedia, you're standing up for something simple but profound: that knowledge should belong to everyone. A recurring donation of even A$2.75‍ a month helps Wikipedia thrive today, tomorrow, and for the next generation.

Castlemaine 3

After brunch I returned to my digs and a friend who lives half an hour away arrived for a catch up. In his car, we visited what I think was Blackbird Cafe for coffee and cake.Then a short distance away is the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens. 

The deciduous trees had just began to turn to their autumn colours.

Ducks in the park. What fun. 

An aerator in the water keeps oxygen levels up to prevent algae growth.

Here is an amusing story I came across today about the Castlemaine Botanic Gardens.

In 1892 there was clearly amusement in the media at the story of a ‘stout old lady’ who fell into the botanic gardens lake while drunk. She was fished out of the 8-foot deep water ‘with great difficulty,’ but was still clutching her beer bottle when she reappeared.

 

The fountain was renovated in about 2011.

A wedding had happened and within the park there was a building where they could celebrate with a reception.

There were many of these concrete tables and benches, all fenced off. Cleary something had happened but does it affect them all?

That would be Charles and Diana? No, of course not. Look at the date, 1863. More than one of you will know. Do inform me. It was Victoria's tree of the year in 2021. I think the tree is an oak.

Yes, of course it is an oak.

We walked the circumference of the park but at times sat on seats and gossiped away about all sorts of things, like two old aunties who have known each other for forty years would do.

In the foreground is a sculpture and we were impressed that a very hot young daddy let his children climb all over the sculpture without calling out, come down darling children, you might hurt yourselves. Hot young daddy even tried to climb himself, but wisdom stopped him going up too far.

Dinner was a frozen takeaway supermarket meal, quite edible after being heated in the microwave. Next, ridin' the rails. 

Monday Mural

Sami is the centre of Monday Murals and here is my effort this week. 

While this may have been commissioned by the Castlemaine cafe Saffs, and so is a commercial mural, I quite like it.

Castlemaine 2

In the morning I looked for a place to sit and have brunch. The former Post Office was impressive. 

I visited the tourist information centre, within a former market place building. There were quite a number of volunteers, but I did not need help. These, well I don't know what to call them, but there were quite a number of them, all very impressive.

I've no idea what this is, perhaps related to mining. 

The old station was demolished and the station clock sent to Melbourne for disposal. It was rescued by locals. The face says, Christian Lange, 99 Strand, London. 

A memorial to a long forgotten politician.

I discovered Saffs Cafe and ate brunch there, with a very welcome cup of coffee. Don't sit near the doorway at the rear of the cafe. The timber floor bounced, as I did, every time someone walked past.

On the outskirts of town was what was called a 'direction marker'.  There weren't any directions to the marker. I saw a car parked on the gravel road I was driving along and a single sign that did not point to the marker but there was a track leading into the bushland. Along the uphill path I walked for few minutes and came to this structure, built for whatever reason, then a simple rotunda.

There were two of these very odd concrete benches. 

This must be the signal marker, although there wasn't a sign indicating anything. I will guess that at some point the hill was cleared of trees so that the marker was visible from wherever. 

Next, two old aunties chatting on a bench. 

2nd anniversary

As posted on FaceBook.

It is hard to believe it is two years since our Ray died. I did admire his adventurous spirit, from having elephants walk over him, to kite flying behind a boat strapped to a Thai man, to zip lining in Canada and South Africa, and riding an ostrich in the latter country.

Everyone misses you Ray. Here he is holding an ostrich chick. He loved our South African holiday so much.

The good Christians of south eastern US

Melbourne's Burke Road stretches from Caulfield to Ivanhoe, and in the 1970s our then Prime Minister called it the longest street of bible bashing bastards in Australia. No one in the road voted for him, so he had nothing to lose by the statement. 

Step forward to the mid 2020s and many huge houses that contained a family have been demolished for pairs of upmarket townhouses, containing a downsizing elderly couple, widow or widower. This has done nothing for the shortage of housing in our country. 

While I doubt there are too many are church goers now, the residents are still wealthy and will still vote for the conservative party. It's all about the share market and their tax beneficial self managed superannuation funds.  

But for the better, the good burghers of Burke Road would have possibly supported gay marriage, are probably not anti abortion, and truth be told, many would have a social conscience, and like to see their taxes helping the less fortunate in life.

Ok, I am comparing apples to oranges, I think. But could the US bible belt with its social attitudes move on as the demographic residents of Burke Road did?

Could I add to this map the anti abortion protesters too? Is there anything else US citizens could add to this MAGA stronghold? Is this the area of Hillary's 'basket of deplorables'? 

Apologies if I stole this from you, and to whoever you stole it from.

Castlemaine 1

Unrequested by me, Phyllis had prepared the car for my journey, wiped down the exterior, vacuumed, P plates removed and filled with petrol. 

There was no point setting off early when I couldn't check into my motel room until 2pm. I left home at some time after 11 and with a break for sustenance at a truck stop, (services in England. I don't know what they are called in America) I still reached Castlemaine early. I visited the nearby supermarket for supplies, and then it was near enough to check in time.

The room was nice enough, and the aside from the tiny brown floor tiles in the bathroom, it had been updated to modern and fresh.

 

Not that I saw anyone use it, and not knowing if it was heated, the pool and spa did look rather good and well maintained. 

Celebrating the gold miners of Castlemaine, in the middle of a roundabout is this statue and the water wheel works, filling and pouring out water.

I can't remember what this was. 

Like many country towns, there are huge open storm water drains at the sides of streets.

I drove around a bit, becoming familiar with the town's layout. Up a steep hill was the Burke and Wills monument, they being two explorers who set off inland in the mid 1800s and perished during their attempt to travel Australia south to north. 

Erected by public subscription AD 1862.

The views of the town below were rather good.

I wanted to see one more thing before my late afternoon rest, and that was the Alfred Passalaqua Memorial Lookout. It was a twelve minute drive from where I was. The photo of the escarpment does not do it justice. It was quite something. I should research how it was formed, but I won't. 

With some zoom, this could be Mount Alexander in the distance. 

As you can see the gravel road is very steep. I selected manual gear option and the car held first gear down the hill. It still reached an unbraked 25km/h.

I returned to the motel for my late afternoon rest, and then had my usual pre dinner drink, and realised I couldn't legally drive to get dinner, so I walked to the supermarket and bought a bachelor's handbag. Very naughty but very nice.