ABC TV News

We were used to ABC TV having a permanent weekday news presenter. Long time Victorian newsreader Ian Henderson retired and handed over the baton to the two Marys, a job share kind of arrangement with one Mary presenting two nights a week and the other three nights a week. Then there was a permanent weekend newsreader. 

Well the idea of a permanent newsreader has gone to hell. It could be anyone of about eight different people. That's fine in a way, as they are all competent at their jobs, but we've lost the trust and the reassurance we used to have by having one permanent trusted newsreader. It's all about the ?? I can't think of the right word. Maybe a trusted familiar comfort is a way to express the feeling. 

Then there is the guessing game of whether there will be a dedicated weather presenter, or will the weather be presented by the newsreader?

ABC TV viewers and ABC radio listeners like consistency of presenters. We form an attachment to them. This applies to commercial media newsreaders too. Iskhandar Razak has almost become a permanent newsreader, and that's good. 

My boring life

Hairdresser Friend's birthday was last Friday. We had tried to make an arrangement to catch up and kind of settled on the following Monday, but Friday morning she called me and asked if she could come for a drink and maybe have a meal across the road that night. So we did at Gentleman George, and I invited neighbour HH to join us. It was a really nice night together. Phyllis and Kosov were at work.

Phyllis had asked a week earlier if he could use my car on the Sunday to visit Healesville Sanctuary and I said yes. They packed up an Esky with food at 8 o'clock and set off. Instead they drove on to Marysville where we stayed a couple of nights last year, so they could see the avenue of honour of poplar trees in autumn colours. Nice. 

Tuesday, with Phyllis having the car for work, I decided we desperately needed a can of gas to fill stove lighters, used here to light large deep candles. Don't ask. Carless, I decided to go to the big green shed in West Footscray, a quick trip thanks to the new Metro rail. However, I stopped off at Footscray first for coffee at Maples Cafe. As I walked along the street I passed a cigarette shop, paused and backtracked to the shop, and sure enough, it had cans of butane. No need to visit the big green shed. 

I was just finishing my coffee in Footscray when neighbour HH called. On her way to Morning Melodies at Hamer Hall, she had fallen over and hurt herself. She limped in and sat through the performance, then afterwards a first aid person on duty strapped up her foot and she made her way home. She asked if I could take her to emergency at The Alfred, and I replied I would be home in half an hour and would do so. Thanks to a bit of luck with the Metro train and a tram, I was home within 25 minutes. Phyllis had my car at work, so I drove her in her car to The Alfred and dropped her off. Some detail has been left out, but no matter.

We messaged back and forth and she had to stay in overnight for a full round of scans and tests, as they would do with an 80 year old. 

Kosov and I were just heading out the next morning to shop for girlie pants for Phyllis for his birthday when HH called to ask if I could pick her up. Sorry Kosov, and I drove my car to pick up HH. She had a chipped bone in her foot and a hairline fracture of one rib. She should be pretty well ok and out of any pain by the weekend. I offered her food and shopping, but she had all she needed in stock at home.

Today Kosov and I did go to the city, to a shop called Valley Girl to buy pants for Phyllis. Kosov knew exactly what he wanted. I assume the name Valley is a reference to the valley in California and not our industrial Latrobe Valley or Brisbane's 'interesting' Fortitude Valley. Valley of the Dolls was quite enlightening book to read for a rather young Andrew.

Oh, it is hard to write for an international audience and keep track of today and tomorrow, when as I write is today and tomorrow is my tomorrow but could be your today. 

Tomorrow I am meeting up with Ex Sis in Law for lunch in Elwood, after I shop for Vim and topping up the cellar supply. 

I have not heard back for the second quote for my car repair, but I have almost decided to buy a new car. I have not heard back if I will receive cash to compensate me for the extra electricity used to dry my apartment out after the flood, and today I submitted a painter's quote for paintwork damage for consideration by the Owners' Corp manager to forward to the insurance company. 

Cooking can happen anytime in my kitchen, just not by me, and it is utter chaos. This evening the rice cooker was bubbling away, the range hood roaring, the microwave singing its tune regularly. Voices were loud as the pair bitched at each other, and a lovely meal was prepared for them to eat immediately and for me to eat later. Jass sat watching them and then after eating they both went to work. Jass looked quite desolate at the end of entertainment and the disappearance of her two fave men, with silence reigning over the apartment and just boring old me at home. She sat near the door, hoping they would soon return, but they won't until after midnight.

Docklands, Cocklands or Divorcelands

The latter reference in the title directed towards men who recently divorce and move to Docklands to live a wild life.

London has a Docklands area, and it it is a huge development of high rise buildings a little blended with historic areas. There are so many waterways, to a foreigner, it is very confusing. I really don't know if the development of the London's old docks area has been judged as successful. Fun60?

Melbourne's docklands area redevelopment to high rise apartment blocks has not been judged as successful. The areas was taken from City of Melbourne to the Docklands Development Authority, and if the authority tried to do a bad job of its task, it succeeded. 

No matter what money, festivals, fireworks and community celebrations have been thrown at it, as a great place to live and visit, it has been a failure. 

The Docklands area is a soulless and a barren windswept area full of high rise towers but little street activity.

Where I live, a street full of apartment buildings and office blocks, there is constant activity on the street. I remember stepping outside a few years ago on a warm summer night at about 9pm and I could not believe the number of people out and about. 

The development of Docklands happened under the then Premier Jeff Kennett, just another, white, male, born to rule, rich politician c***. I tire of them, both conservative and Labor. 

Lol about Soho and Notting Hill. I think Professor Burke might have it right. 

Former premier Jeff Kennett once described Docklands as a rare species of plant that takes a while to bloom. Demographers predicted it would become Melbourne’s Soho or Notting Hill, a waterfront spectacular and an urban oasis.

Swinburne University housing researcher Professor Terry Burke made a more stinging assessment in 2006: “They should blow it up and start again.”

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$? Is it American dollars, and so should be expressed as US$. Or is it Australian dollars, expressed as AU$? US$ and AU$ are very different amounts. US$2.75 is AU$3.83, plus bank charges for buying foreign currency. And isn't there another country that could use A$? Like CA$, Canadian dollars?

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.