Saturday Swing

I've put this to the test, that is I've watched it four times over a few days and I still think it is great. The energy and choreography  is amazing. It amuses me how the bus driver in the beginning of the clip keeps popping up in other roles. Later: The bus driver and the other roles he performed were cameo roles by Herb Alpert with perhaps the best known band in the world. How cool is that!

The personal

The painting has finished, thank god. My ensuite shower wall tiles have been regrouted. The bathroom with the shower over the bath should be regrouted today or tomorrow. Monday new carpet will be laid. I have spent hours cleaning away sanding dust, washing everything that used to sit on the shelves, the two bookcases, the wardrobe door tracks, wiping down light switches. It seemed unending but there is not too much more to do now. The dishwasher has played its part in getting things clean but some many things just can't go in a dishwasher. What a mess.

It is pointless to set up the lighting in our lounge room until the carpet is laid, so I only have two lamps working at the moment.

I had a case of the sads the week past. I try to not think about times past with Ray but I can't help it at times. Tomorrow it will be one year since Mother died. What a momentous 12 months since. Not in my wildest dreams did I think Ray would not be here for the first anniversary of her death. 

Reminders are constant. Just yesterday in the South Melbourne Aldi carpark, a woman who I knew by sight was sitting, waiting to be picked up by a volunteer driver. I knew her name and she used to be transported by Ray at times in his volunteer role. As I was walking towards her, 'Excuse me. Are you a friend of Ray? I've seen you together. Where is Ray? I haven't seen him for ages.' Margaret is a good talker, as I know how she delayed Ray if we were there shopping. I explained all to her, and a snap decision by me, told her I was kind of a relative, as she asked if I was. I regret that and if I see her again I will tell her we had been in love for 45 years. 

Of regrets, I have a few. I know Ray loved me and he knew I loved him. I really don't think we told each other this often enough. We took each other for granted. We rarely talked about personal feelings... no, more I didn't. Ray made his feelings quite clear about many things and people, including me. I am a fairly insular and practical person and I think that frustrated him at times. But there you go. Whoever has the perfect relationship, please stand up. 

Towards the end of the of this month we were to holiday in Queensland. Webjet arranged a Virgin airline credit, to be used in six month. That just is not going to happen. Webjet says, don't contact airlines directly. We will deal with problems, and by golly they have. I called and got through quickly, and I applied for a refund on compassionate grounds. I had supply a death certificate copy and a proof of a relationship. I send a council rates bill copy.  While it looks like a fait accomopli, I will have to wait for up to 12 weeks for a refund. Webjet has just been terrific and I am truly amazed. 

I did have a nice two hour brunch with my neighbour a few days ago. She can certainly talk too, but that's fine. I enjoy her company and we text each other each morning to make sure neither of us is with as stroke on the floor. I have two medical procedures next week and she will pick me up afterwards on both occasions. The cafe, new to us, was nice. I think this is a for hire room.

A piano! I could once play a little bit. Mother could play when she was young. It is not like riding a bicycle. You forget. Oddly, H said that while in her job as a medical receptionist, she touched typed, she can't do so now. I had a long absence of touch typing in the late 80s into the mid 90s, but I 've never forgotten. 

Enough blabber. 

Little L's birthday

A couple of Sundays ago we celebrated my great nephew's five year old birthday at his paternal grandfather's small acreage. While some car shuffling happened, I reckon around thirty cars were accommodated for parking, with not a paddock used. 

The monster blow up slide thingie was inflated by two air pumps and umpteen children had a fine old time. The food was lovely, set out in an open ended garage. Thankfully there was no music.

I am a firm believer in no alcohol at children birthday parties. Nevertheless when Tradie Brother offered me a tinny, I accepted. Hmm, ABI Brother had a can in his hand too. 

I said to ABI Brother a little later, do you realise that we three brothers are the only people here drinking alcohol? He replied, he didn't but agreed with me. Lucky that Sister wasn't there too with a glass of champagne in her hand. What a disgraceful family we are. 

Little L is a delight and so sweet to his old great uncle. The piñata went off like a treat, with some kids hitting it softy and some, very hard. 

We had only visited his grandfather's small farm twice I think and didn't take too much notice aside from there being a house, a cottage and an inground swimming pool. I took a little look around and it is a beautiful property, and close to a town. You can buy these few acres and all within for about $1.5 million, about an hour's drive from the city, on a good day.

There is a dam of water in the back of the photo. 

A date anyone?

That's so ambiguous isn't it. I am talking about about time dates and the US using a different general date system to the rest of the world. 

Published on the 11/24/23 is clear but not what I am used to. If it was 09/10/23, Houston and Blogger, we have problems. 

Blogger gets it right for Australia at this final point.

So as I type this on my sister's birthday, 6th August, this below was not of concern to me today as I had no need for my motor car, but I think it would be month old history to Americans. I do really wonder why America doesn't adapt to the world with world standards rather than stand alone as the great world power. 

Tuesday Tait Train

Old red trains are of my yoof. Some of you may think I know a lot about trains and trams, along with public transport. I don't but I probably know more that you do. Not only did I work in public transport in various roles for 41 years, I've now used it for regularly for most of those years and add five years more of intensive use since I 've retired. 

You cannot be interested in the history of your city unless you look at the way people moved around before there were cars and how that changed when public transport arrived and horses became redundant. 

I've certainly caught heritage steam trains in the past and posted about them in my blog but for me steam trains are best viewed from the outside, as the depart or arrive, and as they travel up steep banks blowing lots of smoke. 

I received a notification from Steam Rail Victoria that there would be old electric trains travelling this Sunday past between Melbourne Flinders Street and Showgrounds. They journey time was short, so why not. Come the Sunday morning, the booking process was painless and after careful examination of the timetable with its more frequent service in the morning, which would be busy, it dropped to an hourly service at lunch time but then there was a train at 1pm followed by a train at 1.40. That will do me nicely and it was a good call. It was quiet. 

Here she comes.

Of course I will travel first class. 

I'll leave 2nd Class for the prols.

I boarded with plenty of seats to choose from. I loved the way the old carriage looked. I popped out for a moment to check the carriage number, and it had a T in the carriage number which meant it was a trailer car without motors underneath. This should be the smoothest and quietest carriage. It was, as I discovered later but it didn't seem so quiet and smooth at the time. Unlike modern suburban trains, the seat did not have a body shape but it was very well padded; quite ok for a suburban train journey. 

The carriages are not beautifully restored but just well maintained originals as far as I could see. A good test of cleanliness is the lamp shades, and they passed. 

Trains are generally slow in the inner areas and this one was too, but travelled at a similar speed to suburban trains. I think it accelerated at a similar speed to our oldest Comeng suburban trains. For a short time the train accelerated hard after Kensington Station, up to 58/36 according to my app. 

The train travelled to Showgrounds where there was model train exhibition, not really of interest to me. I planned to catch the same train back to Melbourne FSS. I knew its departure time and it was enough for me to change to a carriage with motors underneath to hear them. While it sounds so nerdy, I wanted to remember the noise of the motors from my youth. Damn, what is a D carriage classification? I think it means Driving Motor, as I've now remembered but at the rear I spotted a carriage with M classification...motors. I'll have that one, thanks. It was busier travelling back to the city. 

Slumming it in second class. I couldn't tell the difference.

The motor carriage did not disappoint with its electric motor sounds. It seemed like a more active train trip. On the way out I noticed a mural and on the way back, I snapped it through an open window.

Victorian Railways used to own at least one country holiday guest house and provided services to a number of others. There used to be promotional posters for various country areas for those who wanted a holiday. I am not sure if VR provided a service to these places, but they were nice enough posters displayed in the train.

Near Lakes Entrance.

Belfield Peak, The Grampians.

Eagle Point, near Bairnsdale.

The former Customs House in Flinders Street is now the Immigration Museum, and I snapped it through the open window.  

See the air horns at the rear of the train? They would give you an ear blast. I don't know if they were the horn noise the train made.

Monday Mural Moustaches

Nothing to wonderful today as I join with Sami and others for Monday Mural. I give you the mostly moustached men of Balaclava. I wonder if nicely painted shop fronts might look better. 

Sunday Selections

Along with Elephant's Child, River and others, I am joining in with Sunday Selections.

It has now been repaired but I will guess one of the Metro Tunnel digging machine buckets damaged the portico steel work of this very expensive and posh apartments known as The Domain.

Rose Chong has for decades sold costumes and drag from her shop in Gertrude Street, Fitzroy. While she is white Australian, (UK born) her husband wasn't, hence her Asian second name. She is still alive and hopefully well.

Pretty.

The so called professional tram driver, fail. They have blocked a lane of traffic. 

Yes, I used to buy clothing at Roger David Menswear.

But I can't remember what London Stores sold. I think it was also menswear.

Spring last year, as the  Plane trees were just bursting into leaf. 

Just a window display I fancied when I noticed it. I'd love to have the dish at the base of the clock.

A cruise ship departs, taken from my balcony. There aren't many scheduled next summer season and even less the season after. 

Perfect exterior maintenance. Just needs a bush or two. 

When is bug season? Late summer? More likely early summer. 

I visited a German school to buy an advent calendar for Jo. Giving her an advent calendar of some kind  is what I have done since she was three, so that would be fourteen years. This year I wanted a traditional one and the easiest one to buy personally was at the German school. It was a short walk from a tram stop. Along the way I passed a tram electric substation for the former Melbourne and Metropolitan Tramways Board. 

A very bright and very rampant bougainvillea. 

A token amount of tram track in Bourke Street, City, has a special mix of concrete with some sparkly stuff inlaid. 

If anyone knows how these vertical gardens are watered and maintained, please mention in comments. I can imagine automatic watering and fertilising, but is a cherry picker needed to trim them?  This one look quite lush.