The week that was

But in the meantime much was happening in the foreground for me, and not all particularly pleasurable. 

A gay guy who I know through work, though I never worked with him, invited me to catch up for coffee. The weather was so bad, we sat inside the cafe, rare for me. It was a nice catch up. He mentioned a former workmate who would like to catch up with me and he gave me his phone number.

He must have spoken to said person on the phone after meeting me and said person was in the city having lunch with someone and decided to call in to see me on his way home, UNANNOUNCED. I received a call from a neighbour and I went down and escorted him up from the foyer. He and his late wife liked us and in the eighties, we did socialise at times with them. Aside from Ray's flat in '79, they have been to every place we've lived. They bought furniture from us. 

His wife died I think in 2018 from rapid MND, so sad. When I saw him back at work after some time off, I offered my condolences and he cracked into tears. If you met him, you would swear he is gay. I think he was here for two and half hours and we chatted away. 

He has only recently bought mobile phone and is very anti technology. He proudly proclaims he doesn't know how to turn on a computer, yet he was proud of his achievement that when I called his phone, he had learnt how to add my phone number. I mentioned how without internet, people were becoming more disadvantaged. He asked for examples, and naturally I could not think of any. I have since. But then I realised that one of his sons looks after his financial affairs, which he oversees, by using the internet. 

From what he said, he is extremely social and goes out ballroom dancing three or four times a week. He is a member of other social clubs. He travels to country areas for dancing. He made me tired as I listened to what he did. He is very comfortable financially and will never be a 'burden on the taxpayers' like I will be. 

But you know dear readers, I decided I don't actually like him. He is openly racist when in the company of white people, his way is the right way and he is always right, he is intolerant and he is just so full on. To hear him talk, you would also think he is gay. He had four sons and doesn't agree with the way they are bringing up their children but to me it sounded like the children are being brought up like other children are now. Fortunately he mostly keeps his mouth shut about that.

Things calmed a bit for the next couple of days, until Hippie Niece and her partner, without their four children, would visit on Friday afternoon before they had an early dinner and attended a Rugby League semi final match. They are lovely and so caring but also so loud and so full on but I did give them a few books, the jigsaw puzzle I mentioned a few posts ago, and the Baby Q barbeque and gas bottle. I was going to sell it, but it would have taken over an hour to clean and no guarantee it would sell. Once we bought the air fryer, we stopped using the barbeque. 

Bone Doctor parked here Saturday morning and we went out for brunch before she went to the AFL grand final, then just as brunch finished, Hair Dresser Friend messaged me and as she was passing by in a tram, would she be welcome to visit. Of course, I said, so we chatted for a couple of hours. 

Phyllis and Kosov went out to buy ingredients for mutton korma to cook in a pressure cooker. I was going to have some, and they ended up buying lamb rather that mutton, but I knew it would not be cooked until well after my usual dinner time, so Bone Doctor to the rescue. After she returned from the football match, she asked if we could have some Thai food across the road, which we did. As I am typing at after 8pm, the meal is still not ready. I normally eat at 7. 

The socialising is not finished yet, with a catch up with another friend and Hairdresser Friend on Monday afternoon. Hair Dresser Friend asked me if it was for coffee or drinks. I replied, 2.30 is getting pretty close to 5 o'clock, so we could swing either way. Can you guess where the friend lives and Sister has posted some photos from the same place as she has just embarked on a four day walk with a couple of her friends. 

Fortunately Margaret shouldn't read this until tomorrow afternoon and not give the game away. 

I'll leave you with this, a rather unusual storm here in Melbourne last month. I did not know when  you are taking a video and turn your phone horizontally, the resulting video will be sideways.  The storm was a ripper. 

To the hills!

If not covered in cloud, I can see Mount Dandenong and even the tv transmission towers that sit upon the top of the mount. 

Tenant Phyllis asked if one day I could take him there. Ok, I replied. I am a busy retired person but Saturday and Sunday are free. So Sunday I drove a trio of Phyllis, Kosov and their friend whose name is the capital city of Peru. That is how I remember her name. If I get to know her better, I may greet her Peru City. 

It was a great day and I know they enjoyed themselves and it was good for me. I am sure photos went onto Insta but as happens to young people, their phones 'ran out of juice'. Phyllis used mine to take photos, "Andrew, your camera is so much better than mine". A stop on the way home to retrieve Kosov's wire from the boot was required. I never knew I had so many USB ports in my car. There is even a couple for back seat passengers, and in the console, it was pointed out to me that there is cigarette lighter socket but no cigarette lighter. How can I light the fuses of fireworks? Childhood memory. 

I had allowed Kosov to stay one night without charge as he had bought me the HSP and on Saturday night he was ready to leave when I said to him there is no point you going home on the train for an hour and then returning on the train the next morning for our Dandenong Ranges trip. So he stayed another night. 

Monday morning I was talking to Sister on my phone when Phyllis left to what I thought was work. But it seemed not. "I have a visual project for university with study class mates. I will see you Friday or Saturday" he said later in a text message. "I will send Kosov to pick up my laptop, sort out my washing and pay my rent at some point". 

The weather was freezing cold on Wednesday and it rained a lot. In the afternoon a very chilled Kosov turned up here with Phyllis' rent money and feeling very cold, Kosov asked if he could take a hot bath to warm up, and he did. I asked if I could watch him bathe. 

The Wednesday was busy, which deserves another post. Here are a few photos from the Sunday drive. Don't climb trees as you could fall, yet tree climbing is encouraged. 

Maybe an azalea? I should know. 

The biggest aspidistra gardenia daphne in the world at nearly two metres tall. What a beautiful scent has Daphne, and she is a good a good sister, unlike the freewheeling, promiscuous and rapacious Ivy.

Camellia. There were rhododendrons ready to fully display. 

The view.

I am not very good on our Eucalyptus, but possibly messmates.

Philip had brought along the trip a berry and custard croissant for me, for which I was grateful. They then had cake and I had coffee in this restaurant. Parking was difficult because a wedding reception was underway. 

I wondered if I could make it back uphill after walking down to the modest Olinda Falls. The track was steep, wet, muddy and slippery. I managed, with one photo stop.

I'll delete these two last photos in a day or so. Kosov is with Ms Capital City of Peru and Kosov is wearing my hat. It looks better on him.

And Phyllis. 

Now there is mention of Phillip Island. That will be an overnighter. I will do what like to do. 

Friday Funnies

Quora sometimes amuses me. I've taken a few of the better comments from this thread. NB A road train is a multiple trailer long road truck, up to sixty metres long (196ft).

Why does Australia not have trains?

If you look at a globe of the earth it is pretty obvious. If you try to put a train on the tracks it just falls off as everything is upside down.

Cars is ok because you can make the tires stick. But train tracks just don't work.

That's why we have road trains down under.

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No we are the right way up. You are upside down. That is why northern hemisphere trains all have magnetic wheels.

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I just travelled 2,000 miles on the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin. It sure looked like a train, but there was so much champagne maybe I imagined it.

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Let me explain. Have you ever seen the Documentary Show The Hunger Game's? It may have been billed as a movie series to you Above Worlders. This was done so you wouldn't get Confused and Scared. Well there's a scince in it were the rich people travel on. That goes between our big cities. And instead of the wheels being on the bottom, there on top of our transporters. You might call them trains. I have never been to the Top World, the whole thing of walking on feet is frankly dum. The obsession with feet is confusing. That what's hands are made for. You eat with feet not walk on them. Are you a Hobbit or something? You top Worlder's are super mental.

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As an Australian, I can confirm this is 100% TRUE!! Roadtrains kill large amounts of our native animals, especially drop bears as they “obviously” drop upwards.

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Same with old vinyl records, you have to load them upside down in Australia.

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Some question deserve an answer like this. BTW we do have trains, I think they use magnets to stay on the tracks.

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My thoughts, we cope. We have the gravitational force on our heads rather that our feet but we have learnt how to deal with this from our native population and we owe them some gratitude. Living and surviving in Australia is such a challenge. Tourists will do well to consider all of the above, and don't forget to hand write the immigration card before arrival. I'll leave you in suspense about whether you tick the box, are you carrying food. Is your chewing gum food? Can you add a witty addition in comments?  

Where is family?

My ABI Brother lives 50 minutes drive south east of  Melbourne. My Tradie Brother and Ex Sis in Law live a 50 minute drive south south east of Melbourne. Sister lives a 90 minute drive south of Melbourne, with the need to negotiate the bay and Victoria's second largest city .

It is so interesting that Ray's family in the west of Newcastle all live so close together. His 26 year old great nephew, the one who stayed with us a couple of years ago, has bought a house in the area, as has a younger great nephew. Property is much cheaper than it is in Australia and good on the two lads for making the effort to become home owners.  

Using Google Maps, I measured the distance between the extremes of where his family live and it is 3.5 kilometres/2miles west to east and draw it as an oblong circle, 1.5km north to south.

Within that area live Ray's three sisters, their children and then their children, along with two cousins.

Excluding the great nieces and nephews and partners, Ray had 22 blood relatives and two cousins living within five square kilometres.

That is family, all close and all connected. Or are they?

"The only time we all get together is when youse come here", they said. Pretty well weekly I speak on the telephone to my three siblings and communicate with Ex Sis in Law online. 

So while Mother's children live miles apart, maybe we are more closely connected than Ray's family who live close to each other. Dunno. My mind is just wandering about connections and relationships.

As per her itinerary, Sister's and Bone Doctor's daughter Jo, as this is published is about to take a Japanese bullet train from Tokyo to Kyoto. 

The Brownlow

The Brownlow is a medal awarded to the best and fairest player in AFL Australian Rules Football, as judged by field umpires. By some kind of osmosis I know this, which is curious given my lack of interest in any sport (except recently, pole vaulting). 

The award is given out at long a tedious gala night where votes are counted live and broadcast. It has become so boring and tightly controlled. In days of past there was always a footballer who drank too much and misbehaved, perhaps saying something inappropriate in a speech, but not now.

The men dress very boringly, in conventional suits and women go all out with their best formal glam look. I despair at myself for looking at such rubbish on the Information Super Highway, but I did as bombs fell and rockets were fired in the Middle East. 

Here are a few photos from The  Age newspaper of what women were wearing, mostly great but...

He made an effort to look a bit different. No doubt event management came along and made him remove his necklace.

All good so far.

WTF? A milk bottle? 

My head is sitting on my left hand as my head shakes back and forth. Does she have a massive right hand breast that needs a lot of fabric to cover? Truly...

You may be able to look at more frocks here, if that is your thing.

OMG

It seems Phyllis has absconded with nine sets of my venetian blinds. Please keep a look out for my missing blinds for sale on Ebay, Market Place and similar sites. One large, seven medium and one small, as I was told by a police officer. The brightness is unbearable. 

Ok, they are away overnight for cleaning. Some of you may think slimline venetians are old fashioned but I think they work so well for light control and privacy. The blinds are the originals installed in my apartment and while the slats are cheap and thin aluminium, they have lasted. We've had them cleaned twice before and this time, they are so filthy after the sanding for repainting and new carpet laying. 

A slat either side of the balcony door are minorly bent. One was by Mother going out to smoke on the balcony when ABI Brother foolishly closed the door blind and Mother jammed the slide blind in the sliding door, and the other side of the balcony door was when I stood up quickly after having an old aunty chair doze, and I fainted. Slight damage to the blind but the scar can be still seen on my hand.

Lordy, how I am bleeding money. KaChing, KaChing, KaChing. 

Monday Mural

I am participating with Sami and others for Monday Mural. 

I came across two areas in Melbourne that have what aren't strictly murals. I also throw in a mural that was down a short lane near where I was.

The Legacy organisation is mentioned, it being set up to look after the wives and children where husbands and fathers had died in war battles. One slogan says "Stop the Killing". We had a friend who for many years who in his young years was helped by Legacy. To my mind it is up to governments who send people to war, to look after them and their families should the worst happen. 

Sunday Selections

I'm participating with Elephant's Child, River and others for Sunday Selections. 

I don't have enough random photos for a random post, so this is about buildings, nice buildings.

(I do actually have enough random photos but they aren't sorted)

Very early Victorian without much adornment.

I thought this might turn out to be an arty photo, looking down past St Pauls Cathedral to Federation Square. It isn't, and I can now delete it. 

Little Bourke Street, Chinatown. Don't the Chinese characters work so well with the polychromatic brick work. 

I once showed what was displayed on at the rear of this building as it was demolished, but I think this façade has been kept. 

The tram I was travelling on must have stopped in Victoria Parade (god I get sick of things being called victoria and anzac) outside this old brewery building. I think it had other company names before it became Carlton and United Breweries. There is a lot of history to CUB. Beer is good, not that I partake aside from the occasional Asahi. Speaking of which, who would have thought Asahi made hand sanitiser too. 

I don't know what Rechabites are, and I have no interest in finding out. By the early 2000s it was rent a room for an hour with a male or female, so a friend told me. 

One does love symmetry, and repurposing old buildings.