Sydney Day 9 continued

As I said, some photos of the view of the hotel rooftop. We'll begin with East Sydney, or is it Darlinghurst. I've never worked out the difference.

Sydney Harbour is visible.

Jacarandas were at their best towards the end of my visit. Oddly, in inner western Sydney, they has passed their best.

Paddington to the right.

The war memorial in Hyde Park.

The view of the city. Centre Point Tower has changed it's name so many times, but I still call it by its original name. We've dined at the revolving restaurant near the top of the tower. The experience was pretty cool.

I think this is looking down Wentworth Street.

Stress

You may wonder why I would ever feel stressed, but today I did. The appointment for Jass' FV vaccination was at 12.10 on the other side of the city, in North Melbourne, but not much more than a twenty minute drive. 

But Thursday is my shopping day. I can do both. I will leave early for shopping and neglect the world of blog, which I did. It took forever to reach South Melbourne in the car. Every light just turned red as I arrived. The idiot car drivers were at their worst. If I ask you to give me a character reference for a gun licence, do not comply with my request, or you will be complicit in possible murders.

To save $12 I had ordered my wine at Dan's for pick up. Why can't I just get the discount at the register in person? That went ok, although I would have liked a list on the outside of the box to check what I ordered was correct. Aldi was fine. I'm now back on track and going well, until it didn't. I went to my usual place for coffee and there was a queue. There is never a queue, but five people were in front of me to order, and five people waiting in a group for there coffee. I think I waited fifteen minutes for the coffee. 

Meanwhile, Neighbour HH's son was trying to get a bottle of cheer delivered to his mother's door, but had forgotten her apartment number. There were five text messages between us, and three phone calls to Kosov. The bottle was delivered to her doorstep, then late in the day she texted me to ask if I knew anything about it. No HH, nothing to do with me.

 Stay calm Andrew. You have allowed enough time, and theory told me I had, but practically I felt like I was late. Woolworths was so busy but I smartly moved through the store, buying what I needed, including frozen broccoli and frozen peas, that Aldi didn't have. Then there was the checkout incident, that I won't elaborate on, but delayed me further. 

The traffic on the way home wasn't any better. 

Kosov was coming with me to the vet, and he was dilly dallying but we only left five minutes late. I saw online that the vet has a free carpark. I wish I had known the last time we were there. To save three minutes for the drive to and from the veterinary practice, I could have spent $7 on road tolls each way. Instead with my vague knowledge and watching the car sat nav list of streets, I worked my way there well enough, and we were there ten minutes early. 

We entered five minutes early and were seen five minutes late. The vet was pleasant, very knowledgeable, but slightly strange. I described some of Jass' behaviour and he looked at her notes. Apparently she was quite pregnant when she was found. I assume her kittens were aborted before she was desexed. He went on. I can feel a good amount of nipple development, so perhaps that explains her nesting behaviour. It will take time for the hormones to leave her, but they will. 

As an old age pensioner, I received an about 15% discount for the cost of the visit to the non profit Lost Dogs Home veterinary practice. While I wasn't worried about anything, Kosov was, and he was reassured. Her weight matter was cleared up. She was 3.9kg when checked in, very pregnant. When we returned a couple of weeks after we first picked her up, she was 3.2 kg, and we were quite concerned at her weight loss. We didn't know she was carrying kittens when she was originally weighed. As the vet said, she is a small cat and her current weight of 3.7 kg is good. 

With more crazy driving by others on the way home, it was only a bit after 1.00 when we arrived home. Jass was very unsettled and sought refuge under the lounge room chair until Phyllis arrived home at around 4.00.

I too was unsettled and sat in the lounge room chair watching YouTube videos on tv for an hour to relax. There is a new train/tram/light rail line in Ottawa, ON, CA. That is kind of great. 

I expect Jass will return to her normal, mostly relaxed, state tomorrow. I may go for a nice relaxing train ride somewhere tomorrow, with a day free to myself. 

Friday Phunnie, the gay edition

Not that gay really, but does contain some gay content...and that means sex. Remember that? 

Sydney Day 8 & 9

This Saturday turned out to rather interesting thanks to a blog mate Hels, and blog mates who I have met. 

I caught 333 bus to Paddington to visit the cafe/bookshop Ampersand, which Hels wrote about. It was a very cool place, on a few levels and full of people eating, drinking tea and coffee and surrounded by books. I looked for any old street directories but found none. They are quite precious now and highly desired. Thanks for the tip about Ampersand, Hels. I forgot to take a photo until I was at the bus stop to return to my hotel. With a bus approaching I quickly snapped a 'proof of being there' photo. You can make out a bit of the Ampersand sign.

This book looked interesting.

I suppose it is ivy. I didn't get close enough to this shop near the bus stop to find out

I left the bus at Taylor Square to check out the famous gay bookshop called The Bookshop. I understood it had recently been sold, but the sale fell through and is now going to close. It was so busy, it is hard to imagine it isn't profitable, or were all the people just browsing. 

The last time we were in Sydney, Oxford Street was a mess, but the works have been completed and it looks fine, and seems to work well. It is certainly a much calmer street now, and once it becomes all electric buses, it will be quieter still. Outbound the footpath is wide, with a bi directional bike lane, a bus lane and two car lanes. There is some on street  off peak parking further along. The other side is more conventional, with just the footpath and bus stops and two traffic lanes.

 

Next up was meeting James O'Brien for coffee and cake at Joe Black Cafe in Commonwealth Street, a very cool place, and a short walk away. I didn't get to return during my Sydney visit, but it is there for the future. It was great to see James and the conversation was easy. James' life has changed dramatically since the last time Ray and I met him, and obviously so has mine, but James' life changing experience has been very physical, and I admire his mental strength, dealing with whatever life chucks at him. This train map was quirky, with stereotypical names for areas in Sydney.

Back at my hotel, and there were drag performances underway at the rooftop bar of the Burdekin.

I was then picked up by Marcellous who took me for a marvellous drive to see the sights of inner south western and inner western Sydney. His knowledge of the area and his personal anecdotes were so interesting. 

We stopped off at the Everleigh Train Sheds, a closed maintenance depot, full of history and there was a ceramics exhibition and sale underway. Within Carriageworks there are performance spaces.

The purposeless tall steel structures are art, so they do have a purpose really.

Oh my, what a nice saw tooth roof.

More driving and history led us to the former tram depot at Forest Lodge, next to what was the Harold Park horse racing course. Along the way, and earlier, we passed some stunning houses and some quite average housing. It was a mix of styles and fineness of the buildings.

 

The old Forest Lodge (Rozelle) tram depot, Tram Sheds, has been turned into a small shopping centre, so we stopped for a bite to eat and a drink.

A restored Sydney R1 Class tram, the last trams built for Sydney. The tram system closed in 1961.

 

Marcellous had an overdue law book to return to Sydney University, so I was able to see that amazing set of buildings. 

Well, well.

I understand the White's Creek Aqueduct was built to carry sewerage from the western suburbs. It may even have been an open sewer drain. Nice.

With a little more street exploring, the terrific three and a half hour outing was over. I had half a pizza left in the fridge, which did for dinner. My Sydney diet was not improving.

If I wake during the night, it will usually be from 5.30am on but this night I woke at 4.00, and below you can see what woke me.

The next day was Sunday. I had plans, which I can't remember, but there were the usual demonstrations in the city, leading to buses being diverted. I worked out where the buses were being diverted to but I wasn't feeling great, rather annoyed, and I just said to myself, stuff it. I'll buy something to eat at the IGA supermarket and go back to my hotel. I think for dinner I had more Thai food at the restaurant at the base of the hotel. 

In the morning though, I did take some photos from the hotel rooftop, the location of the pool and spa. I'll put those in another post as this is quite long enough.

Remembrance Day

These bronze poppies have been installed at the yet to open underground Anzac Station, which is close to the Shrine of Remembrance war memorial. This photo was published by The Metro Tunnel Project. Nice to remember the fallen in all the hideous wars, and sadly with wars ongoing. Especially thinking of the Ukraine. 

Your favourite accent

I am still working on my next Sydney post.

Ray arrived in Australia in 1970, just at an age when he would not be called up for war service in Australia. He made the acquaintance of one Jock McGregor, whose Scottish accent was so broad and thick, he was unintelligible to me, and almost everyone else.

Ray also met Agnes Peaston when he arrived Melbourne, and Agnes went on to be our friend. She lived in Punt Road, Richmond and when we helped her move to her first Australian property she owned in Anzac Street, Murrumbeena, we realised she was a terrible hoarder, with trees of books stacked next to her toilet. Agnes, older than us, had certainly lived an interesting life, which I might expand on in the future, but Agnes was very well educated and spoke with what I describe as a posh Scottish accent. Her diction and voice were perfect, in spite of being a heavy smoker. Yet she still had strong Scottish accent. Is there such a thing as a posh Scottish accent? A genuine question.

That would be my favourite accent in the world. What is yours? 

Monday Mural and some personal diary catch up

Wednesday before last, lunch with Friend ex Japan. Friday, the building's evening Melbourne Cup barbeque, a few days ahead of the event. 

Thursday was supposed to be a lung scan, but could not be done because I'd had a lung infection about four weeks earlier. It needs to be twelve weeks clear. It is a new scheme, and hopefully this information will be told to people who are booking an appointment in the future. 

Today, a hospital appointment at the movement disorder clinic for my hand tremors, Tuesday a window cleaner is coming, kaching, Thursday Jass to the vet for FV vax, kaching, Friday is neighbour HH's 80th birthday. I've worked out what to buy for her as a gift given she has changed from long black coffee to peppermint tea. It's an advent calendar with all sorts of different teas from a company called T2. Saturday the three of us will see Jo on stage in the lead role in a production of Anything Goes.

Sister, Bone Doctor and Jo will be in Newcastle, England for Christmas, being looked after by Ray's family. Tradie Brother has decided to escort a client to charity Christmas lunch on Christmas Day. What will I do on Christmas Day? I could volunteer at one of these charities? No, they have already all filled their needs for volunteers. Boxing Day will be a big bash at Ex Sis in Laws, but as for Christmas Day, I will be an orphan, all alone in this world. Melbourne Zoo is open on Christmas Day, so perhaps with my annual free pass, I should pack myself a picnic to take to the zoo. How did life come to this, no family gathering on Christmas Day? Shit happens.

This was supposed to be about joining Sami for Monday Mural. Given I've written a bit, I'll use the opportunity to clear out an old mural photo. 

I know not where, but it is nice.

Sunday Selections

I'm joining with River and others for Sunday Selections, so here we go.

Bless 'em all, the long and the short and the tall. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Mrs Margaret Whitlam with the Emperor and Empress of Japan in the 1970s. 

The late Queen of Australia, flanked by two people who Bob would refer to as the Felon or Crankles, and his Slovenian whore. 

From Google Street View, Tin Tin's face is visible above the far white building from Brussels Midi Station, and looks a little faded now.

He looked much better in 2014.....like me. You can easily see his dog Snowy beside him in my photo.

An art work outside Glen Huntly Station. It probably looks rather spesh at night. 

You've left enough space me. Thanks mate. 

Remembering the now long gone South Melbourne Tram Depot, where crews would walk up and down Dorcas Street  to pick up their trams in St Kilda Road. 

A sculpture on the sea wall at Middle Park Beach. It has an interesting back story.

Phyllis made green banana bread for Halloween. It was very nice.

Jass has decided toilet paper and tissues are fun to play with. My spare toilet paper rolls have been scarred and the lads' roll on the wall was unwound.