Nick is 16.

Had a lovely evening (interspersed with keeping track of the political snafu ) celebrating Nick's birthday now 16yrs old! He said important things happen on his birthday. Asked which one he was referring to and he said Michael Jackson death! (though it was US date 25th actually.)

We went to the Cove Pub for dinner and then had cake when we got home.

The tape when lit burnt in a circle Very Impressive 

 Kate could not believe that despite her smiling widely at is all we didn't notice her braces are off!!
Comparing her great smile with the plaster cast of her mismatched 'before' teeth was amazing!!

Pea souper!

Monday driving in to work,was an interesting process. I could see 2 cars in front only and walking beside the park ahead was invisible.
Interestingly Andrew and Lynne said they had none, while Wendy's flight was diverted to northern Victoria for a few hours.

More Music

I had  a lovely evening on Friday when I used Wendy's ticket to go with Sue to the Melbourne Town Hall to hear the MSO

The program was Rachmaninoff Piano Concert No. 3 made famous (or not) by the Australian film Shine  in 1996,  based on the life of pianist David helfgott, and earning Geoffrey Rush an Oscar: who   resumed piano lessons — suspended when he was 14 — in order not to require a hand double.
Pianist was Clemens Leske. talk about hard work!
They also played Romeo & jJuliet and some from Swan lake finishing with the waltz.

The Hall is  a lovely venue with lovely plaster work and murals

After the show Sue and I went to dinner at D'orsay just up Collins St and had a lovely meal, celebrating my confirmation of resignation at RCH effective July 17th 2013.


 

Music Night

Last night I spent n enjoyable evening with Sue and Julia at Albert Park Yacht Club to see The Stiletto Sisters. The three women  are a dynamic trio featuring Hope Csutoros on violin, Judy Gunson on piano accordion, and double bassist Jo To, playing hungarian wild gypsy melodies, seductive tango rhythms and sensuous songs from Europe and Latin America. All with Judy's light-hearted introductions.  Jo is pregnant and as Judy said been very busy!!

Hope is also part of My Friend The Chocolate Cake , that we haven't seen for a year or so,

They are great musicians and entertainers and Judy's voice is great!!

Puddles

Can't believe I forgot little boys like jumping in puddles!!
He had his warm jacket and his hat, but I put his work boots on not Gum boots, and it was even raining and I still didn't twig!
So by the time we got to Play Group and back! He was wet to his knees. Not bothered by it though!
Walking along the path there are posts at the edge of the park and he was walking along talking as he touched each one.

Not counting, as he can count clearly to 20, and it was two words, alternating, but couldn't work out what.
At one point he obviously lost his place, as he stopped, stepped back and once walked back 2 posts, the 2nd time just waved his arm like  re checking, then continued on.  
Just could not catch what he was saying,

Local Changes afoot

On top of all the rail works creating havoc on Footscray Roads, they are building apartments above the supermarket; again closing off traffic lanes and parking.
Now they are closing K-mart and Coles , reopening in 2014.
So I availed myself of any sales in Kmart. Got some stationery folders and 2 lovely file boxes. I asked the woman clearing shelves nearby to scan the price as it looked like they were $5. She said I'd have change from 10c. Sure enough they were 5 cents! But the last one.  The red and white folders were $2.

Inspired me to do a bit of tidying of my office area!

So I decided to check out the Sims supermarket up Barkly St in West Footscray.
They have parking opposite and a pedestrian crossing that responds quickly to pedestrian requests, so easy to get out into the traffic flow.
I was talking to the woman on the check out and she said there is also parking at the back. The store had everything I wanted incl a new potato peeler that has disappeared since Mary was here. Maybe she put it somewhere different but still can't find it .
Also a NAB ATM.

Also found another mural on Car park (PO actually ) wall

The risk for Footscray is whether people will go back after finding alternatives. But I guess they will have all those apartment tenants!

Neighbours

We have had a variety of neighbors next door at Aireys as the house is a rental, but for long term occupation.

when I arrived

The latest unfortunately is a junk dealer or scrap metal or whatever you call it, so he has a semi trailer, a small truck and JUNK. The content of the front yard and driveway varies as it comes and goes but it is a mess,as we don't have a fence the line is blurred , but the big tree and the carport is an obvious barrier,. We have had  the block surveyed and there were in-ground pugs as well as a small pole  to mark the gate/ fence edge. This has been knocked over and pegs covered with dirt.

when I left

But the mess this time has me inspired to act. I was taking some snaps to just put on the blog, but the next day he was busy moving stuff and today it is tidy and empty!!!
But a neighbor had called in about the tree on the power line, and he is a fencer. So he is going to give a quote, but have to find the survey pegs first!
I will get the owner to move on it and get the fence done, She thinks the whole of our driveway is hers so the survey will give her a bit of driveway but she has a bit of ours at the upper fence so we need to get it finalized.

Music night

As Wendy is away in China I was offered her ticket to the MSO with Sue.
We met for a meal as usual and were surrounded by the teams Essendon and Carlton if I remember, heading  off to the MCG. Sue had managed to get a park in the handicap zone at the stage door so had just a short walk We were on the entry level so the only stairs she had were the ones down to the seats.

Hamer Hall. Not exactly filled.

The  evening was called Appalachian Spring  with modern composers as well as Stravinsky' s Firebird' Though he is modern as well really. Dying only in 1971.
The was a premiere of a Piccolo suite for Piccolo and orchestra by Paul Stanhope. It was good but as we were in  the choir stall the sound was less  then good.first piece
Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland was lovely !! Composed for a chamber orchestra of 13 instruments We really enjoyed it.The middle piece was his work to Poems of Emily Dickenson. Although I know of her I must admit I don't know anything about her.  I gather she was a recluse who took to only speaking to other people through a closed door!
The poems were sung by Emma Matthews, marvelous Soprano, but again the acoustics were less than great. Fortunately they were written in the program so we enjoyed the poems.,
Because I could not stop for death, He kindly stopped for me; The carriage held but just ourselves and immortality. But especially
        Heart we will forget him.
Heart we will forget him
You and I , tonight,
You may forget the warmth he gave
I will forget the light.
When you have done, pray tell me,
That I,  my thoughts may dim;
Haste! Lest while you're lagging
I may remember him!

Surf Coast

Waking yesterday morning I heard the news from Melbourne say 'Keep warm on this grey day' and looked out the window to blazing sunshine. Talk about a start to winter! More rain at the start than in the last 100years and today walking in sunshine in a long sleeve T shirt.
It won't last, so enjoying it while I can.

 I am off back to Melbourne for a meeting tonight and Private Patients tomorrow. Since planning to build up my business it must have been in the ether somehow, as since Monday I have had 6 new referrals!

My Book for MAY

I decided to reread this book when it was on the side table (I think Mary had been looking at it) 

How I came to find it was serendipitous. 

I was in the English 2nd hand book shop in Takananobaba in Tokyo when a man browsing there recommended it. I wasn't sure as the Title seemed odd, though the book and it's dust jacket (a waxy finish) was lovely (always a factor) 

So I browsed it and started laughing out loud, so decided to take it. 

I shared it with with Maddy when I was home and she said she loved it too.

John Lancaster was the winner of the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel. The Debt To Pleasure  is a  wickedly funny ode to food. 

The funny bit I laughed at was the comparison between English and French cooking

'Consider the contribution of the French nobility to food. Chateaubriand and Bechemel, while the English give their name to the Sandwich and the Wellington."

 Traveling from Portsmouth to the south of France, Tarquin Winot, the book’s snobbish narrator, instructs us in his philosophy on everything from the erotics of dislike to the psychology of the menu. Under the guise of completing a cookbook, Winot is in fact on a much more sinister mission that only gradually comes to light.

As the story progresses you realise he is following someone but all is not as it seems. Very Black comedy 

The Bike Rack

I was taken with the bike rack at the Child care centre when I was there last week!
It was a beautiful day so obviously open air travel was the thing.

View from the parking bay

Annual Leave

I have been told to take some of my 9 weeks annual leave , but with no cover it is too long for Meredith (or me if she was off ) so I am taking 2 weeks now ( and even have an public holiday in it as well (happened at Easter  when I took 2 weeks , but with Easter only ended up 4 days!)

So I planned to just come down to Aireys and blob.

It was raining all the way down on Sunday (wettest start to winter in 100years ) but cleared up on Monday and again today, with was bright sunshine all day Really lovely walks on the beach with Spencer.

A fly in the ointment was a notice from Powercorp to remove some tree branches that are lying near power lines 

The wire is sitting tight on top of this one 

The wire is under this branch so lopping the branch randomly may cause the wire to bounce up and break 

I could see it from the bedroom window and thought I could manage that SO I started off near the house and with judicious use of a milk crate (we don't have a ladder) and a rope got them, down fairly easily, then I followed the wire to the street and as I moved closer I could see that the puny limbs I had removed they had probably not noticed 

In 3 places the wire is either supporting a branch or has one immediately underneath.

I rang the garden guy I use as the tree lopper I used for the brach on the bed room roof (driving you mad in the wind cost a fortune.David said they couldn't do it with the equipment they have but suggested Snakes and Ladders (Ross the snake guy sorted some Brown snakes last summer. Also had some rude things to say about the Tree guy I had before. 

So Ross is coming tomorrow to have a look  and give me a quote. 

On a positive note (or maybe not) The parrots are having  ball eating the seeds and tossing the blossom from all the gum trees in the area
The white 'snow' here is yellow gum blossom in the side yard. At the end of the street the area is covered in pink flowers