Anzac Day

Anzac day dawned cool and wet.  I had been planning to go to the Dawn Service in Altona but on studying the maps and closed roads I would have a longish walk (as well as the March) and my broken toe is limiting my exploits.(not walking, just wearing shoes!)
So I decided to go in to Federation Square to see the carpet of poppies.
And what a sight.

Several carpets of flowers had been moved to the March Route to the shrine and were just about to be collected and moved back.

 There was still a pipe band going by as I arrived and the road still closed with barriers. Managed to cross to the Square after a short wait.
A chance meeting with Chris (a nursing friend from years ago) in Fed square so had a chat in the light drizzle. Then we had a live feed from Gallipoli Dawn Service and lots of people stopping to hear the  messages.

The rain is ours! But they must have a had a cold wait.

There were poppies everywhere. 50,000 or more??
The Poppies project was started as a plan by Melbourne based fibre artist Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight to put 120 poppies at the 14/32 Battalion tree in Centenary Avenue at the Melbourne War Memorial  for their father in 2013. 
They had a goal of 5000 in 2014, and this sparked  huge response and with a plan to place 50,000 poppies in 2015 the Centenary year. Communities all over Australia and overseas contributed with in excess of 250,000 received.
The sight was amazing! 

After a coffee I went to see Follow the Flag exhibition Australian Artists at War 1912-1945, through the work of some of Australians well known artiest Arthur Streeton, Russele Drysdale, Albert Tucker, Joy Hester, Frank Hurley and Max Dupain, as well as works of Damien Parer.

A section The Persuasion of War Posters, was illuminating on the mood of the time.

As well a great section of artistic things created by the soldiers, often as they had endless periods of boring waiting. Or some from the prison Camps. An amazing embroidered tablecloth of a plan of the camp,down by one women in one camp. Also some art and photos of the Internment camps- the Dunera Boys.

The NGV book club is doing a talk on The Narrow Road to The Deep North by Richard Flanagan 

The sign is amid rubbish bins, Hence the crop!!

This famous photo was on the wall as backdrop to other photos 

 "Highlights from the exhibition include Kristin Headlam's Soldier boy 2002, depicting the cherub-faced Alec "The Kid" Campbell, one the many youths on the battlefields; George Lambert's A sergeant of the Light Horse 1920, which was recognised as an image that captured the spirit and character of the Australian soldier; Grace Cossington Smith's 1915 painting, The sock knitter, which has come to symbolise Australian women's contribution to the war effort, which included knitting more than 1.3 million pairs of socks; and priceless 'trench art' displays, including jewellery and brooches fashioned on the front from shrapnel and plane debris."

Altona Beach

After cursing the gmail service on my iMac (Parenting Matters gmail has disappeared again..works on my phone) I gave up and headed out for a calming walk along Altona Beach.
A beautiful Autumn day of 20 degrees, and a very light breeze the beach beckoned.

THe Life Saving Club Tower

Sun , Sand, blue sky and water 

Under sea life Sculptures

Red poppies in the bushes

Preparing for Anzac day 

the wall of poppies

a Nurse Remembered 

Walking West

Seaweed collection still going on. Seems to be just this west section of beach 

Extreme bay and weather conditions and unfavourable high tides have seen Altona foreshore inundated with record amounts of seaweed over the past two to three weeks.Hobsons Bay City Council has committed extra resources to remove the seaweed but it is gathering as quickly as it is removed. The task is complicated by having to work outside of high tides in the early to mid morning. During the limited times that Council Officers have been able to access the beach at low tides, record amounts of seaweed have been removed, with 140 tonnes of seaweed removed in the first week of March,This compares to 115 tonnes collected during the entire month of March last year. A total of 181 tonnes of seaweed was removed in February this year, compared to153 tonnes in February 2014.  

Only a light smell. Can only imagine it at its peak!!

A small sand covered mound 

But plenty of white sand for walking

Looking down the pier

View back to my car at end of the pines

About Town

I have been parking the car in a free or 2 hr zone and walking to the events .
lots of interesting things to see!

Gardens by the St Mary's Church Nth melbourne

Red riding Hood

St Pauls Boys Regional School No. 25

The Horse and carriage 

A tiny lane off Exhibition St 

Tea Cosies

I had seen an item about Loani Priors exhibition in Brisbane last year, and her workshops, but she was not in Melbourne. But last week saw a notice of an exhibition at Royal Historical Society of Victoria so popped in. Cnr of A'Beckett St opposite Flagstaff Gardens

What a treat!
Loani Priors says.“I knit from home, in my comfortable knitting chair, dreaming up little woolly objets d’art to adorn the humble teapot.  Tea Cosies.  I knit them, pattern them and give them a funny name.  When I am done, they are photographed like haute couture and published in a book.”

The front one is "that Hat!" The back is "all form and no function"

Some of the fun of the exhibits was the names.

Russian Caravan

Carmen Miranda

Beatrice  (princess B's wedding hat)

On the back shelf next to the daffodil is a plain white teapot.
The title is "The Emperor's New Clothes"

Decided to try one 
Picture pending!

Planning the Courtyard

Our outdoor living space is great Just a slide of the door and there is a sheltered sunny chair to eat, rest and read.

Bu I want to add some atmosphere as well as herbs and plants.

It was a bit sparse to start

So I want to make the garden strip a flower bed, and utilise small garden beds for veges and herbs as well as a Trixee Fruit tree in a pot.
So I have been rearranging the pots and raised beds to see where I get the most sun.
The yard is facing North  so the sunniest spot is where the table is against the house! And under the clothes line. So I have moved 2 herb pits (a rosemary and a sage) to that bit of decking.

The sunniest spots however are under cover so will not get rain. 

The stones I have raked off, will be the base for a succulent area but may have to rethink where, as that is the sunny spot.

Moving the garden bed around BEFORE I fill it with soil!

A shoe rack starting a vertical herb bed

The tall thing in the pot is the Tree dahlia cutting from Footscray
Not decided on a final home yet.

Maybe use the tank when it rains for the other areas. I cut off a small piece of hose to use from the tank tap, as it has no pressure and couldn't get through the 10mts of hose.

Haven't worked out how to camoflage the tanks. Any screen available will need to be fixed in concrete Beyond my skills!!

Paisley Challis Wetland

In my plan to explore our new area  I decided to explore the area off Kororoit Creek Road, fro m where you can see the sea,

Found it is the Paisley Challis Wetland.

From the late nineteenth century, the grassed area adjacent to the wetlands was used as rifle range and military encampment, but was long envisioned as a valuable asset for housing development, a vision realised in the late 1980s after the Commonwealth sold the land to the State of Victoria.Because the activities at the rifle range had ‘protected’ the area for over a century, the wetlands were in essentially pre-European settlement condition. Open grasslands where Western Plains indigenous grasses and flora survived, salt marshes and intertidal mudflats that provide an important habitat for migratory birds still existed.
 The adjacent Rifle Range Housing looks over the wetlands and the sea.
It was a cooler windy day so I was buffeted by the wind as I head off, Spencer straining at the leash! Dogs on leash are allowed in some areas, but not others he would certainly be after them if not under control.

View back to Altona Refinery

Sitting on the railing. A Crane 

A bird Hide 

View to the housing