OH&S....??

At the Elizabeth Street tram terminus.....all nice and cool for the tram drivers while they have a "comfort stop"!

Notice the air-conditioning unit on top of the toilet?

Getting back to normal

After all the plastering and painting, we had to get the house back to normal.  This involved cleaning and dusting everything, and moving various items of furniture, some of which were fairly heavy.   We'd had some help from the tradesmen when they first arrived in moving them out of the rooms they were working in, but of course the workmen were long gone by the time we'd cleaned up and were ready to move back.
Still, we managed.   The trickiest was the bed, which had been dismantled in order to move it.   Putting it back together involved fitting the base on to both the head and the foot while at the same time placing a mid-beam (which had to go under the slats) into its slots.   All a bit complex, and a bit of juggling was required to align everything at the same time, but we got there.

Then there was some rain, and we were pleased that the annoying little leak in the verandah had been fixed.

The roof

In addition to the work inside (plastering and painting), we're also having some roof maintenance work done.   It's taken some time to get this arranged (you'll see from this post that it's been on my mind for a while).

Is that harness securely fastened??

I'm not certain where or when we obtained the flyer about the guy who's doing the work, but to cut a long story short, he's Irish and (would you believe?) very persuasive.   At least he arrived when he said he would.  He's told me several times about some small extra things he's attending to, and I try not to divide the amount we've agreed to pay by the product of hours x guys on the job....the resulting hourly rate troubles me a little.

Nor am I in a position to inspect the work actually done, since it's way up there......But at least, he's assured me that things inside the roof area are relatively "clean", with no evidence of possums.  That's a relief to me, because one of my fears has been that the loose pointing may have provided easy access for them.  Hopefully, the roof man has in fact done everything he said he'd do, and any potential possum entrances have been sealed up.

Painting

After the plastering comes the painting.  Maybe I was premature in commenting on the quality of the plasterers' work in my earlier post, because the painter, who asserted he knew something about plastering, was critical of some aspects.

Perhaps it was partly our fault, we said, because we had chosen that parts of the cornice be patched rather than replaced.  Be that as it may, the painter said that he wanted to do some extra preparation (not covered by the quote), to which we agreed.  We also noted his point that he had drawn our attention to the issues, and that if these resulted in aspects of his work being slightly less than the standard to which he would normally aspire, we would not hold it against him.

All this work is very intrusive and we've got things scattered in temporary positions all around the house, so we'll be glad when it's finished.

Confusion on Metro

Things can be confusing on Metro at times.   Perhaps the worst problems are with the automated announcements and signs in the trains.  These regularly provide incorrect information, such as the announcement and sign in the train this week that stated, as the train was arriving at Flagstaff, the next station was Parliament (2 stations back).   And this is by no means an isolated example.

There are also regular issues at Flinders Street, too. Last minute platform changes are perhaps inevitable, but so often the announcements are unclear at best and confusing at worst.

But there's unnecessary confusion programmed into the system, too.  A classic example is the recorded announcement regularly made at Richmond, when a train running direct to Flinders Street is approaching.  The recording states that the train will "stop at all stations".    I have looked in vain for a new station to service the tennis centre or the MCG, but to the best of my knowledge, there are still no stations between Richmond and Flinders Street.

Plastering

The time finally came - it just had to be done.  We've put up with cracks in the plaster for quite some time, on the basis that, even if you fix them, they re-appear.    But you can only take so much, so we've called the plasterers in.

Work in progress

It's messy (very dusty indeed), takes time and it's not cheap, and while the work is still in progress, from what we've seen so far, we're happy with the quality.

It's very disruptive

Napier

The port at Napier is rather congested so it's necessary to take a shuttle bus into town (just a few minutes drive).    The cruise operators are certainly familiar with herding about 2000 people around, and the arrangements were smooth and hassle free.     There was a 15-20 minute wait to get off the ship, but everyone was given a number and it went well.

As already mentioned napier is famous for its are deco buildings, but I was interested to see that there aren't preserved as if in a museum:   they're living, operating buildings, with busy shops and the like occupying them.

It's quite cool but not unbearable.   Good weather for coffee!   And the free wi fi functions well.

Update: At first I thought Napier was quite vibrant – and so it was - but our initial impressions were of it at lunch time on a Saturday just after the arrival of a cruise ship (at noon). By 4 pm, things were a bit different! The misty rain had endured, the shops had mostly closed and so the crowds had gone, I'd walked around some of the secondary shopping streets and had been overwhelmed by the number of vacant shops with “To Lease” signs and several of the accommodation places on the sea frontage with “no vacancy” signs had no cars (apparently they were closed). Still, the architecture remains in our mind.

The National Archives

Housed in the East Block, the display rooms of the National Archives are quite interesting.    Like the National Library, one hopes that what is on display is only the tip of the iceberg and that somewhere there are warehouses full of historical records.    Like the the bookstacks that I now understand the National Library has in an out-of-town warehouse, boxes of old documents aren't on display at the main Archives building!

I visited the Archives when in Canberra, and the material on display was interesting, even though the  theme is similar to that encountered elsewhere in Canberra:  a look at aspects of our country's history (often through a "politically correct" lens).  The first room is an introduction to the Archives' work, and is called "Memories of a Nation".   Other areas deal with early photographs of Canberra (the Mildenhall photos) and there's quite an area devoted to the Snowy scheme.

At present, there's also a special exhibition called "I've been Working on the Railway", devoted to the experiences of indigenous people working on railway construction and maintenance in the 50s, 60s and 70s.   This was an era that included the re-construction of the Mt Isa railway as well as the large scale construction of the first Bowen Basin coal lines and Pilbara iron ore lines.    Apparently many indigenous people were employed on these projects, which involved hard physical work, separation from families and camp life.   I found this well presented and interesting, although it needs to be remembered that although indigenous people were involved in this work, and the display is all about their story, other people were also involved - a fact that, at least so far as I could see, was only mentioned once.   It would be helpful to know, for example, what percentage they comprised of the workforce, even if only an approximation.


It was also interesting to have the opportunity to see inside parts of the East Block, one of the original Canberra buildings.
 

The High Court

At long last, during our recent trip,  I made the obligatory pilgrimage to the High Court in Canberra - or at least, to the building where the court sits.

From the outside, this is a big building, but inside a lot of the space is the atrium.    The guide on duty in one of the courtrooms was honest enough to admit that the colours of the carpets in the various court rooms is very "70s-ish".  My overall impression was that there's a lot of building to support seven people, but I suppose they carry a lot of responsibility so perhaps that justifies their accommodation.

For the record, this is one of the few places in Canberra where there are no restrictions on photography inside (although the Court wasn't sitting when I visited).

Building where the High Court sat in Melbourne before it became based in Canberra - much more modest!

The National Library

I had never been to the National Library and, in fact, was only vaguely aware of its existence.  But I was given a ticket (thanks, A) to a guided tour of the current temporary exhibition, "Mapping Our World - Terra Incognito to Australia".  This is an impressive display of maps starting with some indigenous material and a Ptolemy map from about 90 AD (rediscovered in about 1300), and the amazing Venetian map by Fra Mauro. This is perhaps the highlight of the exhibition, given the size of the map and the complexities involved in bringing it from Venice to Canberra.

The exhibition then proceeds through the "discovery" era maps of the Portuguese, Dutch and of course Cook and the other English explorers and culminating in Flinders' "General Chart of Terra Australis or Australia".     All very interesting indeed.

There's also a permanent exhibition in the "Treasures Gallery", which contains a display of maps, pictures, photographs and objects designed to illustrate episodes in Australian history.   Again, the range of material on display is quite breath-taking.

As for the library itself, sorry, no bookstacks at all!    I guess they must exist somewhere but seemingly are not for public access.    There are various reading  rooms (complete with arrays of computer terminals, as well as people reading hard copies).  There are also some Leonard French windows - quite nice but not as impressive as the ceiling in Melbourne's National Gallery.

Edit:   As we were leaving Canberra, I noticed a warehouse-type building with a National Library sign on it.    Maybe the bookstacks are out in a warehouse, instead of on the shores of Lake Burley Griffin!

Box girder bridges

Box girder bridges don't have a great track record, and the news of a crack in the West Gate Bridge - which is such a bridge - caused me to pause for thought.

Sure, the crack a few days ago seems only to relate to the surface, and not to the structure.  In fact, I'm told that the fact that there was yellow at the bottom of the crack is somewhat reassuring, as that means the membrane under the asphalt that protects the structural steel is intact.  Had the steel itself (which is under the membrane and is red) been visible, then the integrity of the membrane would have been breached and the issues would have been somewhat more serious.

More generally, however, what would be the implications for Melbourne if a structural problem with this bridge did emerge?   Perhaps life would go on with lower load limits and lower speed limits - but in a "worst-case" scenario, if the bridge had to be closed for safety reasons, there would be enormous disruption.



Bridges - like other structures - do fail from time to time, but it's interesting that the West Gate Bridge is a box girder bridge.    Some of these bridges failed during construction including,  as well as the West Gate Bridge itself,  the Milford Haven Bridge in West Wales (also known as the Cleddau Bridge) and South River Bridge in Koblenz, Germany. Since then the Cline Avenue bridge in Indiana has been closed.

Failures can occur in any sort of structure, of course, but apparently box girder bridges can be more susceptible to rusting and corrosion than some other types because water can begin to pool within the cell of the beam.   Hence, the authorities presumably keep a close watch on the West Gate Bridge and  seem to think that (and in relation to the latest incident, here) all is OK with it.

The cemetery

There are a couple of memorials of significance to us in the Lorne cemetery, so each year we pay a visit. However, we weren't impressed this year to find that it has been transformed from a pleasant rural resting place to a something more akin to an urban landscape, as the paths, which were previously gravel, have now been paved. There are wide expanses of white concrete between the plots, quite changing the appearance. No doubt the change makes it slightly easier for funeral hearses to travel the last 50 metres or so of their trip – but at such a cost to the whole atmosphere! Just who is represented on these cemetery trusts (Lorne is administered by the trust based in Geelong)?   Did the paving really need to be quite so wide? Was anything thought given to softening the harshness of the bare concrete by toning it down by making it grey or some other tone more in line with the surroundings?
 

In addition, some eucalypts have been planted. Not such a bad idea, except that the variety chosen (E. caesia, or gungurru) has obviously been selected for its somewhat “weeping” appearance. The catch (so I am reliably informed) is that it's originally from the deserts of Western Australia, and is hardly likely to thrive in a location exposed to the salt-laden winds coming off Bass Strait.   And anyway, would not it have been preferable to have something from the local region?

The Bridge!

We're at Lorne, and I'm glad to say that not much has changed. A few of the shops and restaurants have changed, but no matter. The main thing is that the iconic “swing bridge” has gone. I always thought it was a suspension bridge, but I suppose “swing” describes the action that occurred whenever a few people were on it.

I read a notice in the estate agent's window explaining that it had had to be closed for safety reasons. But it was a shock when I saw that it had been totally demolished! I heard that this occurred as long ago as February.

I bought a copy of the local newsheet, and now understand that progress is be made in replacing the bridge. In fact, it was stated that part of the delay was because the Heritage Advisor required some design modifications “to ensure the new Bridge is an exact replica [of] the old one...”. Well, well! Some delay was also caused by the fact that there was a single objector following the public display of the plans (who subsequently purported to withdraw his objection)!

It's apparent that there's been a lot going on, but in the far-away city, I have been oblivious to it all.

The old sign re-emerges

The recent demolition of a building nearby has revealed an old advertising sign.  


However, its appearance is likely to be short-lived as a block of studio apartments is to be erected on the site.

Liveability

I see that the Economist has decided that Melbourne is the world's most "liveable" city.  Well, I don't disagree that it's quite pleasant living in Melbourne, but let's not become complacent.   Melbourne isn't perfect.   Dare we mention, for example, public transport?  As one post on Trip Advisor points out, with a train frequency of 30 minutes in the evening on many lines, how can Melbourne gain this title?  Evening tram frequencies on many routes aren't much better.  And, when one does arrive, have the assessors ever tried to squeeze on an over-crowded tram after a night football game has finished?  An airport rail link would help some of us avoid that peak-time congestion on the freeway, too.  And don't even mention the Metro tunnel (compare the progress being made on London's Crossrail project).

By the way, note that there's a down-side to being a liveable city:   some companies use surveys such as this to determine the amount of "hardship allowance" paid to expatriates asked to relocate to the cities concerned.  Hence, Melbourne might find it more challenging to attract expatriates because they might like to trade a little "liveability" for a slightly better  allowance!

The Auction

Although I quite often occupy my Saturday mornings by attending local auctions, they're not usually worthy of comment.  But the development of a former church hall close by really does deserve a mention.   The architect created 3 unique apartments in the space, and did so (in the 90s) with flair and style.  Behind the austere facade, the apartment recently offered for sale preserves many of the original characteristics of the building but has created a series of stylish living areas complete with a couple of balconies and a courtyard.  

I was especially taken by a small bedroom, reached via some inconspicuous stairs, with its own study, en-suite and courtyard.

Of course, there are downsides:   there's parking, but it's tricky to get in to (especially given the proximity of a busy intersection), and  the apartment extends over 3 levels, so there are lots of narrow stairs.

It's the sort of place that would be lovely to live in for a short time, but would you really want to live there permanently?   Perhaps this is why, in spite of the fact that there was a good crowd,  there was only one bid at the auction, and that was well below the Council CIV valuation?  Nevertheless, it was later reported as sold, although the price was not disclosed.

Bundoora Park

We were out that side of Melbourne and realised that we were not far from Bundoora Park.  I was vaguely awareness of its existence, but had never been there.  The area has a bit of history (at one stage, it was the Victoria Police stud and stables and later it was the location of a psychiatric hospital), but it has now been developed into what is described as Melbourne's "most diverse park".    Indeed, it seems to have something for everyone:   wetlands, open spaces, picnic areas, a golf course, a wildlife reserve, an "urban farm" and a "heritage village".    The last 3 areas require an admission fee, but as it was getting on in the day and there was a need for a coffee and then a walk to the Bundoora Homestead to be undertaken, we saved the enclosed areas for another day.

Wetlands

Bundoora Homestead

I don't think Bundoora Homestead is actually part of the park, but it is adjacent to it.  The homestead is apparently administered by La Trobe University, whereas the park is administered by the local council.    The sign at the Homestead stated that it was supposed to be open at the time we visited, but it wasn't!   







By the time we'd walked to the Homestead and looked around the exterior and returned, it was nearly dark.   So a return visit is called for, because there's a lot we didn't see.

Church for Sale

The nearby Anglican Church closed over a year ago, and now it's up for sale.   Unfortunately, this may not be the only Church in the area to close, as the Uniting Church that we attend is also seriously considering its future in view of an ageing congregation and declining numbers.  Although nothing is imminent, the medium to long term outlook isn't great.


In spite of first impressions when glancing at the sign, only one Church is for sale.  On closer reading, the reference to "both" is a reference to the fact that the adjoining manse is also for sale.

I haven't enquired what is to become of the stained glass, which includes an impressive "West window", completed only a few years ago.

Enthroning the Bishop

One of the main reasons for our trip to Canberra was to be present at the inauguration of the new Bishop of the Free Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand.    The event was reported in the Canberra Times complete with better photos than I took, but in my defence, the reporter did have some impressive-looking photographic gear, and she did venture to locations that I had reservations about!

The new Bishop Ambrose was made very welcome by a large crowd (I think the Canberra Times only took account of the people actually inside the Church).   He's actually a Scot, and is a bishop of the Old Calendar Greek Church, based in Athens.    Perhaps this gives a hint of some of the political undertones here?

The ceremony was mostly in Serbian, although the new Bishop's address was in English.   It was conducted by Bishop Auxentios (from the USA) and included blessing the Church from each direction.

The week-end's activities also included the St Sava Festival, so there was lots of music, dancing, eating and drinking all round!

 





 











  

The fence

Time to replace the fence

The time had come to replace part of the side fence.     We are happy with the quality of the new fence.   The fencer worked by himself but we especially like the fact that the posts extend to the full height of the trellis, and that there is a rail along the top of the trellis.   The previous trellis, as well as the one on the other side of the house, was just nailed to the top of the fence, and was obviously less durable.

Feeling exposed!

The only problem was getting the guy to start work.    It took longer than we hoped from the time we accepted his quote before he said he would be available, and even then the start date slipped a few days.  However, hopefully the quality will be remembered long after the delay is forgotten!

All done!