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A train trip to Jawbone

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 Not wishing to use up our diesel when there appears to be an alternative we used the train to go to to Jawbone Nature Reserve this morning.   I realised that the last time I caught a train from Flinders Street was in the mid 1970s when in Melbourne for something to do with an Agricultural Census workshop. A kind soul from Melbourne Office arranged for a few of us to play squash somewhere Southish of the CBD. Before the train pulled out of the station we could see the Yarra and someone was coming down the river paddling a rescue board. There was a bit chop on the River so the board was not always visible, making it look as though the rider was crawling on the River, reminding me of Mark Twain's comment about the North Platte River "Too thin to plough, too thick to drink," For this trip the River view was not available. As we moved out towards the Weest much graffiti was visible, including specimens of the work of Pam The Bird.  This was a very bland example. Less b...
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March Music

 On 17th we had a double header, beginning with Music Matinee at Scots Church featuring a pianist playing 4 pieces (calling them 'tunes' seems disrespectful).  Details, including notes provided by the performer, are at  https://www.musicmatinee.org/mar-17.   It was very enjoyable especially the 3rd and 4th movement of the Chopin.  I wondered about the comment by   Anton Rubinstein who is said to have remarked that the fourth movement is the “wind howling around the gravestones”.   That was actually very accurate! In the evening we went to an open rehearsal in Hamer Hall by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, preparing for concerts on the 19th and 20th . The notes commented that the conductor would decide which music was performed, and how! I expected this would be the Rite of Spring, but instead it was the Joe Chindamo work. A bonus was that Joe was sitting in the stalls( the rabble - about 300 of us - were in the circle. It was an excellent ev...
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Herring Island

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 For some time we have had on our list of places to visit, the sculpture park on Herring Island in the Yarra, below Como House.  It has an advantage, with the disgusting fuel prices around at present that it is reasonably easy to reach by tram (with a 1km walk down Williams Rd from the stop on Toorak Rd.)  The Park was originally a haunt of Scout troops and is named after a Scout Commissioner, and nothing to do with fish. The island is attained by a free punt put on by Parks on Summer weekends (or by your own boat/kayak).  This looking at the South landing on the Island from Como Landing. This is the map shown on Parks Notices.  The works are shown accurately. This is the text to accompany the map.  The arrows reflect the transpositions of the text!  I have pointed this out to Parks.  (A pity, as the Park  is otherwise very good.) I missed photographing "Audience" by Julie Collins as it is well integrated into the environment (ie looks like a...
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Some shorter outings

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The first shorter outing was to Port Melbourne, taking the tram to Beacon Cove and thence to Princes Pier.  The piles left from the full pier make an interesting snap. There were plenty of Silver Gulls roosting on the piles. A lone immature Pacific Gullwas the only non-everyday bird around: no Gannets, no Pied Cormorants. As we walked towards the Pier the array of containers bluffed me a little into thinking they were some form of artistic installation! The cranes and container handling equipment were surprisingly active for a Sunday. I was very pleased with this photo of the yachts quite a distance out in the Bay. The second walk  (and the 4th on the following Friday morning) was an evening tour of the gardens of Government House led by a member of the staff, supported by Michael, the Head Gardener (and quietly escorted by a security guard).  In the preview of the walk there was a lot of security information (bag checks etc) but in the event it was all very sensible...
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