Today marks the first anniversary of our move to Melbourne. So much has happened in that year. We settled into our new home which is ideal for us. We have joined some social and educational groups. We go out most days and have covered kilometres on foot in our exploration of this wonderful city so full of historical buildings and the sort of Nineteenth Century architecture which I admire so much.

Unlike Sydney and Brisbane there is a concerted effort here not to overdo the modernisation bit. Yes, there are some places that have high-rise anonymous forests of glass and plastic Lego-shaped towers but they are mainly confined to an area called Docklands. We looked at that area when we first arrived in Melbourne and shook our heads at its alienating effect. It wasn’t for us.

So where we are is where we want to be.

Not so long ago I raved on about the wonderful change of seasons in Melbourne. The weather was bracing, I said. A recent bronchial infection and pneumonia soon made me moderate my enthusiasm for the Wayward Wind that yearns to wander.

The seasons are still amazing, but the bracing wind has lost some of its magic. I even find myself smiling when the sun shines for that brief second. I cosset myself in scarves and mittens and wonder whatever happened to that muff that I loved so much in Siberia when I was a child. Funny that I should be thinking about that muff now.

That ode that I quoted about Autumn in a previous post has now been replaced. I’m now into Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind” and that line “If Winter comes can Spring be far behind?”

Dear Reader,

I will not be posting for a while.

There was a time when going to David Jones, one of Australia’s leading department stores, was a pleasure. You were guaranteed great service and a wonderful choice of products. Those days are long gone. Continue reading →

I found the following news item in “The Australian” intriguing.

Hundreds of Chinese homeowners protested outside government offices in Shanghai demanding refunds after a 13-storey apartment building in a complex under construction toppled over. A worker was killed in the June 27 incident in which the building fell over but otherwise remained almost entirely intact.

What I want to know is what brand of superglue were they using to keep the 13 storeys together.

I imagine that there will be a name change in the offing. Something along the lines of “Toppling Towers” perhaps. Leaning Tower of Pisa, eat your heart out! This is true horizontal living.

Women sailors in the Australian navy have complained that there have been bets placed on their sexual availability. Apparently, there’s a record called “the Ledger” which the sailors have been keeping. These women have been embarrassed to discover that the sailors have been keeping score and that’s why they are complaining. Now it looks as if there’s going to be a lot of fuss about it all. Continue reading →

When I visit the U.S I love going to the drug stores because they have so many choices on offer. Not that I buy a lot because, quite frankly, I can’t make up my mind which is the better product for me. I remember needing a headache tablet once and being confronted by so many kinds that I decided that my headache was getting worse just from reading all the labels. In the end, I walked out of the drug store without making a purchase. Continue reading →