Photos on Leon Mika

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:46:07 +1000

Also, it would be interesting to know how many people treat State Library as a transfer to the Loop. I get the feeling that a few do, based on the number of people that get off and not go through to the street. It’s not too surprising. The last few transfers for myself have gone quite well.

Wed, 13 May 2026 16:24:26 +1000

Still taking the Metro Tunnel. In Feb it was mainly for the novelty of it. When March came round I realised it was costing me more, and I went back to my old commute. But I switched back to it during the free public transport period in April, and now May.

Sat, 09 May 2026 11:47:18 +1000

Everyone’s thinking about our strategic oil reserves, leaving our strategic Mother’s Day card reserves unaddressed.

Fri, 08 May 2026 11:05:58 +1000

📍 Wattle Glen Station, Vic.

Thu, 07 May 2026 12:37:00 +1000

📍 Powelltown, Vic.

Went on what could generously be described as a ramble. Wanted to walk the Reids Tramway Walk, but took a wrong turn and walked Big Burtha Track instead. Still, it was nice to get out, despite the weather.

Mon, 04 May 2026 16:22:13 +1000

Yep, tram bunching FTW. (Pro tip: if a tram is significantly delayed, and when it arrives it’s packed to the rafters, wait for the next one. It’s probably going to be on time, and most likely very empty.)

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 16:24:30 +1000

Bunching due to delayed trams working in my favour today.

Sat, 25 Apr 2026 15:47:19 +1000

Some could say we’re experiencing a power outage, but I prefer to say that I’m involuntarily exercising my UPS. 😛

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:48:51 +1000

First proper fog for a while. Saw plenty of people with their cameras out on my walk to the office this morning, for good reason.

Tue, 21 Apr 2026 07:47:35 +1000

Hmm, either these barriers received a software update, or I was completely wrong about why PTV staff is attaching printed out “no entry” signs on them. Because…

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:02:59 +1000

Today was a bit of a write-off, but I did get out for a walk this afternoon, along the Darebin Creek.

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 19:37:49 +1000

The month of free public transport has introduced an interesting problem. A completely open barrier does not provide a way to force people in a particular direction. So PTV staff have to make do with alternatives for controlling flow, like directing people manually, or paper signs like these.

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 07:50:35 +1000

No level crossing is spared from the Level Crossing Removal Project. The one near my station is up for replacement. The rumour was that was to be replaced with the rail line going over the road. The issue, though, was it’s location: it’s right next to some stabling yards, where trains are kept when they’re not in use.

I was unsure what they were going to do about this. You could see from the photo that these stabling yards, along with platform 3 at the station, are accessed by a pretty broad flat junction. And I couldn’t see how they could keep this and elevate the rail line to cross the road. They could move the yard, but speaking to a driver while we were both waiting for our ~~coffee~~ train, there isn’t a suitable place to move the yard to, unless they start taking parkland.

Well, the proposal is in, and from the concept drawings, it looks like they’re planning to keep the yard:

So, okay. I guess they could find a way to do this. I would be interested in knowing what they do about access to platform 3 though. I can’t see them keeping the existing rail road that goes along the yard fence line. I’m guessing that they’ll need to reconfigure the junction in some way. Either that, or they scrap platform 3 altogether. It does see some use, and provides a good terminal for certain services, but maybe they could live without it? 🤷

Anyway, something to look forward to.

Mon, 06 Apr 2026 12:00:35 +1000

Various shades of grey at the beach this morning. This one’s looking towards Phillip Island and Seal Rock.

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:54:28 +1000

One thing Merricks Beach has plenty of is black cockatoos. Here’s a small flock I saw preening while on a walk. It’s not a great photo — I was shooting into the sun — but I hope you can make out the highlights on their tails.

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 13:52:07 +1000

Launching time.

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:38:30 +1000

Passed by an ibis and white faced herron while walking to beach this morning. Not something I typically see at a beach setting.

Fri, 03 Apr 2026 11:36:12 +1000

Greetings from Merricks Beach.

Tue, 31 Mar 2026 15:54:19 +1000

Best sign to stand next to on a packed tram arriving at a packed stop. 😛

Replacing Ear Cups on my Sennheniser HD 280 Pro Headphones

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 10:39:19 +1000

The padding of one of my ear cups of my Sennheniser HD 280 Pro headphones was starting to wear out. I can’t remember how long I’ve had these headphones for but it must have been close to a decade, so to have it last as long as it did is pretty good. I use these headphones pretty much every day, and I have no desire of replacing it. But the old padding had to go, so last week I bought a new set and this morning I set about trying to get it on.

The 'before' shot, with the damaged ear padding.

It was not easy. Unlike the Bluetooth headphones I had, the replacement ear pads didn’t have adhesive strips that you could just stick on. Instead, there’s a vinal lip that you have to thread into the gap that rings the ear cup. This YouTube video gives a good explanation of what that entails.

But first you had to get the old ear cup off. This was simply a matter of tearing it off, but just be sure to tear the whole thing off, right down until you get to the actual speaker, which is a flat surface with two screws. If you don’t, you won’t be able to get the replacement padding on. There is almost zero slack with the padding, and if any part of the old padding is still there, it won’t fit. I spent about an hour trying to thread the damn thing into the gap before I realised I had more to remove.

Successfully getting the replacement padding on before realising that I couldn't access the screws to reattach the speaker.

One thing making it difficult was that the entire headphone was getting in my way. I had the genius plan of unscrewing the speaker from the rest of the body first, just so I could move it around easier. And yeah, it was easier, and I managed to get the padding on, but then I realised that I couldn’t access the screws to attach the speaker back once I did. I wasted about 30 minutes all up from that, but it was probably a good idea after all, as I found a little more of the old padding under the lip that I had to remove.

With the last bit of the old padding removed, threading the replacement was significantly easier.

When I put the speaker back, I made sure to make the lip a little larger than before. With that little more space, along with a lot of effort trying to get the lip of the padding into the gap (using a technique of rolling the lip up so you could get it over the side), I finally managed to get the replacement padding on the cup.

Job done. The replacement pad is on the right. The left one is still good so I'm leaving it alone for now.

With the new padding on, and the speaker undamaged from my tampering, the headphones are good as new. There is also padding for the overhead bar which I need to replace, but I think I’ll leave that for later.

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 21:32:32 +1000

Bought an umbrella a while ago that I really liked. I packed it for a walk one day, didn’t unpack it when I came home, completely forgot about it, thought I lost it, and went to buy a replacement. A couple of months ago I found it again. Now I have two umbrellas I really like.

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:47:06 +1000

Signal failure at Southern Cross means no trains running through the Loop. This leaves Flinders St. being the only CBD station serving my line. And yeah, it’s a tad busy.

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 19:35:51 +1000

Is there such a thing as too many lizards? Well… 🤔

This one was found in my bedroom. 🦎

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:18:05 +1000

Darling Gardens.

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:44:38 +1000

Good thing I checked the laundry basket first or I would’ve smothered this guy with my washing. 🦎

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 06:43:16 +1000

Above the clouds.

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:21:32 +1000

It’s interesting seeing people get caught out with how the doors work in the Metro Tunnel. At every other station, you need to press the button to open the train doors, but in the Metro Tunnel, they’re automatic. Maybe if they opened as soon as they started beeping (there’s a few seconds delay).

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:36:33 +1000

You see these car lifts or “stackers” everywhere in South Melbourne. Didn’t know they were as prevalent as they are until I knew someone who used one. Apparently they’re decent, if they’re working.

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 06:18:56 +1000

Degraves Street. I’ve lived in Melbourne my entire life, yet this is the first time here.

Gallery: Newport Workshops Open Day

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 15:05:49 +1000

Streamrail Victoria, the organisation that preserves old railway stock, had an open day at Newport Workshops, where they do their restoration work. They only have this open day occasionally, and seeing that they organised one this year, I decided to go. Part of it was a nostalgia trip for me, but it also was a chance to see locomotives and rolling stock I’ve not seen in person. Plus, it was a good excuse to get out of the house.

And I took photos; quite a few photos. Not great photos, mind you; and I won’t be publishing all of them — I’m sure you’ll find better ones from other gunzels online. But here are few from me.

Kicking off the day with the traditional form of rail travel round here: getting on a train-replacement bus. 😛

Inside a Taitset.

A P-class diesel in the orange V-line livery. I remember when these were in service. Their power to noise ratio was not great.

K-class coal fired stream locomotive. After checking my photos, this is one of the locomotives they use for the Wattle Festival at Hurstbridge.

Buying some swag: a photo book on the Hitachi trains.

A Y-class diesel locomotive. These were to replace the J and K class steam locomotives. Used the power bogies of scrapped Taitsets, which was interesting.

Looking inside the Y-class.

Model trains certainly made an appearance here. This is of Sunbury station.

Old train tickets. I can't believe we once used tickets that worked by scratching off the date.

Old station signs.

Front of a Taitset.

The old administration building, itself being restored.

One the reasons why I wanted to visit: seeing the old Greasing Train, made from converted Harris EMUs. Unfortunately, it looks like it's still awaiting restoration, so no way to look inside. Maybe next time.

It was quite crowded, more crowded than I expected. A lot of families, but also just a lot of train enthusiast. But the exhibitions were great. Many of them you can go in and look around. They also ran stream trains on runs of track beside the workshop; and I hope you like steam whistles, as there was quite a chorus of them.

I got on the bus, expecting it to take me back to Newport, but it stopped at the Railway Museum, which was also open (and was included in the ticket I purchased). So I thought I’d take a look around that too.

A pretty ordinary photo of the oldest steam locomotive still intact in Victoria. This ran suburban services from 1880 to 1961.

Another tank engine that ran suburban services.

A swing-door 'doggy' carriage, the first set of electric suburban trains. Started life as steam-hauled carriage, it was converted to electric in 1923, 103 years ago.

Cab of the swing-door carriage.

A wigwag level crossing warning signal. I've not seen a real-life version of this, but apparently a level crossing close by use to have these, way back.

X36 heavy freight, apparently the most powerful mainline freight stream locomotive made for Victorian railways. This was a beast. Notice how high the stairs are to get to the cab.

A silver Hitachi in front of a blue Harris set.

A refurbished Harris set, the so called 'grey ghosts'. These were before my time, although the livery was typical of suburban trans back in the 80's and 90's.

Inside the grey ghost.

Inside a Hitachi, taken from where I used to stand while these were in service. Forgotten how uncomfortable leaning back was. But man were they fun trains to ride.

An old Metcard machine. This must have been added to the museum's collection when they were taken out of service, as the annual ticket and Zone 3 were blanked out.

All in all, a good way to spend a day.

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 18:38:09 +1000

Well mark this one off your bucket list: appearing in someone’s travel vlog recommended to you by the YouTube algorithm. 😄

Tue, 03 Mar 2026 06:08:57 +1000

Ooh, the barge is back. This time it’s car themed, probably because of the F1.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 11:34:08 +1000

Grand final bocce match at Fitzroy Gardens. Congrats to Foxy for winning the season.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:06:34 +1000

Also saw a flock of pigeons enjoying the morning.

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 07:04:10 +1000

Saw an ibis this morning, but not a bin chicken. This is a Straw-necked Ibis.

Thu, 26 Feb 2026 18:46:51 +1000

This is green grass. A week ago it was brown grass that hasn’t seen rain in about a month and a half. What a difference a week and two rainy days makes.

Tue, 24 Feb 2026 15:18:38 +1000

Missed my tram but thanks to the horrible traffic due to the rain, managed to catch it by walking to the next stop. Managed to lap the tram before it too, before it reached the dedicated track section.

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 12:30:37 +1000

Don’t wish plumbing issues on my worst enemy (washing machine hose sprung a leak and needed to be replaced). 🥵

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 15:29:19 +1000

Ooh, one of the escalators on Southern Cross platform 9-10 has been refurbished. Very nice. We’re 1/3 of the way done.

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 06:35:09 +1000

Stopped to enjoy a croissant at this bakery in South Melbourne on my way to work.

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 15:39:38 +1000

A while ago, while walking along a local creek, I saw some people fishing. How quaint, I thought to myself. But I doubt they’ll catch any fish here. Well, apparently there are more fish in that creek than I thought.

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 18:12:00 +1000

The runoff from the drinking fountains around my place collect into small troughs at the ground. It’s typically for dogs, but the gallahs have also been making use of them.

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 16:04:00 +1000

Bluey sighting.

Sun, 25 Jan 2026 07:06:17 +1000

I’ve been playing taxi driver for these Honeybrown Beetles a fair bit recently. This is my third pickup in a fortnight.

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 17:53:41 +1000

Hot day today. Perfect snake weather.

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 06:11:44 +1000

The view under Kings Way.

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 21:21:04 +1000

Enjoyed a late dinner at the Prince Alfred Hotel in Richmond.

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 07:07:24 +1000

This is something set up for the Australian Open, yet the sight of a tennis court on water does have some significant references to a few people I grew up with.

Mon, 12 Jan 2026 06:20:18 +1000

Trying out this new coffee establishment that’s opened about a week ago: Coupette. Quite a small establishment, located beside a new hotel that’s opened along my commute.

Gallery: Rail Infrastructure Around Taradale

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 16:33:46 +1000

Since I was in the area, I figured I’d take a quick detour to Taradale to check out some of the local rail infrastructure: the closed station and the viaduct. Here are some photos of both.

The main Taradale Station building. Opened 1862, and closed 1976.

The bluestone goods shed. The nearby plaque boasts that this is of a 'unique design with finely crafted detail.' It is quite a nice building.

A view of the Up platform. I wanted to get closer but the station building looked occupied so I didn't know if I would be trespassing.

Close-up of a light fixture on the up platform.

Looking up the line towards Melbourne. No trains coming.

On the way out I saw this interesting weather vane at the top of this old semaphore signal in a nearby garden.

Unlike the station, the Taradale Viaduct, built 1862, is very much still in operation.

If my eyes don't deceive me, I believe this design in the railing is a VR. Not sure what I means. My guess: either Victoria Regina, or Victoria Railways.

The iron trestles were added in 1933 to reduce stress on the girders from heavier trains crossing the viaduct.

Distant view of the viaduct from the highway.

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 11:27:44 +1000

Enjoyed a nice walk at Trentham this morning. Good to get out of the house.

Fri, 26 Dec 2025 20:01:47 +1000

Dec 26 - Home

#12days

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 21:03:47 +1000

Dec 24 - Travel

Taking the scenic route. #12days

Wed, 24 Dec 2025 17:47:08 +1000

Dec 23rd — Baking

Ahhh! When I ordered this, I didn’t think it would be a whole loaf. It’s a little much for one person. #12days

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 10:00:20 +1000

Dec 22 - Grinch

Got really lucky with this one. If this place I grabbed a coffee didn’t have this, I wouldn’t have had an entry for today. #12days

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 17:50:34 +1000

Kelp gull sighting.

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 08:17:00 +1000

Dec 21 - Solstice

Well, I guess it’ll be the 21st somewhere. #12days

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 13:00:51 +1000

Found another 20 cent coin from Singapore in my washing the other day. I now think they did come from my 2023 trip to Singapore, as I checked my cash box to see if it was the same coin as last time and I found a $1 SGD coin in there too.

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 08:11:15 +1000

Dec 20 - Sparkle

#12days

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 09:54:45 +1000

Dec 19 - Beard

#12days

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 16:02:33 +1000

If anyone out there finds me at the gym rocking my new ATP T-shirt, yes I am interested in a job. 😛

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 09:28:00 +1000

Dec 18 - Evergreen

Norfolk Island Pine trees on Churchill Island. #12days

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 09:13:00 +1000

Dec 17 - Firelight

A lucky encounter that someone had a bonfire going when I was out walking a couple of days ago. #12days

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:10:00 +1000

Dec 16 - Cozy

One of the earliest photos in my library of our family dog trying his best to be cozy. Taken Oct 2009. #12days

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 06:48:00 +1000

Dec 15 - Frost

It’s summer here in the Southern Hemisphere so all the wintery submissions will have to be for photos taken six months ago. Here’s my entry for “frost”: a frozen puddle taken near “Tuggers” in the ACT. #12days

Gallery: Riding The Metro Tunnel

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 16:15:34 +1000

Today’s the day! I finally had an opportunity to try out the new Metro Tunnel. And it’s stunning. The construction team did an amazing job. Given that the last significant rail project around CBD was the City Loop, which opened in the 1980’s, it’s certainly nice to have something resembling a modern metro system, complete with features like curtain doors and carriage density indicators. But the new stations had a timeless design aesthetic to them: I want to say Art Deco, but I’m too much of a layman to be certain. In either case, I love it. To say that it celebrates commuter rail travel may be a stretch, but it’s clear they put a lot of effort into the design language for these stations, and it absolutely shows.

Anyway, here’s a gallery of the photos I took of my ride:

Outside the entrance to Parkville along Gratten St, on the south side of Melbourne University.

Heading down to the concourse. Note the double-M Melbourne Metro logo lockup on the light fixtures.

It was a little early so the natural light coming through the skylights was subtle. In the afternoon the concourse was flooded with sunlight.

This was the second weekend of operation so many of the independent businesses were not quite opened yet.

Waiting for barriers to open to let us through to the platforms. This can be described as a soft opening, in that the tunnels were only opened during the day outside of peak hours.

Ten o'clock. Time to let us through.

Down on the platforms, looking south towards the CBD.

Looking north now. The platforms can accomodate 10 carriage trains, although only 7 carriage trans are operating now.

The indigenous designs that dot the platform are a nice touch.

At the end of the platform looking down the south tunnel. Notice the block indicator for the in-cab signalling.

A close-up of the double-M logo lockup. Many of the light fixtures have this design mark.

Train arriving to take us south to Anzac station.

My first time on a HCMT actually, despite them being in operation for a couple of years now.

Still some teething issues, such as aligning the train doors to the platform curtain doors. Once the train had to creep forward a little before the doors could open.

Anzac station, on the south end of the tunnel. This, I gather, is going to be a busy mode transfer between the tunnel and the Swanson St. trams.

Under the wooden canopy of the Anzac station concourse.

After a quick lunch at Melbourne Central, it was time to take a look at State Library. This was probably the deepest of the stations, as it intersected with the underground City Loop.

The platforms of State Library. The use of the arched ceiling and the chandeliers was quite different to the other stations I saw today.

State Library is probably the best example of how strong the design language is: the orange colour scheme and Art Deco (maybe) style of the light fixtures.

One more stop today, Arden Station, near the north east. Another station that relies a lot on natural light.

The exterior of Arden Station. This is out of my way so I'm not likely to visit this station often, so I'm glad I had a chance to see it today.

Under the brick arch, which was the selling point that got me to take a look.

A sandstone plaque for the Gellong and Melbourne Railways from 1857, designed to commemorate the opening of Werribee Station, which was set on the wall of one of the workshops where Arden Station is.

Back at Parkville and heading back out.

I didn’t get a chance to see Town Hall, but it was a lot of fun checking out the new stations, and I was by far the only one. It being the end of the second week of operations, and all public transport being free over the weekend, I’d imagine most were simply taking a look at this spanking new bit of infrastructure. But I’m already hearing from people I know that this would help a lot with getting to and around the city, so I think this tunnel will be a success. I too have my plans for integrating this into my own commute.

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 08:59:38 +1000

Been a while since I visited Melbourne University. Good seeing the old haunts again.

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 16:09:46 +1000

I’ve yet to ride the new Metro Tunnel (hopefully this weekend) but I did get a sneak peek of State Library concourse. Looks amazing. Looking forward to seeing the actual platforms.

Mon, 08 Dec 2025 06:21:42 +1000

From the bridge.

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 16:04:34 +1000

The view from Violet Town.

Fri, 05 Dec 2025 06:08:33 +1000

It seems like my Autumnal cravings have shifted into early Summer.

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 18:25:33 +1000

Kind of nice to see that my heater and winter jacket is still getting some use on this lovely, supposedly summer evening.

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 14:38:41 +1000

Quite a shock to think about how fast 11 months have gone. I remember putting this tree away, putting the tape on and thinking “this will be difficult to untape without ripping the box.” Well, I’m faced with that challenge now.

Gallery: Revisiting Preston Market

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 20:22:15 +1000

I was rendezvousing with a few people for dinner around Preston this evening. I was early so I’d though I’d walk around the closed market. I used to come here all the time when I was a kid, and it was nice walking the laneways again, even if everything was closed for the night. As with most places you revisit when you’re older, it’s smaller than I remembered.

What could be described as the main laneway. Turn around and you would see Preston station. The tent-like roofs were not original, and the centre of each laneway was open to the elements.

The meat stalls. Back in the day you would have rails suspended from the ceiling where you could move hooked carcasses around.

I find the complex itself a bit of a warren, and as a kid, it was easy to get turned about.

I believe this area is where you'd find greengrocers.

This area used to have coffee and pastries, particularly cannoli.

Featured sections in the middle of the laneways would change from time to time. You'd occasionally find people trying to sell rooster and duck chicks. Today, apparently, it's flowers.

Wed, 26 Nov 2025 16:50:08 +1000

Under the big, grey sky-rail.

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 12:34:23 +1000

Interesting to see how networks deal with a 5 day test match ending on day 2. Looks like Channel 7 has opted for three reporters sitting on the pitch talking about the match. Hope they’ve got enough material to fill 3 days. 😏

Gallery: Walking the Darebin Creek Trail

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 20:09:47 +1000

Had to do some stuff today that weighed on me a little, so it was nice to be given the opportunity to walk the Darebin Creek trail this evening. Walked as far as the Main Yarra Trail, beside the Eastern Freeway. It was a really lovely evening, and it called for some photos to be taken.

Crossing the Yarra.

Freeway overpass beside the Main Yarra Trail. It's been a while since I've been at this part of the trail, so I completely forgot about it.

Lots of families of ducks out this evening.

Sat, 15 Nov 2025 16:11:25 +1000

Fruit of the hoop pine.

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 19:43:08 +1000

“Get out more” goal for November achieved. ✅

Boardgames at the Melbourne Central Lion Hotel. Bought along Wingspan tonight. Was a huge hit: better than I hoped. Played a full game with 3 other players. 👍

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 06:19:12 +1000

Did not expect to be back here again, riding the Comengs like it’s going out of style. Such is this year’s theme, unfortunately.

Sat, 08 Nov 2025 15:48:47 +1000

Lazy vibes on this cold, wet Saturday afternoon. 🦜

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 09:19:17 +1000

I really need to get a lower desk. Long periods of typing cause pain to form in my palms. In lieu of that, I am reminded that I can just take advantage of the wirelessness of my keyboard. It’s actually more comfortable than it looks.

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 06:52:48 +1000

The bridge is open again. My long, personal national nightmare (i.e. mild, almost insignificant, inconvenience for a couple of days) is finally over!

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 06:21:43 +1000

Putting up the Christmas decorations (this is why the ped bridge I use to cross the Yarra is closed.)

Mon, 03 Nov 2025 18:33:45 +1000

After the rain.

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 07:36:01 +1000

Back at “Broady 3”, the standard gauge line between Melbourne and Sydney, waiting for the XPT to Albury. Photo looking upline towards Melbourne.

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 05:39:09 +1000

If one can sum up the year with a single photo, my submission would be this one. One week to go for the third shutdown of the train line, totalling four months this year. It’s so fatiguing, hopefully this will be the last time for a while. 😩

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:39:34 +1000

Interesting bocce session today. We had a group of passers by approach us and ask about the game. Even asked if they could play a round, which we did. Also some bird activity, including this bin chicken that took an interest in the game.

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:54:41 +1000

Waiting at the rendezvous point for a spot of bocce. The morning is absolutely perfect. The gardens are nice and shady, now that the leaves on the trees have grown in.

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 08:28:03 +1000

Must be happy with this year’s win.

Sat, 18 Oct 2025 16:59:30 +1000

Eastern rosella sighting. Not that they’re uncommon, but they are a little camera shy.

Ten Pointless Facts About Me

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 07:13:58 +1000

Jumping on the bandwagon of another blogging trend. I saw Kev post answers to these ten questions and I thought I’d do the same. So without further ado: here are ten pointless facts about me.

Do you floss your teeth?

No, no I don’t. I know that I should, and my dentist and family all say that I should. And I’ve tried a few times (although reluctantly). But I couldn’t do it. I don’t like the sensation of a bit of thread against my teeth and gums.

Tea, coffee, or water?

All three. I’m quite a heavy coffee drinker in the morning (maybe a little too heavy). Then over the course of the morning I start throwing in some tea into the mix: both caffeinated and herbal. Then it’s one more coffee around lunchtime before switching to herbal tea exclusively after mid-afternoon. There are exceptions, such as having a coffee after a meal out, but I try not to have too much caffeine after three as it throws my sleep out. Style of water: still when I’m working, and sparkling during my down time.

Footwear preference?

I tend to prefer runners, despite not doing any activities that require running of me. They’re just a nice comfortable shoe to wear. Although they never last long, and I’m trying to mix up the shoes I wear just so I’m not buying new pairs every 6 months.

Favourite dessert?

Probably tiramisu. One of those deserts where you grew up loving the version prepared by your grandparents.

The first thing you do when you wake up?

Straight to the bathroom for the usual routines, then get dressed, then straight out the door to work. Go to whoa in around 15 minutes. If it’s a weekend I will do a casual read on my iPad after doing all that, but I try to keep much of that for the cafe.

Age you’d like to stick at?

Probably early thirties, where you’re still young enough to do things yet still have enough money that you’re not scrimping too often.

How many hats do you own?

How many hats do I own? Ooh… probably 7: 3 beanies and 4 wide-brimmed hats, but I do tend to stick to one or two of each. Given the time of year, I’m usually wearing a hat when I’m outside, and right now that’s a blue wide-brimmed hat I wear for sun protection. No caps thought: they don’t keep the sun off.

Describe the last photo you took?

This is a little embarrassing. It was this photo, of a sign in a carpark warning people that thieves were targeting GPS units:

I took it with the intention of posting it here, with a quip along the lines of, “Oh, GPS units? Nobody uses those anymore. The thieves can have it” (although only after I spent some time workshopping it). 😛

Worst TV show?

This one’s a hard one as I don’t have a lot of patience for shows I don’t like. There are a few shows I tried that others rave about but just didn’t work for me. Mad Men is one such show, but I wouldn’t call it “the worst”. Probably the most recent one I tried that I had the most contempt for was Sugar. It just seemed vapid: that they had an idea of a show set in a particular time and place, and the remaining attributes — plot, characters, etc. — were little more than cardboard cutouts designed to fit the space. But I only watched the first episode so this may be an unfair characterisation.

As a child, what was your aspiration for adulthood?

Being a huge fan of trains, I was telling others that I’d would like to be involved in the railways in some capacity: either a signalman or a driver. I did have a passing fancy of becoming a priest: having gone to a catholic school they had an air of leadership that was amenable amongst us kids, plus the robes were cool. But after encountering a computer and learning how to program, I think my fate was pretty much sealed.

If you’re interested in participating, David has the questions listed that you can copy and paste, plus a link to a few others who’ve posted answers.

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 15:57:50 +1000

Spotted in the wild: an XFCE-based Linux distribution.

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 07:34:07 +1000

Speaking of logos for government agencies, it looks like the State Electricity Service is coming back in some capacity, complete with its original logo. I haven’t seen the SES logo since the ’90s.

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 07:30:29 +1000

Now that PTV and VicRoads are being merged into a single department, new signage with the Transport Victoria logo is starting to appear. Can’t say I’m loving it right now, but it took a while for me to like the PTV logo, and now I’ll be sad to see it go (if it does go).

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 07:19:26 +1000

Breakfast at St. Ali coffee, in South Melbourne.

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 13:52:29 +1000

Took a train to Hurstbridge and walked the trail to Diamond Creek. Was rather grey, but the air was mild, so it made for good walking weather.

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:00:24 +1000

Speaking of lunch, maybe the next time the miners decide to swoop me they’ll remember that I’ve been rather nice to them.

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 11:52:41 +1000

The cafe I’ve visited today has got this chicken sandwich on a “signature croissant scroll.” I was skeptical at first, but after trying it out, it works quite well. Very nice.

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 07:45:50 +1000

I appreciate that those making, and putting up, these signs are sticking to this classic phrase.

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 10:35:41 +1000

Retired my old kettle and set up my new one. Currently drinking my inaugural cup of tea from it, while I work on my site.

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 12:35:17 +1000

Speaking of cafes, this pigeon is determined to get inside. It was shooed out a few minutes ago, but it wandered back in again. It’s at my feet while I write this.

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 10:47:57 +1000

I’ve seen a few strange things in parks, but this disco ball is probably one of the strangest.

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 08:01:03 +1000

Sitting in the gazebo waiting for the cafe to open. The pigeons’ keeping me company.

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 08:21:32 +1000

Got greeted this morning with the lovely smell of freshly cut grass in the park, mixed with a slight dampness from a little rainfall. Lovely.

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 07:20:37 +1000

I’ve been looking forward to this as a general train enthusiast. Then I realised it can improve my commute home. Now I’m really looking forward to this.

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 08:29:19 +1000

I see Manton’s sign and raise him this:

Taken yesterday evening.

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 17:41:50 +1000

Tonight’s menu: a chicken schnitzel burger from the local fish-and-chips shop, enjoyed at a local park. Haute cuisine at its finest. 😀

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 09:27:29 +1000

Timed my morning coffee perfectly today. Was able to photograph the steam train heading to the Wattle Festival this morning. It was pulling a Tait set, a rare sight for my eyes.

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 16:18:26 +1000

Today I had the pleasure of driving this:

An oil-fired steam locomotive. Drove it from Castlemaine to Maldon, round-trip of about 40 km, as part of the driving experience offered by the Victorian Goldfields Railway. Very fun. Was anxious about it at first but turned out to be a great experience.

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 17:14:15 +1000

Back in Castlemaine for the weekend. Enjoying a walk around the Botanical Gardens.

Tue, 19 Aug 2025 07:48:18 +1000

Some good advice.

Mon, 11 Aug 2025 07:40:31 +1000

Find it I did. Went by St. Ali Coffee on my way to work today on the advice of a friend. Tried their expresso. Not much of an expresso drinker but I did like it: a very interesting taste. I may try their cappuccino next time.

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 11:41:43 +1000

The same market had a showcase of vintage cars maintained by enthusiast. I know a few people who would love to see this stuff. Not me, however. I wouldn’t know a Mustang from a Maserati.

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 11:12:35 +1000

Passed by some old-school “marketing” on my way home from the cafe this morning.

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 17:35:46 +1000

Bocce at Albert Park. Stunning day for it. Quite cold in the shade, but the Sun’s got that bite to it again, announcing that Spring is on its way.

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 07:36:29 +1000

Walked to work via St. Kilda Road today, which is a route I’ve not taken yet. Longer than my usual route, but was still very pleasant, until I had to cross Kings Way, which is a little stroady. Will file this route under “occasionally”.

Thu, 07 Aug 2025 09:45:43 +1000

Aaaaargh… 😫

May need to get a new kettle. In the meantime, coffee machine’s putting in double duties.

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 07:25:08 +1000

Dredging equipment deployed in the Yarra.

Mon, 04 Aug 2025 07:50:46 +1000

Looks like my touch-bar didn’t show up to work today.

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 17:20:54 +1000

Passed by some purple swamphens (or pūkekos for those across the Ditch) on my walk today. About three of them went by going the other way, just going about their business. Such interesting birds.

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 08:21:48 +1000

Got confirmation that I’ve been admitted into a very exclusive group: the cafe regulars Heidi recognises. Fellow members include a few other regulars, the cafe staff, and the lady who runs the milk-bar next door. Initiation involves getting one’s leg sniffed upon entry of Heidi.

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 20:04:11 +1000

Quick trip along the Main Yarra Trail near Heidelberg this afternoon. Busy as always, but was a nice day to be out so not too surprising.

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 07:32:35 +1000

Train line outage is still ongoing. Apparently there’s been a derailment due to pantographs getting entangled in the overhead wires. So the new rolling stock experience continues. Today’s is a brief ride in a Siemens, complete with driver pointing out landmarks of interest.

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 07:30:12 +1000

Got lucked into getting a Comeng train. Haven’t ridden one of these in years. They’re being retired so may be one of the last times I get to ride them.

Mon, 14 Jul 2025 06:52:10 +1000

Making lemonade out of the lemons that is a total outage of my train line by seeing areas of the network that are completely new to me.

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 08:59:08 +1000

Day 22: hometown

#mbjune

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 11:41:30 +1000

Returned to Tuggeranong for breakfast and a walk around the lake. The morning was quick crisp, and there was plenty of frost on the ground, but it was quite nice in the sun.

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 06:33:36 +1000

Day 2: curve

#mbjune

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 14:14:24 +1000

Day 1: tree

#mbjune

Thu, 08 May 2025 07:42:10 +1000

Seeing these river tour boats moored like this reminds me of the UK, and all the narrowboats in the canals.

Gallery: Morning In Sherbrooke

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 16:07:12 +1000

This Easter Monday I had the pleasure of going to Sherbrooke, in the Dandenong Ranges, and walk the falls track. I can’t remember the last time I walked this track. It was certainly longer than five years ago, or I would’ve written about it here. Nonetheless, the urge to return there was growing and thanks to an opportune time to rendezvous with family for lunch nearby, I’d figured I’d spend the morning there.

It's wonderful to walking amongst the majestic Mountain Ash once again.

I refer to this corner as Attenborough Curve, as there's a shot of Sir David Attenborough walking this path in The Private Life of Plants. It's not this exact corner, mind you, but it was definitely a path I recognised when I watched this series, way back when.

The highlight of the day: a spotting of what I'm pretty sure is a Superb Lyrebird. I think this is a female.

Close-up of the Lyrebird. I didn't want to get any closer lest I scare it away.

After seeing the falls, I wanted to get back to the road. The path I knew that would take me there was close, as the bridge was being replaced. Fortunately, a friendly walker pointed me to this path, and this bridge across the creek.

A speed run of Alfred Nicholas Memorial Garden. The autumnal setting certainly drew a crowd, with many people taking photos with the assumed intention of posting it online (as witnessed by this person taking this photo with the intention of posting it online).

I didn't stay long as I had to meet people for lunch, but I did manage to get to the pond at the bottom of the garden.

Always good to see when an exit is on right now.

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 21:59:20 +1000

Hanging with Rico. He’s got a habit of overpreening, which is why he looks a little shabby.

Fri, 18 Apr 2025 14:01:20 +1000

Some more #big-spending going on around here with the arrival of my brand new TV… remote control. 🤑

Yeah, I finally got a replacement remote control for my TV. And honestly, doing so was a long time in coming. The old one (right) has been failing over the last few years: with certain buttons, particularly Power and Enter, requiring significantly more force that others before responding. About a month or so ago, the Power button stopped functioning completely, and the only way I could turn the TV on was to use the Netflix button (making that button useful for the first time in years) and quickly switching to AV 2. That, plus the volume, were the only buttons working by the end.

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 11:59:18 +1000

On time arrival at Albury, NSW.

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 08:41:49 +1000

At “Broady 3,” waiting for the XPT to Albury. 🚂

Sat, 12 Apr 2025 07:33:47 +1000

The weather is stubbornly refusing to turn autumnal. Fortunately the trees are happy to oblige.

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:16:45 +1000

That small lizard that occasionally gets inside my house is back. Got a bit of a surprise when I saw it in the hallway today. It ran as I reached for my phone to take this picture.

New Desk Chair Day

Fri, 11 Apr 2025 15:06:48 +1000

Earlier this year — in mid January! — I ordered a replacement chair for my desk: a Herman Miller Aeron Task Chair, B-size. Today, after 4 months, it finally arrived.

The new Herman Miller Aeron chair

And after sitting in it for amount of time it took me to write this post, it’s great. The chair is comfortable, and I like that I can tilt it back slightly. I do wonder if I should’ve gotten the one with arm-rests, but none of my previous desk chairs had them and I’d probably would’ve regretted it if I did (taking them off is not a user serviceable activity). I do wish the new chair was just a little higher — the B-Size is the one with the highest lift — but it’s higher than my old one so I’m counting that as a win.

In fact, it’s a much better chair than my old one all round. That’s not saying much at all: what I had was a sub-$100 chair I bought from Officeworks. It was starting to wear and it was actually giving me some mild back pain. I also remember it being higher when I bought it, I guess the riser was starting to wear a little too.

Well, that old desk chair can take the load off (ha-ha) and go into retirement. Thank you for your years of service, sub-$100 chair from Officeworks, but your service is no longer required.

The old sub-$100 Officeworks chair

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 21:12:26 +1000

Added a few final things to my Godot game, such as a really boring title and end-title screen, before preparing a release for play testers (or play tester, I’ve got exactly one lined up). I think we’re ready.

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:32:09 +1000

Do you POSSE? I POSSE. You’re seeing me POSSE right now. POSSE!!1!

Thu, 27 Mar 2025 10:28:36 +1000

Two awesome vessels: a water bottle I got from AWS reInvent, and a keepcup I bought at Coles. What makes them awesome is that they’re double-layered, so my coffee stays hot and my water stays cool.

Tue, 25 Mar 2025 07:07:37 +1000

Here’s a useful Obsidian plugin. It allows you to use emoji short-codes in your notes, just like Slack and I think some flavours of Markdown. Good for todo lists where emojis could be used to highlight questions or priority items.

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 18:39:47 +1000

Stunning day for bocce today. Finally nice to get some autumnal weather. Tournament ended with a draw, so no definitive winner for the 2024 season.

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 19:45:12 +1000

This week’s earworm: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (Original Game Soundtrack). Might be all the Godot stuff I’m doing at the moment. 🎵

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 21:03:43 +1000

Can definitely recommend Aseprite for making simple pixel artwork. I’m using it now for making some sprites for my Godot game I’m working on. Reminds me of the time I used MS Paint for this during the 90’s era, back when it was closer to this than what it is now.

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 10:11:35 +1000

After the last peanut incident, I added a rule to mark emails with the lunch menu red when the word satay or nut appears in the body. It’s been working pretty well so far. There is the occasional false positive — “coconut” is a common one — but it’s doing it’s job in alerting me to be careful.

Sun, 16 Mar 2025 08:07:54 +1000

Got caught in heavy rain while on my walk this morning. About effin’ time! 🌧️

Replacing A Side Mirror Of A Toyota Echo

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 10:42:41 +1000

About a week ago, I foolishly broke the side mirror of my car. I ordered a replacement, which came yesterday, and this morning I set about installing it. The site recommends getting it installed by a trained mechanic, and that’s probably good advice. But given that my car was about 20 years old, and after checking out this YouTube video, I figured I’d give it a shot doing it myself.

I’ll spare you the suspense: I got it installed, although it wasn’t as smooth sailing as I hoped. First was getting the tools: a Phillips head screwdriver, and a 10mm a socket ratchet. I had the screwdriver but I needed to get the ratchet socket and drive. Easy enough to acquire after a quick drive to Bunnings.

New socket ratchet and mirror. Scissors were used to get the tags off.

Removing these plastic 'screws' to remove the door covering was not easy. They're essentially clips and if you were to use too much force, the clips would break. I think I broke at least one.

Not sure why we even have a measuring system, given that an 6 mm nut and 1/4 inch washer was used for a 10 mm bolt. 🤷

New mirror finally installed. Looks okay, although don't go prodding the door cover.

This mirror is now the cleanest part of the car.

The old broken mirror, ready for disposal.

Next, was taking part of the passenger door cover off. This involved unscrewing one screw and two plastic “clip” screws. I’m a little unimpressed by how flimsy these plastic screws are: a bit too much force and they start breaking. I think I broke part of one when I was trying to get one off. Once the screws were out, part of the door cover had to be removed. The video made it seem like taking the covering off was as easy as lifting the clips out from the door, but I couldn’t get much of it off, and I think I may have broken some of the clips too.

After removing the cover from the mirror itself, I then had to use the socket ratchet to remove the bolts and nuts holding the mirror to the door. The mirror was one whole assembly: there’s no way to just replace the mirror part without replacing the housing. So the whole thing needed to come off. I’ve never used a socket ratchet set before, but after a few false starts, I managed to get two bolts off rather easily. The third one was a fair way in and required a longer socket. I loosened the bolt but when I tried pulling it out, it fell out of the socket, down into the cavity between the panelling and door cover. That door’s going to rattle for the rest of the car’s life now.

Short one nut, I needed to get a new one. The new mirror I bought didn’t come with any (which I found a little strange) and of course I didn’t have any 10mm nuts on me, so it was back to the hardware store to get some. They had 10mm nuts, but they seemed a bit big for what I needed. They certainly didn’t fit the socket. So I bought a collection of nuts and washers of various sizes, just to cover my bases. An 8mm nut and a 1/4 inch washer did the trick.

Back home, after attaching the new mirror, it was just a matter of putting the door cover back. I did as good a job as I could, but I struggled a lot here. I don’t think I got all the tabs back, and the plastic screws just spun around when I tried to tighten them. It looks all there, but if one were to poke and prod it a little, it wouldn’t feel as solid as it once did. It’s probably a good thing I don’t usually carry passengers.

So, that’s pretty much my adventure at car repair. The mirror’s pretty secure, but the door is not great. Despite all that, it was a good experience. But I think if that happened again on a newer car, I’d probably employ someone who knows what they’re doing.

Mon, 10 Mar 2025 20:29:31 +1000

Was looking at how I could add hazards to my Godot project, such as spikes. My first idea was to find a way to detect collisions with tiles in a TileMap in Godot. But there was no real obvious way to do so, suggesting to me that this was not the way I should be going about this. Many suggested simply using an Area2D node to detect when a play touches a hazard.

I was hesitant to copy and paste the scene node I had which handled the collision signal and kill the player — the so-called “kill zone” scene —but today I learnt that it’s possible to add multiple CollisionShape2D nodes to an Area2D node. This meant I needed only a single “kill zone” scene node, and just draw out the kill zones over the spikes as children. The TileMap simply provides the graphics.

This discovery may seem a little trivial, but I’d prefer to duplicate as few nodes as a can, just so I’ve got less to touch when I want to change something.

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 14:05:12 +1000

Plenty of people taking advantage of the warm weather and low water level at Pound Bend, Warrandyte today.

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 13:59:47 +1000

“Get out more” goal for March achieved. ✅

Joined a bushwalking club and went for a hike in Warandyte.

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 09:48:07 +1000

So, uh, Stripe; which is it? You can’t change the currency of a customer, or you can? Because I was under the impression that you were unable to change the currency once it was set. So you could imagine my surprise when I was able change the currency of a customer this morning.

Thu, 27 Feb 2025 13:50:38 +1000

This week’s earworm: 140 OST. 🎵

Wed, 26 Feb 2025 19:31:33 +1000

Well, got my evening sorted. 😫

Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:43:31 +1000

Saw a couple of spotters at the gym this morning: two brush tail possums. Mother and baby I’m guessing.

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 07:42:20 +1000

Swanson St, Melbourne. Been a while since I’ve walked this.

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:58:56 +1000

Another Twitter embed bites the dust:

That’s all of them now. I can’t see any more uses of that short-code here. Guess I was right not to do that too often.

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 14:15:01 +1000

Have pulled down the bit of fence extension that was falling down. I don’t think it was recoverable, or at least not with the wear it had endured plus my limited carpentry skills. But that’s fine. At least it’s neater now.

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 10:10:08 +1000

Dusted off Podcast Favourites (last commit 25 April 2022) and fixed a longstanding issue of thumbnails being lost when they’re changed in the feed. Editing the feed properties will now force a refresh of the thumbnail URLs. Didn’t need to change anything else, which was a nice change.

Mon, 10 Feb 2025 06:43:42 +1000

Ok, I admit that I probably should’ve looked through the settings menu before writing a post, because it looks like my new cooler does has a shutoff after N hours feature. It also allows you to set the fan speed. Why it’s on page 2 of the settings menu is beyond me, but it’s there and it works.

Sun, 09 Feb 2025 08:01:21 +1000

I thought the need to use these isolators — which, when opened, will shut off power in the overhead line flowing from north to south — was the reason why the train replacement busses are where they are. Turns out I was wrong, as these isolators are still closed. Must be some other reason.

Thu, 06 Feb 2025 21:20:24 +1000

Recent earworm: Samplextra, by Lee Rosevere. 🎵

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 13:49:29 +1000

New AC installed and doing the best it can on this slightly humid day, although it’s performing better than the old unit. I forgot to take a photo of the old panel, so here’s a photo of the new one (the lower one is for the heater).

Sun, 02 Feb 2025 06:27:55 +1000

No trains today.

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 07:23:37 +1000

It’s finally happened: the local pigeons have discovered bagels and coffee.

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 06:34:15 +1000

New ground stickers telling people not to ride on the path. We’ll see how well these work, since the sign has been such a “success”. Maybe the police emblem will help. 😏

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 05:47:42 +1000

Galah’s letting anyone who cares to know that it’s on this pole, it’s their pole, and don’t you forget that.

Tue, 28 Jan 2025 06:49:19 +1000

Trying out DeepSeek’s chat model. Started with a pretty tame session, but it was something I needed from ChatGTP a week ago. DeepSeek seems to do pretty well here: I like how terse the answers are. I’d be curious to try out the API too.

Sun, 26 Jan 2025 09:46:41 +1000

Hitchhiker. One of two today.

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 07:28:29 +1000

Discovered new street art this morning. Took a photo of my favourites.

Wed, 22 Jan 2025 15:09:56 +1000

The conspiratorial side of me is thinking that running shoes are getting more expensive and lasting half as long. The shoes I had have worn out considerably so I bought a new pair, which arrived today. So I’m officially marking the date.

Sun, 19 Jan 2025 07:58:28 +1000

Some photos of birds taken during my walk this morning.

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 16:27:03 +1000

My Micro.blog mug by @jimmitchell has arrived. Looks great. As for where it fits in my ever expanding tech-related mug collection, if we were to order by size, it sits nicely in the middle.

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 05:56:19 +1000

I only just discovered that you can use your finger to annotate screenshots in iPadOS. Go to the options menu and turn on “Draw with Finger”. I actually had no idea it was possible to make annotations without using a pencil. Why this is off by default when there’s no pencil nearby is beyond me.

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 05:42:03 +1000

I kinda feel for UI designers. If you were asked to come up with a menu icon for showing reading mode, font size settings, and accessing the page menu with other miscellanea, which gliph would you use? I’d say that the one chosen for Safari is a little confusing, but I really cannot blame them.

Fri, 10 Jan 2025 17:56:13 +1000

Interesting odometer reading this evening.

Fri, 03 Jan 2025 14:49:03 +1000

Bit surprised to see this appear in my washing machine after washing some new clothes I bought this week.

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 15:08:27 +1000

Mon, 30 Dec 2024 11:23:19 +1000

I guess there’s nothing in life that can’t be improved by adding RGBs to it. 😄

Also glad I caught this feature before buying this cable for my nightstand.

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 19:49:16 +1000

Sighted an echidna today. It wasn’t a close encounter; I was about seven or eight metres away. Probably why it wasn’t too fazed to have its picture taken.

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:12:50 +1000

Effectively secure.

Thu, 26 Dec 2024 09:08:01 +1000

Feliz Navidad, from our local graffiti artists. 🎄

Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:05:29 +1000

Post-Christmas lunch chill out with Rico. 🎄

Sat, 21 Dec 2024 06:15:04 +1000

Eternal Comeng.

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 17:19:05 +1000

For @vincent.

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 17:18:01 +1000

Enjoying some chinotto. It’s a chinotto sort of evening me thinks.

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 15:25:48 +1000

Probably the most disobeyed sign in all of South Melbourne. 😏

Sat, 07 Dec 2024 16:51:57 +1000

Green grass in summer.

Sat, 30 Nov 2024 15:03:22 +1000

A grey and wet visit to Hastings today for lunch and coffee. Met someone at the cafe who bought his two cockatiels along with him, both in little harnesses.

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 06:52:20 +1000

Slippery when wet.

Seriously, watch yourself when walking through that subway on a wet day. That tiled floor is treacherous.

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:54:01 +1000

A good indication of how busy the work week is is the number of biscuits packets I bring home with me, rather than eat at lunch time. We’re at two packets this week.

Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:42:18 +1000

The house guests have returned. Rico is settling in quite well, considering it his first time here. 🦜

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 06:24:04 +1000

Behind the MAS.

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:28:49 +1000

⚡

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 14:03:27 +1000

Day trip, but a lot closer to home. Took a train to Hurstbridge and walked the trail alongside the creek to Eltham, around 12.5 km in total. Also took a small break at the tram cafe. 🌲

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 11:44:38 +1000

Trentham Railway Station, and the start of the Domino rail trail. 🌲

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 08:39:59 +1000

Another day trip, this time to Mt. Macedon (again. Yes I’m hitting the classics) 🌲

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 20:02:52 +1000

Old rail distance post found on the rail trail today, just outside of Loch. Only 95 km to Southern Cross station from here.

Thu, 31 Oct 2024 11:30:42 +1000

Walked part of the rail trail near Black Spur Creek. Was too slow to get a photo of the echidna but I did manage to get one of this white-necked heron. 🌲

Sun, 27 Oct 2024 15:13:43 +1000

The view of the Stony Point line from Bittern station.

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 06:28:11 +1000

Scare with care. 🎃

Sat, 19 Oct 2024 16:20:31 +1000

Archie is no longer with us sadly, so my sister went out and got a new companion for Ivy. Say hello to Rico. 🦜

Sun, 13 Oct 2024 08:04:07 +1000

Taking the XPT to Albury, on the Vic/NSW border, for a rendezvous.

Sun, 06 Oct 2024 12:10:32 +1000

Small achievement unlocked, but one that’s a long time in coming: I finally tried nasi lemak. And yeah, it was quite tasty, although spicier than I imagined.

Sat, 05 Oct 2024 17:03:36 +1000

Bit of a wet day but the rain let up long enough for me to go for a walk. Though I had to take a detour as my path was blocked by a couple of families enjoying the weather. 🦆

Thu, 03 Oct 2024 17:09:09 +1000

It’s curious to wonder why Alstom, the maker of these trains, don’t track when passengers press the button just before the tone sounds. It happens quite often: they press it a second too early, stand there in front of the closed doors, press it again, and the doors open. Need to hire more game devs.

Sun, 29 Sep 2024 12:59:36 +1000

New path day. This was little more than a goats track last time I was around here, but was recently widened to something a little more “official.”

Sun, 15 Sep 2024 18:34:07 +1000

A very chilly yet enjoyable bocce session at Calton Gardens today. Won one of the four games played, which is a good day for me.

Fri, 06 Sep 2024 18:04:47 +1000

It’s a pint sort of evening today. Balter XPA. Cheers. 🍻

Sat, 31 Aug 2024 08:50:10 +1000

Speaking of musical instruments: new toy acquired. My parents were cleaning out some clutter and found this ukulele. I always imagined them to be little more than small guitars, so I was quite surprised when I saw how they were tuned, with the outer strings being higher than the inner ones.

Sun, 25 Aug 2024 09:43:10 +1000

Unboxed my new vacuum cleaner. First, love how all the packaging material is cardboard and paper: only thing I needed to throw in the bin was a bit of tape. Second, love how this comes with a stand. I was actually wondering where I was going to stow this (it won’t be the living room 😄).

Fri, 16 Aug 2024 07:49:30 +1000

This morning’s tiding.

Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:11:03 +1000

Protecting my “super premium” monitor riser with coasters as a certain creature likes to chew it.

Sat, 10 Aug 2024 20:45:15 +1000

Darken bocce courts at the Veneto Club. We were showing our second cousins around, who are visiting from Traviso, Italy. I remember seeing these courts being filled with people when I was young, hearing the loud clank as the jack was thrown against the opposite wall.

Thu, 08 Aug 2024 21:21:44 +1000

Trying out a bag of Leon organic coffee beans. This bag was given to me by some visitors from the UK. Apparently Leon is a brand of coffee over there (I’m not aware of it being sold here). We’ll see how it measures up tomorrow morning.

Tue, 30 Jul 2024 06:45:21 +1000

Archie is quite the photogenic bird.

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 15:51:29 +1000

Got treated to an “Ivy facial” today.

Sun, 28 Jul 2024 17:25:18 +1000

The guests have arrived. 🦜

Sat, 27 Jul 2024 08:46:11 +1000

Mesdames et messieurs: voici la tentative d’aujourd’hui de passer à un petit-déjeuner plus minimaliste: deux grands cafés au lait.

Ladies and gentlemen: presenting today’s attempt to move to a more minimalist breakfast: two large cappuccinos.

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 16:09:41 +1000

Preparing the second room for a couple of house guests that’ll be coming next week. 🦜

They get a little funny around mirrors so I’d had to cover the wardrobe with newspaper. Hope it holds.

Wed, 10 Jul 2024 17:45:23 +1000

Backpacker on the tram. 🐶

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 18:15:10 +1000

Work offered us a very… American style lunch today. First time I had bacon with my pancakes. Honestly, not as bad as I was expecting.

Fri, 28 Jun 2024 16:38:37 +1000

So, walk up the hill, then it’s through the gate to get to the path. Piece of cake.

Oh… 🤔

Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:24:29 +1000

Finally did something today that I should’ve done a long time ago: buy a UPS. Hopefully power outages will no longer bring down my Mac Mini server while I’m away (power is usually quite reliable when I’m home, but as soon as I leave for any extended period of time… 🪫).

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 16:13:58 +1000

In today’s demonstration of the gulf between taste and ability, may I present my attempt at fixing the fence extension:

Part of the challenge was getting to it. I had to hack out a path through the overgrown beds:

Trust me when I say that this is an improvement. 😅

Sat, 15 Jun 2024 15:35:43 +1000

Checked out of the Cockatiel Cafe and heading home to Melbourne. Always a little melancholy leaving Canberra, but I’m sure to be back soon enough. As for the “residents” I was looking after, I’ll be seeing them again real soon. More posts then I’m sure.

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 15:47:13 +1000

The view from the top of Mount Rogers Reserve.

Mon, 10 Jun 2024 07:54:04 +1000

To get to Bundanoon from Canberra you have to drive past Lake George. I’ve always seen it empty but yesterday I saw it with water, so I had to stop and take a photo.

Day Trip to Bundanoon

Sun, 09 Jun 2024 23:26:00 +1000

Decided to go on a day trip to Bundanoon today. It’s been five years since I last visited and I remember liking the town enough that I thought it’d be worth visiting again. It’s not close, around 1 hour and 40 minutes from Canberra, but it not far either and I thought it would be a nice way to spend the day. Naturally, others agreed, which I guess explains why it was busier than I expected, what with the long weekend and all. Fortunately, it wasn’t too crowded, and I still had a wonderful time.

The goal was to go on a bush-walk first. I chose to do the Erith Coal Mine track, for no particular reason other than it sounded interesting. This circuit track was meant to take you to a waterfall by an old coal mine. However, the track leading to the actual mine was closed, thanks to the recent rain. In fact, if I could describe the bush-walks in one word, it would be “wet”. The ground was soaked, as were the paths, and although conditions were lovely, the paths were still very slippery.

Eirth Coal Mine track starting off pretty well, if a little wet.

Starting our desent into the vally.

Continuing our desent via these elevated platforms. The stairs here were very narrow.

I assume the path is meant to cross this flat stone, which I'm guessing is either dry, or has a small stream. But all the recent rain has turned it into a torrent.

My make shift walking staff, which prooved useful getting through the slippery parts of the trail.

View behind me as a start climbing back to road level.

I assume the mine was across these rocks, but there was no way I was going to cross it.

After completing that circuit in probably 45 minutes, my appetite for bush-walking was still unsatisfied, so I tried the Fairy Bower Falls walk next. This was not as steep as the first one, but it turned to be a much harder track due to how wet and slippery everything was.

Enterance to Fairy Bower Falls walk.

This track wet and very slippery. Much of it was barely walkable if you wanted to keep your shoes dry.

This was the best shot I have of the waterfall, which is pretty bad, but I can assure you, it was there amongst the trees.

The walk back to the road. This was much easier, partly because it was uphill but also because I know I already walked this part once.

I stopped short of the end of this one too, as it seems the path was washed away. But I did manage to get a glimpse of the waterfall, so I’m considering that a win.

After that, I returned to the town for lunch and some train spotting. The train line to Goulburn runs through Bundanoon, and the last time I was there, there was probably a freight train every hour or so. So I was hoping to get a good view of a lot of freight traffic. Maybe shoot a video of a train passing through the station I could share here.

Bundanoon train station.

I had lunch outside and walked around the town a little, always within sight of the railway line, hoping for at least one train to pass through. But luck wasn’t on my side, and it wasn’t until I was on my way home that I saw what I think was a grain train passing through Wingello. I pulled over to take a video, and while I miss the locomotive, I got a reasonable enough recording of the wagons.

Stopping by the side of the road to film these grain wagons passing by.

Being a little more hopeful, I stopped at Tallong, the next town along the road. I bought a coffee and went to the station to drink it and hopefully see a train pass through. Sadly, it was not to be. So I decided to head back home.

Tallong train station.

So the train spotting was a bust, and the bush-walks were difficult, but all in all it was quite a nice day. I look forward to my next visit to Bundanoon. Lets hope the trains are running a little more frequently then.

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 16:50:35 +1000

Photos of the poor patient, sitting next to the clumsy human. Rest assured, she’s getting a course of pain killers, plus a lot of apology head scratches.

Sat, 08 Jun 2024 12:11:54 +1000

Bit of a stressful morning, involving injuries and unplanned visits to the vet. Things are well now, and the tension is starting to dissipate. But what a way to spend the morning. 😮‍💨

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 14:00:00 +1000

“What about your Savoys, Mrs. D?”

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 12:30:00 +1000

A black swan event.

(And yes, I took this photo just so I can use this caption).

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 11:47:10 +1000

Returned to Tuggeranong this morning for breakfast and a walk around the lake. Really enjoy going to “Tuggers” when I’m in ACT. I can’t quite explain it, but I always get New Zealand vibes whenever I visit.

Thu, 30 May 2024 11:20:43 +1000

New offering at the Cockatiel Cafe: the “breakfast bar”. 🦜

Mon, 06 May 2024 22:07:33 +1000

My favourite gym t-shirt. All the Aussies would get this reference.

This I got from an op-shop but I have been to the Bonnie Doon Hotel a few times. It’s actually pretty nice.

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 07:36:51 +1000

Day 30: hometown

It’s far from perfect, but it’s good to call this place home. #mbapr

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 20:06:55 +1000

Day 29: drift

Drifted a little from the path at this point of my hike today. Could be easy to get lost though, so it was important not to drift too far. #mbapr

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 10:12:40 +1000

Day 28: community #mbapr

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 19:35:23 +1000

Day 27: surprise

Quite surprised that this photo came out as well as it did. Was purely an accidental press of the shutter button. #mbapr

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 18:55:16 +1000

Some emus have moved into a nearby sanctuary a few weeks ago. I managed to catch a glimpse of one during my walk today. A rare treat indeed.

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 13:53:00 +1000

Day 25: spine #mbapr

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:14:29 +1000

Day 24: light #mbapr

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 08:56:09 +1000

Day 23: dreamy #mbapr

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 07:41:35 +1000

Day 22: blue #mbapr

Sun, 21 Apr 2024 08:56:39 +1000

Day 21: mountain

Warburton, in the Yarra Ranges. #mbapr

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 12:38:16 +1000

Day 20: ice #mbapr

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 10:14:00 +1000

A small visitor is back, enjoying the sun on my kitchen tiles. 🦎

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 14:26:13 +1000

Day 19: birthday

I got this almost 9 years ago. It’s never been used. #mbapr

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 12:54:03 +1000

Day 18: mood

I guess one can describe this mood as flat. #mbapr

Wed, 17 Apr 2024 20:14:13 +1000

Day 17: transcendence #mbapr

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 12:56:30 +1000

Day 16: flâneur

One extra flâneur not in frame. #mbapr

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 16:53:16 +1000

Day 15: small #mbapr

Mon, 15 Apr 2024 08:03:29 +1000

Day 14: cactus

Okay, I admit that it’s quite a stretch to call this a cactus. I do think it’s some form of succulent, or at least a plant that’s suitable for hot, dry climates, so I’m going to go with it. #mbapr

Sun, 14 Apr 2024 14:22:57 +1000

Mum found a bunch of tapes of us making radio shows when we were kids. I’m digitising them now using this radio, which is the only tape player available to me. Not pictured is the Nuc running Linux, recording the audio (forgot how painful dealing with Linux audio on the command line is).

Sat, 13 Apr 2024 21:44:04 +1000

Day 13: page #mbapr

Fri, 12 Apr 2024 16:43:38 +1000

Day 12: magic

An ATEM Mini from Blackmagic Design we have at work. It’d be nice to have more reasons to learn how to use this. #mbapr

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 07:46:22 +1000

Day 11: sky

It’s up there, somewhere. #mbapr

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 17:50:27 +1000

Day 10: train #mbapr

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:50:55 +1000

Getting in line for the café to open.

Actually, this pigeon is more patient than I am. I decided to go somewhere else.

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:47:38 +1000

Day 9: crispy

I guess you could describe these autumn leaves as crispy. Well, maybe a couple of weeks ago you could. With all the recent rain we’ve had, I guess they’ve gone soggy now. #mbapr

Mon, 08 Apr 2024 07:31:53 +1000

Day 8: prevention

An ounce of this? Well, not quite. I can’t prevent myself getting sick abroad, but I try to take a few things to save myself needing to go to the chemist. This idea came from my previous job, which took quite a lot of effort preventing people getting sick while travelling. #mbapr

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 11:52:24 +1000

Day 7: well-being

“An apple a day,” and all that. Kinda wish I liked apples more than I do (I don’t really like them that much). #mbapr

Sat, 06 Apr 2024 06:46:24 +1000

Day 6: windy

Sails of modernity. #mbapr

Fri, 05 Apr 2024 15:54:08 +1000

Day 5: serene

The Remarkables, Queenstown, NZ. Taken March 2013. #mbapr

Thu, 04 Apr 2024 15:49:03 +1000

Day 4: foliage

Spot the visitors. #mbapr

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 15:34:18 +1000

Day 3: card #mbapr

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 16:54:10 +1000

Day 2: flowers #mbapr

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 07:52:32 +1000

Day 1: toy #mbapr

Canberra Railway Museum

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 18:06:49 +1000

Went to the Canberra Railway Museum this morning. Quite a wide variety of locomotives and carriages being restored, with many of them quite accessible to guests, including the cabin. Here’s a selection of the more interesting sites.

A C30T class steam locomotive, built in 1903, being restored.

An S class diseal locomotive, built in 1957, with the Victorian Railway livery.

Cab of the S class. Amazing how little visibility there is out the front.

CBH class diseal railmotor.

The cab of the rail motor. The back of the drivers seat is actually on the door.

Z12 class steam locomotive, built in 1878.

The cab of the Z12 class steam locomotive. This one is pretty much all there (although probably not in working order).

1st class passenger compartment, built around 1913. These were call the Dogbox given how passengers looked like greyhounds when they exited the carriage (this was before corridor gangways).

Dining car of the same vintage of carriage.

The guards van and baggage hold. This compartment was used to carry coffins.

Duckets in the guards van, used to look along the train without having to put your head out the window.

Inside the sleeper cars of another carriage of a similar vintage, although probably a different date. Not pictured is the ancient fan and nightlight each one had.

Carriage from the Southern Aurora, a rail service between Melbourne and Sydney. Circa 1950s.

One of the sleeping compartments of the Southern Aurora carriage. These converted into beds and had a fold-out sink and toilet in each one.

A Southern Aurora motor-carriage, which I believe was use to generate electricity.

Fri, 29 Mar 2024 10:40:58 +1000

A few shots around South-East Canberra with the deciduous trees starting to turn.

Thu, 28 Mar 2024 16:53:25 +1000

Caught up with these two today.

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 20:03:27 +1000

Ok, I may have gone slightly overboard tonight, but so annoyed was I with Google TV’s recommendation that I decided to install a 3rd-party launcher. And wow! I should’ve done this way sooner. It’s like a breath of fresh air. 😌

This Reddit thread has all the details. I’m using Projectivity Launcher.

Mon, 18 Mar 2024 15:43:43 +1000

Happy Grand Prix week for anyone who celebrates (I absolutely do not celebrate! 👎)

Sat, 02 Mar 2024 09:59:52 +1000

Ready for some bocce. Back at Creswick St. Reserve, the OG bocce site.

Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:26:36 +1000

Ah, the vanguards of Autumn have returned.

Sat, 24 Feb 2024 12:29:11 +1000

One Cup of Cappuccino Then I Go, by Paola Pivi

Saw this print while I was in Europe and liked it enough to buy a copy. Finally got it framed after several months, and now it’s on my wall. Turned out great.

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:47:31 +1000

Bought some “genuine” EarPods as emergency headphones I can keep in my bag. Wired earbuds are not my preferred listening device. Well, at least they’ll act as a deterrent from forgetting my headphones again.

Thu, 15 Feb 2024 06:21:47 +1000

Holding pattern.

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 13:32:58 +1000

Back at Fitzroy Gardens for the PGBC Grand Final. Weather’s absolutely stunning. May even have a chance of winning this year. 🏆

Sat, 10 Feb 2024 11:01:00 +1000

For those who celebrate… 🐉🧧

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 20:08:42 +1000

Bocce in a nearby park this afternoon. A bit sunny but otherwise a really nice day for it. Also had a spectator for a few minutes:

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 15:29:55 +1000

Don’t mind me. Just eyeing off a pigeon that’s looking at me funny.

Sat, 20 Jan 2024 06:31:52 +1000

Former site of a cafe I use to frequent. Kind of amazing to see how small the plot of land actually is, when you take out all the walls and furniture.

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 08:35:45 +1000

Got an earful of these buggers this morning (they stung me on the earlobe).

I did not take it gracefully. 😂

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 06:41:28 +1000

Finally got a chance to say hello to Evie, the young border collie, this morning. She and her human are regulars at the cafe I go to, so I see them quite frequently from afar. But this was the first day she came to my table for a pat.

Sat, 23 Dec 2023 15:12:16 +1000

This new protected crossing was installed on one of my walking routes while I was away. It’s actually about time, as this rail crossing sits between two curves and with no warning of an approaching train, was actually rather dangerous. Plus, it’s always fun seeing new rail infrastructure installed.

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 21:21:39 +1000

Evening arrival.

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 21:17:20 +1000

Sunlight over south Canberra.

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 19:04:17 +1000

Evening walk, with the currawongs out in force. This one was nice enough to let me take a photo.

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 08:44:58 +1000

Today’s infrastructure related question: is the water level of this (artificial) lake too high, or is the bridge just too low?

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 14:21:45 +1000

Ivy’s been soliciting for head scratches by rubbing her head over people’s palm. It’s a technique that tends to work.

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 12:55:33 +1000

Walked the Tuggeranong Lake this morning. Perfect day for it. The Eurasian Coots were making the most of it.

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 15:48:00 +1000

Notice this eastern bearded dragon on my walk today. Not something I usually see during my day to day (granted, I’m not walking my usual routes at the moment). It certainly saw me though.

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 08:28:59 +1000

🎄

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 07:02:56 +1000

Trying a new commute. Getting off a station early and walking a bit along the river. Bumps the walking time from 20 minutes to half an hour, but might be more consistent.

Sat, 18 Nov 2023 18:36:52 +1000

Ah, it’s good to be back home, walking familiar trails once again. 😌

Fri, 17 Nov 2023 16:21:26 +1000

Walked the Green Corridor, which runs along the old KTM Railway, with a few people from work. Really enjoyed it. Total distance was 17 km, which was a little rough in the tropical weather.

Wed, 15 Nov 2023 10:36:39 +1000

Wheels and bridges.

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:06:00 +1000

One thing that thrills me about visiting somewhere new is seeing the little things you can also find at home, such as these pedestrian crossing buttons. They even make the same noises, although the patterns are slightly different.

Tue, 14 Nov 2023 11:02:12 +1000

Morning walk around the southern end of Singapore. Love walking through the green areas of the city. Very quiet and peaceful. Also, the Singapore Flyer is to the east of the Downtown Core, not the south. 🤦‍♂️

Mon, 13 Nov 2023 07:35:07 +1000

I don’t like these pod coffee machines for a number of reasons. Today’s reason is that it took me 5 minutes to work out how to turn the damn thing on. Guess which one of these is the power button. Hint: it’s not one of the obvious buttons. 🤦‍♂️

Sun, 12 Nov 2023 23:01:13 +1000

Greetings from Singapore. 🇸🇬

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 19:31:11 +1000

Found this on the footpath during my afternoon walk (almost too late I might add). I’m guessing it’s a blue-tongue, based on its size and markings.

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 20:09:50 +1000

One last day trip today. Went down to South Gippsland to do part of the Great Southern Rail Trail. Entered the trail at Koonwarra and walked for an hour towards Meeniyan, before turning back.

This is an older part of the trail, so unlike at Leongatha, there’s not a lot of rail infrastructure remaining. There are still some old telegraph poles though, which makes for interesting photo subjects.

The trail now goes all the way to Loch so after lunch I entered the trail there and walked along it for another hour or so. You can get to it by crossing the suspension bridge at the memorial reserve.

The day was a little warm but otherwise very nice. Some stormy weather was beginning to form near the end. I managed to stay dry, but it slammed into me during the drive home.

Wed, 08 Nov 2023 12:20:00 +1000

It’s incredibly difficult to get a good photo of a Crimson Rosella. They’re quite skittish. But managed to get this shot before it flew away.

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 12:17:28 +1000

Lunch at South Melbourne Market.

Wed, 25 Oct 2023 15:32:40 +1000

Pro-tip: if you’re waiting outside, don’t get caught in hail.

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 20:09:20 +1000

Rehearsal today. Haven’t got the PA equipment yet so I had to settle for 30 year old PC speakers. They worked better than expected, but they’ll probably struggle with a full garden.

Wed, 04 Oct 2023 10:41:38 +1000

Had to go to the new office today so I tried out the commute. The walk from Southern Cross to the office is exactly 20 minutes.

Sat, 30 Sep 2023 07:47:54 +1000

Day 30: treasure

This one’s inside a box without hinges, key, or lid. #mbsept

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 15:00:00 +1000

Day 29: contrast #mbsept

Sat, 23 Sep 2023 10:08:49 +1000

Day 23: day in the life of

Saturday mornings usually mean an extended walk to the cafe for breakfast. I took some photos of my route today. This is probably my favourite one. #mbsept

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 09:19:11 +1000

Day 22: road #mbsept

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 08:07:38 +1000

Day 21: fall

This shed hasn’t fallen down yet, but it’s in a bit of a precarious state. #mbsept

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 17:59:22 +1000

Day 20: disruption

Going to take this opportunity to say that I like the design of our road works signs. They have a standard frame from which you can swap out the sign panels based on what you need to convey. Beautiful modularity. #mbsept

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 06:46:43 +1000

Day 19: edge #mbsept

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 20:37:53 +1000

Day 18: fabric

My woollen blanket, knitted by my nonna. #mbsept

Sun, 17 Sep 2023 19:05:16 +1000

Day 17: intense

Didn’t time this photo well. There’s usually an intense game of soccer on this pitch most Saturdays. The Sunday crowds are a little more serene. #mbsept

Sat, 16 Sep 2023 21:03:08 +1000

Day 16: oof!

I can’t understand people that stay up until midnight most nights. It’s only 9:00 and I’m already exhausted. #mbsept

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 22:52:01 +1000

Day 13: glowing #mbsept

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 07:45:10 +1000

Day 12: panic

There have been a fair few stressors in my life recently, both at work and personally. And although they haven’t got to the level of panic, they have been a little overwhelming. It’s hard to believe it in the moment, but I guess they will eventually pass in time. #mbsept

(Source)

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 20:40:23 +1000

Day 11: retrospect

This photo taken eight years to the day: part of a Roman wall in Exeter, UK. #mbsept

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 10:03:04 +1000

Day 10: cycle

Bicycles at the station. Really need to get on my bike and buy one for myself. #mbsept

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 08:13:14 +1000

I’m no fashion expert, but I’m guessing that if you were to stand on the corner holding this sign, you’re going to stop traffic. #dadjoke

Sat, 09 Sep 2023 07:49:14 +1000

Day 9: language #mbsept

Fri, 08 Sep 2023 19:00:15 +1000

Day 8: yonder

I’ll let the arrow do the pointing. #mbsept

Wed, 06 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +1000

Day 6: well

Taken from the Churchill Island homestead. I’m trusting the sign here to be correct in it’s assertion that there used to be a well here. #mbsept

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +1000

Day 5: forest

I consider myself extremely lucky to live near a forest reserve. I walk through it several times a week. This forest, however, is absolutely nowhere near me. #mbsept

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +1000

Day 4: orange

Taken near the day 2 photo. You certainly can’t miss these. #mbsept

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 07:41:42 +1000

Day 3: precious

A photo of the Hope Diamond, taken while touring the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, in Washington, DC. #mbsept

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 07:41:19 +1000

Day 2: buildup

New shed being built nearby to house the spoil from a new road tunnel. It’s quite large. I guess they’re expecting quite a large build-up of dirt. #mbsept

Fri, 01 Sep 2023 07:53:33 +1000

Day 1: abstract

Photo of an abstract(ish) sculpture of Bunjil, an eagle regarded as the spirit creator of the Kulin nations. #mbsept

Sun, 27 Aug 2023 19:54:40 +1000

Missed the train this morning, but grabbed a photo of it travelling back to Newport this evening. 🚂

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 17:22:53 +1000

Currawong close-up (okay, not really, but any closer and it’ll fly away).

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 08:01:03 +1000

While passing this sign on the way to work, I always wonder if they ever considered the name Catstruction.

Thu, 03 Aug 2023 17:13:31 +1000

Sat down on a park bench to reply to someone and this magpie came running up to me. Stayed for a minute then moved on after he realised I had no food for him.

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 08:52:31 +1000

Oof, took me an extra hour to get into work due to train issues. At least I got a walk out of it. I feel for these poor souls, stuck on the train until the problem gets fixed.

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 08:30:47 +1000

The local Woolworths has rolled out what I believe to be E Ink price tags. I was hoping to start seeing E Ink used for things like this. The technology is perfect for this use case.

Sun, 09 Jul 2023 12:29:01 +1000

Any day I get to spend time with Ivy and Archie is a good day.

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 14:05:22 +1000

One last trip-related photo: the pseudo souvenir mug I bought. It’s a “pseudo souvenir” in that I didn’t get it overseas¹. I saw mugs like this while I was in Venice, found myself wanting one after I left, so I got one from Red Bubble. It arrived at my house this Monday… but let’s pretend I bought it home myself. 🤫

Well, I did buy it while I was overseas, and it probably originated from overseas, but I didn’t bring it home with me. ↩︎

Tue, 04 Jul 2023 14:13:01 +1000

A load of foraging lorikeets.

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 21:56:38 +1000

Nerding out at the Swiss Transport Museum, in Luzern. Super interesting! Can definitely recommend.

Mon, 26 Jun 2023 01:33:14 +1000

Mark one more off the bucket list: travelling through the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Sun, 25 Jun 2023 06:11:48 +1000

Hired a car and spent my last full day in Italy exploring a bit of the wider Veneto region. Visited the town my grandparents grew up in and also went on a small bush-walk up at Cansiglio Forest. The landscape was absolutely breathtaking. The photos I took do it no justice (and I took a lot of them).

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 22:00:00 +1000

I know Venice is known for its canals, and they’re certainly something to behold, but this single rail tram-line blew me away.

Edit: it occurred to me that these “trams” are running on regular tiers, and use this rail for the return current. That means they can get away with using just one overhead wire instead of two. I guess they can also use the rail for guiding the vehicle around curves as well? Seems like a bit of a disadvantage over other trolly-bus systems with trolly polls that can move around traffic.

Fri, 23 Jun 2023 18:37:47 +1000

Venice in the morning.

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 20:46:48 +1000

I was wondering what to do for my second day in Bologna until something told me that Florence was less than an hour away. So I decided to take a day trip.

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 23:01:42 +1000

Spent a bit of time in the small but lovely university botanical gardens in Bologna this morning. Walking around a new city, I’ve found myself being attracted to parks and gardens. A bit more serene than the hussle and bussle one finds at buildings or squares.

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 15:59:59 +1000

Breakfast in Parma. Naturally parmesan cheese is on the menu.

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 00:12:00 +1000

Front of the Palazzo del Governatore, in Parma, on a warm and lazy Sunday afternoon. The street was closed off for an event but most of the other streets were just as quiet.

Sun, 18 Jun 2023 04:05:32 +1000

On the shore of lake Como. Plenty of boat activity on the water today. For myself, I was happy to stay on dry land.

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 00:00:00 +1000

View from the top of Torre Castello San Vigilto, in Bergamo.

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 01:30:16 +1000

A day of site-seeing around Milan. Going through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II on our way to Duomo di Milano, the cathedral.

Another sunning building, the Duomo di Milano. A lot more “traditional” than the Sagrada Família but still very impressive.

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 02:45:55 +1000

Arrived in Milan. It could just be the trams, but this feels like the closest city to Melbourne that I’ve visited so far. Of course, Melbourne doesn’t have buildings like the Castello Sforzesco.

Wed, 14 Jun 2023 17:42:08 +1000

This safe uses a curious choice of font for the keypad. I’d guess they wanted to go with something more interesting than boring Helvetica? But they didn’t go all in with maintaining the allusion, breaking it for the B, which would normally be shown in lower-case on a real seven segment display.

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 18:27:38 +1000

Genova’s got this fun little lift near where I’m staying. It travels along rails to the end of the corridor, then goes around the bend to a transfer station, where it transitions to a traditional lift that rises to the street level at the top of the hill. Such a unique little thing.

Tue, 13 Jun 2023 05:28:50 +1000

Walking part of the Cinque Terre trail today. It was hard work — lots of steep runs of stairs going up and down — but it was great to be able to get out into nature for a bit of a hike.

Sat, 10 Jun 2023 05:20:14 +1000

Brief stop at Saintes Maries de la Mer today to look for some wild flamingoes. It was just a chance encounter that we found this small flock of them.

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 16:47:37 +1000

Paging Alanis Morissette

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 03:58:02 +1000

Gare Aix en Provence, and the first railway line in France I’ve seen that is not electrified.

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 07:00:39 +1000

Visiting the Dalí Theatre and Museum, in Figueres this afternoon. I’ve seen Dalí work before but I knew nothing about him before this visit. Some really evocative pieces in this collection.

Wed, 07 Jun 2023 02:38:18 +1000

Mercado de La Boqueria, and the location of our Covid-safe celebration lunch for my friend’s recent marriage.

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 06:47:39 +1000

Visited Sagrada Família this afternoon. Absolutely stunning cathedral. Photos don’t do it justice, especially from cameras with dirty lenses (sorry for all the lens-flares).

Mon, 05 Jun 2023 04:17:53 +1000

Making this my first photo of Barcelonia: the lift in our hotel has two doors at 90° of each other. First instance of seeing this.

Sat, 03 Jun 2023 20:50:35 +1000

Morning walk along a wooded trail just outside Elorrio. Perfect for recharging my social batteries after last night’s wedding reception.

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 19:33:22 +1000

Elorrio, and the day of my friends wedding. It’s been a few years in the making, due to the pandemic, but the day has arrived.

Fri, 02 Jun 2023 04:36:43 +1000

It never ceases to amaze me how large the seagulls are in Europe and the UK. So much larger than the ones back home.

Wed, 31 May 2023 06:32:24 +1000

Now we’re really checking items off my bucket list. TGV from Paris Montpanasse to Hendaye, on the French/Spanish border. Speed topped at 312 km/h on the way to Bordeaux.

Mon, 29 May 2023 01:56:08 +1000

A Parisian street, and the last few hundred metres of my journey.

Sun, 28 May 2023 11:56:06 +1000

At Dubai International Airport, buying $12 coffee and looking for departure boards, which are few and far between.

Fri, 26 May 2023 08:02:58 +1000

At the cafe this morning. The ledge of this cabinet is the perfect height for dogs to do this. I always enjoy seeing it.

Sun, 21 May 2023 08:12:53 +1000

It’s wet and cold outside, and I’m currently sitting in cafe that’s got Christmas Carols playing for some reason. Interesting start for a Sunday.

Tue, 25 Apr 2023 16:10:35 +1000

April usually means controlled burns, and they’re conducting these burns at a bush reserve near my place. I was afraid that the smoke would be an issue, but so far it’s been such a non-issue I was wondering if the burns were actually called off. Apparently not.

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 13:55:20 +1000

This teeny tiny lizard made its way into my house somehow. I’ve seen it on and off over the last week, but I managed to catch it and put it outside. There’s another one running around that I’ll also need to find and rescue.

Sun, 16 Apr 2023 16:57:25 +1000

Wow, some serious work’s happening on the overhead wires of the train line. Looks like they’re replacing these old stanchions. I guess they’ve reached their end of life. Not sure how long they’ve been in service but they look quite old. Certainly older than me at the very least.

Sat, 08 Apr 2023 16:02:42 +1000

Lake Burley Griffin, taken on a bike ride from Tuggeranong.

Fri, 07 Apr 2023 15:05:59 +1000

Caught up with my sister, and her two cockatiels this afternoon. Nice to visit them again.

Thu, 06 Apr 2023 10:05:04 +1000

Greetings from Violet Town, 2 hours into a 6.5 hour trip to Canberra.

Sun, 19 Mar 2023 15:52:44 +1000

A better peacock photo (well, just).

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 12:38:05 +1000

One of the photos I was going to use in my last post was this photo, which was modified using Google’s Magic Eraser. You can compare this with the original photo in that post (it had two people in it). It’s far from perfect, but it’s still quite impressive.

Photos Of Churchill Island

Sat, 18 Mar 2023 12:30:08 +1000

Yesterday, my parents and I went to Churchill Island for afternoon tea and a walk around the homestead. Here are a few photos of that outing. Apologies that some of them are not great — they were taken in a bit of a hurry.

View from the table

The peacock that was moving from table to table. Didn’t get my camera out in time for a good photo of him.

The seagull that was interested in what we were eating. We were not allowed to feed the birds but as soon as we left the table, she took full advantage.

Phillip and Churchill Island are full of these Cape Barren Geese.

Approaching the homestead

A gig. Perhaps owned by Dan, who is a man. (Anyone who has read the ‘The Victorian Readers - Book 1’ would get that reference).

A Furphy horse-drawn water tank

Good, Better, Best…

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 10:47:21 +1000

Greetings from Cowes, Phillip Island.

Sun, 12 Mar 2023 14:54:24 +1000

Photos of Fitzroy Gardens, while we play our bocce comp. grand final. Perfect weather for it. Also lots of weddings going on.

Sun, 05 Mar 2023 13:30:04 +1000

A lot of track work going on this weekend. I enjoy seeing these trucks that can go both on roads and rails. You don’t want to be waiting for them to transition, though. It’s usually done at level crossings and they don’t rush it.

Sun, 26 Feb 2023 19:57:42 +1000

Some acorns fell to the ground while I was passing under an oak tree this afternoon. I looked up and saw a few female king parrot perched there, feeding on the acorns.

It was difficult making them out: their green plumage provided good camouflage.

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 08:28:44 +1000

Close encounter with a kookaburra.

Taken a few days ago while on a walk.

Fri, 17 Feb 2023 13:13:22 +1000

Very hot today. Mercury hovering just under 40°C, with every chance that it may get hotter than that. But you know what? I rather it be hot today than tomorrow. Why? You’ll find out tomorrow. In the meantime… cheers! 🧊☕️

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 16:33:47 +1000

Out walking my usual Sunday arvo. route. Perfect conditions for it as well.

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 06:54:28 +1000

This hollow is hot property at the moment. It was occupied by a couple of kookaburra chicks about a month ago. They’ve since flown the nest. Now a pair of rainbow lorikeets are interested in it.

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 07:18:02 +1000

Passing by the Vegemite factory on the way to work. You usually get a whiff of its signature smell when you walk by, but today it was particularly strong.

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 09:00:47 +1000

Ah, my Smart Response XE developer kit has arrived. Time for a new project.

Sun, 22 Jan 2023 12:31:46 +1000

Putting up a new print today.

Original is by a local artist, although I didn’t get their name.

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 21:28:48 +1000

I also saw an interesting water-bird this morning. Don’t know what species it is. Looks a bit like a Pied Cormorant but the colour around the eyes and beak is wrong. I tried to take a picture but it flew off and the best photo I got, one with a high digital zoom, is quite muddy.

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 21:23:24 +1000

While walking this afternoon, I met a small flock of gang-gang cockatoos. A gang-gang gang if you will. And yes, I have been sitting on that line for the past week or so. 🙂

Tue, 27 Dec 2022 06:20:26 +1000

The unwanted.

Sun, 25 Dec 2022 07:58:20 +1000

Wishing you all a merry Christmas, a safe and restful holiday, and a happy and prosperous New Year.

Sun, 18 Dec 2022 18:28:16 +1000

Bocce in Calton Gardens. Perfect day for it.

Sat, 03 Dec 2022 05:33:47 +1000

Went on a tour to see the Hoover Dam this morning. What an impressive feat of engineering.

Equally impressive was the bridge where the first shot was taken.

Sat, 26 Nov 2022 07:11:48 +1000

State election today. Number of people making their commitment to the process quite early. #mbnov

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 09:21:43 +1000

Typing in “graze” into Google Photos returned this photo. Conveniently, this was taken six months ago to the day. #mbnov

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 07:49:39 +1000

Rocking my super cool hat and jacket ensemble this morning. We’re a couple of weeks from the high UVs of summer so I wear the hat whenever I’m outside. But it’s really cold this morning and the wind feels like ice so the jacket had to come out as well. Trendy. 🤓 #mbnov

Sat, 19 Nov 2022 10:52:19 +1000

The view from Mt. Ainslie.

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 09:28:49 +1000

It’s interesting to think how many products made of aluminium are actually referred to as tin. Alfoil, sometimes called “tin foil”, is one such example. #mbnov

Sun, 13 Nov 2022 08:51:23 +1000

Ivy and Archie show their affection by preening elements of my face; usually the eyelashes, ears, and nose. And while I appreciate the sentiment, their beaks act like a pair of tweezers and it’s a little painful.

Sat, 12 Nov 2022 10:25:09 +1000

The National Carillon, on the banks of Lake Burley Griffin. Music was being played on it this morning, although I didn’t recognise the tune. It wasn’t Tubular Bells, though.

Thu, 10 Nov 2022 06:37:53 +1000

State election coming up in a couple of weeks. My parents, who have recently signed up as paid members of the Labor party, has put up a yard sign for the Labor candidate, who is the current minster for their district. Best of luck to her re-election. #mbnov

Wed, 09 Nov 2022 08:25:09 +1000

One thing is certain: humans are fallible. They forget, or do not follow through sometimes. So if you find yourself at a crossing with someone else, don’t feel bad about pushing the button yourself. #mbnov

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 06:47:49 +1000

The consensus seems to be that it’s preening time. #mbnov

Wed, 02 Nov 2022 12:15:38 +1000

Cape Shank, Vic. Taken today. A feast for the eyes and ears (and maybe a tasting for the other senses as well). #mbnov

Day Trip: Macedon And Trentham

Mon, 31 Oct 2022 21:31:28 +1000

I had the pleasure of taking the day off today and going for a few walks around Macedon and Trentham. Being someone that’s really into keeping with a routine, I try to do these walks at least once a year. It’s been somewhat delayed this year, due to work commitments, but with the public holiday tomorrow, I thought I was a perfect time to get outside and do them before summer rolls around.

Below are some photos of each of the walk.

Macedon

The first walk was along the borders of the Macedon Regional Park, following a self-plotted course, more-or-less, along the Bendigo railway line. It’s a little difficult at times, maybe bordering on dangerous (and possibly not super legal either), so I’d probably wouldn’t recommend this. But since it follows the rail line pretty much the entire time, it’s a good opportunity to catch up on some train spotting.

First landmark of the walk, the Scout Camp Road bridge at the 72 km milepost.

One of a handful of tunnels going underneath the railway embankment. It's possible to walk through them, but given all the rain we've had, you'll probably get wet in some way.

Frank Mann Reservoir. Full to the brim.

Another tunnel under the rail line. This time the walking track goes right the portal, which is a little dangerous…

…but if you do venture this way, you're greeted with this lovely glade. Nice place to stay for a minute and listen to the forest sounds.

Travelling underneath the Caulder Freeway. The path gets a little difficult from this point.

The turnaround point, at the Quarry Road rail bride in Woodend.

I realised today that it’s been 10 years since I first walk this particular trail. I’m wondering if it might be time to retire it. As nice as it is, there are certain aspects of it that are getting a little tiresome. Plus it’s always boggy, even during the height of summer, meaning that you’ll usually get your socks wet and your pants dirty when you walk it. Even so, walking it is always a pleasure.

Trentham

Following a brief lunch in Kynteon, it was time for the second walk: The Domino Trail in Trentham. This is a rail trail that travels through some really nice forest. Last time I did this, more than a year ago, the path was closed as a severe storm brought down a number of trees and I was unable to do the entire path. Fortunately the trees were cleared and the path reopened.

The old path, now blocked with fallen trees. I don't think this path will be opened anytime soon.

Some of the scars of that storm still remain.

One of a couple of old, decaying rail bridges. Usually the walking path travels beside them on relatively new bridges.

Approaching the turnaround point.

Another indication that this use to be a railway: an old telegraph pole.

On the journey back.

Arriving at the starting point.

I caught the rain a few times and much of the track was quite boggy given the decent amount of rain we’ve received, but overall, it was a nice day out.

Sat, 29 Oct 2022 12:38:08 +1000

Rail work beginning in earnest. A large work train carrying ballast and track sections has pulled in:

They had to close the road and pedestrian level crossing. I thought it was because they were doing work on them, but it’s probably because they’re blocked by this train:

Wed, 26 Oct 2022 15:57:05 +1000

More track works going on, this time involving this pile of ballast in some way.

Thu, 20 Oct 2022 11:34:46 +1000

Tried something different for lunch today: a halloumi cheese pocket. The ingredients were halloumi cheese and pastry, so not a particularly large lunch. Was still quite nice though.

Sat, 15 Oct 2022 17:48:30 +1000

Speed bocce with friends today. Congrats to Jules for winning the 2022-23 season, breaking a three-way tie at the end.

Fri, 14 Oct 2022 07:53:09 +1000

A Day in the Life

North-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Vic, Australia at 8:20 am.

Waiting with my coffee at the rail crossing for the train to pull into the station. Going to the cafe involves crossing the rail line, which can be a little busy during the morning peak.

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 09:32:04 +1000

Homeward bound.

Thu, 29 Sep 2022 14:46:37 +1000

Birds in the hand.

Sun, 25 Sep 2022 14:31:58 +1000

Back in Canberra with Ivy and Archie, my sister’s cockatiels. 🦜

Sat, 24 Sep 2022 09:32:27 +1000

Same time and place as last week. Different species of bird.

Sat, 17 Sep 2022 10:10:38 +1000

Spotted this morning as I was walking to breakfast. 🦆

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 17:37:56 +1000

Dinner at The Mint. This is my table, which is the same table I sat at last time I was here, in January 2020. Feels like a bit of a bookend in a way.

Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:06:00 +1000

Along the boundary of Melbourne Port.

Sun, 11 Sep 2022 09:30:21 +1000

At least one photo will be taken at this event (well technically the setup of the event).

Sat, 10 Sep 2022 14:29:29 +1000

Rail works.

Fri, 09 Sep 2022 08:34:00 +1000

Flags at half mast at the school today to mark the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

Some Photos of The Yarra Trail

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 08:55:02 +1000

Went for a very short walk of the Yarra Trail around Heidelberg on Saturday. The evening light was really lovely so I though I’d take some photos.

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 07:50:00 +1000

Second breakfast time.

Tue, 23 Aug 2022 07:43:06 +1000

Breakfast time.

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 08:39:37 +1000

Off to breakfast this morning.

Met some locals on the way.

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 07:42:52 +1000

The last hold-out.

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 15:49:02 +1000

For the past several weeks, these two have been foraging in front of my place. They’re quite skittish, and will fly off when anyone approaches (it’s difficult to get a picture of them). But after a while, they’ll always return to the same spot.

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 17:55:57 +1000

Evening walk, with the wattles in full bloom.

Sat, 06 Aug 2022 16:44:19 +1000

Kyneton Railway Station.

Fri, 05 Aug 2022 17:29:37 +1000

Work was the reason I was unable to go for an afternoon walk last two Fridays. The wet weather was not going to be the reason why I was unable go for one today.

Sun, 17 Jul 2022 08:18:35 +1000

Trying a new cafe this morning. I drive past this place all the time, and I keep telling myself I should try it. Fortunately it’s only a 15 minute walk from home.

Sat, 16 Jul 2022 13:42:41 +1000

This is how I usually spend my Saturday mornings. One difference today was that a train-replacement bus drove by roughtly every 10 minutes or so which, given that it was the weekend, was more often than I expected (not that that’s a bad thing).

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 14:37:07 +1000

Got offered a free sample of a “lamington scone” at the bakery I went to today. Tastes pretty much as you’d expect. 😋

Good to see that there’s still room for innovation in scone technology. 😉

Sun, 19 Jun 2022 19:37:33 +1000

Just enjoyed a set by Guy Montgomery in a familiar stomping ground (the Comedy Republic) with an unfamiliar Stomping Ground (the pale ale). All three were very enjoyable.

Sat, 18 Jun 2022 12:39:47 +1000

Heading back to Melbourne today after my 2.5 weeks in Canberra. Going to have to say goodbye to these two for a little while. Must say that my stay has been fun. Even though I’ve been working, it felt like a bit of a holiday.

Wed, 15 Jun 2022 08:57:56 +1000

Got to –4.5°C last night. As you can imagine, things were pretty frosty this morning.

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 16:18:32 +1000

Ivy’s discovered the vessel I drink from and wants in on it.

P.S. Ivy doing this actually reminds me of this post from @martinfeld.

Afternoon Walk Around Lake Ginninderra

Sat, 11 Jun 2022 22:13:51 +1000

Went for an walk around Lake Ginninderra this afternoon. Well, not “around” the lake: that walk would have taken a while. But I did walk along the path that would take me around the lake for about 30 minutes, then walked back again. Below are a few photos I took.

It's not super clear, but there's actually a frisbee golf basket in this photo. There were quite a few frisbee golfers out at this time.

On the bank of the lake.

Those white specks in the trees are actually corellas, a specie of parrot not unlike a cockatoo. These flocks can get quite large and can cause quite a loud ruckus when they take flight.

Bridge under Ginniderra Drive.

I did take a deviation to a substation that caught my eye (I get attracted to such things). Evening was closing in so the kangaroos were starting to appear.

On the way back.

Fri, 10 Jun 2022 09:41:32 +1000

Archie loves head-scratches. In fact, when I reach my hand into the cage to let him out, he doesn’t immediately perch on it. Instead, he bows his head expecting me to scratch it.

Sun, 05 Jun 2022 10:07:49 +1000

These little fellas just love going for the keyboard and mouse when they’re out with me. Maybe, with a bit of training, I might be able to get them to do my work for me. 🤔

The Powerline Track Walk

Sat, 04 Jun 2022 20:10:46 +1000

Went on a walk of the Powerline Track, which I was personally calling the “powerline walk” (yes, I’m impressed at how close I was). I saw this trail when I was in Canberra earlier this year, and knowing that I would be back, I made a note to actually walk it, which I did today. This track follows the powerlines just south of Aranda Bushland Nature Reserve, then goes under Gungahlin Drive and into the Black Mountain Nature Reserve. The weather was cold but pleasant, at least at the start of the track. It eventually got quite dark and a little wet near the end, but that did result in some nice winter lighting over the landscape.

Here’s a gallery of some of the photos I took. Note that there’s a fair few of powerlines, which is something I’ve been drawn to ever since I was a little kid.

The start of the Powerline Track.

At the gate looking back along the transmission lines.

Atop of the first hill.

Looking back down the hill towards the road.

Turning to the right towards Black Mountain.

Close-up of the Telstra Tower atop Black Mountain.

Cresting the hill and going down the other end, approaching Gungahlin Drive from the west.

Track going under Gungahlin Drive.

Under the bridge. Noticed the two styles of bridges here, with one I'm guessing being newer than the other, built in order to deal with more traffic. Only question is, which one's the original one?

The track levelled out from here, and went through some lovely forest.

Eventually made it back to the powerlines, and the turnaround point just ahead.

A wide shot looking over Gungahlin Drive and the Telstra Tower on the way back, now covered in low cloud. It was here when the weather began to turn.

Atop the first hill once again. The low clouds were really starting to roll in.

Looking out towards Mount Painter in the dying light.

Finally, passed a family of kangaroos on my way back to the road, and the end of the walk.

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 19:34:32 +1000

Most of the magpies I see in my daily life are of the white-backed variety, which is the common subspecie in Victoria. So seeing one with a black back, like I did today during my evening walk, is still quite a novelty.

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 12:11:38 +1000

Back in Canberra, looking after my sister’s cockatiels while she’s overseas for work. Say hello to Ivy and Archie.

Sun, 29 May 2022 09:00:11 +1000

Day 29: stripes

#mbmay

Fri, 27 May 2022 13:32:46 +1000

New mug today.

Not as large as the last mug-related merch I’ve received — that crown is retained by the Stratechery mug — but still a decent size.

Sun, 08 May 2022 15:47:39 +1000

Day 8: union

Had some trouble with this one today, so I thought I’d hit it up in the textbooks. #mbmay

Sat, 07 May 2022 08:00:00 +1000

Day 7: park

The park in Benalla, taken last month during our drive to Canberra. #mbmay

Thu, 05 May 2022 08:00:00 +1000

Day 5: Earth

One of the first photos from Himawari-8, a JMA weather satellite that went online while I was working at the Bureau of Meteorology. The images it produced pushed our visualisation tools to the limit, but boy, they were absolutely stunning. #mbmay

(source)

Sun, 01 May 2022 07:28:00 +1000

Day 1: switch

I usually sit at that table. But today, I decided to switch to the other side. #mbmay

Sat, 16 Apr 2022 09:42:36 +1000

Good morning from Canberra. Photo’s taken just a little after 7:30 this morning.

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 18:53:00 +1000

Walked a little of the Castlemaine to Maldon bike trail today, which runs besides the tourist railway line. Usually a steam train travels along it, but I didn’t see one today.

Fri, 25 Mar 2022 08:30:00 +1000

Got my copy of Bloch’s Effective Java out today for the first time in years, in order to prepare for an interview. As far as books about programming languages go, this is probably my favourite. Very informative and easy to read.

Mon, 07 Mar 2022 09:16:07 +1000

My printed Day One journals for 2021 have arrived, much quicker than I expected. They came out nicely. I think paper covers are the way to go — they feel much better to flip through than the hard cover one I have for 2020.

Cling Wrap

Mon, 21 Feb 2022 11:58:00 +1000

I bought this roll of cling wrap when I moved into my current place. Now, after 6.5 years and 150 metres, it’s finally all used up.

In the grand scheme of things, this is pretty unimportant. It happens every day: people buy something, they use it, and eventually it’s all used up. Why spend the time and energy writing and publishing this post to discuss it? Don’t you have better things to do?

And yet, there’s still a feeling of weight to this particular event that I felt was worth documenting. Perhaps it’s because it was the first roll of cling wrap I bought after I moved out. Or maybe it’s because it lasted for this long, so long in fact that the roll I bought to replace it was sitting in my cupboard for over a year. Or maybe it’s the realisation that with my current age and consumption patterns, I probably wouldn’t use up more than 7 rolls like this in my lifetime.

Who knows? All I know is that despite the banality of the whole affair, I spent just spent the better part of 20 minutes trying to work out how best to talk about it here.

I guess I’m in a bit of a reflective mood today.

Sat, 19 Feb 2022 08:11:00 +1000

Regional train trip today. Nice doing something different.

Thu, 10 Feb 2022 19:34:17 +1000

I wish I had more to say today, on this, our last day of our summer holiday. So in leau of a better post, here’s a photo of a wallaby I saw on my evening walk.

Mon, 07 Feb 2022 11:22:36 +1000

Reading buddy.

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 12:39:44 +1000

These signs were up around town today. We went to the usual places they have markets but there was nothing there: no stalls or anything. It’s only just now that I realised we may have looked at the wrong places.

Probably need more signs around those other market spots.

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 20:09:36 +1000

Bocce in Fitzroy Gardens. Grand final for the 2021 season (yes, my friends and I came up with the idea of grand finals for our little casual comp 😏).

Sun, 02 Jan 2022 17:19:40 +1000

Wangaratta station. Took a V/Line train back to the city after helping someone with the drive to Canberra.

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 06:20:26 +1000

Happy new year. Time for the change of calendar.

Fri, 24 Dec 2021 17:52:47 +1000

I wouldn’t call myself religious — I not someone who reguarily goes to church — but I do have a standing gig on my calendar: playing the pipe organ at the Christmas Eve family mass.

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 12:47:00 +1000

For the last couple a weeks, a production crew have been filming around my place. I wish I noted down the production they’re working on. It was on the notice they sent to everyone, and I forgot to record it before I threw the notice away (this is what a journal is for 🤦).

Sat, 20 Nov 2021 07:27:00 +1000

Morning walk. There will be a cafe breakfast at the end of it.

Thu, 14 Oct 2021 12:01:26 +1000

My Stratechery mug has arrived.

It now holds the enviable position of largest mug in my house, holding roughly 1.5x as much liquid as the mugs I usually use.

Wed, 22 Sep 2021 09:34:00 +1000

Well, not every day you had a 5.8 magnitude earthquake around here (was originally reported as 6.0).

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 07:42:00 +1000

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of walking a new rail trail just outside Leongatha, in South-East Gippsland. The rails are completely gone but some of the infrastructure has remained.

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 21:48:27 +1000

A walk in the rain, with no one else around other than the currawongs. Fair bit darker than what the photo suggests.

Sat, 24 Apr 2021 13:50:40 +1000

Visitor at the back door. 🦎

Sat, 13 Mar 2021 07:35:00 +1000

Some photos of my time in Warburton yesterday, in the Yarra Valley. Went for a bike ride and a bit of a bush-walk. Lovely day for it, if a bit sunny.

Sat, 13 Feb 2021 10:30:54 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 12: Sporg.

Mind turning slowly into sporg as I try to chase down this bug.

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 06:47:00 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 11: Machine.

My trusty Breezemaster has been pushing air for 25 years now, and is still going strong. Came in quite handy today.

Wed, 10 Feb 2021 06:52:00 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 10: Energy.

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 07:28:37 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 9: Muddy.

It’s rare to find mud around here in February, along with grass this green. Usually everything is brown and dry. This summer has been a welcome exception.

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 08:02:47 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 8: Hope.

My new, soon-to-be activated Internet setup, courtesy of the NBN. I only hope that it’s as fast, if not faster, than my existing setup.

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 07:58:07 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 7: Craving.

Unfortunately, it’s what you’d expect.

Sun, 07 Feb 2021 06:29:46 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 6: Sports.

This is probably the closest thing to sports you’ll see me do.

Sat, 06 Feb 2021 14:32:38 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 5: Pets

Unfortunately no pets allowed on this walk.

Thu, 04 Feb 2021 11:02:25 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 4: Layers.

This is a photo of the geological kind: an exposed cliff face of the coast of Sunderland Bay.

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 09:37:35 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 3: Comfort. POV shot of me sitting in a comfortable chair while holidaying in Phillip Island this week.

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 08:08:34 +1000

February Photoblogging Challenge. Day 2: Morning Beverage.

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 14:49:41 +1000

Micro.blog Photo Challenge. Day 1: “Close Up”. Not the best close up but any closer and they would have flown away.

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 07:37:07 +1000

Afternoon in the gardens just south of the Shrine Of Remembrance in Melbourne, taken yesterday.

Mon, 25 Jan 2021 12:18:42 +1000

In the summer months, if the outside air temperature gets warmer than 40°C, I treat myself to an ice latte as my afternoon beverage, in leau of a regular coffee. Well, it ticked over 40°C about half an hour ago, so…

Sat, 02 Jan 2021 16:50:00 +1000

Train trip from Wangaratta to Melbourne. First time travelling down this line.

Wed, 30 Dec 2020 14:10:00 +1000

Bocce in Fitzroy Gardens, Melbourne

Fri, 25 Dec 2020 07:33:00 +1000

Christmas Eve spent hiking around Macedon and Trentham in regional Victoria.

Thu, 26 Nov 2020 19:06:00 +1000

Passed by what I think is a Norfolk Island Pine tree. Incidentally, Norfolk Island is one of the few places outside the US to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Mon, 23 Nov 2020 14:56:21 +1000

Sunset over the suburbs, taken 2 weeks ago. You can get some pretty nice sunsets around this time of year. It’s a shame my camera and photo-taking skills are not good enough to capture how nice the light was that evening. #mbnov

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 06:41:46 +1000

There are people out there who love cars, boats and planes; but chalk me up as one who loves a good train. #mbnov

Wed, 04 Nov 2020 07:46:13 +1000

Passed by a kangaroo during my evening walk a couple of days ago. I was surprised by how unphased he seemed to be by my presence, given how near I was to him. #mbnov

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 16:43:59 +1000

Daily walk after work, today through the forest reserve near my home. I didn’t think I had something to say until I started blogging, and the micro.blog community is the friendliest and most welcoming on the internet.

Melbourne, AU at 4:58 PM AEDT (+11 UTC) #adayinthelife

Sun, 04 Oct 2020 09:29:24 +1000

Friday evening walk. The photo does not do justice to how lovely the evening light can be during this time of year.