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Attended one of the lectures that the Melbourne Uni’s School of Physics puts on every Friday for July. This evening’s, given by Professor Matt O’Dowd, was about black holes and how they really screw with the theory of physics and maths. Very interesting. Quite approachable for a layperson like me.
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It’s not a proper trip to Canberra without a visit to Tuggeranong. Went to my favourite cafe and walked around the lake, this time in a clockwise direction. Was a lovely morning for it.
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Was craving a curry a little this evening. Fortunately I stumbled upon a Japanese restaurant called Ikko on the way to where I was planning to go (always look around corners). They do a pretty decent Karaage chicken curry, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
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You want an indication of how good a cockatiel’s eyesight is? Whenever I’m giving Ivy a head-scratch, Ricco comes up to my hand and starts pecking it, requesting one for himself. He has to be distracted or in the other room in order for Ivy to get my undivided attention.
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It’s hard finding places in the Belconnen area that are opened early, at least during the weekend. Settled on coming here which is more geared towards takeaways. So that does mean sitting outside in the cold air, but the coffee is warm, and the barista just turned on the outdoor heaters.
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Ricco showing off his preening skills, which have not really improved since my last visit.
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Flight to Canberra was a little delayed, but otherwise quite pleasant. Was fun flying in a turboprop again.
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The river is calm this morning, which is a little unusual. There’s no boat traffic or rowers which could explain it.
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It’s kinda nice having an audience whenever I walk out my front door, even if it is just my neighbor’s cats.
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At the cafe. The guy on the table I’m facing is reading the paper with a dog on his lap. The dog puts her front paws on the table, so the man starts placing pages on top of them. Then the dog places her head on the table. The guy then takes out his phone. I found this incredibly funny to witness.
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Given that this is the last day of free public transport I’ll personally experience, I’d probably won’t be going through Anzac station in the morning for a while. So took a quick detour and saw one of the service pigeons that have been honored with a statue and plaque.
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Took a small detour on my way to work to enjoy a home-made banana cake made by my barista. Enjoyed it on a bench outside Anzac station looking towards Albert Park.
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My commuter headphones have given up the fight. After probably around a decade of use, and two pad changes, it now refuses to charge. So I’ve retired it with honours, and pressed its replacement into service: a pair of JBL Live 670NC.
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Something in the rear cab of this tram is clicking. For a moment I thought it was the blinkers but it seems to correlate with the speed we’re going.
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Under the clocks (a phrase I’ve not used in earnest despite being born and raised here).
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I don’t know why I don’t drink ginger beer more often. It’s actually quite refreshing.
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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.
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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.
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Everyone’s thinking about our strategic oil reserves, leaving our strategic Mother’s Day card reserves unaddressed.
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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.)
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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.
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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…
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Today was a bit of a write-off, but I did get out for a walk this afternoon, along the Darebin Creek.
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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.
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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
coffeetrain, 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.
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Various shades of grey at the beach this morning. This one’s looking towards Phillip Island and Seal Rock.
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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.
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Passed by an ibis and white faced herron while walking to beach this morning. Not something I typically see at a beach setting.
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