cordite avenue bridge again

For some meaningless obscure stupid reason I got it into my head that there was another way to walk on the east side of the Maribyrnong north of Cordite Avenue. I don't know why I thought this. Anyway, we went there. 

This gate was still in the same place.

This excuse for a road was all there. No big surprises. 

Perry and I seem to be doing a lot of trespassing lately. For instance, I thought this was just a barrier for cars or whatever, I didn't realise it was actually a substantially busted gate. 

But looking back, I realised that in fact someone had cut through the fence and that was why it was so easy to get in. What I'd been hoping to do was go alongside the river. But that was actually impossible unless you abseiled down a cliff face. 

So, a bit more of a fizzer for a day that was basically a write-off. Bye! 

i can't wake up

*

Today is very weird as I am completely unable to wake up. I am having coffee and some chocolate in an attempt to jump-start myself. It is midday and I have just had three or more hours of drifting in and out of consciousness. It is peculiar. I hate it. At least I had no pressing appointments this morning. Although there were plenty of things I wanted to do. I hope this doesn't become a regular thing as it sucks. 

*I just don't understand this cartoon from the Toodyay Herald 22 November 1940 p. 4 but maybe that's because I am not awake enough. 

 

that dog park again

We went there again and the gate was open again. So we went in and had a time. Perry was a little perplexed that I hadn't brought a ball but geez, I didn't know that it would be possible to get into the park. So he made the most of it. 

(I am not entirely sure but I think this is probably the small dogs area, so he probably won't ever spend that much time in it, unless we make 4am visits). 

that dog park

I mentioned a few days ago that we got into the revamped local dog park. Well, it seems like we were trespassing because the place is now very solidly locked up. Can't really explain that to Perry but what can he do? I thought about picking him up and putting him over the fence which I might possibly have been able to do (it would be a bit of a drop) but it was just a thought. He likes other routines anyway, he feels satisfied to be able to sit on this bench which is a favourite place. 

 

camberwell market on the weekend

Sure, I went to Camberwell Market on the weekend, I didn't see you, but maybe you saw me first. It was not bad (this photograph completely does not represent how I see Camberwell Market, but I guess it is a true photograph taken at the market, so...). 

Market people are a weird bunch (they're actually not quite as terrible, generally speaking, as record fair people but they are still pretty bad). They way they ramble on to each other in this weird zone of never saying anything, it's a version of a Speed scenario, like they have to keep each other talking without raising any blood pressure or the bomb will explode. Calculated mediocrity. Also, very, very false friendships. 

I bought a few badges, a couple of mugs (I didn't need those), a few cards (ditto) and similar nonsense. I was just spending money to entertain myself and of course massage the economy. 

I'd like to know the psychology of markets mainly if you don't put prices on your stuff (or as some might have it, 'your shit'), are you more likely to get a high price for it when someone actually expresses to themselves and to you that they might conceivably want to own it, or do you miss out on sales 50 times over because people don't want to be conned via the spiel of a jumped-up carney (as so many market people essentially are)? 

I bought a Melodian pressing of Paul McCartney's Flowers in the Dirt for $3. I gave the guy a $5 note and he said '$5' and I pointed to the $3 sticker and he said '$5'. Then I guess he looked at the sticker and realised it said $3. Then he took fucking forever to find me $2 change, by which time it was the principle of the thing for me, and for him, potentially, the gamble that I might just say forget it and walk away and he could chuckle himself to sleep that night over the obscene profit he made on that item. 

I like the Camberwell Market, you see amazing things there, hear a lot of terminally idiotic conversations and see a lot of weird looking people. If at some stage soon I can be arsed to get up and walk across the room and get the paper bag I can see from here with those cards in it, I might show you some.

 

ed kuepper

The below unremarkable picture of Ed Kuepper is from 9 years ago give or take a couple of weeks and it was some show I think at the Corner but I don't remember anything more about it, except that, it was undoubtedly excellent because when is he not? I guess I must have first seen him play live in, um, 1984 - that's a guess - with the final contiguous line-up of the Laughing Clowns and I did see them two or three times. I would have gone and seen them more if I had been aware that they were going to break up. I remember one show was at the Bondi Pavillion (well, somewhere in Bondi) and I walked past them in a restaurant all looking happy. 

This is Ed less than a month ago (far right) playing with Asteroid Ekosystem in Brunswick. He made a big entrance by galumphing down the stairs in his moonboot. Because he broke his ankle a few months ago and this short tour was, apparently, the first live shows he'd done since that happened. 

So I'm looking forward to seeing him play on Thursday, on a tour that had to be rescheduled from a few months ago when he broke the ankle. It will be excellent because it always is. This is one man who really knows what he's doing. Musically. I won't make a pronouncement on anything else. 

five years ago

Five years ago I took Ferdie and Barry out for a walk at the Jacana wetlands. The photos suggest we had a really good time. Unfortunately neither of them is with us any longer, all I can ever say about the death of pets is - as long as they had a good life that's what matters, and I know they both really did. 

Nancy is still around (this is her on 1 November 2021) and thriving I would say, I mean she sleeps about 95% of the time but that's what cats do. I am looking forward to many more quality years with the cat I still claim to be the best in Australia, possibly the world. She still sits like this too.