another problem, solved

We were most intrigued by this bit of advertising revealed when whatever the building was on the corner of Nicholson St and Brookes Crescent North Fitzroy, was demolished:

Actually I suppose it is possible to look at Google Earth and see what the building was...

It was not one but two buildings, differently beautiful. Imagine perpetrating that demolition. You'd have to hate yourself. 

Anyway, we wondered what the ad was for, so strangely phrased. A bit of newspaper searching and it came up - the very oddly worded 'Monkey Brand won't wash clothes but with it the cook cooks in clean dishes.'

This is from the Hobart Mercury. I won't bother giving an exact date because the ad is replicated all over the place in newspapers from the first decade of the 20th century. 

It seems there were two versions but this is about all it ever was, apparently. 

The only other thing I have to say about Monkey Brand and its advertising is that it seems to have been very prominently advertised in newspapers in Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania but seemingly not as much in Victoria,* in fact of the Victorian papers I can only find one advertisement (and that was in Ballarat). But maybe it advertised in different ways in Victoria - well, obviously it had at least one wall advertisement.

I am still pissed off these houses were demolished and also that only this much of the ad remains on the wall of 554 Nicholson St but as all the smart people say, 'it is what it is'. 

*Don't know about SA or NSW - you check that out for yourself OK

mixed business

I can't remember when I last visited Mixed Business (probably 2019) but clearly it went out of business without much warning, if the blackboard etc is anything to go by. Shame, it was a good place, but obviously I've been in the wrong part of town to be a regular customer. Maybe we all, my demographic I mean, left the Clifton Hole/North Fitzroy area. 

In this instance I only went past because Perry and I were going to visit Ruffey Lake Park.  

'Maps on my phone' (as I endearingly call it - they need to do better branding) said it would take just under 40 minutes to get there. 35 minutes later we were still driving through Clifton Hole, so I just thought fuck it, this is a non-starter. We walked around North Fitzroy instead (the distinction between the two places is very blurry) and I got an apple pie and a coffee from a shop in NF and we ate it in the park at Rushall Station - Perry likes apple pie, could that have been predicted? 

Nothing else happened really. Oh, I would like to note this: last night I was on RRR and there is a textline, as you might know, and someone sent the message (this is the whole message): 'fuc on'. New catchphrase.