back at the yrnong

That's what you call the Maribyrnong, isn't it? When you feel casual affection for it? the Yrnong? Well anyway boring as we are, Perry and I went back to the same place as we had gone the day before, that is, yesterday to ramble across a little more of the general area. It was just for fun. 

It was raining, that's part of my umbrella above, but it wasn't heavy and we were fine. I am intrigued by these flats which I might have mused on previously, I suspect yes I have. I haven't seen them from the street access side and should go and look sometime. They dominate here but I am sure they are pretty nice to live in, or at least, to look out from. 

Explain this to me please:

A big boy is allowed to walk without the lead on if he promises to be good (even if he doesn't, even if he isn't). He didn't, but he was. 

Big houses looking out over the Yrnong from the north side. 

It stopped raining while we were walking, I lost something - the clip-on treat dispenser. I lose these periodically, it's not like car keys. 

nobody home

Perry and I went to Avondale Heights again this morning, same as the other day but no loss of car key, mainly because I wanted to see if that dog was there again, but no. 

Perry certainly remembered the place and was hopeful once we got there but as I said - no.

I let Perry off the lead briefly and was interested to note that, when he's on the lead he wants to charge ahead of me, or at least, lead the way but when he's not, he wants to walk a considerable distance behind. I wonder if this is his herding instinct. 

When I lost the car key last week and had to walk to Tottenham Station, I had checked with mapsonmyphone how to get across the river and it did not tell me there was a crossing actually very close to where we were - it just told me about two reasonably distant footbridges. Well, I don't blame mapsonmyphone, there's probably a lawsuit just waiting to happen when dodderers try to get across the river by these means, though I would have done it. 

This was a good place for Perry to get a drink from the refreshing waters of the Maribyrnong and then we went back. It will be hot day today and it was already warming up at 8ish. 

north coburg sojourn

Perry and I went to the record player fixing place and the rug wash place yesterday. The rug wash place is in North Coburg and a few minutes' drive further north is where Back Creek hits Merri Creek. But there are factories all around, almost completely backing up to the creek valley edge, but with a little bit of open space where people have put in unofficial tables and benches, like this:

and this:

Also these two nicely placed chairs:

Walking along the creek:

I think this is under construction not destruction or delapidation but not sure:

More unofficial benches - this is out the back of someone's house. 

This too:

Then we hung out at the creek, which was really nice. 

creatures of leisure pt 2

Fewer pictures. So we got back to the car and I realised I had lost the car key. It's amazing what tiny little bits of machinery exist between your freedom to do what you intended to do, and your inability to do that, and my whole morning fell away. Luckily I still had my phone so I could figure out the nearest railway station (the tram stop was half an hour away but that would be no good for Perry, in fact he'd probably hate a tram, don't know, we'll never know). The nearest railway station was Tottenham, an hour's walk away in almost a direct line south, except for the bit where we had to get across the river, which was finicky. So we did that. It was really fine, though Perry was thirsty. Had I known we would be walking so far I would have brought his water bottle but that was the whole point, I hadn't known. So we were on the lookout for taps, there weren't many but ultimately we crept into a front yard and he drank from a tap. I hope that person wasn't there and/or didn't mind. 

A few other things:

I've noticed a lot of rubbish strewn around lately, have you? It happened at our place a few weeks ago, someone went into the bin area and emptied bins. Much like what's happened here. Now, there is someone who likes to empty bins for its own sake, in our area, but I can't imagine they've come as far as Maidstone to do it. There's also, I believe ('believe' is too strong a word but it's not unbelievable) people who empty bins looking for cans to recycle for money. Who knows. 

Beautiful front garden:

Fabulous hedge treatment on classic early 50s HCV home:

Nice:

Ultimately yesterday I walked 27 000+ steps. Whatever. 

Oh, and later when I went back to the car via tram-walk, I found the keys in close proximity to it. So, all good ultimately. 

perry and i are creatures of leisure - pt 1

Yesterday was a fuck up but it was a funny fuck up with no lasting implications. Perry and I drove to Avondale Heights to walk by the Maribyrnong there. It's very pleasant. 

At one point Perry thought he saw something, I don't know what, and he thought he needed to be on his back legs to see it better, I really don't know what it was and he won't remember. He was looking towards the river. 

This dog behind a fence got involved in the conversation and like the dog at the Merri Boulevard (or whatever it's called) this dog and Perry were very convivial.

Perry and I then walked on a bit further, and just like the Merri Blvd dog, Perry wanted to visit this one again, but when we passed by again they had gone. 

We marvelled a little at this sign because - who would ever think this was a road, through or otherwise? You could put up a sign like this at most places and it would be true, I suspect. 

I guess my thought initially was maybe it's the path of an old road from a stupid subdivision or something... might be, but maps-on-my-phone doesn't think so. 

Grapefruit. 

There really are great looking houses here. I know you will know what I mean when I say 'wog mansions' I don't think it's an offensive term anymore but it's not a pleasant one but it'll have to do. I remember as I child I would pass houses like this - rarely entered one - and think they looked like they'd be really cool in summer. I am not sure why, looking at it now, but I did. 

And how amazeballs are these eagles. I don't think they have any symbolism, but I don't know why I don't think that. 

Another great one.

So the reason I said we are creatures of leisure is that I have been listening a lot to side two of Creatures of Leisure lately, along with Laura Imbruglia's self-titled album. Both incredible records of enormous depth. Anyway, that house above reminds me of the cover of Creatures of Leisure. 

Such a fun, talented, radical band and with so many high quality songwriters the album tracks are as amazing as the singles - anything off this record could have been a single, with the exception I suppose of the hidden track at the end of side 2 which I believe sometimes went under the name of 'Business & Pleasure'. 

There is a US version of this album which fucks around with it - for some reason I have that too, and may play it soon. Of course I'll let you know.

Anyway to get back to our Avondale Heights adventure, things got weird, but it was all fine, but I'll tell you about that later on OK. 

merri creek this morning

This morning we went on a short walk at Merri Creek and Perry chose to go down here, which was an unmade road called I forget what. Maybe Merri Boulevard? I thought maybe there was an interesting project in unmade roads. Making a note of it now. 

Perry met, and really liked, this dog. He went back later to meet the dog a second time.

You know at the time I thought that water looked pretty nice but looking at it in this picture I'm kind of like no it's not. 

coburg merri creek walk last week

avondale heghts/ tea gardens/ steele creek

Last week and this week Perry and I have walked along the Maribyrnong at what's known as the Tea Gardens reserve en route to where Steele Creek hits the Maribyrnong. I'm interested in Steele Creek which I gather goes all the way to Tullamarine. I think I might try and get Perry to walk it, though I will say today (the second time we did this riverside walk) he wanted to turn back quite early, possibly he was overtired after Doggy Day Care yesterday, I don't know. 

23 aug last bit of getting back to melbourne

This is in Inverloch right

There is a closed up church hall kind of thing in Wonthaggi that looks pretty pristine inside:

Also a little spooky in a way that you would be a little spooked if you were prone to being influenced by post-Lynchian horror scenarios, you know, Temu Lynch.

Few minutes on the beach at Kilcunda. Perry so often looks like he's got a broad grin when really he might just be thinking 'life is pain'. Who knows. 

There were some other drop-ins - Tooradin, etc - but let's leave it at that. You're already jealous enough.