Since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
After all the Xmas celebrationy stuff, I’ve been working away on a chapter for my PhD thesis on Walter Benjamin (so the absence of any political blogging from me can be related to that as well as the desire to tune out from the day to day political stuff for a bit), but I took the time out to relax on a couple of Citycat trips - by far the nicest way to see Brisbane. For those who aren’t from round here, one of the most interesting things I photographed was the heritage listed Bulimba Ferry Terminal - built in 1922 - and built in Federation Queen Anne style. There’s lots of info on the EPA website here.
As I think I mentioned last week, I’m reading Dickens’ Bleak House, and in my one concession to post Christmas sales mania today, I picked up a copy of the dvd of the BBC series (only bits of which I saw on tv earlier in the year), which I’m looking forward to watching. The first chapter is an absolute tour de force, btw.
If you’d like to see a larger image of the photos, click on them then click on “full view” once you’re inside the gallery.
Bulimba Ferry II by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Bulimba Ferry I by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Watching the ferry by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Bulimba Ferry III by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Bulimba Ferry IV by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Mangroves at the ferry stop by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Mangroves at the ferry stop II by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Citycat and cliffs by *phenomenologist on deviantART
“but I took the time out to relax on a couple of Citycat trips - by far the nicest way to see Brisbane.”
I can only agree. And so would the grandchildren. Another tribute to the reign of Lord Jim.
Read ‘Poll Dancing’ by Mungo MacCallum last night and found it a humorous and entertaining read.
I have finally rid the lawn of nutgrass and have found that painting the nutgrass leaves with nutgrass killer applied by a small paintbrush, neat- straight out of the bottle works brilliantly. No fumes and no damage to other plants.
Tried digging them out by spade for months on a weekly basis and the effect had been minimal.
You’ll have a wonderful timw with Bleak House. The first chapter is remarkable isn’t it? You’ll enjoy the DVD after the book. Charles Dance is wonderful as Tolkington. Won’t give anything away, but its a great crime story, (as is much of Dickens) among other things.
Reading Nash’s history, Urban Crucible, about life in 18c Bosaton, New York and Philadelphia. Gets more and more fascinating as it goes along, but have to try and finish it by New Years Day, as have to start a book review next week.Blogged a bit, watched still purple and green TV.
Happy New Year to every one.
wpd, yep, and there were lots of folk enjoying a CityCat ride this arvo, despite the strong winds and intermittent drizzle…
Paul, I did see a few eps last year - my flatmate got me into it towards the middle, and I loved Charles Dance in it.
Urban history is always fascinating. There’s a great social history of Brisbane written in the 70s about the 1890s - the author sent out questionnaires to a large number of people resident in the city then who were still living. It’s a little frustrating because it lacks a qualitative dimension and the theoretical frame is a bit constricting, but still full of insight. I’ve often thought someone should get a big grant to do something similar - but different methodologically - on Brissy in the 40s when the Yanks were over here - before it’s too late!
Power points, routers and doors.
Went under the house to work out why the power points in the laundry never worked. Found the problem (previous owners removed the cabling when they removed an inner wall, taking out a power point). We put the wall back, failed to recognise the cabling as anything significant. A quick trip to the hardware store for a new junction box, new power point (for moved computer) and about 2 hours of swearing later I had working laundry points and a new point for the computer, removing extension cord and adding to self satisfied feeling (note: this is entirely illegal, do not try this at home folks).
Go to power up the computer and the bloody router then failed to boot. Power supply failed when turned on or off or something. No power from plugpack at all. Quick google confirms diagnosis. Back to town to buy a new plug pack from Jaycar. Plugged in, router still didn’t work (Hmmm, says her indoors). Pull router to bits in frustration and a very obviously burnt diode on the board was the culprit. Wife looks at me like some kind of madman (do you know what you’re doing?). Rummage in shed for snips, solder, soldering iron, anything old and electronic. Return to kitchen table with old multimeter and pinch similar looking diode from it. Dodgy snip of old diode, solder new-old diode to legs. Who says high school electronics was a waste of time? Power up router. I am now feeling invincible.
Her indoors now pointing to unfinished kitchen door project. Door (now removed) swings the wrong way. Early attempt at correcting this with a reciprocating saw is best left undocumented. Assume Incredible Hulk mode, grab chisel and hammer, book of seafaring curses, remove entire door jamb, flip it, hammer it back. Minimal damage to surrounding timber. Baby thinks it’s funny. Rest of family too scared to talk to me. At least it’s quiet.
David, that sounds incredible!
Steve, what exactly did you use to kill the nutgrass. I’ve heard of a chemical that turf growers use which you can now buy in small quantities for $50 a throw. They say it stops it dead in one application. But frankly it’s too expensive for me!
We had lunch today with a friend at Portside (Hamilton, where the new Dendy is). It was great, but the place is already getting parked out.
Is it within walking distance of the Bretts Wharf CityCat stop, Brian? That might be an alternative way of getting there…
Brian wrote:
It sure did reading it back. Here’s some background though:
(1) I’ve had 2 years to work out the why the powerpoints didn’t work, yet refused to call an electrician.
(3b) We haven’t had a kitchen door for a year trying to work out how to reverse the jamb. Sometimes you just have to use the big hammer I suppose.
(2) The dead diode was only discovered after I touched it (ouch!). If it had been any more complicated, I’d have binned the router.
(3a) I haven’t hung the new door yet - failure is still within my grasp
The ferry terminal is looking a bit nicer than when I lived in Oxford St. (’90). And what the hell is that building next door? It used to be a nice bit of grass if my memory isn’t playing tricks on me.
Yeah it was! It’s the Oxford St side of a huge apartment estate that replaced all the industrial land there - stretches almost all the way down to Hawthorne. There’s a bistro-y thing in that bit of it. Oxford St itself has now gone from interesting gentrification to boring gentrification - a lot of the quirky shops have gone and the unusual restaurants have been replaced by boring ones - pity.
Btw, Brian, re - our previous conversation, I had a tip tonight to install some photo-editing software that you can download for free from google (Picasa - it’s good) and you might like to check out the most recent photos on my deviantart page, where I’ve played with the colours and contrast. Of course the light wasn’t fantastic today!
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I guess that means no more semi-trailers thundering down Oxford St!
I was back there about 18/12 ago but didn’t venture all the way to the end, so didn’t see the terminal or the new addition next door. ‘Boring’ isn’t quite the word I had in mind. My reaction was WTF!!!! When I moved there it was like finding a little country town accidently dropped just outside the CBD - there was pretty much everything you needed right there, the RSL, cinema, church (x2), cemetery, hairdresser, supermarket etc.
Brian, the cheapest bottle from Bunnings. Searles nutgrass, paspalm and clover killer. About $6.00 a small bottle or $12.00 for large. It knocks over huge tufts of paspalm with ease too.
Brian, need four hours before rain for plant to absorb it.
Lay around gasping in 41 degree heat, thanking all gods that my regular job, though unrelenting, is basically to lie around reading novels — rather than to climb up in roofs, schlep around on building sites, fight bushfires, or wash dishes in restaurant kitchens. My knowledge of the first three is hypothetical but I know far too much, even after all these years, about the last one.
Mark,
there was a social history of Queensland during WW2 came out in the early 2000s I think. The editor was a woman and she had some stuff in it about Queenslanders’ belief in the Brisbane Line, which is why I took particular note of it. It was a home front hisatory I think. Sorry I can’t give you any more details.From a possibly very faulty memory it may have concentrated on North Queensland.
Went out to the REAL Oxford Street, and thus am now mainlining Neurofen Plus.
I’ll come out of the shadows and add something, since you do always ask for lurkers to respond!
I finally got some time off work after doing seven days during the Christmas week. Went up to Woodford on Saturday and had a great time, not seeing any particular bands but just wandering and watching whatever caught my attention. Sean Choolburra was pretty funny and I enjoyed the Toothfaeries in the amphitheatre too.
Then yesterday I slept in very late and went to Portside with my mum to see Atonement in the afternoon. I enjoyed it, Mum said the book was better. Went back to my parent’s place and grabbed a stack of CDs that I used to listen to about 10 years ago, lots of “very best ofs” (Eric Clapton, Cat Stevens, Santana, David Bowie, etc.). Came back home and played them loudly and mocked my boyfriend relentlessly for, for example, not knowing ‘Layla’. (He claims to have listened to classical music while growing up, so maybe I’m the real philistine…)
Today I am looking at the sky and thinking that doing the laundry probably won’t be worth it. When is Brisbane going to get some decent summer weather? I am sick of overcast skies and mild temperatures; I want the kind of weather that makes me want to go swimming!
Nice one rosie.
We are copping the swimmin weather bigtime today as we did yesterday. I bought a 75 dollar, partly blow up pool, complete with electric filter from k-mart a little while back and consider it the best investment made all year. Nocked my water tank sideways ,when filling, but some good storms last week mean the garden still has some hope.
So it’s all reading ,dipping and watching in our household. And maybe a bit of the music you mentioned if the teenager allows us to stay up late tonight.
Great piccies Mark.
A lot of time with the young persons I live with - then, when they go out, none at all, so spent some of it reading HEAT magazine and blog feeds. Had a beautiful walk in the Dandenongs with my son yesterday through a garden of blue and violet hydrangeas - wished I had taken our new camera, a gift from same young ‘uns.
Photos are lovely, Mark - that site looks good too.
I’d be interested in that chapter on Benjamin when you have it sorted, Mark. What is the EDD (expected delivery date) of said PhD, anyhow?
ASAP, Genevieve - before my birthday (13/2). Happy to email you a copy later in the week.
I have three free tix (normally worth $150) to this NYE event at the Powerhouse tonight - email me at mbahnisch (at) gmail (dot) com if you’d like one.
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I built (really assembled) a rather pleasing arch over my worm farms so I can grow creepers that will protect said worms from the viciousness of some of the summer heat. Last year I accidentally cooked most of them on a scorcher of a day when I forgot to cover them. A massive number of deaths was recorded.
And rather like Steve’s battle with nutgrass, I’ve been engaged in border skirmishes with rampant bamboo from the neighbours 2 doors away. I tried mechanical means but the damage from digging it out was greater than damage from the bamboo. In fact, the bamboo might have shaded the worms nicely, but … I’ve resorted to chemicals and it seems to work, but requires constant vigilance.
Last night my niece came over for a belated Christmas dinner. My partner’s (ancient) mother had been reading Hemingway in which someone or other had been drinking Calvados (an apple brandy I am informed) and it had been high on the request list. She scored a bottle for Christmas, much to her delight. Throughout the evening when lost for something to say, or sometimes just for effect, she threw her hands in the air and exclaimed “Calvados!” This was both amusing and disconcerting.
I had Calvados in a dessert recently - was good!
Was reading “The Man Who Invented Fidel” by Anthony de Palma, about the journalism of Herbert Matthews in the NY Times circa 1957 to late 60’s.
Herbert M visited the tiny band of rebels in the Sierra Maestra, when Cuban gov’t was claiming they had all been killed after their disastrous shore landing. Meanwhile urban rebels were sceptical of Castro and the official Communist Party had no plans for armed insurrection, it seems.
I found the book a little repetitive, but interesting as Fidel (initially claiming to be non-communist) starts his rule with many executions, claims not to want power, and comes under the sway of the Soviet Union; then becomes briefly a key player in the Cold War when USSR stations missiles on the island.
After the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the Missile Crisis, other newspapers [and his own paper the “NY Times”], and FBI, take a very dim view of Matthews.
hasta la vista
I’m spending this eve fretting as my eldest journeys around the country with his aunts and uncles. Tonight he crosses the Tasman with my sis and before he comes home he will have to negotiate two flights alone; a huge deal for someone with Asperger’s. Weather so gloomy here that I doubt any fireworks will be loosed. All squibs thoroughly dampened I would say.
Have just finished my stint in the salt mines and am hoping the weather is foul for the next couple of days so they don’t go fishing. At the moment it is not looking too promising-the sea is glassy and there’s not a hint of wind! Bugger! This is supposed to be the windiest part of the country, for God’s sake! And I need some retail therapy which I missed out on pre-Christmas.
The hero and I will be spending tonight babysitting a tonne of bloody crayfish and hoping we don’t have a power failure. All this angst for something which, quite honestly, I wouldn’t eat with somebody else’s mouth!
My youngest has gone off to his scaly mate’s for revelry, with a severe warning from the father re drink-driving on the Ps, denting the ute, etc. I’m just chuffed he’s got them as he has an intellectual disability. Even more chuffed that #3 son, who has a severe language disorder and intellectul disability, has got his Ls and, fingers crossed, will have his Ps in the new year. Yay! He’ll be able to drive himself to work! Double yay!
Hope everyone has a good one. I intend to read one of my Christmas books while monitoring the power and sleep in tomorrow.
Mark, I guess I’d need to see a before and after to truly appreciate the Picasa light-altering software.
It seems to me in cases like this one there is a conflict between the bright backlight coming from the sky and the faces in the foreground that no software could resolve.
In this case, however, the cloud is part of the feature and you could probably have had a bit more of it and a bit less of the dark hedge in the foreground, because the house in the focus, by aiming the camera a bit higher.
But I’m a total amateur, really.
Steve, thanks for the tip about the nutgrass. I’m sure that’s the same stuff Mitre 10 were selling. A woman I know used it and reckoned it acted like fertiliser, but she did say they had a storm that afternoon.
It’s definitely not the stuff the professionals use, which you can get at Brookfield Produce Store. It used to be available in minimum quantities worth about $600, but now I believe is available in smaller lots.
Both are likely to knock over small (and not so small) shrubs, which really means head down and tail up and some careful painting.
There’s a before and after here, Brian:
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I am halfway through November’s New Scientist magazines and just entering Series Three of Babylon 5. A big thanks to the LPer (Paul Burns?) who pointed me in the direction of The Lurker’s Guide to B5 which means I can now read the episodes I missed taping.
I also picked up a copy of StarTrek Voyager, the complete series episodes but am restraining myself until the magazines are read.
Mark, the Picasa certainly looks worthwhile. I guess you still have to compromise or choose, however, between the gloom of the day with dark clouds etc and bringing out the character of the women’s faces.
Steve, I was talking to my wife’s nephew today who is horticulturally qualified, and picked his brains on some weed problems. He said the chemical I was talking about is Sempra, which is good but expensive and also very toxic. You need gloves, masks etc and so better left to the perfessionals.
He said he’d had a lot of success in using neat glyphosate on nutgrass by daubing it into the centre of each plant with a cotton bud. The idea is to leave the leaves free as a pump to take the poison down into the nuts. If you attack the leaves with strong stuff you can burn them off but the thing then shoots again from the nuts.
Unfortunately he couldn’t help me rescue this guy’s bougainvilleas from the fond embrace of dodder. It seems that we might have to remove the host plant and grow nothing there for the next 60 years just to be sure. But I’ll need to investigate the pre-emergent spray to see how effective it is in killing the seeds in the ground.