White Night Melbourne February 20, 2016

Avoid peak time (before 2 a.m.). We arrived at 4:30, left at sunrise (7 a.m.). BYO breakfast in a backpack.

Federation Square, north facade

Rutledge Laneway

State Library

National Gallery of Victoria 

Golden Monkey climbing MelbourneTown Hall

Sunrise by the Yarra River

The dog enjoyed it, too.

A grumpy old man rant: Parenting tips

Hey parents of young children, want your kids to be not so loud in public places? Here's an idea. Speak quietly to your child. It's called modelling.
My wife and I (okay, we only have one child, but we have a combined 70+ years of primary teaching experience) have observed this is phenomena in restaurants, train carriages, waiting rooms, shopping centres, etc. Parents speaking at the top of their voices to their sprogs for no good reason.
My theory is you are announcing to those around you what a caring, inclusive and totally cool parent you are.
Why not talk in conversational tones? They wonder why their kids shout, scream and squeal continuously.

Well that's my grumpy old fart rant. Comments?

"Airport" (1970) From the video vault

This is a real guilty pleasure movie. Part inspiration for the 1980 spoof "Airplane!", this cheesy disaster movie is a fun way to waste two hours.

The good stuff

• The musical score by Alfred Newman* is a standout. This was his final work. He composed sublime film music (e.g. "How Green was my Valley", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "How the West was Won"). An amazing body of work (40 years).
• Universal's glamour-producer Ross Hunter makes the film look lush: Edith Head costumes, location filming, "Pillow Talk" inspired split screens.
• Jean Seberg (despite her real life traumas) looks amazing. 
• Dean Martin (channelling Matt Helm) as the pilot.
• cigar-chomping George Kennedy steals ever scene.
• Maureen Stapleton, playing the mad-bomber's wife, should have received best supporting actress, rather than Helen Hayes (annoying stowaway-granny).

* An incredible musical family. Sons,  David and Thomas, are prolific movie composers of this generation. Nephew is Randy Newman.

Michael Moorcock's Steampunk Trilogy

Written in the early 70's, before steampunk was a thing, these books are ripping yarns. It's Biggles meets Jules Verne, part H.G. Wells, part Arthur Conan Doyle.
Our hero, Oswald Bastable, a captain in colonial India in 1901, travels in time to three alternate 20th centuries. Our very pucker captain encounters towering airships, monorails, "hovergyros" and gleaming Utopian cities. We encounter new versions of Joseph Stalin, Enoch Powell, Harold Wilson and Ronald Reagan (as an obnoxious boy scout leader).
The narrative is sometimes bogged down by political science debate. The fun stuff is finding out what happens when Brits stay too long in the steamy colonies - copious gin and tonics, visits to opium dens, characters spouting: "now steady on, old chap".
The last quarter of "The Steel Tsar" (final in the series, published in 1980) is a bit ponderous, with the narrator trying to make sense of the 'multiverse'. Mrs Persson, one of the reappearing characters (a member of the "League" of "chrononauts") is the trilogy's most intriguing individual.

Young kids in restaurants. Parents, lift your game.

This is happening way too many times now. Noisy, indulged children in restaurants.
Don't get me wrong, I don't subscribe to the "Children should be seen and not heard"-school. Although after 3 courses, I was sorely tested.
Here's some observations from last night's dinner at a semi-posh restaurant:

• I suppose we should have know there was trouble in store when both parents at two different tables asked their child (aged 3 - 5) where he/she wanted to sit. WTF. When we brought our young daughter to a similar restaurant, we chose the most out of the way table, end of discussion.
• Why don't parents come armed with things for their kids to do (colouring books, i-pod, Nintendo DS, or even...the perennial smartphone)? Hence their sprogs resort to percussion routines with the cultery.
• Letting their kids run around the place like it's a McDonalds playground. 
• Indulgence. One mum walked up to the waiter's station and let her child proclaim, "I want grapes". Mum then asked whether the kitchen had a bowl of grapes. Here's an idea - come prepared, mum.
• Every parent thinks their child is adorable and cute. News Flash: they're not.
• Voice levels. You want your kid to speak quietly? Then do some modelling. Speak sotto voce to your child. Kids aren't stupid (or deaf). Unfortunately some parents love to speak in raised tones to their kids (meaning hello everybody, aren't I a cool/caring/wonderful parent, listen to me).

End of rant.

Comments welcome.

What to do with those 80's hand-knitted jumpers ...

Front

Back (ignore our pooch's shadow)

Remember all those colourful hand-knitted jumpers and cardigans in the 1980's (think U.S. born, now England's Kaffe Fassett and Australia's Jenny Kee).
Of course you are not going to wear them now, but you don't want to part with them either.  All the time and effort you put into knitting them still needs to be celebrated.

Solution : My crafty wife turned them into cushion covers.

How to make a backyard frog pond

I am no handyman nor gardener, but constructing a frog pond was dead easy. We heard frog croaking a few months later. 

1. Dig a hole. Mine was about 30 cm deep (1 ft) with shallow spots. Ensure the site has some shade.
2. Line with black PVC sheet (pond liner available at hardware stores).
3. Trim with scissors but leave heaps (at least 60 cm) around the edges. 
4. Arrange rocks around edge (to stabilise the pond as well as hide the plastic sheet).
5. I put a log in the centre.
6. Add water plants in pots to oxygenate the water (you don't need a water pump).
7. Ensure plants and soil/mulch cover black plastic liner. Frogs like plants that trail into water and logs or rocks in the sun for butterflies, lizards, etc. Native plants will attract bird life too.
8. Fill with tap water.

Our pond/bush garden is nearly 5 years old.

A balance of sun and shade is preferable.

This summer we noticed frog spawn.

Melbourne wildlife - critters in the 'burbs. Why bush gardens are the way to go.

Barking Owl (one of two) on our garage roof

Ringtail Possum drey (nest) over our driveway.

Another drey in our front garden, looking worse for wear.

We live in a suburb 18 km from the Melbourne CBD.
Native bush gardens front and back have several advantages:

1. Saving water, we don't have to water our garden.
2. No lawns to mow.
3. Fast growing plants like eucalyptus, grevillea and protea provide privacy (screening potential knock-down and build, beware the McMansions).
4. Shade in summer.
5. Encouraging native wildlife.