Sunday, 23 December 2012

More faded days

Idly looking through Museum Victoria's pics...I most like the ones where you can see the streetscape in the background...gives you a feel for how bare and new things looked way back when.

This fella is in Essendon:

[source] "This photograph shows Peter Oakes aged 3, at Lyon Street Essendon, 1949. Peter is playing in a wheelbarrow in the front garden of the family home."  I think this is where he was, courtesy of Google maps, Lyon Street Essendon.


Here in another photo (Moonee Ponds, in 1949), a young boy is captured in a quick sprint past the shops:


I love the old store fronts, I wish I could see what's in the windows.
And here we are, in Puckle Street.


Little girl outside a newsagency, a bit later this one, in 1958. Menzies has just swept in, apparently.


[source] A young girl with curly hair and wearing shorts, standing in the doorway of a newsagent. There are newspaper headline pages in wire frames in front of her- 'Australian Post' and 'The Sun'. This photograph shows Rafferty's Newsagent, in Fletcher Street Essendon, 3 November 1958, with a local little girl Beth in the doorway. The photographer Judy Archer remembers: 'Beth's parents ran the local bakery in Napier Street, and in those days all the shop owners knew each other, so Beth would wander down the street to say hello.' This newsagent is where Judy used to work from February 1956 agent to June 1959 - she started there at age 14 when she left school."
I could be stretching it a bit, but a look around Fletcher Street and comparison of shop front and step, makes me think this is the shop now:



Here's a photo I can't place, it's captioned Derby Street Balwyn (but the only Derby streets I can find are Kew or Camberwell)...I think it's Kew, but there's been so many houses knocked down in Derby street, I'm not sure the house in the background is still standing.


[source] "Two girls in dresses, standing on the lawn of a front garden. There is a magpie in front of them on the lawn. This photograph shows Muriel and Edythe Watson in Derby Street Balwyn, circa 1935. According to the family: 'This was one of the rental properties the Watson family lived in, 10 years after the family's arrival from England. Edythe would have been about 20 years old. Mary their mother probably took the photograph, as she had a Box Brownie camera."

In other mystery locations, I'd very much like to see if this building is still as it was, I love the signwriting on the window. I had a little wander around Moonee Ponds on Google Maps, but couldn't find it.  Mmm, chocolates.


[source]"This photograph shows a child playing outside the shop-front of the Atkinson family's new milk bar, Moonee Ponds, 1949. This milk bar was purchased by the Atkinson family only six weeks after migrating from England. The Atkinson family's mother and father had given them some start-up money, 1000 pounds to buy a business. Unfortunately the young couple struggled and eventually bowed out of the business having learnt a hard lesson. They ended up moving to Gippsland when Cliff Atkinson found employment with the Gas & Fuel Corporation."

Old photos, I love 'em.

Monday, 12 November 2012

Y'know ~

Of late, Facebook has been doing my head in...there's been about two or three people on there that I seriously need to rethink (well, actually it's a no-brainer) my friendship with, who are ALL TAKE AND NO GIVE. And frankly, I'm sick of providing them with a forum for doing it. Alas, in best ball-less style, one I can't tell because at heart they're a nice person and I don't want to hurt them, and the other one...actually I don't know why I've been putting up with their selfish, demanding, pissy temper fits. So anyway, in best passive-aggressive style, instead of deleting them, I'm planning to remove myself for a bit.

Someone else, very ace (well actually her and TS, 'cause he said the same thing) suggested that I stay off it and concentrate on making stuff or doing things I enjoy...instead of just having my evening time sucked away. So let's hope I can reconnect with the me that does stuff again. (By the way, "doing stuff" included blogging.)

Worth a shot anyway.


 Random fact about me : I HATE 'GLEE'. Goddamn.

The good thing...

...about having a blog that no-one but me reads is that I can be as self-indulgent as I like. So here's a pic of Amanda Palmer. Yeah.
(I can't find the source of this one though. Anyone knows, please let me know and I'll credit.)

Sunday, 11 November 2012

Lest we purr-get

11/11. Yes. Lest we forget.
I have no profound words to add, other than I value and will never forget the sacrifices made by those who fought in every war, to preserve the freedoms we take for granted today.


"Accepting her fate as an orphan of war, 'Miss Hap' a two-week old Korean kitten chows down on canned milk, piped to her by medicine dropper with the help of Marine Sergeant Frank Praytor ... The Marine adopted the kitten after its mother was killed by a mortar barrage near Bunker Hill. The name, Miss Hap, Sergeant Praytor explained, was given to the kitten 'because she was born at the wrong place at the wrong time'." Korea, ca 1953


"After the smoke of battle had cleared on Betio Island, Tarawa, this tiny kitten crept out from beneath a wrecked Japanese tank, to receive a drink from a U.S. Marine." Tawara Invasion, November 1943

 [source]

Tuesday, 6 November 2012

More want

Found a link to this Etsy seller through one of my favourite blogs. I really want a copy of this print.
'Book of Poems' by Anna Magruder.

Moving

...not me, these guys.
Black and white negative of a horse team moving a house from Creswick through Allendale, in Victoria about 1905 or 1909. Goldmining at Creswick was declining and there was less demand for houses in the area, hence the house was being moved. Jim Dempsey is driving the horse teams. Jack Dempsey is at right. Jim Mills is on the pony, Ginger. Jack Dempsey drove horses for the the Mills, and it is likely that the house removal company managing the move in this case was Mills. Source

Sunday, 4 November 2012

Taunted

So I was looking at Urban Outfitters' page...I've never bought anything from there before, but they were offering free shipping to Australia if you spent more than $50, so I thought I'd give it a go. I ended up ordering a shelf and picture frames. Shelf - that blue is my favourite colour:
What I really wanted is this ~ a cushion for our new charcoal coloured couch:
and this ~ the most perfect lamp for behind said couch:
But they don't ship these things to Australia. How vexing. Now I'm off to trawl ebay and the local interwebs in search of a lamp that satisfies.

Sunday, 28 October 2012

Stationery and stationary

As I'm into the 7th day of my bronchitis, shopping from the couch has been appealing. Although it should be noted that on days 2 and 3 of being sick, I still went to work, so I don't feel as much of a pathetic lump as I could. I am VERY OVER being sick though, and not being able to breathe properly has been wearing me out. I'm fed up with listening to my own chest orchestra throughout the night. I missed a meditation course yesterday that I'd planned to attend with a dear friend, and I'm not over the disappointment from that yet either. Anyway, whinging aside, I indulged myself by ordering a new diary and fountain pen from notemaker.com.au today. I also couldn't resist adding in a roll of washi tape. So now I'll wait for my goodies to arrive this week. In lieu of any pics of my own, here's one from Notemaker's Flickr:
And remember, I have been stationary, Notemaker sell stationery.

Tuesday, 9 October 2012

Swoon

Here's some fabulous pin curls, something for me to aspire to ...although my hair is too long for a good 30s do. But eye candy all the same. Source

Drained

I'm too tired of late to say much, changing jobs and non-stop hay fever has worn me out.

Sunday, 7 October 2012

Lost

I know this blog seems to be all about AFP all the time, but I just can't help it at the moment. I really like the lyrics to this song.

Sunday, 30 September 2012

Little jaunt


As we both had a bit of time off, TS and I decided to go to Daylesford for a few days.  I grew up not far from there, and I've watched with interest as it's changed from dying country town to trendy spa haven for city treechangers. (I hate that word.)  But I do love the area, so it was a pleasure to get away. Plus the weather was perfect!


I didn't take any pics (laziness) but I just noted with interest that this pic that I found on Flickr earlier today when I searched Daylesford was taken the very day after we drove past this paddock on the way to the Tuki trout farm and I thought "should stop and take a photo of that truck".  Fortuitously, someone else thought the same thing. Thank you.


Basically we spent most of out time sightseeing, eating, hanging at the local bowling club and enjoying the spa in our apartment.  We had scones, home made chocolates and delicious fresh lamb and trout.  I also decided that the Red Star cafe at Hepburn Springs is my new favourite cafe.  I love the location, food is delicious and the decor spoke to my heart.  I was trying to find an interior photo on the web, but no luck.


Also called into the local craft shop, which was en route to the bottle-o.  (Priorities!)  TS found a stitching kit designed by Kristen Doran and as it was incredibly cute, I had to buy it.  Here's my progress so far:


Apologies for the cruddy picture, I'm having a couch moment and too lazy to do better than this iTouch snap. What I do need is some decent photo editing software. Anyway, I think I'll add "Greetings from Daylesford" in some jaunty 50s-esque text and make it into a cushion panel.  Last night I ordered some fabric scraps from Kristen's site for finishing said cushion.  Given the last time I touched the sewing machine was to hem some Ikea fabric for curtain panels, it could turn out very good, or very bad.  In the meantime, I still have to finish the embroidery before I contemplate anything else.

As we've been pondering moving to the country for a couple of years now (due mostly to the fact it's the only place I could afford to buy a house!) I was keen to show TS the area and see what he thought. Happily, he loved it...so we'll leave that on the agenda.  

Post title

So here I was, trying to find the login details for my other blog - yes the blog I'd started last year as I couldn't remember the login for this one - and I find that my primary email is linked to this blog...the blog I couldn't find in the first place. Argh!
I still can't remember the address of the other blog I'd started, and foolishly changed it to a compromise name (all the other ones I wanted were taken)...so when I do find it, I'll import everything and kill it off I think.

Although, I'm not the killing type...not the killing type...



 Update- I finally found this blog again, so have imported all my other posts into it. Ah! Order.

Sunday, 15 April 2012

100 years

Like the proverbial dead horse, all we've heard about lately is this:
I must confess, the Titanic disaster does capture my imagination...having said that though, if it had happened post 1945, I probably wouldn't be as fascinated. It's the time capsule at the bottom of the sea that gets to me.
I've borrowed a couple of favourite pictures from here:

Sad, sad teacup.

PS. no I don't like THAT movie. It made me cross...selfish selfish Kate Winslet's character.

Mango milkshake

I rustled up this pillowcase this weekend, as I'd made a few tapir embroideries, but not one for myself yet.

Monday, 9 April 2012

Kingston

Easter came and Easter went. Easter Sunday night I spent the evening pondering real estate online and watching a really stupid movie.

Then I went for a "drive" on Google maps. Does anyone else do that, I wonder? Scroll along up the road to get a feel for the neighbourhood and the surroundings. I thought I'd have a look at Kingston, as it's always had an inexplicable appeal ever since I was a child. It's just a country town that's seen better days since the gold rush, and I don't even think it has any shops anymore (just a pub).

Anyway, some then and now pics~

General store then, circa 1963.

General store now:

Former Creswick Shire Hall (circa 1911)

Old council building now:

Just nostalgia I guess. Or a yearning for peace and space.

[Black and white pics from collection of State Library of Victoria.]

Sunday, 11 March 2012

Paul and Joe

Since I first saw the Kitten Collection, I've been a bit nuts for Paul and Joe cosmetics...they're hard to find over here, so thank God for the internet! This post shares the whole collection and I had to borrow a few photos because they're such eye candy.












The other thing I really like about the cosmetics line is that the packaging is so retro and 50s. Sweet!

Shoe love and Miss Fisher


Just ordered myself a pair of Miz Mooz shoes from here.
I wanted a pair of these too (photo above) but need more dosh before I can buy them.

Also about to watch Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries on the ABC. Loving the costumes and style.




However, am the only one who find Miss Fisher's air of smug self-satification so annoying that I want to smack her? Probably. Perhaps I need the books. But anyway, the ABC show is all about the costumes and sets. For me, anyway.