Tomorrow it’ll be known if Metro has met their monthly punctuality target for the first time. As-of yesterday the daily update on the Metro web site was sitting on 88.7% (last updated 28/9), clear of the 88% cut-off. (That’s 88% of trains less than 5 minutes late.) For the first time in many moons, you ... [More]
I hope my kids don’t feel offended when I point out good etiquette to them. I think they probably know it all by now, but sometimes I’ll point it out just to remind them, and sometimes I’ll point it out/affirm their actions a little louder than usual so that others in the vicinity can get ... [More]
Billboards for Big M’s limited edition Egg Flip flavour are popping up all over the place. I had a hankering to try it, to see if it was good if I remembered. So the kids and I went looking, in all the places that usually sell Big M (aka “Big M seller fellers”). Safeway? Nope. ... [More]
To me, Sunday seemed like the first genuine day of spring. Warm enough to ditch the jumper and walk around in a t-shirt most of the day. No hint of rain. The sun streaming (on and off) through the window. (So much so that I do believe I may even have a slight sunburn on ... [More]
You’re going to have to trust me on this because it doesn’t show up well in the picture, but this train seen this morning said “ROME” on the back, instead of “METRO”. Evidently someone had been re-arranging some of the letters By some freak occurrence, last week I found myself travelling on the Upfield line ... [More]
I’m finding the situation in New Delhi fascinating. For those outside the Commonwealth and/or who haven’t heard, the city is having enormous problems getting ready for the Commonwealth Games. Sure, there are always stories like this ahead of big events, but in this case, there’s been an apparent terrorist attack (several tourists injured in a ... [More]
One episode of The West Wing focuses on Take out the trash day, when the government dumps so much news onto the media that the bad stuff is lost amongst the sheer amount of information. Last week the Victorian government had its equivalent, when over 200 reports were released on a single day. I went ... [More]
We got the trampoline six years ago. Problem is it’s been used less and less over the years, so yesterday we donated it to Emma and Nick and Zoe. I’m relieved someone wanted it, actually. The fashion these days is the trampolines with the netting around the sides, which this old thing doesn’t have. After ... [More]
For many years I’ve used Herbal Essences shampoo. While I hated the ads, I liked the shampoo. But recently I’ve noticed tell-tale white residue on my clothes. Oh no. Dandruff. Not nice. So I’ve switched to anti-dandruff shampoo for a while. It doesn’t smell as nice, but it appears to be working.
Radio National’s Background Briefing had a feature story on the bike helmet debate yesterday morning. You can download it and listen to it here. It talks about Melbourne’s bike share scheme; the experience in Europe (where cyclist numbers are higher, but injuries are lower) vs Australia (which it sounds like is the only country with ... [More]
If you didn’t see this on The Daily Show, it’s a classic. “I snuck up behind him and took his Koran. He said something about burning the Koran, and I said ‘Dude, you have no Koran’, and ran off”
“You couldn’t have a full-blooded aborigine or Chinese teaching.” Well, *obviously*.
This is where one of Melbourne’s busiest buses terminates. The 630, in the middle of Elsternwick Park, between the skate park* and the golf course, and blocking the westbound bike lane. (Source: Nearmap) The closest shops are a few hundred metres away. It’s 800 metres (as the crow flies) to the nearest railway station, and ... [More]
Earlier this year I wrote a post showing what each type of Melbourne train looks like. Here’s the tram version, in order of appearance. This is a longer post, as there’s more types. This is the W-class tram. They’re something of a Melbourne icon, having been around (in various forms) since the 1930s 1920s, though ... [More]
Everything in the entire world except this bus stop sign is at a funny angle.
I’ve seen pictures before, but canola crops are startlingly yellow when you see them up close. These photos are from near Nagambie yesterday, where there seems to be a lot of it at the moment. Apparently the name once used here, and still used in the UK, is “rape”, or “rapeseed”. I think I can ... [More]