End of Era .. Swansong

So, the final party was a bit wild and messy.

One of the neighbours (overlooking from James St) came up and said, "i don't usually complain about your parties .. because you're finished by one or two .. but last Saturday was just too much".

"i agree," i replied, "it was awful".

Kept going 'til dawn; people thrashing away in the music room and chattering drunkenly. We imagine that there's a cone of silence around our little rustic village castle, because people never complain. But no.

"oh, if it was your swansong .. i guess it's okay," said the neighbour when i told her we were moving out. And got back on her bike.

Now i have temporary housing in Barkly St Coburg (phew!)...
will start looking again when i can muster the energy.


Thanks so much to all who came along, much appreciated!!

"When anything will do" .. housing descriptions

Normally you expect titles like "When only the best will do" and "Perfect position" etc.

Here's a sensational effort from some real estate agent in the northern suburbs:

"When Anything Will Do"

oh yeah, spell it out for me.

.. 'ideal shared student accommodation' etc

in Glenroy.

evictions everywhere

Don't know what's going on with the Rental Market, but when i heard Ju-Yuen and her partner were given notice - for the second time in a year - i sighed with despair.

Two weeks ago, David came into work looking depressed, and told us that with his partner and child he'd been given notice. Four years they've lived in this place, and they're not looking forward to the idea of having to find somewhere else.

Rohan at work is telling stories of boarding houses in West Heidelberg that fit whole families into a room (for under $200 a week). The Four Corners episode on Debt - a month ago - was horribly depressing. Apparently the number of mortgage repossessions by banks in the last twelve months is higher than during the entire early nineties recession (in Australia i think).


So .. anyway.


Fingers crossed, eh ?!



i read today that Melbourne is growing at a furious rate. 1500 people moving here every week. Nice to be so popular.


(News check: "Supreme Court files show lenders claiming a record 57 homes a week, triple the level of five years ago." from the Hun, feb '08. )

crazy coburg house / maze

This was hilarious. Saturday morning, Lou and i went out searching for real estate joy; and found the most bizarre setup in Coburg, just behind the train station .. minutes from the mall. Amazing house .. just really strange!

One of those weird houses that must have been built in bits .. an enormous garage, with room for six cars; a tunnel from the outdoor (covered and concreted) area to the garage; extra toilets and baths deposited here and there throughout this warren.

Two front-ish rooms with two doors each, ie thoroughfare; and with no hallway, so if you made these two rooms into bed-type areas, you'd always have to go through somebody's room to get from the front door to the kitchen and back.

It was advertised as a three bedroom house, but everyone had to go and ask the agent, "Which rooms exactly are you claiming to be bedrooms?"

She said that the previous tenants had hooked up some kind of curtain arrangement around the covered / outdoor living area, and turned that into a bedroom.


Okay. But you're renting this out without the curtain arrangement ...?

It's great the way you get to see inside all these insanely different houses. Great.

phew! 60 days

Well John was none too happy about it, but we received the proper documentation by registered mail, and now we've got until 26th May to find suitable dream house accommodation.

Which means probably a PaRTaY on the 2nd of May, and possibly a garage sale at some point too. Will keep you posted.

If you know of a dream house in East Brunswick - large, ramshackle, beautiful.. please let us know. Any leads much appreciated!

kind regards, michael



(image by minifig at flickr, thanks!)

Going "the legal path"

Well i took the latest letter down to John this morning. It's fully legalese. He wasn't so happy. "Oh you're going the legal road are you? But we've always been friendly."

Well until you gave us half the legal requirement for notice to vacate, yeah.

i hope things don't get ugly.

Anyone got a spare 5br mansion for under $2000 a month?

Tee hee.

a slight breather, more time

Good news, everyone!

When we consulted the very wonderful Tenants Union o' Victoria (tuv.org.au), they told us that the Notice to Vacate was legally invalid, and the minimum period is 60 days - even when you're not on a fixed term lease (ie month-to-month).

So, technically you could just ignore the letter, the lawyer told us. but if you're on good terms with your landlord you might want to tell them, so they can draft another letter. Give them a chance to get it right.

Hmm, let me think ..

rental disaster

Oh no, the day has come. We thought things were a bit strange when Bobby the new landlord started having his mail directed to our mailbox. I think i'm still in shock.

So John comes around yesterday evening and asks to see me. He's got a letter, and he says, "i don't think you're going to like what's in there."

Sure enough, our remaining time in the beautiful house on the hill has shrunk dramatically. From "the foreseeable future", to 31 days. Notice to vacate.



No, it didn't say 'vacation'.

Ick. Now i'm upset. Don't know exactly what's going on in John's family situation, but somebody wants to destroy their father's vegetable garden as well as the best rental home in Melbourne.

Ouch. So if anyone has any leads on a new and marvellous place for michael or lou to stay, let me know. Thanks.

Yes, i'd like two large well-lit rooms, gorgeous views of city or parkland, music room, polished floors, big kitchen, huge backyard, plenty of really good heating, good eco-design, close to northcote and city, lovely housemates and friendly landowners, all for under five centi per moon.


Yep, that'd be good.

Sheffield Murals

Public art is more popular in Tasmania than i realised. Here's a whole town that devoted itself to supporting local artists by painting murals on every available surface (Sheffield, slightly East of Cradle Mountain).

And i caught a picture of this very strange dog. I thought it must have been an elaborate kind of poodle. "Look at this dog," i said to Tim. "You idiot, that's an Alpaca," he replied. Oh, yes i see that now.



Plus, this little valley called Wilmot, on the way to Cradle Mountain, has an abundance of Gorgeous Quirky letterboxes; and even a mural, celebrating said boxes.

(image links to larger version)




You'll see on the map, that Sheffield is right near a place called Promised Land.


View Larger Map

photos from Tasmania

Here's my collection of photos from Tasmania (selected). Or, view via flickr (slideshow).

comments welcome
kthxbye

Murdunna Mur-what?

i'd never heard of Murdunna, but now i know it's a beautiful part of an unbelievably gorgeous world. These Tasmanians have got something really special going on, i'm telling you.

Well it's on the Tasman Peninsula, so like the rest of us Australians they're not always 100% imaginative with the naming. But "Murdunna" that's .. experimental innit?



Thanks so much Julie and Annie for hosting me and my tent. Really lovely to hang out with you and the kids.

World's best fish and chip shop - who would have thunk it? Huge tubs with exotic fish swimming about. No photos, darn!

Wineglass Heaven

i've been waiting a long time to visit Freycinet. Such is my geographical ignorance, i thought it took up most of the Eastern coast of Tasmania; thankfully i am more knowledgeable now.

The trek across the hill to Wineglass Bay is sumptuous and rich. i was so excited i almost ran up the hill, but had to remember the injured ankle.

Lucky me, i got to visit my lovely cousins in Dolphin Sands, Swansea; the most wonderfully delightful people whose humour and grace kept me thoroughly nourished. Highlights were:

• Fi's brilliant cooking,
• Tim's voracious bike-riding,
• Mikey's killer bowling,
• Lucy's competitive edge,
• Martin and Polly's bathroom stories and
• Richard's Slivovitz.

Yum! Thank you all.

Cradle Mountain Joy

What a breathtaking experience! Cradle Mountain is jaw-droppingly beautiful; i'm so glad i went there. And very happy that i wound up with a flat tyre at the very summit (no, the carpark really) meaning that i had to stay overnight and get more walking joy in the morning.

The walk around the lake was strenuous enough for me, with my flat-tyre-style ankle (mild recurring sprain); interesting how the whole thing has been made into a boardwalk, so that plants can continue to grow underfoot. Maybe one day i'll do the five day overland trip.

Driving down the next day was unnerving, as i was driving my wonderful sister's car with one of those strange 'space-saving' pretend tyres instead of the real thing. "Don't go over seventy," i was warned.

Ended up going through Sheffield (the Mural Town) to Devonport - one hundred km to find a replacement tyre. And no phone reception anywhere until just outside the Ferry City.

So it turned out that Fiona was giving birth to Son Number Two in Halifax just as i was walking through the fields of joy. Yay for Fiona, Paul, Sasha and the New Thing. That Sociology Lecturer, she is a Legend!


Love youse all for reading,
michael

Big Tassie Penguin

Stepped off the ferry at six am, and the furtherest (sic) i could travel was the wee hamlet of Penguin, twenty minutes away. Largest indoor sunday market on the mid-north coast of Tasmania; how could i resist?

There are penguin images and statues everywhere as you'd expect, and i've been promised a Big Penguin. Holding my breath for that one. Better not be that tiny penguin outside the visitor centre.

View Larger Map


Postscript: how many penguins can you see in this picture?



Do they serve penguins to the folks with age-related issues, or do they bring meals to the elderly penguins?



(More penguin photos over on flickr; eg slideshow.)

Still waiting to hear how Fiona and Paul are going in Halifax with their current adventure. Hanging out for some news. Sending out the positive wishes, prayers etc.

cemetery stroll

Hello Dear Reader. i Spent boxing day with the very delightful Lynne, whose baby is three months old now.

We walked around the Melbourne cemetery, which must be something in the order of 6000 zillion buckaroos worth of real estate - it's around forty acres of prime envious developer territory. Imagine being a developer walking through that property, i'd be contemplating sending my ancestors into space to get my grubby hands on that

... yes we spoke of the film 'The Loved One', from the classic Waugh novel. Where of course a funeral director builds a rocket to send loved ones into space. Omg. Lmfao!

We wandered through a different area i've never seen before, where the graves all date 1850-70, and the ground is dusty and bare. Names like Adelaide Ada reach out from crumbling tombstones; unlike the Italian areas that reach out with their recently polished marble from the edge of the newly laid roads.

Saw the Elvis memorial for the first time. i had no idea. i mean i've seen the JFK memorial waterfall outside the old parliament in the Treasury Gardens; but Elvis has a crypt in Melbourne? Yes He Does.

Then we watched "Trekkies", which is one of the strangest movies i've ever seen. i just want to put on my uniform, and start collecting little .. um .. things.

Came home to Californication; the wickedest and most seductive US comedy drama i've seen in a while. it's lovely to see Duchovny take on another role and relish it. The blocked writer somehow a metaphor for the blocked actor phase he's finally cracked. i know there's only twelve episodes so i'm trying to take it slowly, draw out the pleasure.

So many people far away. When are Paul and Fiona coming home? They must be about to give birth right about now. Well, Fiona mostly. Go Fi, we're thinking of you.

At least KT was home for summer solstice. What a delight!
(no i don't believe in christmas. we call it michaelmas :)

Lots of love, michael

Farewell Thelma Ratcliffe

awful tragedy, Tim's mum Thelma has kicked her bucket and shaken off This Mortal Coil.

Went to the shindig wake at Eamon's Red Scooter, where they played Thelma's last requests over the sound system. She wanted everyone to get up and dance, first to We Are Family, and then "oh what's that song, it's from Rocky Horror .. yes the Time Warp".

So sure enough, as Tim said, "You are evil if you don't dance" everybody got up to shake their booties. What a great dance, such a good bunch of people the Ratcliffes.

Delightful send off for an amazing woman. Thank you Thelma for all your loveliness and straight-talking.

genetically modified cat

Louise's cat Zena is a total darling, but he just isn't interested in catching any kind of rodent. Not for dinner, not for fun. Not at all.

"They tried to make me catch a rodent, i said no no no !"
(To the tune of Amy Winehouse 'Rehab'.)

Now i think i know why .. someone has been messing with his genes. in this video from Reuters, they say the mouse has been altered to remove the smell of fear from his hereditary knowledge bank.

But what have they done to the cat? Are they saying that cats only chase mice because the mice are afraid? That the cat is culturally inclined, rather than genetically, to chase the rodent? This opens up a whole can of cat food!

Anyway, this cat looks a whole lot like Zena. i think he's been living a double life.

beware of crocodiles

Delightful friends, i gotta say that .. That infamously strange hotel experience was not the sum of my travel time in Cairns, nor did it epitomise the overall joy and usefulness.

As well as working for the community engagement project, hosting an online conference session and presenting a work project at the adult learning australia conference
.. i went SnoRkelling on the Reef!

Yay for SnoRkelling! On my birthday i went to Green island and dived headlong into the reef. Covered up in a huge lycra body suit to protect against the stingers and lice, i gazed in bliss at the totally gorgeous, wondrous underwater panoramas. Mmm, delicious and delightful. Yum. i could have snorkelled all night, um .. day.

Cairns is a beautiful place, especially when you get out of town. Rainforest, reef, tropical rivers .. my time was a bit too work-focussed, so i was mostly indoors and in the city.

i've never seen a city beach more abandoned .. perhaps because of the "Beware of Crocodiles" signs. One person walking on the beach in ten days. Thousands strolling along the promenade.

Amazing history panels. Turns out there used to be a fabulous beach with stunning sand dunes, but dredging in the 1930's destroyed all that. Need for shipping channels etc. (Are you paying attention, Victorian govt? no, i guess not.)

i also caught up with the very amazing Avril Duck who is a theatre director up in Gordonvale. Avril used to live and study in Melbourne; she's preparing for a play in 2008 focussing on the experiences of local parents. The other week they had a reading on the radio. Sounds good .. perhaps i can post a copy here.

And look, i carried a book around with me the whole week (yes, that book), and i was often wearing my iRiver mp3 player, with wires hanging off me everywhere. In very many places people glanced at me with no suspicion whatsoever, just the friendly happy-go-lucky Cairns vacant gaze. Lovely place .. i'd go there again.

thanks for reading,
xo michael

by the way, this video made me laugh:



(images: thanks to richard ling and melilab at flickr)

That Cairns Pub Story

When i went dancing in that hotel in Cairns, i really didn't think too much about the consequences. But i did think about how people might perceive me - a fortyish male caucasian on my own. So i tried to be discreet, non-threatening .. not stare at anyone.

Full story over at DiscoBook, another place ..

byron sun brings much joy

How delightful is the sun! When you haven't had a holiday in over a year, there is truly nothing like a work-sponsored trip to Byron Bay. Yes i am the luckiest person alive, no doubt about that. Here's the whole story:

• got bitten by a tick the very first night, and it still hurts three weeks later (on my ear)
• went to a super boring cultural evening, where the local singers all had US accents
• narrowly avoided a brown snake crawling across my sarong
• drove my hire car for 200km along unsealed roads (trying not to read the 'thou shalt not' sticker prominent on the windscreen), then later took all the wheels off to sweep out the tell-tale orange dust
  
• went to the most outrageously stupid 'rainbow gathering'
• watched really bad cable tv

on the plus side

• saw whales and dolphins frolicking all over the shop, pretty much parading down the main street
  
• sat in on new enrolments at the Byron Community Centre
  
• had a whole cabin to myself for days on end
  
• 
• walked fifteen kilometres along Belongil Beach to Brunswick Heads, and back in a day
• bought organic carrots in the Mullumbimby grocery
• swam in blissfully cold mountain springs in the Washpool National Park. mmmmm that was good.
  

so i came back, brown all over, with knotted hair, and in a very tranquil state, but in need of a strong cultural fix. Lou suggested a gig down at Glitch bar on the Sunday night, just as i got off the plane. Enclosed in a small dingy dark bar in north fitzroy surrounded by strange young people wearing black and making weird musical noises .. i felt so at home.