Every Day Life
My Friends, the Magpies
The Australian magpie is a highly intelligent and iconic bird native to Australia. It is known for its melodious song and bold behavior. The magpie plays a significant role in Australian culture, often appearing in folklore, art, and sports team mascots. We have a family of four of these birds that live around our house […]
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Our Local War Memorial Has Had a Facelift
Continuing with my recent attention to military commemorations, I see that the upgrade of our local War Memorial in Templestowe is now complete. The memorial was first constructed at the intersection of Templestowe Road and Anderson Street. At that time, this was the geographic cnetre of the town – near the town hall, courthouse and […]
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Honouring my Grandfather’s WW1 Service
Once again, I have attended the annual commemoration service conducted by the Friends of the 15th Brigade Organisation at the Shrine of Remembrance to honour those who served and died in the Battle of Polygon Wood in 1916. The ‘Battle of Polygon Wood’ during WW1 was a significant engagement in which Australian forces played a […]
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Darwin Reunion – Day 1
We had a slow start to our reunion yesterday morning and some frustrating time with cars. Our rental car was showing a warning light that we couldn’t delete and I didn’t want to drive all the way to Melburne with it on. We arranged with Hertz to swap it over to a different car, so, […]
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We Have Arrived in Darwin
We are now in Darwin, Australia’s most northern city. It’s the location of the 85 Transport Platoon (Vietnam) reunion. These reunions are held every two years in different locations around the country Those who served in this unit came from many places across Australia. Flights to Darwin often arrive late at night or early in […]
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The Joy of the Open Road – A Little Self Promotion
Generally, every week, my alter ego ‘Grumpybum the Photographer’ publishes a gallery of selected photos on a specific theme or subject. Gallery Number 60 – ‘The Joy of the Open Road was published today. If you would like to see a regular series of great photos on interesting topics, visit Grumpy Bum’s web page and […]
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Have You Ever Stopped at a War Memorial?
Two weeks ago The Friends of the 15th Brigade commemortive organisation, to which I belong, conducted its annual service at the Shrine of Remembrance to honour the WW1 Battle of Fromelles. A number of veterans, like me, had relatives in that battle. My grandfather, Walter Wilson. was a sergeant in the 57th Batallion in WW1 […]
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Lightscape in Melbourne
The annual Lightscape show at Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens is a dazzling display that transforms these serene and lush botanic gardens into a magical wonderland of lights and sounds. After dark, the gardens are illuminated with an array of colors and patterns, creating a surreal experience for visitors. This event, along a 2km track, combines […]
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Melbourne’s Immigration Museum
Not everyone gets to see interesting attractions in their own city. Yesterday, my Probus Club and I visited the Immigration Museum which is located in the grand old Customs House building on the bank of the Yarra River. It contains stories and histories of people from over 96 countries who have immigrated to Victoria since […]
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Our Winter’s Day Out in the Hills for Lunch
What better to do on a dismal wet winter’s day than to head to the hills for lunch. This weekend is the Queen’s birthday long holiday weekend. (I’m living in the past – it’s actually the King’s birthday long weekend, but since Queen Elizabeth was on the throne for virtually all my life, its hard […]
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Walking Around Melbourne’s World Famous Street Art Lanes and Alleyways
Melbourne is renowned for its vibrant street art scene, particularly in its laneways and arcades. These laneways are not just pedestrian thoroughfares but have become canvases for local and international artists, making the city a dynamic open-air gallery. I spent today with other members of my Probus Club exploring these interesting laneways. We generally followed […]
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An Autumn Day Out
I always think that Autumn is the nicest time of year in Melbourne and today was a prime example. We had a balmy sunny day with no wind and blue skies. The temperature was a mild 20C. These Autumn days get cool once the sun goes down and the nights are quite cool but this […]
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