You wouldn't set your clock by these daffodils

You wouldn't want to set your clock by these daffodils, flowering already and winter barely started! Queen's Park 2 July 2015

Just in case - Books

 

In the (recent) tradition of Little Free Libraries, this free library has popped up in Bradshaw St, North Essendon.  Take one, leave one.  Leave a message in the notebook. A lovely neighbourhood resource.  Visit them on Facebook.

The chief difficulty Alice found at first was in managing her flamingo

  'Get to your places!' shouted the Queen in a voice of thunder, and people began running about in all directions, tumbling up against each other; however, they got settled down in a minute or two, and the game began. Alice thought she had never seen such a curious croquet-ground in her life; it was all ridges and furrows; the balls were live hedgehogs, the mallets live flamingoes, and the soldiers had to double themselves up and to stand on their hands and feet, to make the arches'. 

 

 Taking a break at the Essendon Croquet Club in Brewster Street.

Witch way

A sign of the times, witch you can see in Bradshaw Street.

New Arrivals in Rose Street

Red Christmas Bow

Red Christmas Bow in Napier Crescent, Essendon.

VR Signal Department

A nice solid looking steel box along the railway line in Moonee Ponds.  It was manufactured by AR & Co, Hebburn, England.  Can it have been in place since the line was electrified in 1918?  Still in use if the padlock is anything to go by.

Remnant tree from Fairview Farm.

This Moreton Bay fig is on the corner of The Avenue and Hotham Road, Niddrie, a remnant of the garden of the old farm 'Fairview'.  The original bluestone house stood opposite until the 1960s.  The tree has been placed on the Moonee Valley Council's Significant Tree Register, but it is cluttered with postal installations and a too-close planting of a cypress tree, not to mention overheard wires. 

Arts and Crafts for kids

Children at Essendon Primary School prepared these lovely mosaics for their school.








Brewster and Nicholson are two of the House names at the school.

Shaftesbury and Raleigh are the other two houses.  Well done kids and teachers!

Steele Creek and the Lady of the Lake

This new local history book by Christine Laskowski was launched last Friday at the Niddrie Library by MLA for Niddrie, Ben Carroll.

The book covers the early history of Niddrie, Airport West, Avondale Heights, East Keilor, West Essendon, Keilor Park and parts of Tullamarine.  Copies are $30 plus post and packaging.  See the index and details of how to get the book on this webpage.

The postie kicks a goal every time

I am very fond of individually crafted letter-boxes, and this fine example, combining utility, football and art, can be seen in Napier Street, Essendon.

In case of emergencies....

Barista on duty at all times

 At the Fix Espresso Bar, corner of Hall and Everage Sts, Moonee Ponds.

A great opportunity!

You can pick up the other two volumes of Fifty Shades of Grey at the Girl Guide op shop in Russell St, Essendon. 

One hundred shades hit the op shops

Volume three of the Fifty Shades trilogy is already in the opshops - not a keeper, apparently.  Available in grey only, at the Parish Bargain Centre in Racecourse Rd, Flemington.

Interactive Libraries

In the Flemington Library, Racecourse Road, readers can ask for suggestions of books to read from other readers. 

Saturday mornings at Cafedenaro's

Cafedenaro's in Napier St, Essendon attracts passing trade.

Tea for Two

Pretty as a picture, the tea table at the Austen Tea Rooms in Raleigh St, Essendon. 

Shopping for shopfronts

A shop in Union Rd, Ascot Vale, makes use of the charming 19th century window design.

You can see the decorative style of this shop above the awning, rather spoilt by the drab appearance of the 20th century makeover below.  I don't know what they sell in this shop, and I don't want to know.  Wouldn't it be nice if shop owners/lessors paid some attention to the streetscape when tarting up the shop-front?  This old shop has had a reasonable restoration job done.

We're all relieved

This is the new public convenience in Lincoln Park, North Essendon, opened a few weeks before Christmas.  There is no doubt this will be a welcome relief to residents and visitors, but the style seems to present a blank canvas for those vacuous wielders of spray cans.  We'll see how long it remains in pristine condition.

We raise our glass

Artistic glass tram shelters have been installed at the roundabout at Essendon Junction.  Noice!  Unusual!