Royal Exhibition Building

Sorry for any confusion.  Yes, we still live in England.  You could be forgiven for thinking we did immigrate to Australia.

 What with being there so long, I sometimes wondered if we had myself. 



Right, just this one more post before we exit Melbourne.  I have to leave you some things to find for yourselves, after all


It's just not possible to tell you everything wonderful about the place, as I'm sure there is much more that we have to discover ourselves.




Jane had recommended we go see this building.  She'd tried to go once herself but whomever was using it at the time wouldn't give her access without a hefty fee.  Since it wasn't their doings she was interested in, she declined. 

On this day it was some sort of convention of travel companies trying to entice Australians to go walkabout - as though they needed encouragement - and entry was free of charge. 

We had not the least interest in any of the package tours of course, but the building itself was amazing.  I was in awe of the intricate paintwork everywhere and for some reason the miles of hard wood flooring also looked really exotic to me.  Been away from the US for too long, I guess.

Outside was a large park where some building project was in progress.  A young man driving a forklift with very long boards patiently waited for us, making some polite comment as we passed. 

I managed not to stare and I resisted the temptation to take his photo, but I'd swear he was related to Mel Gibson. 

Stranger things could happen, this being Melbourne. 



I really loved this fountain.  I know it probably doesn't do much for you, but if one doesn't live in Australia,




just how many fountains would you likely see with water sprayed by duckbilled platypuses?

Jubilee Garden Party

Of course it was a wet day.  



The light drizzle began precisely at 2pm, when the party started. 





It was an amazing afternoon all the same. 



I met families from up and down the street, and some from around the corners. 

People congregated in the kitchen, in the dining room, the conservatory, in the marquee. 



The children joined in the festivities here and there, but otherwise gathered in the sitting room in front of the telly.

We learned more names to go with faces we see walk past our house, with and without dogs. 






Bill learned that one couple is moving to a home they inherited in Donegal Ireland.





I spoke with a young man, whose father is our neighbour, who is married to an American woman and soon to join her in Michigan. 

The Queen gets frisky with her Consort.

His sister lives in Paisley, near Glasgow, a place I still want to visit one day.

Their lovely house, built in the 1920s.

Dave, across the road, is retiring in November. 



They still won't be able to come to our Thanksgiving again this year, because of his retirement do. 

Geoff and Ann told Bill about their house in France that they will be at this summer.  We all compared the number of days our various home insurance policies allow us to be vacant from our homes.

George and Elsie who live behind us were in top form, with Elsie posing as the Queen. 

Elsie & George, some of the loveliest people you could ever meet.

Geoff reported that his bladder was much improved, thank you.


Their pet rabbit had been sent next door but by popular demand was brought home. 



I don't think he was very happy about that. 




I picked him up but after chewing on my scarf, he politely nipped my hand and jumped down. 



On his way out he gave a good thump with his hind leg, a way that rabbits express their grumpier thoughts, I was told.



I never went near all the salads, holding out for grilled hamburger, sausage, chicken and even a round of king sized prawns. 



I really enjoyed catching up with people who have been neighbours for years, folks I've rarely had time for more than a wave. 



I learned that Sarah is an only child like myself. 


Jules and Matthew are new to the street and their renovations are proceeding well, if a bit messy.  



Jules works at the Sage and told us where the free parking can be found.

This wasn't an issue for us, as we took the Metro to the concert last week, one in honour of Sandy Denny.

 

The party was at Alison and Martin's house, people I'd never met. They have in the last year bought the local news agent down the road. 



I knew a woman was involved in the new shop because of the large display of tempting magazines in the front window. They've repainted the outside a lovely cream and blue and renamed the store for its location across the street from a park.




Their house was lovely and Bill and I discussed some of the features - mainly the conservatory - that we might attempt to achieve ourselves.  



Turns out they have built up into their attic only because of a catastrophe some time back when their chimney collapsed. 



I think I'd rather not go that route, insurance money or not.




Everything went beautifully and the rain didn't spoil a thing. Bill and I went home about 8pm and fell asleep in front of the TV. I'm looking forward to catching up with some of the Jubilee events I missed on the iPlayer. 

Jubilee Beacon

Monday night we were watching the great concert on TV when Bill looked at his watch and said it was time to go. 

I thought it was a fantastic venue but I'm not sure the Queen necessarily
will have enjoyed all the acts.  I think she has to tolerate a lot of
nonsense; it's part of the job.

One of the many things going on around the country was the lighting of several thousand beacons after which the Queen herself would light the last one.





As we reached the riverside, Bill commented on the large orange moon rising out of the sea. 



I noticed the sea spray on the beach at South Shields, over the river.  Also a yacht heading upstream.




These are called the light nights, but in truth they are neither light nor dark but somewhere in between.

My camera isn't good enough, or perhaps I simply lack the skill, to capture a sharp image with this level of light.  That didn't stop me pausing to take a few snaps anyway.






There were quite a few of us gathered out there, running about trying to find the beacon at The Priory.





One young man said he'd hurried down all the way from Alnwick, 

I never tire of the dramatic skies here.

about 40 miles north, to see the beacon lit. 








We knew we'd missed something when the fireworks went off across the river in South Shields, indicating they had lit their beacon. 



We were all quite disappointed when someone pointed out the tiny flame - Bill said someone lit a match -



by the Coast Guard station behind the priory. 



I just managed to get a photo by standing on top of a bench.  English Heritage and whoever else was involved in that should be ashamed of themselves. 

Love the dog watching us out the window!

The moon was amazing, however, and on our way back home we noticed someone else was having a good time at least.

Manchester Unity

I did say that this building deserved its own post, so here it is.  I simply thought it was an astonishingly beautiful building.

This is called the 'neo gothic' style of architecture.

According to Wikipedia, it was built in 1932 in eight-hour shifts around the clock and was the first time in Australia a production schedule was used to construct a building.

Going inside felt a bit like stepping back in time, with art deco features everywhere.  The building houses offices and cafes.

Nothing that spectacular, just lovely design.

People in the building seemed quite used to having photographs taken.  It must be a daily occurrence.

I was reminded of all the time we spent in Chicago looking up, with me trying to remember to close my mouth.

The tiles on the centre floor of the ground level spell out "amicitia amor et veritas"

which means "friendship, love and truth".  I initially thought that 'Manchester Unity' referred to an insurance company, or perhaps a labour union.    

Turns out that it refers to the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, which has a very interesting history.