Bing Crosby vs Immaculata

After discovering Ballarat's own Goth/electro/pop band Immaculata was playing Saturday (11pm) at the Peter Lalor (thanks to Sophie's Ramblings), Ms C62 and I ended up just staying home watching "High Society" on cable. Went out to the Thai Pavilion earlier, but got sucked in by the movie when we came home. No disrespect to Immaculata, my loungeroom was just too cozy (& I was too slack) on a cold night after a nice meal. None-the-less, I'm happy to see RATSTOCK is running regular events for live bands in Ballarat, for coming events see their facebook page.


Left: Bing (pic from RAIN), Right: Garth (from Immaculata's MySpace page)

The Main Bar, Ballarat

After weeks of good intentions Ms C62 and I finally made it to the Main Bar last Saturday night for dinner, and I'm very glad we did. The restaurant itself is small (bookings highly advisable) but tastefully decorated, with a mixture of booths and tables. There is also a forest of wooden chairs suspended from the ceiling, which adds some quirky visual interest. Downstairs there is a cozy room with a fireplace, suitable for a small group.

A woodfired pizza restaurant, the food itself was very nice. We had pizzas with drinks and good strong coffees to finish. Staff were friendly and the proprietor Glenn even came over for a chat. He is a busy man, already operating a separate daytime business, he also plans to open a new gallery two doors down from the restaurant. Good to see this part of Main Rd continuing to regenerate, a nice addition to the existing vintage clothing, antique and Op shops in the block.

40th anniversary, Apollo 11 moon landing.

Well it's 40 years today since the moon landing, and yours truly was one of the millions across the world, who watched this event on TV in glorious black and white (at age 7).

It was big, so big in fact that the only televised event with more of a world wide impact since was the 9/11 World Trade Center Attacks in 2001. As big as this was however, public interest was fickle and moved on quickly, to the point that by the following year (1970) I remember there were those that initially thought the Apollo 13 drama was just NASA publicity stunt (which of course it wasn't).

It seems however suspicion of NASA is enduring, as there is still a crackpot minority that choose to believe the moon landings were faked, in spite of the fact that these conspiracy theories have been thoroughly debunked. In 2004 the US announced plans for a manned return to the moon by 2020. It will be interesting to see if these plans become reality, some 51 years after the original landing.

Hidden treasures

Home renovations are always challenging, and sometimes quite surprising. Some time back I owned a Victorian house in Ballarat South, and during renovations unearthed a hidden cache of treasures behind the lounge room mantelpiece. The mantelpiece was installed during the 1890's, and over the years some of things placed on it had fallen down the small crack where it joined the wall. When I pulled the mantelpiece off for restoration, I found the space behind it packed with lost items. Many had been destroyed by years of heat or been eaten by insects, but quite a few were good enough to keep. Here are some of them.










From top left/right to bottom:
1. "Best wishes", postcard by Wildt & Kray, London. Printed in Bavaria.
2. Old postcard depicting a rose.
3. "My greeting", remains of an old Christmas card.
4. "May Christmas bells ring you happiness", Christmas card dated 1898 on the reverse.
5. Old postcard "Castle Street and Town Hall, Liverpool, England".
6 & 7. Old postcard "Methodist Church, Horsham, Victoria" (front & back)

Cafe Bibo

One of my absolute favorite things in life is a late Sunday morning breakfast at Cafe Bibo in Sturt Street (usually Eggs Benedict and a pot of English breakfast tea). Atmosphere is as important to me as food, and I just love the feel of Bibo, from the retro collage decor to the great view of Ballarat out the front window … not to mention the great food and staff.

Here's some mobile phone pics that really don't do it justice, the interior (Nov 08) and a view out the front (Jun 09).

Update 13/07/09: I've added a pic of yesterday's brekkie (Benedict & Tea .... note the retro tableware).

Hi :)

Not being a writer or 'citizen journalist' this blog is only intended as a personal record of objects, events and pursuits that I enjoy. Postings probably wont be that frequent, but I'm sure to find things to add from time to time. Cheerio P.