The well dressed man of the 21st Century

Behold the man of the future ...today! According to Vogue magazine (1939), this is what the well dressed man would be wearing in the year 2000. This and many other past visions of the futute can be found on Matt Novak's Paleo-future blog, a wonderful collection of images and articles dating back to the 1870s, showing how previous generations imagined the future. As for this particular fashion, I may not have the coveralls, electric vest and antenna hat, but I do favor slip on boots and facial hair :)

The North Britain Hotel

There really are some unique local dining experiences, and last Saturday night we enjoyed one of them, the North Britain Hotel in Doveton St Nth. A quaint locals pub with a mock Olde English theme surviving from a late 60s/early 70s make-over. Complete with fake exposed Tudor beams and Victorian taxidermy, it's cosy and endearingly kitsch. You can enjoy pub standards like steaks, schnitzels & seafood, as well as traditional delicacies like lambs fry, crumbed brains and sago or bread & butter pudding! The lounge is small so bookings are essential. I just love this pub, and usually drop in a couple of times a year for a good honest meal. Here's a pic from their website plus a couple from my mobile:


Tip: Deer heads hang over tables 6 and 7, so if the idea of a large dead thing looming over you while you eat disturbs you, better avoid these tables.

"Funny picture" blogs

Ever wondered where all those "funny picture" emails get their pictures? Well, I haven't, but thanks to an article from AdAge.com (via Crikey.com), now I know. Apparently a lot come from blogs on the "Cheezburger Network" of Seattle. Not every one is super funny, but there is an occasional gem. Here's some of them:

icanhascheezburger.com (Lolcats) - Captioned cats
ihasahotdog.com (Loldogs) - Captioned dogs
failblog.org - Epic fails
engrishfunny.com - Bad translations
thereifixedit.com - Bad DIY

Black and White Portraits

Went to the opening of this little exhibition last week in Ballarat. The daughter of one of my old art school buddies (how old am I feeling now!), her work will be on display throughout October at the Yummy Patisserie in Sturt Street. Nice to see so many good pieces from a young artist.

An old friend finally retires

Given to me brand new in 1983 for my 21st birthday, my reliable old 26 inch AWA Thorn Colour TV has finally been retired. Although still working fine, the ravages of time had taken their toll. The stunning plastic imitation woodgrain veneer started to lift from the chipboard cabinet within the first 10 years, and the channel selector knob fell victim to the rough and tumble of family life (kids!). By the early 2000s it was apparent no amount of sticky tape and blu-tack was going to keep the curling veneer in place, so I peeled it all off and gave the cabinet a few coats of "monitor style" coal grey. Surviving more than 2 decades, a family and 4 house moves, the poor old thing has finally been overtaken by picture aspect ratio changes and the impending switch to Digital TV.

So here's my tribute to you dear old TV, thanks for your 26 years of faithful service. I only hope my new LCD TV can last even half as long as you.


Trivia: With only a single coax aerial input and no RCA jacks it was a challenge using this old CRT TV with modern devices. The suitably 80's picture of Madonna appears on screen thanks to a DVD player connected via an RF Video Modulator from DSE.

Back from the west

In spite of the changeable weather we had lots of fun in WA. First up 4 nights in Perth CBD seeing the city, dining out, museum/art gallery, Northbridge, Leederville, Perth Mint plus a Day in Fremantle (River cruise, Markets, Old Gaol, etc.). Then hired a car and drove south west, staying 2 nights in Busselton and seeing the Margaret River region (Mammoth Cave, the township, wineries, Chocolate Co., and back up through Cape Naturaliste). Returned via Fremantle and Cottesloe on the last day.

Dining out ranged from fine to fun, with Miss Maud's in Perth worthy of note for it's sheer quirkiness (a Swedish themed Smorgasbord right out of the 1970s, complete with live accordion music!). The free Perth "CAT" bus services were also great, making it very easy to get around. Managed to visit a few vintage shops too, with "Off the Wall" in Fremantle being my Fav (for more on vintage shopping in Perth/Freo see these posts by B'rat Bloggers BVS and CR&VT).

Here's some random holiday snaps (cam & mobile):

Part 1. Perth: City from river, Mall (CBA building), Mint, Museum (3 pics), Cottesloe beach.


Part 2. Fremantle: Stree cafe, Markets (2 pics), Prison (2 pics).


Part 3. South West: Busselton pier, Mammoth Cave, Margaret River vinyards, Margaret River Hotel, Cape Naturaliste (2 pics).

Westward bound

Following what seems to be a bit of a local trend, Ms C62 and myself are heading off to Western Australia for a week. We'll be exploring Perth and Fremantle, with a side trip via the coast to the Margaret River region. Fingers crossed for some good weather.

Pic: Perth City from the Swan River

This however means we'll be away for the ARMAGEDDON Expo on Oct 17-18 in Melb, but strangely Ms C62 doesn't seem too upset by this.