The skies were gloomy, but that didn’t stop one incredibly generous commuter giving away her ticket for free, in Melbourne today.

i was getting on the tram, in Elizabeth St, very near the whole Melbourne Central experience, when a woman thrust out her hand and gave me a ticket. “Want a ticket?” she said.

Woah! Hang on, where is the brainspace for this kind of activity? i’m not sure i can cope!! An Australian citizen freely handing out tickets? This Two-Hour Ticket had about 2 hours left on it too. And the tram was swarming with inspectors.

How generous, how lovely, how utterly delectably sweet. Thanks to that angelic lady.

photo credit: specialkrb

Via Delia at biddyjournal, news of a movie called Hope, which tells the stories of Siev-x. Screening very soon !! At the Nova in Melbourne, and around the whole of Australia.

i referred to an article in New Matilda a while back, and they’ve since changed all their links: Tony Kevin wrote on the seventh anniversary of the tragedy, describing the heartfelt compassion in the Canberra memorial that so many people struggled to create.

“Each pole represents compassion, love and acceptance of the stranger Australian values that were in little evidence in Australia during the 2001 election campaign”

353 people on the boat .. only 7 made it to Australia.

(image from wikipedia, thanks :{

i have to say, it’s quite an adventure moving across to the other side of the Merri Creek. Time seems to move more slowly now because there’s so much newness to absorb.

• “Sparkly Square” is a much more fun than Northcote Plaza;
• Walking distance to miles and miles of parkland – but i’m walking, not jogging yet;
• Hundreds of new restaurants within minutes of home ..
• many more cheap variety stores, with all manner of precious junk (which i am not thinking about buying, at all! Too much junk in my life already, which i still haven’t cleared out.)

Sydney road has a different character from Northcote High Street .. can’t quite describe the difference just yet. Larger range of ethnic diversity? More established cafes and hotels?

But all these new cafes, i need a local tour guide ..
and where are all the musicians madly improvising?

Thank Evans i’m still cycling distance from the Northcote hill.

image thanks to deepwarren at flickr

One of the best moments during the whole moving-house extravaganza, was waking up at 7.30am on the Saturday, to find Bethany in the hall pushing the piano with a friend toward the front door. With bravado and gumption.

i don’t usually think of a piano as something easily shifted, but Bethany and gray and all their gang hoisted it up on top of gray’s ute, and after much hilarity, drove it away down the cobblestone laneway.

The fun bit was when Ricardo started playing the thing on the ute, at top volume. At eight in the morning. Neighbours did not complain. His playing is much better than mine.

As soon as i can get a photo or two from B., i shall post here.

love michael