Footscray Park

We have a lovely park but it's a little too far for me to just pop over for a stroll of an afternoon (I don't have a car.) It's called the People's Park because in 1909, when developers wanted to sell the land for houses, the local residents got together and convinced the town to buy it and with volunteer labor and donated plants it became a beautiful spot for everyone. It's on a hill overlooking the Maribrynong River and the sports fields. Here are some pictures of the park.

That's Jenny

Orange

Visit to Yarraville

I went to the nearby suburb of Yarraville to see a movie at the beautiful Sun Theatre. The building was built in 1938 and after years of neglect was restored to its Art Deco glory in 1995. Instead of the original auditorium for 1050 now there are 6 theatres with really comfortable sofa/easy chair seats and little tables for your wine glass. Here are a few pictures I took and if you want to see more their website is www.suntheatre.com.au.

The city has put a pop-up park on the street in front of the theatre.
Just some grass carpet, tables and chairs and planters and with the umbrellas there is a nice place to sit.
It will be there for a couple of weeks and then they will put it somewhere else.

What a good idea! Paint a dumpster, plant a little tree and some
flowers in it - and you have a moveable planter.

Here are a few pictures taken on the streets of Yarraville.

This is a Heritage Listed bus stop, built in the 1940s

Red

Elsie

Still growing, still learning, still smiling!

Autumn Days in Melbourne

The autumn leaves are starting to fall and the nights are getting chilly but there are still lots of flowers in bloom. Especially the roses. Here are some of the gardens I saw while walking around my suburb.

Footscray (Victoria) Cemetery

Another guided walk - this time around the Footscray Cemetery (that's my suburb!) About 40 people came along to find out a little history of the suburb and the who's who of inhabitants. It was set aside in the middle of the 1800s for 20,000 but now has 47,000 burials. Your family owns your plot forever, so if there is no longer a family member around to tidy up your grave, then it just falls into disrepair. No ghosts in this cemetery so come and have a look...

Our knowledgeable guide Meyer Eidelson
showing us the oldest tombstone from 1866

Grace Kelly: Style Icon - Exhibit

My friend Dianne and I went to Bendigo to see the "Grace Kelly: Style Icon" exhibit. It was a two hour train ride to Bendigo, an important regional city in the State of Victoria, with a population of about 90,000. Gold was discovered nearby in 1851 (over 22 million ounces extracted from its goldmines!) intensifying the Victorian gold rush and turning it into a major settlement. Tourism is very popular because of its many heritage sites and cultural events.

The wife of Monaco's Prince Albert came a few weeks ago to open the exhibit. We saw many of Grace Kelly's haute couture gowns and suits and casual wear on display. Her shoes and sunglasses, too! Dresses she wore in some of her movies were beautiful. I was surprised to find out she took them home and actually wore them to balls and parties! The museum was very crowded - we had to have timed tickets.

It was a beautiful autumn day and we also enjoyed walking around the city and having lunch at an outdoor cafe (later coffee and cake, too!!)

Little Swimmer (Thirteen Weeks Old)

Elsie is excited to go into the pool in her new bathing suit!

Josh & Elsie