For those of you in Melbourne and looking for fun things, Frankie McNair’s Tabitha Booth Variety Spectacular and Formal Apology Hour would be my pick (and there’s $25 tickets on tight arse Tuesdays).
Dates and tickets:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/the-booth-variety-spectacular-formal-apology-hour/
Landlord Liberal MP David Southwick says ‘we’re all broke’ despite raking in rental income from five homes, says he is ‘feeling’ the cost-of-living crunch https://www.byteseu.com/885604/ #Australia #Melbourne
6 Australian universities have quietly closed Chinese government-linked Confucius Institutes on their campuses.
The Australian government has ramped up scrutiny on the education centres over concerns that Beijing is using them to spread propaganda and spy on Chinese international students.
I think Ateneo de Manila hosts a Confucius Institute.
#Asian #Propaganda #Spying #Australia #Universities #UNSW #Melbourne
For the vegetarians and vegans out there - this bar near the Queen Victoria Market looks good:
#vegan #vegetarian #food #bar #Melbourne https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/melbourne-eating-out/no-boring-hunks-of-cabbage-at-this-hatted-vegetarian-wine-bar-20250328-p5lnb5.html
@mk30 I have a very small garden in inner urban Melbourne. Our average annual rainfall is 648mm and we don't get frosts. Our block has probably been lived on in a dense urban environment for nearly 150 years. When we moved in 3 years ago there was an old over-grown bougainvillea with a very thick trunk for a bougainvillea and well-established heavily fruiting lemon tree and a younger lime tree.
We had our soil tested when we first moved in and the tester noted how little organic matter it had in it. It is very light. I have tipped a lot of rich mature manure on it and mulch. Our cat is also doing her bit to add manure :-)
The soil is still quite light but the fruit trees are fruiting very well so it mustn't be that bad. I hope to get it tested again some time - when I get around to it.
#GardeningAU #Melbourne
An interesting little change to the bike lane on Ireland St in West Melbourne.
They've switched the painted bike lane so that it starts on the right. This is because all car traffic here can only turn left whereas almost all bicycle traffic is going to turn right or head straight on.
A similar thing exists on Canning St in Carlton when crossing Alexandra Pde.
Julian O’Shae is a must see at #Melbourne Comedy Festival. His show One for the Record books is a nerdy, hilarious tale of his misadventures trying to set world records. He’s also doing a few repeat performances of his show from last year of funny Melbourne trivia
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/one-for-the-record-books/
A great history episode of the Yarra BUG radio show, talking about the history of Bicycle User Groups in Victoria. Including a shout out to the Port Melbourne group.
Paul McKay says that it was important to get early wins, to keep the energy up.
The Port Phillip Bicycle User Group has had 2 incarnations: it re-booted in the 2010s, under the much missed Georgie Fyfe-Jamison.
The BUGs were set up by the Bicycle Institute (precursor org to Bicycle Network), but then "voted off the island" (divested from BN) in the early 2000s. In recent years we've begun to work more closely with BN.
A really interesting show, worth a listen!
I like this parade of palm trees along the 59 tram route in Essendon. Very picturesque. #tram #trams #Melbourne
I'm having coffee at Dua, a nice little cafe in Essendon North. It's elevated and on a corner, so has a surprisingly sweeping view over Keilor Road. That the view is of a service station is somehow very Essendon and fitting.
For the first time in over a month I walked through the Fitzroy Gardens to go to the free tram zone in the CBD to catch a tram to work. I am recovering from bruised ribs and was boringly sensible about recovery so not much walking over the last few weeks because that made the pain worse. No pain from the walk today - yay!
I saw a possum scarper across the path from one tree to the next. It made me think of living in Singapore where I would gasp with joy seeing a squirrel doing the same. The way that the possum ran was like it was a heftier squirrel. I am guessing it is a young one that may have pestered someone in the family and was kicked out until it behaved better? They are nocturnal creatures so you don't usually see them during daylight. However, with our ridiculous extension of daylight saving time, it was only around half an hour after sunrise when I took this photo.
So there you go. My philosophical deep thought for the day: A possum is a heftier form of a squirrel.
Have a good day!
#Melbourne #possums
Sunrise is at the ridiculous time of 7:34 this morning. Daylight saving time goes way too long here. It used to finish mid-March but now they want us to feel like we are having a 2nd winter.
It is ridiculous.
Lito P. Cruz, organizer of the Melbourne Users of R Network (MELBURN), speaks about the evolving R community in Melbourne, Australia, and the group’s efforts to engage data professionals across government, academia, and industry.
Find out more!
@slevelt Beautiful! Btw you have probably discovered the Lilydale to Warburton rail trail bike path nearby? Catch a suburban train to Lilydale then do a day ride (whole way or shorter) or stay overnight in Warburton. Great scenery, food options and you may get to ride past horse riders who share the wide path
#Melbourne #cycling
if you're the kind of Australian who's interested in having a physical street atlas for the current year - be warned, UBD Gregory's is shutting down.
Rumor is Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth will get one more edition in August[?], but for everywhere else (seemingly including Melbourne and Tasmania), what's on shelves is probably the final edition.
now please excuse me while i tag spam
s and 
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