November 22, 2012

uneven lines


A small brick wall on a slight incline (or is that a decline?). Launceston is a hilly place...

November 20, 2012

ONE WAY


November 17, 2012

Hey guys! Guys!


"Er, hey, dude - don't look behind you, but...I think that's a T-Rex..."

Note: I've been extremely distracted of late, so there haven't been a lot of posts. Yesterday, I picked up a fairly good compact camera which I am getting to know, so hopefully this will put my butt into gear and I'll pick this back up again.

September 27, 2012

petals, fence

As spring arrives, the magnolias bloom before seemingly immediately dropping those gorgeous petals. I think this is why magnolias are so popular in the inner suburbs - the ephemeral nature of their blooming.

September 26, 2012

Angles

 The corner of the former Drysdale Building on Charles Street. Now, home to bits of the local health and human services department.

September 24, 2012

The Charles


Ahhh, The Charles. I was speaking to a work colleague, who worked in this building when it was still part of the local hospital complex. The views, she tells me, were excellent.

September 20, 2012

Three Steps

The small pub Three Steps On George occupies a building which was once part of a local grammar school complex around George and Elizabeth Streets. I believe it was a gym of sorts.

September 16, 2012

A little hall...

Making a few tentative steps back into daily photo blogging. It might not be every day, but I'll try!

June 9, 2012

frosty

between May and August, this is a frequent occurrence. this morning, -1 overnight left the entire front yard with a coating of silvery frost. it usually melts away by 8am, but shady places remain damp throughout the winter...

June 8, 2012

winter is upon us

it's fair to say winter has hit with a vengeance. fair bit of frost around this morning, as one can tell...

May 21, 2012

"now open"

more from the Kingsway mural. i'm not sure whether these doors are even useable any more, or even who they belong to.

May 20, 2012

lady

more from the Kingsway mural. whoever did this up certainly knew a thing or two about painting things on a wall.

personal note: i'll be in Tokyo for the next 10 days, so updates are on autopilot.

May 18, 2012

ironmongers

it's probably been a long time since there was an ironmongery on the corner of York & Charles, however you can't help but wonder at how important and lucrative this business was, considering they built themselves a fairly substantial building and stamped their name and profession all over it.

May 16, 2012

empty

i'm sure on a weekday, there'd be enough cars here to take the poignancy out of a rather optimistic ticket machine sign. if you charge for it, they will come...apparently.

May 15, 2012

unwanted

whether fairly or not, both the stump in the foreground and the burnt-out car in the background were deemed unwanted by someone, and destroyed to the best of their abilities.

May 14, 2012

small tower

i spotted this building a few months back while driving the backstreets of Invermay, looking for photogenic subjects. given the "Ben Lomond Water" sign on this little building, it's a safe bet it's part of the city's water infrastructure. exactly what it's purpose or function is, that's not for me to know.

there's something very 1930s about this little turret of a building, though.

May 13, 2012

pub on the intersection

you'd be hard-pressed to miss this building at the intersections of Penquite, Elphin, and David in Newstead. it's quite a popular suburban venue. never been in there myself - excepting one visit to the restaurant some years ago - but i understand it does it's best to cater to a variety of tastes.

of course, on an architectural level, it's Launceston all over.

May 12, 2012

masonic lodge

Lodge Heather is the local masonic hall in Newstead. whenever the masons are in session (whatever it is they do behind closed doors!), this little corner of Penquite Road looks a little like a car yard. i quite like this building actually, it's got a rather grand look about it - in a small-scale sort of way.

May 11, 2012

le frog

walking along David Street one afternoon, i spotted this amphibious friend perched happily on top of a fence post.

May 10, 2012

old car

i nearly broke with habit and posted the colour version of this photo i took the same day, because this car is the most gorgeous shade of lipstick red. however, i feel in black and white it's easier to appreciate the beautiful lines and design of this obviously well-loved little beastie.

May 9, 2012

LMC + roller door

i've never been on this side of Penquite Road, so i've never been close enough to take a close look at this overlooked building. is it a shed? water-related infrastructure? a very small window-less house?

all i can gather is that it's something council-related, as i understand "LMC" (delightful art deco font, no?) stands for "Launceston Metropolitan Corporation". there's a similarly adorned building up in West Launceston that i might stop to get a photo of one day. any thoughts or facts about this building's purpose will receive my eternal gratitude...

May 8, 2012

indoor mural

on the wall of my favourite local cafe, this lady looks awfully familiar. she's always there, patiently watching me in an almost motherly way, as i sip on my flat white or chow down on some good breakfast nosh.

May 7, 2012

the bakery mural

anyone who's driven through Newstead more than casually will be familiar with this mural on the side of a European-style bakery. it's definitely part of Launceston's cultural landscape - i remember it from when i first lived in Launceston in the 80s - however i have two points i'd like to bring up:

1) the guy on the left - presumably Bavarian, from the get-up - his face has always creeped me out slightly (qv. nose, cheekbones, chin)
2) the guy on the right - presumably the baker - looks an awful lot like the guy from the Curiosity Show

May 6, 2012

pet stop

there may be no puppy latte here, but it's nice to have a space to secure one's best friend on the way to the chemist, doctor, or Thai restaurant.

it's been a while - i recently changed jobs, so there's been a few other things occupying my time. i'll be posting as frequently as my now-settled schedule can handle.

March 28, 2012

school zone


I've noticed quite a few of these automatic signs have popped up over the last 4-5 years. I'm pretty sure the pointy bits on top are to discourage nesting birds...

March 26, 2012

chairs


I really, REALLY dig those chairs. I have no idea where this cafe found them, but they have a whole buttload of them. Think they'll share if I ask nicely?

March 25, 2012

book fair

"Books, old and new!". Actually, it was a second-hand book fair so nothing new. A well attended event. I was lucky enough to pick up a cassette of an old movie soundtrack (whose name I can't remember) for free.

Good show, St Ailbe's Hall.

March 24, 2012

Biggles

I was tempted. VERY tempted. When I was a kid, I used to enjoy books like Biggles, and those other "boy's annual" sort of compendiums. Of course, I like the idea that once upon a time, flying to work was quite a reasonable aspiration.

March 23, 2012

book fair


This morning, there was a second-hand book fair on at St Ailbe's Hall. I was tempted to buy "Why Bodyguarding?" for the reasonable sum of $2.00, but figured I'm probably not cut out for a life of body armour and Kevin Costner posturing anyway.

March 21, 2012

anyone for tennis?


Once upon a time, this was the Alexander Patent Racket Factory (photo). In a line of other Launceston world's firsts, this is the place that produced the world's first laminated tennis rackets. I believe the 1933 Wimbledon champion even used an Alexander racket.

These days, locals know this as the local PCYC, where kids can jump on trampolines, do gymnastics, and the like.

March 20, 2012

teapot


more from my Saturday morning breakfast. actually, this teapot was left behind by the previous occupants on the table, and was soon after removed by the helpful staff. as much as i love a cup of tea, i much prefer a flat white of a Saturday morning, to wash down a blueberry bagel or scrambled eggs with bacon.

March 19, 2012

leftovers


actually, it looks less like the remains of breakfast, and more like the leftovers from a casual Saturday morning coffee/milkshake.

March 18, 2012

legs


i'd like to be able to say i'm nice enough to politely ask four ladies to don tights & stick their legs in the air for this photo, alas they're not even real legs.

still, it makes for a striking display.

March 16, 2012

Dr Pugh


Any book entitled "Eminent Launcestonians" is bound to be a short read, but you can guarantee that Dr William Pugh would take up a chapter to himself.

I won't bore you with the details (ask the google for more), but suffice to say we have very few statues of locals around the city & nearby towns, and this guy has his own. If you're keen to get your photo taken with Dr Pugh, you can find him walking down the steps opposite the Nelumie building into Princes Square.

March 6, 2012

kiss me, honey


If you were born in Launceston between 1952 and 1995, there's a good chance the event took place here, the former Queen Victoria Maternity Hospital. These days, I understand it not only houses some beauty clinics and some medical specialists, but also a large amount of honey.

yes, honey.

March 5, 2012

church in a vineyard


as i've mentioned previously, the local area is known for it's excellent wines. add to that the photogenic qualities of the vineyards.

March 4, 2012

tubes

more interesting sights around Invermay. not quite sure what this is attached to, or what it produces, but it made for a good photo.