#Term3 Begins in #Melbourne.

Just wanted to wish everyone who is starting Term 3 of #school today the very best of luck.

 

We are now in the tail end of the year so not long to go now. Best of luck to all our friends and their parents doing their Year 12 #VCE too!!

"Fresh is Best" for #FruitAndVegetables?

Supporting local businesses and buying fresh #fruit and #vegetables are always high on the agenda, but this concerned my friends and I while walking along #CarlisleStreet, #Balaclava the other night.

 

This long standing Green Grocer is a family business with competitive prices, and the staff are always really friendly. But it is a bit of a worry that they leave their stock outside in the little arcade over night (See photo below).

 

This arcade, that is a walk-through between Carlisle Street and the #Coles car park, is locked at night at both ends and has a roof to protect from rain.  However, the metal gates that close each end of the arcade only stop people from getting in. 

 

Surely the uncovered fruit and vegetables are still exposed to wind, dust, traffic pollutants, as well as the strong possibility of bugs and small animals, and cannot be good for the "freshness" of the produce. 

 

Yes, the weather is cooler at the moment due to Winter, but this questionable practice is not very appealing for consumers. Our own experience of buying a bag of Navel oranges was disappointing after having to throw away many of them because they were rotten on the inside, and we weren't able to determine this until cutting each one in half for juicing.  At the time we just assumed it was bad luck that we got a bad bag, but after seeing the same table of oranges left outside overnight, we now have doubts.

 

We took the night photo on a Saturday night and the day time photo was taken on the following Monday. It seems that the tables of produce that normally are on display out front on the Carlisle Street footpath were merely just wheeled into the arcade so they could be locked up. 

 

It is such a shame that they did this because unfortunately my friends and I will now shop elsewhere for our produce for the time being.  It's also ironic that their little signs have headings saying, "Fresh is Best".  Sadly, that has now come into question. 

 

Fruit and Vegetables left outside in arcade overnight.

During a normal trading day, the arcade is open.

 

#StKildaTownHall Lights Up at Night

If you have gone past the St Kilda Town Hall at night in the past week or so, you would have noticed that it is colourfully lit up and displaying large banner photos of different women on its exterior, as part of an exhibition called "The Furies".

 

According to the City Of Port Phillip's Magazine, "Divercity", these depict 12 local women who are survivors of violence and you will be able to see these for the whole month of June!

 

St Kilda Town Hall is on the corner of Carlisle Street and Brighton Rd, St Kilda.



St Kilda Town Hall lights up at night to display "The Furies".

Happy #ChineseNewYear

A Happy Chinese New Year to all friends and family that celebrate this.

This year is the Year of the Goat (or some call it the Year of the Sheep). It is apparently a Yin year which symbolizes peace and harmony.

 

Even though we don't have any specific celebrations going in #StKilda (maybe something the City of Port Phillip can consider for next year and beyond?), there are plenty of things happening around Melbourne.  The main festival takes place in Chinatown in Melbourne's CBD along Little Bourke Street and Russell Street this coming Sunday 22 February from 10am to 10pm.

 

There will be a second event at Federation Square the following week on Sunday 1 March 2015 from 12pm to 4pm.

For more information you can check out the website:

http://www.chinesenewyear.com.au/mel_locations.html

 

Photo: Dragon Parade along Little Bourke Street last year, 2014.

Photo courtesy of Allpict.in (http://allpicts.in/)

#DiscoYoga @ #StKildaFestival

The Disco Yoga this morning in #CataniGardens was a hit. There was a great turn out and instructor, Nickie Hanley, did a wonderful job.


Photo: Disco Yoga in Catani Gardens for St Kilda Festival 2015

 

Photo: Stretching it out.

Photo: Omms to finish the session.

 

Photo: Disco Yoga Instructor, Nickie Hanley.

It's #StKildaFestival Today!

Hope you're all ready for it! It's going to be a fun day.

More #PrideMarch Photos

Just wanted to share some more #event photos from the Pride March last weekend in #StKilda.  It was a great day with a very positive and friendly atmosphere. We have so many different types of events in St Kilda and it's so nice to see that they're all welcomed and loved by everyone.  Congratulations to the LGBTIQ community and to Port Phillip Council on a successful day.

Photo: The colour and fun of Gay Pride March along Fitzroy Street, St Kilda.

Photo: Lots of people crowd Fitzroy Street, St Kilda for Pride March 2015.

Photo: It was Pride March's 20th Anniversary this year.

Photo: The celebrations continues after the March in Catani Gardens.

Photo: Crowd in Catani Gardens for Pride March celebrations.

Petrol at an All Time Low

WOW! We haven't seen #petrol this cheap in a LONG time!

The #Shell service station on #BarklyStreet and the #Caltex on the corner of #InkermanStreet and #ChapelStreet in #StKilda both are displaying the same price today. This is exciting news for drivers!

Photo: Petrol price today in St Kilda

#StKilda Twilight Market

If you haven't checked out the #StKildaTwilightMarkets, then you should get yourself down there during #Summer. They are held every Thursday from 5pm-10pm, until 26 February 2015, in O'Donnell Gardens which is right next to Luna Park.

 

It's a great vibe right in the heart of #StKilda.

For more information check out their website: http://stkildatwilightmarket.com/ or Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/stkildatwilightmarket 

Photo: St Kilda Twilight Markets

After the #Rain

The rainy #weather of last week has subsided and we can look forward to some proper sunny #Summer weather this week!

 

As much as we need the rain, nobody can deny that we love the sunshine a little bit more. However, there are some that really enjoy the rain and what it leaves behind. Nobody could sit on the grass the days after the downpour of heavy rain because it took a little bit of time for all the water to drain away, but the birds loved it.

 

The unevenness of this area  and poor drainage is a common occurrence and is highlighted during wet weather. Hopefully the council can take this on board for future improvements to the already beautiful foreshore.This grass area of #StKilda Foreshore has since dried up and people are able to once again sit and enjoy the sunshine.

Photo: Birds enjoying the water on St Kilda Foreshore the day after the downpour.

Sand Bags on St Kilda Beach

What appeared to be bags of rubbish on #StKildaBeach this evening actually were sand bags from today's #SLAM #BeachVolleyball event. 

Well done to the team that packed up everything very quickly and efficiently! You would never know there was a major event there today. Impressive.

Photo: Sand bags on St Kilda Beach

Outdoor Shower Drainage Problem

It's great that we have #OutdoorShower facilities such as this one at #StKildaBeach, so people can rinse off the sand and salt water after spending the day at the #beach.

 

However, some of these shower areas suffer from bad drainage problems. Having to step into still warm sandy water in order to rinse off isn't the most appealing of circumstances but people do out of necessity. It is unfortunate that this occurs every season, and seems to be a common problem with outdoor showers at beaches around Port Phillip Bay, and one wonders if something can be done to improve them. 

 

In the case of the one at St Kilda Beach, perhaps if this area was elevated, or situated on some form of decking, similar to the decking that exists only meters away as part of the boardwalk along the foreshore, it would allow for better drainage. Something to consider, City of Port Phillip?

 

Photo: Outdoor showers at St Kilda Beach need better drainage.

Fitness First on Alma Temporarily Closed

The #FitnessFirst gym on #AlmaRoad is currently closed for renovations.

 

For those that don't know where this is, it is on Alma Road in East St Kilda between Chapel Street and Westbury Street, opposite Alma Park.

 

They are apparently refurbishing the pool and the entire entrance areas, which is well-needed.  Having lived in St Kilda for nearly three decades and having once been a member of the then St Kilda Fitness, one can remember that the indoor 25m pool was looking old even ten years ago, so it will be exciting to see the upgraded one!

 

The whole gym is closed until 18 January 2015 (which is only a few more days) but the pool works are scheduled to continue until the end of the month.

 

For more information, check out their website. http://www.fitnessfirst.com.au/find-a-club/st-kilda/

 

Photo: Fitness First on Alma Rd closed for renovations

 

Mad #Melbourne #Weather

This morning it was 37°C and by lunch time it was 38°C. Then at around 3pm, the clouds rolled in and the #sky went grey. Then the downpour of #rain began. It lasted just under an hour and according to the news it was 20mm worth. It seemed to stop as quickly as it started and it wasn't long before the sun came out again and the temperature gauge hovered back to 35°C.

 

This spectacular #cloud formation appeared over the Bay at dusk and resembled something from a SciFi movie. Was an alien finally coming to visit St Kilda? Or was it God? Or was it a portal to another dimension that the plane was flying directly into?

 

Enjoy your warm Summer evening, folks! :)

Photo: Cloud formation at dusk at the beach.

Interesting Architecture Design

#StKilda is full of interesting #Architecture, and this #ApartmentBuilding's façade is testament to our suburb's diversity. This unique and eye-catching design definitely adds some colour to what would be just another boring block of apartments.

Photo: Apartment building façade in St Kilda.

New Year's Eve 2014

Here we are folks. It's #NewYearsEve. We have survived 2014 with plenty of ups and downs, successes and failures, as well as seeing some fantastically wonderful world events along with some deeply sad ones. 

 

However you all experienced this year, it is time to reflect and feel good about what we have achieved and relish in the fact that we are all here now on 31 December 2014 ready for the beginning of the new year.

 

As the sun sets on 2014, just want to take a moment to wish everyone in St Kilda and beyond a very Happy New Year, and looking forward to what 2015 has in store for us.

Photo: Sunset at St Kilda Beach

 

Australia Day Already?

#Christmas was barely over for 2014 and some stores began displaying their stock for #AustraliaDay! It seems a little ridiculous that we seeing the #Australiana paraphernalia for next year when this year isn't even over yet. But then again, it was in October that we began seeing Christmas stuff in retail shops, so one month in advance could be viewed as a little late?

 

The positive side to this is that we all can take four weeks to prepare for 26 January 2015!

Photo: Discount shop on Carlisle Street already displaying Australia Day stock.

 

Photo: The Reject Shop

33°C in St Kilda today.

 

It's a balmy 33°C in #StKilda today and the #StKildaBeach Foreshore is packed with people! It's a great vibe with the majority of people behaving and enjoying the #beach. Some may regret their new shade of red skin tomorrow, but there was definitely the smell of coconut oil in the air!

 

It was sad to see one dog owner with his dog on the sand, which was lying down on its side panting in the direct sun.  We were actually concerned for the dog, despite the fact that #dogs are not allowed on the beach at this time of year. We can only hope that he took his dog to some shade and gave it some water. 

 

It was great to see the St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club set up and keeping an eye out on everyone. They do a great job and we are grateful.

 

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday folks!

Photo: St Kilda Surf Life Saving Club set up their Beach Patrol today.

 
 

 


 

For Lovers of DVDs

Calling all lovers of #DVD. #VideoVision on #CarlisleStreet are having their annual Christmas sale of their Ex-Rental DVDs for just $5! Now that's a bargain!

 

They're at 177-179 Carlisle St, Balaclava, not far from #BalaclavaTrainStation.  You can also find them on Facebook here.

Photo: Video Vision DVD Sale

Burst Water Main on Carlisle Street

#CarlisleStreet, #Balaclava / #EastStKilda is looking a little wet this afternoon due to what seems a burst water main. This has occurred between Balaclava Train Station and Chapel Street.

 

South East Water has arrived at the location to hopefully rectify this problem as soon as possible. It appears that in one section closer to the train station, the footpath has lifted up and water is gushing out into the gutter, and there is another spot a little further along toward Chapel Street where water is leaking as well.

 

Fingers crossed that this can be fixed quickly so no more water is wasted.

Photo: Carlisle Street looking a little wet due to burst water main.

Photo: Burst water main on Carlisle Street, Balaclava / East St Kilda