The White Hat Melbourne Newsletter

Archived Newsletter No.390 - 26th February 2010

Contents

Sung newsletter
Markets
Sydney Road Street Party
Free opera at the Music Bowl
This weekend in country Victoria
Labour Day weekend in country Victoria
The White Hat Puzzle
Community festivals
Yarra valley Plat Fair
Country Music
Air Pageant
Last week’s quiz
Music For The People
Free world music at the Fairfield Amphitheatre
La Dolce Italia
Children
Architecture
Busking Festival
Outdoor cinema
Reader Feedback
Herring Island
Classical music
Pedants’ Dating Service
Nobel Laureates
From the White Hat Inbox
Melbourne Ukulele Festival
The White Hat Quiz

Sung newsletter

This weekend sees the launch of the first Melbourne Ukulele Festival, so I have taken out my ukulele and will sing the rest of this newsletter. I thought I’d start with ‘Tiptoe through the Tulips’.

Markets

plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“Meet me, at the market,
At the market, where your partner can’t see,
So meet me, under the table,
Stall 3”

This weekend is the occasional North Melbourne Market (run by Thread Den), the new Castle Lane Bazaar in Brunswick, and a special twilight market with entertainment as part of the Caulfield Farmers’ Market as well as tone of others. For details go to our home page and select the appropriate date from the drop-down menu under markets.

Sydney Road Street Party

This weekend is the popular Sydney Road Street Party. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/StreetsSuburbs/SydneyRoad.asp

Free opera at the Music Bowl

The last of the free Sidney Myer orchestral concerts at the music bowl is on this weekend. The program features favourite excerpts from opera. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Theatres/MusicBowl.asp

This weekend in countr6y Victoria

Geelong has its large Pako Festa. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Regions/Geelong.asp There is the Mildura/Wentworth Arts Festival. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Regions/Mildura.asp

and at Hastings there is the Western Port Festival. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Regions/Mornington.asp

Labour Day Weekend in Country Victoria

plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“Sneak off, up the country,
Tell your partner, you’ve a sick aunty
And sneak off, up the country
With me”

The following weekend is Moomba in Melbourne and tons of country events. These include the Ballarat Begonia Weekend, the SheppARTon Festival, Peninsula Piers and Pinots, the Dinner Plain Festival of Cycling, the Bacchus Marsh Harvest Festival, the Echuca-Moama Celtic Festival, Tastes of Rutherglen, the Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Harcourt Applefest, the Chill Out Festival in Daylesford and the Wodonga Carnivale Spice. To start planning your long weekend go to: http://whitehat.com.au/victoria.asp

and select your region of interest.

The White Hat Puzzle

Two weeks ago we asked what a mile of pennies in 1960 would be worth in today’s money. Rick was the first in:

“Thank you Mr/Ms White Hat for this weeks puzzle about a mile of pennies. It all depends! (On a number of unstated assumptions) I am going for an amount close to $26.50. (Well MY answer is $26.50) I await with interest other suggestions. Regards... RickB (of Wantirna)”

Nathan replied:

“It depends whether or not it contained a 1930 penny.”

We had a number of other replies which were way off the mark.

Rick then sent another reply:

“Dear Mr/Ms White Hat Your puzzle has occupied my mind, when I have a spare moment, since I submitted an answer the other day.

I see there are various measures of inflation and at least a couple of ways of wading through the years in the calculation.

I tried again, slightly different in my approach, and arrived at answer of around $41.60 So, if permitted, I would like to withdraw my previous submission and suggest the answer is around $34.00 +/- $10. I still wonder about how other folk went.

In classroom days the teacher can look for a answer to suggest a correct method was used. The real world is not so simple.

Please keep the puzzles coming. Kindest regards Rick (Wantirna”

We will give this one more week and if we get nothing more definitive we are going to have to work it out for ourselves.

Now to this week’s puzzle.

Consider the following sequence of Victorian town and suburb names – Essendon, Donvale, Alexandria. In each case name the first three letters of one name is the same as the last three letters of the name before. What is the longest chain of names you can create following this principle?

Community festivals

This weekend there is the Seddon Festival in the Park, the Moonee Ponds Festival and the Craigieburn Festival. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Festivals/Community.asp

There is also the Tibetan New Year Festival at Yuroke. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Festivals/Ethnic.asp

Yarra Valley Plant Fair

plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“Tiptoe through the window
By the window, that is where I'll be
Come tiptoe through the tulips
With me”

As part of the Australia’s Open Garden Scheme there is a large plant fair this weekend at Yarra Glen. These fairs are always worth a visit by any keen gardener. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Victoria/Regions/YarraValley.asp

[up a semitone] plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“. . and if you’ve grass stains, from the tulips,
wash them out quick, before your partner sees
You’ve been rolling, in the tulips,
With me.”

Country Music

This weekend is the large Bunyip Country Music Festival. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Music/Country.asp

Air Pageant

The RAAF Museum’s biennial Air Pageant is on again at point Cook. This is only a short drive from Melbourne. This is usually a great family day out. Entry is free but people 16 and over will need photo ID to enter the base. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Museums/RAAF.asp

Last Week's Quiz

Julie was first in with her answers to the flag quiz so here they are

Please note: This section of the newsletter has been removed as it forms part of a forthcoming publication or because it is forms part of our Questing activities. If you find yourself on a tour where the guide is White Hat Accredited they are likely to know the answer to many questions you may have in this area. All guides on White Hat Tours are White Hat Accredited.

Music For The People

Not to be confused with the eponymous event which ran for a number of years at the Music Bowl, Music for the People is the opening free concert and sampler of what’s to come for the Brunswick Music Festival to be held at the Coburg Town Hall. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/StreetsSuburbs/SydneyRoad.asp

Free world music at Fairfield Amphitheatre

The last of this year’s free performances at the Fairfield Amphitheatre takes place this weekend. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Parks/Studley.asp

La Dolce Italia

(switches to mandolin) tinkle-tinkle-tinkle-tinkle
“O come with mio
Down Lygon Street-o
Just watch the garlic
Or you’ll have B.O.”

This weekend there is the replacement for the Lygon Street Festa which is called ‘La Dolce Italia’. I expect it to be a smaller quieter event but there’s only one way to find out. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/StreetsSuburbs/LygonStreet.asp

“We’ll run the gauntlet
Of touting waiters
We know that gnocchi
Is just potaters
Oooooooh come with mio . .”

(I know the high note was flat but never mind the pitch, listen to the quality.)

Children

This weekend there is the Western Bulldogs Family Day at Footscray. Coming up are free outdoor family movies at Northcote Town Hall. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Lifestyle/Children.asp

Architecture

For those interested in architecture you may wish to go along to the informal monthly gathering of young architects is a club in Myers Place for their monthly gathering called ‘Process’ next Monday. It is one of a number of such professional gatherings around Melbourne that are usually only learned about by word of mouth. Details at: http://www.whitehat.com.au/DatesM/03March/01.asp

If you are interested in architecture and city design you may want to subscribe to our monthly City Design newsletter which is due out next week, if so, send us an email to: citydesign@whitehat.com.au

Busking Festival

The Busking Festival continues at St Kilda. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/StreetsSuburbs/StKilda.asp

Outdoor cinema

Thursday nights there is free Deckchair Cinema at Fed Square. There is also open air cinema (not free) at St Kilda Baths, South Melbourne Market and the Botanic Gardens. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Festivals/Film.asp

Reader Feedback

“If Nigel is looking for a nice simple girl, why not introduce him to Nat. She doesn’t sound too complicated. Otherwise I’m available. Desperate Enough To Act Simple, Malvern”

“White Hat is dressed by Georges …items can be found at the best Op Shops. Cheers Janine”

“Good afternoon to White Hat Please accept my belated and sincere thanks for the mention in your newsletter number 346 – 22nd January 2010. It was very generous of you to include Guava Jelly in your quite famous weekly round up of what to do in Melbourne. I look forward to welcoming you into the shop the next time you swing by Bridge Rd. Cheers Jo”

“Denial of Pedantry What’s happened to Sarah and Damian? Has Damian split one infinitive too many for Sarah’s liking? Has Sarah’s medication for apostrophes finally got the better of her? Can you find a single typo in this email? Lawrie”

“I am a volunteer carer and for six months have read aloud the email for one of my clients who was recovering from a road accident. He always got me to read your newsletter twice. He has recovered and gone on to rehab but now I am hooked. Subscribe please. Maria”

Herring Island

[switches back to ukulele] plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“Tiptoe, to the island,
To the sculptures, lots of long grass there
So tiptoe to the island
With me”

The annual sculpture and art exhibitions on Herring Island continue through on weekends until mid April. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Galleries/HerringIsland.asp

Classical music

Apart from the Music Bowl concert, the midweek piano recitals continue at Como and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons at St Paul’s Cathedral. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Music/Classical.asp

Pedants' Dating Service

Damien had taken Patricia out to dinner at an exotic restaurant. The night had started pleasantly and Damien kept reminding himself to call her Patricia and not Pat. They opened the menus and in a short time Patricia’s face froze. Look at this!” she snorted. “’If a patron wishes to have his steak blue, please advise the waiter when ordering the first course.’ Why HE? Don’t female patrons have the same rights here?”

Damien attempted to explain. “In this case the ‘he’ is meant to be gender non-specific.” “Well it is! They should have used ‘they’ and ‘their’.” “Ah,” said Damien pleased to be on home ground “that would be grammatically incorrect. ‘A patron’ is singular but ‘their’ is plural.” “Well they should use ‘he or she’ then.” “That would work but it makes for clumsy English. You need to remember that these people have English as a second language. In their own language they have a third person singular pronoun which is gender non-specific but English doesn’t. If this was a French restaurant everything would be assigned a gender including the steak. I’m sure they didn’t intend that wording as a personal affront to you.” “Well it is! I’ll eat here for your sake but I won’t be coming back.”

Somehow Damien thought this would not turn out to be a romantic evening.

“Sarah would have understood.” He thought.

Is the Royal We singular? Should Damien relent and ring Sarah? Is White Hat masculine or feminine and should we seek professional counselling to resolve the issue? Find out next week . . .

Nobel Laureates

There is a free lecture by Australia’s only female Nobel Laureate this week. We told you about this several newsletters ago because we thought places would disappear fast, however you might be able to squeeze in if they have cancellations. Then the following week, Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad will give a free presentation on ‘Abolishing Poverty: The Human Rights Priority. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Melbourne/Events/ForumsM.asp

From The White Hat Inbox

“I've just received my first Environment Newsletter, and I love it. Informative but not boring in the least (as most environment lectures are). Thank you, White Hat! Lynda”

We had the following personal message:

“hi from portc, the christmas holidays are nearly finished so ill soon have 2 think about a job so i can fund my 2nd gap year. the laundry tap is still dripping & i still havent learned 2 waltz properly so i cant start a job straight away but if u hear of anything let me know. krystelle & i went off 2 volunteer 2 the historical society cos she thought she would make a good high class colonial lady & they gave me a hooped dress just like in the video clips but when they saw kystelles hair & tatts & piercings they said shed be perfect as a convict & she was insulted and shes been sulking in her room 4 3 days & says the museum has bad feng shui anyway. luv nat”

Melbourne Ukulele Festival

Melbourne’s first Ukulele Festival takes place this weekend in a Sydney Road pub in Brunswick and runs non-stop from noon to 11pm.

plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“Eleven hours, of ukulele.
Ukulele! That is what they said,
So that’s it! No more blind dates
For me.”

There will be performances and workshops including a workshop for children. Details at: http://whitehat.com.au/Music/Instruments/Guitar.asp

plunka-plunka-plunka-plunka . .
“It sure beats, plucking pheasants
But I’ll pluck them, till the plucker comes
Then I’ll pluck my little uku-
lele.”

All together now –

PLUNKA-PLUNKA-PLUNKA-PLUNKA . .

The White Hat Quiz

Plucked strings

[This quiz can now be found at The White Hat Guide to Plucked Strings]

No prizes – just glory and a warm inner glow.

White Hat is dressed by The Hawaiian Shirt Shop and is available for corporate events, funerals, Bah Mitzvahs and the occasional dalliance in the tulips.