Emma

I enjoy reading the novels of Jane Austen though it is many years since I have read Emma - it is on my list of books to read again. In 2011 we visited the Jane Austen Centre in Bath which provided an insight into life in Regency England as well as information about the life of the author. Completing the Future Learn course, Jane Austen: Myth, Reality and Global Celebrity run by the University of South Hampton, also increased my interest in and knowledge of  Jane Austen's works.

Before the cinemas closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown, we had planned to see the new film adaption of Jane Austen's novel, Emma. Several weeks later the film was available for download on television so we were then able to watch the film at home.

It was enjoyable to relax at home and escape what is ocurring in our world while entering the world of Emma Woodhouse. Emma can be described as manipulative as she meddles in the lives of family and friends. She enjoys match making and deciding how those she befriends should behave.

Jane Austen's observation and satirisation of life in a small English village, with its long held social structure, is vividly portrayed in this film as the heroine eventually realises the unintentionial damage that she is inflicting on those around her.

The film is an amusing representation of life in the early nineteenth century with its emphasis on marriage as a way to maintain or improve one's social standing in a community. Emma is a very independent young lady and it takes time for her to understand what her real role in her world shoud be.

COVID-19 Musings - Libraries

Some of the first organisations closed due to COVID-19 were libraries. Eastern Regional Libraries (ERL) closed their branches on Friday 20 March while Whitehorse Manningham Libraries (WML) closed a few days later. Return chutes remained open and some staff continued to work in the library answering queries by phone or email but the branches were not open to the public. Major reference libraries such as state libraries and the National Library also closed along as archives and museums.

It has been interesting to see how libraries have continued to promote and provide services when patrons cannot physically visit the buildings to use the services.

Borrowing Items

Before ERL closed their doors an email was sent to patrons advising them of the closure and listing reservations that should be collected. The return date for all borrowed items was extended until the libraries reopened. Fines for late items would not be charged. At the time of the closure I had a number of items still on loan and collected two reservations before the branches closed. When I finished reading a book I returned it through the return chute at Knox Library.

When it was obvious that the libraries would be closed for prolonged time, the public libraries experimented with other ways to physically lend collection items.

Click and Collect used by many stores was the first method tried. A number of library services in Australia utilised the Click and Collect service. Patrons reserved items online or asked staff to select items for them. The items were charged out to the patron and the patron was informed that the items were ready for collection. This service was offered for only a few days at ERL and WML.

During the past few weeks a Click for Home Delivery service has been in operation. Patrons reserve items or ask staff to select items for them. When the items arrive at the selected branch patrons contact the library and ask for the items to be delivered. I tested this system by ordering two books which were sent to my home via Australia Post. The system worked well though it took eight days from the time the items were boxed until they arrived at my home in the next suburb. Australia Post has been struggling to deliver the additional demand for parcel delivery due to COVID-19. Needless to say an extended loan period is provided for items borrowed in this way.

From June 1 ERL decided to reintroduce Click and Collect until the libraries reopened in the middle of June.

Online Resources

Libraries in Australia have been providing online resources to library patrons for many years. The forced library shutdowns have encouraged libraries to promote these resources more widely.

Some WML online resources

For many years library members have been able to download e-books and audio books via library services. They can also have access to some film services, music, magazines, newspapers, databases and online courses. ERL provides the list of online services available via the Digital Library section of their web page. For WML the resources are to be found under their eLibrary section.

Family History Resources

Since the lockdown libraries have spent time promoting these resources to patrons via email newsletters and on Facebook.

From ERL website

Ancestry Library Edition and Find My Past Library Edition, normally only accessed in the library, have been made available to library members at home for the duration of library closures due to COVID-19. These resources are also available, for a short time, via the State Library of Victoria website for those with a SLV library card.

From ERL website

The availability to these resources has greatly benefited those undertaking family history research while confined at home.

A number of museums, archives and major research libraries have also made many of their resources more readily available online.

Online Resources for Children

Public libraries have a range of online resources for children

From WML website

In Victoria the libraries closed just before the children finished school for the term. A major activity in public libraries is the school holiday program. Members of the childrens' services staff would have already prepared the the program for the Easter holidays. This would have had to be put aside. Instead, at short notice, they designed a holiday program which could be accessed online.

Regular storytime sessions are available online - often via Facebook - for younger children.

This year National Simultaneous Storytime was held throughout Australia on 27 May online with each library service arranging for a visiting personality to read the same book.

Programs for Adults

Library programs including book discussions, author talks and information sessions were also available online.

Bookings are required for many of the programs and were offered via Youtube, Zoom or Facebook.

Information session

Craft session

Public Returns to Libraries

Step 1

WML plans to reopen to the public on Tuesday 9 June from 10 am to 5 pm Mondays to Saturdays. Only twenty patrons are allowed in the library at a time with a 30 minute time limit per patron. Patrons' names and phone numbers will be recorded on entry. Hand sanitisers available for people entering and leaving the library. Public computers available for one 30 minute period per patron but due to social distancing staff will be unable to provide assistance in computer use. Books to be returned via the return chutes. Most library activities will continue to be offered online.

See also all posts relating to COVID-19 including:
COVID-19 - Musings - Books and Reading

The Surgeon of Crowthorne: A tale of murder, madness and the Oxford English Dictionary

In the notes at the back of the novel, Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams the author mentions that one of the books that inspired her to write her novel was the non-fiction work, The Surgeon of Crowthorne, by Simon Winchester written in 1998 (reprinted in 2008).

First discussions about the possible creation of a new dictionary occurred at a meeting of the Philological Society of London in 1859. It was not until 1879 that an agreement was reached with Oxford University Press to publish the new scholarly work.The dictionary was published in fascicles then volumes with the volume ten of the first edition published in 1928. Supplements were gradually published and incorporated into a twenty volume second edition of the dictionary in 1989. Other versions of the dictionary have susequently been published and the OED is now available online.

The creation of this mammoth work was to a large extent dependent on thousands of volunteers reading selected books, compiling quotations from publications showing the use of words and sending the information on slips of paper to the editor of dictionary.

This book tells the story of the work involved in compiling entries for the dictionary concentrating on contributions made by Dr William Chester Minor, an American who ended up serving time in an English psychiatric hospital from 1872 to 1910. As well as providing a glimpse into the life of Dr Minor, the book also provides information about Dr James Murray who edited the dictionary for many years and who sometimes visited Dr Minor. Information is also provided about pyschiatric illness and treatment at the time as the author tries to discover why Dr Minor became the man he was.

Additional information:

History of the OED - OED website

The sad life of William Chester Minor - Vintage News

The Dickens Boy

In The Dickens Boy, Tom Keneally has proved once again that he is a great storyteller as he weaves a narrative around the experiences of two of Charles Dickens' sons in Australia.

Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens, better known as Plorn, arrived in Melbourne at the end of 1868 to try to prove to his father and, more importantly, to himself that he could be successful and was not worthless as his father seemed to imply. Sixteen year old Plorn travelled to a large sheep station near the Darling River in northern New South Wales where he had to adjust to a very different environment compared to England and learn many new skills.

His brother, Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens, was already in Australia working on another property. The brothers were not the only sons of well known English writers in Australia as the son of Anthony Trollope was also trying his luck in the colonies.

A major issue faced by Plorn was that he had managed not to read any of his father's books before leaving England, although he knew a little about most of them. When he came to New South Wales he discovered that his father was revered by everyone he met and people wanted to know what it was like being the son of a great writer. Plorn attempted to explain how he only knew his father as a person. Plorn and Alfred's relationship with their father was complicated as Charles Dickens had separated from their mother and was in a relationship with another woman. The boys needed not only to reconcile the world view of their father with the person that they knew but to establish their own identity in a new land.

As the cover of the book suggests, cricket was one of the occasional past-times between teams from neighbouring properties and towns. The cover is of a well known painting by Russell Dysdale painted in 1948.

There are parallels between Plorn's experiences described in this novel to part of my family story as my great, great grandfather, aged nineteen, arrived in Melbourne from England in August 1869 to learn to work, like Plorn, on sheep stations in Victoria and New South Wales.

References:

Adrift in Australia: Charles Dicken's youngest son finds a new story  - review - SMH 22 May 2020 [also same review published in The Age 23 May 2020 with title A Son Grows out of his Father's Shadow]

Mr Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens (1852-1902) - Parliament of NSW

Edward Bulwer Lytton Dickens - Monument Australia

Unlucky Plorn Dickens - SMH 4 November 1939 - Trove

The Tale of Edward Dickens - ABC Late Night Live (audio) 1 April 2020

Dickens of a Time - SMH 24 December 2002

The Children of Charles and Catherine Dickens 10 - The Victorian Web

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths

During the State of Emergency in Victoria one of the reasons that people could leave their homes was for exercise. Many people exercise when they walk their dogs and some energetic people go for a jog or a run. Walking around the block or in nearby parks has been a good way to exercise, especially for those of us who are older. Most people have been good at maintaining the required social / physical distancing. However the challenge when going for a walk has been encountering cyclists using the same path.

Most of the walking paths are paths shared with cyclists.

The expected etiquette on a shared path is that pedestrians and cyclists acknowledge that both groups have a right to use the path and should respect that right. Pedestrians should and usually do keep to the left of the path while signs on the side of the path, or on the path itself, remind cyclists that the path is a shared path.

Signs also remind cyclists that they should alert pedestrians that they are overtaking either by ringing a bell or calling out the intention to pass. Some do but many cyclists don't.

The RACV has information and a short video about pedestrians and cyclists using shared paths. Cyclists are also meant to slow done and if necessary even stop if it is not safe to pass a pedestrian or if there is a cyclist coming from the other direction when they want to pass a pedestrian.

Children under 13 are also allowed to ride on footpaths in Victoria. VicRoads has information about cycling on footpaths.

With the outbreak of COVID-19 in Victoria cycling has increased in popularity. As well as regular cyclists (usually wearing lycra and sometimes referred to as MAMILs), the shared paths are enjoyed by people, old and young, who have not ridden a bicycle for many years, if at all. Many cyclists using shared paths seem to think that they are cycling at a velodrome or competing in the Tour de France. The general assumption appears to be that everyone should immediately get out of their way - the track belongs only to them.

RACV - Victorian rules for cyclists

There have been occasions when cyclists have expressed displeasure when I have not stepped off a path into mud on the side of the path so they can pass without slowing down. One cyclist complained when he had to stop and wait because pedestrians and another cyclist coming from the opposite direction passed us at the same time that he wanted to pass us. We were walking in single file.

It has also been interesting to view the different types of bikes on the shared paths. Apart from conventional bicycles we have seen tandems, recumbent bikes and electric bikes not to mention people on skateboards, including electric skateboards, plus children (and sometimes adults) on scooters.

At both ends of the long boardwalk near Koomba Park there are warning signs for all users. Confirmation that cyclists cannot / don't read signs was confirmed the first time we walked along the boardwalk.

During the walk one cyclist was seen wheeling her bike along the boardwalk. When we thanked her for observing the sign she said that she had been wondering if she had made a mistake as all the other cyclists wizzed past. A short time after I took the above photo I watched a cyclist speed up as he passed the sign to ride along the boardwalk. As the boardwalk is a raised platform there is nowhere for a pedestrian to move to get out of the path of a speeding cyclist. I suspect that the boardwalk could also be dangerous if a cyclist lost control of their bike.

It is great to have so many shared paths in Knox where we can enjoy going for a walk. The shared paths should be a place for anyone to enjoy being out of the house for a while and exercising.

However I can well understand why some people, particularly older people, are reluctant to enjoy a walk as it may be dangerous due to the attitude and behaviour of some cyclists. We avoid some paths at weekends because it is too dangerous with so many cylists using the path as a place to ride as fast as possible.

See also other posts related to this topic:

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

See also all posts relating to COVID-19

COVID-19 - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)

When the boys were younger we often went for a walk down to Dandenong Creek where we usually explored part of the Bayswater side of the creek. During the past two months we have had many walks on paths bordering this section of the creek, though we normally choose to walk on the gravel track on the Heathmont side to avoid cyclists who generally prefer the bitumen track that leads to Bayswater.

When these photos were taken we had had several days of rain so the creek was flowing freely. Immediately after the rain the water levels would have been much higher and the creek floods in some places. It is a very pretty area and after the rain and cooler weather it was very green.

When we walked down to the creek in the 1980s and early 1990s there were rocks in a few sections of the creek which the boys, of course, wanted to climb on and try to cross the creek without falling in. Much work has more recently gone into managing the creek and rocks, in some sections, have been placed at intervals causing small rapids.

Near Armstrong Road is a pedestrian bridge crossing the creek from the Bayswater side to the Heathmont side. Another pedestrian bridge crosses the creek before Wantirna Road.

On the Heathmont side of the creek there is also another path closer to the bank but after rain it is defintely too muddy to use.

The trail on the Heathmont side of the creek is generally steeper than the Bayswater path and passes through bush. Replanting is ongoing in some areas.

On the Bayswater side walkers pass paddocks with horses, some factories and the back of the cricket grounds of J W Manson Reserve. Parker Reserve is on the Heathmont side near the bridge (Armstrong Road Road end).

View looking towards the Dandenongs with the Bayswater track on the right and the unofficial lower path on the left.

As on other sections of the Dandenong Cteek Trail there is always birdlife. In the above photo a cormant surveys the water while two ducks swim pass. Many ducks live by the river and there are a number of locations where the ducks congregate waiting for a feed from tame humans. (More about the birds)

There are two small billabongs close to the main path on the Heathmont side (Wantirna Road end)

We normally park at the carpark off Wantirna Road before the bridge. There are a number of other entrances on to this section of the Dandenong Creek Trail including Armstrong Road, Rachelle Drive and Waldheim Road (opposite Stud Road) or Ridandic Drive (these two join before reaching the creek path). In the past I used to enjoy walking along the track off Waldheim Road, especially when the path meandered through pine trees which were sometimes inhabited with black cockatoos. I have not seen any black cockatoos recently.

The pedestrian bridge near Wantirna Road has been decorated with padlocks.

We have come to know this section of the Dandenong Creek Trail well. In the future we will explore the track as it heads towards Bayswater itself, then towards The Basin and beyond.

NB: This week we walked the section of the Dandenong Creek Trail from the bridge near Armstrong Road to Dorset Road.

Dandenong Creek Trail to Dorset Road (Melways)

From the late 1800s the land on the Bayswater side of the creek from Warrandyte Road towards Bayswater was farming - mainly orchards and market gardens while the land near Boronia was largely used for growing flowers.

The section of the creek from the bridge to just before Bayswater Road has been recently daylighted - pipes through which the creek had been diverted have been removed allowing the creek to flow freely. A sign along the path includes the statement that floods are natural. An information board refers to floods that had occurred in the past including in 1934 when flood levels reached 6.8 metres. This was why the project to divert the creek water underground was undertaken in the 1930s.

This section of the Dandenong Creek Trail passes the back of Bayswater Secondary College then continues behind Bayswater Park. An underpass / floodway leads to the other side of Bayswater Road. The path continues past Glen Park then meanders on to Dorset Road and another underpass leading to the continuation of the trail - a walk for another day. There are also paths to tributaries of Dandenong Creek including Tarralla Creek - the list of possibilities keeps expanding.

See also other posts related to this topic:

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

See also all posts relating to COVID-19

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)

There are lots of options for walks along the Dandenong Creek Trail. One walk is to continue on the main path, past the Winton Wetlands, towards Koomba Park and Wantirna Reserve which you enter via the Boronia Road underpass.

Koomba Park, Wantirna - Google Maps

The main path through Koomba Park goes to Wantirna Reserve but there are also numerous other tracks that can be explored, particularly in dryer weather. As the alternative tracks are usually dirt tracks they can be muddy after heavy rain, especially when cyclists have ridden along them. One of the tracks goes past a billabong and bird hide and leads on to a wide path near the power lines.

Another path passing water and reeds leads to the beginning of the back track.

Koomba Park, Wantirna - Google Maps

At Wantirna Reserve there is a cricket ground and other sports facilities. The Australian Jazz Museum is also close by.

Koomba Park, Wantirna - Google Maps

Continuing past the sports grounds is another track leading to the long boardwalk which ends at Burwood Highway.

The boardwalk meanders beside the creek.

In this area new plants have recently been added to the bushland.

It is a peaceful place to walk and from time to time the sound of bellbirds can be heard.

There are also views of the Morack Public Golf Course.

In autumn, by the sides of the boardwalk masses of pink flowers grow.

There are a number of ways of doing this walk. We often park at Wantirna Road and then walk along the trail to Wantirna Reserve. On other occasions we park the car near the sports grounds and explore the boardwalk and some of the smaller walks.

See Also:

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

See also all posts relating to COVID-19

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (1)

On a beautiful sunny autumn day last Monday we parked the car at the Wantirna Road car park near the bridge and walked along the Dandenong Creek Trail towards Boronia Road.

As we started walking down the path there was a great commotion overhead with a large flock of white cockatoos expressing their views about life. Much of the noise came from the gumtree ahead of us.

Cockatoos were having converstions within their specific group, with other groups of birds in the tree and with cockatoos flying backwards and forwards overhead. A raucous noise was the result.

A small group of cockatoos

On the banks of the creek water birds can often be seen looking for food, particularly after heavy rain.

On one occasion there were hundreds of water birds exploring the banks of the golf course side of the creek.

Heron

Along the Dandenong Creek Trail there are a number of small billabongs, usually inhabited by noisy frogs and insects hiding in the reeds. Ducks from the creek also visit theses water holes.

We continued our walk until we came to the Winton Wetlands.(Sites of Biological Significance) This area is a series of waterholes surrounded by bush with a path meandering through it.

Image: Friends of Dandenong Creek

It is a good place to enjoy a quiet walk away from the main walking track which can be busy at times.

Two months ago we wandered through the wetlands around five o'clock when a number of birds were returning to trees to roost.

Australian King Parrot

Heron

Back on the main trail we crossed the bridge to explore the other side of the creek. The gravel path on this side of the creek is not as busy as the track on the other side though there are still many people walking dogs or just going for a walk.

Heading towards Boronia Road there is a small paddock which in the warmer months contains a group of goats that recieve much attention from pasers-by.

Just before Boronia Road there is the entrance to Campbells Croft Reserve.

Having lived in Knox for more than more than forty years we had often passed the entrance to Campells Croft Reserve when driving down Boronia Road but had never visited the reserve. In the past few weeks we have visited and enjoyed the reserve several times.

This area was a small farm owned by the Campbell family and was acquired by the local council in the 1970s. Much of the reserve is open parkland where deciduous trees were planted, making an impressive site in autumn. There are, of course, areas of bushland and also rows of pine trees, often planted as windbreaks by early European settlers.

There are also views of the distant mountains from the park.

There are a number of paths through the bush section of the park - one leading back down to the creek path; another leading to a nearby street. Going into the street then turning right and right again takes you to Abbey Walk, another reserve. Abbey Walk can also be entered via the creek path. Both Campbells Croft and Abbey Walk are great spaces to relax and enjoy.

Part of the land in Abbey Walk was a vineyard once part of the property of L L Smith, an early resident of Vermont.

June 4: The weather was fine and sunny - a lovely day for a walk, though the temperature was only about 13 degrees celsius.

This splendid ibis was enjoying the sunshine

as was this heron.

We passed a project replanting vegetation near the the creek.

Further information:

Weekend Notes - Campbells Croft

Campbells Croft - history

Campbells Croft - photos of the reserve

Victorian Places - Vermont

Weekend Notes - Abbey Walk

Australian Dictionary of Biography - L L Smith

See also other posts related to this topic:

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise
COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Walking on Shared Paths

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (2)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (3)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (4)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (5)

COVID-19 Musings - Exercise - Dandenong Creek (6)

See alao all posts relating to COVID-19