30th of Blaugust - Z - Zander in the Past

At last I have come to Z and my alphabetical journey is soon to be over. This letter for me was quite obvious as everyone knows Z clearly stood for Zander. And so I thought I'd make it all about me. But I'd thought I'd do it in the form of a photographical journey from growing up. So I went through my parents photographs and lifted a few that I liked to show you.

1988 - Approx. Age 1

This is from my baby album and I think I'm almost one so I'll say this is from 1988. I'm just chilling with my hoes, I mean hose.

1989 - Age 2

Who doesn't love swings at this age and I remember this was set up in the back yard. Can't believe I'm in the same jumper from the previous photo. I can promise you I did have other clothes.

1990 - Age 3 

This ine I really like. I'm pretty sure this was taken from under the cubby house at my old home.

1992 - Age 5

I was lucky enough to be in the 1992 John Martins/State Bank Christmas Pageant. Nipper and Nimble weren't pink and baby blue back then. Instead they were Rad and Royal Blue. I was on nimble and surrounded by the ladies. I have footage of this on a VHS tape of the Chanel 7 broadcast which I might put up on YouTube one day.

1995 - Age 8

I was on a holiday in Perth when this was taken and I was absolutely marvelled at what was basically and Bus and Train interchange. I'd never seen one before even though they existed at Adelaide but not like this one. The Interchange was built directly above the train station which you accessed by escalator and lift.

1996 - Age 9

I threw this is just to show that I was a gamer as a kid and played the crap out of the SNES. I think this was immediately after getting Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest for Christmas.

1997 - Age 10

I was easily able to date this photo as out family was completely worked up over getting a puppy. Sasha was a Maltese Terrier and was only a two or three months old when we got her. She was always a loving pet and a welcome part of the family.

2005 - Age 18

Now we skip a bunch of years and make our way to when I was 18 and in year 12. This was when I was on a holiday in Hobart to see my sister who was staying there for a year as she was doing a one year medical internship. I just really like the photo.

2008 - Age 21

Finally some proof of something. When I say to people that I grew my hair out it made it to my shoulders people don't normally believe me. Well here I am in my third year of my Music Degree, with that incredibly long and curly hair. I finally decided to get a hair cut shorter around July because it became really hard to manage and got it cut progressively shorter and shorter again as I was doing my Teaching diploma until it was like it is now. Sometimes I consider growing it out again every once in a while. You should have seen what it used to look like when I got it straightened.

So that's me growing up through pictures. And nod I am all out of letters. Just one more Alphabet free post and Blaugust is done. The alphabetical journey's definitely been a lot of fun and given me some direction to keep things varied instead of just rambling on.

So be sure to see my final Blaugust post tomorrow everyone.

18th of Blaugust - O - Old Photos of Adelaide

I get absolutely fascinated by these sorts of photos. I love to try to picture in my mind exactly where they were taken and then get gobsmacked as to how much has changed.

This one was taken in 1880 and is of King William Street looking south. You can see the Town Hall to your left (without a clock) and the GPO to your right. I believe that glass ANZ building would be where that building with the weird looking tower is today.

This is one of Bee Hive corner back also in 1880 where Rundle Mall would meet with King William Street today. No dome with a bee on it here. It's actually the name of a drapery shop. The current Beehive building would be built just five years later.

Here is another one from 1880 of Victoria Square. If you find old maps of Adelaide you'd find that Victoria Square was not originally diamond shaped. It was laid out like the other four squares in the city. King William Street went straight through the middle as Grote Street and Wakefield Street met in the middle. I wonder what they call that little bit of road that goes through the middle of Victoria Square? Technically it should be neither Grote Street or Wakefield Street as "no one shall cross the path of a monarch!" That's why all the streets change name when they meet King William. It's also why King William Street is renamed as it gets to both North and South Terrace. They aren't crossing King William Street as the street ends with a new one starting on the other side.

This is of the Institute Building back in 1875 located on the corner of North Terrace and Kintore Avenue. Today it is now joined as part of the State Library for a while it used to house an Exibit of things belonging to Sir Donald Bradman. Speaking of cricket in Adelaide...

1933 was when this photo was taken of the infamous Bodyline Test at Adelaide Oval where a record high crowd for Cricket at the ground was set at 50,962. That record has been in place for so long and is probably set to be toppled now that the ground has been redeveloped. It was apparently taken from the top of the heritage listed scoreboard. Can you believe someone proposed we take that scoreboard away? Considering you can no longer see St Peters Cathedral anymore, it's one of the few original parts left and would be a shame to loose. But to be fair, you do have to squint to read what it from the Riverbank Stand.

This was taken in 1927 one year before the current Adelaide Railway Station was complete. It wasn't until the mid eighties when what is now known as the Intercontinental Hotel and the Adelaide Convention Centre was built over the top of the platforms. Before then, all the platforms were out in the open. Who knows where the photographer was standing when this was taken. I like to think he'd be somewhere in hall H near where we had the LAN area at AVCon.

Outside the CBD now. This was taken in approximately 1956 in the Goodwood Road Underpass at Millswood. And yes, that is a tram going right through it. The Metropolitan Tramways Trust painted their H class trams silver back then to make them look similar to the busses they were also running at the time. That's how our busses came to be silver all the way up to the 90's and early 2000's. This tram was on the Colonel Light Gardens line which used to stop on Springbank Road.

So there is my little history lesson for you all. Hopefully you're almost as fascinated as I am (or curious at the least).

Extra Proof THERE IS NO GOD!

Can someone please convince me this Anime is NOT CRAP!

Don't forget your card this mothers day!

Even the Juvenile Mummy Girls!