DOG DRIVER

In Australia we drive on the left side of the road (as in the UK), and hence our cars have the steering wheel on the right side. We also let our dogs drive our cars... Well, not really, but they try!

This post is part of the Saturday Critters meme.

NIGHT

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,
and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

STAY AT HOME...

The Coronavirus Pandemic has changed our lives and whether we like it or not we have to confine ourselves in our homes. Here is a view of peak hour traffic at Southbank under normal circumstances (above - granted it is a rainy evening) and now while the COVID-19 is wreaking havoc (below). The other two photos are city streets on the way home.

Driving through the City streets this evening was an eerie and quite upsetting experience. The normal hustle and bustle was absent, few cars and even fewer people were about, public transport almost empty of passengers. The only thing I wanted to do was get home as quickly as I could and lock myself indoors. We've been warned that things may get worse and the restrictive measures may be tightened even more at any stage.

I'm hoping you are coping where you live, and that you and those near to you are safe. This too will pass, I hope you've got enough toilet paper...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

SUMMER RAIN

We've had a bout of subtropical weather here in Melbourne in the last couple of days and it's been quite humid and wet. It has flummoxed quite a few drivers who seem to bee driving a little more erratically than usual - add to that the multitude of infrastructure and road projects all over the city, and it's not a pleasant drive on our roads anymore...

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the My Corner of the World meme.

THREATENING SKY

A few rays of sunlight before the downpour on a Winter's morning in High St Northcote.

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme.

ON THE ROAD

An early morning drive towards the East has its benefits...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

SHINY BENTLEY

Bentley Motors Limited is a British luxury automaker, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the German company Volkswagen AG. Its principal activity is the design, engineering, manufacture, and distribution of luxury automobiles sold under the Bentley marque. Based in Crewe, England, Bentley Motors Limited was founded by W. O. Bentley on 18 January 1919 in Cricklewood near London and was acquired by Rolls-Royce in 1931.

Bentley Motors Limited is the direct successor of Rolls-Royce Motors, which Volkswagen AG purchased in 1998. The purchase included the vehicle designs, model nameplates, production and administrative facilities, the Spirit of Ecstasy and Rolls-Royce grille shape trademarks, but not the rights to the use of the Rolls-Royce name or logo, which are owned by Rolls-Royce Holdings plc and were later licensed to BMW AG. Bentley vehicles are sold via franchised dealers worldwide, and as of November 2012, China was the largest individual market for Bentley automobiles.

Most Bentley cars are assembled at the company's plant in Crewe, with a small number of Continental Flying Spurs assembled at the Transparent Factory in Dresden, Germany. Automobile bodies for the Continental model line are produced in Zwickau, Germany. Bentley cars are largely hand-built. Bentley cars won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1924, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930 and 2003. The current Bentley production models are the Continental Flying Spur, Continental GT and Mulsanne. Notable former Bentley production models include the Bentley 4½ Litre, Bentley Speed Six, Bentley R Type Continental, Bentley Turbo R and Bentley Arnage.

This Bentley was parked in our neighbourhood and its proud owner keeps it sparkling, shiny clean as  though it has just left the showroom!

This post is part of the Weekend Reflections meme,

and also part of the My Sunday Best meme,

and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.

IVANHOE, MELBOURNE

Ivanhoe is a suburb of Melbourne, 10 km north-east from Melbourne's Central Business District. Its local government area is the City of Banyule. At the 2011 Census, Ivanhoe had a population of 11,085. Upper Heidelberg Road is the suburb's centre, where the former Heidelberg Town Hall, now known as The Centre Ivanhoe, is located. The town hall is a classic 'art-deco' building on top of a hill, with a green neon clockface on a tower.

Upper Heidelberg Road features a newsagent, book store, numerous restaurants and cafés, various banks, real estate agents and two supermarkets. In 2011 the average individual in Ivanhoe earned $728 per week, which was more than the national average of $577 per week. Ivanhoe is renowned for its older style homes, with many dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has several parks and nature reserves, as well as various sporting facilities.

This post is part of the Wordless Wednesday meme,

and also part of the ABC Wednesday meme,

and also part of the Nature Notes meme.

RUSH HOUR

"Hi Ho Hi Ho,
Its Off To Work We Go!"

Rush hour on the Eastern Freeway where hapless commuters battle the traffic every morning to get to work. And it will get much worse as our city grows and its growth is not only unchecked, but encouraged mindlessly...

This post is part of the Skywatch Friday meme,
and also part of the Friday Photo Journal meme.

CLASSIC NOT PLASTIC!

The Holden FB is a car that was produced by Holden in Australia from 1960 to 1961. Introduced on 14 January 1960, the FB series replaced the Holden FC range. The FB range consisted of four-door sedans in two trim levels, five-door station wagons in two trim levels, a two-door coupe utility and a two-door panel van. The Holden Business Sedan, which had been marketed as part of the FC range, was not carried over to the FB series.

The FB was promoted as being longer, lower, more spacious and more powerful than the FC model although in reality it was only slightly so on each count. Overall length was 5.5 inches (140 mm) greater whilst the wheelbase remained the same. The engine remained the same at 3" the last model to have this bore, engine capacity remained at 132 cubic inches and the compression ratio was raised. However the resulting extra 4 brake horsepower (3.0 kW) of power did not compensate for the extra weight of the FB and performance was thus inferior to that of its predecessor.

Changes were also made to the brakes, front coil springs, air cleaner and clutch. Obvious styling differences were the lower bonnet, finned rear mudguards with new taillights (on the sedans and wagons only) and a wrap-around windscreen. Seating was improved as was the instrument panel. Notably, the FB was the first Holden model to also be produced in left-hand drive form, these vehicles being destined for export markets.

All FB models were powered by a 132 cubic inches (2,160 cc) inline six-cylinder engine, the last to have the 3" bore size, producing 75 brake horsepower (56 kW). After a production run of 147,747 vehicles,[1] the FB was replaced by the Holden EK series in May 1961. This well-maintained Holden FB Special Sedan was parked in our neighbourhood and I couldn't resist taking a few photos.

This post is part of the My Sunday Best meme,
and also part of the My Sunday Photo meme,
and also part of the Photo Sunday meme.