Monday 4 May 2009

Driving Miss Ditsy

On Saturday afternoon I was driving to Newtown to go to the movies. As I passed through Darlinghurst it suddenly occurred to me to run my camera and capture the drive.

That is the video below. Fifteen minutes of driving through suburban streets of Sydney. Nothing of any consequence happens. The camera falls over twice. You can hear a sports program on ABC Local Radio, the sound of my turn indicator blinking, my occasional coughing and the almost constant tapping sound of the camera as it bounces against the windscreen.

At about 5 minutes 40 seconds I am turning right at Bar Cleveland and suddenly notice James, whom I have never met but recognise from his blog photo, standing on the right footpath (out of vision). I attempt to open the window and shout out my introduction but miss the opportunity.

At about 10 minutes, as I drive past Sydney University, I notice almost too late that I am about to drive through a red light which fortunately for me turns green at the last moment.

At about 12 minutes and 20 seconds, the ABC Local Radio program starts to interview three Irish Priests who are to perform concerts in Australia.

The memory card runs out just as I reach Camperdown Park where I will park my car before walking to the cinema.

If you happen to want a virtual drive through Sydney or, for overseas readers, a sense of what it is like to drive on the left hand side of the road, watch the video. Everyone else may prefer to move on to the next item.

7 comments:

  1. Sydney streets... I haven't seen those since, well, since I worked in Sydney!

    Red bus lanes are infiltrating Melbourne now too.

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  2. When you are driving you forget just how often you have to stop for the lights. Watching the video brings it into memory.
    A great exercise. Thanks

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  3. Like a stroll down memory lane - when I lived on Gipps Street in paddington, that little stretch of Oxford Street that you drove down was a part of my walk to work every day 5I worked in the office block next to the Menzies hotel....)

    Thanks. that was cool...

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  4. While I did not watch the whole video, who was in the car you were trailing?

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  5. Victor - will you please stop stalking me!!! :):)

    Seriously though, what a fabulous video, especially as so much of it has been recorded in my 'hood.

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  6. Mutant - you are Sydney's loss
    Earwig - not only many lights but long stops at those lights too
    Travelling - another Sydney loss!
    Andrew - I wasn't trailing any cars, we parted ways at some point
    James - that's me, "The Stalker"

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  7. Cool idea. Maybe I should do a Melbourne one?

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