Friday night replay

This evening was a carbon copy of last Friday night for Luke and me: a balmy evening stroll through the backstreets of Richmond for a burger and gelati on Bridge Road. 

This time we walked there along Rowena Parade and The Vaucluse to have a look at the grand old houses in daylight. Before we turned the corner into Rowena Parade, we stopped to look at the strange new gate on the old building on the corner of Lennox Street. And then I noticed what I had never seen on the dozens and dozens of times I've passed by previously: very faint old signs. 

 General house repairs

There's a sign between the upper and lower windows, but

 all I can make  out is "& Sons Carpenters"

I'm usually too busy admiring the building's peeling shutters. 

Moving right along... there are some beautiful old houses at the top of The Vaucluse, which is possibly the most elevated spot in Richmond. All the better to look down on the heaving mass of working class people  around you, way back when. 

 Shady garden path 

 This is probably the grandest house. It's 

for sale if you  have a few million dollars

 spare to splash around

A window of St Ignatius 

A less grand home a few blocks away  on the 
corner of Mary Street

Lady Santa 

The evening's best sign find: 

Sack merchants! 

The building is now a dwelling 

Help me! 

We had burgers at Grill'd and then gelati at Fritz. I had blood orange as usual - it was a super zesty batch - and I also had a scoop of caramelized fig and roasted almond. It was as tasty as it sounds.  That reminds me, fig season is pretty much upon us! Yay. 

We walked back along Bridge Road then through the narrow streets between Church Street and Punt Road.  If we keep this up, we'll have traversed every street in Richmond before too long. Like last Friday, it was a very pleasant evening for a stroll - it was warm  and the scent of flowers and garden sprinklers were in the air. The smell of garden sprinklers reminds me of being a kid. 

As we headed along Goodwood Street towards Punt Road, I commented on a stern looking building and Luke (who obviously has better eyesight than I do) spotted a bunch of very faint old signs on the front. It was too dim for a photo by then though, so I'll go back again. 

 Pretty flower 

Bird on a wire