Since we don’t live by politix alone (I sincerely hope), what did people get up to this weekend? Join in, share some tales, regulars and lurkers all!
On Tuesday, I developed a summer cold which quickly became the summer cold from hell. So I’ve been sleeping lots, reading lots, drinking lots of juice and watching lots of Torchwood. And writing about the election of course. As I’ve started to feel better, I’ve been getting in a few hour long walks by the river – though that’s not as pleasant as it sounds with the sort of humidity we’re getting at the moment in Brisbane… Nothing much else really though I did take the scenic way to the shops this arvo and took some photos along the way.
If you’d like to see a larger image of the photos, click on them then click on “full view” once you’re inside the gallery.
Art Deco Apts by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Rollerblader by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Leafy suburb I by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Leafy suburb II by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Leafy suburb III by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Matching house and car by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Mark Street by *phenomenologist on deviantART
New Farm houses V by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Late afternoon sun by *phenomenologist on deviantART
Luv the leafy suburbs…believe it or not, ours is getting that way here in Logan City.
Recorded some cds we downloaded from EMusic…a paid subscription service…incl. Belle & Sebastian: Dear Catastrophe Waitress & If You’re Feeling Sinister (Live), Akron-Family: Love is Simple, Sunset Rubdown: Random Spirit Lover…& Stars: Heart.
Used the rainwater we’d captured from last Sundays’ freaky storm to slack the thirst of the chillies, baby spinach, chard & strawberries plants. And a few of their heat shocked companions. The natives are all flourishing tho, some goin’ Day of the Triffids on us…& don’t the various flocks of birds that visit thruout the day appreciate their offerings.
Watched Sky News ‘Agenda’ & chuckled at the ‘objective’ (?) discussion of Peter Garrett’s comment by a David Speers & his two panelists, yes, of all people…Steve Price (doin’ the sales pitch for the Coalition…his wife & Joe Hockey will be pleased) & Glenn Milne (looking like Atlas just passed his burden onto him).
Did some surfin’ thru various American & Aussie blogs…watched an interesting YouTube vid on the Global warming debate that I found on Crikey (logical & frightening)…wrote a few comments on RTS & one on Jeremy’s Anom Lefty site.
Drank a Strongbow Cider. Had a homemade falafel, hommous, baby spinach, cucumber, radish & Nando’s extra hot sauce rollup in wholemeal lavash. Did some domestics. Had a chat w/ Apollo the Cat who fell asleep during my waxing lyrical on Pakistan, Turkey & the possibility of WW3. Gave Emi (Emerald) the tortoise shell a vigorous brush.
Did a few circuits around the garden to pump the alcohol in my veins & capture some of the many air pollutants & sun’s rays that keep me in a state of “iffy but not too bad” health. And complimented my wife a few times in order to offset the stupid, stereotypical representations she is forced to watch just about every time we become immersed in a TV show…them ads get harder & harder to avoid…even on FF.
Might add: The ‘New Labour in Power’ pic is pretty apt. The Coalition & their media enablers are so worried about the Minchin stuff on Work Choices bein’ pushed & Garrett’s credentials on the anti-nuke side of things, not to mention his big following, they’ll do anything to have him marginalised, tarnish his credibility & have him dumped from the portfolio. If Rudd does shift him out because of bogus polls & shock jock pressure, then he’ll prove himself to be a Tony Blair…but just at the wrong time in the scheme of things as the population are beginning to track back to the Left & are becoming wary of privatisation addicts & public/private projects (PPPs) & wars in the Middle East. Many would prefer to drink a beer w/ Garrett than sip a latte w/ Blair.
And initially lost this post due to ERROR CONNECTING. Sigh. Luckily I’d saved it.
Been recording an outrageously tiled pub toilet.
Not these ones at the Swan, Worst of Perth?
I pretended to write an essay on privacy in the digital age, while it absolutely pissed down outside. Ended up watching an ABC doco on bronze age traders, with a rather over-enthusiastic archaeologist presenting. What a job that would be, being an academic in a nice obscure field with no practical applications. I’m sure you have to keep your publications and teaching up, but it’d still be a bit of a life being an expert in the Beaker culture.
We also have water in the tank so we washed windows and verandahs in (early) preparation for folkses around on 24 Nov. And also expecting more rain during the week which will refill the tank, ‘cos it’s only a little one. Forgotten what it’s like to wash things with water, rather than rearrange the dirt with a broom. Very satisfying, I must say, because it’s much more effective and ytou get cool at the same time.
Procrastinated studying for exam on Thursday. Weather in Armidale was horrible (rain, storms, wind, neither warm nor cold) so moped around the house with screwdriver, fixing little things. Very pleased to see the ratsak in the roof undisturbed (finally) but rat corpse hunt can wait for another day. Ventured outside to Jeep I overheated during the week and discovered a split hose – 10 minutes later and a big drink of coolant and the big, thirsty V8 rumbled back into life, scaring small children and animals to a radius of 3km. Not leaking and not overheating any more. Wife dragged us to an open house around the corner. Some of those real estate agents have a cheek – when they say fully renovated, they mean a slap of paint apparently. Could be a lovely house, though hideously expensive and in need of a proper paintjob. Was very unpopular after showing no interest in it and explaining the difference in mortgage payments a fraction unkindly to her indoors. A dud weekend.
Tried and failed to stop smoking.
I had the summer cold from hell last weekend, but it is still lingering in a most unpleasant manner. Being grilled at the chemist the two times I needed to purchase cold and flu tablets was a delightful experience. (As of early October, you have to show government ID and have it recorded in a database to buy even one packet of Sudafed or the like here in the ACT. Not sure how I feel about this.)
As we have a public holiday here on Tuesday, I have taken Monday off work to treat myself to a super-long weekend. I was going to use it to do some writing but have found myself completely uninspired.
Today I set out from Wilpena Pound in the Flinders Ranges and drove through the puddles left by the recent rains in Bunyeroo and Brachina Gorges, two of the most beautiful places I know, with their fantasitcally shaped River Red Gums in the creeks between the rich red sandstone cliffs.
Balm for the soul.
Rob, the current advice (which I’m yet to try and I really should since I keep getting colds, sinus and the flu in and out of season) is to ease yourself off the fags. It used to be thought that you had to go all the way with nicotine replacement therapy (ie patches or gum) but now they’re suggesting that you alternate nicotine gum with ciggies and wean yourself off them.
Try Nicobate lozenges.
When you want a ciggy pop one in the mouth [which in itself partly satisfies the ritualistic need] and suck for a half hour or so thus getting your nicotine hit without all the other nasties.
Particularly useful at those ‘reach for the cig’ times eg after dinner, on the computer etc.
Works for me and my wife, might work for you, worth a try, almost anything is better than ciggies.
I’ve had a chat with the Gautama Buddha and we’re both agreed, Rob. Your suffering is caused by your craving to stop smoking.
What you need to do is eliminate your craving to quit, and stop being dissatisfied with being a smoker.
tdd, the really odd thing is that I feel much better when I don’t smoke. I hear things better, see things better, taste things better, brain works better. I’ve given up a lot of times, and after the first couple of scratchy days, I’m fine. Then I go back to it. Totally weird.
hannah’s dad, I should try those lozenges.
Doesn’t sound very wierd to me, Rob, but then it doesn’t sound like it’s cigarettes you’re smoking, either.
Cigarettes quit me.
I gave up many times, especially every spring when the hay fever season hit, only to weaken and have one and another one…
Then I got together with a lady who had a zero tolerance to ciggies. That did it.
When people ask me about marriage, which they almost never do, I tell them the first 10 years are the worst. I think I may have just discovered why.
Today was very humid indeed, but no rain in sight. I believe there is a full-scale La Nina now, but it’s not raining heaps because of abnormal cooling in the Indian Ocean. It has happened before once in the last 100 years. Just rotten luck mostly, it seems, rather than the dreaded climate change.
Our big event was a 60th birthday celebration with some conservative friends of ours. The nearest I got to politics was a partial discussion about Greenies with a tree lopper. I think he saw Greenies and trees in much the same way – nothing wrong with them that a few vigorous strokes with a chainsaw wouldn’t fix!
We’ve had a gorgeous Autumn day here in England. The sun is low in the sky and there’s a bit of a chill in the air, it makes the entire day seem like late on a Winter’s afternoon in Brisbane.
I just headed to one of the local cafe’s for a fantastic veggie breakfast, unfortunately now I’m sitting in another cafe finishing off some work that I need to get done before the week starts…
Drunken You Tube karaoke night! At least until I put this on and then everyone made their excuses and left.
Seems some people just can’t handle der Polizei Bayern gettig der funki on.
Comment obliviated…
Yes Anthony, the very same toilets.
They are of legend – those tiles live our hearts and soar in our dreams.
I watched the rain. I forgot I had a block of chocolate hidden for chocolate Sunday, very unlike me. I also watched the huntsman spider roaming the walls until he was in the perfect position for catching. They say huntsman spiders predict rain so he should be really happy out in the soaking grass.
Good, that part of the comment went through.
I also watched the SBS program on the Crusader stronghold at Jacob’s Ford and loved the software used to recreate it.