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!
Life, Culture and Politics from BrisVegas
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I spent the morning digging out some ground in front of our house where I and my heavily pregnant partner can soon start laying a brick path.
As I did this, I was enjoying podcasts from Tony Martin’s ill-fated and dearly departed MMM show ‘Get This’, circa 2006-7. Funny to hear discussions of Costello, Downer and Beazley in the present tense.
I got sunburned, which I am starting to regret.
Oh, No! Too much choice. Don’t know whether to watch John Adams or Oliver Twist tonight. (Why do these things happen to me?)
Anyway, spent yesterday mostly reading and taking notes from Richard Frothingham’s History of the Siege of Boston … (Its ome of those really long 19C titles. Quite good. Not Francis Parkman, but okay.) Usual TV.
Spent today reading and taking notes from General Sir William Howe’s Orderly Book … another long 19C. Title. Absolutely, mind-bogglingly fascinating, but then again, I can be a little fey. More TV tonight, as above. Still conflicted.
Did find out my pension cheque seems to be coming a day early.
A very hot day in Perth. Staying indoors, finished of my best of 2009 CD (a double), a 2009 best of for a website, reading the Sunday Times (gotta be a bit desperate) and generally laying low.
Finally hung out the washing, packed octopus and started reading Clarissa Dickson-Wright’s latest offering. Having to make a decision as to which of my new hoard of books I will give to a friend’s sharp-as-a-tack 87 year-old mother. Nooooo!!! I can’t bear to hand over custody.
Feeling smug because I sold a water colour on Friday. Now I know I have to get cracking and put brush to whatever.
Christmas cooking, and goddamn the eating thereof is really pushing my colitis medication to the limit. Today was Apricot and Marshmallow xmas logs and mince pies. This week has seen nougat, chocolate fudge, pistachio shortbread, orange and cardamon gingerbread, and caramello cookies. The humanity!
tried to get a miracle from mother mary… or soemthing.
or watched cricket all day saturday, then worked it off today
Interesting chat on Radio National yersterday with Geraldine Doogue, Guy Rundle and Mungo MacCallum.
Rundle despairs of the lack of historical grounding so many of our current “commentariat” exhibit. And I agree.
Who among this shallow, incestuous bunch could claim any knowledge of the League of Rights, or the Social Credit movement – which was the political weaning of the young Barnaby Joyce.
Or B.A.Santamaria, who mentored the young Abbott.
Listened to live music and drank beer…not too much stress for one day. Nice weather
Recovering from a week of arguing with QR’s payroll section during the days and driving trains during the night.
Otherwise, a rather lazy old day.
Went to the local fishport and bought a bucket of mixed bugs and crayfish for 160 pesos a kg (about $4). Dodged about 20,000 crazy Filipino drivers on the road to the supermarket. Felt happy.
An excellent cheese, summer fruit and a nice shiraz…replete…on a summer’s day.
Oliver Twist…jumping off Dicken’s page…wonderfull.
I reckon you’d get a haiku out of that if you compressed it a bit, Fascinated. Or perhaps two.
Well, our baby wombat died.
About an hour or two ago.
We thought she was going to make it but she didn’t, the first 48 hours or so is the danger period and she couldn’t get through.
Bugger.
I’m sorry to hear that, HD. At least she had a more gentle death than she might have had in the wild. Nature ain’t pretty. Kudos to you for trying
Travelled to Melb. for the home Memorial to Alma Morton, those interested in this remarkable woman’s 94yr campaign for the rights of others can hear a Eulogy by Joe Toscano on 3cr podcasts http://podcast.3cr.org.au/pod/3CRCast-2009-12-15-70430.mp3.
Bad luck hannah’s dad, good try and good on you for trying.
That’s a real shame, HD, you gave it a good go though. Thanks so much for trying!
I’m sure she’s gone to the big pouch in the sky..
Sorry to hear about that Hannah’s dad.
Andrew, what is it about impending arrivals and renovations? I was forced to do asbestos tests on our shed, eaves and verandah the week before the baby turned up. All came back positive and I was required to remove the offending sheets during pat leave.
This weekend I made apricot jam and burned the bottom, which crapped me off. And yet another kiddies birthday party means the confiscated sugar stash from party bags has grown rather alarmingly. Something for the parents to snack on late at night…
HD, very sad news.
Watched Oliver Twist then switched over to SBS to watch the last hour of John Adams. (Have seen the latter on-line a few times.)
I went and saw Avatar on Sunday and was blown away. Sure, the story was a bit of a recycled mish mash from a variety of sources, but it was entertaining, and by far the most beautiful visual (and in man parts aural) film experience I have ever had!
Thanks folks.
We are a bit shattered here but we’ll recover.
The two of us cleaned the kitchen and the stove after we found out at about 2am this morning. Therapy.
We knew the first few days would be risky and it was just a matter of time.
My mentor was not optimistic, she has never saved one so small, this litle girl had only completed about 30-40% of her pouch life.
But she seemed to be doing well and then she declined and left us just as we started getting optimistic.
She is now in the scrub out the back and one of her relatives sat on a warren for a while before s/he went down the burrow.
Such is life and death.
Hannah’s Dad, I’m so sorry you lost the baby. It must have been doubly sad as she seemed to be doing so well, but kudos for trying. Another bulldozer lost.
That’s very sad news, Hannah’s Dad.
I invited a group of friends that I watch soccer with for a pre-match Xmas BBQ on Saturday. I was a bit unsure how it would go because it was really our first get together socially away from the stadium watching the game. We have been trying to do something like this for yonks but no-one did anything and all attempts failed. So I decided to offer my place and it went really well. I was pleased to increase the social capital in the globe.
The Melbourne – Sydney match didn’t produce any goals but it was tense and a good standard of football was played with plenty of chances for both teams.
Then last night we had a Christmas get together for my partner’s family. Both occasions had so much salty food that I felt dehydrated this morning. Plenty of water and fruit for the day!
Sorry to hear about the baby wombat, HD. (Womble? Pug?)
As the Geek and I have colds, we didn’t really wake up early enough for our pre-Christmas trip to Flemington Markets, and failed to find any really good tomatoes (mine aren’t likely to ripen this week). Did come back with a tray of mangoes, another of nectarines, and our traditional boxes of cherries and mushrooms, plus plenty of other good stuff.
Spent the afternoon at Parramatta Westfield, which is a good approximation of Hell. Spent 20 mins trying to find a parking payment machine at the end. Fun point: met a student in Borders who was flogging Dr Wood games. The Sprig, who is 4.5, managed to solve a simple Kaleidoscope Classic puzzle (making a checkerboard). This rather shocked the student; some adults don’t grok it, and the game is advertised for 6+. We weren’t surprised — our family trees are full of engineers, and the Sprig is showing all the early signs.
I had an interesting discussion with a Professor of Mathematics at a barbeque yesterday. He’s interested in politics and philosophy so we had a good natter over a few wines.
One thing that we talked about, which was brought to my attention by another blogger is that there has been very little media coverage about Tony Abbott’s recent proclamation that he wants to introduce compulsory bible classes in schools and has stated that it is “impossible” to have a “good standard of education” without an understanding of the bible.
I was gobsmacked firstly, that the Mad Monk would actually propose such a ludicrous idea, but secondly that no one in the media has actually given the announcement much coverage or objected to it.
Anyway, I’ve written a bit about it here, and there’s a link to the original article too if anyone’s interested…
http://guttertrash.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/tony-abbott-wants-compulsory-bible-classes-in-schools/
yeah reb, I saw that and was gobsmacked too.
Another reason not to nationalise the curriculum. Leave those unpleasant ideas for Queensland.
Which is not to say my kids wont know everything they need to know about the bible.
reb, that would be because the meeja doesn’t want the voting public to know what the mad Monk’s agenda really is. It’ll be interesting to see how long even the conga line of has-beens he’s got for a shadow front bench will be able to swallow this crap.