Since we don’t live by politics 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
Larvatus Prodeo was an Australian group blog which discussed politics, sociology, culture, life, religion and science from a left of centre perspective. more»
We went to the Adelaide show, where we saw dogs and their remarkably similar owners, wood chopping, crochet and knitting and elaborately iced cakes and some very, very beautiful quilts. Also preserves, baking, plants, flowers, baby farm animals, the farriers and blacksmiths competition… We also rode on the dodgems. And ponies. It was great fun.
Then the girls insisted on buying showbags, which was a horrid experience. Never again, I say. ‘Though if I recollect correctly, I said that last year too.
Unleashed the whipper-snipper on the back lawn, which now looks vaguely presentable.
It’s the newly-beloved’s birthday today, 7,000km away, so I’m quietly celebrating with a small nip of Glenfiddich.
Saturday: Finshed reading and taking notes from a book about the Halifax, Nova Scotia, Naval Yard. Made arrangements for a lift into town tomorrow to pick up a DVD of The Charge of the Light Brigade. Started taking notes from a book on Washington’s Secret Navy. Night time watched History of Britain on SBS, The Bill on ABC. Watched the second disc of the BBC’s Martin Chuzzlewit. Very enjoyable. Did some more research.To bed about 1 am.
Sunday. Watched Insiders. On LP. Wrote a new post on my blog, mostly about wartime Independent Arthur Coles. Arranged to have lunch with a friend next Thursday. Did some more research. Now cooking dinner, stir fried chicken and vegetables with blackbean sauce and rice.
No surf so a 20 klm bike ride.
Fed the weaners.Chased a couple of cows out of the ryegrass.
We have a couple of neighbours who are transitioning to being freeganists- a cautionary tale of cashing out of the Sydney eastern suburbs real-estate market and putting too much of the proceeds into shares.
A weeks ago I was invited around for dinner – venison pie! A few moments thought made me ask “Where was the meat from?” A well known local personage (who infamously eats road kill) was the reply. The pie was delicious but the doubt remained till this afternoon – when I learnt that
the provider of the meat had shot the deer himself- inside a National Park.
Deer are also very hard to kill with a rifle apparently- he had to use a .303!
Watched the Greatest Game of Rugby League finals ever played, ever, last night, after 80 minutes of regulation play and 20 minutes of golden point overtime Wests 15, Easts 19. This morning interred my father’s ashes in their final resting place.
Right now I’m cursing that it seems likely Manly won’t get up over St George this afternoon … Easts need the weekend off next week after that draining game last night.
I’m supposed to be fashioning a conference paper … maybe later tonight.
Murph, yep the standard caliber for deer is a .308 winchester.
Today, like most of the last week, I have spent mostly on the couch wheezing and coughing. The antibiotics seem to have finally sorted out the sneezing and earache, but I still have what the medical community calls a “productive cough” and it’s not nice at all.
Time for another cuppa.
I took 9 girls aged 8-12 on a sleepover for Girl Guides – much fun and mess, and very little sleep was had by the girls. I’m exhausted, and found my temper getting a little short towards the end of it. Truly, there are only so many times that you can be understanding when they ‘accidently’ drop the spoon completely into the pancake batter. *sigh* But they all had fun, which was the point!
Apologies if this is the wrong place to put this link.
terangeree, I cannot think of a better place.
(This will sound platitudinous – can’t help it.)
Many of us who contribute and/or lurk here struggle and/or have struggled with the demons.
Even more of us have been touched by those who struggle(d).
We are, as humans, so much better in all senses because of the likes of Don Ritchie.
Sport watching.
Last night/early morning watched a great basketball World Championships semi-final between Turkey and Serbia. Serbia had the lead for most of the game and then Turkey buoyed by their home crowd came back and stole the win.
Tonight/Monday morning the Gold Medal Game between the USA & Turkey. The US haven’t won gold at the FIBA World Championships since ’94 in Toronto but should make up for that and their third place finish in Japan in ’06.
Also on the box tonight the US Open tennis final between Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic. I hope Rafa wins his first US Open crown tonight and strengthens his lead and dominance as world #1.
AND tonight in cricket the first of the two Aussie teams kicks off their Champions League Twenty20 campaign in South Africa with South Australia taking on Highveld, a local team. I think the Redbacks Shaun Tait could possibly bowl the fastest ever delivery in those pace friendly conditions there. Victoria start their campaign tomorrow night.
Also congratulations to Norwood for their upset Qualifying Final win over Glenelg in the SANFL footy this afternoon. The mighty Legs will have to deal with Centrals next week who’ve played in the last ten consecutive grand finals for eight premierships, a tough ask.
Sustainable house day today. Visited one in Macclesfield and three at the Aldinga Arts/Eco village. Much food for thought gained.
Watched creatures of the deep and was suitably impressed with the similarities with the Solzhenitsyn-Quadrant post.
My partner and I watched the entire 3rd season of True Blood yesterday, while coughing and spluttering on the couch.
Last night at about 11:30 I got goosebumps, which is pretty hard to do when it’s 28 degrees outside. Then I got a fever which, after it had cooled down a bit and my partner had gone to the supermarket to get a thermometer, we established was a temperature of 39.5 C. According to wikipedia, that’s hyperthermia. So, into the cab and off to hospital… except in this Japanese country town there don’t seem to be many hospitals open after 5pm. The cab driver had to ring into base to find out where was open, and the internet information we got was out of date, referring to a non-existent hospital.
Rather differently to any Australian hospital at midnight on a saturday, the “emergency” room was empty and the receptionist asleep. So we got our drugs and were back by 2am, and I finally got a good night’s sleep.
Today was spent sleeping. Our weekend in has turned into something of a disaster! But there’s no going out, because Japan is now entering its 6th week in a row of over-30 C temperatures (today was 7 C above the September average), so it’s aircon on and back to bed until October…
Some food for thought from terangerree. Don is performing a vital function and one that will always be needed whenever some troubled souls seek a permanent solution to a temporary problem.
My weekend was far from good, sadly. A long standing issue with my sister has come to a head (she is the queen of avoidance and passive aggression), and I fear that in the interests of my own mental health the best course of action is to let go.
Hopefully when I do there will be some relief. At least the Roosters won!
Much empathy for your coughing and spluttering suffering, sg. I’m feeling much better this morning, fingers crossed that it lasts, hope you feel the same.
bmitw, sorry to hear about the family issues.
Salient Green, what are the latest trends in sustainable housing?
tigtog, I never realised how unpleasant and strange a fever could feel until I started exploring the upper reaches of the 39Cs. My face went numb and my head was all wobbly, and I felt like I was going to be sick. It was like being really really drunk, but with all the fun stripped away.
It’s also created a weird sleeping divide in the house, with my partner needing the aircon on all night and me needing a doona. I have become 10C hotter than the ordinary person. Maybe this flu will turn me into a superhero. Phlegma boy or something.
I exchanged emails about the Goddess with a rock goddess.
Zorronsky @13, we watched Life too. Also celebrated my Mum’s 72nd birthday, and guests included a Difficult relative. My sympathies to bmitw.
Thanks tigtog and Chookie.
When you are the only meerkat in a family of ostriches life is never dull. But my children are a constant source of delight to me and spending time with them is a joy, even if it is only watching DVDs or annoying the cat.
Haven’t you got it wrong, bmitw?
Aren’t you supposed to watch the cat and annoy the DVDs?
terangeree
HM is a chocolate burmese. Nothing happens in the house without her express approval and/or participation including sleeping and the watching of DVDs, so in retaliation for her idiosyncrasies we annoy her in various little ways. She keeps coming back for more so she must like it!
I don’t dare annoy my DVDs in case Leroy Jethro Gibbs leaps out of the machine and smacks me one.
…or Samuel L Jackson starts quoting Bible verses at me, (gulp).