This will hurt me...

I've just seen a ghost. His name is Clyde.

Looking west atop Mount Wellington. May 2010. The combination of cloud, altitude, intense cold and lingering snow made me think that I could see an albino rainbow when we'd ventured up the mighty rock. Am I mad or does thou see it too? Morning Glories , by Mary Oliver Blue and dark-blue rose and deepest rose white and pink they are everywhere in the diligent cornfield rising and swaying in their reliable finery in the little fling of their bodies their gear and tackle all caught up in the cornstalks. The reaper's story is the story of endless work of work careful and heavy but the reaper cannot separate them out there they are in the story of his life bright random useless year after year taken with the serious tons weeds without value humorous beautiful weeds.

This one was taken on my birthday a couple of weeks back. There sure was some interesting light going on over the water down south. For a second there, Ez was convinced that he'd seen a sea dragon!

The corner of Murray and Davey Street. May 2010. I quite like the colours of an autumn evening, even if I rarely am out and about it in with the camera. I blame vampires. And werewolves. Bloody werewolves.

Last Friday, Henry, Jen, Ezra and I all climbed up Mount Wellington to check out the snow. There wasn't a lot, but it was cold enough to have preserved a small amount from the previous day's fall. What was more interesting was the view from high up in the clouds. From down below, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Except for a small amount lingering at the summit of Mount Wellington. This was our mission. An ascent into the clouds! I've more photos (of course), so stay tuned...

Henry, Ezra and Jen checking out a wallaby. April 2010. It was delicious. It's Theme Thursday again, and this week another challenging theme: PET . It's particularly taxing as we don’t have any PETs in our house. There is simply no room, in both a physical as well as a metaphysical sense. You see, we have small children instead. Childless couples I know often compare PET ownership to child ownership. Most of them - if not quite equating the relationship - sail very close to the wind in that regard. Having owned a few PETs in my time, and now having racked up a few years of being punished blessed by children; I feel more than certain that the fissure between PET and child is immense. This got me thinking further. What about the advantages and disadvantages of a PET versus a child? Which is better? Yesterday evening, and well into the night, Jen and I tagged teamed off with our two children: her with a repetitively vomiting Henry and I with an intermittently wailing Ezra (I

Don't let it be said that he is anything other than a little angel. A little angel with a propensity to screech.

The last of the cruise ships in Hobart, April, 2010. Here is part two of the meme... 11. What's the best bargain you've ever found at a garage sale or junk shop? I'm not sure that I ever have. I've enough junk of my own, let alone picking up others'... 12. Where were you on September 11, 2001? I was in bed with my future wife. We spent a large part of that year in bed, come to think of it. I'm not sure I was all that aware of events until the next day. 13. What's your favourite tree? I am quite partial to the good old Araucaria heterophylla . 14. What's the most interesting biography you've read? If This is a Man and also The Truce by Primo Levi is an excellent two part auto biographical tale. 15. What do you order when you eat Chinese food? It's been a while. I like a nice special fried rice. If I can switch to Korean I love the Kimchi Fried Rice. 16. What's the best costume you've ever worn? Costume? I seem to draw attention every tim

Here is Henry. He is not very well behaved at the moment.

Murder? Incest? Adultery? Sodomy? Blasphemy? Amateur theatre? No, the worst sin in Christendom is chucking food out . Let that be a warning, Henry...

Art in action. April 2010 . In a rush, here's part one of a meme... 1. What's your favourite Dr. Seuss book? I loathe Dr. Seuss. I mean, really, he just makes words up and yet still can't work out regular metre? 2. If you could live in any home on a television series, what would it be? Robin's Nest, from Magnum P.I. 3. What's the longest you've gone without sleep? Five or six days. I wasn't really keeping track. 4. What's your favourite Barry Manilow song? What? I think that the only song of his I know was called Mandy , but I can't recall anything about it. Whether that makes it my favourite, I can only guess... 5. Who's your favourite Muppet? The now apparently dearly departed Guy Smiley . 6. What's the habit you're proudest of breaking? I stopped chewing my nails. Then I had children. 7. What's your favourite website? I don't play favourites, although if you click the link you will find an excellent example of web savvy. 8.

Have you seen that movie The Terminator ? This is kind of like that, only with a toddler...

The CSIRO crane under some morning cloud. April, 2010. Galveston. Scarborough. Wichita. Jackson. Lodi. Impanema. But there are no good songs about Hobart.

So THAT'S how those crop circles got there!

Seagull sitting in gravel at Bellerive. April 2010. Any pride that I once had at having the two loudest children on the planet has quickly dissolved into sombre resignation. Which leads me to today's Sunday Top Five , Ezra's Top Five Sayings! " HELLO! " " LOOK AT ME! " " AARRRRRGGGHHHHHHH!!!! " " AHHH-HAAA! " " OH NO!!!! "