This will hurt me...

It can be nice to experiment with the camera every now and then. Angle of shot, depth of field, mixing up temperatures, depth of focus, exposure times, f-stop fiddling, shutter speeds, perspective distortion, messing with the metering mode and so on.

Yet when one’s two key subjects are a little on the energetic side, shutter speed is about the best we can hope for.

That’s where marshmallows come in.

It appears that the humble blend of sugar, water and gelatine is the prospective solution to impatient models.

Who knew?

When does a bus stop stop being a bus stop? St Johns Park, New Town. December 2010.

What's your favourite piece of technology, and how has it improved your life?

Broad-scale public sanitation/plumbing. I am never one to over-estimate the importance of running water. It has improved my life in too many ways to count.

When was the last time you used it, and what for?

[At time of writing] I had a shower after Touch Football. Much needed, as we didn’t have any substitutes and I was on all game.

What additional features would you add if you could?

It seems pretty good as is. I’m a fan of water pressure, so we can always amp that up a bit!

Do you think it will be obsolete in 10 years' time?

Let’s just ensure that every bugger has an equal chance at having it before we render it obsolete first!

What always frustrates you about technology in general?

The rapidity with which we become dependent on it, and it ceases to be liberating and becomes a constraint.

If you had one tip about getting the best out of new technology, what would it be?

Give things a try. Don’t quit at the first sign of trouble.

Do you consider yourself to be a luddite or a nerd?

None of the above. I welcome new things, but do apply the general rule of “if it ain’t broke…”

What's the most expensive piece of technology you've ever owned?

Probably one of the new computers I’ve had over the years.

Mac or PC, and why?

As I said earlier, I use both. I am a PC man at heart though. I enjoy the versatility and DIY potential more than the pseudo-fascist mentality of the Mac.

Do you still buy CDs and DVDs, or do you download music and films? What was your last purchase?

I have bought CDs and DVDs for the kids or Jen of late, but it has been quite some time since I bought anything for myself. I do download a bit. I won't mention the most recent buy, because it is a present for someone.

Robot butlers – a good idea or not?

Why not?

What piece of technology would you most like to own?

Something that could quieten two boisterous children down without harshening their buzz.



Note: The original questions were pilferd from here...

Taken just last weekend as we departed Howrah Beach, Henry looks as if the prospect of the karē pan from the new Japanese bakery down in Bellerive is somewhat more daunting than the rest of us will have it.

Don’t worry Henry, they’re delicious!

Hobart: On The Go! The view from the eastern end of Liverpool Street. December 2010.

We might not quite be rivalling Shanghai when it comes to cranes, but whenever you see three cranes on the go in Hobart, you know that something is going on. This one is part of a development that will comprise a supermarket, shops, an additional 544 parking spaces for the Argyle Street car park (just what Hobart CBD needs, more cars) and new “A-grade” office space.

Whether or not there will also be a slippery dip, wholesale ball bearing emporium, underwater aquarium, Turkish baths, Finnish sauna and Liechtenstienian superstore, I am unsure.

Lindisfarne Primrary School fair. Snags. Jumping castles. Ice creams. Fire trucks.

What on Earth could be finer?

I suspect that there was once a door here. Theatre Royal, Hobart. December 2010.

As promised, here is Today's Sunday Top Five Seven, Nine Wonderful Uses For The Marvellous Oil Of The Genus Eucalyptus!

1. Eucalyptus oil also has anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities as a topically applied liniment ingredient!


2. Eucalyptus oil is also used in personal hygiene products for antimicrobial properties in dental care and soaps!


3. Eucalyptus oil can be applied to wounds to prevent infection!


4. Eucalyptus oil can also be as an insect repellent and biopesticide!


5. Eucalyptus oil has been used as an effective way of killing dust mites!


6. Eucalyptus oil is used in flavouring lollies, sweeties, candies and soft drink!


7. Eucalyptus oil is also used as a fragrance component to impart a fresh and clean aroma in soaps, detergents, lotions and perfumes!


8. Eucalyptus oil prevents the separation problem with ethanol and petrol fuel blends!


9. Eucalyptus oil has a respectable octane rating and can be used as a fuel in its own right!

I took this photo not long before a storm hit. We could see the rain moving in from the north, north west and west (over the mountain). The problem with these kinds of early-summer days in Tasmania is that we can have a hot and humid 32°C air tempreture, but when you dip your toe in the drink, you’ll find it a far more bracing 13°C or so.

Henry, as you can see, is a brave soul…

This is not a cherry tree. Lindisfarne, November 2010.

The Eucalyptus down here in Tasmania are evergreen, which means that I get to enjoy the leaves all year round! Covered with oil glands, Eucalyptus leaves have a wonderful odour.

In fact, Eucalyptus oil is a wonderful thing. Great for relieving the symptoms of flu and colds, it also has antibacterial effects on pathogenic bacteria in the respiratory tract. Inhaled eucalyptus oil vapour is a decongestant and treatment for bronchitis.

What other things can this marvellous thing do?

Well I’m glad you asked!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's exciting conclusion to THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF EUCALYPTUS!

Eucalyptus, how I love thee!

Meanwhile, have a poem about another tree...

Loveliest of Trees, the cherry now, by A.E. Houseman

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride
Wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my threescore years and ten,
Twenty will not come again,
And take from seventy springs a score,
It only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things in bloom
Fifty springs are little room,
About the woodlands I will go
To see the cherry hung with snow.

Ezra here is set to start chomping on a snail he has found.

Quick tip for begginers: we generally kill, clean, gut and cook the snails in garlic butter first!

Snails really are the most interesting creatures. Geilston Bay, November 2010.

Two books read this week, and what a pair! I managed to complete parts two and three of the Lucifer Box trilogy. After reading The Vesuvius Club by Mark Gatiss a few weeks back, I leant of the library and score numbers two and three. # 2 is The Devil in Amber, and takes place twenty years after the Edwardian adventures of #1.

Lucifer is now middle aged, traumatised by the Great War, and under the pump from a new generation of secret agents. Of course, he remains as beautiful lithe as ever – and informs us on a regular basis – but seems a little less cocksure and a little more vulnerable than the earlier tale.

Without giving too much away, the story is a little darker as Lucifer battles a horrible gang of Fascists with a bent for Satanism. It is not quite the romp of the first, and the maudlin tone of the interwar period is well captured.

Finishing the set, we shoot forward another twenty-or-so years into a Cold War world very different from the earlier two stories. Perhaps this shift explains why Black Butterfly is the most Bond-like of all the novels.

Lucifer has now risen to the top of the ranks of the Secret Service, and is not shy off being retired. Of course, there remains one last adventure to be had. As expected, there is a sense of mortality that hangs over this one like a black cloud, but that does not stop our hero getting his end away on a regular basis. Despite the bisexual Box having at it with all sorts, this one is a played a little straighter than the previous two.

If you’re after a bit of light Christmas reading, and like your heroes a little different, you could do much worse than check these three out.

What are your legs?

Springs. Steel springs.

What are they going to do?

Hurl me down the track.

How fast can you run?

As fast as a leopard.

How fast are you going to run?

As fast as a leopard!

Then let's see you do it!

Something has happened. New Town Road, New Town. November 2010.

I've got to go to Ross today.

Ross.

I hope that there are no zombies in Ross. I suspect that zombies may well be responsible for the death of the poor chair featured above.

I count five Mr Men books on his lap. Care to hazard a guess as to who feature?

We call it Babel II. The living room, Geilston Bay. November 2010.

If the boys let me, I can just about manage to get the Lego Duplo tower all the way to the ceiling.

Then the race is on to knock the bugger down! For some reason, my children seem to take a profound and personal offence to the wonderful and impressive constructions...