This will hurt me...

Lost in the bush with a scarcity of food, Henry finally tried his broccoli eight days in...

Jennifer's legs. Clifton Beach, June 2011. I really really REALLY love this poem. It captures pretty much perfectly my feelings. I'd like to think that in the heart of all men in love lurks a Viking berserker... Your Hair of Snakes and Flowers , Håkan Sandell Hakan Sandell When I saw one of those men touch your hair, I heard for the first time in many a year the ancient battle trumpets and I saw the banners of an army winding off to war and felt that blind power urging me to knock him out with one punch, send him tumbling to the floor. If nobody had held me back, stopped me, I would—God help me—have killed him on the spot, stomped out his blood, and spit in it. I'm sorry, but you must be aware your winding hair is different now, a hornets' nest, a snakes' lair! Yes, like a ball of snakes in a flower basket, dear.

We spotted her off the bow about two mile so’ so’west. The great white whale: Moby Dick tossell.

Gulls as flags. Sandy Bay Rowing Club, Marieville Esplanade Sandy Bay. June 2011. For some reason unbeknownst to me the two excellent, substantive and thorough book reviews I’d drafted this week have disappeared! Thus you are stuck with the truncated versions. Sofia Petrovna by Lydia Chukovskaya: a fascinating rendering of the effect of Stalin’s Great Purge on one woman, written at the time by an author who similarly suffered. A decent read and a fascinating historical document. Well worth your time. The Pearl by John Steinbeck: based on a Mexican folk tale, an interesting story of the risks of bucking established patterns and roles in life. This colourful reconstruction on life as an indigenous Mexican pearl diver won’t challenge you too much, but it is worth a read.

Climbing climbing climbing climbing climbing climbing climbing climbing.

Sometimes a seagull just knows. Geilston Bay Jetty, Geilston Bay. June 2011. Seagulls are fascinating birds. Essentially ground nesting carnivores, they are equally adept at catching their food the ‘traditional’ way (i.e. alive and kicking) or scavenging whatever they can find opportunistically. Live food often generally means crabs and small fish, scavenging food can be just about anything, although they have a distinct fondness for chips and the odd Chicko Roll.

Now, we'd just hate it for a rock – say, like this one – to accidently smash your front windscreen. This is a good clean beach see. We'd HATE it to happen. That's why we operate this little enterprise. You pay us, and we make sure ‘accidents’ like that just don't happen. Capisce ?

Shutter speed slowed right down, with a twirl. Elizabeth Street Pier, June 2011. City lights. Street lights. Road signs. Cars cars cars. I rarely get the chance to muck about with the camera, but like to have a fiddle every now and then. I like to imagine that this one is really some kind of intergalactic speedway featuring all manner of Martians, Venusians, Mercurians, Uranuses and heaven knows who else ripped to the gills on membrosia and overtaken by a lust for competition. As always, it would end in tears and no little bloodshed.

I shudder to think what they found in there...

Watch out on those cliffs. Clifton Beach. June 2011. Sometimes I would like noting more than to sit out on these cliffs (out of the wind), and just watch the sea. For hours and hours and hours and hours. I don't think that there is anything dishonourable in running away from the world to live the life at sea for a time.

Training for the 100-yard smile for London 2012 is going along well. This doping-testing regime is a little strenuous though...

Looking north east. Lower Sandy Bay, June 2011. I am all set to launch of on an exciting and invigorating adventure, only I... a) don't have a boat; b) don't have a destination; and, c) haven't packed a lunch. Maybe tomorrow...

Henry versus the penguins: part XXVI

Stand into the wind girls! Long Beach, Sandy Bay. June 2011. A very special Sunday Top Five today, The Top Five Individually-Viewed Blog Posts On This Will Hurt Me Throughout The Long And Storied History Of The Production ! Vile, Racist Ad! A big blue sky and a Drabble too! Animals in sweaters! Badly drawn tigers! Soviet Russia Henry!