This will hurt me...

Ezra scoots in amongst the vegetation.

What's going on? Derwent Avenue, Lindisfarne. January 2012. Happy birthday Jen! You don't look a day over [please insert most appropriate age here] ! Implosions , Adrienne Rich The world's not wanton only wild and wavering I wanted to choose words that even you would have to be changed by Take the word of my pulse, loving and ordinary Send out your signals, hoist your dark scribbled flags but take my hand All wars are useless to the dead My hands are knotted in the rope and I cannot sound the bell My hands are frozen to the switch and I cannot throw it The foot is in the wheel When it's finished and we're lying in a stubble of blistered flowers eyes gaping, mouths staring dusted with crushed arterial blues I'll have done nothing even for you?

Hot day. Sunglasses. Hat. Calippo . For that moment, nothing else matters.

Who (or what) is being protected? Ford Parade, Lindisfarne. January 2012. Two books this week, with one departure of the norm and another collection of short stories from an unknown German. The first is Tasmanian Tiger Ed Cowan’s In The Firing Line . Essentially the diary of the Australian domestic cricket season as seen through a player [then] on the periphery of the international game, Cowan struck lucky to decide on this endeavour the year that Tasmania won its second Shield title. While these books are often dry affairs, Cowan is both brutally honest in his assessment of himself, his cricket and the impact of his chosen career path on his loved ones. Moreover, he offers great insight with some considered and oft-unspoken views on the state of State cricket in Australia and the future of the game. I was particularly drawn to his observation on the effect of Twenty20 on both the domestic and international game. His frank and portrait of life as one of the invisible ‘not quite top-run

Ez has a new pet. Unfortunately it is dead.

A rock set among the shells. Derwent foreshore, Bellerive Boardwalk. January 2012. A very special Theme Thursday today, and all that I am seeking is a little BALANCE. It's Australia Day you see, and I hate Australia Day. Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate Australia (some of my best friends are Australians!), I hate Australia Day . I hate the dickheads who shout AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE all day. I hate the pissed dickeads. I hate the dickheads decked out in Australian flag thongs , Australian flag shorts , Australian flag singlets , Australian flag hats waving little Australian flags . In the course of my lifetime Australians have gone from taking pride in their wry snub of ostentatious hubris and wrapping oneself in bits of cloth representing an empty symbolism to the kind of moronic culture that fuses heavy drinking, wrapping oneself in bits of cloth representing an empty symbolism and the kind of macho aggressive xenophobic posturing that has always been present bu

Just a couple of dudes sitting down, shooting the breeze and waiting for something to happen...

Hoe he'e nalu down south. Calverts Beach, January 2012. I thought that this Watery Wednesday I'd share an image that demonstrates just how much Hoe he'e nalu has taken Tasmania by storm. If you're not familiar with Hoe he'e nalu - or stand up paddle surfing for those of you who don't speak Hawaiian - it is an ancient form of surfing, and for a time was the preserve of surfing instructors to keep an eye on large groups of students. Now it seems that every bugger and his dog are in on it! Some claim that the Hoe he'e nalu craze can be explained by the ease with which beginners can master the art, and the excellent inner core workout that you get from all of that stand up paddling. However, I remain unconvinced by these explanations. My own theory is that in standing up, one’s legs and arms are not dingling and dangling in the water, tasty little treats for any passing Great White. Moreover, if you do happen to spot a roaming monster of the deep – which

Ezra takes aim at cars flying Australian flags. At present, he has three. We're aiming for at least ten by Australia day...

The prettiest building in Battery Point? Coleville Street, Battery Point. January 2012. Tuesday Q and A and I continue to steal questions from Sunday Stealing. This week I am stealing The Never Ending Meme, Part Three . 36. Have you watched American Horror Story? I’ve never even heard of American Horror Story? 37. Baseball hat or toque? I had to look up the word ‘toque’ (clue: it’s what The Edge from U2 has worn for the past twenty years). I wear neither. If I’m going to wear a hat, I need some protection from the sun, like a slouch hat. 38. Do you shampoo or soap up first in the shower? Shampoo. Usually. 39. Wet the toothbrush or brush dry with the toothpaste? Wet. Every time. 40. Pen or pencil? Pencil. I’m still using a pen without a license. 41. Have you ever gambled at a casino? Not even once. It’s a mug’s game. 42. Have you thrown up on a plane? No. 43. Have you thrown up in a car? Not that I can recall. This does not mean it has never happened though... 44. Have you thrown up at

Eat your heart out Gordon Ramsay!

The Internet is a wonderful place filled with the rich and varied treasures of the world holds (as well as numerous illiterate cats.) The following are some things that I've had a look at in the last week. I call this: a Compendium of Click-throughs for Monday Morning... What were people thinking about the Nazis in 1960? Fair dinkum, try these lentil burgers ... A question to ponder: do Sports Build Character or Damage It? Fairness? Unlikely... The Wealth Gap - Inequality in Numbers . How did the blokes that own Russia manage to own Russia?

Like reality television 'stars' and zoo animals, my children tolerate the camera in their faces remarkably well...

The blue flower. Royal Botanical Gardens, Hobart. October 2011. Sunday Top Five? Okay, and easy one: Five Things That Small Children Are Extremely Good At . Noise . My oh my are they good at making noise... Whining . There are days where any topic becomes subject to the whine. Henry is a master of whining. He can even whine a "thank you". Stickiness . My theory is that it must seep through the pores. Honestly, you can not have any sugar in the house, but let them loose on your computer and you can be guaranteed of stickiness. Mess . Three books and a ball. A three year old can some make three books and a ball look like Beruit circa 1983. Fussiness . Have you ever been told that your mash potatoes are "too spicy"? Ihave. Yes, potatoes, a pinch of salt and knob of butter is "too spicy". Hell, at times I've been told that a glass of plain milk is "too spicy".