This will hurt me...

Table Soccer II. Henry Fights Back!

Dinosaurs! Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Launceston. February 2012. As far as I can tell, this poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is * NOT * about dinosaurs. As someone who regularly works without hope, I'm not certain that I agree with Mr Coleridge. Work without Hope , Samuel Taylor Coleridge All Nature seems at work. Slugs leave their lair - The bees are stirring - birds are on the wing - And Winter slumbering in the open air, Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring! And I the while, the sole unbusy thing, Nor honey make, nor pair, nor build, nor sing. Yet well I ken the banks where amaranths blow, Have traced the fount whence streams of nectar flow. Bloom, O ye amaranths! bloom for whom ye may, For me ye bloom not! Glide, rich streams, away! With lips unbrightened, wreathless brow, I stroll: And would you learn the spells that drowse my soul? Work without Hope draws nectar in a sieve, And Hope without an object cannot live.

Meanwhile, just behind the grassy knoll...

I want to break free... East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. April 2012. Two very different books this week. The first is Judith Schalansky's Atlas of Remote Islands . Helpfully sub-titled Fifty Islands I have not visited and never will , this is a coffee-table book that combines hand drawn maps of fifty of the most remote and hostile islands on earth with brief, fable-like narratives of elements of their histories on the facing page. Schalansky grew up in East Germany in 1980 and, unable to journey far, (and like many of thus) she travelled via the atlas. This book continues these imaginary voyages. Especially fascinated by isolated islands and tales of prisoners, castaways, natives and colonists, she has developed a book that draws the reader into these journeys. Not for everybody, but if this sounds appealing I would bet that you'd like it. Recommended for atlas-fanciers. Second up is Up The Junction by Nell Dunn. Controversial at the time of its release in 1963, it depicts c...

Fearing the collapse of civilisation as we know it, and acutely aware of Tasmania's strategic location in terms of the forthcoming resource wars; Henry and Ezra have begun to construct a mighty fortress that shall withstand hordes of assorted barbarians, infidels, traitors, rapscallions, brigands, scoundrels, wastrels, ne'er-do-wells, blackguards, deadbeats, desperados, hoodlums, malefactors, miscreants, reprobates, ruffians, scalawags and wretches. That should keep us safe for a while...

Cliffs at Clifton Beach. Clifton Beach. April 2012. Oops. Theme Thursday and I really forgot to ORGANISE myself and pre-post today. My apologies. I will not let it happen again.

Ezra crosses codes and demonstrates that the might of the Essendon Football Club is felt even in the wild and woolly field of table soccer !

Quite. The corner of King and Princes Streets, Sandy Bay. April 2012. Wordless Wednesday.

I can only assume that the wish involved computer games...

The weather may have turned, but the flowers abide. Royal Botanical Gardens, Hobart. March 2012. Tuesday again. That of course means that it is time for another Q and A stolen from Sunday Stealing! This week: The April No Fools' Meme 1. What was the last clothing item that you bought? The last time I bought clothes I actually purchased two items: a new jacket for winter and a pair of jeans. For as long as I remember, I have always worn my clothes ‘loose’, and since Christmas I have actually lost a bit of weight. These two factors have meant that my clothes are now all far too big for me to wear. Thus, there has been a significant rollover in terms of my wardrobe of late, and I expect that it will continue. 2. If you could stay one age forever, what age would you choose? I don’t like this question much because of the implications that it holds! Physically, twenty-one is a good age. The body held up well to pressure and I looked good. The brain is another matter. There remains somet...

Like that guy who played that guy who was the brother of that guy who was played by Colin Friels in classic Rocky knock off Australian iron man -inspired piece of Cinéma vérité The Coolangatta Gold , Ezra is working hard for the money here...

The Internet is a wonderful place filled with the rich and varied treasures of the world holds (as well as pictures of dogs dressed in uncomfortable outfits.) 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... This Sweet and Spicy Green Beans recipe is a winner... Here is your chance to discover the links between yoga, Barbara Cartland, and the modern history of Iraq ... Here is a question: Is having children immoral? In more depressing reading, read how when endeavouring to stop a genocide, you must remember to please submit the correct form ... Speaking of some such, in Russia, Stalin seems to be enjoying a revival on school notebooks ... Lastly, a short piece on why mothers should ignore the myth of the 'the mama's boy' and keep their sons nice and close ...

I am not kidding when I say that Henry had about 3.5 kilograms of rocks and shells in his various pockets here. Hence the need to grasp strongly to avoid an indecent exposure charge...

The sun retreats behind Mount Wellington. Howrah Beach, March 2012. Sunday Top Five, and in response to the frightfully awful 'holiday' that is Easter Saturday, I present to you My Top Five Holidays That You Should Be Embracing This April Because They Are All Far Far Superior To The Nonsense That Is Easter Saturday! April 7: International Pillow Fight Day . Remember, this is International , so if you happen to see a foreigner, get the bastard! Quick bonus tip, a handy brick inserted into the pillow case gives you that little bit of extra power. April 12: Drop Everything and Read Day . What are you waiting for, get yourself a book and READ ! April 14: National Reach as High as You Can Day . A about setting and celebrating realistic goals. This is something that I can get behind... April 26: Hug an Australian Day . I know a couple of Australians who I might be hugging this day... April 27: Morse Code Day : .-. .. --. .... - --..-- / ... --- / -.-- --- ..- / .... .- ...- . / ... ....