This will hurt me...

The G.O.A.T. meets the goat.

Flammable. Fossil Cove Drive, Tinderbox. December 2012. Still warm down here in Tasmania. A heat-wave , if you will. Before you lot stuck snowbound up at the top end of the world get too jealous let me remind you of bushfires, sticky nights and smelly buses... She Asked You , Vladimir Holan A girl asked you: What is poetry? You wanted to say to her: You are too, ah yes, you are and that in fear and wonder, which prove the miracle, I'm jealous of your beauty's ripeness, and because I can't kiss you nor sleep with you, and because I have nothing and whoever has nothing to give must sing... But you didn't say it, you were silent and she didn't hear the song.

Heading out to bat...

Faith. Greek Orthodox Church, Antill Street, South Hobart. January 2013. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder: A cosmic exploration into the meaning of life (and death). Heavy going for such a short novel. C+ . Extreme Animals: The Toughest Creatures on Earth , Nicola Davies: In many respects, this stands as a paean to the magnificent Tardigrade . Excellent stuff. B+ . Inside Hitler's Bunker: The Last Days of the Third Reich , Joachim Fest: The definitive text on the subject, it seems almost passée but I defy anyone to read this book and not put it down every few pages and scratch your head wondering how things ever got to where they did in Germany. Frightful. A- .

Ezra catches some rays and hopes that the bushfires keep themselves well-contained.

Southern brown bandicoot. Howrah bike path. December 2012. Theme Thursday and it is bushfire season AGAIN . Every year it seems that the combination of heat, wind and a whole lot of plants that have evolved a variety of strategies to survive/ require bushfires make for a torrid time down here at the arse end of the world ™. Yes, even the plants are against us. A whole host of our native flora posses epicormic shoots or lignotubers that sprout after a fire and have developed fire-resistant or fire-triggered seeds. Thus, they don't dislike fire, they love it! Indeed, the most dominant species actively encourages fire, as eucalypts contain flammable oils in the leaves that have probably evolved as a way to eliminate competition from less fire-tolerant species. So AGAIN we face the unenviable truth of another period of nail-biting and stressing. Here in Hobart it's been 33°C with strong winds with the forecast of 38°C tomorrow and with 45 km/h gusts spell a whole world of ...

Big stride Hen. Big stride.

Tea. Anzac Park, Lindisfarne. December 2012. Wordless Wednesday.

This one was taken in October. He already looks at least 2 years older!

Wires. Quayle Street, Sandy Bay. December 2012. Sunday Stealing: The 11/11 Questions meme What is your favourite possession? Probably my camera. Do you like to read? If so, which books do you love best? I love to read. I'll read most things, so am not sure I can pin down any particular type that I "love best". My list of favourites contain a lot of dark novels, however. Do you have any pets? No. Unless you count two rug rats. What was your favourite food as a child? Is it the same now? I probably liked sausages best. I still do, but I don't think that they are my 'favourite' any more. What is your favourite thing about blogging? Interacting with people from all over the world. If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Somewhere close to the beach. What is your favourite number? Seven! Which of these things would you find hardest to give up for a year? Chocolate, reading, coffee or smoking? Reading. Without a doubt. I've ne...

Henry, or Lesley Hornby? YOU decide!

Shed. Opossum Bay. December 2012. C'mon, it's the HOLIDAYS!!!!

Henry or Ezra? I'm not ever certain that I can tell!

Ferns. Waverley Flora Park, Bellerive. December 2012. Sunday Top Five ? Okay, My Top Five Reasons For Not Doing A Top Five Today! I don't feel like it. I REALLY don't feel like it. Whining children are annoying me. I have washing to hang out. I don't feel like it.