I would not know how I am supposed to feel about many stories if not for the fact that the TV news personalities make sad faces for sad stories and happy faces for happy stories.

Exploring the boundaries. Bellerive Beach, Bellerive. August 2013.

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Have you ever clicked on an ad on the side of your screen by accident?

I used an ad blocker, so not for a very long time.

When was the last time you were disappointed?:

I'm often disappointed! The everyday Australian disappoints me all the time.

Do you like the smell of rain?

I love the smell of rain. Especially in a rainforest or on a remote beach somewhere.

What was the last thing you took a picture of?

A shadow.

When you go to McDonald's, what drink do you usually get?

A bottle of water.

What were you doing today at 2:15 in the afternoon?

It isn't 2:15 pm yet. What I will be doing is boarding a bus to head over the river and pick up the kids.

What's the nickname of your home state?

One of the less cruel nicknames is The Apple Isle.

What's the worst type of weather in your opinion?

Grey, cold and unmemorable. I don't mind heavy rain or storms, or the very cold days with a clear blue sky. The monotonous grey depresses me though.

Do you have a Kindle, Nook, iPad or none?

None of the above. The boys were given an iPad, but I never touch it.

Would you rather read or write?

It depends on my mood.

When was the last time someone took a picture of you?

Last weekend someone.

Do you own a pair of slippers?

I do indeed.

Name something negative that you hate about yourself:

'Hate' is a very strong word. Sometimes I wish that I had more patience.

Is your house currently hot, cold or just right?: ?:

It should be warming up nicely.

Is there a Dead End road near where you live?

Literally or figuratively? You might say yes to both.

Do you roll your eyes often?

I try not to.

Growing up, did you see your cousins often?:

Not really.

Where was your first job at?

Delivering newspapers.

When's your birthday?

It's in May.

Is life a party to you?

No, but I really don't like parties, so that's probably a good thing.

Who are you tired of seeing in the news a lot?

There's a reason that I don't watch TV news and rely instead on a conglomerate of RSS feeds.

When was the last time you flew a kite?

A couple of years ago now. I enjoy it more than the kids, I think.

How long have you had a blog?

Cripes. Going on seven years now.

Have you ever had to call and complain about a product you bought?

I have. It's usually more an issue of service.

Name something positive you love about yourself.

I'd like to think that I provoke thought in other people.

Ah, Joe, you never knew the whole of it...

I still have the robot on the job. Here you can see the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery . And here is a poem: Soliloquy for One Dead Bruce Dawe Ah, no, Joe, you never knew the whole of it, the whistling which is only the wind in the chimney's smoking belly, the footsteps on the muddy path that are always somebody else's. I think of your limbs down there, softly becoming mineral, the life of grasses, and the old love of you thrusts the tears up into my eyes, with the family aware and looking everywhere else. Sometimes when summer is over the land, when the heat quickens the deaf timbers, and birds are thick in the plumbs again, my heart sickens, Joe, calling for the water of your voice and the gone agony of your nearness. I try hard to forget, saying: If God wills, it must be so, because of His goodness, because- but the grasshopper memory leaps in the long thicket, knowing no ease. Ah, Joe, you never knew the whole of it... I like Bruce Dawe. He just my be my favourite Austral...

There was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong.

Here is a self portrait. I’m calling it Portrait of a lady in a dirty window . Shocking, isn’t it? However, it is apt! Samhain , Nos Galan Gaeaf , Hop-tu-Naa , All Saints , All Hallows , Hallowmas , Hallowe'en or HALLOWEEN . It’s Theme Thursday and we’re talking about the festivals traditionally held at the end of the harvest season. Huh? No wonder Australians have trouble with the concept of HALLOWEEN. For the record, in my thirty-two L O N G years on the planet, I can’t say I’ve ever seen ghosts ‘n goblins, trick ‘n treaters or Michael Myers stalking Tasmania’s streets at the end of October. [That said, I did once see a woman as pale as a ghost turning tricks that looked like Michael Myers in late November one time.] Despite the best efforts of Hollywood, sitcoms, and innumerable companies; it seems Australians are impervious to the [ahem] charms of a corporatized variant of a celebration of the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darke...

In dreams begin responsibilities.

A life at sea, that's for me, only I just don't have the BREAD. That's right, Theme Thursday yet again and I post a photo of a yacht dicking about in Bass Strait just off Wynyard. The problem is, I am yet again stuck at work, slogging away, because I knead need the dough . My understanding is that it is the dough that makes the BREAD. And it is the BREAD that buys the yacht. On my salary though, I will be lucky to have enough dough or BREAD for a half dozen dinner rolls. Happy Theme Thursday people, sorry for the rush.

This will hurt me...

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