This will hurt me...

Have you ever picnicked on a rock? We have.

Snow Gum, Eucalyptus pauciflora. Lake Dobson, Mount Field National Park. April 2013. Marry me. Go on, I dare you to. To Friends behind a Frontier , Tomas Transtromer I I wrote so meagrely to you. But what I couldn't write swelled and swelled like an old-fashioned airship and drifted away at last through the night sky. II The letter is now at the censor's. He lights his lamp. In the glare my words fly up like monkeys on a grille, rattle it, become still, and bare their teeth. III Read between the lines. We'll meet in 200 years when the microphones in the hotel's walls are forgotten and can at last sleep, become trilobites.

Walk on Henry. Walk on.

Dead fish. Hope Beach, South Arm Peninsula. April 2013. 100 Days in Photographs: Pivotal Events That Changed the World , Nick Yapp: A stunning collection, if a little US-centric. B+ . The Body in the Library , Agatha Christie: A dated little murder mystery. By the numbers. C . The Inheritors , William Golding: A fantastically-rendered and irredeemably sad tale of the extinction of one of the last remaining Neanderthal tribes at the hands of the more advanced (yet malevolent) Homosapiens . The final chapter nails the tragedy of it all beautifully. A . After the Quake , Haruki Murakami: An odd little collection inspired by the 1995 Kobe earthquake. Uneven, but worthy. B . Marry Me , Dan Rhodes: I do love every new Dan Rhodes release. Marry Me is no different. Equal parts sour, bleak whimsy and savage whimsy inspired by the concept of marriage. As black as coal and funny as hell. I loved it. A .

Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Repeat.

Proud Gull. Boat Harbour. April 2013. It is another Theme Thursday and today sees a burst of CREATIVITY and a shot little piece that came to me on the walk to work. I call it Perception . Quiet Jim was the first of the old gang to die. It came as a bit of a shock to get the invite to his funeral on Facebook. There were five in our gang: me; Quiet Jim (he was the quiet one); Loud Jim (he was the loud one); Big Jim (he was the fat one); and Little Jim (he wasn't very little, but he was much smaller than Big Jim). They just called me ‘Mike’. It was a surprise to all of us that Quiet Jim was the first to go. He was so, well, quiet . Loud Jim drank too much, got into fights and generally wasn't a very nice person.Big Jim’s diet was terrible, he smoked like a chimney and the mere thought of exercise could send him into apoplexy. Little Jim (who really wasn't little at all) had a taste for bizarre sexual practices. I’m pretty laid back, but as an avid trainspotter am al...

Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Drop punt. Repeat.

Russell Falls. Mount Field National Park. April 2013. Wordless Wednesday. Everyone at Russell Falls. Mount Field National Park. April 2013.

Jen and Ezra slowly make their way around Lake Dobson. Before it starts snowing.

Dead penguin. Marion Bay, Tasmania's East Coast. April 2013. Sunday Stealing: The 5000 Question Meme Continues... Part Six 121. Have you ever lost someone without having the chance to say goodbye? Yes. To be honest, sometimes having the chance to say goodbye is harder. 122. How do you feel about women in politics? It depends on the woman, doesn't it. There are good ones and bad ones, much like people with a penis. 123. Would you rather have an indoor Jacuzzi or an outdoor pool? An outdoor pool. Hopefully with a sauna by the side. 124. What things are you interested in that you study or read about regularly? Lots of things! History, people, society, geography, nature. Just a few little things. 125. Would you consider yourself to be intelligent? Well... modesty forbids... [ahem]... OF COURSE I DO! 126. Would you consider yourself to be wise? Less wise than intelligent, perhaps. 127. Have you ever given or received a lap dance? In a commercial sense? The...

Look! He moves like Jagger!

Autumn bodyboarding #1. Calverts Beach, South Arm Peninsula. May 2013. As you know, the Internet is a wonderful place filled with the rich and varied treasures of the world holds (and RSS feeds.) 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... Ridiculous Indie Rock Band Photos. An exploration of gendered book covers. Tax obscene profit levels? Mandness! The Invention of David Bowie. Autumn bodyboarding #2. Calverts Beach, South Arm Peninsula. May 2013. There’s a growing unease in modern society with the line between disease and difference. The New Yorker traces the historical roots of how we define disease – and how we gave doctors the power to decide. ‘The line between sickness and health, mental and otherwise, is not biological but social and economic,’ he writes. How is this for an opening paragraph? "This is the saddest moment in my 45 year career of studying,...

I'm walkin' here. Aye! I'm WALKIN' here!

Formally a crab. Bellerive Bluff, Bellerive. April 2013. A vintage Sunday Top Five today that I know the whole World has been waiting for. Yes, it is My Top Five Favourite Tracks By English Post-Punk Weirdos, The Fall! Blindness Totally Wired Theme From Sparta FC Reformation The Classical