This will hurt me...

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.

Fronds or buds? East Derwent Highway, November 2012. Sunday Top Five and Christmas is coming! Which reminds me, Five Words That Best Sum Up Christmas To Me! Anticipation Ferment Delirium Exhaustion Astringency

Winter. St David's Park, Hobart. July 2012. I better rush out today's Top Five before the Limpicks run out of time (they are still going on, aren't they?). Anyway, in no particular order, My Top Five Official Olympic Logos That Are All A Damn Sight Better Than The Incestuous Monstrosity This Year!

Flame trees? Royal Botanical Gardens, Hobart. June 2012. Theme Thursday again and with the mood I have been in of late I thought that I'd hard pressed with this week's theme of INSPIRING THINGS. However, after putting a little bit of thought to it, I have indeed been reminded me that there are indeed some INSPIRING THINGS within my current purview: David Ireland's The Glass Canoe . After feeling the guilts for reading so little Australian literature, I'm hailing this 1976 book as a lost Australian classic . Seriously, this is a magnificent snapshot of an 'Australia' that I know, even if the blokes within don't make the cut for our glossy, cosmopolitan view of ourselves as a nation. Henry's fire . I love my Henry very much, but I've always had a spot of concern with his potential fragility . He's a lovely bloke, but I wouldn't want him to ever not have the confidence to stick up for himself. In this P.C. world of ours the 'gut i...

Wolves in the wood? Bears tucked under branches? Tigers in the trees? Actually, the most dangerous thing you'll find here are maybe a couple of rogue geese. The ducks are all talk.

A hole in the fence. Clarke Avenue, Battery Point. May 2012. Sunday Top Five day and this morning another reminder of the joys of children! Dear Little Ezra® came in to our bedroom this morning with some fanfare, announcing that it was his intention to vomit right there and then. Cue lots of frantic rushing about to ferry said child to toilet, get a hold of a large bowl for any other spillage and so on. I will confess to being slightly sceptical about the validity of the initial claim (this is my nature), I did set about addressing the strict list of demands advanced by my youngest son (while he convalesced in bed, ( my bed, with my wife and my electric blanket on). Anyway, this list of demands (i.e. breakfast) is today's list: Five Things That Ezra Requested (And Ate) For Breakfast, Thus Really Establishing The Fact That He Is Not - Contrary To His Claims Otherwise - In Fact Sick! A croissant(hot) A large bowl of Coco Pops 'Chex' (with milk) A large bowl o...

Spindly dongers (at least that's what Henry calls them) on trees. Royal Botanical Gardens, Hobart. April 2012. In the absence of another reader contribution (reader?), I am back to stealing from Sunday Stealing this week. Thus, I present to you Part Two of the Semi Charmed Meme 21. A better name for me would be: something German. Jürgen Grüßer or some such. 22. I have a hard time understanding: why people don’t ask more questions. 23. If I ever go back to school, I’d: enjoy myself more than the first few runs at it. 24. You know I like you if: you see me again. 25. If I ever won an award, the first person I’d thank would be: my lovely wife and children. 26. If I could bring back a TV show for a reunion it would be: Deadwood . 27. Take my advice, never: think that merit on its own will get you anywhere. 28. My ideal breakfast is: porridge with fresh raspberries. 29. A song I love, but do not own is: I honestly cannot think of one. If I ‘l...

The Emperor surveys his dominions...

Leaves and twigs in the water. Hot Springs Creek, Hastings Caves State Reserve. April 2012. If you ever decide to swim in the rivers and creeks of Tasmania, particularly those located in forests, consider shoes... The Pig , Roald Dahl In England once there lived a big And wonderfully clever pig. To everybody it was plain That Piggy had a massive brain. He worked out sums inside his head, There was no book he hadn't read. He knew what made an airplane fly, He knew how engines worked and why. He knew all this, but in the end One question drove him round the bend: He simply couldn't puzzle out What LIFE was really all about. What was the reason for his birth? Why was he placed upon this earth? His giant brain went round and round. Alas, no answer could be found. Till suddenly one wondrous night. All in a flash he saw the light. He jumped up like a ballet dancer And yelled, "By gum, I've got the answer!" "They want my bacon slice by slic...

Turning over an old leaf. Royal Botanical Gardens, Hobart. April 2012. > The Cinnamon Peeler , Michael Ondaatje If I were a cinnamon peeler I would ride your bed And leave the yellow bark dust On your pillow. Your breasts and shoulders would reek You could never walk through markets without the profession of my fingers floating over you. The blind would stumble certain of whom they approached though you might bathe under rain gutters, monsoon. Here on the upper thigh at this smooth pasture neighbour to you hair or the crease that cuts your back. This ankle. You will be known among strangers as the cinnamon peeler's wife. I could hardly glance at you before marriage never touch you --your keen nosed mother, your rough brothers. I buried my hands in saffron, disguised them over smoking tar, helped the honey gatherers... When we swam once I touched you in the water and our bodies remained free, you could hold me and be blind of smell. you climb...

Careful of the drips with your lens. Princes Street, Sandy Bay. September 2011. The Lucky 33 Meme [part 2]! 17. Do you know how to do the macarena? I most certainly do not! 18. Is the sun shining where you are now? Absolutely and I am loving it. 19. Do you think clowns are cute or scary? I think that clowns are supremely unfunny . 20. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? A little less frayed around the edges would be nice. 21. Would you be my good angel or bad angel? I'd be an ambiguous angel. 22. What color eyes do you have? Seal brown. 23. Ever been married? Just the once. 24. Bottle or Draft? As I stated last week, I am against the draft. Also, I am very anti-bottling bonsai kittens. 25. If you won £10,000 today, what would you do with it? Exchange it to Australian dollars and quickly deposit in the bank. 26. What kind of bubble gum do you prefer to chew? I am not a bubble gum kind of dude. 27. What's your favorite bar to hang at? Monkey bar...

By mere burial man arrives not at bliss; and in the future life, throughout its whole infinite range, they will seek for happiness as vainly as they sought it here, who seek it in aught else than that which so closely surrounds them here - the Infinite .

When you are heading into work for yet another long day, you tend to cling to any bit of beauty you can find. East Derwent Highway, the Lindisfarne/Geilston Bay border. December 2010. I’ll call this one Thirty-five Words … Where is your cell phone? Charging Relationship? Exultant Your hair? Brown Work? Policy Your sister? None Your favourite thing? Serenity Your dream last night? Opportunities Your favourite drink? Coffee Your dream car? Feet The room you’re in? Exposed Your shoes? Sneakers Your fears? Rational What do you want to be in 10 years? Relaxed Who did you hang out with this weekend? Children What are you not good at? Apologising Muffin? Savoury One of your wish list items? Sleep Where you grew up? Coast Last thing you did? E-mail What are you wearing? Clothes What aren’t you wearing? Watch Your pet? Absent Your computer? Serviceable Your life? Emerging Your mood? Tired Missing? Always What are you thinking about right now? Thighs Your car? Huh? Your kitchen? Open Your summer...

This is not a cherry tree. Lindisfarne, November 2010. The Eucalyptus down here in Tasmania are evergreen, which means that I get to enjoy the leaves all year round! Covered with oil glands, Eucalyptus leaves have a wonderful odour. In fact, Eucalyptus oil is a wonderful thing. Great for relieving the symptoms of flu and colds, it also has antibacterial effects on pathogenic bacteria in the respiratory tract. Inhaled eucalyptus oil vapour is a decongestant and treatment for bronchitis. What other things can this marvellous thing do? Well I’m glad you asked! Stay tuned for tomorrow's exciting conclusion to THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF EUCALYPTUS ! Eucalyptus , how I love thee! Meanwhile, have a poem about another tree... Loveliest of Trees, the cherry now , by A.E. Houseman Loveliest of trees, the cherry now Is hung with bloom along the bough, And stands about the woodland ride Wearing white for Eastertide. Now, of my threescore years and ten, Twenty will not come again, And take from sev...

Autumn on Parliament Lawns. May 2010. I know that it is Autumn, but it is feeling more like winter. I must have taken this one in the first week of May, as these trees are nearly nude now. It's kind of sexy, only the cold takes the edge off the excitement...

Parliament lawns in Autumn. May 2010. May 7. 127 days into the year. 238 days to go. 65 years since the Germans surrendered. It's my birthday and with any luck I'll be getting presents.

It's official, Autumn is here! Here, Henry is doing an excellent impersonation of Robert Frost .

Showcasing the excellent zoom on my camera, this snap was taken laying flat on my back underneath a very tall tree. The leaf in question was very near to the top, a good seven or so metres away. I quite like this one. Here is a poem based upon an unfortunate experience that I had just last Sunday evening... To find a poo To find a poo is a shock. "Whose poo are you?" Looking hither, looking thither. The culprit remains at large.