This will hurt me...

Looking forwards... ...Looking back.

Coming back. Hope Beach, South Arm Peninsula. May 2013. No falcons, but quite a few gulls... The Second Coming , William Butler Yeats Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. Surely some revelation is at hand; Surely the Second Coming is at hand. The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand; A shape with lion body and the head of a man, A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun, Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds. The darkness drops again but now I know That twenty centuries of stony sleep Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle, And what roug

Get down of the pyramid boys! Everybody down from the pyramid!

Mushrooms, they're great all-rounders! Lake Dobson, Mount Field National Park. April 2013. The Whispering Muse , Sjón: A lovely blend of imagery and allusion that draws heavily on the seafaring myths of various nations. At the end of the book, narrator responds to the assertion that he has changed since returning from the voyage recounted in the book with another question: "What is the point of travelling if not to broaden your mind?" An odd little lyrical beauty, I really liked it very much. B+ . Modern British Posters: Art, Design and Communication , Paul Rennie: essentially a history of the modern British poster from 1915 to 1970. Even moreso, it serves as a decent history of British society, culture, politics and the economy in that period. C+ . St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves , Karen Russell: This collection of short stories is at times creative, imaginative and fun. However, all too frequently, the stories simply end, without resolution. Now

Ezra's pre-shorn impression of the wild man of Borneo.

The view down. The top of Shot Tower, Taroona. May 2013. Theme Thursday today and I shall consider things that are SMOOTH, and things that are not SMOOTH. The sweet soulful tones of Marvin Gaye expressing his need for a carnally oriented therapeutic remedy are SMOOTH. The shrill tones of imbecilic media gawkers whose opinion equates to the spasmodic orgasmic delight at the spilling of blood is most decidedly not SMOOTH. The subtle glide of George Clooney as he glissades behind an inconversant seraphic maiden and whisks her off to his bedchamber is SMOOTH. The oafish grunts, thrusts and uncouth posturing of Vladimir Putin as he paws at some guileless strumpet and presents some freshly butchered endangered animal in the attempt to secure some cheap bestial gratification is in no way SMOOTH. Rocks can be SMOOTH as you promenade along the beach skipping stones and gazing at gulls. Rocks are rarely SMOOTH when you're tumbling down the face of a cliff, clawing for some

Six kilometres down Henry, another one to go...

Waratah Anemones. Flowerpot Point, Blackmans Bay. June 2013. Wordless Wednesday. More Waratah Anemones. Flowerpot Point, Blackmans Bay. June 2013.

Quite right Ezra. Quite right.

Late afternoon. Looking north from Lindisfarne. June 2013. Alas, stealing again from Sunday Stealing. Have and Q and A: The Unlucky 13 Meme 1. On average, how long does it take you to get ready for work/ school/ a day or night out? Three minutes. 2. If you could ask your favourite author one question about the book(s) they wrote, what would it be? I'm never that keen to spoil the mystique and step inside the sausage factory. I would be keen to ask Antony Beevor for some tales about working in the Russian archives. 3. What do you think is the hardest thing about growing up? Ensuring that you do the right thing. 4. Who would you rather switch places with for a day: your favourite celebrity, or your favourite fictional character? I'm not in the slightest bit interested in celebrity. Wouldn't it be more interesting to step in (I dunno) Superman or Iron Man's shoes than some neurotic actor with attachment issues? 5. Who would you rather have point out a

10,000 tastebuds? Can you count them all?

Baby Pandani. Lake Dobson, Mount Field National Park. April 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... National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2013 (Part 2) . Mr. Balls! Did you know that less time separates us from Tyrannosaurus rex then separated T. rex from Stegosaurus? Click to read more on Dinosaur Time... How typeface influences the way we read and think. Brilliant photo essay on World Refugee Day 2013. The World’s Population Mapped by Latitude and Longitude. Why We Should Rethink the Eight-Hour Workday. Can Women's Magazines Do Serious Journalism? Some people don't think so... Have you seen Russell Brand on MSNBC yet? 19 Mind-Blowing Details You Missed in Famous Works of Art .

Cold or warm? You decide.

Nice day for a swim? Fossil Cove/ Soldiers Point, Tinderbox. May 2013. Sunday Top Five ? Anagrams For What? Cracker Ranch Enzyme. Crazy Manner Checker Chance Remark Cry Zen Cancer Czar Reek Hymn A Charmer Neck Cry Zen