This will hurt me...

Lineup. East Derwent Highway, the Lindisfarne/Geilston Bay border. September 2013. Theme Thursday ? FASCINATION? Words. Birds. Long dead musicians. Colours. Directions. Computer games. Memories memories memories memories memories memories. Noise. Silence. Space. Space. Space. Peace and aggression.

Polite. East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. August 2013. The Gardener from Ochakov , Andrey Kurkov: I had been anxiously awaiting the latest from my favourite Ukrainian author, and it didn't disappoint. A time-travel adventure (a theme this week) with a light touch, I'm not sure whether Kurkov is satirising or indulging in a bit of post-Soviet nostalgia. As we often see in Kurkov's books, there is a clash of the mundane - tracksuits, minibuses, homemade vodka - and the surreal - knife-wielding gangsters from 1950s Soviet Union. I really enjoyed it. B+ . The Time Machine , H.G. Wells: The classic of the genre, it's a surprise to see just how much the story is interwoven with Darwinian and Marxist theory. The 19th Century was one hell of a trip! I reckon that it stands up. Well worth your time. B+ . Me Talk Pretty One Day , David Sedaris: A collection of essays by Jerri Blank's brother (that's who David Sedaris will always remain in my heart). Some of the ...

Self portrait. East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. July 2013. The Weird Question Meme, Part Two What is your ring size? Your guess is as good as mine! How often do you wear jewellery? I wear a wedding ring. None other than that. When was the last time you consumed alcohol? I had a small glass of beer with the pork roast the other night. Any big plans for the summer? Lots of diving. Lots of photos. Lots more National Parks. What is your favourite comfort food? It's hard to go past chips. Do you prefer broccoli or asparagus? Probably broccoli. Asparagus is fine though. What colour are your bedroom walls? White chocolate (according to the tin). With whom do you live? One lady and two gentlemen. Which Star Wars movie is your favourite? The Empire Strikes Back . They're supremely overrated as a series though. How about Harry Potter? Never read or seen one. What was the last movie you saw in theatres? Wreck It Ralph . Not bad. ...

Spikey plant. East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. July 2013. Sunday Top Five today sees Henry and I compile our Top Five Tracks From The Late Great Dusty Springfield (This Sunday)! The Look Of Love You Don't Have to Say You Love Me I Only Want to Be with You Breakfast in Bed What Have I Done To Deserve This (with the Pet Shop Boys)

These fellows demonstrate World's best practice ™ when it comes to walking home from school.

Letter. East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. July 2013. The Moon is Down , John Steinbeck: Wartime propaganda at its best. By all accounts it was quite a success in occupied Europe during WWII. I can see why. The American critics hated it at the time. B- . A Clergyman's Daughter , George Orwell: Perhaps Orwell's most lesser-known work. He apparently left instructions that after his death it was not to be reprinted. After reading it, I can see why. D .

It's always easy heading into work in Winter. East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. July 2013. No work for the next two weeks! HOORAH! Let's celebrate with a Q and A. The Wish List Meme, part two 26.) If you had to order from a kid's menu, what would you get? Do they have squid and chips? 27.) Do you speak any other languages? ? Nein. 28.) Do you use Twitter? Sparingly. You can find me here . 29.) Do you go onto YouTube? On occasions. Click here . 30.) Do you play Angry Birds? I've played a few rounds. Ezra, in particular, loves it. 31.) Do you like theme parties? I hate them. 32.) Do you like current cartoons? Some of them are okay. I quite like SpongeBob , Chowder and Super Hero Squad . 33.) Have you ever cried because you were so happy? I'm not sure. It doesn't sound like me. 34.) Who would you like to see in concert? Franz Liszt. 35.) Can you swim well? I can swim reasonably well. I wouldn't win many r...

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?

Walking home in slow motion. East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. April 2013. The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes , Bill Watterson: There is a lot of good stuff in this compendium, unfortunately it is a little marred by an uneven selection. B . The Map As Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography , Katharine Harmon: A collection of work from contemporary artists who have utilised the idea of the map to express their vision. Using paint, food, salt, souvenir tea towels, nude bodies, and a whole lot more, you can see how artists have been able to explore a world free of geographical constraints. B- . Doctor Fischer of Geneva, or The bomb party , Graham Greene: A dark little exploration of greed, desperation and hatred. It's as bleak as all hell. B .

A fence is a fence. East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. April 2013. Fences? Pffffftt! In Ostrobothnia , Gosta Agren Here each town is a footnote to the forest's melancholy mass of text, here the horizon bares its teeth. Here freedom shrinks to restlessness. Here necessity grows into tranquility. One travels aways in an attempt to prevent what must happen. One stays here, and as the years go by life grows simplified until there are left only earth and sky.

Electioneering. East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. April 2013. Sunday Stealing: The 5000 Question Meme, Part Three A 51. Make up a definition for the following silly words... Fruitgoogle : A very private part of a lady. Ambytime : That point when a binge drinker passes the point of no return. Asscactus : A particularly intimidating sex toy. 52. What was the last thing you made with your own hands? I made an impressive space shuttle out of Klikko the other day. 53. What was your favourite toy as a child? Sand. 54. How many TV’s are in your house? Just the one. It’s rarely ever on these days, thankfully. 55. What is your favourite thing to do outside? Walking, swimming or taking photos. 56. How do you feel when you see a rainbow? I can’t say that I feel anything in particular. 57. Have you ever dreamt a dream that came true? Indeed I have. A naughty dream it was too… 58. Have you ever been to a psychic/ tarot reader? No. I don’t think that I could keep ...

Ezra and Henry take their own turn at fire watching.

No spitting...

I've got the power! East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. December 2012. Theme Thursday ? FAITH?!?! Cripes. I have FAITH that Satan Claws will make it through and deliver us some presents... I have FAITH that at least one of my children will spend the bulk of the Christmas period moaning... I have FAITH that it will either a) rain on Christmas day (thus spoiling the planned beach picnic lunch) or b) it will be a splendid day but that I will have developed a cold/ strained another muscle/ develop a migrane... I have FAITH that someone will do something nice for someone somewhere in the World... I have FAITH that someone will treat someone incredibly bad somewhere in the World... I have FAITH that some good will come of it... I have FAITH that some bad will come of it... I have FAITH that the world will keep revolving...

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

Not yet. Intersection of Golf Links Road and East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. September 2012. This week I finished Cop This Lot by 'Nino Culotta', the sequel to the hugely popular They're a Weird Mob . Largely the comic tale of rough-hewn Australian's abroad (in the early-1960s), like its predecessor it has aged surprisingly well. Worth a look. C+ .

Grass will grow. East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. August 2012. 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... Bare necessity? The public health implications of removing pubic hair. France faces up to her past. Allowed itself to be tied to one man's (anti-American) agenda. Overpromised on leaks it never delivered, overhyped ones it did. Cavalier in not redacting dissidents' names. Once seemed a game-changer; now a one-man soap opera... How WikiLeaks Blew It. It seems quite simple really. How is rape defined in different countries? It's not about the outcomes... Gillard and Abbott’s ‘race to the top’ to support private schools. On that: The membrane that surrounds the political debate over school education policy is highly resilient. In this b...

ACHTUNG! East Derwent Highway, Lindisfarne. July 2012. I'm in Launceston today (should be getting my speech notes finished up about now), but that won't stop the Q and A. Yet again, it is filched from Sunday Stealing,the The Authentic Meme . This week, with a picture! 1. How long have you been blogging? Over six long years. 2. Did you go to college? I went to college and university! 3. Where have you travelled? A lot less places than I would like to! Look up last week’s response and will get an idea... 4. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for? I am rarely mistaken for anybody these days, but in my time I have had references to (one-time) Australian quick Brendan Julian ; a young Jeff Goldblum ; Scott Baio (there is a story to that one); and the bass player from Blur. 5. What are your three biggest pet peeves? Wilful ignorance, a lack of integrity and intellectual snobbery. 6. What is your favourite movie? I shall cheat a little bit and say Krzys...

Go-to-sleep-forever berries? East Derwent Highway, Geilston Bay. July 2012. As you know, the Internet is a wonderful place filled with the rich and varied treasures of the world holds (and photos of a grumpy Ezra.) 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... Robert Hughes, the death of a grumpy genius railed in vain against the rise of stupidity ... Life has been pathologised to the point that fear is an abnormal anxiety, persistent sadness a mental illness - and psychiatry faces a crisis of legitimacy ... Not on Facebook? What kind of sad sicko are you? Skip the opening paragraph of this on, the story itself is a cracker. How Poon Lim survived for 133 days at sea, after his ship was torpedoed in 1942 . Bludgeoned sharks to death with his water jug; drank seagull blood and generally had a rough time of things... Do you find 'charisites' annoying? You might like this t...