This will hurt me...

It's a crab! Little Howrah Beach, July 2011. Today I am stealing the Q & A from The Manchester Guardian ! When were you happiest? Probably when I was young enough to know otherwise. What is your greatest fear? To be unnecessary. What is your earliest memory? Kevin Bartlett's goals in the 1980 Grand Final is the earliest I can put a date on. Which living person do you most admire, and why? ' Most ' is a very big call, but I've always admired how Václav Havel goes about his business. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Perfection discipline. What is the trait you most deplore in others? Indiscipline. Property aside, what's the most expensive thing you've bought? Ummmm. Maybe a computer. What is your most treasured possession? I'm not sure that I have one. Possessions are a little bit overrated. What would your super power be? Being able to poo money would be good. What makes you...

In Tasmania we celebrate Mother's Day much like those in other countries. Yes, we all partake in a form of modified Bullfighting featuring toddlers as matadors and ducks as he bulls!

What would a walk in the Tasmanian wilderness be without wildlife? Rubbish, that’s what! After unsuccessfully trying to locate a tiger snake, we did manage to get a look at a pademelon. It was lovely. It went beautifully with the matured cheddar and bottle of Pinot Noir that we bought with us!

Sharks have been in the news here in Australia today, another swimmer became breakfast for a Great White , another tried to eat the winning yacht in the Sydney to Hobart race , and some dudes in kayaks got a spectacular home movie to show when the get back to work. This is the closest I have been to a shark today, and at the moment Ezra's uppers are more of the gummy variety. Don't worry though, there are two little razor sharp beauties coming along nicely along the bottom. That's the thing about Australia you see, just can't move without bumping into a shark. Or a crocodile. The crocs are a whole other story ...

I have endeavoured to warn the world of the threat posed by rampaging wallabies previously on this blog , but did people listen? Of course they didn't! Some people seem to think that just because they're little, furry, cuddly and herbivores, wallabies are not brutal, godless killing machines . Thank the lord for the good folk in the proud state of Queensland (for our American friends, think Texas, only with cane toads, corruption and slow talking). One of the world's most respected newspapers, The Townsville Bulletin , has lifted the lid on the murky morass that is the moral quagmire of the elderly/marsupial relationship in the Smart State in the year 2008. As the bold graphic in the Bulletin piece says, these cold blooded killers are stalking seniors ! Consider these terrifying facts people: Faeces left on patios, with residents opening their back doors and stepping in it ! A vision impaired old dear was innocently hanging clothes on the washing line, only to discove...

Long-time readers of this blog will know of my commitment to alerting the world of dangerous creatures. Whether it is Argentinian terror-gnomes , Nazi squirrels or sexually aggressive seals , I pride myself in raising global awareness of specific threats. So, naturally my ears pricked up when I heard this tale from Queensland. With what appears to be no recourse to hyperbole whatsoever , colourful local identity Alwyn "Bones" Bailey has described a terrifying attack on his nine year old dirt magnet. Bones told an excited press corps that his presence alone saved the life of son Morgan, who would have been mauled to death by what may have been zombie herbivores, driven by a lust for blood . "It's deadset serious. Someone should get a gun and shoot the buggers," Mr Bailey argued. "They're not just friendly, cute little wallabies any more – they're killers !" "I had to belt him [the rampaging wallaby] across the face twice, then he came ...