Monday, March 28, 2022
Michael's 'descriptive writing' 2013
Friday, January 28, 2022
Mt Direction
Friday, December 24, 2021
Deleted Tweets
So I set up a thing to delete my old tweets. Just wipe everything up to about a month ago. And to regularly check in and delete as required.
Something has gone wrong and a bunch of tweets from 2019 have bobbed up.
Monday, December 20, 2021
Soothing / beeping
My psychologist’s practice is in a light industrial area. Earlier, I was in the waiting room and scribbling in my diary as the usual soothing ambient vibes wafted from the stereo. I was only there five minutes or so. Every 30 seconds a reversing forklift next door would enter the audio mix.
W h o o shhhhhhhhhhhhh. Plink. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...
Ooooooooooooohhh. Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh -ah. Plink. Shhhh BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...
Ssssshhhhh BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...
Tuesday, December 14, 2021
Tuesday pterodactyl bits
After a sweaty run and no breakfast this morning, I am now the lightest I have been since about 2010-ish. 97.4kg is still overweight but I am hopeful I can get lighter and also get my cholesterol down by my next check in January. I don't have a target weight but under 95 would be amazing. I am too slack to measure my waistline but I must, as that's more important for blokes than your weight by fair.
Tuesday, November 30, 2021
Michael's school journey ends
Michael has finished his Grade 12 exams* and had his school formal last week. His last event like this was the Grade 10 leavers dinner, which wasn’t a huge success. But he’s a more outgoing and confident person now, and he was looking forward to this one with just a touch of nerves.
I took him to Les Lees to hire a suit. They are always really lovely in there, and they made everything very easy. Michael went straight for a tux without seriously considering any other options.
Mum on the drums
On Saturday Michael and Elf and I went along to see Mum's ukelele band play. We sat with Sally and Marcus's girlfriend Miranda … we’re keen to keep her close to the family while he's away for three months.
The band is called the Fuschia House players. I didn’t know why but the leader explained it started with a small group who would meet at the Fuschia House in the Botanical Gardens to play. There were about 25 regular ukeleles with a ukelele banjo in there somewhere; accompanied by a pianist, a bass ukelele and our dear mum on the drums. Mum also played ukelele and sang a solo!
The program hummed along. It included Down Along The Dixie Line by Gillian Welch, a beautifully sad song which they sped up and made quite jolly. Mum introduced herself singing and playing Whispering Grass. I think this might be mum's first time ever singing solo for a crowd. She was a little wavery while speaking, but from her first note she sang loud and clear as a bell. Sally and I were so proud.
On the drums she was in her element! Mum has always had great rhythm – she bought herself some bongos way back in the sixties during the international bongo craze, which are still in the family. During her years as a potter she also made her own ceramic drums. She is always drumming around the house, as long as I can remember. In the last year she bought herself a 2nd hand snare drum and some other gear. On Saturday she presented a very Charlie Watts figure as she held down the beat with the brushes, beaming, low key but faultless.
These are stills from Sally’s short video of the encore, Blue Suede Shoes. We love ya mum!
Sunday, November 21, 2021
An afternoon in the study with dad
Sydney 1970s and 80s recollections
- Three cheeseburgers at McDonalds. Was my defiition of a perfect meal, for years.
- Auntie Lottie at Ashfield?
- Auntie Eve at Chatswood and 2nd/3rd cousins. Jeremy?
- Boat ramps, mussels. Fishing off Drummoyne jetty - caught leatherjacket and tiny bream.
- Ferry commuting, looking down at jellyfish. Hydrofoil to Manly.
- Ferry race.
- Crates of soft drink from Franklins. Had to pop two holes on top to drink.
- Wheat Chex.
- Buying pranks at Paddy's Market. Lost my leather Washington DC souvenir wallet Poppa gave me - someone returned it??
- Driving to Wendy's or Pete & Chris's. Delhi Road, Channel 10, Mars Field.
- Waratah Park - where Skippy was filmed. We saw ‘Skippy’, bounced on trampolines for the first time.
- Walk from Iron Cove Bridge to middle of Gladesville Bridge. Footpath unbearably hot.
- Wiseman’s Ferry Road, Cattai - dinosaurs?
- Phil Thaux Chemist
- RSL with Poppa. Birkenhead Point with Poppa. I bought a rubik's cube in the gist shop and went back the next day for a book on how to do it.
- Learning to swim in Drummoyne pool. Mrs Gill – flowery rubber headgear.
- John and Isla Konrads one lane pool next door.
- Early morning cartoons and Gene Autry.
- 1985 watching simulcast Midnight Oil concert Oils On The Water and recording it on my Akai deck; Poppa was worried it would damage his TV.
- Balmain market, I bought t-shirts.
- Festival of Sydney
- Boat trip with friend of Poppa's.
- Catching a bus in Victoria Road, riding to the city standing up and slipping around in sweaty thongs.


I remember driving past this place with the weirdest name: Peak Freans.
It looked like this below, but once It looked like these above.

Now it's a Bunnings.

Hobbyco shop George Street.

“Westfield Burwood was built on a slope which meant that it was the first centre that facilitated an incline mall design. This meant that the centre was a gently-ascending grade and that the levels were connected via a system of ramps, stairs and escalators. The centre also featured a circular stage and an ornate air fountain which shoots controlled compressed air with metallic coloured balls in the air.” - Wikipedia