Royal Wedding - official tea towel

I got in early so I'm not sure if you can still buy one, but there is a fetching 2011 budget t-shirt in store.

Butterfly

Blog happy loveliness

I got a lovely email. It was an email from a lovely person about my blog. Actually, I didn't receive the email directly, a lovely person received it and passed it on. About my blog it said:

Have you ever read it before? I really think that it's amazing. Really makes me happy!

And that, in turn, makes me happy!

Charlie

My mum likes to call Charlie Barney's cousin.

Charlie is really sick, and I'm sad for my brother and sister in law. I'm sad for Barney and me too, because I know one day we will be in the same horrible place.

Then I get cranky at myself, because sometimes I make myself think of these things when I know I get all sad. I get cranky at myself for being sad, then cranky that I get so upset about imaginary things when I should be upset about real life horrible things that happen in this world. And yet I turn on the news and it doesn't bring tears to my eyes, like the tears that are burning my eyes now just thinking about one sad thing that will happen one day. To a dog. Not a person, not a country full of people - but a dog. My dog, and Charlie dog.

But you know what? Dogs are special and they are loved and missed when they are gone. Dogs have funny personalities and do silly things. They have stories...like the time Charlie accidently ate a strangers whole roast chicken (foil and all) at a picnic ground. He may have eaten a loaf of bread too.

Charlie also came to visit one year when the plums were fruiting. He ate all the plums off the ground, like a big black plum hooverer. My dog, having lived through many seasons of plums without ever biting into one, all of a sudden became obsessed with plums. Couldn't get enough of them. Charlie went home and Barney never ate another plum again.

I hope Charlie rests up, and is given all the roast chicken he would ever want to eat. I hope he gets paddle pops and pats and lots of kisses, and has sweet dreams as he lies under the window in the sun.

Anzac Day

Frohe Ostern

He spent all day in this get up. So embarrassing!

Could you please make this is size adult?

Autumn in Gundaroo

While I'm away...

The dog will play. Thanks Gina, love Barney.

Happy Wedding to my favourite valentines couple

Once upon a time there was a girl called Julia and a boy called Rhys. They first met in the big smoke, in old Sydney town. They fell in love, and lived in Canberra… planning a life full of laughter, adventure and beagles called Humphrey. One day they moved to Perth, and from there they traveled far and wide. Dubrovnik will be a town forever in their hearts, clay topped roofs and the walled old town home to a proposal with a bright shiny ring. Fast forward to today 16 April 2011, and we are altogether in Gundaroo to celebrate their love, friendship and happiness. A town that will now make new memories for both the girl and boy and you and me too.

Incendies

Incendies follows the journey of two siblings to the Middle East as they try to find out the truth about their past. The film leaves you with a strong sense of this region and of the never ending war. It is a constant theme spanning the film and one of the characters lifetime. It is both beautiful and brutal.

Sleeping

Everlong

I've been toying around with the idea for an exhibition based on songs...more on the later. Tonight Rage programed Everlong by the Foo Fighters and it reminded me of the time I saw the Foo Fighters in Sydney, many years ago. The band left the stage and Dave Grohl played Everlong, an acoustic version. It was so beautiful I cried.

You can listen to it here

It is probably most uncool to like the Foo Fighters, but I love their earlier albums. I think Dave Grohl often writes beautiful lyrics, and they are songs I'm prone to play over and over. I haven't really listened to any of their new stuff, except for that terrible double album with the Best of You on it. Now there is one Foo Fighters song I just can't listen to anymore. The song is great, and I watched that video and played that song over and over again during a particularly difficult time in my life. It has such a strong association with that period that I'll do everything I can to avoid that song.

I just tested that, and got to about 30 seconds of the video clip. Maybe one day?

Reading...not....books

I know I'm doing terribly at my 52 books in 52 weeks. Expect a massive catch up in the second half of the year, unless I'm able to include some of the interesting reports I've been reading through the evenings. You interested in hearing about literacy and numeracy in trades? Or maybe you'd like a summary of a peak bodies submission into sustainability? Not tempted? Really?

Stay tuned for the end of July, where I will be squeezing about 49 books into 20 odd weeks.

An open letter to Guy Grossis

Guy had a tip for me, which I came across in the Woolworths catalogue.

The tip was: The more time you can give this trifle in the fridge, the better it will taste.

Guy, I have a tip for you.

When you are making these types of suggestions it would benefit to put a bit of guidance around these things.

47 days in the fridge does not make for a better trifle.

Autumn light

This morning seems like forever ago. I went for a walk and the air was all cool but the sky bright from the sun. I looked up and high in the air was a vapour trail, and then my arms warmed as I walked out of the shade and into the light. On the way home I looked up again, and way in the air was a silver v, shimmering against the blue. One hundred birds swooping through the sky, flying in unison.

Overheard in a lift in New Acton

Two couples get into the lift. Both couples are in their early seventies.

They discuss the weather. Nice day today and all that.

One of the men says " I hear tomorrow is going to be hot"

The other man says "Yeah around 30"

As they exit the lift one of the woman says " I like it hot......"

" I like it hot and horny"

There is something just not right about that.