At the University of Queensland this week, they installed a park bench, a memorial to my father, who studied there and was editor of the student magazine Sempor Floreat sixty years ago this year. I’m told it’s beside the lake (obviously) next to College Road, close to the intersection with Staff House Road. Judging from ... [More]
Category: Friends and loved ones
This is officially awesome. My stepfather Peter features on one of the banners at the Immigration Museum, promoting the new Identity — yours mine ours exhibition. I’ve suggested to him that he ask them if he can keep the banner when they’re finished with it.
In 2008 I started a project I wish I’d started earlier: Every few months we get out the tripod, switch the camera to auto, and take a photo of ourselves in front of the house. I got the idea from a newspaper article. Some of them are taken just as we leave on a weekday ... [More]
I’m not going to name names, but two people remarked to me last week that the Queensland floods wouldn’t be that bad, because all the houses have stilts, so everyone up there would be fine. I wasn’t about to get into an argument about it, but at the time I had my doubts. I suspect ... [More]
Categories
Sheep dipping
“Ewetube” video from Boxing Day sheep dipping. I helped out for a little while, helping to push the sheep down the chute. It might be for their own good, but they weren’t particularly keen.
A bit late, but some things I plan to do this year: Teach my kids chess Try to declutter the house Get Jeremy into his own bedroom Get all of us more exercise Write a computer game (even a simple one) to get more enthused again about programming Replace the TV with something shiny, flat, ... [More]
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Merry Christmas
Quieter than usual due to my boys being away in Hawaii, but I chatted with them on Skype this evening. Presents are easier now all the adults in the family have switched to (non-anonymous) Kris Kringle… and of course we stuffed ourselves full of heaps of food. The only downer was being locked-out of my ... [More]
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Lovely summer weather
Isaac and Jeremy have gone to Hawaii for Christmas with their mum and her family. The Hawaii weather forecast appears to say that today it’s 28 degrees (C) and mostly sunny. Given the weather today in Melbourne, I’m beginning to get quite envious. Oh, is that thunder I hear now? Even better! I know we’ve ... [More]
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The power of music
(My blogging is likely to be a little sporadic for the next week or two. I’m sure you can work out why.) Music can often be very powerful at capturing an emotion, a feeling, a memory. After that post a couple of months ago about songs on a theme, here’s another theme that’s become relevant ... [More]
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The things kids say
I know there’s nothing more dull than than reading someone’s blog post on amusing things their kids say. So this one’s about my nephew and niece. And it’s about stuff they used to say, and have now grown out of, but which I’ve found so amusing that sometimes I jokingly insert them into my speech ... [More]
Things I discovered when picking up my father’s ashes from the crematorium: 1. At Fawkner, you pick them up from the office, not the crematorium itself. If you catch the train there, the office is in a non-intuitive location, back towards Sydney Road. 2. Make sure you have photo ID. I guess they don’t want ... [More]
“You couldn’t have a full-blooded aborigine or Chinese teaching.” Well, *obviously*.
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Forty
Me at forty. (Well, 39 and 364 days, yesterday. I had this idea of taking my own picture. It’s startlingly difficult to get a half-decent shot, as you can see. Even the one I used shows something between my teeth — and a tree apparently growing out of the top of my head, though I’ve ... [More]
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The funeral
Yesterday was a hard day, but a good day. Thank you to my sister (siblings help so much at times like these), Reverend Johnsan David (and helpers) at St David’s Anglican Church in Moorabbin for accommodating us, Brian at Mannings Funerals, Laura and the others at South Eastern Private Hospital, all the others who helped ... [More]
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Dad
My dad turned 79 the week before last. He got sick and went into hospital on Thursday. Pneumonia. Over the weekend he was very unwell, and yesterday he expressed the view that he would like to go soon. Tonight he got his wish, and slipped peacefully away. RIP JQ. 7/8/1931 — 16/8/2010. Update Tuesday 8:40am: ... [More]
In my circle of friends, the story goes (and I’m sure she’ll correct any details I get wrong) that while ago Kathy was in the local supermarket with one of the kids, who was promised a Freddo Frog, but Kathy didn’t have the correct small change handy. Sorry kid, no Freddo this time. Uh oh, ... [More]