My Lego creation from yesterday: (Captain) Jack Stone aboard the StrangeMobile. It’s got a battery pack and motor, and yes, it really moves.
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Category: Home life
As reported in the Age last week, there’s new research indicating that excessive watching of TV is associated with leaving school without qualifications, not getting a degree at university, and — oddly I thought — smoking. Particularly bad is a TV in kids’ bedrooms. I had a TV in my bedroom when I was a ... [More]
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Somebody else’s family history
I was moseying around the innanet the other day and came across this: Did it ever occur to you that in our Bowen blood there is something of rashness. I see it in myself and my brothers. We tend to be radicals. I am not going back on that tendency. It is good only it ... [More]
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Here is my lemon tree
Most gardens in Melbourne seem to have a lemon tree. Here’s mine. I must confess, I don’t water it as often as I should, and when I need lemons, I rarely remember to go look to see if it has one for me. Do you have a lemon (or other fruit-bearing) tree in your garden? ... [More]
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In my cocoon
In my cocoon, the warmth engulfs me. I desperately donĂ¢ââââ¢t want to leave, but the shrieking alarm compels me to at least dangle my arm out to silence it. I do so, and gain ten minutes respite, to lie quietly, listening to toot of distant trains from distant places, the passing cars and trucks, and ... [More]
I’ve been thinking about death recently. Not enough to become really morbid or anything, but pondering what will be left in the way of memories. Will I leave my mark on the world? Will my thoughts and deeds live on? Not that I’m in any hurry. Life’s way too good. But I wonder what to ... [More]
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Happy birthday Isaac
Isaac turned 10 today. Ten. The big one-zero. It’s hard to express how I feel, how happy I am that he (and his brother) have turned out to be so happy, healthy, smart and considerate. The time since he was born has flown by, really — it seems so recently that he was just a ... [More]
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Winter
I might be losing weight since the weather got cold, what with freezing my arse off every morning. Welcome to winter. Since my evil scheme to get us out of this cold house by the onset of winter hasn’t come off, yesterday I went and bought an extra heater, to prevent the family freezing to ... [More]
The kids did a walkathon for their school on Thursday, each racking up six laps of the 1km circuit. Not bad at all, and all for a good cause. But it does remind me of the issues of of exercise like this. Done regularly, long walks like this are good. Done occasionally, bad. I try ... [More]
I was going to write a thorough, if slightly moaning, analysis of why my footy-tipping strategy, which saw me win one competition and draw another last year, is failing completely this year. Instead, I broke a glass in the kitchen and consequently have no time for that, as I spent that time ensuring the kitchen ... [More]
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Another weekend gone
Another weekend gone. In summary: Helping with painting, which given it involved a liberal application of Lean Lemon, has left a certain U2 song revolving in my brain. Absolute shocker in the footy tipping — 3 out of 8. Bah. Inadvertently left a spot of honey on the kitchen counter. It took about 30 hours, ... [More]
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The ants are back
Winter is coming. I can tell because the ants are back, looking for food. Last night they found my honey stash. I had several jars of honey in the cupboard (including about a third of a jar left of the famed chocolate honey). They found it all, the little bastards. Obviously the jar manufacturers need ... [More]
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In the garden
The garden is looking somewhat chaotic at the moment. I got home on Saturday to find the owners had dropped in to do a little yard work. To be precise, the Triffid-like plant that has been slowly taking over the whole house has been chopped down, removed entirely. Well, removed from the ground that is, ... [More]
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Lesson for the day
Isaac learnt an important lesson yesterday: look where you’re going, and don’t hurry around a blind corner. The consequences may be a fat lip, blood from a cut in the mouth, a painful (though not broken) leg, and much distress. The kid on the bike didn’t fare too well either, the saddle disconnecting from the ... [More]
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Call me uncle
I was sitting at work this afternoon, about to email Marita with the astounding news that the big Dymocks near work was having a 20% off everything sale, when the phone rang with something even better. I had become an uncle. Young baby TBA (probably Leo) had ventured into the world some three weeks ahead ... [More]
Things I did on the weekend: Tried out my sister’s new couch, which was altogether way too comfy. Recorded my recitation of 75 digits of pi to share with the world. Observed a truck pulling a trailer along the road with its indicators wired up wrong. The truck would indicate left as its trailer would ... [More]