When I was growing up, we always used Redhead matches, made at the Bryant and May factory in Richmond. I don’t honestly know back then if there were any other brand matches available. Manufacturing has gone to Sweden (half-surprised they haven’t been renamed “Blondes”) but I’ve kept buying them. I think the quality is dropping ... [More]
We lived in a number of places when I was growing up, but this block of flats at 62 Hotham Street, East St Kilda, was where we were the longest — seven years, for me from the age of about 4 to 11, covering most of primary school. The place doesn’t seem to have changed ... [More]
I didn’t hear this radio programme, but apparently there are a lot of cockroaches in Melbourne at the moment. Danny Katz had a funny piece on them in yesterday’s Age. I’m glad its not just my house that has them. In fact I almost used yesterday’s Age to squash one I found in a glass ... [More]
The kids are getting to an age where things like pocket money and household chores should be part of life. In most cases they seem willing already to help with things — there’s always enthusiasm to use the garden shears to trim the bushes, or flatten boxes for the recycling, for instance. As for watering ... [More]
I feel like I’m in the title sequence for The Goodies.
I have a big general rubbish bin, a paper recycling bin and a bottle recycling bin. They all get collected weekly, but I don’t put them out every week. I only put them out if they’re more than half full or have something smelly in them. Otherwise, why bother? Just wastes my time and the ... [More]
The old desk, to my utter surprise, reached $137.50 on eBay. It was bought by a guy from a few suburbs away for his daughter to use for studying. She seemed happy, he seemed happy, and I certainly was. Win-win. That’s why I like eBay. He came to pick it up on Australia Day. I ... [More]
The gas people finished their upgrade on Friday, and I found a note in the letterbox telling me I had a nice shiny new gas meter, and that it was turned off, and how to turn everything back on. Following the instructions, I started with the stove… after much spluttering it seemed okay. Hot water ... [More]
On my nature strip this morning is a little bulldozer. Unfortunately it’s not a late Christmas present. Some guys from the gas company have been digging up various bits of the street all week, including parts of my driveway around the gas meter. This has meant the gas has been disconnected between 8am and 5pm ... [More]
One of the things on my To Do list that I did get done over the holidays was to invest in some new desks. The old big desk doesn’t suit the new home-office at all, partly because it’s so damn big and doesn’t fit into the space properly, but also because it’s dull corporate grey, ... [More]
Well it had to happen sometime… the summer holidays have finished for me. Back to work today. Of my to do list: Completed: 2 Substantially done: 4 A little bit done: 2 Thought about, but ultimately, not even started: 4 Hmm. Could be worse. Could be a lot better. But at least I spent plenty ... [More]
I was considering writing some new year’s resolutions, but most of the ones from last year still apply, many unfulfilled. Some are just continuing goals… the major one I did get done was to buy a house (though it wasn’t before the winter as intended). The new goal for this year is to get the ... [More]