Marita and I spent some time on Sunday attempting to demolish her house. Well, a little bit of it. Sometime in the last century when tastes in building took a turn for the worse, someone ripped out most of the fireplace in her room, bricking it up and replacing what I assume was a lovely ... [More]
It was one of those almost-Vasectomy-on-the-morrow-inspiring evenings when one’s energy is sapped after facing too many hurdles, too many paternal challenges. Specifically, the regression of junior progeny to a point that I thought we’d all got past many years ago. I thought that was all over, gone, passed, accepted, signed-off. I thought I would never ... [More]
I stood there, facing my eight-legged adversary. It was still, near the top of the fly-wire door. I was armed with my broom. Wait for it… wait for it.. whack! The door rattled as the broom hit the spider, which took cover under the metal and curled into a tiny ball. It wasn’t a humungous ... [More]
Having claimed incorrectlythe other day that telegrams have vanished off the face of the planet, it was with some surprise that I got home yesterday afternoon to find one in the mailbox.
When driving my car, I’m now more informed about the world around me than I’ve ever been. Because my car radio can’t get FM anymore. So I’m on the talk stations… Radio National, 3LO (aka ABC Melbourne) and NewsRadio. Byebye PBS and TripleJ, unfortunately. NewsRadio in particular has been unexpectedly interesting. It’s probably deadly dull ... [More]
Yesterday morning I checked my washing-line. Most of the washing was dry, so I brought it in, leaving only a damp couple of towels and a pair of jeans on the line. In the afternoon, the rain came down. I think now that it may be several weeks before they’re dry.
Ah, it’s spring time. (Happy Cup Day!) Apart from dodging rain and hail yesterday, I spent some time getting the clocks updated to summer time. Most were easy. The computers took care of themselves. The VCR was a cinch. The kitchen clock is analogue, so just needed winding on. Mobile phone, thank you once again ... [More]
Maybe I’ll buy my mum a new phone for Christmas. She really needs a new one. I was trying to have a conversation with her, and it was hopeless. Me: [blah blah, telling her something] She: Pardon? Me: [Repeat] She: I can’t hear you. I’m on the bus. (Not sure why the bus is relevant, ... [More]
Time to sort out the laundry.
Why I love plastic currency: I can find $15 that I’ve put through the washing machine (like I did the other day), and it’s not only intact, it’s unaffected apart from a few drops of water. Shake them off, and it’s ready to spend. Tomorrow there’s an auction. It’s next door. I might have a ... [More]
You know your kids are growing up when… When waving goodbye in the schoolyard, the youngest waves enthusiastically, but the eldest does a deliberately low-key waist-level wave back. “Yeah, yeah, see ya dad.” Your youngest explains to you how to use the animation features of Powerpoint. Your eldest decides that a warning on a web ... [More]
In order to tell you the weekend’s real estate story, it is necessary to talk about money, and large amounts of it. I earn money. By some people’s standards, it’s a big stack, way more than one might think I deserve for sitting at a keyboard all day, but that’s the way it is, and ... [More]