Tuesday is Melbourne Cup Day. I get the feeling that people in other parts of the world don’t really believe the truth about Cup Day. The way that (a) it’s a public holiday in honour of a horse race, and that (b) the nation stops when the race starts at about 3:20pm. As I see ... [More]
Left the car at home today. Getting on the tram with me this morning were about a dozen schoolgirls wearing black jeans, decorated black t-shirts, and all carrying a wide variety of scary-looking (yet brightly coloured) water guns. They chattered away like schoolgirls, but adopted the pose of Special Operations Group cops, pointing their guns ... [More]
Yesterday, just for something different, and as part of our pledge to see more of our own country before we go off gallanting around the world again (like last month), we drove all the way around Port Philip Bay. Yes, I know technically speaking it’s called Port Philip, but let’s not get too caught up ... [More]
Categories
Reunion
For those who share my age of 28, this year is the tenth anniversary of leaving high school, which means it’s reunion time. Mine was last Wednesday night; a chance to get a look around the school to see how it’s changed, and to catch up with a few people that I haven’t seen since ... [More]
Categories
Election
Well, that’s another election over and done with. Thank goodness that unbearably whiney Hanson has been denied a seat in parliament. Maybe now she’ll shut up – though I wouldn’t count on it. As it happens, we spotted Jeff Kennett on Saturday, in Geelong. It was from a distance, but definitely him – I’d recognise ... [More]
I’m baaaack! Actually I’m back a bit early. Just in time to put up with the dying gasps of the last few days of the election on Saturday (my local member really expects me to vote him back in with THAT beard and no moustache?!?), and no hot water or gas cooking because of a ... [More]
Categories
Home! Woo hoo!
From Singapore the plane continued south, symbolically inching its way across the map on the TV screens towards home, as well as actually inching its way across the planet towards home. When the map wasn’t on we got to see various movies and TV shows, but what caught my eye was news from home. I ... [More]
Finally flying home. The Qantas crew seemed just a bit more cheerful than any of the British Airways ones I’d had. Maybe it was just that kind of friendly barbecue atmosphere that can pop up anywhere when a bunch of Australians get together and there’s a good supply of alcohol. After the late-night supper they ... [More]
It was my last day in London, and time to start seriously thinking about getting something by way of souvenirs for all of my family waiting for me back home. There’s a very easy and cheap personalised souvenir you can get for yourself in London. All you need is a passport-sized photo. Just go to ... [More]
I woke just in time to wish Wayne good luck with the first day of his teaching job for the week – as a substitute teacher at a school in Hackney. I don’t know much about Hackney except from some mentions in a TV sitcom which led me to believe it was a pretty rough ... [More]
Before breakfast I ventured out to find a phone box to phone home. The great thing about phoning home from a phone box in Britain is that if you’re short on cash, or you pay the home phone bill anyway and you want to save some money, you can be called back. The phone number ... [More]
When I woke, only one of my four room mates was both awake and present – a bloke called Wayne, who turned out to be a New Zealander in England to do substitute teaching, and to generally have a good time experiencing and exploring the country while he was there. We ate breakfast in the ... [More]