Dear coffee, I miss you

by | Dec 13, 2014 | 4 comments

Had a bit of a nasty shock the other day; heard a good friend of mine was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. This was the lady who often gave me a place of refuge away from the hospital, when I was having radiotherapy, many many years ago. I don’t know why I...

It’s St Nick’s day.

by | Dec 6, 2014 | 4 comments

Happy St Nicholas’s birthday, everyone! December 6 is the day the first, the original, St Nicholas/Santa Claus/Father Christmas was born somewhere in Turkey. He was a kind old boy who gave a peasant some bags of gold (allegedly dropping them down the chimney) so...

Leave the light on

by | Nov 29, 2014 | 0 comments

Australia is currently mourning the loss of a young sportsman, felled by a cricket ball to the temple while he was playing state cricket. 25 years old and in the prime of his life and career. It’s a tragedy. I feel for his family and friends. I also feel...

The G20

by | Nov 15, 2014 | 8 comments

Well, the G20 is up and running in sunny Queensland. Today, in Brisbane, it’s around 37C (98.6F) and, being Queensland, it’s most likely humid too. The delegates probably won’t notice, coming from their air-conditioned hotels, in their...

The Christmas pageant.

by | Nov 8, 2014 | 2 comments

The annual Christmas pageant (for my American friends think: Macey’s parade without the giant balloons) is over for another year. The bands have hung up their tubas and bagpipes, the clowns are probably still wiping off the make-up, the fairies have gone to...