Will Santa make it into Aleppo?

by | Dec 17, 2016 | 2 comments

The Christmas tree is up and glowing. The front of the house is incandescent with Christmas lights. The presents are bought and ready to be wrapped. (There’s no point doing that early and leaving them under the tree, because the Wonder Dog would wee on them.)...

Walking…walking…

by | Nov 26, 2016 | 0 comments

As I sit here in my quiet house, the Wonder Dog asleep on the top of my recliner and the birds chirping in my garden, thousands (some say, millions) of Shia Muslims are walking, walking, walking on a pilgrimage to Karbala in Iraq. They do it to honour Imam Husayn Ibn...

I’m back.

by | Nov 19, 2016 | 6 comments

I’m baaa-aaack! I was going to say something about the kingdom of Trump but, you know what, I’ve decided not to. America has chosen and now Mr Trump has the opportunity to be the best president they’ve ever had – just as he has promised –...

While I’m gone…

by | Nov 5, 2016 | 6 comments

The Old Boy, the Wonder Dog and I are heading into the wilds of South-Western Victoria for a week of peace and quiet. While we’re gone I expect you all to behave. America: the rest of us are watching you with a mixture of bemusement, confusion and a touch of...

How’re ya goin’?

by | Oct 22, 2016 | 3 comments

Just a short blog today. I visited Dr P yesterday and had my cancer-fighting injection, so today I feel like crap. It’s worth it, of course, because here I am, five years along from diagnosis day, and I’m doing okay. What’s a couple of days of...

The week that was

by | Oct 8, 2016 | 0 comments

Well, that was an interesting week or so: state-wide blackout due to fallen towers; fallen towers due to cyclonic winds; hail and lightning (very, very frightening); king tides; tidal surges; flooding here, there and everywhere; vineyards up to their knees in water;...