Category Archives: Personal

When the big winds blow

I slept through the explosion. Lachlan heard it as my tool shed sailed past his bedroom window. Jenny heard enough to shake me awake. The wind was howling and the rain was drumming down, but first light revealed the dawn’s drama. The shed took out the corner post of the pergola which mercifully prevented itContinue reading “When the big winds blow”

Captain’s Log

Day 1 Fair sailing along the Mundaring –Kalgoorlie Pipeline, then to Norseman. Traversing dry wheat country where the signs of encroaching salt are ominous, then the goldfields. Coolgardie, with its wide streets and grand buildings, is practically a ghost town these days – 750 kms Day 2 Swift passage through a lonely stretch to Eucla.Continue reading “Captain’s Log”

Blood Diamond: are diamonds the new fur?

This is an unusual movie to reflect on – half action/drama and half documentary. Critics looking at the Hollywood Indiana Jones style action slam the movie for its slow pace and length. Those looking for documentation of the dehumanising illicit diamond trade in post colonial Africa lament the simplification and trivialisation of a complex humanitarianContinue reading “Blood Diamond: are diamonds the new fur?”

Pirouetting Penguin Packs Powerful Punch

The message of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Ugly Duckling has moved beyond the worthy goal of promoting self-esteem for who you are to serving a more universal ecological awareness campaign. Right now, the swan in the making has transmogrified into an anthropomorphised tap-dancing penguin called Mumbles. Frankly, my expectations were not high as we tookContinue reading “Pirouetting Penguin Packs Powerful Punch”

My "deep mystery of the universe question" for the week.

Latte! A great way to enjoy good coffee without having to be overly concerned about kilojoules. But – someone tell me – why is it always served in a glass and usually without a handle? The glass is usually scalding hot and there must be a suave way of holding it without wrapping it upContinue reading “My "deep mystery of the universe question" for the week.”