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The Time Flew By
Have you ever lost yourself in some kind of activity and wondered where the time went? You say, “oh my gosh, the time flew by, I have no idea where it went!” Toseland recently created an emoji to represent himself. It’s an old man. I suggested that he wasn’t that old, and he should consider…
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Liquidambar Leaves Falling
This time of year, liquidambar leaves are falling, though I only just noticed them. I mentioned before, that we take Clever Girl to the local park every day. With the recent lockdown over, the streets are starting to get back to normal, seeing more cars, and dogs and people. It’s still mostly peaceful though the…
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NBN Outages
Over the last few days we’ve seen been severe storms and power outages across Vicoria. Some people have been warned not to expect the power back on until June 17th. There’s been trees down and widespread flooding. And if that’s not bad enough, we’ve been warned the storms are doubling back on themselves. We’ve been…
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Silent Walk in the Park
We take Clever Girl to the park every day. We get up early, because she’s still young and active – if I want a quiet day to get things done, it’s what I have to do. Usually we see cars and people. But more recently, it’s been a silent walk in the park. Only the…
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The Miracle of Rain
The miracle of rain is that it happens at all – drinking water just falls from the sky. It supports all life on this planet, and literally falls fall from the sky! That’s amazing. Yeah, I know it’s all down to evaporation and condensation, but even that’s pretty incredible. (sorry to get all sciency) The…
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I’m not feeling well…
Taking some time away as I’m not feeling well. Back when I feel better. This photo of me and Clever Girl by DB. For more Haiku, click here.
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Puppy has Sharp Teeth
It’s hardly groundbreaking news for anyone who owns a puppy (or is owned by one), but they have sharp teeth. They chew rocks, and twigs, and the skulls of things they dig up in the garden. Their beds and blankets. Empty packets and bottles they find in the recycling bin. And those sharp teeth work…
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I’m Losing My Mind (I think)
I think as well as rats (of the flying and furry kind) we are infested with mischievous pixies. Either that or I’m losing my mind. I can never find a pair of glasses when I need one, and I have about eight pairs of readers for just such an emergency. And I would swear that…
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Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Something I’ve learned since becoming a dog owner again is that it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie. When they’re sleeping they are quiet.
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When the Sun Comes Out
Last week was a bit cloudy and miserable, and I was struck by how beautiful the garden was when the sun comes out. Raindrops glistening and all that. When it’s cloudy, everything seems that little bit more dour, and when the sun comes out less so. There’s something about sunshine that makes everything seem just…
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Time Passes Slowly
I’d like to say my vacation time passes slowly, and I really enjoyed my break, but that would be a lie. I’d also like to say I’ve got grand plans for 2021, but I didn’t really make time to work them out yet.
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Happy Holidays 2020!
Well. Let’s be honest. The only happy thing about holidays in 2020, is that the year is nearly over. Vaccines are coming out, people are heading back to work, and things are returning to normal. Hopefully we can bring the good from 2020, and forget the rest. Have a safe and happy festive season. I’ll…
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Welcome Back!
Welcome, welcome back! It’s been ages since I wrote. I didn’t mean to leave such a long gap between posts, but I was quite sick (not Covid thank goodness). But the thing about a long break, in conjunction with about about a million years of lockdown, is that it leaves you with a reeeaaaaallllllyyyyyy long…
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The Tiny Pretty Things
When you think about it, life is all about the tiny things. The tiny pretty things. Especially when there doesn’t seem to be much that’s positive going, say round about now. It seems everyone has an opinion about how dire the situation is, yet no one’s willing to put forward any suggestions about how to…
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Beauty Excites Emotion
Okay, so we all know that the last few months have been hard, emotionally draining, and not very beautiful. Especially here in Australia, what with it being winter and all. Some days, I look out the window at the cold grey skies, and wonder where all the beauty went. Though beauty is as beauty does.…
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Melody for Marbles
In a recent blog post, Dean Wesley Smith mentioned driving from Lincoln City, Oregon to Las Vegas, Nevada with a car full of marbles. Carefully packed to not “bang together.” I looked it up. It’s a little over 1,000 miles (1,610 km). And according to Google Maps, the quickest drive is 16 hours. Not that…
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Times Are Tough and Getting Tougher
June has been another tough month under Covid restrictions has passed, even though they’re easing a bit. Even homebodies like me are starting to chafe at not being able to get out and about much anymore. On the one hand, people want to get back to normal. On the other, most recognise that under present…
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The Joy of Being
It seems to me there’s a lot of sh*t going on right now. We’re busy worrying about disease, job security, and how to make sure we don’t run out of what we see as necessary paper products. But what we’re forgetting, is that the only reason we can worry about those things, is that we…
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It’s Weather for Ducks
I’m not sure why people compain about rain they call it nasty – weather for ducks! (Though I’m not exactly sure why it’s only weather for ducks, and not swans or ibis.) And when it rains, people run for cover, so they don’t get wet – like cats! But it’s just water, and something about…
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I Still Survive
Sometimes, the fact of being alive comes with a price. Sometimes you’re not thriving, sometimes it’s as much as you can do to come to a place where you can say “I still survive!” Especially when you live in a society that values youthful good looks over venerating the wisdom that comes with age. That…
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It’s Not War, it’s Sickness
All these fat old white men talking about a war on Covid-19 is making me irritable. It’s not war, it’s sickness. Viruses don’t hide out in trenches, send out scouts or submarines. You can’t carpet bomb a virus, or snipe it, or stick it in an internment camp. You can’t negotiate a cease fire, treaty…
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Do I Start Again or Start Something New?
Poor Pretty Girl is gone now, and I find myself not only orphaned but petless too. It’s been hard to start again
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Was that a Radio Conversation or Not?
The other day I was trotting around doing some chores before work, and I thought I heard a radio conversation. The kind of morning radio thing where a couple of presenters talk about the usual kind of inconsequential nothingness. (And you want to climb inside the receiver and punch the lights out of them. Or…
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Public Bathroom Benefits
A while back, someone told me that most people are too lazy to travel more than one or two cubicles in a public bathroom. And the longer the run, the cleaner the end is by comparison to the beginning. I don’t know about men, but women don’t often find bathrooms with more than three cubicles.…
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Welcome 2020, good to see you
It seems like no time at all since I was wishing you Happy Holidays, and now it’s all Welcome 2020. Last year I was feeling all optimistic, but this year I’m feeling tired and worn out. Half the country is on fire, has been for months, and it feels like we’re running on global charity.…
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Happy Holidays 2019!!!
The fifth anniversary of this blog passed quietly during the year, so this is the sixth time I’ve wished you all Happy Holidays. Here are just some of the celebrations taking place in December: • Christmas • Hanukkah • Kwanzaa • Bodhi Day • St Lucia Day • Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe •…
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The Melodious Dawn Chorus Daily
One of the amazing things about birds and animals, is vocal group communications, whether that’s the Dawn Chorus, Twighlight Barking, or the alarm tones that signal mass evacuations. And time-based activities aren’t always vocal. Some years ago we sat on a beach watching the sun go down and found ourselves sitting near a mob of…
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The Joy in Matching Beanies
The other day, I saw a young couple wearing matching beanies on the train. He had his arm around her, and she was nestled into his armpit, leaning her head on his shoulder. She titled her head up to him, and he leaned across and kissed her lightly on the forehead. It’s a cute thing,…
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Stealing Kisses
Sometimes, I think the best viewing comes from watching ordinary people doing ordinary things, like stealing kisses. And you don’t have to go far to see it. You can see people stealing kisses almost everywhere; train station, hardware, IKEA, and pretty much any place that serves food or alcohol (or both). Though it can, on…
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What I Need Right Now
The other day I was watching Men in Black: International, and among other things that made me laugh, were the red buttons. The “what I need right now” buttons that supercharge whatever thing they’re attached to. And as I thought about it more, I realised that a lot of movies, especially science fiction, feature some…
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Busy Bees Buzz Buzz Buzzing
I don’t know about you, but it didn’t really occur to me that bees exist in Winter, even if they aren’t busy. Well, not until I saw a couple the other day. So I checked, and according to Amanda, they huddle together (like puppies) in winter to keep the Queen warm. And then as the…
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Being Alone But Not Lonely With Others
I recently went to a writer’s conference. And that was kind of funny; writers are generally solitary creatures. Even in a crowded room we’re busy being alone. Like koalas, we prefer being in our well established territories, and are more likely to attack than cuddle other writers. Okay, maybe not attack, but definitely not cuddle.…