August 5, 2017
Australia is full of wonderful interesting animals, trees, plants and birds. I wrote about one of my favourite trees, the boab, in an earlier post, and now it’s time to share something about one of my favourite birds. Laughing Kookaburras make me smile, cheeky Parrots are hard to be beat… but for pure awesomeness the prize goes to the Cassowary. I’m going to ignore all the talk of them being the most dangerous birds on earth (because what are the chances… really?) and concentrate on how amazing they are. Information about the Cassowary’s size, sounds and habitat is below. But for me, it’s the way they look that makes them a stand-out in the world of birds. The Cassowary has […]
June 5, 2017
Walking on the beach today I met a kindred spirit who makes a point of picking up litter as she strolls along with her dogs. I stopped to retrieve yet another plastic straw and said to her “I have two pet hates – straws and balloons”. She agreed and said that she cringes in dismay when she sees hundreds of balloons being set off during commemorations. As do I. I get it… the spectacular symbolism of the souls of the dead rising up to heaven. It brings a tear to my eye too. But, it’s a fleeting gesture that has ongoing and dreadful consequences. Do people really want the last act performed on behalf of a loved one to be […]
December 18, 2016
There are countless things I love about Australia, but above all else it’s the array of wonderful animals and plants. A fabulous tree that can’t help but draw attention is the mighty boab. I’ll never forget the first time I saw one, while on a recent trip to the Kimberley Ranges in Australia’s north, towering over the surrounding low-lying scrubby desert bush. Boabs are a fascinating tree. Their flowers bloom only at night, last for just a matter of hours, and begin to wilt after sunrise. It’s estimated that some of the oldest boab trees are at least 1500 years old. The diameter of the trunk has been known to exceed 5 metres and some boabs tower to 24 metres. […]
December 3, 2016
It’s funny (odd funny). These days it’s relatively eay to find people via the Internet – a Facebook account, news articles, LinkedIn, work-related sites, etc. But there’s someone from my past who has proven to be elusive. With all his idiosyncrasies he impacted me when I was in my mid-teens, and every now and then I wonder how life has turned out for him. So here’s an online presence and a tribute to Andrew Ward (Maggot) from Sydney, Australia… once (still?) a talented poet, a tortured soul, the boy who carved AW♥AH in every bus-stop shelter from Palm Beach to Manly. Andrew, Anita, Phil, Lynda, Ben, Gary, Felicity and Lulu in the late 70’s
November 10, 2016
The other day I met a lovely woman who, when asked what she did for a living, lowered her eyes and replied “I’m a librarian.” “Why sound apologetic?” I responded, “There’s nothing wrong with being a librarian. I bet it’s a great job.” She looked up and replied that she loves her job and that it can be very varied, but that people assume she sits around all day reading books and shooshing visitors. “It’s not like that at all!” she explained. I sympathised and we then went on to discuss books, particularly children’s books. I asked her if she can see a change in the way they’re written today. Did she think, like me, that they are less lyrical […]