Since 2002, I’ve been writing here about life, the universe, and everything. My interests include genealogy, history, and the arts. More recently, since July 2023 I’ve been writing about my experiences as a below-the-right-knee amputee.
It’s been really great having Patrick visiting this weekend. After yesterday’s Swedish Saturday, we both woke late. And while Patrick went off with some friends for a day at the beach, I had a meeting with my friends in Hawkesbury One, an art collectors group we formed a several years ago. Put simply, we each contribute an amount of money each year with which we collectively purchase art works. The works are then shared and…
Sweden was, once again, the recurrent theme in my life today. The day started off simply enough with breakfast at the nearby “Book Cafe”. I’ve been there before on several occasions, but it’s normally quite busy, because the food is very good. Today, we were lucky enough to score an outside table where we watched the passing parade of Surry Hills on a Saturday. Across the road, the crowds continued to line up at the…
As I’ve got a friend visiting for the weekend, I spent a few hours tonight trying to transform my house from its normal messy self into something more socially acceptable. In the process – and in somewhat of a hurry – I took a bag of garbage downstairs. Almost as soon as the door slammed shut, I knew I’d left the keys inside. Shit, I thought to myself. But having been locked out before, I…
At the risk of boring you with more Swedish pop, here’s min favouriter at the moment. I’ve loved the song for ages, but have only just discovered this clip on the youtube thingy… Rest assured, the song is in English. In the introduction Magnus Carlsson from Alcazar basically says here’s a song from England, and it’s from their new album and single, and it’s written by Pet Shop Boys… To be honest, it’s all a…
Every time I go to the Opera House I take a photograph of either the Opera House or the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Deep down, I know it’s provincial and parochial to photograph some so-called “world icons”, somehow holding on to a notion that Sydney is a “global city” whereas the other state capitals are “colonial outposts”. I recognise that, but I still think they’re great structures and they never fail to impress me with their…
One of the many things Damien and I have in common is an interest in politics. At times, you might describe us as “political junkies”, as we often get together for election nights. We also will often discuss over the phone or through chat major political events. We’re not, however, what you’d call “partisan”. We have our own political preferences, but we’re definitely not “slaves to the party”. When I won tickets to see the…