Boadicea

I Am an Author – Who Am I?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Mission Complete – Thank You!

Creative Writing and Poetry Competitions

The Creative Writing and Poetry competitions are now suspended until the northern hemisphere’s Autumn.

That Hat!

Well! We all had a laugh, but it seems that people are queuing up to buy Princess B’s titfer – even Wiggles an Australian children’s musical group!

Article here

At the risk of starting another controversy, I cannot resist reporting that the Australian Government has rejected a call from the Muslim Council of Australia for the introduction of ‘a non-extremist version of sharia law.’

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into a new policy on multiculturalism, the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils has urged the government to consider “legal pluralism” for Muslims.

Continue reading “At the risk of…”

I Am A Painter – Who Am I?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Mission accomplished – thanks everyone! 😀

House hunting

Some two or three months ago, Bearsy and I decided to move – again. We’ve moved a lot of times since we’ve been here in Australia: Darwin, Canberra, Sydney, Adelaide and two and a half years ago, to Brisbane.

Buying and selling a house here is somewhat different from the UK we left – although it may have changed there. Here estate agents charge three arms, three legs and all one’s future savings for selling a house and they charge the vendor for all advertising. In Canberra, Sydney and Adelaide houses are open for inspection for an hour on Saturdays, Sundays and occasionally on weekday evenings. Prospective purchasers (and those who are bored with walking around shopping malls, those who want to see how the other half live or those who simply want to get ideas about what to do in their own homes) get in their cars at about 8.30 am and start driving. It’s not a bad system since as a vendor one only has to have the house spruced up for an ‘open house’ one hour a week, a purchaser can get some idea of what is being asked for what and for the estate agent – well since he’s charging three of everything he’s entitled to work all day Saturday and Sunday. Continue reading “House hunting”

He Who Holds the Purse Strings…

This is the follow-on from Limiting Power

No Government can operate without funds. Part 2 shows how English kings lost the ability to raise money without the consent of their barons and representatives of some small section of the commons. Continue reading “He Who Holds the Purse Strings…”

Limiting Power

Further to the discussion on the monarchy, parliament and democracy, I thought I’d write a simple piece about the beginnings of Parliament. Needless to say, I couldn’t keep it simple – or short! But, for those interested here’s the first part of my take on the beginnings of England’s progress down the democratic path to the Westminster System … Read more – but this is really long!

No One Does It Better

We only put it on to watch the News…

I suppose I shouldn’t say who sat and watched it all the way through, who, like me knew every hymn, and was pleased to note that at least some part of it was in ‘Proper’ English? No I’m not going to say who …. 🙂

Great Pageantry and excellent organisation. And to those who begrudged a few pounds on the event – it was wonderful to see so many Brits being – well British.