MPs’ Expenses

“The Prime Minister has set a timetable for Ipsa to get its house in order and Sir Ian Kennedy, the chairman of the body that replaced the old discredited regime, knows he faces a race against time to satisfy Number 10 and ranks of seething MPs.” (Daily Telegraph)

How naïve of me. I thought that Ipsa’s principal task was to satisfy the general public, not the MPs or Number 10.

Saturday Mornin’ Pitchers

This is where it all started for me and countless other kids, the home of that great Institution that enabled many Mums and Dads to play…well….Mums and Dads while the nipper was off clutching his threepenny joey which gave him or her admitance to the palace of dreams AKA ‘the pitchers’.

In my case it was out of the house, turn right, take five steps, cross the road, take five more steps turn right and through the doors of my local Odeon, saying hello to my uncle Len who was chief commisionare. I would then pay my three pennorth and watch the little stub of ticket spit from its slot and enter the warm noisy fug of the cinema. Finding my oppos down the front I would take my place in expectation of the first part of that mornings entertainment, the mighty wurlitzer. Continue reading “Saturday Mornin’ Pitchers”

As if Flooding isn’t Bad Enough

I don’t suppose anyone is now unaware that huge areas of Queensland have been inundated. It looks and sounds pretty horrendous. But water is not the only problem some of these communities have to face: there are snakes and crocs.

There is a report of one couple who must have felt relatively ‘safe’ because their house and grounds, roughly the size of a football pitch, were on high ground. They weren’t that secure – at least a thousand snakes decided to head for the ‘safety’ of their property – and I’m worried about a couple of cane toads sitting on my patio tonight… ? 🙂

There’s a BBC report here, which has a good video report on Rockhampton, where the river is expected to peak tonight.

Let your fires be bright

Picture the old crooner Bing, sitting a wing-backed armchair, wearing his navy-blue dressing gown with red piping over stripy pyjamas and comfy tweed slippers. He’s looking tenderly at a a roaring log fire, hearth festooned with sparkly red bows and seasonal greenery – holly, sprouts,mistletoe and vine (German version) when he bursts into song…

“Have yourself a flaming little Christmas… Continue reading “Let your fires be bright”

The bedfellows Airfix and Bostik

My son’s fiancé has an unnatural obsession with the film Titanic starring Leonardo DiCaprio. She’s watched it innumerable times. To keep in her good books my son has to sit and suffer through it when she gets the notion to replay it again. Unfairly, she won’t watch Resident Evil with him.
Moving on.
The other day they came in from a day of shopping and I nearly choked on my iceberg lettuce when I saw what they had bought. Continue reading “The bedfellows Airfix and Bostik”

A note for Bearsy and Bo

I note today that the US has already offered Australia assistance through diplomatic channels (Wikileaks not withstanding) as announced by the State dept.

I must say, to have offered help too early would have looked more like assuming an inability to cope which is obviously not the case.  Timing is sometimes a rather difficult area to get right.  After all, no one wants to be lumped in the same club as Haiti! (drowning not withstanding!!) I hope this satisfies you that others were not totally insensitive to your adverse weather events.