My view and thoughts on everything!

Recently my blog hit the 4,000 mark. Now in the realms of the super blog writers it is not even a blot on a landscape, but to me it's a magical figure. It has taken 2.5 years to reach this figure and I never thought it would ever pass 1,000! So a big thank you to all my readers and occasional visitors. I will increase my blog output in the New Year. For the past 12 months I have been concentrating on a few other things (and not just watching cricket on the television!). So please stay tuned for the next exciting instalments which will be coming soon to an Internet browser near you. In the meantime, have a great New Year's eve and take care.

"I am a lousy singer. In fact I never made the school choir much to the relief of the teachers and parents....This was before Mr Beckham appeared on the world stage. Luckily for him I never got the call to train with England" Recently I wrote my 100th blog and I felt a quiet achievement in breaking my ton. Now I have never set out to write a large number of blogs but ones that I truly wanted to write. As the saying goes 'quality not quantity'. Or maybe not in my case! Anyway, I have been wracking my brain to come up with ideas to commemorate this glorious achievement and I thought there was only one way to do it. No, I am not going to dress up in drag and sing karaoke in a tight fitting dress at a sleazy bar in Sydney, but will reveal some more facts and meaningless trivia about myself. Mind you, a number of women have commented on my legs so maybe after I finish this blog drag might have been the better option! So here goes. A list of things you never knew abo

"typically the weather can be very up and down (a bit like the stock market, or U2 albums)...your excitement about reainspotting drains from you as your senses get invaded with the smell from Hell!" November in Sydney can be a strange time of year. Not only is it one step closer to Christmas but it signifies, to us in Down Under Land, that summer is just around the corner. Frankly, I am not sure where this elusive 'corner' is but its somewhere close, methinks. Maybe the number 435 bus goes there. Who knows! From a meteorological point of view November signifies the end of coolish weather as the onslaught of the summer heat flexes its muscles. Typically the weather can be very up and down (a bit like the stock market, or U2 albums). For example, a couple of days ago the temperature in Sydney hit 38C. It was very hot and sunny. However, yesterday it was only 22C and overcast. So there is a sort of weather heavyweight boxing match going on at present where there w

"It becomes an issue mainly in car parks and I am sure that most of you reading this are afflicted too. So what is it? Well it is not something that is easily answered in a few words...As you drive around you pass many cars all with drivers searching for their own piece of exclusive real estate. Every driver you see has been afflicted, like me" Firstly, apologies for not writing many blogs lately. I had my mother and sister visit me from the UK. So for the past few weeks I have been acting as a tour guide, chauffeur, interpreter (?) and helping them to stimulate the Australian economy (with British pounds). Oh yeah, and we had the dust storm of all time! Anyway, back to the topic of this blog. I have noticed recently that I suffer from an affliction. It's not contagious, illegal or damaging to your health. It is an affliction, however, that has infected millions of people worldwide. I have thought about seeking professional help with this matter but I feel it is too la

"Still there appear to be things missing. No doubt they will turn up before the 2012 Olympics...to say that the singing was dire. In fact it was worse than dire, it was totally bad!" One of the biggest drawbacks of moving to an apartment from a house is that you are really living in a box which is cocooned by all these other boxes. It always reminds me of a beehive without the honey. Now, don't get me wrong, apartments have a lot going for them. They are economical, efficient, generally warmer than a house (especially in winter) and you don't need to worry about any gardening! (much to my relief). Recently we moved into an apartment as a stop gap means as we will be moving to another part of Sydney in early 2010. It is a good sized apartment with a nice balcony and a good sized courtyard for our girls to run around, or ride their bikes. I am hoping that my youngest daughter quickly realises where the brakes are on her bike otherwise she is going to be black and bl

" I realised that I hadn't arranged for our mail (all my fan club letters - well, at least I can dream!) to be re-directed to our new address...Strangely the pet bird didn't get a letter. Mind you, he would have probably just eaten it!!" Recently we uplifted the family and moved to a new property literally 100 metres away from where we where living. Even though it was such a short distance move it took about 2.5 days to complete! It probably was longer than it should have been as No Worries was intent on leaving some of the packing to the last possible moment. Actually 'last possible moment' is probably a better nickname for her! So it became a very time consuming and tiring operation moving everything! Two days after the official move I realised that I hadn't arranged for our mail (all my fan club letters - well, at least I can dream!) to be re-directed to our new address. So I traipsed off to my local Australia Post to arrange for this to happen. No

"She has, on occasions, been known to wear sunglasses whilst driving in the dark. Very strange behaviour indeed...Having said that I haven't seen our neighbours for a while now. Maybe I should check and see if they are okay" There are some things in this world that seem a little unusual or even a tad strange. The Eurovision Song Contest certainly fits into the 'strange' category, as an obvious example of weirdness. Growing up I read Bram Stoker's famous novel 'Dracula' (well recommended) and heard many stories about vampires and other creatures who did terrible things to us humans in the middle of the night. Naturally these stories were stored into the 'unusual' category of my brain next to the tiny compartment labelled 'intelligence'. These type of stories were all fictional as there are no such things as vampires in this world. Except in the case of Buffy the Vampire Slayer who killed millions of these demonic pests. I was a regu

Hi, my fellow bloggers and readers! Unfortunately I have not had time recently to write any blogs. Now before you start crying into your corn flakes I should point out that there are more blogs on the way!! The reason for the drought of blogs is due to the fact that we have recently moved house. It has taken a lot of packing and now we have to unpack everything (surprise, surprise) . The problem is I don't know what is in each box! Luckily the box of blogs has been unpacked, dusted and put on the shelf for future else. Until then, keep checking back for updates.

"No wonder why Australia has the second highest coffee consumption in the world. It's because we are all up late watching sport!!...The second is to bite your hand as hard as possible and you will find that you soon wake up!" Australia is a truly great country to live in, or indeed visit. It has all the great elements of multiculturalism as well as that true 'ockerness' that can only be found in the rural areas. Indeed, it is possible to be soaking up the rays on a beach in the morning and then going for a late evening ski the same day! However, one factor that affects Australia is its geographical location. Or as our former PM Paul Keating said 'it's the a$%end of the world'. I think that Mr Keating was referring to the geographical location of Australia rather than anything else! One of the biggest issues with living in the 'Land Down Under' is the fact that a large number, no vast majority of sporting events take place late at night or e

"I rubbed my eyes (not sure why, but it felt good anyway) and re-checked. The computer still showed that the dam levels had fallen...My first thought was that a giant bird had paused over our main dam (Warragamba Dam for all you anoraks out there) and taken a huge gulp of our water!" One of the things I do on a regular basis is to check the water level of the dams that supply Sydney with it's drinking water. Now I don't drive out to all the dams with a dip stick and measure it that way, but I do go to the relevant State Government website to see how full our dams are. It's a cheaper and more effective way of getting the information. Also, I would need a large dipstick to effectively measure the water levels of the dams! I have no idea why I have an infatuation with dam levels. Maybe it was because I used to collect stamps when I was a youngster, and have been known to occasionally sing in the shower. Alternatively it could be that the publicity given to the level

"has this endearing compulsion to nominate their husbands for virtually anything (except wearing a Koala outfit in the middle of Sydney on a hot summers day)...By now I was working up a sweat. I was running from one part of the stage to another with a bag in one hand and pizza slices in the other" Both No Worries and I are on the local school organising committee where our gals attend. It is a lot of fun but also a lot of organising to do as well. Normally there are about 3 major events in the school year that we have to work on. One night I came home from work and was advised by No Worries that she had "volunteered" my services to help out the year 6 parents with a fund raising pizza day. Now when I heard this two thoughts entered my head immediately. Firstly, our gals are not in year 6, and secondly, what did she mean by volunteering? The day in question was one where I had a few things on and I was not sure I could help, let alone wanted to! However, No Worrie

"I desperately wanted to have a go. Internally I think I am a white Asafa Powell!...It would be like Metallica making a hip hop album!" A couple of days ago it was my daughters school sports day. It would be the first time in three years that the event had been held as on the previous two years rain had caused them to be cancelled. Prior to the big day everyone was praying for a nice dry and sunny day. It looked as if our prayers had been answered as the day was indeed dry, sunny and not too hot. Definitely perfect weather for a sports day. I had volunteered to help out and was assigned the very important role of being a 100 metres Marshall. My role was to help ensure that everyone knew what was expected and did not start running before the whistle went off to signify the start if the sprint. We did have a starters gun but thought a whistle would be better especially for the younger children. I arrived early and looked at the running track. My excitement levels rose (y

"I quickly looked at my phone (its a safety comfort thing really). The month shown was May. I was stunned. So I hadn't been asleep for seven months...At this rate I would expect to see Easter eggs on the store shelves by October" A couple of weekends ago I took my daughters to the local shopping centre. We were looking for some clothes for them as it is (finally - hooray!!) getting colder in Sydney. Yes winter is knocking on the door. This year the summer seemed to linger as long as a bad smell in a lift, or more accurately body odour on a Sydney train! We were wandering around the centre and visiting a few shops, as you do, when we decided to go into one of the major stores. The gals love going shopping especially when it is for them! We looked at some clothes and found some sleepwear for them to wear during the chilly nights. They were very happy indeed! I have to admit I did choose well for them. I decided to look at some books whilst there as I have always like

"how fat and big the pigs were. They were huge! All I could think of while looking at them was a years supply of bacon and ham steaks!...I had no idea as to how much grooming these creatures go through. I was expecting to see nail polish and lipstick on them but alas the cows were spared this 'luxury''" Once a year an event comes to Sydney that generates a lot of excitement for thousands of locals. It's an event that is predominantly geared towards the young of age and also those, like myself, who are young at heart! What is this event? I hear you mutter over your second bowl of muesli. Well it's not a concert by Miley Cyrus or even a hair styling expo guest starring Zac Efron, but it is the Royal Sydney Easter Show! Note for the anoraks amongst you that the 'Royal' moniker was bestowed on the Easter Show by Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century (about the same time as Cliff Richard was born!). I personally love the Easter Show. Yes it's

"Maybe I took the wrong dose of medication today. Possibly true as I am listening to Chris De Burgh as I write this...I end up looking like a limbo dancer trying not to knock over the pole whilst at the same time fumbling for another peg" There is something that has been annoying me recently and I have decided to get it off my chest and unleash it to you - the blogging public at large. What is the whinge, I hear you say? Well it's nothing to do with the weather, GFC (Global Financial Crisis and not Gillingham Football Club), or the lack of good birthday cards on offer in Australia. It is, believe it or not, our washing line! Now, I know what you must be thinking. Maybe I took the wrong dose of medication today. Possibly true as I am listening to Chris De Burgh as I write this blog. But medication is certainly not the issue today. Read on and I'll explain. We have a washing line that we use, not surprisingly, to hang out our clothes for drying. It is secured to th

"I thought I was going to have a successful visit when I heard the dreaded words "you are going to have to take a seat as I need to refer you to another person"...I was on my second round of counting the ceiling tiles when my name was called out. Actually, they called out my wife's name and I had to correct them" There is a saying that goes 'there are only two things certain in life and that is death and taxes'. Well I beg to differ. I actually think there is a third certainty. What is it? I hear you cry from the mountain tops and the low lying valleys. Is it appearing on a reality television series? - no. Is it making a fool of oneself at karaoke? - could be, but not as far as I am concerned. The answer is spending hours waiting to be served at a Government office. If you think about it we will all spend time at one of these venerable citadels of a Government nature. In Australia it could be at Medicare, Centrelink or at any of the other offices that h

"What was the song, I hear you say? Well thankfully it was not 'Achy Breaky Heart' by Billy Ray Cyrus (Miley's dad)...the group used to be called Satellite 1 before changing their name. That's probably a great place to put this song - on a satellite" Last weekend No Worries and I were driving back from Canberra when I put a CD on. After all music is a great soother especially when driving from the ACT to Sydney. The CD being played was full of rock ballads which I hadn't heard for many moons. We were both enjoying the music (admittedly me more than No Worries) when the next song came on. As it did, I mentioned to my wife that it was one of my favourite songs of the Nineties. As it came on No Worries instantly turned up the volume, much to my horror. Normally she likes turning the volume down and not up. No Worries immediately said it was one of her favourite songs of all time. We both sang along to it and then played it all over again! What was the

About a month ago I received my 3,000 th hit for my blog. Now some of you may think that I am personally responsible for 2,999 of them. Well, sorry to disappoint you but I am not. However, maybe 2,998 of them I am responsible for! hehehehe . Statistically speaking it has taken me approximately 18 months to achieve this milestone. Which equates to more than 160 hits a month. I have to admit that I have achieved this goal much quicker than I had initially thought. On top of this I have received hits from countries that I have never received hits from before. These countries include Pakistan, Dominican Republic, Iceland and Bulgaria to name just a few. So my blogs are spreading their tentacles quicker around the world than the Global Credit Crisis. A big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read my blogs. It truly is appreciated. So please come back regularly and feel free to subscribe to my blog if you wish. Cheers!

"Either that or the bulk of under sevens were going to slam dance off the stage. Maybe the area at the front of the stage was a mosh pit....He looked deflated. It was as if I had given him the worst possible type of news imaginable" Recently during the school summer holidays I took the gals to the local shopping centre to see a stage show. The show was one related to Madagascar 2 which I believe is quite good movie. The gals loved the first film so I thought they would like the show. We arrived just before the show started and the gals were able to get close to the front of the stage. This was definitely a huge show. There were security personnel there to ensure the young fans did not try to climb onto the stage to hug Alex, Marty or the penguins. Either that or the bulk of under sevens were going to slam dance off the stage. Maybe the area at the front of the stage was a mosh pit rather than excited kids going to watch a show! I noticed one young boy who was very excit

"Even the cane toads weren't distracting me. I may as well have been at Le Mans with all its twists and turns...I drove on and came to a very small town (if you can call it that) called The Risk. It seemed an apt name given our journey over Mount Lindesay!" During the Christmas period we drove to Ballina to spend time with my wife's side of the family. Christmas Day was certainly a big day especially for our two daughters. Santa somehow tracked down where they were staying and left lots of presents. Obviously he has a high tech GPS in his supersonic sleigh! Anyway, on Christmas day one of No Worries cousins invited us to stay for a couple of days with her and her husband as it was their oldest daughter's 4Th birthday. So a couple of days later we set off to the town of Beaudesert in SE Queensland - situated sort of between Brisbane and the Gold Coast and sort of in the hinterland. The drive was quite scenic once we turned off the Pacific Highway and head along

"I had visions of the kitchen sink coming with us but fortunately No Worries didn't give it a second glance...she reminded me that the pie maker and coffee grinder were coming as well. Suddenly, I felt sorry for the toaster" I thought I would update all and sundry as to what has been happening these past couple of weeks. Well, to put it briefly we have been on a relaxing family holiday to the Northern reaches of NSW and also across the border into hostile QLD (no passport required). Subsequently, I decided to give my creative blogging juices a break so that they could be re-energised for the new year (with the help of some lovely amber nectar and sumptuous Indian food). Our holiday started a couple of days before Christmas and incorporated a quick stopover in Port Macquarie and then a further drive onto Ballina arriving on Christmas Eve. As is the norm, the lovely No Worries decided to start her packing on the night before the holiday was due to start. In fact, she didn&#