Back home

I'm back home after our long weekend spent at Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

I'll post about our stay there separately.

These are two photos taken from my flight home this afternoon. Click on both for enlargement.


Over southern suburbs of Brisbane minutes after take off.


Descent towards Sydney Airport passing over the Gladesville Bridge and the Parramatta River.

Leaving on a jet plane

I'm in the Qantas Club lounge having breakfast and waiting for my departure.

The weather in Sydney this morning is cold and wet so I am hoping it will be warmer up north. Others don't seem to mind the cold. On either side of me at the moment are two young men doing their Internet work in shorts and sandals whilst I'm rugged up like an Olympic skier.

Heigh ho, heigh ho......

...off to the Coast I go.

I'm flying to Brisbane this morning and then driving to the Sunshine Coast for a weekend with Ll, Fd, Rs, Gg, Mt and Ml. It would be nice if the weather is as warm and as sunny as suggested by the photo below but the forecast is not encouraging. We have rented a house in Noosa Heads.


Apart from Mt and myself, the others have a wedding to attend at Noosa. Mt and I will do our best Oliver Twist type impressions and look in on the beachside reception from the sand.

The rest of the weekend will be the usual mix of talk, gossip, laughter and most importantly eating, eating, eating.

I'll post from the airport if the opportunity arises otherwise I probably won't get online again until my return to Sydney on Monday afternoon.

A rose by any other name.......

I sometimes wonder about the names celebrities give their children but a recent court judgement in New Zealand shows that eccentric namings are not confined to the famous.

What must some parents be thinking?

Essential health....

I'm told this was a real memo sent out by IBM to its employees in all
seriousness. It went to all field engineers about a computer
peripheral problem. The author of this memo was quite genuine.
The engineers rolled on the floor! Especially note the last couple of
sentences.

'If a mouse fails to operate or should it perform erratically, it may
need a ball replacement. Mouse balls are now available as FRU
(Field Replacement Units). Because of the delicate nature of this
procedure, a replacement of mouse balls should only be attempted
by properly trained personnel. Before proceeding, determine the
type of mouse balls by examining the underside of the mouse.
Domestic balls will be larger and harder than foreign balls.

Ball removal procedures differ depending upon the manufacturer
of the mouse. Foreign balls can be replaced using the pop off
method. Domestic balls are replaced by using the twist off method.

Mouse balls are not usually static sensitive. However, excessive
handling can result in sudden discharge.

Upon completion of ball replacement, the mouse may be used
immediately. It is recommended that each person have a pair of
spare balls for maintaining optimum customer satisfaction.

Any customer missing his balls should contact the local personnel
in charge of removing and replacing these necessary items.

Please keep in mind that a customer without properly working balls
is an unhappy customer.'

Estelle Getty (1923 - 2008)

Estelle Getty, who played Sophia, mother of Dorothy, in The Golden Girls has died.

The Golden Girls gained a devoted gay audience in the 1980s and 1990s and still is popular in repeats on pay for view channels in Australia.

You gave us a lot of pleasure Estelle and now can rest in peace free of the threat of return to the Shady Pines home.

Smarter shopping

(From The New Yorker)

What the......?

A government spokesperson speaking on the radio a moment ago and in raptures about the wondrous benefits arising from the just concluded World Youth Day said 'Sydney has regained its mojo'.

Had we misplaced it?

What does this mean?

Tough luck

Australia has had amazing success in the Olympic Games seemingly out of proportion to our comparatively small population when lined up against other sporting powerhouse nations.

For the most part though we have underachieved in track and field events. It is tough luck therefore for our only two current track and field world champions...


Jana Rawlinson and

Nathan Deakes that both have pulled out of the Beijing Olympics through injury.

Devilled rabbit

Yesterday morning I found myself caught in World Youth Day road closures near my home, the only time I fell into the trap of the celebrations during the week.

Once I extracted myself from that annoyance I took myself off to watch the NRL match between the Rabbitohs and the Tigers. The Rabbitohs were looking for their sixth consecutive win and their traditional enemies the Tigers were looking to break a four match losing sequence.

The Tigers prevailed returning to form with some sparkling play. The picture shows Robbie Farrah about to score a try. He has a fine body for those who like their men stocky.

The Dark Knight

Two of the most hyped films in recent times have started in consecutive weeks. Last week it was Mamma Mia and this week it is The Dark Knight.

As most of the world will know The Dark Knight is the last film Heath Ledger completed and there has been much talk in Australia about posthumous Academy Award recognition for him.

In my view the film is an example of style winning over substance. It is a very stylish looking film but I am hard pressed to explain the storyline. In essence I don't think that there is much of a storyline but I can't be certain. The cast is studded with softly spoken actors delivering their lines in almost a whisper at times against a background of ominous music building to repeated crescendos. As a consequence I rarely understood the dialogue nor who was doing what to whom.

As you'd expect the film was packed with impressive effects although one scene of a helicopter crashing looked a bit clunky. The most interesting scene for me was of two booby trapped ferries on the harbour with their passengers battling the moral dilemma of which of them should be blown up. Other than that, the storyline seemed too slight to me to justify a film of such great length.

As for Heath Ledger he does a good job in a showy role but I would reserve judgement about crowning him with awards until I see what the likely competition is.

Word of mouth is obviously working very well for this film. Our 2.10pm session at Bondi Junction was sold out and on leaving the cinema at 5pm I noticed the display board indicated all six remaining sessions today were sold out too.

Pope rides on water

(Click photo to enlarge.)

A photo from my balcony of the flotilla carrying Pope Benedict XVI on Sydney Harbour just thirty minutes ago.

The media is getting carried away with hyperbole regardless of the contrary evidence before our very eyes.

Fifteen minutes before I took this photo a commentator on television reported the three thousand craft on the harbour to welcome the Pope. Clearly there was nothing like that number on the Harbour on this working day Thursday. She also reported the half million spectators lining harbour vantage points to watch the spectacle when television coverage clearly shows numbers far fewer than that figure.

None the less, it was a fine sight on a fairly sunny winter's day.

WYD activities are for everyone....

I want to join the order that the guy at the back belongs to.

Bank runs

These bank runs in the USA are a bit of a worry.

What's that about when the USA sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold?

What's in a name?

It has only just dawned on me that in its heavy coverage of World Youth Day the Sydney Morning Herald is not referring to the 'new' precinct of Barangaroo by that name but as The Hungry Mile.

Given that the authorities and organisers mostly seem to be using the Aboriginal name that emerged from a public competition I wonder why the SMH is going the other way with the older 'nickname'?

Flashing lights

Looking out my window tonight I see a ribbon of flashing lights at water level across Sydney Harbour. I have never seen these lights previously and can't effectively take a picture of them for readers.

I assume they are part of the security arrangements for tomorrow's official arrival in Sydney of the Pope by what is being called a 'boatacade'. He is boarding a cruise vessel at Rose Bay and cruising the harbour before landing at Barangaroo.

Tomorrow is being referred to as Super Thursday because of scheduled World Youth Day activities.

Unfortunately I have a reason to be in the CBD but I intend to do so early in the morning and hopefully make my departure for home well before the expected hundreds of thousands of pilgrims descend upon the city.

Who knew?

The Dark Knight (Batman)...


...and Pope Benedict XVI...

both officially arrive in Sydney tomorrow.

Spooky!

World Youth Day

Sydney has turned on its best sunny winter weather for the commencement of World Youth Day with the Opening Mass being celebrated this evening as I type.

With so many road closures and other restrictions introduced for the festival, traffic has been lighter today than usual and the hospital also was quieter than normal.

I'm staying away from the CBD and Randwick district as far as possible for the remainder of the week.

From all reports, the young pilgrims visiting the city are creating a festive atmosphere similar to when the Olympic Games were held here in 2000.

I was not surprised to hear that the Federal Court today struck out some elements of the Government's regulations prohibiting 'annoying' activity against pilgrims. These aspects of the regulations always seemed over the top and unnecessarily prohibitive. In a sense the Government has been provocative introducing these regulations thereby inviting the very activity it was trying to prevent.

Un Secret

In this French film, Francois is a sad child mystified by his father's disapproval. We see him in the summer of 1955 and also in glimpses as an adult in the summer of 1985. The adult Francois narrates as we watch how the child deals with rejection and the ambiguities in his life.

As a high school student in 1962, Francois learns the family secret from which he has been shielded. At this point the film effectively starts anew as a sad tale of love and betrayal.

Francois' mother is played by the gorgeous Cecile De France and his father by Patrick Bruel who looks very sexy at times.

It is worth persevering with this film. The beginning is somewhat languid and meandering but once the secret is revealed the film really picks up. As is usually the case with French films, there are some very stylish scenes and moments but in this case interspersed with graphic documentary wartime footage.

Bastille Day

Happy Bastille Day to all French bloggers and readers.