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Thursday, June 30, 2005

The desk. 

It was made in the 1940s in Denmark.

It has rounded corners - almost as rounded as an old bathtub - and its timber glows with the kind of lustrous warmth typical of early 20th century Scandinavian furniture. It's not art deco, it is more arts and crafts, I guess.

I found it in a second-hand shop. I had been looking for a desk for quite some time, but new ones are generally badly made. And expensive.

It was delivered yesterday. I was afraid it would not fit in the doorway. It's no heavier than a small ship. Everything about it is large, right down to the big, bright chrome keys that lock the front cupboard doors.

The desk also has three concealed, but quite spacious, cupboards in the back - that is, on the opposite side to which you sit. I stored about fifty books in the back cupboards - books I rarely read - and with great effort (because the desk was now even heavier) - I slowly, Sisyphus-like, moved the desk back against the wall. Unlike the rock, it stayed there, thank goodness.

I'll have fun with the children. 'Hey, kids - there are fifty books in this desk. See if you can find 'em!'



is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Monday, June 27, 2005

Great aircraft names # 1. 

I'd love to fly somewhere - anywhere - in an aircraft with a name like this.










is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Saturday, June 25, 2005

New writer's blog! 

My friend Grant Morgan has at last decided to weave his words worldwide, via his brand new weblog.

Go visit and say hello. You'll find plenty to read, think about and enjoy in his poetry and prose.







is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Cartoon break. 

:)





is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Movie review: Mr & Mrs Smith. 

Most married couples secretly want to kill each other but never get around to it.

Conversely, Mr & Mrs Smith spend half the movie ACTUALLY TRYING to kill each other, but secretly DON'T want to.

So they stop. And have sex instead.

Then other people try to kill them and they get mad.

(I'd get mad, too, if someone tried to kill me with large-scale weaponry including RPGs and AK-47s while I was trying to have sex.)

Stars Angelina Jolie. With prominent product placement for Bombay Sapphire Gin.

Actually, the star is the gin - the martinis are in just about every scene. Angelina is the product placement. She pouts, wears a selection of white singlets, eats a martini olive and then pouts some more.







get is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Thursday, June 09, 2005

I got so excited about my old 1930s dictionary, I forgot to provide the actual definition of 'Gweeon'. 

Until reminded by Topanga.

So here it is:

Gwee'on n.
In Australia, a stone tomahawk.







is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Gweeon. 

My dictionary is very useful.

It is so old it doesn't have 'computer'. But everyone knows what a computer is. So why would anyone look it up?

However, it does have 'gweeon', right there after 'guzzle' and before 'gybe'.















is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

A little-known early version of the 747Jumbo - propellor-powered. 

Isn't it cute?

I love these aircraft pictures - I grew up south of Essendon Aerodrome - my family's home is somewhere in the background of that main shot.

My brother and I used to walk into the Aerodrome and poke about amongst the planes. Security? Huh! They were easier days. The only thing you couldn't do was walk on the runway. Well, at least while a plane was landing or taking off.

One bright, moonlit night, my whole family went to the Aerodrome to watch my newlywed uncle and aunt leave for their new home in New Zealand. They flew away in a TEAL Electra, one of the most beautiful aircraft ever to fly.










is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Please hold for your receipt number .... 

Ten seconds of wait music.

Then: 'Thank you very much for paying your bill via Acme Gas and Electricity Company's fast, convenient telephone payment system - we're putting the power in YOUR hands! Your receipt number is Q (pause), 1 (pause), 0 (pause), 0 (pause), 9 (pause), 5 (pause), 7 (pause), 9 (pause), 2 (pause), 9 (pause), 5 (pause), 0 (pause), 9 (pause), 5 (pause), 8 (pause), 2. To hear your receipt number again, press 1. Or to finish press hash or just hang up.'

I'll just write a check next time, thanks. Be a whole lot quicker.







is it time for a nap yet? i think so

Thursday, June 02, 2005

Chapter One, paragraph two, of a book I'm reading about crime fiction: 

'The detective story comes rather late in the history of literature, being a mere 135 years old. The simple reason for the late appearance of this story form lies in the fact that, before the early 1800's, there were no detectives.'

That clears that up.










is it time for a nap yet? i think so

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