i’ve been waiting a long time to visit Freycinet. Such is my geographical ignorance, i thought it took up most of the Eastern coast of Tasmania; thankfully i am more knowledgeable now.

The trek across the hill to Wineglass Bay is sumptuous and rich. i was so excited i almost ran up the hill, but had to remember the injured ankle.

Lucky me, i got to visit my lovely cousins in Dolphin Sands, Swansea; the most wonderfully delightful people whose humour and grace kept me thoroughly nourished. Highlights were:

• Fi’s brilliant cooking,
• Tim’s voracious bike-riding,
• Mikey’s killer bowling,
• Lucy’s competitive edge,
• Martin and Polly’s bathroom stories and
• Richard’s Slivovitz.

Yum! Thank you all.

What a breathtaking experience! Cradle Mountain is jaw-droppingly beautiful; i’m so glad i went there. And very happy that i wound up with a flat tyre at the very summit (no, the carpark really) meaning that i had to stay overnight and get more walking joy in the morning.

The walk around the lake was strenuous enough for me, with my flat-tyre-style ankle (mild recurring sprain); interesting how the whole thing has been made into a boardwalk, so that plants can continue to grow underfoot. Maybe one day i’ll do the five day overland trip.

Driving down the next day was unnerving, as i was driving my wonderful sister’s car with one of those strange ‘space-saving’ pretend tyres instead of the real thing. “Don’t go over seventy,” i was warned.

Ended up going through Sheffield (the Mural Town) to Devonport – one hundred km to find a replacement tyre. And no phone reception anywhere until just outside the Ferry City.

So it turned out that Fiona was giving birth to Son Number Two in Halifax just as i was walking through the fields of joy. Yay for Fiona, Paul, Sasha and the New Thing. That Sociology Lecturer, she is a Legend!

Love youse all for reading,
michael

Stepped off the ferry at six am, and the furtherest (sic) i could travel was the wee hamlet of Penguin, twenty minutes away. Largest indoor sunday market on the mid-north coast of Tasmania; how could i resist?

Hello Dear Reader. i Spent boxing day with the very delightful Lynne, whose baby is three months old now.

We walked around the Melbourne cemetery, which must be something in the order of 6000 zillion buckaroos worth of real estate – it’s around forty acres of prime envious developer territory. Imagine being a developer walking through that property, i’d be contemplating sending my ancestors into space to get my grubby hands on that

… yes we spoke of the film ‘The Loved One’, from the classic Waugh novel. Where of course a funeral director builds a rocket to send loved ones into space. Omg. Lmfao!

We wandered through a different area i’ve never seen before, where the graves all date 1850-70, and the ground is dusty and bare. Names like Adelaide Ada reach out from crumbling tombstones; unlike the Italian areas that reach out with their recently polished marble from the edge of the newly laid roads.

Saw the Elvis memorial for the first time. i had no idea. i mean i’ve seen the JFK memorial waterfall outside the old parliament in the Treasury Gardens; but Elvis has a crypt in Melbourne? Yes He Does.

Then we watched “Trekkies”, which is one of the strangest movies i’ve ever seen. i just want to put on my uniform, and start collecting little .. um .. things.

Came home to Californication; the wickedest and most seductive US comedy drama i’ve seen in a while. it’s lovely to see Duchovny take on another role and relish it. The blocked writer somehow a metaphor for the blocked actor phase he’s finally cracked. i know there’s only twelve episodes so i’m trying to take it slowly, draw out the pleasure.

So many people far away. When are Paul and Fiona coming home? They must be about to give birth right about now. Well, Fiona mostly. Go Fi, we’re thinking of you.

At least KT was home for summer solstice. What a delight!
(no i don’t believe in christmas. we call it michaelmas 🙂

Lots of love, michael

It’s that time of year when people dream about what they want, next time round the sun.

i’m sure you have dreams about a better world, and you’re probably working in some way toward those dreams. Well hang on in there, cos you know the agents of fear won’t win.

YOU are gonna win, with your dreams of inspiration and balance, creativity and love.

So, if you’re dreaming of bringing more love and connection, more strength in community, more safety and peace into this world, or more pleasure to yourself, i say thank you. Thanks for your dreams, thanks for your actions of love and caring, no matter how small or fleeting.

Take some heart from Ben Harper, “Don’t let them take the fight out of you”.

i once went to a Ben Harper concert, with jude and Jody-Lee. Such a good night!

My dreams for ‘008 include these:
1) Garden full of yummy vegetables all year round
2) More time camping in the bush, away from the city
3) More time singing with friends
4) Melbourne recycles storm water instead of going “desal”
5) President bush is impeached, and democracy is repaired.

What about you? Wanna share your dreams for ‘008..?

Go right ahead and pop your thoughts in the comment box, right hereio. One or more dreams, very welcome 🙂

Hope your year is full of joy, healing and fun; lots of dancing, and great books.

(click below where it says “Comments” or “Post a comment”
(lemme know if you need assistance:
(mic at michalk dot id dot au

(img: thank you Alberto+Cerriteño and also mick y )

The shiningly witty Ms Fits has had a book-related brush with some patrons at Meredith.
Story involves a Dog with a dog during Dr Dog (?! yes, read up.)

Apparently, it’s Not Okay to read while Dr Dog is playing. Not even quietly in the distant background. Interferes with other people’s enjoyment. Too freakish. Too girly-swot.

What is going on in this crazy old world. i know we’ve never really been a bookish nation but what happened to live and let effing live. Aren’t Australians supposedly renowned for our laidback and tolerant approach to life?

Oh, i remember tolerance, that was before the time of darkness.
For about five minutes, after the previous time of darkness.

Not as if Ms Fits was crouched motionless in the mosh pit, reading aloud over the band. The book wasn’t anything like ‘How to Destroy Swamp Rock Fans in One Easy Sitting’.

i guess we just hate interLekchoools. SmartRRRses!
Watch out! They’ll be burning witches next, on piles of books. You mark my words. Lucky she got out alive.

Too much ignorant hooligan-ism-ality going on for my liking !

(image: thanks florianB, and sidelong.)

Sat 8 Dec — Angie Hart, Skipping Girl Vinegar

i know barely anything about Angie Hart’s music, so i could enjoy this without expectation.

The band is really something .. she has Cam Butler and Dan Luscombe both on guitars, keyboard etc. I don’t know who the drummer and bass player were, but as an ensemble they created a warm and vibrant soundscape for Angie to shine on vocals.

She doesn’t dance or perform really, just sticks to singing the songs in a simple and engaging style.

A lovely evening.

After a delicious day in the park for Louise’s birthday (languorous mojito picnic at a super long doors-on-milk-crates table)

.. the gang decides to head off to see the very amazing Vulgargrad at melbourne’s own Spiegeltent.

When we get there, we find out it’s the very last night for our famous tent .. and the crowd is pumped up like a football on grand final day. (hmm)

Vulgargrad? Oh they’re funny, they’re energetic and they’re playing dirty Russian criminal Gypsy punk .. or something like that. All i know is they’re good to dance to, and one of their songs sounds a lot like Rawhide, in Russian.

Apparently the lead singer has a Polish accent, but i can’t pick it.

Joy and delight all round.

Louise’s cat Zena is a total darling, but he just isn’t interested in catching any kind of rodent. Not for dinner, not for fun. Not at all.

“They tried to make me catch a rodent, i said no no no !”
(To the tune of Amy Winehouse ‘Rehab’.)

Now i think i know why .. someone has been messing with his genes. in this video from Reuters, they say the mouse has been altered to remove the smell of fear from his hereditary knowledge bank.

But what have they done to the cat? Are they saying that cats only chase mice because the mice are afraid? That the cat is culturally inclined, rather than genetically, to chase the rodent? This opens up a whole can of cat food!

Anyway, this cat looks a whole lot like Zena. i think he’s been living a double life.

So yes, i had an interview with jon faine (a month ago now). It was a strange experience for me, as i don’t often appear on radio. You can hear it all over again .. right here.

Or tune into his more recent work on the abc site.

provided by ODEO

Listening back, i mildly regret implying that people in the bar were not likely to be literary critics. It was funny at the time, a standard knee-jerk dig at people you don’t know, insinuating a lesser intellectual sophistication, and flag-flying the stereotype that “rednecks can’t read and probably wouldn’t want to anyway“.

(When in fact a whole heap of well-educated people are ignorant and prejudiced too.)

However i have worked for many years with people whose self-worth has been destroyed by the stigma of low literacy. Believe me, if you can’t read in this society, you get looked down upon by everyone.

On top of this, having a low level of literacy is about more than your own personal abilities; in fact the overall levels of health, wealth, employment and social cohesion in the local community all contribute to a person’s ability to learn at school. There was some great research recently that highlighted the interconnectedness of all these factors.

Apart from that, i’m okay with the interview.
i’d recommend following up that research – Tony Vinson and Peter Norden. Brilliant.

Related: Research on Social Disadvantage in Australia.

(image: thanks mrtwism)