Always remember that in the journey of life two wrongs don't make a right, but three rights make a left.

My sympathies go out to Shirl and others who knew Mandarin Meg.

Another busy day in ye olde shoppe. Still, we're starting to make real inroads on all the junk hanging about the place. I can even see the carpet in places! Not that this carpet is worth seeing! It's green and purple squares. Ugh!

Australia lost 0-1 to Italy overnight. No more World Cup for them. I must say that they had plenty of chances to score but the finishing was pretty wayward. The penalty that gave Italy the last-minute goal was dubious, to say the least. Some of those guys could slot right in to the Olympic diving team. But, enough sour grapes. The green and gold played well and I think they won't be taken so lightly on the international scene from now on.
So now, it's England all the way for me.

It's been a busy couple of days in ye olde bookshoppe. Laurie has been in the back room reorganising. It's possible to get in there and actually walk around now. Amazing effort. About 1500 books have gone to the tip. Sad, but true. He'll write those off on his tax. He's hoping to get rid of ten times that in the next week or so. We have to be a bit ruthless and get rid of a lot of old stock that's been sitting around for years and years. It's the only way to make room for new stock. The place is chockers and getting more so everyday. Except for the old sci-fi and classic literature fans, most people don't seem to be interested in reading stuff that was written more than a few years ago. And to make room for newer stuff we, unfortunately, have to ditch the old stuff.
A big part of me wants to keep them all. It's somehow not right to throw books away. But, we have to be practical and think in terms of the shop's survival.


Meanwhile, England won overnight and are through to the quarter finals. Australia plays tonight (well, 1am tomorrow morning to be exact) for their chance to advance. The way the draw works, it could end up with an England - Australia final. Now that would be exciting. But, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves!

Why do my links have a bullet in front of them????

Awake at 4.30 this morning to watch the football. Australia is now through to the second round.

Checked out

Pink Floyd

and sadly, they don't tour any more. They are reforming for a one-off performance at Live 8 but that's it.

Set the controls for the heart of the sun....

Watched Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii last night. Just the band in an amphitheatre. No audience. The music is pre Dark Side of the Moon. Excellent stuff. The interviews/comments in between tunes are interesting. Lots of justification going on about the use of electronic equipment - they were in the process of recording DSotM at the time. Ironic really, 'cos nowadays no one gives it a second thought.
There's an hilarious (I think) bit with Dave Gilmour when he's desperately trying to convince the interviewer that the band doesn't do drugs. It probably would have worked if he didn't look and sound so obviously stoned.
I really would have loved to have been there....the sound in that amphitheatre would have been amazing.
Saw the post-Roger Waters version of Floyd several years ago. One of the best concerts I've ever been to. Would go again at the drop of a hat. Dunno if they still tour though.

oops

Australia aren't through yet. They have to win tomorrow morning to guarantee a place in the last sixteen.

Since the bloody World Cup started I haven't done any reading. That's bad. I've been staring goggle-eyed at men in shorts kicking a round ball around instead. Both my teams (England and Australia) are through to the second stage. That gives me a 2 in 16 ( 1 in 8??) chance of backing the winner.
And, of course, once that finishes Wimbledon starts.
Sleep? What's that?

We (ie., the books) are now an official rrr sponsor/discounter. In return for offering a discount to rrr subscribers we get free listing on their website and in their Trip magazine (which goes out to at least 10,000 people!). Yay!

from the Little Book of Wrong Shui

Storing sugar in the salt cellar and salt in the sugar bowl will help to discourage complacency in many ways.

Plants with pointy leaves are bad for you. So are friends with pointy faces. Avoid both.

If your toast always lands butter-side down, plan ahead. Butter the other side instead.

That Sinking Feeling: the all too familiar combination of impatience and frustration encountered when trying to find something in the cupboard under the sink. Eliminate the problem by fitting your sink in the floor.

You Are 14% American

You're as American as Key Lime Tofu Pie Otherwise known as un-American! You belong in Cairo or Paris... Get out fast - before you end up in Gitmo!

How American Are You?

Phew!
What or where is Gitmo?

who wants to try?

Apparently, if you cut an onion in half and rub it on the sole of your foot you'll taste onion in your mouth an hour later.

Holly

Got an email today. She's liking her new job, saving madly (haha, I bet!) so they can get a place of their own and has met lots of boys.
Way to go, Schmoll.

Here's a word...

triskaidekaphobia

Fear of what?

Good morning

The sun's out but it's icy cold out there.
Got a sale happening in the shop - kids books, as it's school holidays for the next two weeks. Hope that'll bring some customers in, been far too quiet lately.

Hmm, that's Taya on the left, Holly on the right. I messed up the labels.

And isn't blogger.com being a bit temperamental lately!

I got it wrong

Evan's b'day is actually today (Monday, 19th here), but his b'day tea was yesterday. Bad auntie!
I gave him some books (surprise, surprise) which he accepted with great joy. He's a big fan of Winnie the Pooh. Mind you, the books were immediately forgotten about 'cos there was a game involving running, jumping on the couch and generally being silly in progress. :)
I had to give Taya (his sister) a book too, just to keep things even. She's four and, to my eye, a dead ringer for Holly at that age. If she sings like Holly it'll be a bonus.
Speaking of Holly; she's flown the coop. Got a job in Brisbane and moved up there last weekend. Her mum says that the house is strangely tidy all of a sudden. She misses her terribly though.

Taya.

Holly

Evan is seven today

Happy Birthday!!

100 best opening lines (novels)

From the American Book review

here

The World Cup continues

Sleep deprivation increases.

busy busy busy

Haven't had time to scratch myself today. Busy little book shop!

suicides at Guantanamo Bay

"They have no regard for human life, neither ours nor their own. I believe this was not an act of desperation but an act of asymmetric warfare against us" - Navy Rear-Admiral Harry Harris, base commander

So suicide is now an act of war. These people never cease to amaze me.

two points

is all it takes to beat Sydney in Sydney. Yeah!

temperature

7.8 degrees, down from a high of 8.1
(that's degrees C Shirl).
So, technically speaking, it's not freezing. Technically.

Disgraceful

Australia currently has military personnel in East Timor to try to help stop the rioting, etc that's going on over there. As the troops left, our illustrious Prime Minister said that they were being sent into a dangerous situation and that there could be casualties. But now he's saying it's not a war like situation so that the government doesn't have to pay them combat rates. This impacts on their superannuation payouts, their service records, everything.
What a horrible little man he is. Send them out there, tell them they could get killed and then cheat them of their pay.

I have to stop picking up these books!

Currently reading:
A Feast for Crows - George RR Martin (still)
Ilse Witch - Terry Brooks
The Well of Lost Plots - Jaspar Fforde
Death Sentence - Don Watson

and now I just picked up Dirt Music by Tim Winton. The opening is good so I have to keep reading.

So we went to the football

What a day! Saints lost by 13 points. The third quarter got a bit exciting but we were behind all day.
Georgia insisted that we sit next to the Melbourne cheer squad - good for her, not good for me! And, my god, can that kid yell!! Nearly deafened me a couple of times, hehe. But she enjoyed herself so that's the main thing.
After the game we took the wrong path out of the MCG and ended up walking for an hour before we found a train station. Bloody hell!
Turned into a very long day.

Goin' to the football

Tomorrow. I haven't been for many, many years, in fact not since Waverley closed. But niece Georgia wants to go and has told me I'm taking her! Hehe. My team (Saints) versus her team (Demons). I hope 1) It's not raining 2) It's a good game and 3) Georgia doesn't get too upset when we win. :)
I nearly got out of it when I heard last week that she was behind with schoolwork. I told her she had to get up to date or the game was off. Apparently she's worked her backside off to get up to date this week. So now I have to go. Oh well, it'll be an adventure.