Saturday, June 30, 2007

Friday fill in

1. Been waiting for a Cure tour for such a long time!
2. Occasionally, The Cure make it to Australia. August 12th. Yeah! Cannot wait!!!.
3. Unexpected encounters can be interesting!
4. If I remember rightly, sex is great, too!
5. Where do you shop when you want that special birthday present?.
6. Oh my god, he just bought a book!
7. What are you doing this weekend? Tonight I'm looking forward to red wine and the football on TV, tomorrow my plans include dinner for Paula's birthday and Sunday, I want to find somewhere great to take photographs 'cos I have the day off!

From ex-Percy

From one extreme to the other...

Drought one day, floods the next! Parts of Gippsland, in the east of the state, are under water this week. Some of it has found its way into the catchments which is good. Pic courtesy of ABC news.

 
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Friday, June 29, 2007

No recording devices allowed

I think that includes cameras. :( Edit: I checked and it does mean cameras. Bugger.

 
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Happy Birthday Paula

My other sister - Mother of James and Holly. Not in Africa but definitely from Outer Space!

 
 
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Thursday Thirteen#16

Things I like beginning with J:

1. John - my dad. :)
2. James - my eldest nephew.
3. Jimmy Page - guitar hero numero uno.
4. Jack Sparrow - sexiest pirate ever.
5. Jordan, Robert - author of the Wheel of Time series. I just wish he'd hurry up with #12, the last book.
6. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien - I've lost count of how many times I've read Lord of the Rings. Love it to death.
7. Johnnie Walker - unfortunately, I can only ever afford the red label.
8. Jacuzzi - haven't got one but I sure would like one.
9. Jamming - on the geetar. Don't do it often enough these days.
10. John Lennon - another hero. A life cut tragically short. I often wonder how he would have approached the Iraq debacle and whether he'd have made a difference. I like to think he would have.
11. Joy Division - great band. Another life cut short. :(
12. Just Like Heaven - a Cure track I'm hoping to hear live very soon!!!!
13. Janet/Percy/Mrs Jack - Likes Led Zep, Tolkien, Pirates so how could you go wrong?. Lotsa fun! :)
T13

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Please have a listen to Holly

Bright Blue Rose
Click on the download button and Holly will sing to you. She's my eldest niece. When the harmony kicks in, that's her too. She was 15 or 16 when this was recorded (she's 21 now).
Please have a listen.
(It's a Quicktime thing so I hope you have that on your computer!)

NB. Holly went to the same school as Georgia does. The music ensemble is another thing they do exceptionally well.

Safe arrival

Mum got a call yesterday to let us know that Clare and Georgia, and the rest of their group, arrived safe and sound in Johannesburg. Communications will be few and far between I think.

Dummy on the road


Dummy on the road, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Some poor kid's not going to be happy. I could have got closer but I didn't want to get the camera wet! It's raining out there.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Demon rabbit from Outer Space


Demon rabbit from Outer Space, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

I really, really, really need to get a tripod!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Unconscious Mutterings

  1. Compulsion :: Obsessive compulsion disorder, or whatever it's called

  2. Spiritual :: scotchism, vodkaism - oh, not that sort of spiritual?

  3. Spray :: hair

  4. Compatibility :: fit together

  5. Pursuit :: hot

  6. Fake :: false

  7. Mobile :: phone

  8. Ceremony :: an old New order song

  9. Ribbons :: hair (again)

  10. Mozart :: Salieri



from here

See you later...

Clare and Georia flew off to Africa yesterday. I took the day off to go say seeya. Everything was fine until they came to say goodbye to Tash, their dog. She's an old dog now and they're both worried she won't last till they get back. So there were plenty of tears. But, that aside, they're both really excited to be going. As Georgia said, it'll be a life changing experience. They'll be back on 12th August.

 
 
 
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Sainters!

After 4 losses in a row the Saints finally won a game yesterday. And what a game to win. Not only did they knock off the Eagles, the reigning premiers and the form side again this year, but they did it on the Eagles home ground in Perth. Yeah!! It was Robert Harvey's 350th game (only 10 guys have played that many) and the boys didn't let him down. Today, I'm smiling.

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Sausaged


IMG_1969, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

The kids in the house, and their friends, prank each other by leaving food on the car. They sneak around in the middle of the night to leave a calling card such as this. Obviously, last night was Kylie's turn to be sausaged, as they call it. The only rule they have is that you can't leave something that will damage the car's paint or that requires more than a quick wipe to clean off. I think it's hilarious.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Excuse me while I get all teenagery for a minute....

 

12th August - can't come fast enough!
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This is a worry....


iloveagoodbook Highway
Lake Love9
Confusion Lane13
Wealthville43
Childbirth Hospital144
TravelWorld213
Please Drive Carefully
Username:

Where are you on the highway of life?

From Go-Quiz.com


Childbirth Hospital? That's scary.
Wealthville and TravelWorld sound much more inviting.

Woohoo....

Just bought my ticket for The Cure. Yeah!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Thursday Thirteen #15

Things I like beginning with I:

1. Ice - preferably in a good scotch or vodka.
2. Inside - best place to be in winter.
3. In My Time of Dying - great, great tune off Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin.
4. In the Light - ditto.
5. Intuition - trust it.
6. Intelligence - I think I have some, even if I don't always use it.
7. Ireland - a place I'd like to visit.
8. Igloos - dunno why, I just think they're cool.
9. Isengard - have to throw in a Tolkien reference somewhere along the line. :)
10. Intimacy - I could do with some.
11. Illuminated letters - I love these in the old medieval manuscripts.
12. Idiosyncracies - everyone has their own. Some are endearing, some are not.
13. Illumination - I prefer to be able to see what I'm doing. (Well, not always. ;))
T13

Patience is a virtue...

Last year I read Harlequin and Vagabond by Bernard Cornwell and have been waiting ever since for the third book in the trilogy, Heretic, to turn up. Well it has! So back in to The Hundred Years War I go.

Today is the 21st of June...

so happy Solstice to you all.

Bananas, yeah


Which random phallic object are you?
Quiz by Andrea.



Seen at Shirl's.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Midsummer Night's Dream

Last night I went to see Georgia and the rest of her class perform Midsummer Night's Dream. It was very enjoyable. Georgia was great as Oberon and the girl who played Bottom was very funny. If there's one thing that Steiner schools do well it's developing and encouraging the creative side of kids.
Here are some random shots from the 99 (yes, 99) that I took...

 
 
 
 
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Happy Birthday Evan


Evan in his new Richmond shirt, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

The big 8 today!
Proudly wearing the new Tigers shirt I gave him. That's his father, my brother, in the background. Also a Tiger man.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Don't bother with this....

Bookmark
Got a free sample in the mail - a plastic bookmark that slides on to the back cover and has a flexible plastic arm to mark your page.
I tried it out and noticed two things straight away:
1. It put nasty creases in the book's cover
2. The piece that holds it on the cover slides up and the arm pops out of the marked page - it doesn't stay in place.

So, if you see this somewhere and think it looks nifty, don't.

Monday, June 18, 2007

Footy on YouTube - have a look at the greatest game

here

and here

Have I mentioned yet that it's winter here?

Bloody freezing! The sky is grey, it's just started to rain. Windy. And, hahaha, I think there's a barbecue planned at home this evening. I don't think so.

Unconscious Mutterings

  1. Riding :: little red riding hood

  2. Actress :: cate blanchett

  3. Flowers :: make good photography subjects

  4. Making :: do

  5. Robot :: I, Robot - Asimov

  6. Enjoy :: it while you can

  7. Identify :: name

  8. 22 :: comes between 21 and 23

  9. Busy :: bee

  10. Forward :: line



from here

clay modelling

Last night the kids had a little tray of modelling clay, plasticine, lying around. Within 5 minutes Holly had created this cute siesta scene. The other "creation" is her boyfriend's effort. :)

 
 
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Cake

Diane requested a piece of Evan's birthday cake. So here it is...

 
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Sunday, June 17, 2007

The best letter I ever received....

A memento from my previous life. When the principal was hassling me with all that crap (which eventually led me to resign) he conveniently chose to ignore this and everything else like it. Bastard!

 
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(If you click on it it's big enough to read.)

The things you keep.....

Another leftover from my previous life. These kids were in Year 12 at the time - the last year of secondary school here. This was their way of preparing for university!!

 
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hahaha, somehow I don't think so

Mrs Jack thinks I should have my hair coloured like this.
Well, what do you think?

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Friday fill in

Another themed Fill In from Mrs Jack. This one's about bloggers she reads....so I'll fill in with bloggers I read.

1. She loves barns, the darker the better!
2. He loves all types of you know, I've just realised that the blogs I read regularly are all written by women.
3. This blogger misses her partner. But she's getting stronger every day.
4. Unfortunately, she's lost the plot lately! (No Percy, no Johnny. Girl's gone mad.)
5. Flickr is not her strong suit; in fact I do believe I haven't seen a new photo from her in ages, ho hum.
6. Her farm fascinates me; I love that country air smell (and tastes) of the great outdoors!
7. What are you doing this weekend? Tonight I'm looking forward to visitors from out of town, tomorrow my plans include going to my nephew's birthday tea and Sunday, I want to do absolutely nothing, but I'll have to work!

Ted


Ted, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

My 1000th photo on flickr. Jeez, didn't take me long to clock 1000 up.

The airconditioner has been put away. Here's the heating unit...

 
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It was about 2 degrees outside when I opened up this morning. Currently 15 celsius inside the shop. Brrrr!

Friday, June 15, 2007

Changing coastline.


scan0024, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

My shot from 2005.

The Twelve Apostles, Great Ocean Road, Australia

Just to show how quickly the seascape changes along the south coast: Here's a shot of the same place I found on flickr from 2006.

Thursday Thirteen#15

Things I like beginning with H:

1. Hands - useful things. Though I'm not so fond of mine - I'd dearly love to have longer fingers!
2. Heartbreaker - one of my favourite Led Zeppelin tunes. Great guitar riff.
3. Houses of the Holy - while we're on the subject of the mighty Zep. Album #5.
4. Harvey, Robert - my favourite footballer. Go Saints!
5. Hearing - I'd be lost without mine.
6. Holidays - who doesn't love a holiday? I'm planning a real big one in 3 years time.
7. Hibiscus - lovely flowers.
8. Holly - niece with the voice of angels.
9. Hobbits - a favourite fictional creation.
10. Hobbiton - if it were a real place I'd visit there too.
11. Home - I've had several over the years but, I think, real home is where the family is.
12. Harvest - another favourite album (by Neil Young).
13. (Like a) Hurricane - a great Neil Young tune. More great guitar work.
T13

It's official...

12th August
Rod Laver Arena
THE CURE

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Jokes - got 'em in an email from sister Clare, who'll be in Africa in 2 weeks!!!!

It was mealtime during a flight on Hooters Airline.
"Would you like dinner?" the flight attendant asked John, seated in front.
"What are my choices?" John asked.
"Yes or no," she replied.

A flight attendant was stationed at the departure gate to check tickets.
As a man approached, she extended her hand for the ticket and he opened his trench coat and flashed her. Without missing a beat, she said, "Sir, I need to see your ticket not your stub."

A lady was picking through the frozen turkeys at the grocery store but she couldn't find one big enough for her family.
She asked a stock boy, "Do these turkeys get any bigger?"
The stock boy replied, "No ma'am, they're dead."

The cop got out of his car and the kid who was stopped for speeding rolled down his window.
"I've been waiting for you all day," the cop said.
The kid replied, "Yeah, well I got here as fast as I could."
When the cop finally stopped laughing, he sent the kid on his way without a ticket.

A truck driver was driving along on the freeway. A sign comes up that
reads, "Low Bridge Ahead." Before he knows it, the bridge is right ahead of him and he gets stuck under the bridge.
Cars are backed up for miles. Finally, a police car comes up. The cop gets out of his car and walks to the truck driver, puts his hands on his hips and says, "Got stuck, huh?" The truck driver says, "No, I was delivering this bridge and ran out of gas."

A college teacher reminds her class of tomorrow's final exam. "Now class, I won't tolerate any excuses for you not being here tomorrow.
I might consider a nuclear attack or a serious personal injury, illness, or a death in your immediate family, but that's it, no other excuses whatsoever!"
A smart-ass guy in the back of the room raised his hand and asked, "What would you say if tomorrow I said I was suffering from complete and utter sexual exhaustion?" The entire class is reduced to laughter and snickering. When silence is restored, the teacher smiles knowingly at the student, shakes her head and sweetly says, "Well, I guess you'd have to write the exam with your other hand."

Another meme...

My Roomate and I once: ate trumpet flowers from next door's garden. They're supposed to be hallucinogenic but if they were I don't remember.

Never in my life have I: been to Las Vegas or anywhere else in the USA.

High school was: where I spent most of my life.

When I am nervous: I get a bit panicky.

My hair: is desperately in need of some attention.

When I was 5: I was living in Liverpool, England.

By this time next year: maybe the Saints might be winning more games than they are now.

My favorite aunt is: thousands of miles away.

I have a hard time understanding: war.

You know I like you if: I talk to you.

My ideal breakfast is: bacon, eggs and mushrooms.

If you visit my hometown: I'll take you all over to see the sights.

If you spend the night at my house: I'd be pleased.

My favorite blond is: My niece Taya.

My favorite brunette is: My other niece Georgia.

The animal I would like to see flying is: a phoenix.

I shouldn't have been: so stubborn.

Last night: was extremely cold. Winter is upon us.

I've been told I look like: my younger sister Clare.

If I could have any car it would be: Well, I love my Corolla and it's a keeper but I could have a Ferrari as well.
from Mrs Jack

London Bridge


scan0010, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

One of the sandstone monoliths along the Great Ocean Road. It used to be connected to the mainland until the middle section collapsed. People were actually on it when that happened and got stranded. No injuries though. Needless to say, it's off limits now.

Great Ocean Road

I just had a couple of days off and was going to go to Healesville Sanctuary to take some animal pics. However, it rained solidly for both days so I stayed home. Instead I found some photos from my 2005 Long Service Leave trip. I did a trial run first down the Great Ocean Road which runs along the south coast of Victoria. These photos were taken with an old film camera and so the quality's a bit dodgy. There are many sandstone monoliths along this bit of coastline and lots of great photo ops. Here's one....

 
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Unconscious Mutterings

  1. Acoustic :: guitar

  2. Sanity :: I could do with some

  3. Mambo :: great t-shirts

  4. Session :: musician

  5. Hound :: dog

  6. Cat :: and mouse

  7. Coward :: chicken

  8. Trunk :: elephant

  9. Hold me :: close

  10. Psychological :: torture


from here

Monday, June 11, 2007

playing with pics

The original shot, same shot in sepia, same sepia shot
using lomography at dumpr.net

 
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More favourites from other flickrers again

Photo Scavenger Hunt - Shoes

From here
Seen this meme at Janet's many times but, this week, I decided to join in.


IMG_1406, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Answering Shirl's question....

We don't have many new books. I tend to buy them only when specifically ordered by a customer. There's a K-Mart nearby which sells new books at cost - we can't compete with that. They get 40% discount from the distributers, we only get 30%. I sell them a bit below recommended retail but can't do it cheaper than K-Mart. They rely on people buying other stuff as well to make their profits. We only have books.
We have advertised in the local paper but it's horribly expensive and really didn't increase trade enough to warrant the cost. We do have a listing in the Yellow Pages and that brings in quite a few phone enquiries - some which result in sales.
The main problem, I think, is location. This used to be a busy street but since the post office and banks moved it's died. There's no other retail here to draw people. There is the gun shop but that's more of a deterrent to many people. The paint shop mainly deals with trade orders. Otherwise, there's a laundrette and real estate agencies. Plus there's very limited parking out the front here.
I really think that if we can find a place in a better location we can resurrect the business.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

So depressing...

This bookshop is just not making enough money. We need to shift it to a place where there's more passing trade. People just don't come up to this end of Boronia anymore, since the post office and banks moved away. Increasingly, we're relying on the regulars to keep us afloat and, sadly, they just aren't enough. And because trade is down we can't afford to advertise and I have to be really picky about what stock I can buy in. Downward spiral..... sigh.

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Following up the wine pics....

You Are Sauvignon Blanc

Engaging and energetic, you have a lot to offer the world - most of it they've never seen anywhere else!
You are the type of person who carves your own path in life... and you invite everyone else to come along.
The only thing predictable about you is that you could have anything up your sleeve.
You're all about sampling all of life's experiences. Both the savory and unsavory ones.

Deep down you are: Laid back and young at heart

Your partying style: Anything goes... seriously!

Your company is enjoyed best with: Smoked meats or spicy food

I don't drink much white anymore.

Friday fill in

Mrs Jack has a Vegas theme going this week...

1. The first thing I'll do when I get to Vegas will involve gambling.
2. The LAST think I'll do when I leave Vegas will be curse the casinos for taking my money.
3. Being somewhere different is the thing I'm most looking forward to in Vegas.
4. Although it will be hot in June in Vegas Mrs Jack's birthday celebrations will be even hotter!
5. The reason I chose Vegas was/is why not?.
6. Nobody's, sadly, just sent me a cheque!
7. Finally some time off from work! Tonight I'm looking forward to sleeping, tomorrow my plans include nothing at all exciting :( and Sunday, I want to watch the Saints have a win for once!

From Mrs Jack

Friday, June 08, 2007

Foto Pherrets

Saw this photo meme from Foto Pherrets at Diane's and thought it was one I could do... The theme is Drink. So here's mine from a recent evening....

 
 
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Oh the joys of the internet

Email stopped working. Kept asking for user name and pasword and wouldn't accept either. So I rang my ISP support. Two hours later and I have email again. Had to delete the accounts and re-enter them in the end. The support guy, Michael, has a very nice voice. :)

Thursday Thirteen #14

Things I like beginning with G:

1. G-Man - friends now that the past is in the past.
2. Gnocchi - preferably home-made with a creamy mushroom sauce.
3. Guitars - acoustic, electric, whatever.
4. Gibson - '59 Les Paul is my dream guitar. Am willing to accept donations. :)
5. Gandhi - a truly admirable, inspiring person.
6. Gardens - lots of good photo ops in a good, or even a bad, garden. But I'm a terrible gardener. :(
7. Games - card games, ball games, computer games, board games. But not mind games!
8. Georgia - niece with attitude.
9. Golf - I can't play but it keeps my (almost) 78 year old dad fit and active, so that's got to be a good thing.
10. Getting out - don't do it often enough. Since buying my camera I've made more of an effort to get out and about. :)
11. Grants - not a bad scotch (for a blend, not single malt).
12. Great Ocean Road - head south then west from Melbourne and travel the Great Ocean Road along the south coast. Fantastic ocean views and the Twelve Apostles.
13. Gandalf - a truly heroic creation. One of my favourite fictional characters.
T13

Thursday, June 07, 2007

I'm drowning, I'm drowning...

...under a mountain of books. (A mixed metaphor, I know.) A lady came in this morning with 4 small boxes (the kind that printer paper comes in) of sci-fi to sell. Sci-fi is our biggest seller, so I said "Yes please." 4 small boxes turned into this:
 

The books are now all processed, priced and shelved. Phew!
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