Travel blog

I've started to new blog for my Grand Tour. You'll find it here if you're interested.

One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all.

One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small. And the ones that mother gives you don't do anything at all., originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Go ask Alice, when she's ten feet tall

Classic 60s psychedelia from Grace Slick and the Airplane, before they went so sadly mainstream.

Set the controls for the heart of the sun

Set the controls for the heart of the sun, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

take the trip

Sunset

More sunset, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Woolamai surf beach, Phillip Island.

Palindromic date

Ist of Feb today. That's 01/02/2010. Cool.

Phillip Island

Spent the last week at Phillip Island - Cape Woolamai to be exact. Right on the surf beach, away from the touristy areas of the island. Lazy, lazy week. Perfect.

The beach, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Been a long time since he rock and rolled. Been a long time since he did the stroll. Willie is back, Willie is back, Willie is back. Not really where he came from. Wo-oh-oh yeah!

Been a long time since he rock and rolled. Been a long time since he did the stroll. Willie is back, Willie is back, Willie is back. Not really where he came from. Wo-oh-oh yeah!, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Willie the Rooster, a resident of Kansas, followed the Yellow Brick Road and landed in Oz.

If you're not familiar with Willie look here to see where he came from.

Pandaemonium

by Christopher Brookmyre.
Unbelievable.
Science meets religion meets teenagers ........ Chaos.
A secret scientific facility under a mountain in Scotland has created an anomaly which has led to demons, complete with horns and forked tails, arriving from a parallel dimension. They are captured and put through all sorts of torturous testing in the facility. The Catholic Church has been called in to deal with these demons and Cardinal Tullian is the man in charge, much to the chagrin and frustration of the scientists.
Meanwhile, a busload of Catholic schoolkids arrives at a school retreat outside, on the mountain. They are there to help them deal with the deaths of two of their school mates.
The first half of the book alternates between these two, apparently seperate, stories. There is a lot of scientific theorising and a lot of theological discussion in the early chapters.
This overt academia is interspersed with chapters detailing the journey, arrival and settling in of the school group. The bus ride to the retreat is just hilarious. There are no long descriptions of these kids but I knew each and everyone of them. Brookmyre has written the dialogue and actions so well - these kids come alive instantly.
Eventually the two stories collide. In a nutshell, the demons escape.
What follows is genuinely horrific but also hilarious in a weird way. The blood and gore and horror just keeps on coming as the kids attempt to save themselves from being torn apart by the rampaging monsters - who are not, in fact, demons, but beings from another world sucked into their own version of Hell.
It's not called Pandaemonium for nothing. I couldn't put this book down.

Cool, cool, cool.

NASA shot of the current weather conditions in the UK

nasa shot of the current weather conditions most of us are experiencing, originally uploaded by westernsmt.

Poor Holly

Happy Birthday Holly

Fare thee well Holly, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

24 today. Still in England, will be home at the end of February.

And another birthday today... Jimmy turns 66.

2010

If all goes to plan this will be a big year. I turn 55 in April and so can finally access my superannuation. Travel, travel, travel. I need to start actually making some concrete plans about where, when, how, etc. Don't know where to start!
Jimmy Page is starting to talk about touring so I will need to make sure I'm in the right place to see at least one of his gigs!!!

I read 32 books last year - a lot to some people, not many to others. The highlights were discovering Christopher Brookmyre and finally getting The Gathering Storm - volume 12 of The Wheel of Time.
I've recently joined the library too. Don't know why it's taken me so long.

Hello blog, you're still here

Friday fill-ins

1. There are places I remember.
2. A mind can blow those clouds away.
3. Standing in the dock at Southampton.
4. I read the news today oh boy.
5. He went out tiger hunting with his elephant and gun.
6. I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in and stops my mind from wandering .
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to trying to sleep in this suffocating heat, tomorrow my plans include keeping cool and Sunday, I want to get out of going to the lunch I have to go to, but I know I can't!
FFI

Valley panorama

Valley panorama, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

I've been waiting four years for this

I've been waiting four years for this, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Book 12 of The Wheel of Time series. Book 11 came out in 2005. The author, Robert Jordan, died in 2007 before the series was completed. Fortunately he left copious notes and instructions to go with what he'd already written. Brandon Sanderson has been contracted to finish the series off. There are two more books to go.
Genre: Fantasy.

Right, I'm off to read.......

And then the sun appeared

And then the sun appeared, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

This morning

It Might Get Loud

Finally...., originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Great film. It's worth it just to see Jimmy playing air guitar along to Link Wray's Rumble. Priceless :) He really loves music and it shows throughout the film. Jack White is an interesting character - his philosophy is that playing the guitar should be a struggle. Like Jimmy, he's heavily influenced by the Blues. Even The Edge had something to contribute.
The DVD is released on Dec 22nd. If you have any interest in music and what makes musicians tick, it's definitely worth watching. 10 stars. :)

Another world

Another world #2, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Friday Fill-in

1. The crickets sing a noisy song.

2. Come out, come out wherever you are.

3. I want to get far away from the trick or treaters.

4. The Earth was healthy and all the people were happy; this was a dream.

5. But as for me I don't do Halloween.

6. The land of Scouse is where I come from

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing special, tomorrow my plans include shopping for comfy black shoes to wear to my new job and Sunday, I want to maybe plant out the herbs!
FFI

Sainters!

Sainters!, originally uploaded by jsarcadia.

Haven't been here for a while. Sorry.
Grand Final on Saturday - 2 sleeps away. Saints are in for the first time since 1997. They didn't win that time. They last won in 1966, in fact that's the one and only time they've ever won.
I arrived in Australia in 1967 and the Saints were the reigning premiers - good, I thought, I'll support them, they must be good. Barely won a game for the next 20 years. Haha. Figures.
But... you support a team, win or lose.
1997 was heartbreaking.
This year, they have a real chance. Playing Geelong, the best team of the last 3 years. But, the Saints are the best team this year - finished the home and away season with 20 wins, 2 losses. The 2 teams have played once this year in round 14. Saints by 6 points, one goal.
Bring it on!!
I haven't the words to express how excited I am.
Two sleeps.
GO SAINTERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!