Friday, October 26. The winner has been drawn from those who have left comments to date. So you can still have yer ha’p’orth, but not be in the draw. Thanks to all.
Yep! One year ago I ventured, somewhat hesitantly, into this blogging lark. And here’s the funny thing…I was so focused on not hitting any wrong keys, copy editing and scribbling notes about what to do if… that I did not even notice the date.
So when I decided to have this Blogiversary Give Away thing I had to go back to my archives to see when I first posted.
And only then did the penny drop. Well, not so much drop as rattle down with a thunderous clunk.
You see, this date should have been more to the fore in my mind as it’s also my own birthday!
But no, I didn’t notice. Maybe I’ve had so many birthdays they have lost their excitement? Maybe I’m so conscious of the Big Numbers I try to forget? Dunno.
Anyway, today is “our” birthday and I would like to say a big thankyou to all my readers. If I had not had such encouraging comments a year ago I would not be here today. Although I have been writing for many years, the journal style of blogging was a new angle and it has forced an adaptation to the style.
This is what I’d term a “safe” blog. That is, I am aware of the fact that anyone can roll the blogging dice and land on my square. Anyone, including kids and staff from the school where I work. So I make an effort to keep my language suitable!
I also keep references to family and friends vague, out of respect for their privacy.
Over the past twelve months I have become a little more selective in my blog reading, tending to read “favourites” first and come back to others when time allows. You probably notice that sometimes my comments are a couple of days after the post.
You have also noted, I’m sure, that while I now have a reasonable camera and try to include photos in most posts, I have stayed away from all those tricky things like music and youtube and linky widgets and doovalackies.
I am still not that techno-savvy! And I do have other demands on my time. Like right now.
This is a short post as I’m going out to lunch (British readers will note, please, that I am referring to a mid-day meal with friends, not a psychological evaluation!) so I will leave you with a whimsy that came to mind as the builders toiled on the hill behind us.
(I tried to upload a photo, but Blogger informs me that there is a problem and that they are working on it.)
Several hours and a delicious lunch later…you might remember when I posted a picture of the Guantanamo-like scaffolding behind our fence? Well, here’s a progress shot and a suitable poem to go with it. I think you can understand why I’ve allowed the wisteria and palms to “go troppo.”
BUILDING SITE BALLADD.J.Patmore
There was movement at ”The Castle” for the builders had returned
And the Boss had been on site to crack the whip.
There was yards of plastic wrapping, steel pins and wire strapping.
And very little of it in the skip!
Now the site was steep and tricky. On the northern side the scree
Made it hard to keep a foothold on the slope.
We nearly lost ol’ Gazza, but his shorts were grabbed by Bazza,
And after that, we linked-up on a rope.
The blokes who brought the girders were out-of-work sheep herders,
Forced North by the Monaro’s record dry.
Why they saw how high the roofline stuck up ‘way above the skyline
Well, they figured there were better ways to die!
Like a giant praying mantis, rearing high above the ground,
A concrete truck was beating out a rhythm
And cement trucks, in a fleet, were growling up the street
And every driver had a Heeler with him!
All the ruts were full of muck and a concrete truck got stuck
And no amount of revving got him clear – the Readymix was axle-deep in swill.
When a kid who had been watching said :”I’ve got a good idea!
Vere’s a farmer wiv a twactor down ‘ve hill.”
So off we all went trooping like an ANZAC Day parade
With the little boy leading, with a dog.
(One, his nose a-twitch, had gone seeking out a bitch
and some had chased a possum up a log.)
The sugar farmer chappy wasn’t really happy
That some dork’s truck might cause him a delay.
But the chance to make a buck by hauling out a truck
Just might help to off-set the FTA.
He said: “I’ll see youse fellas right
If y’ come back here tonight.
If you want the tractor now
You’ll have to pay!”© 2004
What a bald post this is! Bah! to Blogger. Oh well…
Thankyou again to those of you who have stayed with me or joined the gang recently. I am thoroughly enjoying the ride and intend to stay.
4pm
Well, this was a rather limp effort so I’m back to share with you what a friend thought sound birthday wisdom…
Deep thoughts for those who take life way too seriously
1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like……night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
5. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
6. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
7. Support bacteria. They’re the only culture some people have.
8. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
9. How many of you believe in psycho kinesis?…Raise my hand.
10. OK…so what’s the speed of dark?
11. When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.
12. Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don’t have film.
13. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
14. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
15. I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
16. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
17. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what
happened.
18. Just remember—if the world didn’t suck, we would all fall off.
19. Light travels faster than sound. That is why some people appear
bright until you hear them speak.
20. Life isn’t like a box of chocolates. It’s more like a jar of
jalapenos. What you do today might burn your ass tomorrow.
All comments today will go into The Hat and a winner will be drawn when Mr. Secret Agent returns in a couple of days.
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