Friday, August 15th ....

Jamie went in for his wrist operation this morning.  It's now 5.30 and there is no news yet.  Marilyn and Nera are still at the hospital and, no doubt I'll hear when he gets back to the ward.  It's been 6 months since he had the accident so it's about time it was repaired.

I'm watching The Drum which is always interesting. What impresses me is that the producers try to get a balance of panelists so there is usually a reasonable discussion of all sides.  Paul Sheehan from the Sydney Morning Herald is on tonight and he is always good value.  He has a knack for looking at the big picture and doesn't get distracted by the day-to-day spot fires which take up so much media attention.  

His advice to the Prime Minister is that he has lost the Battle of the Budget and, if he wants to win back the votes he has squandered, he needs to draft a new budget. 

At the moment, the Abbot Government is being held to ransom by the likes of Clive Palmer.  There's no future in feeding that ego.  The first priority should be to make Clive and Jacqui et al irrelevant.  If they don't, we're going nowhere.  

The book I'm reading at the moment has a reference to a street artist called Banksy who has gained notoriety for his quirky street art around London. There's a lot to be found on the internet and I've copied a couple here, and more on my Pinterest page.