Thursday, December 1

This Jimmy Barnes autobiography is horrendous. The Scottish immigrants clearly brought their problems with them and their lives were ruled by excess drinking and fighting, interspersed with maudlin sentimentality along the lines of 'It was better in Scotland'. And their kids were worse. The middle chapters of the book are a litany of the appalling gang fights around the Elizabeth area. It was nothing less than urban terrorism.

Robert Menzies obviously made a mistake in allowing these people into Australia. I wonder why our current Immigration Minister hasn't commented on it.

Thursday, December 1

I don't think I'm a conspiracy theorist but I am cynical about the motives of big business who are inclined to put profit above everything else. A good example of underhand business practice came up on QI this morning.

They were talking about whether banning smoking on planes has made flying more healthy. You would think so but it may not be the case ( I realise I'm channeling Stephen Fry's voice when I write a sentence like that).

in the old days, when it was legal to smoke on a flight, the air conditioning was set to completely replace the air in the cabin every 3 minutes. Now, airlines have turned down the system and passengers are lucky if they get a mixture of fresh and recycled air every 6 minutes. And the cabin air now carries more germs for a longer period. There's a significant saving in fuel costs for the airlines so that's alright then.

Wednesday, November 30 (3)

I've given up watching Question Time in Parliament; I just can't tolerate the waste of public money on such a futile exercise, apart from the shallow rudeness from all participants. Apparently a new low was reached today when a mob of spectators glued their hands to the rails in the public gallery.

The most ironic comment came from the Speaker, Tony Smith (who does a pretty good job dealing with the rabble). With a perfectly straight face he said, 'This endangered the dignity of the House'. Dignity? Sorry, Tony, dignity sank without trace years ago.

Wednesday, November 30 (2)

It was tragic to see the forlorn look on the beleaguered Japanese skating rink owner who watched his dreams for the future going down the drain. He must have been wondering how he could have thought it a good idea to freeze hundreds of dead fish in the ice that his customers were skating on.

He wailed that he wanted to offer an unusual experience for his patrons and the feeling of travelling along with the inhabitants of the oceans. So he purchased lots of different varieties from the local fish markets. He admitted that many were past their use-by-date so, not only were they dead fish, they were smelly dead fish.

You have to applaud initiative but, unfortunately, this was an initiative whose time has not yet come.

On a personal note, Marilyn came home from hospital yesterday, but has gone back into day surgery this morning to get a small plate implanted in her little finger. We have hired a wheelchair for her because she is pretty immobile. It's a bugger when things start to go wrong.

Wednesday, November 30

I've just started reading Jimmy Barnes's biography, Working Class Boy. I had been looking forward to reading it becausevI thought I would relate to his childhood. Like me, he grew up in a working class family in post-war Scotland. I hadn't got past the first few chapters before I realised we could have been brought up on different planets.

Yes, there were similarities. We both grew up in tenement buildings and suffered the food shortages that followed the war in Britain, for example. Jimmy grew up in a rough area of Glasgow; I lived in Blantyre just a few miles away. He talked about the gangs and the fighting while I can only remember that we were able to walk to and from school with no problems. He could only remember that it was always cold; I recall playing in the park and visiting holiday places like Rothesay and Largs.

But it was in the attitude of our parents that the real difference lay. My parents were ambitious for us and determined that we would have a productive life. Jimmy's parents were feckless, more interested in their social life than anything else. Above all, my father didn't drink. Drinking is the Scottish disease and Jimmy's father was an alcoholic. Every pay day saw him in the pub drinking away all that he had earned. There was never enough money to provide for the normal needs of his family.

Jimmy was only 5 years old when he arrived in Australia so you have to question the validity of his memories but certainly his stories reflect a real element of Scotland at the time. The fact that he came through it is a credit to him; you wonder how many didn't survive the traumas of the sort of childhood he describes.

Tuesday, November 22

I don't usually respond to stuff on the Internet. Occasionally, I might 'like' something or share it but I don't want to be swept up in some on-going exchange so my practice is to read and ignore. However, the other day I was challenged to complete a quiz and, in a moment of hubris, I fooliishly clicked the button to share my score.

Within hours, the robo-posters sprang into action and my Newsfeed was inundated with more quizzes: music, words, geography, and what have you. I knew it would happen and I have to try harder to remember that it's not worth it.

Monday, November 21

As if I didn't get enough rubbish on my Facebook page, Nera has enrolled me in a group called Launceston Buy, Swap and Sell. Now I get dozens of posts every day from people trying to sell something. It might be funny if there weren't so many sad stories.

The other day someone was trying to sell a second-hand pair of sneakers for $10 ono. Another one was trying to get rid of two DVDs for $5. I suppose it could be a good way of shifting stolen goods but it's better not to think about that. One strange thing I have noticed: many sellers don't know the difference between bought and brought. Someone might say, " I brought it from Kmart", or , "I only brought it last week." It's not just an occasional lapse; it's the norm.

There was one interesting ad the other day. Someone was offering to collect purchases and deliver them for a small fee. They would also collect from Fantastic Furniture or anywhere else who didn't offer free delivery. As we're changing houses with Jamie and Nera, and had a couple of things to move from Dilston, Marilyn suggested we give them a go.

Two young women turned up in a ute. They were clearly strong and not afraid of hard work, so we asked them to quote on moving Jamie and Nera's QS bed and chest of drawers from Newnham to Dilston, and bring back our QS bed and treadmill. $60, they said. Unbelievable! Obviously, Marilyn gave them a generous tip and we've put their telephone number in a very safe place.

Sunday, November 20

There was an interesting article by Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian this week, suggesting that the current rise of the Right is not being countered effectively by the rest of us. He uses Brexit as an example. He says, do we believe that, if the Leave campaign had lost, they would just have withdrawn and accepted the result? Oh, no, they would have taken heart that nearly half of the UK's population wanted a change and there would have been rioting in the streets.

In the US, if Donald Trump were in Hilary Clifton's position, having gained more than 1 million more votes than his opponent and still lost the nomination, would he have just politely accepted the decision? Would he be a model of politeness and fairness? Not bloody likely.

The point of the article is the suggestion that the voices of reason need to be more ruthless. There's discontent all over the world and there will always be opportunists willing to take advantage of it. We're not immune in Australia and it's about time our leaders addressed the problem.

Saturday, November 19

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Saturday, November 19

I called in to buy a loaf of bread today: just a plain white bread to make a sandwich. You would think that would be easy but I had to wade through the Soy and Linseed, Wholemeal, Five Grain, Nine Grain, Rye and so on, before I came to the White Section. But almost every loaf was Sourdough! When did Sourdough become Flavour of the Month? I'm told it doesn't have yeast in it; instead it's made with a little bit of yesterday's dough to help it rise.

How can that be a good thing? Starting off with yesterday's dough means you start off with a certain level of staleness, and it's not called sourdough for nothing.

I love Poached Eggs but the norm now is for restaurants to serve them on 'Home-made' Sourdough Bread. Can't they see that beautiful soft, runny yolk does not go with hard-crusted, semi-stale bread? And when I ask for traditional sliced bread, the waitress looks at me as if I am a Philistine?

Friday, November 18

With time on my hands, I've taken to downloading podcasts which I listen to in the car or when I'm on the computer. My all-time favourite is Richard Fidler but I'm always on the lookout for other options. In the last couple of weeks, I've discovered Desert Island Discs which ran on the BBC for 70 years.

They've had a number of presenters over the years but the most recent is Kirsty Young who has a beautiful, soft Scottish voice. Unlike Richard Fidler, who draws his guests from all levels of society, Kirsty's guests are mostly well-spoken, often toffee-nosed and sometimes quite pleased with themselves. Their music choices are usually severely classical. I suppose the difference in the two programs reflects the difference between the Australian and English societies.

One of Kirsty's guests I heard recently was Armando Iannucci. Despite his name, he was born in Glasgow, and is the creator of a terrific TV series called The Thick of It. It's the modern version of Yes Minister (with a lot more swearing). For political junkies, it's a must.

Poor Marilyn is in hospital. She had a fall and has broken her ankle in two places, also broken a couple of ribs and bones in her hand. I don't know when she'll be home but I hope it is soon.