2021 begins

 

 A new year.
"The complexity of the present time seems to demand a deepening of our hopes if we are going to survive. Turbulence is born in the gap where conscious living has been excluded. We can no longer afford to live with illusion."

-- Martindale Underhill

January 5th Tuesday
Before my weekly game at the Croquet Club,  I drove to Lenah Valley for coffee with Ian Grieve (and his sister and her husband).  Not only were we able to have a good long chat, but Ian had brought me something I had long yearned for.  A replacement for my long-ago lost Argonauts Club badge.  Holding it in my hands, I felt complete again after forty years.

After croquet on such a sunny afternoon, I had to let the car find its own way home.  The steering wheel was too hot to touch. (The official maximum was only 21C,  about 70F, but the sun was beating down so strongly that we were really hoping for some windy or cloudy conditions)
 

Mick the goatherd and his partner dropped in.  She hadn't seen the white goat for a while and was surprised at how much condition he'd put on.  "Look at Fluffy, he must be having a growth spurt."
I wasn't surprised.  When I take their breakfast out in the morning he always races to the fence so he'll be as close as possible when I get there.

10th January Sunday
Raised an eyebrow when Alistair began his sermon this morning with a dismissive comment about the novels of Jane Austen.  Later I mentioned it to him --  "It's a matter of our pride and prejudices I suppose."  "Yes," he replied, "or maybe of sense and sensibility."   Advantage Alistair.
 
11th January Monday
The Groat Escape?  Went outside Monday morning to feed the livestock and was surprised when one of the goats came trotting over to meet me.  "Why aren't you in your pen?" I asked, but he didn't reply.  Fortunately the goatherd dropped in to check on them, and he just picked him up and lifted him over the fence, something I wouldn't have tried  -- partly because of the weight and partly because of those six-inch horns on top of his head.
In the afternoon I braved the 35 degree weather to see my GP and take part in what I call The Annual Festival Of Medical Paperwork.  A pleasant young woman filled in the forms, updated my information, then weighed and measured me.
From there, went out for my first haircut of the year, then dinner with friends.  We've been watching some episodes of MONK recently, and this is the first time I've actually worked out how the murder was committed.

12th January Tuesday
Tuesday it was cooler and things were getting back to normal ...  well, sort of.   I played croquet in the afternoon, but it was a bit different to usual.  Our first game went on for so long they had to ask us to finish because the lawn was needed for another game, so we went straight into the second game and ended up playing for three hours straight.  I think my neck got slightly sunburnt.  
I had a chance to rest up for a little while, then out to the first quiz night for the year.  The tables had been shuffled around and we ended up over on the side.  After we finished in first place wih a decisive victory, someone said "We should stay over here.  This could be a lucky table!"  We shall see.  

13th January Wednesday
Committee meeting at the church hall this morning.  Nice and cool inside but when I got in the car, which had been sitting in the sun, it was rather warm
Stopped in at Coles supermarket on the way home and was pleasantly surprised to see issue #1883 of THE PHANTOM in the magazine rack next to the latest NEW SCIENTIST.  So now you can get Flybuy points for following the Ghost Who Walks.

14th January Thursday
Storm warning!  Late going to bed last night, so still half-awake when a thunderstorm passed over Hobart.  Terrific crashes of thunder followed by a few minutes of heavy rain.  May have gone on longer than that, but I was asleep.
Thursday morning and afternoon I was undecided about this evening's Bocce Club meeting, since dry weather is essential for playing the game.  But it worked out all right in the end and we were able to play two games before sundown.  The future, however, is less clear and this may be the final year for the club, at least in its present form.

Reading Emily Thompson's CLOCKWORK TWIST - Book One "Waking", the start of a series of "steampunk" e-books.  So far it is quite captivating, with its reclusive hero persuaded to make the long journey to the Himalayas in a steam-powered airship crewed by not-quite-pirates.  His objective is the legendary Clockwork Princess.

Movie Moments - SWORDFISH [2001]  Hugh Jackman is the meat in the sandwich between the FBI and a master criminal.  Convoluted Action/Caper story moves along at high speed.  LIMITLESS [2011] Bradley Cooper becomes a genius thanks to a new pill  obviously he's never read FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON.  Surprisingly involving thriller.

15th January
Off to Friday lunch in Sandy Bay, celebrating both Michelle's birthday and a flying visit from Mariandl, now a Queensland resident.  A dozen of us gathered in the restaurant of the Doctor Syntax hotel and had an enjoyable time.  Photos in due time.  

15th January
Saturday  I picked up Keith and we dropped in to the new City Mission shop before we had lunch.  After Keith had done a sweep through the book department, we were sitting on a couch while he looked through his haul.  A man passing glanced at us and said "I thought you guys were usually at the Salvo store on a Saturday."  I looked back at him and said calmly "We felt like a change today."   He nodded and went on about his business.


18th January
Monday morning on ABC Radio's AM program, a fascinating sound grab from America:
Former Secretary of Homeland Jeh Johnson on Sunday said that 4 years ago, the United States engaged in a very dangerous experiment by electing someone who was utterly unqualified for office, who has no moral or legal compass and frankly had impulses towards fascism and autocracy. Johnson further said, "My hope is that as time passes Americans will realise this was a failed experiment and we should never try it again."

19th January
Tuesday morning I spent a lot of time downloading programmes from 920 New York - they don't update their Mixcloud page every week, so it's either a feast or a famine for me.  After lunch over to the Croquet Club;  sunny with a breeze, good weather for a game.  My first game was not so bad, the second one was not too good.  There's always next week.
There were about a dozen teams at the Quiz Night this week, but we did pretty well  (for one thing there wasn't a music round this week!).  We had 87 points by the end of the evening and we were listening intently as the results were read out  ---  but as they say in the movies about gunfighters, there'll always be someone faster than you.  We came second.  Not so bad really.


"Let me close by reminding you that there’s no time for denial, despondency, or disinterest. This is a time that demands urgent actions from each of us"  -  Scott Pakin