tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121824322011-08-24T14:25:19.984+10:00<small>This template has been optimised for firefox and opera, not internet explorer, sorry. <br/><br/>I've given up trying to work around the IE bug, and am now counting on IE v 7. Till then, doing a RestoreDown/Maximize will bypass the problem in IE. <img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2372/946/400/restore%20down%20and%20maximize%20con.jpg" /> <br /><br />Or you could upgrade to <a href="http://www.mozilla.com/firefox/">Firefox</a>. Thanks for your patience. </small>onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.comBlogger3301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-49257471429732995542007-03-21T04:53:00.000+10:002007-03-21T04:55:55.127+10:00

I have had to leave the UnHeard Of Islands in a hurry. Please leave a comment, and I'll let you know where I've moved to. Thanks.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1164491846932688472007-02-15T07:36:00.000+10:002007-02-14T18:53:28.049+10:00

Before sailing to Queensland recently, Cap'n Kev came to visit, and to let me fix up his computer, so he'll be able to play Diablo during the voyage.While I was busy on his laptop and couldn't see what he was doing, he quietly slipped some provisions into my fridge, as a thank-you. Well, my partner has a habit of going to the supermarket without first checking what we already have in the fridge.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1132038157685544552007-02-08T17:01:00.000+10:002007-02-09T20:36:18.980+10:00

HNT is not about sex, but some HNT bloggers happen to be quite open about sex. Not necessarily in the HNT photos themselves, but in the things they talk about in some of their posts.But when you think about it, in blogworld there are over 50,000 posts every hour, so it's not surprising that a number are writing about sexual stuff.According to the science-fiction writer and sex blog aficionado

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1136363270613818302007-02-06T17:40:00.000+10:002007-02-06T10:20:56.676+10:00

The partner's away for 2 weeks, and the broadband's munged so I have to use the library's internet. The house is a ghost town, just me and the dog. If only I was a meditator.Congratulations to all our readers who have a birthday this week. Is there actually anybody out there? No? Since I gave up exposing myself, it's just been me and the electrons and the spammers. Meanwhile, on the other side of

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1152244152963675542007-02-03T12:47:00.000+10:002007-02-03T09:26:37.123+10:00

As any blogger knows, one of the joys of blogging is the feedback you sometimes get. Last year I did a post about my old school teacher, an ex-paratrooper. The only lesson I learned from him was "how to perform a parachute jump". Standing on his desk, he spread out his black gown to simulate a parachute, then jumped off, to land on the floor in the correct attitude, feet-together, collapsing and

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1170194380220418302007-01-31T07:05:00.000+10:002007-01-31T08:07:35.140+10:00

I haven't quite lost the will to blog, but have been distracted by work and mind-sapping heat. Also, visiting blogpals, supporting sick and stressed friends via email, and keeping up with mind-boggling world news.For example, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the US wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming.Possible

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1169798593542563592007-01-26T17:55:00.000+10:002007-01-26T20:43:54.273+10:00

This week I've been working on testing the new computer system for the allotment hut. Obviously I'll need to add some more storage capacity if hotboy's going to be a user.I had a dream last night in which I woke up and found the bedroom light was on. Then I really did wake up, and realised that the light was actually off. When I got back to sleep, I spent the rest of the night dreaming I was

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1168152515037087152007-01-21T16:38:00.000+10:002007-01-21T14:09:58.416+10:00

Do you like the idea of reading books, but you never have the time? Thanks to Book-a-minute Classics web site, you can read entire books in just one minute.For example, the ultra-condensed version of The Catcher In the Rye:Angst angst angst swear curse swear crazy crazy angst swear curse, society sucks, and I'm a stupid jerk.THE ENDAnd Don Quixote is like this:Don Quixote: Chivalry demands I

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1169276344577394702007-01-20T16:42:00.000+10:002007-01-20T17:02:41.240+10:00

Flat Island Penguins, nearly driven to extinction on the UnHeard Of Islands, have tripled in number as a result of the world's first Maremma guardian dog trial.In recent years, penguin numbers had dropped dramatically from almost 2000 to under 100 due to attacks by foxes and stray dogs wandering onto the island.The Maremma breed of dogs is better known for blending in and looking after sheep –

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1155430397723593402007-01-18T09:35:00.000+10:002007-01-19T05:00:41.286+10:00

I once won a bet by tearing a phone book in half with my bare hands.If you click the pic, you'll see how I did it. Click to see how I did it.Yes, if you slowly bake the phone book for several hours in a just-warm oven, the paper dries out and goes so weak that anyone can rip it, even me. You could try it too, but this blog accepts no responsibility if you turn your oven up full blast, set fire to

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1168382894352563602007-01-15T08:44:00.000+10:002007-01-15T22:20:13.193+10:00

Clausewitz said "everything is very simple in War, but the simplest thing is difficult".He explained: activity in War is movement in a resistant medium. Just as a person immersed in water is unable to perform the simplest movement, that of walking, so in War, with ordinary powers, one cannot achieve even mediocrity. This is why armchair theorists, who have never plunged in themselves, teach only

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1168555931316238522007-01-13T08:51:00.000+10:002007-01-13T19:26:44.886+10:00

My beloved partner has gone to work in Singapore for a few days. I've got the place to myself and the use of her car, and the DVDs of all 3 Black Books series. What a fortunate creature I am, except that I'm actually missing her. It feels odd to go to the fruit market and just buy stuff for myself.Spent the morning on the roof, repairing last year's Heath Robinson temporary repair. It was only

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1155387123801913822007-01-12T21:45:00.000+10:002007-03-08T02:37:50.648+10:00

Another memory lane HNT, with two clicky pics. The year I returned in triumph to visit my old school in Glasgow, there was a photographer present to record the event.At the gates of My Old School(click to zoom out)Celebration atMy Old School(click to zoom out)If you missed previous HNTs, you can access all the old half baked thursday posts here.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156749604503158452007-01-11T16:13:00.000+10:002007-01-11T18:47:06.960+10:00

Checking my 2006 stats at google video, I see that my first feature Strawberry Man's Narrow Escape, has been watched 218 times.The follow-up film, The Death of Strawberry Man has been even more successful - watched 466 times. I may have to get an agent.As for the interview videos, 41 people watched my interview, while the hotboy interview was watched by 90 people (or by hotboy 90 times).Ray Ray

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1168382636143842252007-01-10T07:41:00.000+10:002007-01-10T20:45:48.556+10:00

So the new master plan involves bombing yet another country. "Lay waste to your enemy so he may not harm you" - Genghis Khan.Once again, the assumption is that you can defeat a fundamentalist enemy by military means. But you can't, as long as a single fundamentalist remains alive on the planet (including all those within your own walls, and all those who are not fundamentalist yet), because each

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1167003341375362452007-01-07T08:45:00.000+10:002007-01-07T19:30:23.726+10:00

I was tagged in December by Spud with this end-of-year/new-year meme. You just have to list a few 2006 things that you achieved or that happened to you. I assume they're supposed to be good things. I'm not tagging anyone, but you can tag yourself.Some people find it embarrassing to write favourably about themselves, but to an NPD sufferer like myself, it's easy.In 2006 I celebrated my first

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1143718027851340432006-12-30T15:36:00.000+10:002006-12-31T09:13:31.923+10:00

A couple more days, and the nightmare of forced goodwill comes to a close. The low point so far was, well, I'd rather not talk about it. Except to say that .. no, I refuse to piss myself off by thinking about it.But you know how some people feel compelled to win at everything they do? For example, if they're playing tennis or something, they sulk if they lose and they crow if they win.But it's

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156827071741080982006-12-29T13:48:00.000+10:002006-12-30T08:32:40.536+10:00

In Germany, I saw this street busker on crutches demonstrating his amazing ball skills.Here is a rough edit of the video.You may need to click it twice, I don't know why.Happy New Year

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1166598489943700232006-12-28T05:03:00.000+10:002006-12-29T09:11:00.010+10:00

People are posting their Xmas state of mind. Over here, like every year we're staying at Spud's mum's beachside shack, and looking after her tripe-hound while she is away.The shack has wireless broadband, and Cap'n Kev has lent me his wi-fi laptop, so it could blog business as usual, if I could be bothered.I haven't seen a newspaper for weeks, so have even been able to forget all about the

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1166094976263833862006-12-21T21:05:00.000+10:002006-12-24T22:47:55.293+10:00

December already, and it's been quite a year for us starting in January, with the toaster going on fire on the very morning that Rob had invited some neighbours for tea and toasted buns. Not the couple on the left of us, who are very nice but play golf most days and import/export alloy car wheels. That couple has 2 fax machines in their front room, and their actual work seems to consist of

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1165489423130337032006-12-19T20:51:00.000+10:002006-12-22T11:59:39.380+10:00

I took the plunge today and actually paid for some new software. That's a first. The program is a video editor, Sony Vegas. Because I'm an anal nerd, the first thing I did when I got it home was to read the whole 70-page manual. Each feature I read about, I found myself shaking my head in wonder: "that's exactly the way I would have designed the program," or "that's something I've always wanted

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1165918542496039362006-12-17T20:12:00.000+10:002006-12-18T12:28:01.590+10:00

A book recently published in Britain is called They Call Me Naughty Lola - The London Review of Books Personal Ads: a Reader. It's a collection of some of the best personal ads from the London Review of Books, a fortnightly magazine. They are very different from what you'd read anywhere else. Here's a sample:"Bald, short, fat and ugly male, 53, seeks short-sighted woman with tremendous sexual

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1154154492650027122006-12-14T15:27:00.000+10:002006-12-16T03:04:44.926+10:00

Obviously I can't show you my Christmas tree. I'm down in the bottom left part of the world, where it's summer now. But down here we still know how to relax for the holidays.It all started when I saw a documentary about tribes of people living by the sea in Malaysia, and it seemed they have the perfect lifestyle. The film inspired me to work less and play more, and eventually to come and live

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1165453525729559002006-12-08T23:04:00.000+10:002006-12-09T12:28:48.400+10:00

I'm losing the will to blog. Partly because it's hard for simple bloggers like me to maintain the narcissism and frivolity, when the world is in such a mess.So today I thought I would acknowledge the awfuck real world, by running this flash-animated map. It illustrates the history of American war from 1775 to 2006, and runs for about 90 seconds.It uses pink (republican) and blue (democrat) to try

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1164665161103939352006-12-07T07:49:00.000+10:002006-12-07T07:34:45.906+10:00

On Saturday I travelled 2 hours each way to an all-day party. I hate parties, the only reason I went was that one of the organisers was planning to take all the dog-owners for a beach walk and swim.When I got to the party, many people claimed to want to go for the walk, but nobody could decide what to do. Everyone kept asking everyone else if they wanted to go. After enduring half an hour of this

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1165283629055405822006-12-05T11:45:00.000+10:002006-12-05T16:18:20.790+10:00

Keda was blogging about a religious zealot who told her that god loved her. I won't specify which god - there's enough trouble in the world already. Nice that he meant well with the god stuff, but why do zealots of any religion assume you're interested in hearing their pronouncements? Why not keep their hobbies to themselves? I mean, I don't go around ranting about my home brewing, and about

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1165095574982221342006-12-03T07:28:00.000+10:002006-12-05T11:58:40.216+10:00

I recently visited Piddledorf, the centre of my family's universe.I took a look at the local newspaper, and was shocked to see this harrowing front page item: "YET ANOTHER CAT DISAPPEARS"

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1164878838092814612006-11-30T19:21:00.000+10:002006-12-01T15:50:27.033+10:00

I was tagged by the incomparable Lelly to write "Six weird facts/habits about yourself". I already posted three weirdnesses a while ago, but Lelly tells me they weren't weird enough. Okay, I can't do eye-rolling headstands, but here's one more weird thing.The Rules: "Post six weird facts/habits about yourself. These cannot be used against you later on! At the end of the post name the six people

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1164524804597626762006-11-28T16:58:00.000+10:002006-11-28T17:07:47.526+10:00

I have been tagged by ion to list ten things I will never do:Play rugby league.One good tackle and I'd snap in half.Ski.I've spent enough time in hospitals for one lifetime.Have a baby.I've got a dog.Watch cricket.Life's too short.Meditate.Same as cricket.Get fatI've tried.Buy a Harry Potter book, film, CD or other merchandise. There are better writers in Edinburgh.Stop taking the T4 pills.I'd go

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1163911467987052552006-11-24T02:39:00.000+10:002006-11-24T06:47:03.840+10:00

So how come I'm blogging again now, if it has become such a chore and a bore? Surely I would be better giving up blogging altogether?No way! Thanks to a Scottish Protestant childhood with German overtones, one thing I learned as a kid is how to keep on doing something I'm not enjoying. How else would I have got where I am today?I phoned the aunt just now. She couldn't speak because she was in the

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1164168932967848602006-11-22T14:12:00.000+10:002006-11-22T14:23:19.623+10:00

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1163911152198071422006-11-19T14:18:00.000+10:002006-11-19T14:39:12.256+10:00

When I first began teaching, I used to work at home every weekend, preparing classroom materials for the coming week. Nowadays, I do the opposite - I make it a rule never to work at home. If they're not paying me to work weekends, why do it? 1Since I got back from overseas, I've been gradually losing the will to blog. It just seems like a chore for me just now. Does anyone else go through these

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1129859651917888542006-11-16T10:30:00.000+10:002006-11-17T14:20:15.380+10:00

Last week I had a minor altercation with another dog owner, after our dogs had a fight.I'm actually glad it happened, because it started me thinking about the complex world of dog-walk etiquette. Each time you meet another dog, you have a complex interaction of at least 4 unpredictable animals - 2 owners and 2 dogs.I decided it was time to practice recalling my dog before she actually engages

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1163143272120877882006-11-11T05:19:00.000+10:002006-11-11T12:27:41.363+10:00

If you're like me, and don't like computer games because they're all about shooting and racing, the Falling Sand Game is for you. It's beautifully addictive.Or if short animations are your thing, you might like Fallen Art. It won several awards, and it's suitable for most kids.Have a nice weekend.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1162971692340791912006-11-09T05:13:00.000+10:002006-11-10T10:07:42.643+10:00

Every year at this time I have to chase the last few penguins off the island. They need to swim south for the summer, as it's too hot for them here just now.Usually they leave willingly, but one or two of them have developed a taste for the home brew, and require persuasion to head off for the stone cold sober waters of the Antarctic.The penguins steal my beer, but there are worse pests than

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1161045600265823552006-11-06T09:37:00.000+10:002006-11-06T05:57:33.750+10:00

One of my favourite films is American Beauty. Like my friend hotboy, I share Lester's work motivation. I have a job where the management is so dysfunctional that they have no idea what I do or how I do it. Basically I can do whatever I want (as long as I keep my students happy). And I work only 2 days a week, but never 2 consecutive days so as not to risk burnout. And I take about 9 weeks holiday

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1162468499000073242006-11-02T21:50:00.000+10:002006-11-02T22:14:04.493+10:00

My grandfather was born on the right side of the tracks, but fought on the wrong side in World War 1. I recently inherited his service medals, which I'm wearing in this photo, pinned to my birthday suit.When my mother was a schoolgirl in Germany during World War 2, schoolkids were taught a macabre version of "show and tell". The teacher encouraged them to rat on their parents, and my mother stood

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1162247186814355662006-10-31T08:20:00.000+10:002006-10-31T15:17:26.720+10:00

Tenuous title, I know. While growing up I didn't often see the humorous side of my father, mainly because of the hostilities between us. But towards the end of his life we called a ceasefire, and I visited him at his wee island cottage.Every evening he went out to the pub, while I would stay at his place until he returned after closing time. On Halloween, he disappeared to the pub as usual. Late

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1161923522354643912006-10-27T13:59:00.000+10:002006-10-27T19:18:25.063+10:00

Blogger is up again today after they shut it down on Thursday in response to a hack attack. Some people are saying it was cyberterrorism. Could it have been the fundamentalist Hotbollah trying to sabotage another HNT Thursday? The blogger people say there was no damage was done, though someone seems to have stolen my password and left another insulting comment in my name at hotboy's place. Just

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1161758946304987192006-10-25T16:36:00.000+10:002006-10-25T16:49:06.416+10:00

German marzipan comes in big blocks, about the size and weight of a gold bar, and coated in dark chocolate.It's impossible to buy German marzipan here, so I'm going to make my own, by adapting this recipe:European-Style Marzipan1 cup blanched whole almonds1 1/3 cups sifted confectioners' sugar2 1/4 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla or rose water2 tablespoons water1 slightly

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1161042120136831282006-10-24T09:22:00.000+10:002006-10-25T13:41:41.036+10:00

I have just noticed that this blog's core support team is clustered in the middle of the alphabet:ABCDEFGH - HotboyI - IonJ - robmcJ 1K - KedaL - Lee AnnM - MenziesNOPQRSTUVWXYZ1 - Because the world has to balance up, everything is reversed here in the southern hemisphere - Christmas is in summer, water goes down the plug-hole in reverse, and of course initials start from the back of the name.How

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156824987993321102006-10-19T02:15:00.000+10:002006-10-19T20:57:20.233+10:00

This week's HNT is another in my occasional series of educational videos. I hope you find it helpful.Evaporation Video.If you missed previous HNTs, you can access all the old half baked thursday posts here.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1160779442561339172006-10-14T08:21:00.000+10:002006-10-14T09:38:42.886+10:00

Back in the UnHeard Of Islands now, I can at last reveal that my fear of flying and terrorism was just a pretence, a mere blogo-dramatic device. And even if the plane had been bombed or rocketed, what a way to go! In a reclining massage chair, with umpteen fair Austrian damsels bringing 6-course meals and waves of fine wines.On arrival at McDonald Island International Airport, the customs folk

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1160591766602228042006-10-12T21:32:00.000+10:002006-12-25T23:05:53.456+10:00

The flight back to the UnHeard Of Islands today is of course on 12th October, the favourite suicide bombing day amongst South East Asian islamists. They've twice done suicide bombings on Oct 12th, including the Bali bombings.I have survived as far as Kuala Lumpur, and I land home tomorrow on Friday 13th. What could possibly go wrong now?Note to Lee Ann - please publish this posthumously if I

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1160506348459387752006-10-11T16:47:00.000+10:002006-10-12T06:33:41.556+10:00

Yesterday, while walking through Lichterfelde in Berlin admiring the architecture of the old Art Deco houses, I felt a glowing sense of being at home, of wanting to live here. When I phoned the aunt last night, she told me that my great grandfather had lived in Lichterfelde, perhaps in one of those very houses I had seen.So I asked for the address where my great grandfather used to live, and

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1160513933235125132006-10-11T06:50:00.000+10:002006-10-11T07:05:49.896+10:00

Not only is tomorrow my last day in Bunkerland (possibly even my last day ever), tomorrow promises to be a very special day in my life for another reason.I know I risk seeming to channel Menzies when I tell you that it's all hush-hush, but I can't say any more right now. Still, I can tell you that tomorrow will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me, and I've spent most of this evening

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1160414919714174252006-10-10T03:12:00.000+10:002006-10-11T06:59:44.380+10:00

This is a freelance Taoist blog.Every true story contains a wee lie.And every lie contains a grain of truth.This is one of the houses that my aunt is planning to leave me in her will. Now do you see why I tolerate her and even visit her?PS A big hug to anyone who's reading this on her birthday.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1158845884766629702006-10-05T23:26:00.000+10:002006-10-05T19:00:31.650+10:00

There's a new holocaust memorial near the new German parliament. But not everyone approves. I think the hundreds of concrete blocks are supposed to signify the murdered millions, but my friends object to its anonymity. It could represent any mass murder anywhere. They would have preferred a memorial that spells out "this thing happened here, it grew out of our culture." And I agree with them.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1159794157653892462006-10-02T22:46:00.000+10:002006-10-11T07:00:29.190+10:00

STATUS REPORT.Weight gain - 1 kilogram. Not a lot when you think of all the sausages, cake, and full-fat cheese.Serotonin levels - high. Possibly too high. Yesterday I told a 75 year old woman she had a nice bum.Stress and rage levels - still within the law. Not homicidal.Bathroom taps - shiny and clean.Bathroom sink - I left some slight water drops on the porcelain yesterday, but there was no

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1159520829976543112006-09-29T18:49:00.000+10:002006-12-26T21:48:54.846+10:00

The fun in Piddledorf just goes on and on. By never having any kids of my own, I thought I could avoid ever dealing with childish petulance and narcissism, but for now I'm stuck with two senile rellies who unfortunately still have all their critical faculties, plus the usual German high-level OCD, overlaid with Retention Deficit Disorder.I try to approach the whole situation as a Buddhist

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1159192658703204792006-09-28T11:56:00.000+10:002006-09-27T20:01:57.536+10:00

There's no room to explain right now, but my family is surely the most dysfunctional on the planet.There was a family meeting yesterday, where my aunt read her will and some people (not me) cried, and I tried to stay awake. She's as healthy as a horse, but basically the deal is that my brother and I will inherit a few tuppeny houses with sitting tenants, which nobody wants to buy. My luggage is

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1159191859199235402006-09-25T23:34:00.000+10:002006-09-25T23:44:19.370+10:00

Settling in now to the auntie's house in Piddledorf. She has started me on the beer-fat-and-cake based weight gain diet. My stomach thinks it's Christmas, and I'm well on the way to becoming a fat Scots bastard like some visitors to this blog. What a fortunate man! I even managed a tall glass of Erdinger weissbier yesterday, the essence of happiness.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1158759424710188232006-09-21T11:28:00.000+10:002006-09-21T17:27:43.923+10:00

Multiple choice question. This a picture of:(1) my Berlin Mardi Gras hat.(2) proof that jetlag is flattering.(3) a Berlin church that was bombed in the war and never rebuilt.If you missed previous HNTs, you can access all the old half baked thursday posts here.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1158740631598818252006-09-20T17:48:00.000+10:002006-09-20T18:52:24.996+10:00

It was a treat to log on here on the other side of the world and pick up my dear blogchums' comments. Life is definitely looking up, with no effort required from me. As a wise woman once counseled me to say to myself: "the universe is unfolding as it should". Mind you, the same person used to say "there are no 'shoulds' in the universe." I think she was setting me what the zen buddhists call a

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1158488104100808892006-09-19T06:07:00.000+10:002006-09-19T19:24:10.126+10:00

Found a free internet PC in Vienna airport, to check some blogchum blogs. 2 flights gone, one to go.Thanbks to my recurring NPD, I decided to post my itinerary, in case the next plane plummets:---------------------------------AIR DALY WATERS - DW 1SUN 17SEP MCDONALD ISLAND INTERNATIONAL - SYDNEY AT 1450 1610AUSTRIAN - OS 2MON 18SEP SYDNEY NS VIENNA AT 1650 0610DURATION 21:20SYDNEY NS -KUALA

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1158447027194683312006-09-17T08:41:00.000+10:002006-09-17T08:50:27.350+10:00

A couple of posts ago, I observed that whenever two people in a disaster movie say "I love you" to each other, one of them will be killed.The very next day, I farewelled my boss before going on leave, and she said "I love you." Not only was I embarrassed, I knew that if I completed the verbal transaction (what George Costanza calls the "I-love-you-return") , one of us was dead, probably the one

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1157402192346715392006-09-16T06:24:00.000+10:002006-09-16T20:15:34.020+10:00

As Southern Hemisphere agent for the books of John McKenzie, I have my finger on the pulse of the book-buying market here in the UnHeard Of Islands. For a long time I had been pleading with him to rip off Irvine Welsh or J. K. Rowling, two top-selling Edinburgh authors. Or if he couldn't do that, I wanted him to write something more postmodern and self-referential.Well, now he's combined all

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1155852198000503542006-09-14T07:46:00.000+10:002006-09-14T18:30:47.803+10:00

BACKGROUND: According to USA Today, Germany is home to about 900 members of Hezbollah. Germany's refusal to take part in the U.S.-led war in Iraq used to reassure Germans that Islamic terrorists would focus elsewhere. "We didn't fight in Iraq, and until now we assumed that if we behaved well in the world, nothing would happen to us," said one woman. Until now, Hezbollah has ordered its people not

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1158029469748394352006-09-12T12:39:00.000+10:002006-09-12T12:51:09.816+10:00

Last night I watched The Path To 9/11, the TV drama. Not bad of its kind, and Harvey Keitel is always good. I learned a few things, e.g. the reason Clinton's cruise attack on Bin Laden in the late 1990s missed its target: Pakistani intelligence tipped Bin Laden off. I also learned that whenever two people say "I love you" over the phone, one of them will be killed. Today I said "I love you" to my

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1157710297791580102006-09-10T08:05:00.000+10:002006-09-10T17:17:41.303+10:00

I missed HNT last week. I worked all day and evening Thursday, despite running a fever due to having some kind of UnHeard Of virus. I made it back home, but just at my front door I had to drop to the ground and violently lose my dinner. The neighbours and the OCD house guest may have enjoyed watching or listening, but with my face in the dirt I wasn't in a position to notice. I was even too sick

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1157538419743834362006-09-08T20:24:00.000+10:002006-09-09T08:11:04.670+10:00

In the previous post, I feared that my house guest would do one or other of two annoying things. Well, as keda prophesied, it ended up being both annoying things at once. What are the odds against that happening? Probably about as likely as being in a plummeting plane, and having a heart attack on the way down.But enough of my holiday plans, here's some trivia:During a recent survey, women were

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1157410566842828272006-09-06T08:55:00.000+10:002006-09-08T18:34:51.896+10:00

There's a friend of a friend staying in my house this week. I could live with that, except that today she uttered the fateful words: "to thank you for having me, I'm going to cook you a special dinner tonight."From experience, I know that can mean one of two things:(1) They cake every kitchen surface and every dish and utensil with congealed fat and curry sauce, then leave the next day without

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1153446921082367582006-09-04T11:52:00.000+10:002006-09-05T08:23:53.346+10:00

Spirits much improved now. The physio lady with the brain tumour says she's in fear a lot of the time. Now I know what she means, and I'm not even dying.Hotboy sent me the new novel, which I have downloaded at work so they'll find it on my computer after the plummeting, and get him some free publicity. Everything balances out. It's set in a school. I have always liked schoolboy adventures, this

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1157089572650987192006-09-01T15:43:00.000+10:002006-09-02T21:02:59.423+10:00

This post's LeeAnnesque.Some years ago, to highlight poor spelling skills in the Australian workplace, a report was compiled, listing reasons given by employees for taking sick leave.Classic examples included "removal of aviaries", "early stages of Parking Disease", "undescended tentacles", and "migrant headaches."The report also listed 25 different spellings of diarrhoea.I spent an hour weeding

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1118280700081742162006-08-31T11:25:00.000+10:002006-09-01T09:33:54.413+10:00

This is a freelance Taoist blog.Every true story contains a wee lie.Can you tell what's untrue?There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination--MenciusI should have known right from the first day at the conference that my own star billing was jinxed.On the first morning I had got stuck in traffic, so by the time I arrived flustered at the venue, the conference

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156914956783210332006-08-30T14:41:00.000+10:002006-08-30T20:27:27.203+10:00

Winston Churchill's black dog came ashore here a couple of days ago. I hadn't seen it for years. My, how it's grown in the meantime! It seemed to think there was a bone buried round here. For a while I considered taking it for a walk down by the railway tracks, but this morning I summoned the resolve to chase it away again. Shoo! Go and dig up someone else's garden! Ah, that's better!When the

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156555719782700162006-08-27T22:15:00.000+10:002006-08-28T06:40:45.096+10:00

My old friend hotboy has started being nice to me, occasionally even using words of praise. This false consciousness is unsettling. At first I wasn't sure whether to take it as sarcasm. But then I realised what his game is. He's planning ahead, so when the nuclear backpacks start going off in Blighty, he wants to be welcome to come ashore and take refuge on my island, camping out here in the back

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1150612589557515802006-08-24T16:33:00.000+10:002006-08-25T10:08:27.520+10:00

Months ago, even before the World Cup, I was tagged by the incomparable Lelly to write "Six weird facts/habits about yourself".The Rules: "Post six weird facts/habits about yourself. These cannot be used against you later on! At the end of the post name the six people you will tag next. Leave them a comment to let them know they've been tagged and to read your blog."Well, I've broken the rules in

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156392698941627872006-08-24T14:00:00.000+10:002006-08-24T14:18:46.993+10:00

Using the Next Blog button, I came across 4th Avenue Blues , by a guy who blogs, it seems, from his tent. If he can do it, so can hotboy from his tent at the Buddhist place, or from the bliss hut.He seems like a good guy (not hotboy), and goes to AA meetings. I used to go to AA too, despite not being an alcoholic. I went for the acceptance and friendship. I know that's what they all say, but in

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1147081209810393952006-08-22T07:38:00.000+10:002006-08-22T17:43:11.636+10:00

If you want to understand the detailed metaphysics of a chair, or how to stand on your head while rolling your eyes inside your skull, hotboy's your man. But to know the real Scotland, you have to ask a tourist.At What's New PussCat?, a blog written by an Australian visitor to Scotland, I discovered that loutish behaviour, which was the birthright of Scots males when I used to live there, is now

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1156068324320306232006-08-20T19:32:00.000+10:002006-08-20T20:05:24.386+10:00

Until recently, most people thought that the worst thing about Gunter Grass was his work as a body double for Saddam Hussein. Now the Nobel-prize winning novelist, has admitted he was in Hitler's SS as a teenager. He says that his public confession has been a great relief to him.Of course now everybody's saying that the truth should have been obvious all along - his name even ends in "SS"!

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1155887804239451942006-08-18T17:52:00.000+10:002006-08-18T17:58:13.683+10:00

You know the old Police song, Message in a Bottle?Woke up this morning. Can't believe what I saw, 100 million bottles washed up on the shore.Except for me this morning it was 18 comments washed up on this blog, but the principle's the same. Just when I was feeling uncustomarily low. What a fortunate man I am to have blogfriends!

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1155640164552990492006-08-15T20:23:00.000+10:002006-08-17T22:21:48.296+10:00

Ever since the dawn of time, when war happens, it's the young people who join the military, while the old and feeble stay safe at home and watch the whole thing on TV.I know Americans and Australians who were the right age to be called up in the 60s for the Vietnam war. And when I was a kid, we had to go to school in military uniform every Monday, and march around a parade ground for hours. We

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1154062678123664162006-08-13T14:55:00.000+10:002006-08-15T16:07:01.726+10:00

Where I work at the McDonald Institute, the basins in the toilets were all installed by the institute director, who runs a plumbing company on the side. All the taps are dodgy - either full blast or nothing. And they're angled so the jet is deflected straight back out over the front of the basin, and all over the floor. Or all over your clothes if you don't know to step aside. A fine example of

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1153814692429343462006-08-10T17:40:00.000+10:002006-08-11T10:47:46.330+10:00

Like most people, over the years I've learned from a lot of different people.As a kid, my middle-class parents did a thorough job of beating the spirit out of me, so in later life I've had to re-learn spontaneity and mischief from my working-class chums.One of my chums when I lived in Edinburgh was Biffo, a very funny and argumentative guy, who taught me how to win arguments.One thing I learned

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1151222601442983382006-08-08T17:47:00.000+10:002006-08-09T13:15:39.853+10:00

I lost my equilibrium a few weeks ago. I suppose it started when I had the screaming neck pain, and I couldn't use the PC for a couple of weeks. I lost sleep and lost touch with my blogfriends.Yet since the pain lifted and I got back online, I've been blundering around offending people all over the place, in my posts and my comments. And I almost triggered a diplomatic crisis here in the UnHeard

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1154839110804729632006-08-08T14:36:00.000+10:002006-08-08T17:41:12.826+10:00

My Musical Tastes Match: Weird AlWhat Celebrity Matches Your Taste in Music?A lazy post, I know. Let me know if you do the test.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1147315400963506072006-08-05T12:39:00.000+10:002006-08-05T14:24:29.193+10:00

Home brew. Nothing to beat it. Someone gave me a 24-pack of normal beer, Toohey's Ice, recently. I drank a bottle last night, up against another bottle of my own Canadian Blonde number 10. The Toohey's had no taste at all, the only thing it had going for it was strength, but that doesn't interest me. I'll have to give away the other 23 bottles. If hotboy will pay the postage to the other side of

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1154383432684455632006-08-03T07:49:00.000+10:002006-08-03T21:39:56.336+10:00

I've decided to give people a rest from my tortured tales of a previous life this week. The picture is from a recent outing to North Island, one of the group of islands where I live.While walking on one of the deserted beaches there, I decided to expose my favourite body appendage, the long thin one with a vein running along it. Here's a section of it, blown up.If you click the pic, you'll be

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1154232295959584202006-08-01T13:41:00.000+10:002006-08-02T09:52:36.796+10:00

One of the best ways to get ahead in today's competitive world is to claim some special consideration because of your unfortunate circumstances. I have friends working at the UnHeard Of University, and they tell me that anyone can get admission to a course without any academic ability at all, as long as they have some special handicap.There are students who gained admission by being one-legged,

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1154170060859968482006-07-29T20:20:00.000+10:002006-07-30T11:16:18.193+10:00

Religious leader Madyamika Hotbolla has made a triumphant return to the UnHeard Of Islands from exile in Scotland.A crowd of fanatical supporters lined the beaches of the main island, to witness the homecoming of the buddhist fundamentalist cleric.His holiness the Madyamika - a title meaning literally "bliss artist" - emerged from his chartered boat looking tired and emotional.At a press

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1141711288507749802006-07-27T17:00:00.002+10:002010-01-04T09:27:39.213+10:00

I dredged the archives of my life for another vegetarian HNT clicky pic.While growing up I didn't often see the humorous side of my father, mainly because of the hostilities between us. But towards the end of his life we called a ceasefire, and I visited him at his wee island cottage.Every evening he went out to the pub, while I would stay at his place until he returned after closing time. On

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1153784435571335372006-07-25T08:46:00.000+10:002006-07-26T12:32:11.533+10:00

After a day and an evening of teaching yesterday at the McDonald Island Institute, powered by much tea and little food, today I'm too clapped out to do anything useful. I've been reading Raising Yousuf, a blog by a woman from Gaza. One interesting post dates from her visit to America:When I thanked Peter for welcoming us [to Connecticut] he joked that Americans needed Palestinians to liberate

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1149415016793938462006-07-20T19:35:00.000+10:002006-12-21T17:27:30.826+10:00

Someone asked me the other day "hey rob, what's happened to your Narcissistic Personality Disorder? Are you cured?"Well no, I'm not. And to prove I'm still a victim of NPD, here's another self-indulgent true story (but remember every true story contains a wee lie.) And there's an HNT pic at the end.Once upon a time, in another century and in another country, I had an entanglement with the

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1152865076293761392006-07-19T18:11:00.000+10:002006-07-19T20:34:24.066+10:00

I've invested in a wee book about fixing your own neck, with exercises that I have to do every two hours. So far it's working. Huzzah! But it says I should stay off the PC until I learn how to type without looking down.Being pain free is Bliss. Suddenly, even the most mundane activities are a buzz. I enjoyed watching Teletubbies today, and couldn't understand why I had never watched it before.I

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1153182858239225372006-07-18T10:19:00.000+10:002006-07-19T06:54:42.303+10:00

Are we really watching the start of World War 3 (or 4 if you count the Cold War)?What is going on in the Middle East? And why? And how can it be fixed? My colleagues at the McDonald Island Institute tell me that, if you leave aside the last 50 years and forget about trying to apportion blame, the recent events actually make a lot of sense.Remember the way that arab society works - tribal sheiks

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1153000874761974102006-07-16T07:49:00.000+10:002006-07-16T14:53:23.063+10:00

A woman I know is very sick, and hotboy has generously offered to help me meditate for her. Every hour that I meditate, he'll match with 2 hours of his own meditations.On Friday I started the meditation program. I thought I'd start with something easy, just 15 minutes lying flat and thinking well of her.Well, it wasn't that easy. I was trying to still the inner chatter, when I noticed that my

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1152490266181784322006-07-13T09:58:00.000+10:002006-07-13T10:11:32.293+10:00

Whenever I get an attack of the screaming neck pain, I visit a chiropractor, a wee lady who uses a magic technique she learned from a guy in New York. She's the only practitioner here who uses the technique, and it always fixes me.So last week I phoned her to make an appointment. The poor woman is not at all well. She's had an operation for brain cancer, plus radio- and chemo-therapy.I had a long

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1152488751205511012006-07-10T09:26:00.000+10:002006-07-10T09:45:51.250+10:00

The neck pain has pretty much subsided (I appreciated people's good wishes while I was out of it - what a fortunate creature I am!). So I'm trying a tentative post, though still using the cellphone to do most of the text entry.I tried to watch the third place play off - the nicest thing you can say is that there were a lot of handsome faces (not on the German side, obviously).The Aussies living

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1151995020702824042006-07-04T16:32:00.000+10:002006-07-04T16:37:00.806+10:00

I'm on 2 weeks' holiday, and was looking forward to some serious blogging, but the screaming neck pain has taken hold. I'm typing this on my cellphone, the only way I can do text input just now. Pictures are out of the question. I may even miss this Thursday's HNT action. I'm hoping that within a few days I'll be able to catch up on all the blogs that I usually read. See you then. If you're

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1151793294057379592006-07-02T07:57:00.000+10:002006-07-02T11:48:22.590+10:00

Even their desperate last-minute dive in the penalty area couldn't save Brazil. France are having a recurrence of their 1998 (and 1982) form, with a team composed of old hands and new blood, and skins of various colours. Is it my imagination, or are the best teams (like France and Australia) multi-ethnic or multi-national? Even Germany has Poles and Slavs and a Ghanian. Contrast that with the

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1151479196555138132006-07-01T17:01:00.000+10:002006-07-02T09:53:12.880+10:00

Warren Buffett, the world's shrewdest investor has given away his $42-billion fortune, most of it to Bill Gates's foundation.And a while ago, Bill Gates gave away most of his own billions to the charity. That's great news, but also unnerving. The financial success of these men was based on their uncanny ability to sense the future. When the shrewdest, richest men in the world decide it's time to

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1147307867089290572006-06-29T05:02:00.000+10:002006-06-29T08:38:17.163+10:00

As you can see from this pic of me aged about 10, I'm Scots, at least from the waist down. And the shadow on the grass proves that nothing is worn under the kilt.People often ask me: "Robmcj, you're Scottish, what exactly is the point of a sporran?"Well, the sporran is the pouch that you wear at the front of your kilt, for keeping your johnnies in (or if you're a kid, your cigarettes).Another

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1151037692531458722006-06-27T14:41:00.000+10:002006-06-27T16:53:07.873+10:00

Australia exited very unfairly, to a penalty in the last seconds of injury time.If you study the video (as Australian TV has been doing ad nauseam), you see that Lucas Neil, the alleged fouler, was motionless on the ground at the time, and the Italian guy went out of his way to hook his toe around Neil's body and simulate a foul. It's a trick I often used when I was looking after kids, I would

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1141771734244933732006-06-25T07:45:00.000+10:002006-06-25T12:56:39.676+10:00

Some time ago, hotboy asked me about Bloglines.Bloglines tells you as soon as a new post appears on any of your regular blogs. When I took this shot, I was up to date on all my reading, except for 1 post on The Rambling Taoist, and 540 flu-related posts.I think you can probably try out my bloglines page to get an idea of how it works.It can make your bloglife so simple.Just watched Mexico play so

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1150871842692395822006-06-21T16:20:00.000+10:002006-06-22T21:52:42.376+10:00

I was tagged by the incomparable Lelly to list "Six weird facts/habits about yourself".Lelly, I've been waiting all my for life for someone to ask that. I feel I have an unfair disadvantage for this one, and making the list was way too easy. The list grew to 10, then over 20, and I'm still trying to edit it down to 6. In the meantime, I have siphoned off some of the excess weirdnesses into a

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1150769816198678412006-06-20T11:45:00.000+10:002006-06-20T17:06:14.960+10:00

I fixed the missing sidebar and the duplicate comments on the Main Page, but as a side effect there are no comments on individual post pages. I'm wasting my life away on tinkering with this template. But then, what better way to while away the time waiting for the apocalypse? Well, watching football would be better.In between working on the next HNT and doing the Six Weird Things meme, I have

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1150608644703907102006-06-18T14:56:00.000+10:002006-06-20T12:24:43.463+10:00

Thank you to the commenters who offered to supply raw material for my plant food business. Unfortunately, just as we filled the warehouse with bottles of Beanstalk Gold™, one of the multinationals got wind of my plan and bought me over just to shut me down.I had to promise not to manufacture any more plant food in the future. But they didn't say anything about cosmetics. So here's the plan.

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1150201401140030192006-06-15T22:00:00.000+10:002006-06-15T21:40:26.330+10:00

I'm going to be rich!You see, there's an old family secret, handed down through generations of gardeners, for a plant food formula that will double the size of your houseplants, almost overnight.I've got some investors interested, so just as soon as I fix the bugs in this blog template (especial apologies to Firefox users), we can start production. I'm thinking of using the brand name "Beanstalk

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12182432.post-1150179796148055242006-06-13T15:52:00.000+10:002006-06-13T19:39:05.976+10:00

If I was a competitive person, I would be posting this Glasgow newspaper article simply to rival hotboy's own allotment photos. He has blatantly revealed where he and my old dear have their assignations.But thanks to enlightened toilet training I lack the competitive streak, so presumably I'm motivated by some kind of Oedipal thing here.Either way, this article proves that I was already an

onan the bavarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17189006728033492827noreply@blogger.com17