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Chip Off The Old Block

I come from a long line of procrastinators.  It is kind of genetic.  There is always a tension about what constitutes over-sharing and yet it is apparently important to speak up about mental health issues, despite the discrimination this induces.  I’ve always had problems concentrating and getting started.  Organisation is not my forté.  I’m not sure whether anyone noticed.  Girls are good at hiding that stuff.  Plus I was kind of smart and I had compensation strategies that got me by.  I got through my first degree somehow (burning the midnight oil and eating a lot of chocolate).  I got a job in the government and worked my way through some of the ranks (burning the midnight oil and eating a lot of chocolate).

I was the Taskforce queen.  I could pull it out of a hat when deadlines were tight (it takes a lot of adrenaline to get my mind out of first gear).  Routine jobs?  Tedious and stressful (probably because they involved organisational skills that I did not possess).  I live in nuance, and that is often an uncomfortable place to be for a policy adviser.  (I do have some sympathy for our former prime minister who was constantly being criticised because he couldn’t give a simple answer.)  It is hard to sum up complex policy considerations in three talking points.  Still I managed, because you know, hard work.  It is the solution to everything, right?  At least that is what I thought.

Trigger warning.  This post contains material that may distress some readers. Read more

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It Is Okay To Stick Your Beak In

In my previous post, I mentioned that my love and I had gone out to the river for a sticky beak.  It soon became apparent that not everyone understood this strange Aussie/Kiwi colloquialism, with a number of readers requiring a translation.  In response, I thought I should provide a general explanation for those too polite to ask for a translation.  Which is completely fitting as the explanation links in so perfectly with today’s post (unintended) about one of our most weird and wonderful mammals, the short-beaked echidna — a real sticky beak. Read more

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The Changing Seasons – December 2018

It is a bit late for my December Changing Seasons post, but better late than never.

I think I am glad to see the back of December.  It was such a hot, steamy month.  Nevertheless, a month of storms meant it was very productive in the garden.  Hence, we had many visitors of the feathered kind. Read more

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The Caravan Of Houses

If cottage means a small house on a plot big enough for a decent sized veggie patch, then my family and I live in a cottage.  Like many other Canberrans living in one of the city’s older suburbs, we live in what is popularly known as an ‘ex-govie’. Read more

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He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Possum

I spent several hours eating a lot of chocolate so that I could write a post today.  It was rubbish (the post, not the chocolate), so I ditched it.  Still suffering and not just because of the chocolate.  I must reform (new year’s resolution?) and prioritise my waistline (currently lack thereof) over my blog.  So when all else fails, post a photo! Read more

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All Care And No Responsibility

There has been rather a bird deficit of late on this blog, so it is time for a couple of bird photos.  The Ragtag Daily Prompt is host, so it seems only fitting that I feature a cuckoo in today’s post.  Cuckoos lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, leaving the host to do all the hard work raising the young.

On a recent trip to Tidbinbilla (a nature reserve outside of Canberra), I spotted a couple of Fan-tailed Cuckoos.  The Fan-tailed Cuckoo is an attractive little bird which lives in woodland and forests. Read more

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Until Tomorrow

A small poem written in support of the Ragtag Daily Prompt team who are continuing to provide prompts over the Christmas/New Year period.

Jusqu’à Demain

la belle rose charmante
deliciously resplendent
perfumes the air
from faded glory life
petals without thorns Read more

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Winter Woolies

An oldie but a goodie.  I’m sure I thought I was making some pithy satirical comment when I drew this cartoon several years ago about a homeless, depressed, menopausal woman.  Maybe it was just winter, and you know, SAD.  Read more

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Aussie Bigfoot – Macropods

Bigfoot dwells in Australia, but we call it macropod.  The term macropod is derived from the Greek words makros (meaning large) and poús or pod (meaning foot).

Macropods cover a group of marsupials that have large hind feet and which move by bounding.  They cannot move their legs independently and often propel themselves forward with the help of their tails.  They also raise their babies in pouches.  There are several species of macropod including kangaroos, wallabies, tree-kangaroos, pademelons, bettongs and potoroos, among others.  Today I thought I would share some photos of two species of macropod, the Swamp Wallaby and the Long-Nosed Potoroo, found at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve, just outside of Canberra (Australia). Read more