Elvis... the Lassie of the Inner West

Our dog Elvis is a small dog and really good natured, but he's become a little yappy in the last few months. He's always running to the front and back of the house in the dead of night, usually barking at birds.
And last night was no exception.

At 1am he ran downstairs and started his usual carry-on, but he made no attmept to stop and was actually sounding quite hysterical (if you can imagine what an hysterical bark is like).
Relenting, I went downstairs to bring him up... to be faced with 10ft high flames on the other side of our garden wall.
It turns out our local arsonist had been at it - four wheelie bins had been set alight - all of which were located at the back of the houses they belonged to.
Bloody idiots.

My next-door neighbour was out on the street as her house is made of wood and she was genuinely afraid for her life.

The police and fireys came - we did attempt to put out the blaze with our garden hose, but the water + melted plastic = huge flames.

Once the fires were extinguished - and most of the street was out of bed - the police were immediately called to a similar incident a couple of streets away.

Such a frightening experience - and I'm sad to say the two thoughts running through my head were (1) I need to grab all the photos of my Mum and (2)I can't be late for work tomorrow ... I'm launching a new website.

My hero, little Elvis. A man's (and woman's) best friend, indeed.
Good boy.

The last long weekend until Easter...

Just had three days off for the Australia Day long weekend - when Australians go out and about, celebrating the British fools who shipped them here as a punishment some 219 years ago (I think).

I went for a picnic with some 'new Australians' in Centennial Park and had a ball. Such a hot day, and in the middle of the park was this nature walk, complete with rainforest etc. Elvis loved it.

Summer in Sydney means outdoor activities - on Thurday I went to the St George Open Air Cinema to see The Departed.
I nodded off during the movie (don't tell the Academy), but the setting for the outdoor screen... on the banks of Sydney Harbour, with the screen framed by the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, was truly wonderful. A real treat if ever you're in Sydney at this time of year.

I had a day of self-indulgence on Sunday, and spent the entire day sitting in the garden reading. I had picked up Mitch Albom's For One More Day. He's the guy who wrote The Five People You Meet in Heaven, a book that was recommended to me after my Mum died. At the time, it was just too soon and I couldn't get into it. But having finished For One More Day, I then got stuck into the oterh book.
I ended up finishing two books yesterday... and burning my arms.

And finally, I face my first real challenge in my new role, with the new ninemsn homepage being launched - the beat version - on Thursday Feb 1st. I'm working my proverbial off, and it all seems to be coming together.
I've booked Red Rock Cottage for this weekend, and I know I'll be collapsing in a heap if I get through this week in one piece!

Big Brother - and the world - is watching...

You'd have to have been living on the Moon to have missed the celebrity Big Brother debacle unfold in the UK this last week.
The show caused drama around the globe when 'celebrities' in the house were accused of being racist to an Indian fellow contestant.
While major sponsors have withdrawn their funding and even the Blair government has weighed into the issue, it has done wonders for the TV ratings of the show.

Hurrah for Channel 4. But to me, it just reinforces why I moved away from Britain.
The lack of racial tolerance and understanding... the Chav culture at it's peak.

I'm not sure if Jade Goody - the 'racist' in question - has been made a scapegoat by a TV station watching plummeting ratings, and a nation in denial about what it has become. But her clearly racist rants and attitude has certainly left a bad taste if collectove global mouths... the irony being she'll have to do yet more reality TV work in order to stay afloat financially.
Infamy... everyone's got it infamy.

Put it down to nostalgia...

...but my brother, sister and I are in the midst of organising a weekend in Blackpool, when I'm in the UK in June.

The scene for most of out childhood holidays and our parents' honeymoon, we've obviously been whacked by a huge slab of nostalgia, and I've spent much of my down time this weekend surfing websites about Blackpool accommodation, shows, entertainment and the famed Blackpool Tower - the tallest landmark in Lancashire.

For me, I want a chance to get photos of my niece on a donkey, the much maligned Golden Mile beach, and on as many kiddie rides as she can manage. She'll be one, after all.
We're even considering staying in the same place we stayed as kids - though I'm not sure how it will rate with us now we are are experienced, globe-trotting adults!

My brother has warned me that Blackpool has become a venue for Stag and Hen parties, so we could be in for a rude shock. But a huge amount of fun, I think.

Let the sunshine in...

Another beautiful weekend in Sydney - without any work!!! So it was time to get out and about again...
I hadn't been to Nielsen's Park beach for ages.
One of a hanfdul of beaches on Sydney Harbour, it's a real fave of mine, but you have to get there bloody ages to get a car parking space, and a bit of sand to park yourself on.
Due to the beautiful Summer weather finally kicking in, I went along yesterday for a couple of hours of sun, sea and... sitting on a concrete step as the tide was in!
Bugger.
But Nielsen's Park is a fantastic spot - the water was pretty inviting and the appeal to me is the fact you can watch the myriad of activity on the Harbour. I love waving at the Manly Ferry!
After a few hours I was burned to a crisp despite F30 suncream on - and I am paying for it today, but it was nice to be a 'tourist' in Sydney again.

Making the perfect mix-tape...

You don't see many tapes these days.
When I first visited Australia in 1998 I was surprised to learn that music stores didn't sell pre-recorded cassettes. V annoying at the time, as I had a my ever-present Sony Walkman (v22.1) and was keen to buy music I could listen to immedately. But I managed.

Turns out the Aussies were futurists in that regard - I don't even have anything to play tapes on any more. But I do have plastic bags full of tapes. And I'm loathed to throw them out.

These tapes - all recorded by me from my fave singles/cds/offtheradio songs of the time - are a great big slice of my life as it was in that 90minute snapshot.
If I had put as much thought into my GCSEs as I did into getting the right song to follow the last, I'd have been onto my PHd by now.




Many of the tapes no longer play and have gone to that giant ghetto blaster in the sky. But I've kept with 20 that I couldn't part with. Some, people have made for me and the sentiment was not lost on me - something I will cherish forever.
Some, I've made in what I truly believed to be the depths of despair at that time, and the song choices reflect that.
But I would say pretty much all of them have Building a Mystery by Sarah McLachlan at some point or another.

I've not really taken to making cds in the same way - it's not as much fun. There was something so damn appealing about gathering all the appropriate music together, sorting them into piles of Side A and Side B, working out the order and then crouching over a knackered old stereo for and hour and a half to make sure everything fitted.
Playlists just don't have the same love invested in them.

I've stopped making mix tapes/cds/playlists for anyone - I really do think I've grown out of it. Maybe with older age has come enough courage to articulate in person the messages I was trying to convey on tape. In recent years, it was more about sharing cool music with likeminded people than it was about doing the whole message-in-the-music thing.
But I was heartened to read this post from one of my favourite websites: in short, I am not alone!

Little Miss Sunshine...

Victoria... you'll never leave

I was never a fan of Melbourne on my backpacking trips to Australia.
I visited in March 2000 and after the glamour of Sydney at New year, y2k and the anticipation over the Olympics, I couldn't see what Melbourne would possibly have to offer.
I behaved accordingly, spending just three days there and picking a trip to Ramsay St and a chance to meet Harold Bishop over more cultural attractions.
But since moving back to Australia 4.5 years ago, and not restricted by a backpacking budget, I've made many trips down to Melbourne, and it just gets better and better.

I was treated to a weekend in Melbs as a Christmas gift, and went this weekend with David, Sonia and Richard.

We stayed just by Victoria Markets, about three tram stops to the main shopping area, and a short walk to the Yarra.
The weather was excellent and we managed to pack an amazing amount in to a 32 hour period. The city was gearing up for the Australian Open, which kicks off today.



Sadly, I lost in the casino this time (last time I was up $50) but both Rich and David got a taste for roulette. It was great fun.

We spent yesterday pottering around St Kilda, before heading back to the airport, and NSW.

I'm thoroughly knackered, but it was a great weekend.

Me and my birthday boy...

Elvis turns two this week - can't believe we've had him for almost two years. He's still the size of a rabbit, but we adore him.

Out and about in the sunshine...

It was Richard's son Robbie's first birthday this weekend, and his party was held in Centennial Park.



I'd been passed this park on so many occassions and even watched movies at one end of it, but had no idea of the sheer size of the place, and how pretty it is. A real revalation to me after almost five years in Sydney!

And it seems dog friendly, which is a bonus, so I think Elvis and I will be heading over there quite a bit.
However, I did see this sign and am buggered if I can figure it out...


I get it, but what is banned in the third image? It looks like tipping a thermos into the water. Or using a hair-dryer outdoors. Any ideas???

Latest on my little monkey...

Arise, Lady McLaughlin...

Fantastic news to kick off the new year - my Mum and Dad's oldest, (as in longest-serving, Mary is always keen to point out she's the youngest of the gang)dearest friend Mary McLaughlin has been awarded a CBE in the Queen's New Years Honours.

She's headmistress of a prominent girls-only Catholic school in Glasgow and has been awarded for her contribution to education.
Mary, her husband Billy and my parents were all at secondary school together. A greater couple you couldn't hope to meet.
Mary knows all the words to La Bamba, worships at the altar of the Marks and Spencer food hall, and has know my brother (she's his Godmum) sister and I since the day we were born.

I couldn't be more thrilled.

Congratulations Mary xxx

New year, new hope...