Something Something Sunday March Trivial First History with chocolate topping and sprinkles

 Just to share a little secret I've been using for quite some time, to enlarge the script on this - or any webpage - hold down the Ctrl key and scoll up on your mouse until your eyes are happy with you again.
Then, when you bookmark a page in LARGE print it should re-open LARGE each time afterwards.
Technical stuffs brought to you today by the lack of dark chocolate in the house.

Oh...err....there were shed-loads of shi...err...stuffs happening on this day, do you really want to know all these boring as bat shi...guano things?

I could recite...err...sing...Lordy, NO!....umm....

1851 The ship Isabella Hercus parked its prow to disgorge its cargo of settlers.

1865 The Godley Head Lighthouse began flashing.
At ships.
Seriously.

Actually The Tribe are watching The Darling Buds of May in the other room...let's go join them!

1878 The delightful Moe to Bunyip railway line was opened for business!
Click HERE to see the original Bunyip station...not THIS that's left behind.

The twins are away at boarding school...if you know the books or series at all...otherwise just smile and nod.

1886 The Maori Bank, Maungatautari Whare Uta, was established as they felt they were being cheated by the Pakeha bankers but it was not successful.

*sigh* Oh, alright, I'll give you updates of how many perfick Ma-made meals Pop Larkin downs...oops, there goes two as I speak....

1889 Oh, those clever little devils opened yet ANOTHER extensive railway line when Yarra Glen to Healesville was blessed with transport.
Imagine that.

The twins have done a bunk from boarding school.....yes, yes, just smile and nod...

1900 Well, bugger me sideways over a hedgerow, They opened a THIRD railway line on this day!
Can one have too many railway lines?
The answer is apparently NOT!
Quambatook to Ultima rail track was off and running.

Oh, it's The Trees That Made Britain on now....splendid show, with a bloke who's job it is to climb trees.

1901 The picturesque Shotover Bridge was opened as it shot over the Shotover River near Queenstown.

Wish I'd known about the tree-climbing career when I was younger....

1902 Oooooooo just for something a little different They opened a NARROW gauge railway line from Colac to Beech Forest.
And some technical stuffs HERE.

Oh, wait...that involves heights.....forget it....

1922 The Addington School Committee had to go get a special certificate made to present to absolutely perfect prefect (well, he would have been a prefect if they'd had 'em) Cecil Hughes who had a perfectly spotless attendence record of never having missed even a single day in 8 years.

Feral Beast is officially starting his uni studies tomorrow....nervous? In the words of Derek and Clive "I nearly shat myself".

1926 NSW's very first arcky-sparky electric train service began tootling their way from Central Station to Oatley.

Ohhh, slap my wrist and call me for supper, I have been very slack!

The delicious Central Station in Sydney is perched on a spot that's been a morgue, cemetery, convent, female refuge, police barracks, Benevolent Asylum, and a parsonage.

This entry has thus far taken me the better part of 3 hours....I'm procrastinating again, aren't I?

1954 The earth really did move for a lot of souls in The City of Churches aka Adelaide when an earthquake that shook the Richter Scale at 5.4 left a great deal of damage in its wake.
For first hand accounts of the quake click HERE.

Getting the results of FB's EEG on Tuesday, you know, the thing where we poked him a lot to see if he was going to keep having Absence Seizures since his head dive from the trampoline back in the beginning of January.

1958 The "Train of Knowledge" ran through its paces on its track.
OI! I reckon they should bring this back! You'd get more kids turning up for school....
Macleod High School chartered a train for 200 students (one assumes to knock some knowledge into the students) from Melb to Warrnambool to Hamilton to Portland to Stawell to Bendigo to Echuca to Kyabram annnnd back home to Melb, again, awwww.

And if you think I'm providing a link to every one of those....oh, alright.

Nervous about the EEG results? In the words of Derek and Clive....

1965 Echuca-ites were beside themselves for, On This Day their fair town became...*drumroll*... A City!

I think I've successfully proven that trying to exist on a diet mainly consisting of celery is deadly to the olfactory nerves, even worse than that of the hard boiled curried egg diet....

1975 The idiot box changed its sepia undertones for bold, brassy technicolour when colour TV was officially introduced in The Land of Oz.

And shifted nary a sniff of a kilo or a gram....in fact I'm certain the remedy of the constant celery - hot meat pies - have loved my hips long time....

1975 And as They gave, so They took away....the Stanhope to Girgarre line was shut down forever.

Bastards. 

The meat pies....oh, and the pollies who closed the train lines.

But mostly the meat pies.

1981 And so They kept taking with the Bandiana to Cudgewa line....the Diggora West to Cohuna line and the Kerang to Koondrook line momentarily satisfied the hungry maw of politics.

When I was in primary school we used to tell kids with school lunch orders their meat pies had rats' tails in them.

Coz we had peanut butter sangas.

And those pies were a whole 40 cents which we didn't have.

1990 In sad news the Royal NZ Navy ceased its daily ration of rum to all sailors.

I'll give you several minutes to compose yourselves. 

I may be subjected to a slow and painful death for posting this photo....but can you honestly blame me for never serving pea and ham soup....???

Stupid Redneck Saturday Fever February 28

 Beware the rednecks on the prowl, they're determined to howl down any reasonable voice or argument about the cause of the horrific bushfires.
My cousins work in emergency services and have copped "brave" armchair "experts" screeching like baboons just out of the trees should anyone disagree with their mantra that "It's all the Greenies fault".
Oh, yes, these know-it-alls who were nowhere near the fires, who witnessed nothing, who have done nothing to assist, who trot out their useless qualifications to try to prove themselves better than others who risked their lives and who really know next to nothing prove the old adage very true - empty vessels make the loudest noises.

 

The sunflower, while as yellow as the streak down some rednecks backs, proves to have a far stronger spine and morals.

 1790 Hospital assistant John Irving became the first convict to be emancipated....and, ye, he did thus go merrily upon the fields of flowers skipping in his joy, showering gay maidens and elderly widows with posies and ribbons.....in his wildest dreams, he did.

 

Feeling feverish, John Irving dreamt of large iron wheelbarrows carnival rides...

1945 Kiwi soldier David Russell was re-captured by the Nazis, having already escaped from one of their work camps,and executed in Ponte di Piave.
Read more about this brave soul HERE.

1947 The usual suspects were up to their mischief when the Eureka to Buninyong railway line (aka The Bunny Hop Line) was closed forever.

1959 The Victorian Railways St Kilda to Elwood Electric Street Railway (aka tram) was no more when, yet again, those who couldn't create destroyed what had been built by those who came before them.

 

Another satisfied customer of the now-defunct St Kilda Electric Dream Tram (cattle prods optional).

1967 Canterbury Cricket Team became the first NZ cricket team to defeat the Australian cricket team which had popped in for a quickie.

February 27 Silly history stuffs

Seeing as almost every man and his dog decided today's date was a good one for staying in bed and not venturing forth to make their mark in history  (or to be someone's mark, hmmm?) you get some pretty pictures to cast your baby blues across.

Stinky, smelly boy seals.

Or The Spouse's family Christmas Party, I forget which.

 

A random picture of Feral Queen, just to brighten the tone of this picture album.

1788 Today was really not the best one for 17 yr old Thomas Barrett (profession - convict); he'd been sprung in the act of nicking stuff - presumably food - from the colony food store.
So, to make certain they deterred any other starving human from doing the same thing again, Thomas Barrett became the first bloke hung in The Land of Oz.

 

No, Thomas Barrett wasn't one of these festive peoples.

Probably wrong image to go with, really....

1819 The schooner Young Lachlan was "borrowed" by some convicts from the Derwent who took it for a joy ride and "somehow, unbeknownst to them, officer" ended up in Java.

1951 The awfully long, drawn-out Kiwi water-front disagreement reached a peak when troops were marched onto the Wellington and Auckland wharves to load and unload ships.

 

Actually, that evening out on the wharves is beginning to come back to me...

1964 The lads in NZ had nothing else to keep themselves busy so they started digging tunnels in the sand on the beach and ended up connecting Christchurch to Lyttelton Harbour via the longest tunnel in the whole of The Shaky Isles.
And thus they dubbed it, originally, Lyttelton Road Tunnel.
Which you may enjoy photos of HERE.

When Thursday General Talks Trivial History February 26 You Better Listen To Him

 Oh exciting times we live in, poppets and moppets!
*inhale*
Feral Beast is enjoying the reading list for his university unit, he's learning guitar, he's getting stuck into Russian language school each Saturday morning, his cricket team is in the finals, his backhand in tennis is improving, one of the seniors at his nature club is going to organise both archaeologists and paleontologists to give talks in the coming months (ex nature club members), the talk next month is on sketching in the field for beginners (perfect!), he's had more wins than losses in lawn bowls this year and he'll be starting at the local gem club this Saturday arvo....
*exhale*
And his mother is exhausted just keeping up with the diary...!

1844 Pistols at Dawn were the weapons of choice for lawyers William Brewer and H.Ross in Sydney St, Wellington.
Billy Brewer was done a nasty mischief and he expired on March 4,1844.

1866 Governor Darling was recalled.
Ahhh, yes, well I remember the dear, sweet little numbers he wore when out promanading upon the grassed lawns of the Colonial Parliament House, the dashing hand-tooled shoes that matched his hair ribbons so well and the delicious little draw-string bags he wore at his waist....oh.
Yes.
*ahem* He was recalled back to Britain.
Though his ensemble for the voyage was simply darling...

1903 The Royal Commission report on handling grain *yawn* was...just...soooooo enthralling *yawn* ...that *yawn* hmmmm....*yawn*...put Victorian Parliament *yawn* .....*yawn* to ....sleeeeeeeepzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

1931 The Bowker Fountain in Victoria Square, Christchurch was officially unveiled.

1938 The Summit Road opened in The Shaky Isles.

1974 Mungo Man, the adult male skeleton unearthed near Lake Mungo in NSW, got lots of dirty people very excited.....and not for smutty reasons.

1985 Dwarf tossing raised its ugly head in a popular Surfer's Paradise nightclub as a jockey-throwing contest was ditched when no jockeys fronted up for the pleasure of being bodily bowled.

And for a plethora of other events, births, deaths, happenings and amazing things on this date check last years entry HERE.
Coz NZ and Oz are such hip happenin' places we need more than one entry to cover all the things that happened...

Wickedly Trivial Wanton History Wednesday Webruary 25

Yes, dear readers, I am considering your suggestions quite seriously and looking into publishing my own book of warped Oz history.
I will , of course, continue to irritate idiots with the daily entries of trivial Aussie history....I shall just irritate the idiots of a far larger scale!
To those who are groaning in pain, you may thank a great many people out there in blog land who have been ever-so-gently poking at me to do this.
And you can proof-read each and every page for your sorrow!

1864 The Banana Benders had developed a love for the iron horse aka railroad when they began work on their first track from Ipswich to Toowoomba.

From the Richmond Guardian newspaper February 25, 1899 -

A narrow escape for a lady who, in the darkness, slipped and fell from the platform of Burnley train station onto the tracks.

The 10 o'clock express train from Hawthorn was approaching but fortunately for the female visitor from New Zealand a local solicitor grabbed and dragged her up onto the platform just as the train rushed past.

1908 Christchurch was to be-ing or not to be-ing when it's Theatre Royal dramatically flung open its doors for the passing parade.

1922 The Kiwi film My Lady of The Cave premiered its own red carpet at the Grand Theatre on Queen Street in Auckland.

1943 Forty nine Japanese POW died in a riot at Featherston POW Camp in New Zealand.

1961 The last tram trundled down the streets of La Perouse, Sydney.

1978 Christchurch's New Brighton Mall was officially opened.

Bling time

I have been blessed with bling of late and I must really get off my (increasingly) large backside to share out the goodies.

 

The Proximidade Award is described as: ‘This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes for self-aggrandizement! Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!’This blog award should be sent to your favorite eight bloggers and they, in turn should forward to eight of their favorites. You should include the text for Proximidade (above) in your announcement blog.
The following blog authors can claim this award -
Kuaka from The New Zealand Journal 
Lisa from Timespanner 
Gem from Windy Hill 
MD from The Dating Diaries 
Naomi from Nomesque Fiction 
LiD from One Little Detail 
Ann/Brownie from Ann oDyne  
JahTeh from CopperWitch 

The following awards are for whoever catches your eye...except those who chuck knuckle bones at us!

 

Mistress B from Dances to the Beet of her Own Drum 

Jeanie from Jeanie in Paradise 
Fluffy Butt from Nomesque Life  
Elizabeth from Probably, But Not Likely  

 

Reuben from Reubenville  

Brian from The Fylde and Wyre Antiquarian

And there's been others which I must go hunt up.....

Trivial Tuesday History February 24

Fires have broken out throughout Victoria again, and at the time of writing (9.34pm Monday night) there were numerous communities under threat from ember attack and fire.
Constant updates are on ABC radio 774 Melbourne.
A webpage of emergency contact numbers HERE.
A list of relief centres for those who have evacuated HERE.

1815 The Flogging Parson, Rev. Samuel Marsden was the first European to buy land in Aotearoa when he purchased 200 acres for the mission site at Rangihoua.

1815 Rev. Samuel Marsden left NZ for Port Jackson in Oz bringing with him chiefs Te Morenga and Te Pehi.

1842 A Native Police Force was established at Narre Warren with 25 Aborigines trained and under the command of Henry Dana, who moved the force to the banks of Meri Creek the following month.

1870 The final detatchment of the 18th Royal Irish Regiment left NZ leaving it in the capable hands of the Armed Constabulary.

1902 24 fatalities and 41 wounded was the result of the New Zealand contingent in the Battle of Langverwacht Hill during the Boer War.

1905 Fanny Cochrane Smith, a Tasmanian Aborigine famous for the recordings of her language and songs, died on this day.

Monday Trivial History Februrururururur 23

Having fallen asleep before 6.30pm last night I think it's safe in assuming the boat trip was bloody great albeit literally rocking one to the land of Nod.
The waves from the container ships kept the boat rocking and gave Feral Beast the chance to feed the fishes with a technicolour yawn over the side. Yes, I'm revolting like that.
Fantastic array of gorgeous goodies from below were brought up in the "eco sampler", a contraption which drags through the sea-weed forest and gives you a pretty close idea as to the volume and variety of sea-life within an area.
It's going to take me forever to get The Spouse to upload the pics so have a browse through the ones online.
The kids were to sort through the seaweed, gently place living critters into large seawater-filled buckets and toss the weed aside. They then got to study the critters with the chaps on the boat explaining all the bits and bobs about them - sea horses, pigmy squid, wandering sea anemones, tiny pike fish, mini leather jackets (fish) feather star, decorator crabs (who literally decorate themselves to suit changing surrounds), snails, sea cucumbers, sea squirts, and all manner of other things I was able to distance myself from ...Oh look! Shiny water thing!
This is the Biology Tour trip HERE.

1877 Lillywhite's "All England" cricket team popped into Christchurch for a visit, probably expecting scones and tea with their crooked pinky fingers.

1887 The Royal Commission on barking banking laws was established, making it clear when He Who Controls the Moolah could bray like a donkey, crow like a rooster and yap like a lap-dog of the govt open for trade. *ahem*

1904 940,000 hectares were put in reserve in the first step in a long process to make Fiordland National Park.

1916 Red Cross NZ Branch and the Central Council for the Order of St John held their first meeting in Christchurch.

1940 100,000 peoples were there to welcome home the HMS Achilles crew after their victory in The Battle of River Plate. Parades in both Auckland and Wellington later followed.

1959 The National Heart Foundation was formed during a meeting in Canberra which was obviously not about the flourishing p0rn industry around the corner.

Saw the fur seals on Chinaman's Hat - they stink!
All boys....speaks for itself, really!
And the Gannet rookery was lovely - all rocks, birds and piles of bird shit.
The Gannets were actually quite nice, and fascinating to watch diving into the water from on high.
You can click on HERE to see more pics and read about the fantastic Queenscliff Fishing Charters and Scenic Tours we boated with yesterday.
Highly recommend these blokes, fabulous time!

Trying to Twitter whilst writing this up is like trying to do ones homework whilst chatting on the phone...never gonna work!

1974 Saturday postie deliveries went the way of the Dodo.

1987 First mobile phone call was made in Oz and we haven't got off the bloody phone since.

But I won't mention the Colonial sea slug-type critter, and I shall fail to mention that it is called "colonial" as it joins its bum to that of other sea slugs to form a massive communal stomach with gazillions of mouths.

And I won't let slip how common it is or how often you and your children have probably played with it at the beach....

Nope, not a word...oh, look! Shiny!

Boating on Port Phillip Bay

Am off boating on the bay, sweeties, as the Feral Beast gets to do a field excursion into studying the crawlie things that live in the marine environment.
May I just point out that our bay is simply teeming with sharks, sting rays and other creatures not inducive towards longevity of mankind...and I'll be the one wearing the rainbow-coloured socks should I need fishing out of the drink.
Ok?
Ta.

Is it a good sign when the captain sings "What shall we do with a drunken sailor", tells me to "climb aloft" and is named Quint?
I didn't think so, either.
The socks, remember the socks....!

Spleen or foot-venting Sunday a little early due to boating on the bay tomorrow, dahhhhhhling!

Can I just say to the stupid cow who ran over my foot with her pram at Chaddy - then proceeded to call me names - Feck off back to the fecking halfwit cage you fecking escaped from, you fecking dumb knob-jockey.
Yes, I had my white cane that usually screams "Vision impaired", but when one is pushing a single pram over-loaded with 3 obesely over-weight children (intent on increasing that weight judging by the handfuls of lollies, chips and crap being shovelled into their gullets), one obviously can't see beyond the postcode they're feedingin front of them.
(I don't mind weight on young children because they can get sick so fast and drop that weight within a heartbeat and be at deaths door, and my 3 were well-fed solid little lumps.....but these kids were beyond healthy or merely over-weight. They were Obese).
Rolls of fat hanging over their pants and shoes.
I figure when there's enough fat to hang off the sides of their knees I'm pretty safe calling it as FAT.
Anyway, I digress ...well, you couldn't blame me, really, when the dumb idjit pushing the heffalump express parked the fecking thing on my fecking foot and then stood.there.laughing.at.me.while.I.fought.NOT.to.murder.the.
stupid.bitch.
When she finally shifted it her friend tried a piddly "sorry".
Myself, on the other hand.....
"YOU STUPID WOMAN!!!! YOU STUPID, STUPID, STUPID WOMAN".

Top of my lungs.

Reflex reaction from the pain.

Couldn't help it.
(Remember this was in the middle of the store whose name starts with a Big Red Letter, packed to the rafters on a Saturday arvo).
To which I heard,
"You're the stupid moll, ya stupid moll,"
"I BEG YOUR PARDON, YOU STUPID, STUPID WOMAN? YOU CALLED ME WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT????"
"You called me a stupid moll, I heard ya".
"I CALLED YOU A STUPID WOMAN, YOU IMBECILE, OR DO YOU NEED TO CLEAN YOUR EARS OUT TO UNDERSTAND DECENT LANGUAGE????"
(Yes, still top of my lungs. Because she deserved it now).
This obviously stumped her because we then got a broken record of whiny sing-song "But I said sorrrr-rrry" over and over and over until I shook my cane under her nose (no, I didn't use it on her, although I was sooooorely tempted, Lord!!!)
"WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS, YOU STUPID, STUPID WOMAN? I'M THE ONE WHO'S CLASSED AS BLIND, WHAT'S YOU'RE DAMN EXCUSE???"
.......................*crickets chirping*..............................
.................................."But I said sorry"......................
Meanwhile the 3 offspring in the pram did not miss a beat shovelling in food, opening even more junk food bags, although the one in the back was starting to look green about the gills what with the other 2 trampling over his stomach and I know it's nasty to wish ill upon a child but if that child just happened to heave its darling little guts all over mummsy, shopping and siblings it couldn't have happened to a nicer family.
And I took my foot, with it's tyre track embedded into the skin, over to the cash register and the check-out chick made sure I was alright while she giggled at the idiot with the pram.
YES!!!
I am vindicated when check-out chicks giggle at my foes!
So there!

1867 Ho hum, another Royal Commission into clearing the Murray, another bucket of cow pats.

1902 The Kelburn cable car was flavour of the month with every man, woman AND dog flocking to get an eyefull - and a ride - on the fantastic tram.

1910 State-owned Wonthaggi coal mine yielded its first train-load of the black stuff to be tottled down the track.

1932 3AW , radio station extraordinaire (if you believe their tish rumours!) began blathering broadcasting.

1955 The first dribble of power cooked up by the Snowy Mountain Scheme was fed into the NSW electricity grid.
Ooo errr, look at them pretty lights, Gladys!

1965 Excitment gripped everyone - there was patchouli on the air, hippy's were breeding in hedges and "free love" had a lot more going for it than "free hugs"....and Christchurch had the first Pan Pacific Arts Festival.

1965 Charles Perkins led one of the "Freedom Rides" through NSW in an effort to end Aboriginal segregation.

1971 Due to the kiddies gnawing endlessly on door and window frames during travel the Cafeteria Car began filling the stomachs on The Overland rail service.

Surprisingly, Saturday's turned up again February 21

 Things are happenin, busy, mayhem in a good way...perhaps...running around madly, *remember to breathe* Feral Beast attacking uni studies....learning Russian...boat trip on Sunday on scraped and scoured Port Phillip Bay....must remember to ring local gem club....metal detector laws......
Just chat amongst yourselves,ok?

1853 Daniel Inwood, not quite keeping off the streets but definitely out of mischief, set up his flour mill where the Waimairi Stream puddled across Straven Road in Canterbury.

When next you pass through Dennis - the suburb, not the chap - you'll be able to impress total strangers with the knowledge it was named after Samuel Dennis who was a clever clogs stone mason and got himself made Mayor.

1879 At 8am an explosion in the coal mine at Kaitangata, near Otago, left 34 men dead.

1927 3DB began broadcasting in Melbourne. It borrowed the initials of the Druleigh Business and Technology college and was launched upon the world with a Children's Hour at 6.30pm.

If you're keen to bone up on old Daniel Inwood don't get confused with the character from Married With Children (easy mistake to make) but remember he was the first miller in Canterbury and you may wear your eyeballs out reading this extract HERE.

1945 Menzies decided on changing the cuffs to match the collars so he formally notified Parliament his party was no longer to be called Greedy Fatty BoomBah and The Profits of Doom United Australia Party but was now the (Not Really) Liberal Party of Oz.

1949 The City of Christchurch was grandly granted its armorial bearings which allowed councillors to get all swanky and splash a coat of arms around the billard room.

Eyreton was once known as Eyretown ( to be the bookend of West Eyretown) but we digress.
Twas named after a chappy who went by the title of Edward John Eyre who was briefly Lt-Gov of New Munster (but that's a whole 'nother entry so stop being greedy).

1952 Churchill set his people FREE!!!! by kicking the WW2 Identity Cards to the kerb.
Somehow they seem to be creeping back....

1953 The Taree RSL , down near the riverbank, had a small room attached to the side in which the radio station 2RE was birthed on this day.

This bit is filler what I can't find to stuff into this space and it's getting so late and I have to be up by 5am, oh bugger it here ya go.

1972 Christchurch was feeling a little orphaned, not having had any big sisters, so Adelaide skipped to the head of the class and offered to be her first Sister City.

Oh Look! It's that day that follows yesterday!

 For awhile there I thought I was going to have to supply each and every reader with a pot of paint and brush just to sit and watch it dry for entertainment purposes.
Yes, I thought today's history offering was going to be pushing poo up hill behind a wet blanket.
Well, I was wrong.
It's worse than that so feel free to air-brush a Sandman panel van surfy mural all over the joint before you leave...no, seriously, it's ok, it's water-based paint so it'll come out of the carpet.
Oh, you think the carpet's looking a bit tatty, too?
Yeah, ok, rip it up and decorate the floorboards....I don't mind...
The walls?!
Ummm....err....yeeeeeeeeah, alright....
Ceiling?
NO!
Go find a railway viaduct that desperately needs some decent murals over that boring farty tagging garbage.
Mind the rabid pigeons though...!

1903 Dame Nellie Melba, having swanned about all over Oz warbling her tonsils silly, popped over to treat the Kiwis to her dulcet tones before taking herself off to roam Europe and sing for her supper.

1913 King O'Malley was a strapping bloke - I assume - who liked to flex his muscles for the ladies - I assume - and thus this day was no different - I assume - when he thumped the first surveyor's peg into the sod to mark the construction of Porn Central Canberra.
*For those too young to get that reference, ask your dad*

1913 The pretty damn excellent author Mary Durack was pupped in Adelaide... though we didn't hold that against her.
*yes, yes, I'm just kidding. Sheesh!*

1954 Proving those Kiwis come from good jumping stock and should be assimilated in with the Wallabies  (what? what did I say???)  Yvette Williams set the bar up just that little bit higher when she made the world long jump record at an athletics meet in Gisborne at 6.29 metres.

1961 Dear old Percy Grainger popped his clogs.
Dropped off the perch.
Gave up eating and drinking.
Odd little chap, our Perc, but talented down to his fingertips.

1979 They were fishing a whopping great 8.5 metre Totora log out of the drop of water titled the Avon River, just near the picturesque Barbadoes Street Bridge (go on, click on the link, it's a very pretty bridge), after it had been sitting under the river for centuries.
Niiiiiiiiiiice.

Trilling Trivial Thursday History February 19

I dunno about this Twitter thing.... does the following constitute Twitter Rage ? Twitter flaming? Twitter trolling?
Disagreed - SLIGHTLY -  with "A Person" by posting a URL and suddenly I was being challenged by someone else who demanded (several times) that I provide HARD EVIDENCE from multiple scientific studies no less to prove my stance has any merit...of course I keep all sorts of those things on hand just because I.Have.An.Opinion.
OMG! Someone with An Opinion!
Imagine...!!!!!
As I was not interested in engaging in full-raging battle with this tool (or allowing anyone to waste my time by trying to shove their opinion down my gullet) I laughed him off and sarcastically let him think I'd agreed with him....which was clear I hadn't, if he'd read my reply properly.
I do so love the "Block" feature of Twitter...


It's Chocolate Mint Day!!!
What a damn fine day to celebrate!
And, of course, if you don't like mint with your chocolate it's perfectly alright to nom on all sorts of chocolate that floats your boat.

And who could resist throwing themselves into the fun that is Temporary Insanity Day.
Yes, boys and girls, there is a day devoted to it so spend your waking hours today on proving how mad you really are to those around you.
They'll thank you for the heads-up.

1856 Exotic dancer (that's exotic NOT erotic you smutty minded people) Lola Montez - who was neither Spanish nor a trained dancer -was greatly displeased with a bad review written by the editor of the Ballarat Times, Henry Seekamp, about her.
So she took to him with a horse whip.
Totally justified, Your Honour...!

1873 By the narrowest of margins the Anglican Synod thought better of flogging off the land on which the Christchurch Cathedral is parked.

1883 Pacifist Maori leaders Te Whiti o Rongomai and Tohu were finally released from prison where they'd been held, without charge, since almost 2 years earlier in November 1881.

1894 Steam trams began chugging their way to Bondi; getting a full head of steam up they could gallop along at 65km/ph, birthing the saying "to shoot through like a Bondi tram".

1938 21 workers on the Gisborne - Wairoa railway line were drowned when a flash floodhit the work camp at Kopuawhara.

1942 The first two of 60 air-raids on Darwin resulted in 10 ships sunk in the harbour, 25 ships damaged, 23 planes destroyed and 251 deaths.

1943 Japanese planes flew over Sydney, sparking sirens and anti-aircraft fire.

1973 Carly Simon had the Aussies crooning - and guessing - who she meant when she sang her number 1 single You're So Vain.

Wonky Trivial Wednesday History February 18

 We did chicken last night.
Wellllllllll...I did something with a pre-roasted chook and something vaguely interesting with green vegies, onions and pineapple slices in a frying pan.
No, don't ask, it sounds worse than it actually was.
Oh, and there was pasta and sauce. Crap pasta and sauce but it was improved with the smashed spud and American mustard stirred through.
Again, sounds revolting but worked a treat.
Trust me, really.
But knowing that Kedgie is dying to come over for a meal in this gin joint tribal hell-hole with us (as she mentioned in Twitter), I'll make sure the meal is a little better.
And that the roadkill is actually dead.

It is National Battery Day in USA.
*keeping a straight face here with some difficulty*

1793 The first school in the new colony began thumping learnin' into young heads in an unfinished church building in Sydney with the first teacher being one Mr Stephen Barnes.

1796 One of the Scottish martyrs, Thomas Muir, did a bunk and successfully escaped on an American ship Otter.

1804 The first Russian to become an Aussie resident - before we were known as Aussies - was John Potocki who was given the Grande Tour of Tassie as a transported convict.

1869 A transported Fenian, JB O'Reilly, took his unlawful leave from Fremantle in the American whaling ship Gazelle and sailed off into the sunset for USA.

1930 One of my forebears (as The Tribe would have you believe) Elm Farm Ollie - a cow - was the first bovine to take to the air (not with the greatest of ease) and was the first cow to be milked mid-flight (first contender for the Mile High Club?).

1937 Each primary school student in The Shaky Isles began gulping down half a pint of milk at school each day.

1957 NZ's last hanging took place when Walter Bolton was hanged after being found guilty of murdering his wife.

1962 The railway line from Upper Fern Tree Gully to Belgrave was re-opened after having been shaken but not stirred as it was converted from narrow gauge to broad gauge railway track.

1982 Grand Dame and murder mystery author extraordinaire, Dame Ngaio Marsh left her famous green ink behind her forever at her home in Cashmere.

Tools, Tosspots and Fucksticks

Oh, the mob mentality is thriving in this current climate with the media whipping up the storm and baiting the public.
Oh, yes, how many brain cells do you NOT have to have to create an online hate group naming, "shaming" and threatening the accused arsonist.
Keep it up and you'll guarantee the accused won't get a fair trial and will not be able to face court.
But I think the damage is pretty much done and dusted.
But don't stop there!
Oh, no no no no!
Let's track down his ex girlfriend and abuse her, too. She hasn't actually done anything but hey! don't let that little fact stop the lynch mob.
So they tracked the alleged arsonist down damn fast and had him in custody before anyone could knit a noose.
Some questions are begging to be asked but I highly doubt we'll ever receive satisfactory replies.
How did they know who to look at? 
If he had previous form, why wasn't he supervised?
If he attended a special school, as claimed, then his IQ is 70 or below, rendering him incapable of fully appreciating his actions and the consequences.
This simply highlights the poor mental health system in Victoria.
If, on the other hand, there was a witness to him lighting fires, then why did this person not extinguish the fire?
Surely any witness to a fire lit on such a dreadful day, who did not take action, is just as (if not more so) guilty as they would have had a firm grasp of the result.

Now, before you rush off to send me an email claiming that I'm making excuses for the accused, I'm not.
Go back and re-read, CAREFULLY, what I have said.
Even IF he IS guilty, then he WON'T be able to have a FAIR trial.
IF he CANNOT get a FAIR trial then he WON'T have to face charges.
He will be let go.
Directly due to stupid hate groups' actions.
IF he was able to have a FAIR trial then it MIGHT come to light if there had been witnesses or people who were aware of his actions and who should have taken steps to prevent this horrible fire.

If there is no trial there will never be any satisfactory answers, only innuendo, supposition and unsubstantiated rumour.

Thick-ear Trivial Tuesday History February 17

You may have noticed the rather large banner over there ------------>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Telling you about the new law in New Zealand.
Go read it, follow the links and seriously think about adopting the banner for your own blog/webpage to protest this silly law.
To black out your avatar in Twitter (or elsewhere) click HERE for a plain black pic.
For more info click HERE and HERE.

Today is the Fornacalia in Ancient Rome; the festival of ovens, bread and the oven goddess, Fornax, who taught us how to bake that yummy goodness that is bread.
W00T!

1873 There was Russian-phobia running amok in both Oz and NZ, but the editor of the Daily Southern Cross newspaper used his imagination to cook a hoax about the supposed Russian invasion of Auckland from the ship Kaskowiski (cask of whisky) who nabbed the gold and the Mayor.
You can read the hoax HERE.

1883 Party, people! For the little swivel sign of "Vacant/Engaged" on dunny doors was patented by clever clogs Ashwell of UK.

1909 A 30 metre whale heard they weren't stocking the larger sizes anymore for those with "big bones"and beached itself on Okarito beach...and must forever have have the said big bones on display in the Canterbury Museum.

1936 Reg Ansett birthed Ansett Airways when he zoomed off into the air with a service between Melbourne and Hamilton on this day.

1939 The New Miller's Dept Store Building on the South Island played host to the very first escalator...they were lined up to see the new toy...!

1981 The Kiwis were enjoying Blondie even though The Tide is High.

1986  In Oz we were gettin' our groove on to Feargal Sharkey's A Good Heart Is Hard To Find.
And HERE he is in 2009.

1988 It is sad railway news to report that on this day some idiot halfwit twat dropkick ignorant fool closed the Linton to Skipton railway line.
Sorry, no pics of the stations but lots of info on the *gag* rail trails.

Manky Monday Trivial History Done In The Best POSS-i-ble Taste February 16

 The Spouse got his late Valentine's pressie when I hurdled the aisles, crash-tackled the old lady in my way and snatched the prize from the hands of the plebian who had no realisation what he held found the DVD Kenny Everett The Complete Naughty Bits!
Just re-read that title carefully....yes, "naughty bits".
Now, you can re-call the ever lucious, tasty and sharp Kenny Everett, can't you?
Yes, smutty, double-entrende, half-clothed and oh so almost filthy are words that spring to mind with me, too.
Which is why I did what I've always wanted to do....I bought a pressie for The Spouse that's really for myself but I'll share this with him.
Except I'm a tad confused as to why the censor gave it a PG rating.....I'm suspecting the blurb -"With special tortured guest Cliff Richard, this is a collection not to be missed" -might give it away.
Who could ever resist cuddly Ken!

1568 The death sentence was passed on an entire country - Holland - by Phillip II of Spain in the name of The Spanish Inquisition.
Because he was obviously suffering from Windmill Envy.

1770 Cook played I Spy With My Little Eye and found.....Banks' Island...actually a peninsula but no one was going to correct him as it really broke up the 8 week monotony of "S for sea".

1839 Those living in Kiama, NSW, moved up in the world when their plot of dirt was declared a town.

1880 Listen up, boys and girls, for here's a fairy story the likes of Kosky and Brumby will never put any faith into happening-
there was 17 kms of railway track opened from Trentham station to Carlsruhe station.

1887 ...And there they went again, madly opening another 4kms of train track from Parwan station to Bacchus Marsh station.

1883 The northern suburb of Christchurch, Belfast, was birthed originally as a seperate town when the Belfast Freezing Works were built and opened on this day.

1892 William Shiels became Premier of Victoria when James Munro did a bunk back to become an agent-general in London to escape his many creditors after the collapse of his Real Estate Bank.

1935 The New Zealand National Women's Cricket Team made its debut at Lancaster Park against England.
Sadly, the visitors won.
Carn girls, give 'em curry!

1981 Slim Dusty was sitting pretty in the number one spot in Oz with Duncan.
  Click the link for a Grande Tour of Aussie pubs - this means you Brian.

1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires.

1986 The luxury cruise liner Mikhail Lermontov sank on Marlborough Sounds of NZ.

1994 Jimmy Cliff was parked in No. 1 position in the Kiwi singles charts with I Can See Clearly Now.

Screamingly Trivial Stupefying Sundae History ./c Chopped nuts and banana Feb 15

The excitement here was palpable last night; Saturday night...and polishing silverware in front of the idiot box.
I think it was Dalziel and Pascoe, though the sheer thrill of the whole evening made it slip my mind.
I'd have remembered if it was Midsomer Murders coz Tom Barnaby is simply knocking everyone off to keep his job....like Tom Croydon was in Blue Heelers.
I've often wondered if the fictional town of Mt Thomas has been over-run with crims now that Tom and his coppers are no more, with lawlessness and madness ruling....
Oh, wait. We've got Parliament for that caper.

1840 Strzlecki was at a loose end so he spied a mountain, climbed it and dubbed it Kosciuszko.
Coz Big Slurpy Chocolate Mountain just didn't really suit.

1840 W.C Wentworth and John Jones almost purchased from Maori chiefs Tairoa, Karetai and Tuhawaiki the South Island of New Zealand for a piddly £500.00

1882 The ship Dunedin made a quick getaway from Port Chalmers, dodging the fuzz and going gangbusters across the high seas to England....with the first spot of frozen meat for the Old Dart.

1894 The very first Kiwi Cricket Team was done like a dog's dinner by the NSW team in Lancaster Park, Christchurch.
And I'm sure they returned the favour as soon as they possibly could.

1905 The Gumsuckers (Victorians who lived in the State of Non-Excitement Victoria) were a happy lot of campers when the first state secondary school, The Continuation School, flung open its doors to knock some learnin' into some skulls.
Yes, it's still knocking something into skulls under the moniker of Melbourne High School.

1947 A referendum into the drinking closing hours of NSW pubs found the majority in favour of the 6 O'clock swill closing.

Love the Trivial goats History February 14

 It's St Valentine's Day.
Before you get a bollocking for forgetting the choccies, flowers and announcing undying love in a newspaper entry, offer to get back to the origins of the day and sacrifice animals in a cave somewhere.
Then if your beloved jumps at the chance you know you've got a freakin' bunny boiler on your hands and you'd best sleep with an ice pick under your needlepoint.....

1779 Poor old Jimmy Cook (known these days as Captain James Cook) got his goose well and truly cooked when the Sandwich Islanders (known these days as Hawaiians) took a sharp stick (known these days as a spear) and did do him a nasty mischief or ten, causing him to give up eating and drinking (known these days as being dead).

1788 Norfolk Island was reserved for the Lt Gidley King party, who sailed off on this day on the ship Supply, to found a settlement between ordering the entrees and desserts.

1792 Free enterprise and capitalism began rearing its head when the first store of the colony flung open its doors for business.

1807 Spoil-sport party-pooper Gov Bligh stamped his foot and imperiously declared the banning of the use of spirits to barter for food...clothing...rumpy-pumpy...and, the very odd case, of gaining a ball and chain (wife).

1885 The Victorian Govt, always good at sending other people's loved ones away to conflicts, offered to send boys troops off to bloody battle war in the Sudan.

1887 The switchboards were running hot into meltdown mode when the telephone line from Christchurch to Dunedin opened for the business of gossip chat.

1915 The first Maori soldiers were given an equal opportunity in that they were allowed to sail away to fight (and probably die) in a useless bloody battle known as WW1 when they left Wellington on SS Wairrirnoo.

1929 The railway line from Christchurch to Lyttelton was so excited it was electrified on this date.

1949 Showing the trend they intended to follow come Hell or high water the Victorian Govt proved its leadership skills by closing the meandering 6.80kms (4.2 miles in the calorie counter) the Alberton (you remember that pitiful station platform?) to Port Albert railway line....but there might be a rail trail to tramp along IF the Vic Govt has coughed up the necessary....but check with proper authorities.

1966 Everyone in The Land of Oz stopped spending a penny....and had to pay 2cents to pass through the hallowed doorway of the public thunderbox at Myers when the analogue old currency went digital decimal.

1984 Elton John was overcome by the rheumatism romance of the day and got himself hitched in lawful matrimony to a chicky-babe Renate Blauel in Sin City aka Sydney, Oz.
You, too, could be faced with demands for a ring.
Propose to Elton, you'll have a far better time.

2003 Having a hankering for some juicy roast lamb (with mint sauce, baked spuds and pumpkin) Dolly the Cloned Sheep was pushed off the perch when she was euthanised due to cancer.

2008 Legendary country singer/songwriter Smoky Dawson rode off into the sunset, as all country singers have wont to do, aged 94.

Happy Sheep Pants February 13 Aussie Trivial Kiwi History

Sitting here YouTubing Henry Rollins.
Coz I appreciate a ripened, full-flavoured embodiment of mature humour.
Coz I've salivated over the bloke for many a century decade year.
Coz I give daily thanks he isn't Jane Fonda.
Coz The Spouse is channel surfing a bajillion tv channels under 3.2 seconds.
Coz it's his birthday and I feel I should pay my respects by deeply admiring his tatts body talent.
Just coz I can, ok?

It's St Valentine's Eve, where a tradition in Olde England saw the giving of gift boxes, sometimes with small irritating children leaping out to call out 4 letter words a lovely greeting.
Meh.
Click HERE for a video to make sure you stay safe by getting it right this Valentine's Day.
Because wet noodles just don't belong in pink envelopes....or so my postie tells me.

1869 A Maori war party attacked Pukearuhe.
Click HERE for more details.

1925 That ever correctly spoken gentleman, Stuart Wagstaff, was presented to the world in Wiltshire, England before he realised he actually belonged in The Land of Oz.

1951 The NZ Waterfront strike action began on this day with all the ports sitting about idly by February 19.

1961 Scrumptious eye candy Henry Rollins was born.
I know he's not an Aussie or a Kiwi ....but he doesn't have to speak, just mute the volume and adore the vision splendid he doth make....
Or listen for a few laughs....
Yes,it's FULL of offensive LANGUAGE, so now you know.

1962 Trains buffs rejoice!
The driver and the guard on the Tait trains could finally send little love messages signals to each other via a bell communication system.

2008 The Ruddster, PM Kevin Rudd, apologised to the Aborigines.

A little (potty-mouthed) something-something for the delightful Anja.
So you KNOW it's smutty.
So don't whine at me.

Wot Oz & NZ Got Up To on Feb 12 in History

Volunteers needed to field calls for Melbourne CDB Red Cross Call Centre.
The fires might be almost contained but more bloody hard work is about to begin.

1880 Having used the joint for every event going for the previous 5 years The Powers That Be thought they better open the Sydney Town Hall officially.
So they did.

1909 As some nasty piece of work onboard SS Penguin had tried to shoot Pelorus Jack (the white dolphin who guided ships safely through the Cook Strait) in 1904, he never guided the ferry to safety again and it was wrecked on this day at Cape Terawhiti with the loss of 75 lives.

1930 Spencer Street Bridge was opened with great fan-fare in Melbourne. Apparently.
So I'm told.
According to rumour.
Oh, alright, I really was there and saw it for myself.

1958 From the 12th till the 14th the Queen Mum popped into Christchurch for a cuppa tea and scones.
Crook that pinkie, gals!

1979 This well known ditty was on everyone's lips as No. 1 for 2 weeks....but we're still calling C'Mon, Aussie, C'Mon, C'Mon

1993 NZ was hittin' the high notes with Whitney as they proclaimed I Will Always Love Youuuuuuuuuuuu!

Stuff what happened on Feb 11 in Oz & NZ history

I'm off to man the phones in a call centre for people looking for the numbers to ring for the Red Cross, the fire alerts, for people wanting to know where they can donate clothing, for those trying to find loved ones who are missing.
I'm not being pious, it's something I can do for others coz sitting here in tears isn't helping anyone.

1856 Melbournians liked a good read but alas Tim Berners-Lee was slack and hadn't invented the internet yet so they stuck with the opening of the Melbourne Public Library instead.

1864 The first and only member of the colonial forces serving in The Shaky Isles, Charles Heaphy, to be  recommended for the VC on this day.... he finally received it in 1867.

1875 One might think the gals were running amok....or one may assume they were getting out of hand...or they needed a little polishing to bring them up to scratch; whatever the reason, Presbyterian Ladies College opened in Melbourne.

1928 St George's Private Hospital in NZ did what most buildings do best - it opened its doors for business.

1960 *gasp* By some shocking over-sight Mrs. Garrett, that frail member of the fragile female sex, was made the first jury forewoman in NZ.
*tongue now removed from cheek*

For phone numbers click HERE.

Feb 10 history

I'm not feeling very clever today.
The sheer over-whelming volume of horror of the bushfires is numbing my brain.
The fires are still burning, people are still under attack, the death toll is still growing (at this time of writing) and the need to cry is constant.
Beautiful places popular for their tranquil settings and historic buildings, with patient and generous residents.
They are no more.


1788 First marriages happened between William Bryant and Mary Broad, and Henry Kable and Susannah Holmes.

1801 Gov King started the Ticket-of-leave system where a convict could earn moolah and pick his own master.

1864 First Christchurch Council artesian well was bored - along with the spectators -on the corner of Tuam and High Sts. The water was a gusher at 4 mts high.

1912 Qld's first high schools opened their doors for the little darlings in Charters Towers, Gympie, Bundaberg, Warwick, Mackay and Mount Morgan.

1967 Today saw the end to the free school milk in all NZ primary schools.

1980 The Townsville International Airport opened.

1990 A large earthquake saw the NZ Parliament evacuated while the PM Geoffrey Palmer and several MP's followed their rigorous training and got under the Table of The House for safety.

Victorian Bushfire Support

Whether you want to donate or leave a message of support there's the Victorian Bushfires Support Site.

Tune into ABC radio for updates, contact numbers, news, etc.

Pink Trivial Champagne History On Ice February 9

Escaping on my evening constitutional I was trundling my way around the side streets when I discovered a new exclusive restaurant that offered "all the meat you can eat".
*ahem* If I had a libido and a waist I may have been tempted but as I have neither I shall leave the challenge for Andrew to take up.

1770 Jimmy Cook was a clever clogs when he merrily sailed the Endeavour round and round and round the North Island of NZ till he got so dizzy he chundered all over the birthday boy to prove it wasn't the mythical large plot of dirt....but an actual island.

Bushfire Appeals click HERE.

1788 The drumming out of a soldier - who was caught probably not playing chess in the female convicts' tents - had the pleasure (?!) of having the first piece of named music played in Oz ; aptly twas The Rogues' March.

Wandering about the streets I ventured down the old Dog Shyte Pooh Lane; with its dog-leg bend it must have proven quite adventurous for the Night Cart Man of yore....and I admire the council town planner allowing storm water pipes to simply run straight out into the lane-way from the adjoining properties...

Helps remove the namesake of the alley at any rate!

1859 Feeling that the Welsh were in need of boosting their Omega 3 essential oils, The Powers That Be on High sent a shower of little fishes upon the Mountain Ash, Wales.
No, it was not a bad dream from chomping my weight in pickled onions, the proof is HERE.

Trying to think of humourous things to write and there's people on the radio hoping against hope to find missing loved ones.

1884 A child was born into poverty with alcoholic parents but he wrote his eccentric way into our history books being known as Mr Eternity aka Arthur Stace.

Next time you're passing through a country town slip a few extra dollars into the appeal tin for the local firies team; they don't get paid for the pleasure of slogging their guts out to save people's lives and they can always do with a bit extra in the kitty.

1898 The Canterbury skies became black as night and it was known as Black Wednesday as the smoke from the Australian bushfires, known as Red Tuesday, spread over The Ditch.

Noticed the gates of a particular house in our suburb were open for the 2nd time in almost 40 yrs; judging by the dishevelled state of the front garden the former Obsessional Compulsive Borders-in-military-lines owner was no longer in residence.

And it just.looked.so.wrong.

1900 The Wanganui Opera House was flourishingly opened by King Dick aka Premier Richard Seddon.
Click HERE to have a gander; she's not too shabby and pretty easy on the eye.


1917 Almost 4 years to the day of the news of his death the statue of Captain Robert Scott (of the Antarctic) was unveiled in Oxford Terrace, Christchurch.

1958 Infamous and legendary Aussie horseman Professor Lance Skuthorp rode into the sunset for the final time.

 1986 The Anglican Church of Oz ordained its first batch of female deacons in a ceremony at St. Pauls Cathedral in Melbourne....and the sky didn't fall in, either!

Don't be so Trivial Reckless, throw down your history guns February 8

 Having drunk my weight, and that of the entire nation, in water yesterday you may now call me Molok.
Though I can't promise to laugh at your jokes or save your baked lawn from extinction by regurgitating my digested drinks....
But if you hum a few bars I'll try to join in by the 2nd chorus.


1833 Being the SNAG that he wasn't Lt-Gov Arthur sent an email off to the Colonial Office bragging about what a great fellow-me-lad he was for creating a separate Survivor camp at Port Arthur for boy convicts aged 9 -18 yrs named Port Puer.

1843 John Rutherfurd Blair, who later became a pretty talented all-rounder, popped into this world.

1857 Now I've got conflicting opening dates for St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Christchurch.
Some say the 1st of Feb, others say 8th of Feb, but I'll bung it in today as I've missed posting it on the 1st and it's a scrumptious building to drink in so go have a gander HERE.

Did you know....

That making shadow puppet shapes on the wall by the light of a monitor gets my cats gingered up into mountain climbing the wall?!

1859 For those old enough to remember Princes Bridge Station - it was officially opened on this day, as was the line from Princes Bridge to Richmond.

1879 The Infamous Sydney Riot of 1879 took place.
The place = Moore Park, Sydney.
The time = late arvo, 8th Feb.
The reason =......*ahem* ....a cricket umpiring decision that the crowd disagreed with....

1921 *Clears throat whilst poking Kosky awake*
The Alberton to Yarram railway line was opened. Click on the Alberton link for the saddest little remains of a train platform you're likely to ever clap eyes on.
Then tell me Kosky isn't a cruel cow not to re-open that sweet little station....

What with all the water I was drinking and all the icy cold celery I was chomping on, I spent more time on the loo yesterday than during all 3 of my pregnancies.

Now I know what I was missing....

1931 NZ's first air fatality on a scheduled air service happened when a Dominion Airline DeSoutter plane crashed near Wairoa whilst maintaining contact with those in the Napier earthquake zone (the Hawke's Bay earthquake) with the loss of all 3 on board.

1932 The mother of rock and roll journalism, Lillian Roxon, was found in the daisy bush.

1946 What with the distractions of war and Churchill's blatherings speeches on the radio the British people suddenly noticed they were a tad short of edible goods so the Aussies sent them a picnic parcel lunch of meat, cheeses, wheat/flour and butter.

Feral Queen, eldest fruit of my loins, sweat of my brow and (but one of 3) causes of my grey hairs was parked just metres from her doorstep on St Kilda beach, feet in the water, umbrella over her head and having a nana nap. Lucky bugger.

1952 The Northern Territory News was first flung onto the streets, making this its 57th birthday.
Yippie.

1982 The Kiwis were bumpin' and grindin' to Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin's tortured rendition of It's My Party.

1982 While the Aussies were mellowing out with Lindsey Buckingham in Trouble.

One way to while away the hot day is to stick one's dirty feet inside an esky filled with ice cubes.

One way to while away the frostbite one has on one's dirty feet is to hop outside and par-roast them.

1983 The hot northerly wind that blew everybody inside out collected 50,000 tonnes of rich top soil from the Mallee and Wimmera districts and dumped 11,000 tonnes of it on Melbourne.
For photos click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

2008 The dredging of Port Phillip Bay began ripping the guts out of a fragile eco-system deepening the channel for the good of lining one's pockets with filthy lucre larger ships to dock.

You know it's too freakin' hot when....

You look up and find a huntsman spider on the ceiling above you.
And you just don't have the energy to freak out.

The Village People are on repeat on the neighbour's stereo system.
At full volume.
At midnight.
And all you care about is getting the hand actions correct.

 You hear the song The Car Wash on the radio and hatch a plan to make one into your private standing-room-only pool.


Bobby Darin's song Splish Splash inspires a party themed around your bath and you living in it until the deep mid-Winter.

And then you start trawling through YouTube for delicious vids like This....and this....and perhaps this....oh and another...