Falcon Chicks

Don't forget to check on the falcon chicks on top of a building in Melbourne. The three chicks seem to be thriving this year and the parents are now spending a lot of time away from the nest, presumably hunting for these hungry little fluffy things. In fact every time I check, the parents are never there but obviously they are feeding them. One chick does seem a little listless at times though......not sure really.

https://www.367collinsfalcons.com.au/

Sunday Selections

It has been a while since I have joined EC and others for a Sunday Selection post. Most of these images I have shamelessly stolen from the internet. I like graphs, charts, cartoons and I like humour. Here is some of all, some quite serious.

This is happening all over Australia. Nothing to do with climate change. No action by our governments required.

No kidding Sherlock. You think we haven't noticed?

I could not possibly endorse drowning The Trumpet, but if a terrible accident was to happen.........

I had to read this quite closely. I expect it will be a bit hard for a non English speaker to understand. It was hard for me to understand but it is quite clever.

Pedestrians are left out of this equation. Where do they fit? It is a good cartoon, and so true.

It used to be British American Tobacco, British Petroleum and Royal Dutch Shell who were the behemoths. Perhaps they still are but Nestle is certainly up there.

 The satnav has my sympathy. I feel a bit like that when I drive anywhere else but to very local areas.

This one is quite remarkable. Melbourne's trams, country trains, buses and suburban trains.

Looks awfully like a picture of a tram to me. The battle goes on and the futility of calling trams light rail vehicles has pretty well been confirmed, as even those in authority are starting to use the word tram. I've heard light rail vehicle was invented by spin doctors, not wanting their modern vehicles to be associated with rattly old trams.

This one is a photo by Jackie in Toronto and I hope she doesn't mind me using it. I've seen similar in Australia but not the last line, which made me really laugh. 

Untimely Fathers Day gif. I love how so many fathers are now so openly loving with their children.

I don't know where this came from but isn't it sweet. Grace or Gattina may translate, but I don't really think any translation is really required.

Has Boris done the impossible? A few days will tell, but I think he may have. Now, I really have no view on the merits of stay or leave. It is complicated. I was very surprised that long term English resident Friko, the widow of an Englishman, has had to sort her status out.

My stepmother gave me a reasonable explanation as to why my late father seemed so unaccepting of me as being gay, yet he really liked R as my partner. My father could simply not understand the sexual attraction of one male to another and felt repulsed by the thought. Fake news? Straight men now seem to understand what gay men are about and accept them as different, and while it is not their thing, they don't mind if it is a gay man's thing to like blokes in that ever so special way. So, this would not have been my father, and thank goodness as he would have embarrassed the bejesus out of me. Airport outing, I am not wanting, thanks.

Stuffs to chuck out

To the charity shop.

Unopened. Are they e-waste? We no longer have a machine to play tapes.

Smiling at the memory, ever so many years ago, both the English version and the US version. More e-waste?

Newcastle Day 8,9,10 and Home

Most were a bit hungover as we had a late Sunday lunch at The Fox and Hounds, but of course the youngers who don't drink had no problem demolishing these monster desserts.No much happened that Sunday.

 A view of where we stayed with R's sister.

One neighbour has a new roof, the other doesn't.

Generally in Australia we say cemetery, but in Newcastle they say crematorium and abbreviate it to The Crem. It was my suggestion to make the visit to The Crem on the West Road to leave flowers for R's and his sister's parents and his brother who suicided. While he was in a relationship with a woman, he must have been with men too and at the height of the AIDS crisis, he thought he may have caught HIV and took his own life. I am not sure how it is known but R's mother told him when she visited Australia and when they were both 'tired and emotional' after a night out.

Of course firstly you have visit the florist, in this case the one we use to send flowers to R's sisters for their birthdays. We were back on the 39/40 bus for the return journey.

While they can be places of great sadness, I like visiting cemeteries. They are always such peaceful places, more so than anywhere else.

The Crem is very well kept.

I always have a wander at a cemetery and read some graves, and usually come across one of a child who died at a young age. It is sadly too common in the time of our modern cemeteries. 

I suppose we began packing that afternoon. R's middle sister, two nieces and great nephew visited for a little while in the evening and one of the nieces offered to take us to the airport the next morning, and she did. Before we left, R's youngest sister and her husband visited after breakfast. I felt very sad as I really didn't think we would ever see R's sisters again, his cousin who we visited and his brother in law's sister whose farm we visited. Given his cousin is nearly 80 and she smokes, I expect that will be the call will come first.

Gosh though, it was so nice to be home very very early Thursday morning after leaving Tuesday morning, such is the time change.

A Rannger

We were out with our Indian friend at a pub, The Malvern Vale, for dinner tonight. It was a nice catch up. Interestingly in the bastion of rich white middle class people, there was a table next to us of coloured people. Dark people, Asian people, red haired, I like them all, especially the men but the women can be such fun.

Home and watch the excellent Barchester Chronicles Grantchester  How hot is James Norton, a red head and so handsome. Settle down Hels. It is Shabbat as I post this.

Waddya reckon? Into red haired guys? Is he hot or not?