My wife is good to me.

Bright & early tomorrow morning…. actually, as I write those words, I realise they no longer apply. The twins will have us up before this & it will probably not be worth my while to go back to bed….

early by old standards, but latish by current standards, I’ll pack some stuff, head out front & jump into a ute with my mate Aaron. We’ll head down to Avoca, slip into a wetsuit (it may have been 32 today, but the water is still chilly) and I can enjoy one of my favourite moments. We’ll be paddling out in the South Avoca rip (much easier), then we’ll hit that first waive point. At first I’ll bob over them, but at some point one will break as I get to it & I’ll lead down, duckdive & push through the wave.

When you’re tired, stressed, or have other things on your mind, that moment when you pop through & feel the salt water surround you is like re-birth.

It’s been a month & I really miss the surf. Have I been officially and completely converted?

So I’m back to work, the boss is off for two weeks, the jobs are piling up, my brain is whirring with all kinds of ideas, plans stresses, and I realise that I haven’t read any “Les Miserables” in the last two nights.

One of the wonderful side effects of being fairly immobile for the last couple of weeks was the amount of books I got to read.

It started with my looking for something light to keep me entertained in the hospital. Three “Hunger Games” books in 5 days later & I was on to something new. I read “With the Old Breed,” which is a frightening and awe inspiring account of war in the pacific. “Zeitoun” gave some fascinating insights into the life of a Muslim immigrant, and particularly the experience of post-hurricane New Orleans. Vonnegut’s “Breakfast of Champions” (5 stars!) and Piper’s “Think” were a matter of finishing off things I’d started.

And here I find myself taking a shot at Victor Hugo’s masterpiece.

Have I stalled already?

I hope not. If I was convinced of one thing over the last month, it’s that good literature is like oxygen to the preacher. God’s word is always that thing that inspires, grows and challenges at the fundamental level, but to read fiction is to taste the undercurrents of popular thought, or to see how the great minds capture those experiences in life that are either common to all, or desired by all.

In the last month I’ve seen an account of men regressing to animals through war, a prediction of life in an apocalyptic context, satirical & real critiques of western culture, and a challenge to anti-intellectualism! It’s all been quite different, but it’s all been wonderful!

How could I stall now?

Quite easily if I’m not careful. Don’t forget to write & ask how I’m doing!

I saw this video at St. Eutychus dot com.

i think Stephen Fry might have it over David Mitchell!

I like Fry’s idea about the “Free and happy use of words” where things might not be pretty as such, as long as are pleasurable. He rails (to my surprise) against the “grammatical pedants,” imploring, instead, that we look beyond the veneer into the soul of the work. What is the author actually saying? Is it good, even if it’s not “correct.”

During my paternity leave I’ve knocked off a fair few books. Don’t worry, I wont use “The Hunger Games” series as a case in point. I did, however, read Vonnegut’s “Breakfast of Champions.” Kurt is the classical example of a guy who might drive a pedant crazy. Oddly shaped sentences, bits out of place, illustrations instead of words.

But boy does he write beautifully.

I want to let the “tripping of the tip of my tongue against the tops of my teeth transport me to giddy euphoric bliss.”

How ’bout you?

Dave Mitchell hits the nail on the head with a critique of Downton Abbey.

he continues to amuse me.

Last week the family & I went up to my parents house for a couple of days. So, having twins that need feeding regularly & are making it difficult means that you don’t ever really get to relax, still, the Hunter Valley is pretty good.

Mum & Dad deserve a medal for all the time & energy they expended, looking after Pumpkin & Gumnut, and everyone was rejuvenated by the opportunity to spend time out in the sun, walking around the property, visiting the “chookies,” and heading out for gelato!

Well, pictures are worth a thousand words, so this should be a post-grad essay length!

Gumnut just loves being outside. Unfortunately, dad forgot to pack his new Rugby ball to help continue indoctrination….

Pumpkin has turned a corner with mum & dad’s remaining dog “Sunny-bun,” so much so that the greatest cause of tears was Sunny’s running off to chase rabbits, rather than staying close to Pumpkin when we went for a walk.

The pic you want the most.
The twinnies are hard to take interesting pictures of in some regards, because they don’t really do anything!

“Chookies” are a real favourite, the marvellous eggs they lay are even better.

Mama off to feed the chookies with the kids.

Dinner time.

He’s a lovely little fella.

Story time with Bop was too good to pass up.

Gumnut loves the horse as much as his father did when he was a kid.

Gelatos for everyone!

Mama & Bop love their grandkids!

On Monday, with the big kids at pre-school, Shona & I spent 40 minutes taking some shots of the twinnies (the above, already on FB, being just one.)

For some reason, baby shots always stress me, probably because they don’t take direction well, so you’re totally at their mercy. Still we got a couple of good shots & I’ll put some of them up on the net once we’ve had a chance to work out if we’re going to use any of them for any other purpose.

I’m hoping the above shot doesn’t become representative of their character when they are older. Grumpy little so & so’s!

Check the full speech out.

Is it real?

I’d like to think so.

Amazing to think that the world was only 15 seconds of fuel away from hearing this speech.

How much of our lives are shaped by little decisions that are forgotten in the bigger movements of life?