Charlie's WorldNightwalking
Posted on June 4, 2014
When the sun goes down, the commuters decamp and make their way back to their burrows, leaving behind them only echoes, shadows, mysterious creatures, dark impenetrable pools and a skyline full of eyes, watching out for the unwary.
Charlene, Flemming and I were on a mission to capture the city as it transitioned from its bright safe sunny side into a dark underworld full of shadows.
England Summer 2013, Part 5 – Catching up
Posted on August 31, 2013
One of the things that I do miss about England (apart from my kids, of course) are my friends.
When I was growing up as a teen, I had a relatively small number of very good friends that I always used to hang out with. I don’t actually remember how my circle of friends happened exactly, as we went to different schools and colleges, but all I know is by the time I was about 17, I had some really good solid mates.
So one of the things I try to do when I go back to England is catch up. It doesn’t happen every time, but more often than not, I have some time with whoever is around
Christmas 2011
Posted on December 26, 2011
So, it’s that time of year again.
Where parents frantically try to get what their kids want without going overboard
Where husbands and wives think frantically what their spouses would like this year
Where inlaws buy socks
Where children make handcrafted trinkets with love for their parents
Where vouchers are the ultimate safe haven when you just can’t work out that perfect gift
Actually, the ultimate safe haven are pamper packs of bath salts and smellies.
But not this year..
Tripski – part 3
Posted on March 8, 2011
We went to see some of my close friends mid week.
They live not too far from where I used to live in England. Not too far away from where Ella and Henry were born and grew up.
Ella remembers the place, her old friends, her school and snippets of the old house. She’s sometimes a bit sad about it – I kinda feel bad as I sort of took all that away from her. She only kinda likes where she lives now, but she has the amazing Royal Ballet School opportunity that she would never had had in the old town. I hope that makes up for it. Henry was only tiny at the time – all he knows it where he lives now.
Anyway, it was a filthy day, dreadful weather, and we had an hours drive. So what happens?
Accident on the motorway.
So we’re stuck in the car not moving for 2 hours whilst they do their thing. I don’t know why the police dont clear away accidents faster, its such a dreadful drain on thousands and thousands of people’s time. I mean, once the people are safely out or on their way to hospital – take the scene photos, make the notes and get the road open again asap, rather than dragging it on for 1/2 a day as is the way in England.
Ella was so patient, she’s the easiest going child ever. Henry was asleep for all 2 hours and woke up just as we were getting going again. This is what we had to look at for 2 hours.
So we had some fun with the wide angle 🙂
We eventually got there 3 hours late, but Pat and Nicky were happy to see us, as was Anna, their oldest and craziest daughter. They’d had a new baby since I saw them last time – she was so cute 🙂
Anna didn’t stop moving this time, so no photos at all, plus it was so dark, that even inside it was hard to take photos. Baby M provided lots of wide eyes and big smiles though 🙂 She’s so cute!!!
Was great to catch up with them – Pat came back from work and we had a lovely dinner and chilled out – the kids played beautifully and had a lot of fun. Then, before it was too late, we were heading home again, the kids stocked up on Cadbury’s Mini Eggs for being so well behaved.
Did I say I have awesome kids? LOL!
Party pics
Posted on December 2, 2009
Some pics from the night – the early ones are better, can’t think why..LOL
I think everyone looks fab – glad people went to such a lot of effort with the costumes. Jay looked wicked – pink, pink and more pink.
sunshine and friends
Posted on September 23, 2009
Its been miserable here lately, raining almost every day for the last 4 or 5 weeks.
Its not supposed to do that, I’m sure someone in immigration said when I first arrived here that the sun always shines. I mean, how am I supposed to “throw another shrimp on the barbie” if its under 3 feet of water? And as for “where the bloody hell are you?” well, I’m over here, under cover, sheltering from the pouring rain.
But today, we have sun. And its pretty warm too. Well, its not actually warmer than any other day really, it just feels it as the sun’s out.
I had a long chat on Skype to one of my friends that I used to work with at BEA/Oracle this afternoon (Hi Christie, if you’re reading this) – was really ace to catch up – its been more than I year since I last saw him – not sure if I’ve spoken to him since either – but it seems like yesterday since we were last nattering. Awesome. I do miss my old work crowd, there were a really good bunch of guys. So, here’s to you, ex-BEA friends!
I love Skype. Its the best damn invention ever and I still cant believe its free to make calls like this – I would have thought that skype would have started making small charges (and to be honest, I wouldnt mind paying either, its so useful) but actually very little apart from the quality has changed over the years. So yeah, chatting away – it seems to UK is still functioning without me, but I’m glad everyone I used to work with seems ok, a little battered by the recession, but basically ok.
So, back to the sunshine. What am I going to do with it?
Sit outside with a nice glass of red wine and relax, thats what 🙂
ttfn.
updates
Posted on September 16, 2009
been a bit of a delay in posting as I’ve been sick. really sick. stay in bed for 48 hours kind of sick.
meh!
Just about getting over it now, but now the family are starting to go down with it, which is not good. Jay is ok-ish for the moment, but both the kidlets are off school and have a high fever. Hope they get better soon.
Hope I continue to get better too, I have a customer meeting tomorrow in Perth that I have to go to no matter what.
So, whats been happening..
Well, not a lot, as I’ve been sick, but apart from the usual nice stuff, theres been stuff that really irks me. So I’m going to write about it. I guess the people concerned might guess this is about them should they read it but I don’t care too much.
Friends who plead poverty and borrow money from their families for essential items and then go and splash their own money on luxuries like flat screen tv’s and new pets the very next day
Mothers who smoke when they have a newborn. There have been so many studies done about this, even if they dont smoke around the baby, the second hand smoke linkers enough in the mothers lungs to breathe significant volumes of carcenogenic tars over the child. Its not as if this should be a surprise, these health warnings are advertised everywhere and have een for years. This annoys me just as much as parents who smoke in the car with their kids. If anyone reading this smokes with young children – you really need to think about your children and their health before your “needs” Grow the fuck up.
Friends who want us to babysit after school but then go home from work and leave the kid with us but dont actually let us know. Pick her up almost 3 hours late. No apologies. Nice.
People who still text whilst they are driving.
The news sickens me. People are capable of the most horrible things. For instance, I just read about a man in the US who threw his 4 year old (and gorgeous too, looking at the photos) daughter off a cliff and killed her because he didnt want to pay child support. I mean, who the fuck does that. With their own child. Forget jail time, just chuck the gutless piece of shit out of a moving car at 100mph. I have to say, this news has totally ruined my day – not my mood, but its drained the colour from me totally. How can I look at the world the same way knowing this kind of thing. I’m not reading the news any more. Back when there was no internet and global awareness, perhaps current affairs were useful, but now it seems to dredge up so much hideousness, for me, its become irrelevant. I don’t need to know.
Politics. Fuck me, they are all petty point scoring children. Watched a clip on the news from the Federal Parliament and it was embarrassing and it struck me right then, again, how irrelevant it is, not only to me, but to the way a country needs to be run. I’d rather campaign for a “vote for nobody” box on the election form and pay the fines for missing mandatory voting (honestly, what kind of a choice is it when you cant vote for “none of the above”) than vote for anyone who participates in that kind of petty kindergarten nonsense. I’d expect better debate from my children. Seriously.
In positive news, the Olympus Trip 35’s arrived – very nice they are too, although the low light shutter lock on mine doesnt work, but the red flag pops up ok.
Off to buy some film for them right now. And a subway, I’m starving.
Charlie's World 