FIRE! FIRE ! FIRE!

Camp fire, no less. And I don't mean fire of a homosexual or effeminate bent.

We're camping in Bright. God's own country.

We came over Dargo on Thursday afternoon, having left the van at Harrietville after our Labour Day long weekend getwaway. There was some amount of misunderstanding with the caravan park management, such that Leanne and Brian, having left home at some undeniably ungodly hour to arrive after a 7 hour drive in the decidedly godly Bright around lunchtime - to find our camp sites geographically and botanically dissimilar from those we'd booked.

After much consternation and telecommunicating to and fro, we decided to camp instead on Dad's front lawn at Harrientville, whilst negotiating further with the caravan park. Convient for us, as that's exactly where our van was.

We had a delightful time in Harrietville from Thursday until Tuesday, including a "big roast", with lamb, beef and numerous vegtables cooked for many hours in two camp ovens.

One slight problem though, in the last minute calling back and forth re the misplaced camp sites - we forgot to pack any clothes for Connick. Whoops.

On Easter Saturday we did the Bright market, and whilst in town filled a bag with clothes for Connick at the Op Shop for $5. Jesamine and Bronte bought matching Billbabong tops, and hardly took them off thereafter. I bought myself 5 books at the Op Shop - I won't list them here, because you'll find a new link added to my blog for:

"My Bookshelf"

That's right, I'm in anal retentive heaven! I've commenced the arduous yet pointless task of logging all of my books into an online database.

I also wandered down to the Little Bookshop in Bright, and bought another 3 books - also on the database of course.

The next day (Sunday by my reckoning) I went to the Harrietville Bush Market (remember, we're still staying in Harrietville at this stage - please try to keep up with the riveting narrative). What do you suppose I bought? More books. Another five in fact. Are they also on the database? You bet!!!

Whilst at Bright, we also started watching Underbelly on DVD - the TV series based on the Melbourne underworld killings. It's very well written, produce and acted (with the exception of Martin Sacks who is nohing short of appalling).

On Tuesday we moved to Bright (though, of course, you already knew that) and set ourselves up on some very nice powered sites. We struck an agreement with management to use unpowered sites and extend our stay a little longer (we were only booked to Thursday).

I've still been progressing with my R2D2 model. He's got arms now - and quite detailed arms at that, with stabilisers, struts etc:
























I finished reading Atlas Shrugged - by Ayn Rand

The Review

I enjoyed the book - though felt somewhat bludgeoned from time to time by the incessant preaching about the virtues of greed. Plot-wise it was quite well crafted, though not entirely unpredictable. My biggest criticism would probably be with the dialogue - the heroes all use the same phrases and talk far too much. Also, as a book attempting to present a cohesive and intellectual argument, the opposition is too poorly presented - more propaganda than rational analysis.

It's a book that makes you think, and I'm pretty sure that to many people, that's what distinguishes art from entertainment.

I don't care much for those who discount the book because they discount the message. If it made you think enough to discount the message, then surely it's been of some value.

I also read Musicophilia, by Oliver Sacks. I bought this book for Danny for Christmas, and subesequently Suzy bought me a copy for Valentine's day. This is a very interesting book, comprising numerous medical case studies on the positive and negative impacts of various neurological illnesses and disorders on the ability of patients to perform, compose and enjoy music. For example, the books opens with the story of a man with no musical background who becomes obsessed with playing piano after being struck by lightening. There's also a man with severe amnesia, and a memory measured in seconds, who can still play complex pieces on piano, though with no memory of having ever seen or heard the music.

I'm also still reading the erotic fiction of the mysterious H.M. Brown (it's not particularly long, but I'm still taking it one chapter at a time).

What about fishing? Glad you asked. I took Connick out a couple of days ago - Rod Man and Net Boy striking fear into the hearts of trout up and down the Oven's River. We hooked four, lost two, and released the other two.

I went again yesterday, and hooked 13, lost 3, released 9 and kept one. At least the one I kept was a decent size - better than last time.

I started modelling Connick in Blender the other night. Firstly I drew some reference lines on his face with black whiteboard marker, then got Lee to take front and profile shots. I've pretty much finished now with my mesh topology, and need to start sculpting it it to look more like his head:




Anyway, the Scotts left for home today (Saturday), and we'll head off tomorrow. Hopfully the arsonists have taken some Easter leave and left our house alone.

Oh! I nearly forgot. On Thursday I went to the Bright Library and bought some more books, and later that day went back to the Op Shop and bought even more books. All on the database of course.

IN THE LINE OF FIRE

My last blog post was Friday night, after the fire. What do you suppose happened Saturday night?

No, I wasn't visited by the ghosts of Christmas past present and future.

No, I wasn't abducted by prostate obsessed aliens.

I'm beginning to wonder if you're really trying. Look at the title for crying out loud!

ANOTHER BLOODY FIRE - THAT'S WHAT!!!!

Let me tell you about it ...

'Twas the night before Sunday, when all through the town
The arsonists were lurking, and burning stuff down

The lights out the front of the house were left on
In hopes that they'd feel too exposed and move on

Connick was nestled all snug in his bed
While Jesamine slept over at Rachel's instead

While Suzy used Photoshop and I modelled in 3D
With our laptops in the loungeroom, in front of the TV

Then out front of the house we heard a large truck
With a siren and lights, and we said "What the fuck?"

We ran out the front door, down the driveway we flew
Well we walked, but I'd like to be able to fly - wouldn't you?

Two trucks had arrived full of CFA folk
Who put out the fire amidst all the smoke

We stood and we watched and we wondered why would
People like to set fire to our grass and our wood

Two fires in two nights - it doesn't sound right
As you'd imagine it might it gave us a fright

So the next night after checking around
I got into bed hoping to sleep sound

But then around 1 o'clock after midnight
I heard a car where the fire had been Friday night

I sprang from the bed and raced out in my jocks
And hid behind bushes and stood upon rocks

Two likely lads were pulled up just outside
And I tried to observe them from within my hide

The were fossicking around in the car for something
I couldn't see what so I left them to ring ...

000 on the phone and ask for "Police"
"There's something afoot, can you send a car please"

I grabbed me some clothes and an axe just in case
How long would they stay, would this be a race?

Suzy and I then jumped in the car
And started to drive and find out who they are

As we pulled out of the drive, up the street
Came the cops with a spot casting light like a sheet

They arrived just in time, for the likely lads raced
Into their car and prepared to make haste

But the cops got them out, and took them away
To the station to see what they had to say

So still we don't know, were they fire bugs
Or just two losers taking some drugs?

If that was not them, I'll stay on the hunt
And I won't rest until I catch the ...

FIRE!!!!

I stayed up a little too late tonight working on my R2D2 model. About 1:00am I went out to lock the chooks in, and on the way back I saw smoke and embers over the roof of the house. At first I thought the house was on fire, but as I ran closer, it was a little away from the house.

I ran inside and called 000, and as I ran outside, still with the phone in hand, I saw the local CFA were already on the job. They'd already attended a fire just up the road, when someone drove past and told them about our fire.

It seems we have a fire bug in the area. Bastards.

Now that's something exciting to blog about!!!

Anyway, it's 2:45am, so time I got to bed.

Oh, and then Connick woke up crying, because he's watched King Kong and was having nightmares.

Nighty night.

FOR THE LOVE OF A GOOD BOOK

What is Labour Day? How can a day named as such not require any actual labour?

These are questions I'm unfit to answer, but I do love a long weekend, and on this long weekend, we attached our caravan and towed it to Harrietville.

The long weekend was preceeded on Friday by the school sports, so I worked from home to maximise my opportunity to score dad points. I made it down to the sports ground earlier in the day to see Jesamine in her first 800m race. She didn't come last!

I missed the kids in their sprints at the end of the day, but both Jesamine and Connick came second in their groups, so they came home with ribbons. Yay for happy healthy chil'ns.

We headed off about 4:20pm, and hit long-weekend peak hour traffic in Melbourne. After a stop for tea somewhere along the Hume, we didn''t arrive until about 11:30pm or thereabouts. We set the van up and mum and dad's house for the weekend.

On Saturday we did the Myrtleford market. The traders appear to be the same at every seasonal market around the northeast region. The highlight for me was finding secondhand bookshop open in town - and ain't I a sucker for a book.

So, here's the haul:

1. Czerny - The Art of Finger Dexterity
2. Charles Darwin - The Voyage of the Beagle
3. John Wyndham - The Seeds of Time
4. John Wyndham - The Kraken Wakes
5. Tom Sharpe - Vintage Stuff
6. Tom Sharpe - Blott on the Landscape
   

What can I tell you about them - without actually having read them - well:

• Karl Czerny, born in Vienna, 1791, was a student of Beethoven, and went on to become a piano teacher himself - teaching Franz Liszt (amongst other notables) - and also a composer of many technical studies, the two most reknowned being The Art of Finger Dexterity and The School of Velocity.
• Charles Darwin - if you don't know, and don't know his ship was the Beagle, then you're not invited to any trivia night with me.
• John Wyndham (1903-1969) wrote (predominantly) science fiction, and is best known for Day of the Triffids.
• Tom Sharpe is one of my favourite British authors of comedy. Ever heard of "Wilt" - filmed in 1989 with Mel Smith and Gryff Rhys Jones?

Other than buying books, we had a few of the locals over for BBQ on Saturday night, which meant guitars out and singing around the campfire until 2am (ish) - by which time I was bleeding profusely from my fingers (and more than a little, shall we say, tipsy).

Sunday I went fishing up a short stretch of the Ovens River in Smoko.

Statistics:

• 30 odd takes
• 15 hooked
• 13 landed
• 1 kept
• all on one Elk Hair Caddis - and it was still floating (then I lost it in a tree)

Plenty of action, but all tiny. Even the one I kept was only snack sized - but a damned tasty snack at that.

Anyway, we're home now. Left the van in Harrietville and drove back over Dargo - in a little under three and a half hours.