Refocussing after Christmas Shane Warne, famous phone text messenger, ciggy smoker, faithless husband and establisher of a lethargic foundation to assist Sri Lankan cricketers after the Boxing Day tsunami two years ago is all set to be included as a role model in the Australian New Years Honours list because yesterday in Melbourne he passed the 700 test wickets mark attributed to his spin bowling expertise. It's a new record. This takes the total up to about 1,000 wickets for him in international games. Now he says he's going to retire. Word is he has been offered a job as a TV cricket commentator, which will be the ultimate pinnacle of his life. I didn't mention that the Australian team won the Ashes in Perth last week. Zzzzzz!
The firebugs have been busy here over the Christmas break. A small nature reserve not far away and known as Blue Gum Lake went up in flames yesterday. It was a haunt of many water birds, insects and freshwater turtles. There was a strong smell of smoke in the air this morning. My nasal passages currently feel as if I have been sitting next to a smoking cricketer for several hours.
We have other nature reserves in the area which occasionally get targeted by firebugs. The Wireless Hill one hasn't been struck for a few years. It's not far from the Blue Gum Reserve. I feel sure these bushfires take a heavy toll on small wildlife. I hope there is some sort of watching system in place for Wireless Hill.
Last week I went to Guildford and at a set of traffic lights coming on to the Great Eastern Highway from the airport bypass there is a small patch of dry bushland. While I was waiting for the green light I could see many old cigarette butts which had been flicked from cars onto the narrow verge, and even actually into the bush. Not just one or two, but hundreds, maybe thousands. The people who do this sort of thing must know what they are doing. One lighted butt in just the wrong place could create an inferno. Smokers are so irresponsible.
The good news here is that our rubbish bins were emptied this morning. They should have been done yesterday but because everyone remembered to put them out then, the council trucks didn't come until today. Anyway all the Christmas wrappings and cardboard boxes have now been taken away for recycling so we can then buy them back in time for next Christmas.
There is not a lot of leftover food in our 2+1 refrigerators. With a large family there is a considerable degree of peckish picking which goes on. The ham is what is mostly left. We baked it with cloves at a marmalade glaze and it looked terrific, just like in the book. But baking ham makes it taste much saltier. There must be a lot of salt which is somehow locked up when it is in the "fresh" state. I don't think we will bother baking one again.
On Christmas eve one of our sons went fishing. He returned about 9pm with some freshly caught squid. Just the sort of gift I like to have when I am relaxed and about ready to go to bed. We put them in the fridge and one of the first things I had to do on Christmas Day was clean them. We had already planned to include squid in the seafood entree for our Christmas dinner. There was a convenient pack from Mr Birds Eye in the freezer. It's still there because I was naturally obliged to use the fresh ones. I did a beer batter and they were very nice.
Since then there has been something of a squid mania descend on the family. Fishing expeditions by various members have taken place each evening. Soon we will be sick of squid, and I will certainly tire of cleaning them for others. I remember this happened a few years back.
The department stores open again today and there will be the usual sales rush. Our feeble Labor state government indicated on TV yesterday it is now considering letting all main shops open on Boxing Day. What traitors to the Labor movement they are becoming. They are setting a course to destroy the advantages of a leisurely public holiday for families. Of course there is no suggestion that parliamentarians will work on Boxing Day.
I watched the start of the Sydney-Hobart yacht race on TV yesterday morning. That's a pretty macho-millionaire sporting effort if ever there was one. The fastest boats now have electric winches, apparently driven by underwater turbines. The exciting part of the race is when these fancy boats get smashed up by the Bass Strait storms. The sailors keep their fingers crossed that it won't happen and the couch potato televiewers keep their fingers crossed that it will.
There were some extensive mare's tail clouds above Fremantle at dawn this morning. We could have some pretty rough weather by the weekend.
© MMVI Paul R. Weaver.
About the writerCheck out each month's subject index on the Calendar Page for my "common-man" monologues about survival in 21st century Australia – plus a little history occasionally. An original essay is added most days as part of an undertaking to write a couple of million words.
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