Fountains of Paradise

Arthur C Clarke moved to Sri Lanka in 1956 and it was from here that many SF books were written including the concept of HAL which was dreamed up for 2001:A Space Odyssey. So the last SF book he would write before the supposed retirement would be based on Sri Lankan sites.  Many of the scenes in this book are real places and I have seen some of them.  The subject of the story is a mega elevator from the ground to a fixed point space station.  It seems the theory has all been tabulated in many scientific papers and is only a matter of time before someone tries it.

  This one is not a Hugo but I must have picked it up on one of my Hugo Hunts.

Montserrat

There are a number of places known as Montserrat (Serrated Mountain). Some years ago we took the train up to the Monastery of that name in Spain.  We climbed a number of the rounded rock spires there.  I was doing a few "maps on stamps" today and came across the other Montserrat of volcanic fame in the Caribbean. These islands are on my list for a visit. There is a game of spot the difference you can play in the two stamps below, I almost missed it and it is not the fact that one has selvage and the other doesn't. There is a difference in the design.

Those monks

Flag on the serrations - we climbed that

The Poo Book

I spent at least two hours trimming lawn edges. I estimate there must be 200 metres of lawn edge here particularly when you throw in intricate path designs and other stepping slabs with lots of sides.  Last time I did it before the battery ran out but this time the growth has been fierce and only in a few weeks.  I also went down to the beach which was a bit ugly but I did get a photo of an egret high on a hill. Today's main topic revolves around finishing the Poo Book.  I figured that I would do one activity in the book per poo, so after 52 poos I have finished the book.  Having done the business I notice there is no end to these books, like the fart edition, the sports edition and even the Learning on the Loo edition.  These could be my next present.

No Regrets

Just Egrets

Card Season

I started writing a few Christmas cards today after not sending any last year due to various medical conditions.  Then I thought, there did not seem to be any comment about missing cards last time.  So I will just concentrate on interstaters that I will not be seeing anytime soon.  That's my excuse. I just spent two or three emails catching up on Paul Stork's new address and it turns out he never moved house anyway and now there is no news to spill in the card.  I will send it anyway.

And if you don't get one then there is one here.  Happy 2020. This year should be quite an eye opener.

Cutting thru

We had a meeting with our Sydney Superman today. There are only three things to note, as currently we have

• Low interest rates
• Low unemployment
• Low inflation

Everything else is crap.  These mean the market is up and you should make over 10% on investments which we have done in the previous year.  Not that we had much to do with it as he gets his % to rebalance and reweigh.  He knows his stuff. The government have changed the licensing stakes big time after the banking Royal commission.  According to the Financial Advisers Act 2017, in order to stay in the business you really have to be good at it now and all advisers going forward need a new degree qualification of which he is sitting his fourth 3 hr exam in as many weeks in order to satisfy the finance police.

John Batman

I have finished reading the John Batman biography and how he started Melbourne by buying land from the locals with tools and a promise of yearly rent. This was never recognized by the authorities.  I never knew that this story spread wider than Melbourne. He landed at Indented Head and wandered all over the Bellarine Peninsula checking out Geelong as well.  I noted the references to Newcomb and Drysdale throughout this book.  He brought Miss Caroline Newcomb with him from Tasmania as governess to his 7 daughters.  She did not stay long. She formed a partnership with Miss Anne Drysdale and they went to Geelong and took over the whole Bellarine peninsula.  I have ordered a book which publishes Anne Drysdale'a diary. Four of the five volumes have survived and are edited by Bev Roberts.

Every one in Melbourne should know this story.

Tree Time

1st of December means Christmas decos which is mainly the tree so far as the weather is not allowing us to go outside. Last year  a lot of time was spent trying to decide on how to apply streamers to the top deck. The rain has been heavy and the temperature has not gotten above 16 today.  At least the the tree is finished and the two stockings are still hanging together even though they are over 50 yar old.

tree mendous

An Ex tree

                         Saw this the other day at Port Arlington. Last time I was there this was a tree.