It is moi’s pleasure and privilege to present The Pub’s patrons with the latest …

Fiona Uncategorized

The Boss is – in his words – “unavoidably and unexpectedly stuck …” so he asked me to be

(Image Credit: CBS Corporation)

(Image Credit: Warner Brothers)

*mrowww – THAT’s better …*

So, meine Damen und Herren, on – or off (depending on the temperature in your neck of the woods) with the motley, and let our fantastic Fryday festivities flourish.

CK Watt is our Rafflemeister extraordinaire, though he too will be a little late this afternoon.

And remember how lucky we are to live in such a wonderful country (despite the present Government) in such a wonderful world …

(Special hat-tip to my dear friend Mari from over the road, who sent me the link just as I was about to start the presses.)

391 thoughts on “It is moi’s pleasure and privilege to present The Pub’s patrons with the latest …”

  2. Hmm, was it Stephen King who wrote the short story about the man stranded on an island who ate bits of himself as he starved? The main (only) character was a doctor and he had to amputate his broken foot, and so he ate it. The story followed his thoughts as he slowly amputated bits of himself and ate them. King was one sick writer. i only read one of his books and a few of his stories. Too creepy for me.

  7. Some years ago the original TV version (1967) of The Forsyte Saga was finally released on DVD. I acquired a copy, and yesterday my mum and I started watching it. One episode per day, to be increased if we have another heatwave.

    It is even better than I had remembered.

  9. Mentioning heatwaves reminds me of this afternoon, when I went to put on an old pair of boots to mow the lawn. They have been sitting on the bottom step out the back for about three weeks, but when I went to pick them up, I found that the heatwave here last week had melted the rubber soles of the shoes and glued them to the step.

    After I prised them off, I found I now have two perfect rubber sole imprints on the bottom step. I doubt I will be able to get them off without the paint on the step coming off so it looks like I will now have to repaint all 12 of the blighters.

  10. Patrol boat HMAS Ararat (No 89) is supposed to be on boat patrol duty but seems to be a bit lost.
    Here –

    and here –

    and here –

  12. Good work, Fiona.

    We also have a full VHS set of that 1967 version of the FS. An excellent production, very true to the Galsworthy books (which I’ve read twice – it’s been a long life but there are oh, so many, books to read once, so very few are read twice). The set spent the last couple of years at son #2’s house and returned here with that part of the family’s New Year visit. I hope you and your Mum enjoy rewatching Irene and Soames and company.

  14. Brian,

    Thank you! Tonight we encountered the young Irene Herron for the first time … and oh how I remember on its first appearance on Oz TV being told to Cover your eyes! by a teacher who had dined with us on Forsyte Saga night and had (of course) stayed to watch the rape episode.

    Stupidly, I did.

    As for reading books twice, there are many I’ve read far more than that: mostly classic whodunnits when I need something easy on the brain, but also numerous past and present classics. I’ve become a Gore Vidal fan in the last decade or so, and was entranced by revisiting Julian, wondering how at my very proper school the very proper librarian (1) had purchased the book, but (2) had not confined it to the “restricted” shelves (girls in Forms 5 and 6 only). I read it as an 11 year old in Form 1 …

    My closest work colleague, now in his mid-60s, has told me that one of the pleasures of ageing is the opportunity to revisit books read in one’s late adolescence / early adulthood with either no recollection of what they were about, or a totally new appreciation of them. I’m witnessing something similar with my darling mum at the moment.

  16. Scorps,
    While it might appear to be rotten luck, if I were you I’d take Puffy’s splendid suggestion on board!

  18. And, Puffy – attadragon (re Scorps).

    Re Leone’s gallery, however, I think that might have been Commander Wabbot.

  19. I wonder if the Chinese would like to recruit Commander Wabbott for their lunar exploration program.

  21. Leone,

    I’m sure China would be delighted to recruit Commander Wabbott for their lunatic exploration program. If only we could throw the Good Loyal Girl and Admiral Morriscum in as substitutes for the set of steak knives.

  22. Speaking of the Good Loyal Girl and Morriscum – from David Rowe via Twitter. Border incursions……

  24. Puffy & Fiona!

    What marvellous advisers you both are!

    Being a sometimes lazy bugger, your idea turns out to be the ideal excuse I can use to postpone that job and not deprive visitors of the tremendous opportunity to witness first hand, a classic example of what happens when ACC is ignored.

    I might just get my new LNP Member over to show her what will result by the Abbott Government ignoring warnings about the effects of global warming.

  26. How sweet that both these “gentlemen” have – decades apart – been awarded the nom of Toad of Toad’s Hall:

    Poop-poop!

  30. Fiona,
    I had no idea that the “original” Forsyte Saga was released as a DVD, so thank you for airing the fact. Nyree Dawn Porter and Eric Porter were outstanding as was Kenneth More, but so were the many minor players. Sadly the era of a lavish public broadcaster production in the UK as well as here is long past. I also concur with Brianmcisme’s comment about how faithful the superb 1967 version was to Galsworthy’s fine novels.
    Your scheduled viewing will be a great treat for both your mother and you.

  31. PJF,

    I will lend them to you when we have finished viewing, if you like.

    Interestingly, the project happened just as the Beeb was moving from B&W to colour, but the producer (Don Wilson) had assembled what he felt was the ideal cast, and opted to do it in B&W rather than risk cast changes.

    Having viewed the first two hours again after more than 40 years, I think he was absolutely right.

  33. Good morning Dawn Patrollers.
    Yes Tone, it’s all going swimmingly well!
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/asylum-seekers-allege-mistreatment-at-hands-of-navy-20140118-311ls.html
    I knew there was a stench about this when the story first broke.
    http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/wetnwild-security-chief-quits-after-revelation-he-lives-with-successful-tenderer-20140118-311l8.html
    Abbott overcooks his media makeover.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/slow-tony-abbott-sets-a-new-monotone-20140118-311ec.html
    Ged Kearney examines the Abbott reviews outsourced to big business.
    http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-opinion/a-review-of-the-reviews-might-be-a-good-place-to-start-20140118-311fa.html

  35. And from the Land of the Free –

    Bill Maher’s “New Rules”. Complete with new year’s resolutions for the US.
    http://crooksandliars.com/2014/01/bill-maher-offers-his-new-years
    Hooray! A court overturns North Carolina bigoted stupidity.
    http://crooksandliars.com/2014/01/north-carolinas-ultrasound-law-struck-down
    Want to know about charter schools?
    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/18/1270190/-This-week-in-the-War-on-Workers-Charter-cheerleaders-reject-accountability
    Chris Christie’s downward spiral continues.
    http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/18/1270660/-New-allegation-of-withholding-New-Jersey-Sandy-relief-money-for-political-purposes

  37. Obvious response to… “I don’t think animals are drawn to our Tony …” ..Are you kidding?!…have you checked out his front bench?!!

  38. Nun gives birth to baby boy, says she didn’t know she was pregnant

    “Underneath the cowel there still beats the heart of a woman…” …Boccaccio’s Decameron (Musetta di Lamprecchio and the nuns) “

  39. Many thanks for the kind thoughts from many posters about my present incapacity. I am currently still a hospital patient but expect to be discharged over the next few days. The swelling has nearly disappeared by now and the colouring of the leg skin has returned to close to normal. However, the calf still gives me considerable pain and discomfort at times. If treated gently it is not too bad.

    One consequence is that I tire very easily and have very little staying power at present. I was very pleased when I bought the Telstra internet chip and was able to go online, which I’d missed greatly. I’d underestimated the amount of intellect and emotional commitment required in such activity. In contrast to my previous life of finding The Pub, IA and Politically Homeless such a welcome respite from the world .., I found it very hard to keep up, much less post and email myself, which had been one of my pleasures.

    I expect my convalescence to take a few weeks. My nephew took 10 weeks to recover from a similar complaint and he is 30 years younger. I hope that my recovery, having been well addressed in the hospital, which miraculously has seemingly survived all the state government cuts to maintain a strong service culture. If you do get ill or need an operation, Portland Hospital (with harbor views) is highly recommended.

    My thoughts, too, go out to my dear online friend PatriciaWA, who has had similar travails from a different accident of fate. In both cases we seem to have had excellent care and good family support.

    I fear my lack of strength will limit me to being little more than a lurker over the next few weeks, with just an occasional post. But if all goes well I should by then be able to resume more regular posting.

    Warm regards
    GD

  40. Dunny
    I hadn’t realised you were crook. All the best for as speedy and as good a recovery as is possible

  41. Greetings and best wishes, GD.
    I was talking to my OH. this morning and we are in agreeance that this past week, weather-wise, has been the worst we can think of in our life!…seriously..and I’ve been around a while. That, along with the bushfires has well and truly capped it off!

  43. On Abbott’s speech – ‘he’s becoming a puppet.”We all knew he was a puppet ages ago.

    I reckon the slow speech is due to medication and illness, not coaching. If there has been coaching it has been done to help cover up signs of deterioration. For quite a long time it has been obvious there is something wrong with Abbott’s health, most likely a mental health issue or the onset of something like Parkinsons Disease. The longer all this hiding and dodging the media goes on the more certain I become. There have been a lot of media comments from his fan club about the ‘new, calmer’ Abbott. Medication will do that.

    It must take weeks of preparation to get Abbott fit to attend a big event like APEC or next week’s Davoz summit. Remember how he went into hiding after the election, reappearing when it was time to head to APEC? We were told he was in his office, hard at work running the country. Yeah, sure…. He’s gone missing again now, he has not appeared to offer his support and condolences to fire victims, he has not said a word about Indonesia. The only appearances he has made since parliament’s last sitting have been light weight and trivial, the sort of thing a trained monkey could handle, like going to the cricket and chatting to some holiday fill-in bloke on 2GB. The important issues have been left to his ministers. If he has had anything to say it has been done via video so any mistakes can be edited out. Even his interviews for 7.30 have been pre-recorded. Why would this be done so often if it wasn’t to hide obvious impairment?

    After his disastrous effort at APEC his minders must be absolutely terrifed by next week’s ordeal. How many more world leaders will he offend? What gaffes will he make? Who will have to be there to hold his hand and whisk him away when the medication wears off?

  44. GD
    I am so glad you are home and recovering. I will miss your eloquent words here but I will remember that you are lurking.
    Take care, my friend.

  46. Leone,
    It would explain a lot. How he has not been seen saying or doing anything about the fires, and when at the cricket only talking about his rugby days, his soft interviews with shockjocks. Medication would explain a lot. I have always reckoned he was bonkers.

  47. That may be so, Leone, but I think it could as easily be put down to media management by his minders. He’s never been what you’d call competent, and a lot of his off-the-cuff remarks have been disastrous. I just think he’s generally a useless arsehole, and it wouldn’t be in the Coalition’s best interests for us to see too much of that, now that he’s the nominal leader of the country. The slower speech is, I assume, an attempt to project calm and control – and to ensure that he doesn’t get any of the words wrong.

    His biggest trouble is that he can’t beat up on the ALP, which is the only real tactic he had. Having to explain what’s going on, and taking responsibility for it, was always beyond him – beyond the whole party, looking at them. So it’s all about rare appearances in friendly environments, and meaningless announcements spoken slowly.

    You could very well be right about his health, though.

  50. GD. Sorry that I was unaware of your being unwell, best wishes and get well soon. I only found out on Friday that I will have to visit Warnambool in a couple of months or so and immediately my thoughts turned to the opportunity to perhaps have a catch up with you.

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