A Nike Approach to Cerebral Palsy

I have been meaning to write up Leigh in this blog for some time now. This morning I was reminded why I should do so when he was “interviewed” at church. Apparently he used to have “JDI” at his work desk and “just do it” seems to sum up a large part of Leigh. Remarkably he has travelled to Africa, Europe and the States. And he has probably toured more of this country than most. He told us today how special it was to make it to Ephesus (Turkey). Nothing keeps him down and his droll sense of very dry humour is rarely too far away. It clearly has its roots in country Australia where the most serious things are dealt with as farmers the world over deal with them – with offhanded jocularity. But an even bigger part of Leigh is his heart for other people and the internet is his medium for encouraging others who are mobility bound. You never hear a grumble about his own situation but only compassion for others. The dozens of CP related groups he has set up on Facebook reflect something of that. I am never going to complain about my dodgy knees ever again.

Putting Your Heart on Your Sleeve

Not every “bloke” is keen to put their heart on their sleeve, let alone doing so by writing a poem about how he feels. It’s not something we do well  – as a rule. So a feather could have knocked me down when one of my colleagues let me read (and now publish) the poem below. What is especially interesting was that he wrote it in response to the “Push the Limit” video on the right hand side of this page. He was responding to the words of the backing track, as much as to the images. “Bring me to Life” by Evanescence is a powerful song which arguably refers to an appeal to Jesus (that is another debate altogether but the words certainly fit that context, and it works for me). Damien’s poem below, words to the song below that. Read more

To Haggle or Not?

Pickledeel views on this subject can be found on  Eric’s page. Though I don’t really believe haggling is necessary, culturally relevant/observant or otherwise in a visitor’s interests the Saudi’s in the Riyadh gold souk are certainly up for some negotiation. Just make it loud!

Top Secret Travel via Google Earth

In another life I was an imagery analyst in the military. Locked away in a bunker somewhere looking at images of all sorts from a myriad of sources. I enjoyed the stereoscopic work most of all, handling and caressing one dimensional data in a three dimensional illusion. It is an entirely convincing world – gamers understand the inclination to twist your head to look under a bridge – when there is nothing to look under. There is none of that adventure with Google Earth (regrettably) but I can easily find myself distracted by it nonetheless, taking myself on travels to places I have been, and others I have not – except in that three dimensional illusionary world. Let’s take a little journey to places that hint of that world. Read more

A Century, One Ton, 100

In this country “a ton” usually refers to the 100 runs a cricketer might amass in a solid innings of play. Otherwise known as a century. I don’t think I ever made “a ton” in any game other than the backyard ones in which there was lots of cheating, reduced wickets, and a players ability to influence the umpire’s decision. Especially if the umpire was a little brother. A random blog here to do nothing except record 100 blogs. And in so doing defer to something Chinese which reflects one hundred as well, in this case one of the numerous types of silver coins the Chinese government (and Chinese copycats) issue each year. See, I said it was random.

2007 Australia Day – On Pittwater

Terrorist Gas Bottle BBQ Builders

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