Backyard Broadway

I never thought I would enjoy live cabaret, but we went to a theatre restaurant on Magnetic Island over Christmas and it turned out to be the highlight of our holiday. Stage Door is a little two-man show (one woman with a great voice and one very funny gay guy) and they sang and danced and told bad jokes for at least a couple of hours. From Rudolph the gay reindeer to Abba in rehab, it was a hoot from start to finish, with a great three course meal included. If you're ever on Magnetic Island, it's the last thing you'd expect to find, but well worth a visit.

It's that time again!

Ah, Christmas ... that magical time when banks get held up by jolly men in red suits, idiots get stuck in their own chimneys and the latest rash of irreverent Christmas cartoons makes the rounds.

Thanks to the authors for this year's winners, which are ...

In Third Place ...



In Second Place ...

And the Winner ...

Have a great Christmas everyone!
May 2012 bring you everything you deserve!

Ride 'em, Toady!!

Cane toads are everywhere in Queensland and they are slowly making their way to every corner of Australia. They have now been found in Sydney and Perth (presumably they hitched a ride on a truck or train). They were introduced as a biological control for cane beetles, but soon became a pest themselves, competing with native frogs for the same food. People have various methods of 'controlling' them, including using them in games of backyard cricket, but I think that is cruel (they can't help being successful). The pic above is one we bought at the markets a few years ago. They remove the innards and laquer them so they go hard and then mount them in various poses. This guy rode the prairie for several years, until his leg broke off.

Ah, Toady! You lived hard and died young! (or is that lived young and died hard?).

Bless this house

This is one of my favourite pics. I went through a church-snapping phase when I lived in Tasmania and this is my favourite of all of them. The old stonework caught the late afternoon sunlight and it just looks so weathered and rustic. Just before we moved away from Tassie, it was on the market. Wish I had the money to buy it. Turning old churches into homes seems to be all the rage these days. They have to be de-sanctified of course and, because they are historic buildings, you can only do certain things to them. I think the main concern would be trying to warm it in winter though (maybe burn the pews?).