Garry P Dalrymple Page 44 – an Index to the Book Reviews In

TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018

Revised

So, this is the front page and you

probably want an Editorial, the disclosure Now in Century Gothic! of stuff I haven’t got round to mentioning Produced by Garry Dalrymple elsewhere in this issue, or something of a as a contribution to ANZAPA biography of how this this issue emerged, mailing No. 302, of the as an Easter weekend rush job.

Australian and NZ Amateur At the moment I’m past a few things and Press Association. in the middle of others. The collection of stories from the 2017 Sydney Freecon Postal Address: 1 Eulabah Ave., (‘Eve’s Gift and other stories …’) is out, as Earlwood NSW 2206 a Contributor’s edition and a production edition. I hope to ‘sell’ most copies as Home phone (Best after 7 pm) part of a Cloud funding exercise, i.e. 02 9718-5827 donate $12 to the 2018 Sydney Freecons Email; [email protected] and get a copy posted to an Australian address plus a $5 2018 Paradox Auction book voucher, or donate $2X and get a INDEX to this issue $X 2018 Paradox Auction book voucher.

Page 1 – Index and Editorial. Pages 2 to 4 – Brynn Hibbert at the SMSA I have also published a few Trove based February 22, 2018, on Fake Science: Astronomy History booklets, most recently Crooks Cranks & Charlatans. on the Rev. Thomas Roseby and Mars Pages 4 & 5 – the Canterbury and District and the NSW Astronomers, 1877-1945 Historical Society AGM meeting (twice mostly as material for the Skywatcher’s delayed) of February 27, 2018. Website. So I’ve not been idle, and the Diabetic need for exercise and the cash Pages 5 to 13 – Sydney Futurian Meetings; for trash innovation, where, ‘The streets Pages 5 to 9 - January 19, 2018, Topic; are paved with ten cent pieces’ has Your Best & Worst SF&F from 2017. probably improved my health, even Page 8 - The popularity of Concord though my mass refuses to melt away. Library SF&F Book Group’s monthly book My weight is down from a peak of 148 to choices for 2017 150 kg. Page 9 to 13 – February 6, 2018, Topic; I think I’d like to try aiming at being half Doctors and other Medical staff in SF&F that, but it will take a looong time to stories. reach. I’d also like to run the city to surf Pages 13 to 25 – Garry’s Book Reviews with my nieces children, but that might See index on back page be a bucket list item in two senses?

Pages 26 to 43 – Traveler’s Tales Pages 43 & 44 - Basenjis Tail Piece Garry P Dalrymple Page 44 – An Index to the book reviews in

this issue.

TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018

than was put in to drive the process. It was hard to refute, until be realised that Water is the Low Energy version of Oxygen and Hydrogen, so extracting energy from it was illogical. He attempted to silence this criticism by The February 22, 2018, Sydney issuing a writ, but nothing came of this. Mechanics School of Arts, a Not known at the time, but Mr Brown was lunch time meeting, with Brynn later unmasked by the Business Today TV Hibbert, President NSW Royal show as being a serial fraudster. In a Society, on Scientific Frauds later court case, about an alleged infringement of his copyright, Bryn was Who was there? – Towards 130 people called and was able to re-state that it (more than 10% of the SMSA’s members) wouldn’t work. The Ion Mat, a local innovation - This The Speaker – Migrated to Australia from Wonder product, a rubberised plug-in the UK in 1987, as a refugee from the mattress cover that claimed to cure economic and Science policies of pretty much everything, for only $2900, Margaret Thatcher’s rule (She was the first was sold by ‘Giraffe World,’ by mail order, UK Prime Minister with Industrial Chemist from their Pitt St. Sydney offices (just up training!). the road from this venue). It’s wealth of He was able to take up Australia’s Only claimed health benefits followed from its University chair of Analytic Chemistry. ability to deliver ‘Negative Ions.’ Why The role of Analytic Chemistry is to and How ‘Negative Ions’ have been investigate what is in stuff, and how it canonised as a Double plus Good cure might have useful effects. Consequently all, while ‘Positive Ions’ have been he was an automatic choice – go to demonised, is a mystery to Science, but it person – for people with Weird things and seems to be an established and relied on Ideas that they wanted to be endorsed Alt Health ‘Fact.’ So, when these health by ‘Science.’ This includes the fraudulent claims were questioned, they went to and the deluded who frequently make court, but vanished shortly after, leaving Scientific sounding claims, which are heaps of Ion mats behind in their difficult for Scientifically trained people to abandoned office! refute, as Science Training assumes Truth Why Scientific Fraud? - Reasons include; in evidence rather than delusional hijacks Criminal intent to gain monetary reward. of Scientific terms, and usually seeks to -Mistakes in research that start off explain the why and the how an innocent, but which soon spiral out of observed phenomena. I.e. the control as the principal tries to keep face memorable saying of the Scientific Saint, -Genuine belief initially, then fraudulent Julius Sumner-Miller, was, ‘Why is it so,’ avarice develops rather than ‘You are just a Nutter.’ His The mindset of Academia is also at fault, first encounter with the unusual was in ‘Publish or Perish,’ being the rule, with the 1988, when he was introduced to temptation to ‘improve’ results to achieve Mr Brown’s Gas, which featured on the a memorable conclusion, also, adding front page of that journal of scientific the name of respected but largely record, the Sydney Morning Herald (Sept. uninvolved Scientific figures to your list of 13, 1988). Mr Brown’s Gas featured a Co-Authors may make publication / process of treating water, involving citations easier to achieve. Unlike the splitting water into Hydrogen and real world, Science could / should value Oxygen, such that it was a power source, negative results as much as the positive i.e. more it produced more energy out, 2

TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018 results, which only serve to confirm pre- to give talks about Frauds, for existing work. appearance money and book deals! Science inherited some intellectual The Modern Twist – Enabled and baggage from the Alchemists. Albertus detectable by on-line technology, there Magnus (1193-1280) suggested that is fraud in scientific papers by Alchemists should keep their discoveries reproducing fraudulent data. Research secret, in order to exclusively profit from results can be invented, the same data them, this secrecy / lack of transparency, used and re-used in multiple papers. offers splendid opportunities for America has a ‘False Claims Act,’ where fraudulent claims. The dawn of the Government Grant money can be marvels of the mechanical, pre-scientific recovered from Researcher’s home age, ahead of the discovery of the rules institutions if false data or fraudulent of physics, allowed opportunity for many reporting was used to claim grant money. schemes about forms of perpetual Only 21 cases and $3 million were motion / free energy mechanisms, such involved, but as this law rewards whistle as self-powering water and wind mills. blowers, who get a statutory cut of the Proponents found that money could be damages extracted, the financial risk to made from exhibiting scale models of Universities may greatly concentrate their these mechanisms (with hidden power attention to the quality of research sources) as well as by seeking funds from conducted under their roof. investors. The outstanding exponent of Fraudulent ‘Tells’ – How can you detect a this trade was J.W. Keely (1837-1898). likely fraud, well information is the key It was only after his death that a (feel the length, not the quality), you will basement steam engine, distributing encounter LOTS of big, meaningless but power about his home, was in fact Scientific sounding words, to explain the responsible for the powering of his many discovery or the process. Mr Keeley was miraculous models. an active exponent of this word-smithery. Follow the Money, or how to make Money In Academic circles, the polite term from Fraud (Don’t alarm the donors) is ‘Research -Sell plans of the machine for other Misconduct.’ people to make, i.e. when it doesn’t work -More Energy out than in – violations of it’s the buyer’s fault for not building it the laws of thermodynamics are NOT correctly. subject to appeal, even in a Republican -Pay per view – Publicly exhibit the stacked Supreme Court. amazing new machine and charge -Ghod asked the inventor to make it. admission. -How long the ‘Inventor’ has been -Grant Swinging – Seek the money of researching his invention. Government or private backers to fully -You are invited to contribute money for investigate the ‘discovery,’ with the hope further research / commercialisation. that the later ‘break through’ will -The claim that it really does work, but the financially benefit insiders (If they can Scientists (known for their affluent keep the secret). –Sue – Take legal lifestyle?) have all been bought off action against your critics for damages to reputation, or against other inventors / Jan Hendrik Shon, an Ignoble Scientific manufacturers on the basis that it might Fraud – Employed by the highly be cheaper to settle a fraudulent claim prestigious Bell Laboratories, on track for a than to actively contest it in court. Nobel Prize before he turned 30, BUT, it -The Talk Circuit – Get on the was found that he was re-using research remunerated, talking heads bandwagon, data, and that some of these were too precise to be true, and his results seemed

TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018 to disprove some established Science. predicted neutrons, conducted their Eventually 29 of his papers were with- efforts from behind radiation proof safety drawn and eventually even his Doctorate barriers. was taken back! He managed to get so far through a Anti-cellulite Crème – The research systematic process of sucking up to his behind claims of efficacy lacked Double elders, habitually consulting them, so he Blind or controls. The actual statistics could add their eminence to his papers claimed as ‘proof’ of efficacy, indicated as co-authors. an average 1mm reduction in thigh girth! Locally, Professor Jennifer Byrne, a © Garry Dalrymple, February 23, 2018. cancer researcher, found no less than 48 published fraudulent papers, they had Garry’s notes from the been using the same data. More Canterbury & District Historical celebrated was the Debendox / Birth deformities paper by Dr McBride (and Society meeting of Tuesday others). In this case, the whistle blower Feb. 27, 2018, Topic / Speaker – was Phil Vardy, a lab technician, who A delayed AGM meeting, so was surprise by the paper, as the rabbits no topic or guest speaker. alleged to have been involved in the study, were still alive and well in the Present were; 6M and 4F, total 10. laboratory. This fraud had been enabled Correspondence and General Business - by the high regard that Dr McBride had On the 16th of March there will be a noon been held in and his highly respected to 4 pm mini-conference at the chapel connections. attached to Tempe House (Near Wolli Recent Hits & Fake News – The February 3, Creek Station?) about aspects relevant to 2018 issue of the New Scientist features an the running of all local historical Societies. article about a plug in, Orgone Energy Our Society is granted space for three Geo-cleanse $165 Total EMF shield. The delegates. article stated that plugged in and turned The cost of the Society’s Post office box on, the writer’s home Wi Fi seemed went up by only $3 this year. unaffected. Climategate – The 20,000 My Eight page Thomas Roseby booklet leaked emails about Climate Change, on was well received. inspection revealed no big conspiracy as I suggested that in the face of declining implied by selective misquoting out of financial membership, Social Media, like context. Gum Tree and Event Brite may provide a At the centre of the whole covfefe was better source of people to fill seats at the use of a word ‘Tricking’, which in meetings. I also suggested that given context had a perfectly innocent, non- that potential Society Committee conspiratorial meaning. members were scarcer than financial

members, that we investigate if local Some Questions and Answers; Cold Historical Societies could re-format as Fusion, Pons & Flieshmann – The answer is local interest sections under a Sydney or a very long story, the original idea came NSW wide Historical Society structure, so from Geology, where there is more local meetings could continue with less energy at the Earth’s core than can be committee members and draw on a explained. Other researchers have larger membership base for audiences at tried but failed to reproduce the claimed meetings with speakers. effect. Skeptical researchers tried As this meeting was a twice postponed doing this in shirt sleeves, while Physicists AGM, originally set for October 2017, but who believed in this, expecting a flood of the November and January 2018 4

TBS&E #76 – January and February 2018

meetings each failed to attract enough (and more public) room, separated from members to reach a quorum. the ‘for sale’ items in another room. As you would expect, all Committee positions were spilled and filled, with one The Treasurer’s Report - was the usual or two committee positions remaining catalogue of financial minutia (as it vacant and available to any motivated should be!). Much of the Society’s newcomers to the Society. Constitutional expenses relate to the annual and amendments were made, to lower the unavoidable costs associated with quorum for meetings etc. running Beulah Vista, the society’s historic house. The bottom line being that we The President’s Report – Mostly an had spent about $2,000 more than acknowledgement / listing of the people revenues generated during the year, with who have helped run the Society over about $3700 out and $2500 in etc. the past year, and thanking them. Financial reserves remain at about The Society’s online footprint has been $20,000, so financial extinction is some increasing, as our documents are time off, but at-bank signatures need to progressively being put on the website. be updated. I was asked to expand on Cessation of the Society, or its merging the points I raised about re-structure and with a nearby group are on the commit- to report these to the secretary later. tee’s horizon this year. Informally, after the conclusion of the meeting my I mentioned to Colin, the The Treasurer’s Report – Mention of the Secretary that I knew Toner Stevenson possibilities of continuing to function and that through her contacts with the without a formal calendar of meetings. Historic Houses people, it might result in Recent changes to the layout of Beulah bus trip (and revenue) from that quarter. Vista put all the Free things in the front © Garry P Dalrymple, March 2, 2018.

from John Fox. *Stephen Bingle and his responses were collected on Saturday.

Our Recent reading; SB – has just finished reading ‘Moscow Vector, Covert#1 series‘, by Robert Ludlum. This book is about the adventures of an American Medical / Quarantine espionage agency that is so secret that even the CIA doesn’t know about it. This story involves the hunt for an Ex-Soviet / East German Scientist, who has developed personal DNA tailored diseases, and clearly must be Notes from the Sydney Futurian stopped? Stephen is currently reading ‘Heirs to forgotten Kingdoms,’ by Gerald SF&F Discussion meeting of Russell, a book by a security expert about Friday January 19, 2018. Topic; the various ancient Religious minorities of Your Best & Worst SF&F from 2017. the region Turkey to Iran, and how the From Red book Rough Meeting Notes Pages 68 & 69 mosaic of these populations fits in with the current Syrian War / Refugee crisis. Present were – Stephen Bingle*, Garry GD – Is currently reading ‘Halo‘, by Tom Dalrymple, Diane Fox, Anne Rankins and Maddox, a slender story which is greatly Dean Wheatley. Apologies were received lauded by its multiple front and back cover 5

blurbs. It is about the mission of an Auditor ‘Dune,’ by Frank Herbert on January 24, (!) and involves Virtual Reality and the 2018, venue, the Golden Barley Hotel emergence of self-aware Artificial Enmore / Marrickville. This is within walking Intelligence, through a mission to rescue distance of the Book exchange (Bring one, the life / mind / wellbeing of a severely take one etc.) at the Marrickville Metro injured person, who is ‘living’ and shopping mall. John Fox was too unwell functioning within a VR world. It has failed to come to the meeting, currently he is to grip my imagination, making me feeling the Heat, with 40 degree days suspicious of the veracity of the claims ahead. The Fox household boldly marches made about it. I’m likely to hit the ‘eject’ forward to embrace twenty first century button on this, rather than finish reading it. energy solutions, with the addition of a DF – Is currently reading ‘The Love of a second big battery to store their rooftop Foolish Angel‘, by Helen Buclarke, a story Photovoltaic bounty. written in 1929, which concerns the Movie News - The Shape of Water, a fishy adventures of a low achieving Angel. tail combining Horror, Romance, SF and A friend of Lucifer, he also was expelled Fishing tales? The main feature, a Fish from Heaven. Fairly clueless about evil, man, has Thing from the Black Lagoon and he’s not much good at doing Evil where Hellboy Comic ancestry, being sort of Lucifer rules, so it is suggested that he based on a minor Hellboy comic character. moves to Earth, where Lucifer reckons he TV News - Happy Fiftieth Anniversary to can’t go wrong, in the business of Star Trek, the excuse given for this year’s re- committing evil. The Angel falls in love run of original Star Trek episode. with a human, is instructed to ‘Turn her to Science News - NASA says that the the dark side,’ but seems likely to fail at this. Ozone hole over Antarctica has in fact There is a Magician and love spells shrunk to normal pre-flurocarbon involved. A bit of a Para Rom farce, well refrigerator gas levels (An Ozone hole is a before Paranormal Romance was invented great place to dump more CO2?). Apollo as a genre. If you like this, see also ‘The and Space Shuttle Astronaut John Young Screwtape Files’ by C. S. Lewis I guess? has recently died, he walked on the Moon, AR – Is not reading much currently, still and flew the first Space Shuttle mission. getting over Christmas, absorbing a large Australia beats the rest, finding the first new amount of Free-to-Air TV (Star Treks) and Dinosaur for 2018. The bones of this 1.2 observing the frequency of plotline re- metre long, Therapod / Turkey sized cycling between the various Star Trek series. Dinosaur was found just after Christmas DW – Is currently reading ‘The Glass dinner during January, at the Dinosaur Universe‘, by Dava Sobel, which is the story Cove site (Fossils mined out of hard rock). of the Glass Plate negatives from the A Butterfly fossil, 200 million years old has attempt to photo survey the entire sky, and been discovered, dating back to before the Women employed at the Observatory Flowering plants appeared. It may have to measure and record the position of star fed off conifers (or human blood as per a SF images. These analogue images and story?). A boot print and the Sound of printed records will live on and be readable Thunder were not recorded from this site. for ever, while digital languages change Real frozen Water has been observed at the every few years? Dava Sobel’s other Equator of Mars, by a Mars Orbiter, as book, ‘Galileo’s Daughter’, was also cracks reveal dirt covered glaciers. discussed. He has finished reading Fred This discovery of water at the Equator Pohl’s ‘Hee Chee Rendezvoux’. means less drinking water and fuel needs to be carried to Mars by the first manned News mission. NASA is considering the feasibility SF Fandom News - The Inner West of a clockwork Venus Rover, as it’s surface Readers Meet-up group will be discussing is too hot for electric motors and electronics 6

to last long enough. and pointless, ‘Foundation,’ by Isaac Discussion of the Topic; Asimov, US Dec’d, - great idea, but poor Your Best and Worst SF&F from 2017. characterisation, ‘First Flight,’ by Chris Movies - Frequently mentioned through this Claremont, US, - Cats in Space to the meeting was the ‘Based-on-a-True-Story,’ rescue!, Space opera that denes both movie of ‘Calculating Women’, the story of Gravity and Economics. ‘Osiris,’ Taylor a group of female African American Math- Swift US, - with an incomprehensible, non- ematicians who battled Gravity for NASA, plot, non-characters, just DUMB how this got while living under Segregation era America. into print I just do not know. Stephen’s Best TV series (Netflix?) for 2017, is Non-SF&F Reading - My break from SF&F ‘Happy,’ the adventures of a child’s reading is to read Non Fiction, a lot of WW1 imaginary friend (in the form of a Pink and WW2 stories this year, plus some Crime Unicorn!) who has a relaxed approach to / Mystery stories from reliable writers, chiefly; life in general, it’s role in the child’s life, and Peter Ellis’s Cadfael stories (crime ~AD1340s has a broad range of recreations, including England), Peter Corris (Sydney Crime), Peter drugs and hanging out at the same pole Temple (Country and City Victoria Crime), dancing strip club that Santas’ little helpers but I also enjoyed an odd New York based (Elves, not Elvises) frequent when they are crime story, ‘The Burglar who quoted not banging out toys in the workshop or Kipling,’ by Lawrence Block US, which was appearing as shopping mall Santas. about a legendary, one-of-a-kind rare The first episode has the imaginary friend Kipling Edition and a Book loving Ex-con helping the child to locate it’s missing Burglar, with some unusual friends who runs Father, who can see the imaginary friend, a Second Hand Bookshop as a cover for his but the child’s Mother can’t. continuing crimes. Another Good-ish TV series is ‘Dark Sun,’ Some SF TV I watched and enjoyed during (refers to a class of Mega Death events), 2017 included; Clever Man, Dr. Who, Glitch, where an M15 based group kills everyone Red Dwarf, Star Trek (Original) & Voyager. who discovers the truth about these Dark Comment - Star Trek Original episodes hold Sun events. up well, Red Dwarf (series XI by now!) is Afflicted by memory loss due to Post- looking a bit tired, Glitch disappointed, so Shingles brain, Stephen was unable to my Best for 2017 would be have to be recall any of the 2017’s SF&F books that he ‘Clever Man,’ which takes the viewer to had read and enjoyed, but he did enjoy some unusual places. reading ‘Green Beach,’ by James Leasor, a Dianne’s best current TV / Movie for 2017 story of one man’s mission during the was ‘Childhood’s End,’ (story by Sir Arthur infamous 1942, WW2 Dieppe raid. C. Clarke) seen through the two disc DVD Garry’s Best 2017 SF Books include; ‘The set. She also rated highly a number of Windup Girl,’ by Paolo Bacigalupi, US, ‘Anti- other DVD/Movies she had seen through Ice’ by Stephen Baxter, UK, ‘The the year, including ’Destination Moon’, ‘Q, Ganymede Takeover’ by Philip K. Dick & the Winged Serpent,’ which was an excuse Ray Nelson, both US, ‘Dune’ by Frank for letting a Dragon loose on New York, Herbert, US Dec’d, ‘The Three Body Gojira style. The ‘Q’, refers to Quetzalcoatl, Problem’ by Cixin Liu, P.R.C., and ‘Red so the story has some Aztec overtones. Planet Blues’ by Robert J. Sawyer CAN., ‘Mutant Chronicles,’ wasn’t intended to be, BEST – Dune, due to its depth of World but was very funny. It features coal creation. powered Space ships (i.e. pre-steam Some BAD / disappointing SF books I have punk?) and a bunch of Aliens intent on read include; many of the strange near SF stirring up human conflicts so that they or Fantasy reading choices for the Concord could harvest the dead and convert them Library SF&F Readers group ‘Beyond into zombies, with a sword / claw arm so Heaven’s River,’ by Greg Bear US – Slow they could add to the body count. 7

‘Priest,’ is a movie about clerical Vampire episodes, and that the Writer, clearly paid killers, shot as a Western! Eventually the more attention to the writing of his favourite main character turns to the dark side, child, the Sherlock Holmes series. Deane becoming a Vampire, and changes his enjoyed a few SBS docos about the Mars point of view? Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, as well as Another rather disturbing but choice movie, ‘Mars the Ultimate Travel Guide,’ not so with horror, R rated scenes violence and a warm a welcome for the 2030 Mars landing commentary on Consumerism, was docudrama, with frequent switchbacks ‘Sausage Party,’ which gives a voice to all back to 2016 to interview current day the food items in a yet to be opened experts and opinion leaders. supermarket, who expect to be emotionally and spiritually fulfilled once the How some other people saw SF&F during Supermarket is opened and the food items 2017 - The results of a December 04 vote at are finally united with their Ghod, ‘The the Concord Library SF&F Readers group Consumer’, their aspiration since being meeting, on their favourite 2017 books.

‘born’ at the food factory. Boy, are they in 1st 2nd 3rd for a shock! Book Title/ Writer

Diane’s Worst Movie was, a no taste choice and a REALLY DUMB Slasher movie, ‘Bikini Tower of Ravens (Feb.) 0 1 2 04 Bloodbath Shakespeare.’ Even if it were By Kate Forsyth (Aust.) based on a true story, you have been Day of the Triffids (Mar.) 4 3 1 19 warned. John Wyndham, UK Anne offered no Best or Worst Across the Nightingale 2 2 2 12 recommendations, over book, but rather Floor by Lian Ahern, Aust. liked the ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ which starred Ready Player One (May) 4 2 3 19 By Ernest Cline, US Han Solo, but not too keen on Indiana Osiris (June) by 0 1 0 02 Jones’ role in ‘The Last Jedi,’ but then E. J. Swift, US again, who was? She is prepared to wait Foundation (July) by 1 4 2 13 it out, until this past year’s crop of Sci-Fi Isaac Asimov US Dec’d movies make it to Free-to-air TV. Prince of Fools (Aug.) 1 1 1 06 A movie that several people enjoyed was Ray Feist? US ‘Blade Runner 2049,’ (Dean saw it twice!) The 3 Body Problem 3 2 0 13 while ‘The Last Jedi,’ seems to have (Sept.) Cixin Liu P.R.C. disappointed all ‘True Fans.’ Good Omens (Oct.) by 1 0 1 07 Dean’s best movie for 2017 was ‘Down T. Pratchett & N. Gaiman Sizing,’ an example of Soft Science, SF story Red Shirts (Nov.) 1 2 4 11 telling without much of a budget (All spent by Robert Scalzi on the star’s salaries and Me Too sexual Gospel of Loki (Dec.) by 1 0 1 04 harassment payouts?), he also noted that Joanne M. Harris 18 18 17 110 Christof Waltz acting stole the movie from Mat Damon. His best SF book for the year NB. See how the SF titles were much more popular than the Fantasy ones! was the recently completed, ‘Hee Chee Rendezvoux,’ by Fred Pohl, which he This Month’s New ‘Science Fiction’ books at bought at the Freecon, a testament to the the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts quality of the books on offer. As for TV, his Library, level 2, 280 Pitt Street Sydney ($15 Best and Worst were the same, as he cited for full membership, $10 for a reader’s Peter Capaldi’s performance as Dr Who, ticket) include; greatly improved over this past year. He ‘The Lost Plot’ by Genevieve Cogman, SF or explained a particular aversion to the Fantasy? drawn out treatment of the death / ‘Persepolis Rising’ by James S.A. Corey, SF regeneration process through this year’s or Fantasy?

‘Neverwhere,’ by Neil Gaiman, Fantasy Nungas‘, one of an ongoing series by ‘Countdown: The Liberators,’ by Tom Louise Rennison UK. This book was possibly Kratman, SF? intended as a YA book, possibly intended ‘Countdown: M Day,’ by Tom Kratman, SF? as a humerous Adrian Mole type account ‘Strange magic,’ by Syd Moore, Fantasy of growing up. In format it presents 150 ‘Strange sight,’ by Syd Moore, Fantasy pages of short Diary entries by a 15 year old ‘Year one,’ by Nora Roberts, SF? girl, who seems obsessed by the size of her ‘Sweet Dreams,’ by Tricia Sullivan, SF or own (new) breasts, her alleged rock star Fantasy? boyfriend and the ‘snogging’ activities of ‘A symphony of echoes,’ all her friends. The Diary entries read as if by Jodi Taylor, SF or Fantasy? she is still in primary school, fairly infantile SF&F E-Book - ‘Just one Damned thing after content, so this might be a book for readers another,’ by Jodi Taylor who headed towards their YA / teenage years, the proverbial ‘Tweens’. Swallows & Notes from the Sydney Futurian Amazons or even Harry Potter it Ain’t. SF&F Discussion meeting of DF – Is currently reading ‘The First Century after Beatrix‘, by Amin Maalouf, which Friday February16, 2018. deals with the consequences of the Topic; Doctors and other discovery of a ‘bean’ whose ingestion Medical staff in SF&F stories. guarantees a male child, i.e. a world where From Red book Rough Meeting Notes the male / female balance matches the Pages 75 to 77 relative status of the genders in society, i.e., some cultures with nearly zero girls? Also Present were – Garry Dalrymple, Diane ‘River of Teeth,’ by Sarah Gailey, where Fox, Anne Rankins and Dean Wheatley. someone has the bright idea of introducing Apologies were received from – Stephen Hippos to the swampy parts of the USA. It Bingle and John Fox. doesn’t go well at all, in Africa, several tonne cranky Hippos kill more people than Recent reading; crocodiles do. NB. In Central America GD – Is currently reading ‘The Rise of the there are already herds of feral Hippos, the Automated Aristocrats‘, by Mark Hodder abandoned and wandering pets of UK. Where the great Victorian era Sir deceased Drug King Pins. Live in fear! Richard Burton and Swinburne travel AR – Isn’t reading much these days, forward into time, where things are bad, affected by the heat? Watching some TV due to an inbred and ineffective ruling though. class. They return to their time line’s origin, DW– Is currently reading ‘Darkover a world where Queen Victoria had been Landfall‘, by Marrion Zimmer Bradley, a assassinated, to find that calculating book he picked up from the last Freecon. machine theorist in our timeline, Charles He found it’s writing style to be dated, a Babbage has applied improvements to his story where ‘Men are Men, and Women are calculator and to wind-up robots, offering Mattresses,’ overly traditional gender roles to the ruling class the ability to upload their extrapolated into the future. Copyrighted consciousness to ‘superior’ clockwork in 1972, when the Gor books were publicly bodies, enabling Prime Minister Benjamin displayable, the story involves a bunch of Disraeli to then advance plans to round up Luddite Earth colonists who are severely and exterminate the British Middle Classes! affected by the local pollen (It drives them This book appears to be the sixth and final nuts) they pick up psychic powers, through instalment of the ‘Clockwork Punk,’ having sex with the local inhabitants (I.e. adventures of Burton and Swinburne (of the cultural appropriation?). Dean did enjoy Private University in Victoria?) I was also reading the book though. He has also reading; ’Knocked Out by my Nunga- read the ‘Based on a True Story,’ modern SF

classic, ‘Fire and Fury’, the book about the Australia’s past Space programs. current Presidential circus. It is a story Movies - AR has seen ‘The Darkest Hour,’ a about a dysfunctional & chaotic tragedy, pre-WW2 Winston Churchill Biopic, but rather than a controlled regime, with leaks without his Ironsides/Dalek air defences we upon leaks fuelling the on-rolling story. know about from Dr Who. It ends at the News point where he announces that the era of Appeasement is over. Fannish Anticipations and disappoint- A movie of the classic children’s book, ‘A ments - With indications received via an Wrinkle in Time,’ is being made. Eventbrite booking to attend this month’s Free to Air TV - The new series of meeting, the arrival of Marco Andrade was ‘Monkey,’ the Chinese classic about the greatly looked forward to, but he didn’t adventures of the monk Tripitaka and his show up, but he also indicated an intent to quest to bring important Buddhist scriptures attend the April meeting, our hopes live on. to China, is being made in New Zealand John Fox’s continued absences fuelled (Bro!) as a five part mini-series and it lacks speculation about early onset Gafiation. the anarchic appeal gained in translation, -The Speculative Fiction economy of by being dubbed into English (from Katoomba is in a state of flux, the Steam Japanese) that we fondly remember. It Punk Shop is going ‘on-line’ i.e. the physical takes itself a bit too seriously! shop is closing, and presumably ‘off- -The rational of the late night Sci-Fi TV series analogue.’ There is also an Oddities shop ‘Hard Sun,’ was discussed, The premise is at Katoomba, with a wide range of strange that the powers that be know that in five items, may also be under financial pressure, years’ time the world will end, the result of but the diversity of its stock may preserve it mass ejections from the Sun during the next from closure. Solar Maximum. The Governments of the Science – Frogs and Frog lovers all over world have made plans, survival refuges the world will rejoice over a recent are being prepared for the right sort of Australian discovery – Chitrid Fungus Cure – people, and people finding out the secret just adding a little bit of salt (NaCl), trace tend to end up dead. Two mismatched amounts, to the water, and the amphibian Police investigators have to work with this. killing fungus is cactus! However, this premise is severely mugged A Talking Whale? – Not the NZ Whale by reality, as the coming Solar Maximum centred animated series ‘Beached As,’ but hasn’t occurred in a decade, and Solar an Orca Killer Whale, can imitate human activity is at nearly historic levels, with a speech to some degree, sounds like talking new Maunder Minimum (A blank Sun) by farting. being on Solar observer’s minds. Space – Elon Musk’s old car has now been -The new-ish the late night Sci-Fi TV series, dumped in Space, via a SpaceX, Falcon 9 ‘Time After Time,’ which is based on the heavy lift rocket. It’s two boosters were 1980s movie where H.G. Wells follows Jack recovered, but it’s mainstage not. Nice to the Ripper through tine (Tuesday Midnight see, see my letter published in the SMH, but Chanel 7), has been seen and it is slow and with the certification of the Falcon SLS for boring, trying to downplay any Science heavy launch purposes, Mr Musk is now in Fiction content. direct competition with Mr Putin’s Proton -A new DC Universe series, ‘Powerless,’ Heavy launch vehicle. I.e. interesting involves the employees of an Insurance times and internet interference might be company, who have to clean up the mess coming to SpaceX sometime soon. created as collateral damage by the -A feast of Space TV coverage on SBS TV activities of various Super Heroes. The recently was the ‘Space Engineers,’ people concerned have now ‘Powers,’ focussed on NASA’s several long term other than excel spreadsheet mastery and missions, and a Catalyst program on Double Entry accounting. 10

presumably other Medical support staff. Discussion of the Topic; Doctors Also resident on Voyager is the Ocampa and other Medical staff in SF&F Pixie girl Kes, who functions as something of stories. a nurse or a spare pair of hands for the Doctors in SF stories. ship’s Holographic Doctor who is limited to his sickbay. Her role is sidelined when the To a purist, Doctors, as the embodiment of ship’s Doctor gets a ‘Hard Light’ upgrade the man of Science (Mad or otherwise) and / or a portable projector (from the 29th were there at the birth of Science Fiction as Century) which allows him to leave the we know it. Mary Shelly’s 1817, Dr Medical bay and interact with the Universe Frankenstein tries to understand ‘Life,’ and in general. ends up creating a Monster, then Robert Dr Who is at one point described as being a Louis Stevenson gives us ‘Dr Jekyll and Mr ‘Doctor of Everything,’ which would Hyde’, another Doctor’s attempt to presumably include Medical studies (by understand life, to separate out the angels correspondence?). But we have also and Demons of human nature, which does been told that the name ‘The Doctor,’ was not end well. The message telegraphed – a childhood nickname chosen at the same Men should Not Play God. time as his childhood chum chose to be Bob White, and his Sector General series of known as ‘The Master.’ short story collections, human and alien Dr. Martha Jones, was not the first medically medical staff struggling to treat all sorts of qualified Dr Who companion, much earlier alien illnesses, is a means of exploring the on there was Dr. Harry Sullivan, a naval diversity of the Aliens inhabiting an officer, who came in at the Giant Robot imaginary Universe, which leads to -- adventure. He was a bit wet? The Star Ship’s Doctor – Dr McCoy of the Rory Williams, the Doctor’s Father-in-law, is Starship Enterprise is one of the tribe of a Nurse, only very occasionally does he get Ship’s Doctors encountered in popular to use these skills. The slightly evil Dr literature, such as in C. S. Forrester’s Dastari, who genetically uplifted an Hornblower series? As ship’s Doctor, an Androgum, to being Servelan from ‘Blake’s educated man among a crew of practical Seven.’ Androgums being crude, brutal ‘Action’ men, the Doctor frequently serves and prepared to eat anyone. It doesn’t the ship’s Captain as a Counsellor and end well. There would be other Medical confidant. In Classic Star Trek, Bones, Kirk offenders / Dr Who opponents as well. and Spock form the triumvirate of Impulsive ‘Are you my Mummy?’ The Lost Boy Dr Who Action Man, Reserved and emotionless adventure, set in WW2 London, where Man of Science and finally Bones as Kirk’s Captain Jack Harkness has landed an alien Conscience and reminder to be civilised? Ambulance that is loaded with Medical Other SF and Sci-fi Doctors who reflect or Nannites that make him eternal but which contrast this role include; ST Voyager’s convert infected humans into a gasmask Holographic Dr. (and therefore hands off wearing lost boy, calling for his Mother. Doctor), the camp and sinister Dr Zachary Dr. Beverley Crusher and Dr. Pulanski, are Smith of ‘Lost in Space,’ Dr Wellington Yueh, recurring Star Trek Next Gen characters, of Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune’ series, plays the who are wheeled into and out of the role of the story’s great betrayer, due to stoplight for Medical based episodes, but love for his wife, Dr. Franklin of ‘Babylon 5’ Dr. Crusher, the Dancing Doctor, is plays the Star Trek like role of healer and burdened with being Wesley Crusher’s confidant. Mother, and Picard’s Platonic special Star Trek Voyager features episodes where friend, sort of like in Mr O’Brien’s sea the Viridians appear, a race whose sole adventures? industry seems to be organ snatching from Dr Julian Bashir in Star Trek Deep Space live and unwilling donors. They have Nine, the product of illegal genetic Surgeons to do the extraction and 11

modification, does all his Medical work and Primate researchers. then occasionally moonlights as Secret The Giant Green Franchise – The Hulk – was Agent! Dr Brian Banner, until he was exposed to Dr Flox of Stat Trek Enterprise, is best Gamma Radiation, converting him into a forgotten, no memorable activities. trouser shredding angry Green Giant. Dr Watson appears in Star Trek Next Gen, In the township of ‘Eureka,’ almost due to Data’s Holodeck recreational everyone present, except the Sherrif and Sherlock Holmes adventures? Even some pets, would have a Phd., some Androids need hobbies? Medical. The consequences of Medical Any SF Series involving some Medical researcher’s overreach frequently drives procedures involves Doctors, for example in episodes, as clever people still do dumb the X-Files’ Dana Scully is a Medical Doctor, things. but her skills usually end up in the morgue, doing Autopsies on those who have died Non-Personal Physicians? – In Starwars interestingly in the furtherance of plot. there do not seem to be any human In ‘The Six Million Dollar Man,’ without the doctors around, in spite of the extensive active intervention of Doctors, the series body modification issues (Cyborg ism) of wouldn’t have lasted beyond the opening the men of the Skywalker family. Medical credits, the crash landing of a mini-space treatment is seen to done by droids? shuttle and a bedside visit? Perhaps this is a development from the Holographic Ship’s Doctor of Star Trek Medical Science Fiction - Isaac Voyager. Asimov’s ‘The Incredible Voyage,’ is entirely medical, shrinking a submarine so it can Nurses in Space? – Not much clear a life threatening blood clot from the encountered. if you accept 1816 as the brain of an important Soviet defector. In birthdate of Science Fiction, then you have Michael Chrichton’s ‘The Andromeda to wait a while (Florence Nightingale and Strain,’ which features a Doctor (with the Crimean War, 1850s) for Women Nurses Epilipsy!) as the main character / to be invented, or at least socially investigator, trying to identify and contain respectable women as Nurses, before you the outbreak of a pathogen from Space can launch them into Space. 1960s era (actually the upper atmosphere), which Classic Star Trek, put a Nurse on the threatens to wipe out all who come into Enterprise, mostly coz she was the Big contact with it. The answer is of course, Bosses wife, and that was about the best breathing technique! In Richard female role they could come up with at the Matheson’s ‘The Omega Man’ / ‘I am time, Lt. Uhura already acting as the Legend,’ a doctor finds the cure for the Enterprises’ receptionist. There were rash plague that is wiping out America, and of considered Nurse story/ True Love stories turning the few survivors into zombies, but that occasionally wandered into Science on the way to the Whitehouse, his Fictional Territory, with the Nursing profession helicopter crashes. as a means of allowing love hungry women The Jane Fonda Movie ‘Barbarella,’ to access the ‘Love Gods’ of the Space amongst her other adventures, is primarily a trade. Beyond this, things were bleak. mission to find and bring back a Dr Duran There was a book of stories of women who Duran. Without the search, not much gave of themselves for extra-terrestrial movie? communication, the thesis being that you In ‘The Planet of the Apes,’ original book by could never really understand an Alien, Pierre Boule, as part of the general Ape / unless you had born and raised its children Human inversion, with Apes acknowledged – Odd? as being the higher form of life, the There was also the short SF Novel about ‘Medical Practitioners,’ of the movie are Cindy the Space Girl, an intelligent and Cornelius and Zelda, who are Vets or gifted young woman who was trying real 12

hard to get up into space just like the boys, Deviation – The latest Star Wars franchise a real pioneer for women. Fortunately she movie implies that Darth Vader might be arrives at Moon base just as a deadly transgender, as, his mum had him without plague comes through, and through this interaction with a human male, so he was a experience she comes to her senses, result of parthenogenesis, so no Y realising that her personal fulfilment lies not chromosome at all, or perhaps his mum just in competing with the boys in Space, but in lied about the virgin birth bit? dumping her Spaceflight plans entirely and re-training to be their Space Nurse, thus the This Month’s New ‘Science Fiction’ books at Universe is balanced? the Sydney Mechanics School of Arts Not a story with much present day appeal? Library, level 2, 280 Pitt Street Sydney ($15 Dr Who offers Rory Williams, Father-in-law to for full membership, $10 for a reader’s the Doctor, who rarely gets to practise his ticket) include; profession. Also, the cat Nun person nurse in the Gridlocked New New New York ‘The Hazel Wood’ adventure, where as a penance for past by Melissa Albert, Fantasy? medical wrong doing one of the Cat Nuns ‘Bound’ by Alan Baxter, SF, Fantasy or has to be nurse to the Face of Bo, Horror? previously Captain Jack Harkness. ‘Crowshine’ by Alan Baxter, SF, Fantasy or So, ultimately, the role of Nurses in Space is Horror? a bit limited by the writer’s perception of ‘The Wrong Dead Guy’ gender roles. The later Star Trek offerings by Richard Kadrey, SF have no problem with Lady medical ‘The Caledonian Gambit’ attendants, as Doctors or researchers, but by Dan Moren, SF or Fantasy? the Nursing trade seems largely to have ‘The Genius Plague’ by David Walton, SF? been left behind, on the ground, in the 20th Century? a lifeboat pod, and then marooned on a sandy planet that is inhabited by some very strange aliens, living off a very limited environment. Conveniently Food and Water are to be found just under the sand, and Mass transit across the planet, is achieved by riding inside the guts of a giant sand worm (homage to Dune? Reproduction is decidedly strange, as Babies on this planet are what you wish for or have been thinking about for some time, hence his first ‘child,’ is conceived without interspecies sex, emerging as a pod to be nurtured in a compost heap, before ‘Stress Pattern,’ by Neal Barrett Jr. emerging as a fully grown, 22 year old Co- (US), SF, © 1974, 160 pages, ed, exactly resembling his idealized read November 18 to 23, 2017 fantasy girlfriend. Adventures follow as does another child, the quarterback An economist is on a space liner, on route to uniformed toddler who the economist feels position at the beige tower university of an that would have earned his own father’s off earth backwater Planet. He is not the love. Feeling the constant presence of hero type, and he has booked extra another, he is compelled to explore, until luggage space for his many neurosis and he discovers and makes mental contact feelings of inadequacy. Something goes with this Planet’s resident alien, a long lived wrong with the ship, and he finds himself on 13

solitary spaceship crash survivor, whose to the clueless and corrupt police and so loneliness and will to survive has created goes on to continue his adventures in the the planet’s fauna a flora, just as the next episode, featuring a Spinoza related resident people create babies designed by adventure. mental in-printing rather than in accord Comments and conclusions – Not much with DNA. Kipling in the book, a few quotations are Comment and conclusion – This book thrown about, as the burglar is well read, turned out to be a lot deeper than I thanks to years of experience of prison expected from the cover, which sets it up to libraries, so this is a Kipling oddity rather be a not much more than a ‘Dune’ parody, than a must read on that basis. The with tenpin like aliens queueing for a next fictional precious book at the centre of this (phallic) scheduled sand worm. The story is a bit offensive to Kipling fans and is theme explored really is a bit like that in a bit hard to believe by anyone who Stanislaus Lem’s ‘Solaris’, but a bit easier to knows even a few of Kipling’s works, understand? © G. Dalrymple Dec. 6, 2017. except for American readers I guess? The invention of the Author, he has Kipling ‘The Burglar who quoted Kipling,’ going through a brief and soon regretted anti-Semitic phase a bit before 1924, which by Lawrence Block, (US) Crime, results in him writing in verse, a sequel to Fiction, © 20, 300 pages, ‘Soldiers Three,’ and having these familiar read November 28 and 29, 2017 characters ride once more, to save India This book seems to be the first of a series. It from a malignant invasion and conquest. is centred on the battle to possess an The story within the story states that all allegedly unique book, a one off book by copies of the small ‘Family and friends Rudyard Kipling, written during his (fictional) only’ print run are recovered by Kipling, brief and very soon regretted Anti-Semitic except for one inscribed copy that he had phase, during 1923 and 24. The Main given to the then dying H. Rider Haggard. Character of this book is an apparently The bookseller’s reason for wanting to reformed Burglar who now runs a second recover the book he has sold, is explained hand bookshop. at the end, to be to create a plausible He is persuaded by a visitor to his shop to try space for an even greater con job, which out his skills once more, having been pushes the envelope of the imagination commissioned to steal back the book that even further, a far greater collectible / rare his visitor sold to a wealthy collector of rare book coup, of greater financial value if it editions and other treasures. Moonlighting, were true. © Garry Dalrymple, Dec. 6, 2017. and with some difficulties, he manages to steal the book, but is confronted in his shop ‘The Reward,’ by Peter Corris, by an armed intruder who knows he has the Aust. Sydney Crime, © 1997, 232 pages book. How did this get out he wonders as read December 11 to 14, 2018 he accelerates the handover, however, the Cliff Hardy is between jobs, looking for a handover goes awry, he ends up asleep in payday, when he is approached by a an arm chair, without the book or the discredited and retired policeman. promised money, holding a smoking gun, in He has a job for Cliff, a possible lead to a front of a dead woman, just as the police very old abduction case, which still has an start to arrive. outstanding reward for information. So, expertly framed for murder, and on the It involved the disappearance and run, he does what any self-respecting presumed murder of a prominent Sydney criminal would do, he systematically Socialite / Political activist, a woman with investigates the murder himself, identifies the enemies, a very wealthy family and killer, sets up a drawing room confrontation someone who Cliff Hardy had once of all surviving main characters, announces caught out in her politically motivated sex who the murderer is and delivers the lot up tape blackmail efforts. 14

The ex-policeman has a hidden principal ‘Flower Children of Mars,’ who would like to engage Cliff to by Mike Resnick and M. Shayne Bell, investigate, for a fraction of the reward ‘Out of the Blue, into the Red,’ money. The clue is that the original police by James Lovegrove, investigation was superficial, implying that ‘Mom, The Martians and Me,’ someone was paying off the investigating by Scott Edelman, officers to not look too deeply into who ‘The Old Cosmonaut and the Construction might have been involved in the abduction. worker Dream of Mars,’ by Ian Mcdonald, Early indications are that the Family of the ‘A walk across Mars,’ by Alan Steele, missing woman, or their financial ‘Martian Autumn,’ by Stephen Baxter, connections might be involved somehow, ‘Shields of Mars,’ by Gene Wolfe, but which person and how? So, after the ‘Under Mars,’ by Paul MacAuley, death of the ex-policeman, various ‘The World of the Worldviews,’ accidents and beatings, Cliff has two by James Morrow, mysteries to investigate, who did the deed, ‘Near Eaeth Object,’ by Brian Aldiss, and who might the principle be? AND, at ‘The Me After the rock,’ by Patrick O’Leary, the same time, he seems to have picked up ‘The Last sorceress of the Silent Citidel’ a new girlfriend, so he is quite occupied, by Michael Moorcock mixing hot sex, bent ex-coppers an a little All but one (the Ray Bradbury story) were investigation on the side, with side trips to copyright dated ‘2002,’ most seem to have Sydney’s North Shore and Queensland’s been commissioned for this volume, so it is Gold Coast, the Australian Monaco, a sunny not a ‘best of Mars’ collection, it is more of place for shady characters. All is resolved a snap shot of what Writers were thinking of in the end, Cliff has been played like a about Mars circa 2002, with some stories street person’s harmonica, with the looking back to the style and setting of the resolution a family reconciliation and for older views of Mars and others looking Cliff, an empty bed. more towards a likely future. Comment and conclusion – This is Comment and conclusion – This another reliably entertaining Sydney crime contained some stories that worked for me, adventure for Cliff Hardy. The art of Mr others that were tiresome, few that were Corris’ writing is that to a Sydney resident, really memorable. Robert J. Sawyer’s the actions and the personalities depicted ‘Red Planet Blues,’ a series of Detective in this book are vaguely familiar to the noir stories set on a future Mars, with its reader, as if you can half recall reading linked stories was much better. something about similar events to this some © Garry P Dalrymple December 31, 2017. years ago in a Sydney newspaper. I rate it an A minus, only because it is a convoluted ‘The Ganymede Takeover,’ by approach to telling a story.

‘Mars Probes,’ a collection of Mars Any book by Philip K Dick is likely to be short stories, Ed. by Peter Crowther, SF, weird, but some Philip K Dick books are © 2002, 315 pages read Oct. 7 to 19, 2017, weirder than others. This story is set in a near future Earth that has been conquered This book consists of seventeen short stories by the Ganymedians, a race of slug / set on or about Mars; worm like creatures with intellect and ‘The Fascination of Mars’, mental powers. by Patrick Moore, The Earth they now run, in the US at least, is ‘The Love Affair,’ by Ray Bradbury, stuck in 1950s era racial segregation (what ‘Myths of the Martian Future,’ better to keep the Earthlings in their by Eric Brown, place?). A class of privileged ‘A Martian Theodicy,’ by Paul di Filippo, collaborators, known as ‘Worm Lickers’ run ‘The Real Story,’ by Alastair Reynolds, 15

things and the only remaining resistance is a Communism in South East Asia, while the band of Negro partisans fighting on, Viet Freedom and Equality of racial minorities Cong style, in one former Southern US State, within the USA were actively denied and now a ‘Plantation,’ and run by one forcibly suppressed by governments in particularly ambitious Worm Licker. As some US states. Possibly this is a story that punishment, for being out of agreement was too prophetic for its time to be with his fellow Ganymedians, a formerly popular? great military commander is given this © Garry Dalrymple Dec. 10, 2017. Plantation (the least promising one in the whole of the former USA) to rule over. ‘Time Station London,’ by David This Ganymedian plots his revenge and so is , US, Time Travel SF, © 1996, prepared to give his human underling full Evans 249 pages read 2017 control of local military resources to finally wipe out the Negro Partisans, the worm The main character of this book is an licker has plans to use this Carte Blanch to individual who started life as an American make himself King of the USA, while the Indian, whose Mother was a captive head of the resistance, a Ganymedian English woman, consequently he can trained renegade, with mental powers, easily ‘pass’ as an English Lord and not plays this worm licker like a mouth organ attract too much attention in a WW2 AND manages to get the now dissident German uniform. Ganymedian to let his (Human) mind enter A bit of a stretch I think, and his exotic the Ganymedian ruling council, which origins seem not to play any useful part in conducts its business in a mental link, his life beyond his initial recruitment story, meaning that harm one during this link up, when, as all Time agents are collected in and all ruling Ganymedians feel the pain. that moment ahead of their death in their Their minds and powers of command native timeline, he is recruited as a twelve neutralised from Earth, the Ganymedians year old off an Indian Vs Indian battlefield. are just slugs / worms and their Empire and This Time Agent, is currently embedded in their control of Earth lapses, as their servant the WW2 British secret service, and his Time races just abandon them. Travel support crew consists of a Japanese Comment and conclusion – This was a chap and an Italian, who would attract very memorable story, and it contained absolutely no attention at all on the streets many of the ideas that were front page of WW2 era London? news at the time of its writing and To his WW2 era bosses he is quite an asset, subsequently, such as the idea that a as he is able to use his Time Travel abilities militarily superior regime could fall through to good effect, without disclosing this the power of ideas and from subversion ability. So, for the moment his cover job within and that in-the-jungle resistance and his real job are in harmony, as some fighters could resist, against technologically illegal timeline smugglers are helping the gifted adversaries, were all practical lessons Nazis, in return for milligram quantities of that America had yet to learn. A key figure the semi-conductor element Germanium, in this story was a reporter / journalist, who but I’m not sure why. Away, as we know was originally a collaborator / agent of the from Time Travel Canon, that everyone in Ganymedians, but who was later ‘turned’ the Time Travel racket is trying save the by the personal charisma of the Negro world by killing Hitler, making for a very Partisan’s leader and his mental powers, crowded field, so someone on the bad kind of like a Black James Bond and Harry guy’s side gets the idea that perhaps killing Potter / Luke Skywalker. It was a very Churchill might turn the time stream their interesting story of allegory from a time way for a change, and so the plot is on, when America was about to enter its most and the main character’s two jobs neatly Schizophrenic era of publically proclaiming coincide for the time being, and he has to to be fighting ‘For Freedom,’ against use the resources of both of his jobs to

prevent this. On the way, his WW2 era leaves largely undiscussed the girlfriend and office girl, gets captured by developments on the Home Front which the bad guys and is horribly killed, so he ultimately lead to the demise of German stages an away mission from his official War Plans, an Imperial vision that conscripts duties to rescue the girl, before she is killed, were no longer prepared to die for by supported by a past / future self, and 1918. It only hints at the next stages in the recruits her on the spot to the Time Police, unrolling catastrophe, Red Revolution and AND then he foils the plot to kill Churchill, the spread of the (Made in USA!) Spanish leading to a honeymoon up time, where the Flu, each of which were to kill as many as bathrooms are spectacular. five years of armed conflict? So, this is a Comment and Conclusion – In reading good book, for the campaigns featured, this book I had hoped for a rather better but to understand the First World War more treatment of Time Travel / Time War / Time completely, further reading (from the Police adventures than was delivered. book’s fairly comprehensive bibliography?) The adventure was adequate for USAsian is recommended. readers, but informed or UKasian readers © Garry P Dalrymple December 11, 2017. might spot a few more jarring improbabilities than I did. So it was an OK book, but not as ‘Dune,’ by Frank Herbert Dec’d, good as H. Beam Piper’s Paratime series US, SF, the first Dune book, © 1965, 605 stories. © Garry P Dalrymple Dec. 7, 2017. pages, re-read Dec. 18 to 29, 2017.

On re-reading, after some decades, I ‘Over the Top, Great Battles of found this story to be rather deeper, more WW1,’ by Martin Marix Evans UK, complicated and better written than I Military History, © 2002, 240 pages remember. I’ve read a few of the sequels read Dec. 7 to 11, 2017, by Brian Herbert an Kevin J. Anderson and found them to be rather ‘thin’, needing This book focusses on eleven campaigns three whole books to tell the full set of during WW1, the key campaigns to the three story elements, the set-up, the story belligerents in determining the length and and the conclusion. Dune is much better outcome of the First World War. It focusses than this, a story of a hero emerging to on the most active areas of the Western victory from extreme adversity is well done, Front and leaves us in the dark about the and complete in this book, but looking day to day reality of the war for the rest of over the main character’s shoulders, there the line, those who also served though they is so much depth in the background. stood and waited. The Americans have their It is the vision of the ‘Universe’ of Dune that was, as do the British and the French, but we separates this book and this series from run only hear occasionally of the Belgians, the of the mill quest fantasy and subsequent Canadians and the Australians, who also imitations. had sizeable troop concentrations that were Comment and Conclusion – The vision of enough to turn the tide at some battles. A the Universe of Dune might be compared treatment as generous and as consolidated with that of the future history featured in as that offered to the Americans might be a Isaac Asimov’s ‘Foundation and Empire’ rewarding project, as for example, what of series of books, but Frank Herbert writes the Portuguese and other smaller National about people, their emotions and feelings or Colonial detachments, i.e. Ho Chi Min rather than the arid politics and economics gained his understanding of Communism as that ‘people’ Asimov’s works. I.e. Dune is a result of being a member of a Chinese big ideas and how this affects people, construction service corps. Foundation is just the ideas behind the dry Comment and Conclusion – This book pages of future history previewed. covers a great deal of ground (compared © Garry P Dalrymple March 21, 2018. to the campaigns it covers?) in describing the 11 campaigns, as seen at the front, but

‘The Road to Dune,’ by Frank This book is focussed on the 1942 Dieppe Herbert Dec’d, Brian Herbert & raid, an invasion of Occupied France by 6,000 allied troops, which was to be a trial (all US), SF, Odds Kevin J. Anderson of various techniques ahead of the and ends relating to the Dune series, © 2005, Normandy invasion two years later. 381 pages, read Jan. 1 to 3, 2018, This book is focussed on one individual, I read this book after the lengthy process of Jack Nissenthall, a British citizen born in re-reading the original ‘Dune’ book ahead Poland and his mission, code named of a meeting of the Inner West Book Club’s Green Beach, which was only the 13th of January 24 meeting. This book is a sixteen objectives of the raid. Jack, a metaphorical rummage through the ‘Dune’ serving RAF Radar expert, was embedded saga’s garage / archive of notes, left into the Canadian force that formed the behind by the late Frank Herbert. majority of the Dieppe raiders. Jack’s task The major part of this book (two thirds?) is a was to investigate a German Coastal rejected early draft of a story set on Arrakis, Radar installation, which was located the spice world, which was to become above the port of Dieppe to investigate, ‘Dune’. This story has many of the features seize and recover instruments if possible. we find in ‘Dune’, but it is a lot less The essential point of his mission was to impressive a treatment of the same general determine what would happen if one story as the version of ‘Dune’ that we have German Radar Station was to go off line, become used to. The rest of the book are whether there was a third back up some fragments that were excised from the German Radar system, and how long ‘Dune’ and the next few books in the series, would it take for the German Radar system as well as a few incidental short stories, to re-boot and re-establish coverage if one mainly stories set between and before the installation was cut off or destroyed. main books. Mostly these excised As this work required a technical expert, fragments were a consequence of the armed with the skills and experiences that serialisation of ‘Dune’ in its original form, must not fall into German hands, so published over several issues of a Science consequently he was awarded a squad Fiction magazine, which serves to remind sized bodyguard of Canadians, who were the reader that all ‘Best’ Science Fiction also charged with killing him if his capture originally entered print in this manner, was unavoidable, as the keeping the requiring the writing of SF to be episodic and secret of the cavity magnetron (there is focussed on several equally spaced cliff one in your Microwave Oven!) from the hangers within each story. Germans was of high military importance. Comment and Conclusion – The earlier draft Comment and Conclusion – Historically the of ‘Dune’ contained in this book is not that Dieppe raid attracted a lot of bitterness, interesting, it is very clear why it was due to the high cost in human life, as only discarded in lieu of the version we are now a fraction of the raid’s personnel were to familiar with, and the rest of the book, return safely to England, leaving thousands mostly extras and out-takes, tend to answer of casualties or captured, considered by questions that really didn’t occur to me as a many to be a blunder. It was also very recent reader of ‘Dune’, so I must rate this much overshadowed by the successes of book as a ‘fail’, rather than an essential aid the Normandy landings, whose success to understanding the depth of the ‘Dune’ may be ascribed to lessons learned at universe. © Garry P Dalrymple Jan. 12, 2017. great cost at Dieppe. This book provides an interesting exploration of an aspect of ‘Green Beach,’ by James Leasor the raid, covering many points about the UK, WW2 History, focussed on one aspect of raid incidentally to telling the story of the the 1943 Dieppe raid, in a fictionalised successful Green Beach mission. account, © 1975, 288 pages, read December 30 & 31, 2018, 18

Many other equally important WW2 stories Comment and Conclusion – Most of this are falling out of the public memory, as that book isn’t very satisfying as Science Fiction, generation is passing. and not very visionary as Fantasy. It © Garry P Dalrymple January 12, 2017. seems to be a quest novel whose point is that there can be no point to a quest and ‘City of Illusions, The Hainish no definite answers for the asking, thus is Novels,’ by Ursula K. Le Guin Dec’d, US, the human condition, get over it, and not SF, © 1967, 192 pages, read March 19 to 99, much sign of ‘Hainish’ ness in this book, the 2018, a SMSA Library book. use of Ansibles, references to an interstellar Commonwealth with its own type of ‘Prime A naked and amnesiac bloke wanders out Directive’ etc. However, in the final of a forest. They call him Falk, as he has chapter all is revealed, and a suitably yellow on yellow eyes. The Kindly local SFnal ending occurs. hippy types, living in the nearest clearing © Garry P. Dalrymple March 21, 2018. take him in for effectively a second childhood, as he relearns some adult life skills. A few years later he decides that ‘Seek the Fair Land,’ by Walter now is the time to head west, to the last Macken Ire., A Fictional treatment of remaining city of Men, in search of some Irish historical events, 1640s to 1660s, answers as to who he is, and why he has no Cromwell’s armies in Ireland etc., © 1959, memories. The book becomes a quest, a 300 pages, read January 25 to 31, 2018 walking tour across what we infer is a post This book starts with a siege of Drogheda, something North America, where people when insurgent Irish forces attempt to take live in small tribes of family groups, with the town from its English rulers. Then, technology, but nothing showy. years later, the book returns to the same The unknowable / unseen ‘Shing’ have town, held by Royalist Old English, Anglo- ruled Earth for hundreds of years, imposing Irish and Catholic defenders, against this regime, or so the locals say. What a Cromwell’s post-Civil War Parliamentary Shing looks like or how many of them remain forces. on Earth is a mystery. Our Main Character This second siege was followed by an wanders on, picking up a guide, infamous massacre of the non-combatant encountering groups and individuals, but Irish inhabitants, under a flag of truce. without seemingly achieving any additional This event was a feature of the process of self-knowledge or understanding, until he ‘Pacification,’ of the Irish, being a project reaches the city. There he encounters of the victors of the English Civil war, post- people who tell him that all he has been Civil War partly as payback for the role of told are lies. He is told that he is the Irish and Anglo Irish support of the deposed survivor of a legation from a Planet of alien- and decapitated English King, partly to human hybrids that managed to be lost and revenge Catholic massacres of Plantation so unaffected by the recent (1,000 years settlers, and partly due to the religious zeal ago?) interstellar war against human / of the fundamentalist evangelical ethic hainish worlds. And so on. On reaching then in the ascendant. Imagine a the city he finds out that he has been in the Protestant Fundamentalist ISIS fighting to hands of the Shing’s agents, but they are rule an Ireland of Catholics, Anglo Irish and not as invincible as they pretend. He is many not as fundamentalist Church of offered a mind ‘unwipe,’ as the Shing really England adherents, to insist on their want to know the location of his home ‘purified’ version of Religion to be imposed planet, to destroy it’s threat to their rule, but, on the apostate infidels, at the point of a the newly restored mind and the old mind sword if necessary. Given the inflexible coexist, allowing for a form of mental ju jitsu religious motivations of both sides, there when a Shing tries to probe his mind. Exit were War crimes on both sides, and the stage right with a Captive Shing, a warning major feature of the period was religious to his home world and a Space ship home! 19

and Ethnic cleansing driven plan to solve space station Halo, where illegal on Earth the Irish Question of the day, by the forced research may be conducted. As you re-location of the Irish to the North East might guess, the resident super computer province of Connacht of the Irish, freeing up Aleph is developing self-awareness, or so it the rest of the country for the plantation of thinks / is programmed. This computer is ‘proper’ Protestant Christian immigrants from linked to a very nearly dead guy, so England and Scotland. The story in this possibly he has entirely migrated his book follows the life of an Irish Fighter, consciousness into the computer, or fused Murdoch, a small Family that escapes his consciousness with it? This is a matter of Drogheda, and a Catholic Priest, as they corporate concern, so an investigator is survive and evade across Ireland, making sent up to look into things. their way out of ‘occupied’ area for the Comment and Conclusion – Entirely relative freedoms of Connacht, and the forgettable series of adventures, neurotic prospect of re-establishing some sort of Americans and corporate behaviour in traditional lifestyle. Space, a checklist of futuristic computer Comment and Conclusion – This is a generated recreational possibilities are disjointed story, it leaps years, and the check listed. This book doesn’t seem to ‘Great Journey,’ of the story, a walk across live up to the front and back cover hype. Ireland from Drogheda to Galway, is underwhelming to an Australian reader, ‘An Excellent Mystery, Cadfael where people frequently commute this No. 11.’ by Ellis Peters UK, Dec’d, distance each day to go to work! Historical Crime / Mystery, © 1985, 190 This book is a first instalment of a trilogy, pages, read January 8 to 12, 2018 setting up a new generation presumably to further the story of suffering to liberation. Unusually for a Cadfael story, this I found it very unsatisfactory, it dwells on adventure does not start with a corpse. some consequences, but only through Instead, it starts with the arrival of two occasional visits to the principal characters. Benedictine Brothers, Humilis and Fidelis, to I had expected more of the story of Ireland, Cadfael’s Shrewsbury monastery. They and what was happening across the Irish are refugees from the collateral damage sea, in England, the progress of Cromwell’s of the ongoing civil war, and the Commonwealth to the restoration, isn’t destruction of the nearby Hyde monastery even mentioned, robbing such coverage of at Winchester. the events occurring in Ireland of essential An episode of the ongoing civil war has context. seen Winchester besieged and largely Admission, my family came from Ireland, burnt down, including the Benedictine probable settling in Ireland because of or Monastery and convent. Humilis is an ex- after the events described in this story. crusader, previously a Lord, who has I had hoped to be enlightened, but this survived exceptionally severe and book failed to deliver. I can only assume debilitating injuries while on crusade, that this is a story for the times when people before entering holy orders he had to imagined that they knew all the necessary renounce a previously organised pre- ‘facts’ of the time, as the background to crusade marriage engage-ment to a which this story is projected. younger woman. Fidelis is a mute, who is © Garry P. Dalrymple February 1, 2017. devoted in his service to Humilis. At the Monastery he is visited by an exceptionally ‘Halo’ by Tom Maddox (US), SF, © devoted ex-squire, who served as Humilis’ 1991, 216 pages, read Jan. 10 to 12, 2018 emissary in the renunciation of his engagement. In a world of caring personal Artificial The emissary announces that he would like intelligences, work assistants, domestic staff, to try to marry the woman himself, but on and virtual computer generated sex the breaking of her engagement, she partners, something odd is happening up on 20

seems to have entered a convent at ‘Roger Rogerson, Cop gone Bad,’ and, not Winchester, leading to an investigation amid knowing how I would react, if I were the ruins and survivors of Winchester, where placed in the same situations, I feel it emerges that she may have set out to join hesitant to make judgement on his a convent, but never arrived! So this story essential character. I would enjoy then becomes an investigation, a search by reading more of his ‘Life and Crimes,’ to the squire and Sherriff Hugh Beringar at gain the benefit of his unique insights and large, and Brother Cadfael at the experience of NSW crime and punishment. Monastery, to establish what exactly © Garry Dalrymple Dec. 6, 2017. happened to this missing woman three years before the book’s present. Was she ‘Jutland 1916, Death in the grey killed by her servants, or is she somehow still wastes’ by Nigel Steel & Peter living clandestinely somewhere else? (UK), Military History, Non-Fiction, Comment and Conclusion – An odd story, Hart © 2003, 480 pages read Oct. 20 to Nov. 17 for a Cadfael adventure, as the story line contains a few rather hard to believe story By its cover, this book is a sort of feel-good elements, and as the story resolves with an story about the First World War, the apparent death then resurrection leading to background of the Great British Sea Victory an all problems resolved, rather than justice of 1916. Much of my interest in this story with the identity of a perpetrator resolved, comes from my reading of Rudyard so a B plus story rather than the usual A plus. Kipling’s widely serialised accounts of the © G. Dalrymple Jan. 12, 2017. early Battleship squadron phase of this engage-ment. Kipling wrote it up as a ‘The Dark Side,’ by Roger C. glorious adventure, a point of view not Rogerson (Aust.), True crime, non- shared by a later naval inquiry. With fiction, © 2009, 224 pages, hindsight, Kipling’s version was a very read November 29 and 30, 2017 delayed response to the events in question, and were probably prompted as This book turned out different to my a rear-guard action response to the public expectations. I had expected a book of perception of Britain’s loss on the news self-defence and self-justifications, but front. Also, Kipling’s ‘Good News’ about instead it turned out to be a series of pieces Jutland emerged in print as a distraction to about his life, Police career highlights and the appalling losses of the Somme some moments from his jail experiences. campaigns. For Jutland, any sense of Like Clive James’ ‘Unreliable Memoirs,’ I Victory or Loss relies on an understanding enjoyed this not because of it revealed of the objectives of the two sides; the biographical insights or great truths, but Germans hoped for a one on one battle because the settings of his life and career, between their High Seas Fleet and the like in Peter Corris’ Cliff Hardy novels, are in British Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. locations, Bankstown-ish and City that I have If they could draw the Grand fleet into a been familiar with during my own working battle, with their surface and submarine life. Written well before his most recent fleet and annihilate it, they could lift the incarceration, which is effectively for life, this British blockade, gain the freedom of the book was written with a matter of fact, high seas and raid / invade England. nothing to prove one way or the other tone, The British objective was, to offer up the and consequently contained what I thought Battleship fleet to entice the Germans out were some fairly valid observations on of harbour and then if necessary trade Police life and work. Dreadnaughts for Dreadnaught until the Comment and Conclusion – Reading German fleet was reduced, as British ship this book has not change my views of the yards could more easily replace their fleet Author, but it has to some degree faster than the Germans could, even in humanised him beyond the cut-out of peacetime. The Germans needed a

decisive victory, but all the British needed ‘The German Empire, 1871to was an equal score draw and then they would go on to gain an eventual victory by 1919,’ by Michael Sturmer (Ger.), stalemate. What occurred were a series History, Non-Fiction, © 20, 121 pages read during 2017 of unlucky coincidences and evidence of bad management poor planning (I.e. the A prequel to Jutland 1916, a bit. It covers British Fleet had not trained to fight at night!) the period when Prussia started the whole British boats were lost in an instant, as integration by military and economic the fire proof doors between gun batteries means of the various German states and and ammunition stores were left open! If principalities left over from Napoleonic luck and omniscience had been on times. It seems that History owes Bismarck England’s side, the German losses could a bit of an apology, he was an imperialist, have been so much higher. Two take but he was a ‘Little Germany’ one, away points I learnt from this book were of wanting a German nation (Ein Reich, unter the analogue computers used to target the Prussia?) but free of the collection of ethnic guns, which involved rolling paper charts to minorities within the Austro–Hungarian bits attempt to compensate for the relative of the Holy Roman Empire etc. movements of firing ship and target, and of Comment and conclusion – Rather less the presence of Lieutenant Heinrich enlightening than Jutand 1916, this book Bassenge of the SMS Elbing (i.e. Herr Basenjis does serve as a fairly detailed introduction of the Kaiser’s Kriegsmarine) who took on to modern German history, as in 1919. © the British Sea Dogs and lived to tell the tale! Garry P Dalrymple December 2017. Comments and conclusions – This book could serve as a management text book, to ‘An Iron Rose,’ by Peter Temple stress the advantages of within enterprise (Aust), Crime Fiction, © 1998, 268 pages communication and public relations, as it read December 1 to 6, 2017 was only with the passage of time that any real sense of British victory was established. An ex-policeman is getting on with his life The British ‘Won’ because their main fleet in his small country town, working as a was NOT destroyed, while the Germans Blacksmith. He is in a sort of retirement / ‘Lost,’ because their main surface fleet was limbo land, under a considerable cloud, as unable to leave port during the rest of the his last investigation went disastrously war, or to lift the naval blockade that was wrong, leading to a suspicion of starving German industrial capacity. After incompetence at best, or equally likely Jutland, they waited for another that he was complicit in the death of opportunity, which never came. On the essential witnesses that derailed an day, the Germans internal fleet important investigation, And then a communications were better and they were neighbour and family friend apparently first to go to the international news services and uncharacteristically commits suicide, to announce the side of the story, their after visiting a nearby reform school for ‘Victory,’ and the end of the battle, female offenders. Naturally he effectively was the return of the German investigates, using his still existing high level Fleet to their harbours, while damaged police contacts. Eventually he discovers British ships were still limping into port, other crimes in the area, crimes against needing to cross the wider expanses of the ‘disposable’ young women and event- North Sea and running the gauntlet of ually, he uncovers a trail of evidence that German submarines. Their loss was a even leads to the perpetrators of the crime failure to effectively defeat the British Grand that has put his police career and life Fleet, and so their fate, until war’s end, was under such a dark cloud, the closest thing to be tied up, rusting at port, waiting for to vindication that he is likely to achieve in another opportunity that never came. this life. © Garry P. Dalrymple December 6, 2017.

Comment and conclusion – I picked this household is the training and preparation book up expecting it to be a Jack Irish story, of exotic animals for Rome’s gladiatorial and I found that it contains much of the games, and these animals are used as same story DNA, with a discouraged / murder weapons / body disposal devices. disgraced primary investigator (with The family is riven by intrigue and mutual interesting friends), finding redemption / loathing, but all these, turn out to be red identity in a form of skilled manual work, the herrings, as the eventual denouement is unifying influence between men of Football that it was initially all a clever plot by a and the surprisingly forthcoming sexual business rival to ruin her, complicated by favours of mature and well off women. the involvement of a man motivated by There are also Aboriginal characters madness and an obsession for revenge. involved in the story, a very different Comment and Conclusion – I started encounter to the depictions of Sydney City reading this, expecting to find Centre Aboriginal life that I’m used to, anachronisms (there were!) but I was different and possibly realistic? The setting pleased to see that the story is driven by is Country Victoria, and it explores two consequences of Roman Emperor personalities and a local town culture that Augustus’ rule, the consolidation of I’m not familiar with, but it’s a bit of a relief landholdings in the hands of the wealthy from Big City, Top End of Town Megabuck and the rule that Roman Widows with Real Estate Speculation based crimes, so it’s property must re-marry within two years, a B plus, as its probably as authentic a and hand all their property over to their country Victoria story as Cliff Hardy’s set in new husband. The historical detail isn’t to Sydney adventures. the standard of Colleen McCullough’s © Garry P Dalrymple January 12, 2018. ‘Masters of Rome’ series, but it is there and it is appreciable. The ultimate revelation, ‘Man Eater,’ by Marilyn Todd, UK, that her protagonist was simply a mad Crime Mystery set in Roman times, © 1997, man, acting in a demented way that 375 pages, read February 21 to 24, 2018, defeats the reader’s ability to attempt to A SMSA Library discard logically identify who is behind everything,

This story / series is set in the Rome of was galling, nearly enough to throw the Augustus, and some of the issues of the day book across the room, mid-cliff hanger, ten affect the plot. The Main character of pages from the final page. The main these books is Claudia Seferius, the 25 year character is a cat loving bitch, nowhere as old widow of a wealthy roman wine endearing as Ellis Peters Cadfael series. merchant. She was a trophy wife, ex- © Garry P Dalrymple March 21, 2018. dancer and courtesan, who fought her way up in roman society from the gutter, and her deceased husband left her everything and her current pre-occupation is with the running of her estates and their expansion. An urgent message summons her to her estates, on the way she has an accident, forcing her to lodge with a household where on her first night, a death occurs, to which she is becomes the prime candidate to the inept local police investigator, who is so focussed on political advancement that any conviction will do. Claudia must investigate, to prove her own innocence, and this requires the re-appearance of her previous love interest / bete noir, a police inspector from Rome. The business of this 23

Saturday Jan. 6 - Major concern of the day – Instead of a dig day out, I went to Bunnings in search of a $49 push mower. Saw it, and I was not impressed, very spindly looking handles, like the Ozito (Electric) lawn mower I already use (and curse)! The Delivery of the box would be $50 (for a $2.50 bus trip!) i.e. a taxi ride would be better. The Rhubarb plants, front and back, really do look crook, about 2018 January to February half the plants are dead, cooked by the heat. Blood 9.00 am – 10.0, 11.55 pm – 9.1 Monday Jan. 1 - Matters of Gravity – I start Sunday Jan. 7 - A bit hot! It maxed out at this year at 143.1 kg. I had been as much 50.2 degrees in the shade under the back as 148 kg during Oct / Sept. 2017. awning. I took Rusty for a midnight ramble Major concern of the day – Went for a walk, and collected 22ea cashable drink NO rubbish left behind in the park, in spite of containers, having found a potential the festive noises in the night, streets Sunday ‘goldmine’ of recyclables deserted. While out on the street checking Blood 9.20 am – 8.1, 11.20 pm – 7.9. out the Park and the gutters, I was invited in to the corner house, by the wife, formerly a Monday Jan. 8 – Major concern of the day Fish and Chip Shop in my school days. I – Cleared a week’s worth of News-papers, couldn’t figure out what she was saying. It received some from Stephen Bingle. turned out that her husband (a dementia Blood 9.25 am – 7.4, 11.15 pm – 6.4. sufferer) was on the floor and could not get Tuesday Jan. 9 – Major concern of the day up. I assisted, carried him to the Kitchen. If - An Big day out, Away mission, to not for my being out and about it would Marrickville, with a full shopping trolley have been a call to emergency services? (plastic bottles) and poly fabric bag Blood 8.20 am – 8.2, 11.30 pm – 8.9. (aluminium cans). Left at 9.30, home at Tuesday Jan. 2 - Major concern of the day – 3.30 pm. I met my neighbour Fay Lynch at Started work on working the Aurealis the 423 bus stop, as she was going into Nominations into a shopping list for Freecons town, sans car. Walked in to Pole Depot Writers. Blood 9.35 am – 8.0, Midnight – 11.2. complex from Illawarra Rd., cashed in my Wednesday Jan. 3 - Major concern of the cans, gathered some on the way in, raided day – Took rusty for an hour walk around the some nearby yellow bins, result - $12.70 in School block, found about 7 cashable coupons, (127 items) with a dozen or so bottles / cans, surprisingly few. rejected. I discover that the Food Pantry Blood 9.15 am – 7.8, 9.50 pm – 7.7. is opens 2 to 5 pm on Tuesdays, not 10 to 2 Thursday Jan. 4 - Major concern of the day – pm as I had thought, so three hours to fill in. Payback time, so I gave two small bottles of Buy $3 worth of British interplanetary beer to the bloke who gave me the dirt, Society magazines (10ea) from the Bower. and he gives me another wheelbarrow of At Reverse Garbage I spend ($17) on; 10ea dirt. I visited Mother, and went Aldis Planispheres (35 degrees South), 4ea shopping at Hurstville, collecting $2.60 worth Cushion covers with tie-on straps, 3ea of cashables during the away mission. Hessian sacks, 2ea four port USB hubs and Blood 9.10 am - 7.7, 10.35 pm – 8.5 a 2018 Christmas card for my Mother. Friday Jan, 5 - Major concern of the day – I bought some takeaway lunch and dinner After 5 pm I mowed the Back Lawn and I (Lemon Chicken & Special Fried Rice) from ethnically cleansed the front garden bed of the Addison Rd. Chinese, for $15.50. weeds, anticipating a very hot weekend. Observations – On the way in, I had Received another barrowful of dirt. observed a food shop owner making up a Blood 9.50 am – 7.9, 11.20 pm – 7.2. Uber Delivery Meal, and its collection.

When I arrived at the cash for cans facility choose from), a 25 minute wait and then a there were two blokes doing some 412 home, (less than $1 for these two maintenance, so after visiting the Bower I ‘Transfer’ trips) getting off at the top of the was able to look into the back of the Cash local hill, as I didn’t fancy dragging my full for Cans machine. The body of the shopping trolley of stuff up hill from the shipping container is full of a dozen or so 600 Bexley Rd William St intersection stop (for litre plastic wheelie bins. Stuff goes into the the 400, M41) when I could travel that machine through the holes at the front, then distance for cents. Apparently I dodged a it passes along a conveyor belt until it bullet, as, as I left Campsie station, the reaches the right bin for the category of indicator board went blank, as the rail container, at which point it is pushed off, network failed this afternoon. So, I was up falling into appropriate bin, like a very and on my feet 9.30 am to 3.30 pm. After simple model train set! Queues! Yes, there this amount of pavement pounding, my were people lined up waiting to get at the ankles were a bit sore – I need good boots! input holes. Some Café owners Blood 8.10 am – 7.2, 11.10 pm – 10.3. (presumably) were turning up with several Wednesday Jan. 10 - Major concern of the huge 300 litre bags of plastic bottles, day – A day of rest, Stephen visits to drop dwarfing my efforts. off two books and to exchange Aspect – The Autism Spectrum people. Newspapers, I did some dirt shifting and After a first run at the cash for cans front garden watering after 5 pm, took machine, I dropped in on the Aspect office Rusty for a 9 pm walk, and on the way, I /facility, a demountable classroom sized Wombled up one can & 6ea Plastic & structure to talk about organising the Glass bottles, so $0.70. proverbial bus load of Aspies for the 2018 Blood 9.20 am – 8.0, 9.05 pm – 6.4. series of Freecons. I found two carers and Thursday Jan. 11 - Major concern of the about five non-verbal ‘clients’ on site. They day – Cleared the sun room floor a little, have the use of a classroom sized but mostly it was a day of rest? demountable. Collected contact details Blood 8.45 am – 7.3, 11.15 pm – 9.0. but I’m not sure that I have made contact Friday Jan. 12 - Major concern of the day – with the Freecon useful end of the Aspect My first 2018 Sydney Morning Herald letter organisation. to the Editor is published, about the While I’m waiting outside the Food Pantry, 1 Selective High Schools, a bit of a surprise as to 1.30 pm, eating lunch and reading a I had submitted it noonish on Wednesday Cadfael book, a crowd gathers, a bloke and presumed it to have failed, as I did not from inside gives me a number Six, in receive the usual ‘Your letter has been recognition that I had been waiting longer shortlisted and may appear …’ tip-off than the others, meaning that I will be let email. Instead it was held over to into the shop as the first of the second group continue the discussion for a third day. I of five. So for $20 / 40 points, I buy; Five 1 use the response from Magda as an litre bottles of A2 milk, guaranteed free of opportunity to try to position Alex and Hugh A1 protein?, $0.50ea, Best by date 10Jan18) for casual work at the SSU. Distracted by three one kilo packets of Hamburger patties, all this, my morning blood reading was $4ea, two tubes of Macleans Mild Mint much delayed. I have now successfully Protect Toothpaste, $1.50ea, one 825g tin of resurrected the handheld re-chargeable Australian sliced Peaches, $1.50ea, one vacuum cleaner. Its failure to re-charge 290g jar of Mint Jelly, $1ea, and they give was the fault of a DC transformer plug me a free loaf of day old sliced bread. becoming disconnected, the floors and Leaving the Pole Depot, I just miss a 428 the carpets are now looking a bit less going East to the 423 stop, so I wait a few ‘furry.’ The ‘Carpet Compost’ or dust I minutes for one going West to Canterbury collected I dumped on the Rhubarb station, so its 428 bus ($3.61), then a train patch. I also wrote up four or five book from Canterbury to Campsie (four busses to reviews. Blood 10.40am – 7.3, 11.35pm – 9.9

Saturday Jan. 13 - Major concern of the day was too windy for them to play bowls). – I try to get another Letter about Selective The last of the very cheap (Best before Jan schools out, commenting on the negatives 10, 2018) A2 milk that I got from the Food to this ‘elitist’ form of education. I did a bit Pantry, on January 9, has finally turned, so I more vacuuming, but mostly concerned offer it to Rusty. If offered cheap milk like with drip irrigation, intended for the front this I might even try some home cheese garden and back yard plants (Gerberas making? Blood 8.20 am, 7.1, 10.26 pm, 9.4. and Rhubarb). After some failed tries, I find that pricking the bottom of a plastic milk Monday Jan. 15 - Major concern of the bottle (for air) with a lancet, and using a day – Went to Burwood, buying a ‘shaving safety pin to pierce a bottle top, results in mirror,’ several (blank) Yellow or Pink XXL T- the release of water for some hours. Took Shirts and 4ea books = $69. I also spoke to Rusty for a late night walk to Main Street, as the shop manager about getting 20ea a result, the rather low blood sugar score ‘Old Books,’ for Janene’s wedding. recorded tonight. Spotted two bags of Blood 8.40 am – 8.3, 11.08 pm – 7.5. garbage outside the Laurels, made the Tuesday Jan. 16 Major concern of the day bigger one disappear. – I now have 7ea Pink and 11ea Yellow XXL Blood 8.50 am – 8.8, 10.55 pm – 5.7. sized T-Shirts (I wear XXXL), better figure out Sunday Jan. 14 – Major concern of the day - ways of getting them over printed? Mostly, My Birthday, is to be celebrated six days it was a day of rest, or spent studying the early? Apparently. This is to fit in with Dr J. first YMW#1 of 2018. Dalrymple’s tightly contested schedule. Blood 9.40 am – 7.8, 10.40 pm – 7.6. Not complaining, just saying. This year, I Wednesday Jan. 17 - Major concern of the will walk all the way to the Club, to the day – Getting the Nov. and Dec. 2017 accompaniment of howling winds. N.B. I Sydney Futurian meeting notes written up. wear my Black hat on windy days, as it This took a morning and an afternoon, after settles deeper and more secure on my reading the paper and completing the head. We were Mother, Ruth, Hugh, morning’s Soduko puzzle. This AM I had Janene and myself at the club. Alex was a bleeding nose, dry air, very windy for going to come, but he went to a ‘Toga several days now, and I used this rather Party’ instead. During the lunch I asked than ‘by the Pricking of my thumbs,’ for Janene about what sort of talk about in-the- testing. Blood 7.15 am – 8.0, 11.30 pm – 7.4. news patients is usual. She works under a Thursday Jan. 18 - Major concern of the bloke who is also in charge of Accidents day – Getting the October 2017 Sydney and Emergencies (A&E) at St George. Futurian meeting notes written up. Regarding the Ex-Home and away star, Stephen dropped by, exchange of whose family died in a Front Page news Newspapers. Affected by post shingles story car accident, and who lingered for six brain, he leaves his jumper behind. After I days after she was disconnected from life did some figuring, about when I’ve got support, her injuries were extensive, severe money expected and likely unavoidable burns plus several organs removed. If she expenses, aided by YMW #1 of 2018, I had survived at all, her recovery would shifted some banked money into some have been long and incomplete, a far cry undervalued dividend paying shares, i.e. from the Daytime TV standard recovery for a these are likely to offer both income and coma, where the head bandaged patient Capital Gain, over the medium term, wakes up at a dramatic moment, sound, nothing new, just buying more of the well and rested saying ‘I remember companies I already have. everything now.’ It was a pleasant day, I Blood 9.20 am – 8.5, 11.30 pm – 9.9. had Lemon chicken for lunch, which rather Friday Jan. 19 - Major concern of the day - blew out my bed time Blood sugar reading, Getting the Nov and Dec Sydney Futurian in spite of the walking, and as ever, a very meeting notes written up, sent three nice view at a surprisingly crowded club (it emails. At about 2 pm, a bloke visited, toured the back yard, trying to detect 26

where the sewers run? I left home at public and corporate spending having about 2.15, giving Rusty a meaty bone as been cut, to allow executive bonuses and consolation, bought two books at clever money derivative trading. He was Campsie’s St Vinnies (‘Jungle Book 2’ & of the view that the only system that was ‘Robot Aristocrats’) checked out the working well was the weapons industry Campsie station Tardis and into town to and the system was being warped to return ‘Dune.’ Encountered Diane Fox depend on it. After the meeting, and on while I was there, had a nice chat with a the way home I collected 2ea cans 12ea University of the Third Age lecturer about plastic and 1ea glass bottles (15ea = $!.50), Women Travellers of the Victorian era, some bottles and cans that I’d seen before mostly under recognised science workers. the meeting were gone by the time I She has lists of ‘Hundreds’ of names, but she returned, evidence of fellow gleaners, but could recall none being identified as still quite a haul for such a short walk? Astronomers. Took a bus down George Nearly home, passing the house on the Street, and as I was early (Before 5 pm?) I corner of Eulabah Avenue, and their dog went Woolworth shopping, just for milk starts barking as I go past, alerting Rusty, really, then into the Tower building, where who I hear howling from the comfort of his there was a large crowd, food circulating, crate. I have no idea if he has been table top displays (most fairly lame) and doing this all afternoon / evening, or Academic robes evident. So, I surmise that whether this is just a welcome home show it was a Graduation Day at the UTS in the put on for me. I was home at about 10.15. UTS’s Great Hall. One display, an Blood 9.40 am – 10.7, 11.30 pm – 8.8. animation piece, was playing the opening Saturday Jan. 20 - Major concern of the bars of the Starwars theme, on a 30 second day – Getting things set up for Stephen to rotation. It was VERY noisy during the use my phone for an on-phone meeting meeting, at quieter moments got really tired and writing up a few days of my Travellers’ of hearing that Starwars theme, and then Tales accounts. Had a dream this when the noise picked up while we were morning, my Father complimented me on talking, we rather missed it. Held a bit of a my financial achievements, first time ever, business meeting prior to the meeting, to get it seems that even ghosts can learn given approval of plans to increase numbers enough time? I ask Stephen for some of through Gum Tree and Eventbrite listing etc. his bests and worsts for 2017, so I can write We finished up a bit early, so I allowed these into the Sydney Futurian meeting myself McNasties for tea and I waited for a notes. Blood 9.30 am – 7.5, 11.45 pm – 9.30. 423, having seen the 412 whizz past. On Sunday Jan. 21 - Major concern of the this bus there was a bloke talking about his day – Hot and a bit windy, a Day of rest recent experience of America, having just and newspaper reading, burned through come back from California and their recent quite a few recorded TV programs. bush fire experience. The home of the Blood 9.45 am – 7.2, 11.15 pm – 8.30. ‘War on Drugs,’ they actively fight all forest fires, rather than learn to live with them as Monday Jan. 22 - Major concern of the we do, where we use risk management and day – An away mission to Marrickville with harm minimisation. He described seeing a the Bingles, to show them the Food Pantry, mountain top ablaze, in an area with zero The Bower, reverse Garbage and Cash for population and no houses nearby, then all cans machine. Driven, not bussed! Left at once the sky is filled with aerial water at 10 am, showed David and Stephen bombers, including three fire retardant Bingle; The Aspect day centre, the Cash for dumping 747 tankers in the air at once! Cans machine, the Bower, the Little Library, Generally he was struck by the lack of Reverse Garbage and the Food Pantry. maintenance and repair spending, rusting They seemed interested in the future bridges, potholed roads and frequent possibilities of each establishment. electricity outages, all due to necessary Carrying nearly all my worldly assets, three milk crates worth of Glass and Plastic 27

bottles, I received $9.30 (93ea) in Tuesday Jan. 23 Major concern of the day Woolworth’s credit coupons. WE learnt – A day of rest, after the events of that perfectly acceptable items may be yesterday, with the rest of the day spent on rejected by one opening, but accepted by my ‘Day Job,’ reading the YMW the other, also, neck first might be rejected, investment newsletter. Was to be a day while the same bottle put in bottom first to visit Mother or the Doctor, but I goes straight through. I.e. some items in experienced a failure to launch. That the rejects bin, might be worth a second try. evening, I took Rusty for a walk to Main st., From the Little Library I picked up three a raid on the Café bins there, gleaning books; ‘The Stockmarket, as easy as ABC,‘ other refundable bottles and cans on the by Ron Bennett (Aust) (a booklet), ‘Spy High, way. The night’s score was 53ea, 17 of Mission two, Chaos Rising story,’ by A. J. these being the larger 1.25 litre Coke Butcher (US) (a YA Hogwarts of Espionage bottles, I was limited by my carry volume. school story), and ‘A Fish caught in time,’ by This replenishes my store for future Opal Samantha Weinberg (US) (about the card Sunday away missions. discovery of the thought to be extinct Blood 9.30 am – 8.8, 11.55 pm – 7.2. Coelacanth). Wednesday Jan. 24 - Major concern of the At Reverse Garbage I spotted some Funk & day – Getting to the Doctor, who is Wagnell’s Encyclopedias, possibly suitable pleased with my progress and application for Janene’s needs. At the Food pantry I to medication regime, then I did some learnt that their main weekly delivery occurs super-market shopping, and managed to on Tuesday morning, and the stuff received use up all but one of my recycling is divided out so they have much the same coupons, i.e. they bought me about $20 things on sale Tuesday 2-5pm, Wednesday worth of groceries. Books - Picked up a 10am-2pm and Monday 10am-2pm. After Bristow (Cartoon) book ($2) from St Vinnies showing David and Stephen around I spent and two books from the Campsie Tardis. $10, (or 20 points) for; a 2.75 kg can of I bought and ate KFC Nuggets for lunch. Riverina Apples (9), 2 litres of milk (3), 2ea Rest of the day spent on my Tuesday ‘Day bottles of Plum Sauce (2x2ea) a bottle of Job,’ reading the YMW newsletter. Guinness Steak sauce (2) and 2ea cans of Blood 8.15 am – 7.3, 10.55 pm – 8.0. Mango soft drink (2x1ea). For buying more Thursday Jan. 25 - Major concern of the than 10 points worth, I received two small day – I plan to visit Mother this afternoon, in loaves of bread and a Sweet Potato for case she spent the morning on a bus trip – free. This time, first time I’ve seen it, they Woke up late, after 8.30, to the sounds of also had a selection of serve yourself Hot Stephen dead-heading the Hydrangeas. Food, being the still warm leftovers from an So, pre-toilet, Pre-shower, Pre-pills and pre- over catered buffet breakfast. From this I blood test, I invite him in, serve him a collected a small bag of cooked sausages coffee and we chat and the exchange of and about half a dozen boiled eggs, lunch newspapers. He was dripping wet from for a week, or treats for Rusty is they grow his labours. old in the fridge? There were Rice, Beans, I spend the morning writing Last Will and Vege-tarian food items etc. Stephen and Testament ideas (wouldn’t YOU like to David bought a fair bit more, possibly $20 know how much Uncle Garry is leaving worth and bagged to take home some of you) along the lines of a list of fractions of the Hot food. As I was driven home, I was my Estate for people and causes, usually home just after noon. Saw a couple of along the lines of a share of the Income dollars’ worth of cans and bottles on the from my Estate should those people and way home. A successful day I think, as I causes outlive me, plus specific fractions cleared my milk crates of Glass and Plastic from a trust fund to continue my various bottles and did some grocery shopping! interests. At noon I knocked off, had Blood 8.30 am – 7.3, 10.30 pm – 7.7. some lunch while watching an hour’s worth of pre-recorded TV. After dressing

to go out, I went out to cut some flowers for passengers. Off the busses, and through Mother. Yellow Gerberas are in profusion, the back lane, in search of cashable cans the only Red ones I could see were poor and bottles, I see three big TV sets, specimens. One of the Yellow flowering huddled together for consolation nesting plants was even offering deformed all within the traditional New Year’s piles of Green flowers, consequences of the recent good looking but discarded furnishings. two heat waves, then I saw that Stephen’s All are probably still working, representing enthusiasm seems to have wiped out most some thousands of dollars of original price. of the two clumps of my precious Yellow Pity I can’t carry home and watch several flowering Gerberas, that I had planned to TV sets at once, although with clever off transplant, so I moved the Green bin to a the shelf programming you could build a cooler place, so that this evening I could try TV set wall in the family Holodeck? They to recover and plant any Gerbera roots and are sitting together with the soul sick and stems I could find in the overfilled Green bin, empty boxes of their slimmer new year’s into wet soil in a big flower pot. (I have model replacements. On arrival, it was placed this pot in a shaded but well-lit spot too hot to get Mother to walk to outside in the back yard). area near the Café, so I put her flowers into Then it happened, I HAD A REAL ALIEN a vase, and then I explained to her much ENCOUNTER! I DID NOT SEE IT LAND, BUT of what was new, mostly the material THERE IT WAS, A 1947 ROSWELL UFO ON MY discussed in this section of TBS&E. Mother PORCH, JUST 70 YEARS AFTER THE REAL was pleasant company, a disengaged THING! THEN I MET THESE TWO ALIENS!. listener rather than an active participant in While I had been busy in the back of the the conversation (thus she fades away?). house this morning, after Stephen had left On this occasion, I did not do any (at around 9.30 ish?) someone delivered a shopping at Hurstville, other than to ask the stack of Seven Sci-Fi TV Tie-in Plastic Model bloke at the counter of a Gaming shop, kits (Still in the original Factory Pastic), a ’Whats a Babylon 5 / Star Trek Model Kit Japanese Picronia DEM and SIG kit (A lens worth these days? Answer – About $30 or men series collectible), a Testors 50th $40, depending. I also stopped in at the anniversary (1997) ‘The Roswell UFO,’ 1/48 Bottle shop, for some liquid consolation, scale, ten five Revell Monogram kits, ($4.99 Shiraz and $3.99 Fruity Lexia), ‘Voyager Kazon Torpedo,’ # 85-3608, expecting it to be really ‘moving’ the day ‘Babylon 5, Space Station,’ #853622, before our day of National Pride / Infinite ‘Babylon 5, Star Fury Mk 1,’ #853621, AMT Remorse’ and was told that Australia Day ERTIL Kit, ‘Star Trek DS9,Cardassian Galore celebrators usually buy their grog on the Class Ship,‘ #8324, AMT ERTIL Kit, ‘Star Trek day, on the way to events, so sucks to the DS9 Space Station,‘ #8778, plus a pair of proprietor ever having a day off for the 30cm high Aliens. As these kits are worth Public Holiday. He also said that come 10 something, to someone, (three had old am, January 30, there is a big boost in price stickers, $24.95, $39.95 and $24.95) I business, because as soon as the littlies are looked up my emails to see if there was any safely back at school, the MILFs will show indication of their source – Nothing – Will up saying ‘I need a drink!’, having been have to look up Ebay / Gum Tree to find out worn to a frazzle by the end of year season how much these can get for the Freecon. of relentless, full-on School Holiday So, after these two surprises, off to visit parenting experience! From the first bus Mother. The usual bus waiting delays, it was home, I saw some Telephone phone pole another of those unrelentingly hot humid signs advertising both a Record Fair and a days, when the pigeons land where the Starwars Collectibles Fair, each held at the busses stop, careful not to scorch their toes, Hurstville Entertainment Centre, on Sunday they drink up the little puddles of water left February 18, 2018. Interesting? by the air conditioning, of the busses Blood 9.20 am – 8.2, 11.20 pm – 8.4. temporarily stopped to exchange

Friday Jan. 26 - Major concern of the day – considered taking a taxi - $7.50 and a few Getting into the spirit? Couldn’t find a minutes. Strangely though, the bus that I native waterhole to poison or any invasive missed, actually starts at Campsie! So I European species to introduce, so I decided could get there ‘Direct,’ if I caught the bus to celebrated Indian Republic day instead, to Campsie, away from where I’m there are more of them than us you know, heading! I presented my gift items to 25 million to 1400 million, 5,000 years of Janene and I gave Alex some of my ‘tired’ History, wave after wave of colonisation, shirts (for in classroom use as painting puts things into perspective? smocks). I also had some wedding Currently I’m reading a book about related material which I showed Janene Cromwell’s Irish adventures circa 1649, and Alex, one was a flick book, a buckets of dispossession, massacres and centimetre thick matchbox sized booklet population dislocations. It puts the events of individual photos / film frames that following 1788 in Australia into a more offered a brief ‘movie’ of a couple nuanced perspective, land hunger and embracing, and also a ‘What I like about cultural blindness Vs Land Hunger, Civil war you,’ book, a book of personalised Revenge and Religion justified Jihad? cartoons about a couple’s interaction. Blood 9.20 am – 8.5, 11.05 pm – 9.5. Each of these may prove to be something Saturday Jan. 27 - Major concern of the day for the children to discover, and be – Getting some money onto the Horses! No appalled by, for generations to come? really, I took a walk, 11 am to noon, to Main Dinner and table conversation involved Street without Rusty, who was flat out, the lives, loves and scandals of associated stretched out on the floor at the back door, Church and Family connections, just enjoying the breeze coming through the names to me, some wedding planning back door’s ‘cat-flap’ hole. I was Wombling announcements and then at some length, as I went, and quite pleased that much of The Deer Threat. Janene’s Godmother today’s ‘treasure’ came from the surrounds came down from Orange to be at today’s of the creek / stormwater drain at Main St, event, and she related that her attempts at next to the bottle shop. I.e. this stuff was veggie growing and gardening are under 99% of the way to joining the Cook’s River / constant threat from the feral deer Botany Bay. A mm of rain and it would be population, not rabbits, or snakes as you on its way. I picked up 25ea refundable might presume from the experiences of items; 3ea cans, 2ea Glass & 20ea Plastic previous decades. In some cases, over a Bottles. Blood 8.30am – 8.7, 11.50 pm – 6.9. hundred head of deer had been counted Sunday Jan. 28 - Major concern of the day – in some people’s top paddocks. Permits Getting two Cakes baked and to Janene’s have been issued, Bambi-cide / Venison Birthday party on a warm day! cleansing operations have commenced, Stephen visited in the morning. Baking took but still planted trees are being ripped out until 10.45, I was dressed, packed and out of the ground and consumed. The before 11 am. The point I’m hoping to get resident dog, when offered meat from the across here with my baking is that I’m giving bull that had been his friend and her the gift of MY TIME, rather than a gift of playmate, refused it. When offered monetary value, time spent thinking of her venison from a stag that had harasses the as I traverse my world and finding things dog, it couldn’t eat enough of it – sweet that I think she will enjoy, rather than just meaty revenge? Similar experiences, but spending money on things that she is then with different deer species, happen to obligated to reciprocate. residents of the Sutherland Shire, with It took a bus, a train and a Taxi to get me properties near The Royal National Park. where I needed to be, as the train table Not a joke, a serious inconvenience, and delivers you at Riverwood just several even a driving hazard. Staffing levels at minutes AFTER the hourly bus leaves, The NSW National Parks and Wildlife considered walking ~25 minutes, then Service have been cut by successive

conservative Governments, on a recreation as she approaches a near ideological basis, to the point that some retirement lifestyle, I will try to support her. National Parks have become instead ‘Big I was driven to Riverwood (and released Game Breeding Reserves,’ for feral species, into the wild) where I did some grocery and the basis of the call for even more shopping, then bought Fish cocktails and NPWS cut backs. In another story, the son potato scallops for tea. A train, a bus and of friends of friends, a champion cyclist, has a walk, and I was home at ~ 7 pm. had an accident. He was cycling to Blood 9.15 am – 4.5, 10.15 pm – 9.3. Wollongong, in full road cycling warrior armour and then a huge male Kangaroo Monday Jan. 29 - Major concern of the (possibly mistakenly responding his day – Gunna be a Sydney train strike! No appearance on the bike as a territorial there wasn’t, industrial arbitration kicked in challenge?) leapt out at him, knocking him instead. At 10 am I decided to take a off the bike. The rider was helicoptered off walk, so I hitched up Rusty and we had a to hospital, the Kangaroo’s need for little Womble, down to Beaumont Park and medical attention was not disclosed. its five litter bins, mostly to check the bins. Reportedly, the rider, physically recovered, No refundables seen left in any bin, a is now suffering from PTS due to the incident single disposable nappy left in most bins (as you well might!) The Bridzillas are (naughty!), some caps in one bin, i.e. currently on the lookout (like satin someone has done the rounds ahead of bowerbirds?), gathering items to feather me! The rest of the football field / Cricket their future matrimonial nest, and are like Oval was clear of any litter. Well done. real Sydney Adults, talking to Real Estate Home at 11 am, Rusty needed a drink, as Agents about ‘Location, Location.’ I was did I. I took Rusty on a morning walk, as pleased to see that they are in accord on far as the closest local sports oval, the desirability of bringing home ‘found’ Beaumont Park, which is about half way to and pre-loved furniture items, as opposed to the M5 Tunnel and Bexley North Railway the lamentable modern urge towards Station. On the way to and from, I picked breaking from use and re-use to ‘everything up about half a dozen refundables. That new’ consumerism that many young people afternoon the mail arrives, and I receive a espouse. They have been to Marrickville’s notice via my accountant. It seems the The Bower and Reverse Garbage (partly in Tax people want to charge me a tax return response to my suggestion?) for a looksee from several years back (I thought this had and were enlightened by the possibilities of been resolved!) an amount and a 75% getting some really nice stuff, cheaper and fine. Not good news at all. AND, as the better than new. I was shown some of the amount is based on their dodgy tax books they have collected so far, intended assessment, achieved by shifting a one-off as wedding reception table decorations, year of Capital Return (I.e. a $A0.30 some were quite distressed. Afterwards, company downsizing into a $A0.10 valued Ruth handed me a list of books to look out company) into a Taxable Dividend AND for. I had assumed it to be of old or presuming this to be an annual and classics of World literature etc. On sustainable i.e. a recurring 100% Dividend inspection, the list turned out to be yield based on present share value, so, exclusively Cadfael Crime investigation they want to nearly double my quarterly mysteries, written by Ellis Peters (about the PAYE payments for the present and the events circa 1340 AD, the original Maud Vs future, in spite of the fact that there are Stephen UK Civil war (before the war of the two more recent (and substantially lower Roses, before The Civil war (1640s). I have income) annual tax returns in their hands. some of these books already to hand, and I Not Happy! Fake News! Etc. So, an will undertake to try to gather the rest. afternoon of phone calls and plans are Given Ruth’s many kindnesses to me and made to sign forms and visit my my Mother, whatever Ruth wants to do as accountant at Bankstown, rather than trust it to the post. 31

Blood 9.05 am – 9.4, 11.30 pm – 6.5. for cheap thrills? I must get this sorted, Tuesday Jan. 30 - Major concern of the day but not today. These items, Janene was – Feeling the Heat, Bankstown beat – able to buy at a discount pharmacist for Entering the Free Fire Zone! The plan for ~$20? I checked out the Campsie St the day was to visit my accountant and to Vinnies for Cadfael books, as I had at the locate the Bankstown Cash for cans Bankstown Smith Family shop, none on the machine, so I took a box of ten cans with list found. For Lunch / Tea, I bought $13 me. But, before I could do this, Brian KFC (5 pieces, but ate only 3) and I was Walls phoned in another of his reports (see home at a bit past 4 pm, hot tired and very Futurian Notes) and that delayed me footsore. I drink down a litre and settling getting up and out by nearly an hour. in to have lunch and listen to the Radio, M41 to Campsie, Nothing in the Tardis, I (Radio National, Philip Adams’ Late Night arrive at Bankstown and search for the cash Live afternoon repeat) and then Stephen for cans machine. Where is it? Ask locals, arrives, having spent his day up at Lithgow, no help there. Drop off the signed (3 hours from Central Station?) spreading paperwork, ask at the library / Information goodwill, scrumping apples and generally centre, sympathetic interest but no useful wearing the spots of his $2.50 a day ‘Travel directions, so I wander off looking for ‘In a the world!’ pensioner type OPAL card. Car Park?’ Arrive at the end of my tether General de briefing and two phone call and Woolworths, the furthest extent of the interruptions and I get to eat at ~5 pm. shopping mall blight zone. I ask there and Though footsore, ahead are Night a lady uses her mobile phone to web Manoeuvres, coz its bin night, the dog search, and discovers that – Some shops will needs walking and the streets (and pay cash for up to 100 items – and a street especially the gutters) are paved with address, 112 South Terrace, which is refundable opportunities, so we are out somewhere on the other side of the tracks, and wombling at 11 pm. I met two guys so I stumble off in a new direction and I find with hoses and tile polishers struggling to it, in a small car park of a shopping block get the chewing gum off the local anchored by Dominos Pizza, in the shadow shopping centre’s pavements, (lots of luck of the road bridge over the railway line. I guys, it’s only day 2 of the new school put in 12 cans, get my $1.20 coupon and year!) about $5 worth gathered against my then it is time to head back to the next Marrickville away mission. And so to Accountants office for a chat (I had arrived rest, after a bit of reading, of course. earlier while they were at lunch). It looks as Blood 10.25 am – 9.1, 11.55 pm – 7.9. though the refundables shipping container is Wednesday Jan. 31 - Major concern of the located where it is, because there is a day – Longest uninterrupted sleep I’ve had Sustainable coffee shop operating on this in ages, 1 am to 8.30 am. My weight is up lot. Then back to the station, and a train from yesterday, a result of all the walking back to Campsie. At Campsie I sorted out around Bankstown etc., this happens a lot. a problem with Mother’s Bank account. By This evening I had the option of going to her Bank pass sheets, each of her monthly two events tonight, but left it too late, so, interest payments are being hit by a 48% for consolation I had a Pizza and half a withholding tax charge, as no Tax file bottle of Red wine, and still I get a decent Number is recorded against this account. I PM Blood score. had this corrected and some money will Blood 10.15 am - 8.40, 11.35 pm – 6.7. now be re-credited. Thursday Feb. 1 - Major concern of the day At a pharmacy, getting quotes on Blood – Not much to show for the day, wrote one Glucose strips, I find that it will be $50 a book review, Newspapers sorted etc. hundred charge, coz I don’t yet have an Blood 8.20 am – 8.7, 10.10 pm – 8.5. official Club Diabetes membership card Friday February 2 – Nothing Much done – (then only a few dollars), as if Non-Diabetes I see that my Neighbour John has entered sufferers are buying and using these items the property to kill and remove the vine

covering his garage roof. The top off my West Australians, who were marking time rear shed Banana tree is missing, cut off, to ahead of their twilight Harbour Bridge below the fence line – Not Happy! climb, and later to three Brazillians who Blood 8.00 am – 8.6, 10.50 pm – 8.3. were inside the Observatory. During the Saturday Feb. 3 - Major concern of the day – meeting, I gave my talk on Thomas Roseby Up till 2.30 am doing the Thomas Roseby (to applause no less) as a Historical section booklet for Monday’s Sydney City report. The contents of the booklet is likely Skywatchers’ meeting, the first of the 2018 to go up on the Website. Leaving the calendar (I’ve been granted a few minutes Observatory I counted only two sleeping for a Historical Section report!). Some Trove bags / camps. This time I saved myself Editing done, but mostly finding the stuff I the walk to the far end of Martin place to have prepared in past years, i.e. Newspaper catch a direct bus ($4.61) home, instead I accounts of BAA NSW Meetings and came home via Wynyard, a train to President’s Address material. I ran off 8ea Campsie and then a 400 bus home. I copies at home, enough for Monday night? believe it was $3 and some change in Blood 11.05 am – 8.0, 11.00 pm – 7.5. total, due to the vagaries of the Opal card Sunday Feb. 4 - Major concern of the day – system, which is biased against commuters Getting to church on time! – Went to The getting their eight trips up early in the week Thomas Roseby Memorial church to drop off (and then half price) I.e. all of my travels two copies of the Roseby booklet. I arrived today probably only counted as two or at about 11 am, while the Tongan service three trips rather than the seven train or bus was in full swing, but the earlier English rides actually taken. I was home at about language congregation was in the Church 10.15 pm, Rusty asleep in the back room, a Hall round the back. The Booklet well bit earlier than if I’d taken the direct bus received. I went home via Coles at after the Martin place walk. Prior to the Earlwood, buying about $30 worth of stuff. Concord Library meeting I had a chat to a During this outing I collected about a dozen bloke, formerly a Registered Nurse, now refundables. Home at around 1 pm, read training to become a Teacher. He the paper and slobbed around. Some UK explained the current trouble with Nursing, interest about Roseby, same day reply! previously you qualified, paid your annual Rusty was howling as I came home. registration, did at least one shift a year Blood 8.40 am – 9.2, 11.20 pm – 9.9. and you were in the trade for life. Now you have to do at least 20 hours Monday Feb. 5 – A bit of a Multifunction Big Professional Development each year, an Day out, as I up and out to Campsie for a hour a fortnight for the continuously starved the night before blood test, then to employed, but half a week’s work if you Burwood to pay two bills at the Post Office. are a casual or out of Nursing for the time Checked out St Vinnies, for any more being. Break your registration and to re- Cadfael books, bought 10ea Yellow XXL gain it you must do a two year, full time re- and XXXL T-Shirts instead. Had Fish & Chips skilling course. There is no exam, to for lunch, then off to the Concord Library detect what elements you might need SF&F reader’s meeting, 2 to 3.45 pm, then updating or re-skilling, just two years into town for the Astronomy meeting at the without work, to get back in the game, Observatory. At the meeting I was given before you can start seek paid several books for the Freecon, so with all the employment, part time, casual or full time. T-shirts I was carrying quite a bit. There are Sufficient reason for lapsed Registered 67 steps up to the Observatory from the Nurses to try something else, if caring for a street below! The air to the north was relative or having a baby becomes a exceptionally clear, with all three TV towers higher priority than paid employment? being seen very distinctly. Arriving at This system persists, because there is Sydney Observatory at about 4.30pm with currently an oversupply of qualified Nurses time to kill (the meeting started at 6.30 pm) I to available positions. Them’s with other gave an impromptu guide talk to some 33

options, are incentivised to take them I Wednesday Feb. 7 - Major concern of the guess, never mind the wasted public day – After a morning hosing of last expense of their initial training. I took Rusty afternoon’s transplants, getting a re-supply for a late night walk, where we met two Brit of the Blood Sugar testing chips needed by backpackers who were stranded at a bus my ‘Familiar’ (two Blood Sacrifices a day to stop. I offered them midnight public the little electronic Demon) is a priority of transport options advice, and I gathered a the day – My Niece, Dr J. Dalrymple last full bag of refundables, some for tomorrow’s got these for me at ~$22 a hundred (two use. Blood 8.40 am – 9.2, 11.20 pm – 9.9 little plastic tubs of 50ea, while I had had to Tuesday Feb. 6 - Major concern of the day – pay $52 at an Earlwood chemist, so I had Very nearly a day of Rest, but for a burst of suspicions as to how these essential-if-you- late afternoon gardening. I dug seven are-in-the-club items were priced at a holes, adding examples the dynamic lifter retail level. At potentially $380 a year for that Rusty so freely provides to each hole, these, this is an expense I’d like to reduce. dug out and then divided up several When I become an official Diabetic card clumps of the reds, then replanted them carrier, this should drop to some dollars per into the holes, Red (4 ea) and Yellow (3 ea) hundred, on the PBS, but I’m not yet there, Gerberas, then watered them in. That’s five as test results are still pending. So at into the front garden and two into a Campsie, after returning from the concrete planter box, with the aim to Marrickville away mission, I went Chemist producing a more complete front garden shop Price shopping, and I was told $50 bed that alternates Red / Yellow / Red plus at the first Discount Chemist, $40 to flowers. I’m still very short of Yellow them from the wholesaler they claimed. flowering Gerberas to insert between the A few doors up Beamish St. and they were red ones, so it might take a year or two to $22, which I paid. I resisted the urge to go grow up these. Ideally the Gerberas will back to the first Discount Chemist and have a screen of Rhubarb plants in front of suggest that they ditch their wholesaler them, so that each shelters / shades the and just buy-in from next door. I sent an other during from the really hot days to email to my investing Nephew, containing come, but this is job for another time. Most avuncular advice about the current Trump of the flowering heads of the Yellow caused Stock Market Armageddon (Read Gerberas were of a heat ‘Mutated’ Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’). I’m hoping that he’s appearance, with double and triple not too disheartened, as prices go Up and headers some of them, with green or Down, but a comb-over is always a sign of vestigial yellow petals. Most of the vanity? casualties from Stephen’s over enthusiastic Message on a bottle – The major activity weed ripping of 25 Jan., have by now today was to get to Marrickville (423 bus browned off and died, leaving only one $3.59 then a long walk) to cash in some survivor, showing a green bud and the refundables and catch the Food Pantry’s beginnings of a new leaf. This was one I final day of the week (Wednesday, 10 am recovered from the Green bin and planted to 2 pm). So, at about 10 am I loaded up in a large pot, this is actually rather better the shopping trolley and packed a green than I had expected, and I will have to military canvas bag (Duffle bag sized) full lavish care on it, as it is a much needed of Plastic water bottles and I arrived on site Yellow. I ran off 4ea more copies of the at just after 11 am. For the day I scored Thomas Roseby booklet, for the Uniting $11.80 (118ea recycled!). While I was Church’s History section and Marrickville there, a bloke from the operator of the Heritage (Now have 5 left and Masters? facility wanted to photograph it being Load the washing machine at 8.30 pm, so it used, so I’ll be World Famous in some parts will finish at midnight, after my walk with of Marrickville soon, or on a wanted poster Rusty? Blood 9.05 am – 6.4, 11.55 pm – 8.5 (suppose I could shave to put them off the scent?). Today I tried out an idea. There

is something about some bottles / cans that Rusty was not howling. My plans to go and makes some of them due a refund, while visit Mother later this afternoon, just and others, made of the same stuff are withered in the sun. My ears are stuffed rejected by the machine. This is of course up so I’m fairly deaf today, so tomorrow is the bar coded label, but some street nearly as good as today? At the 428 bus collected items are too crushed for the stop there was an older African man label to be read, and others have parted dragging two large (and empty?) wheeled company with their label, resulting in them suitcases. So I asked him, ‘Are you from being left on the street etc. So possessing a Sierra Leone?’ He said Yes. So we had a brain, I decided to copy the barcodes from nice chat about Dr Serrie Kamara, (a bloke some loose labels and most of the I’d be happy to call a brother) who we previously rejected plastic water bottles now both knew quite well. go through! Full colour copies worked Blood 8.15 am – 7.0, 10.40 pm – 7.7. better than Black and White ones. So, yet Thursday Feb. 08 - Many concerns today – another victory on the environment front, Stephen visits, I send out Roseby stuff to snatched from the very jaws of Landfill, and likely to be interested groups, Watered the an extra $1 worth of groceries from Garden, mowed the lawn, went pill Woolworth for me. shopping at Campsie, as I had run out of I looked in at Reverse Garbage, where I pills and consequently spent most of the bought a carpet sample (to line Rusty’s day feeling slow and stupid. I took Rusty sleeping crate) and a book, $1 each. for a late night walk, then I cut my own At the Food Pantry I bought packet of eight hair, as it is getting greasy and the equinox Frankfurters (6 points) two three bottle is nigh! Blood 9.05 am – 6.4, 11.55 pm – ‘Nudie’ brand Apple drinks (2x3 points) A 8.5. dozen no-name eggs (4 points) two tins of Friday Feb. 09 - Major concerns of the day mixed vegetables (2x2 points) two tins of – Off my meds for a day and a bit so I gain Condensed Milk (2x2 points) a tin of Peach a kilo in mass! I visited Mother, some Aldis slices (3 points), 2 litres of milk (3 points), a shopping, Opal Card re-charge and so on. packet of Rice crackers (1 point) a bag of Blood 9.10 am – 7.4, 10.45 pm – 8.9. small snickers (1 point) and having spent Saturday Feb. 10 - Major concern of the more than $5, I was given a bag of Bread day – My Elon Musk letter is published in this Rolls and a half loaf of sliced white bread. morning’s SMH. Second one up this year! This lot was 30 points or $15. Economy aids Made up 16 ea Roseby letters, to post. better eating? Out on the veranda I had a It rains again tonight, so no walkies for free lunch of sorts, being some little Rusty. Blood 8.00 am – 8.3, 11.15 pm – 9.8. sausages, some of the left over hot food Sunday Feb. 11 - Major concern of the day and micro muffins from a hotel’s breakfast – I’m getting a lift to Marrickville on buffet. Where this food goes on Thursday to Monday, so I do some daylight Wombling, Sunday when the Food Pantry is closed, is a without Rusty, to stock up on refundables. fairly simple guess. After eating, I re- Blood 8.40 am – 8.2, 11.45 pm – 8.6. labelled the rejected plastic water bottles, Monday Feb.12 - Major concern of the day and fed them into the machine. Then, as it – At Marrickville I score $16.30 on the Trash was fairly warm (30 something degrees) and ATM, some returns, spend $10 at the Food as I was carrying a fair weight of food, I Pantry (quite a lot of food items and free decided to try a different way home, one day old bread), which includes ‘Pet Milk,’ with less walking, so it was a 428 bus to that is Milk FOR pets, rather than milk MADE Canterbury Station, (Free, a Transfer I think?) OUT of pets, like Almond ‘Milk.’ I also a single stop to Campsie Station ($2.42), a spend $3 at Reverse Garbage on plastic pause for some shopping (see above), then specimen jars. As they had a large photo a bit of a wait for the next 412 bus home enlarger for sale, I asked the R.G. boss ($0.15, i.e. $2 off as it continued the train lady, ‘Are you expecting any interest to journey). And so I was home at ~2 pm. Develop in this?’ It takes a moment for her 35

to get the joke. Blood 7.30 am – 8.0, 11.20 intersection. Chance or evidence of the pm – 8.0. Window breaking then repairing scam. Tuesday Feb. 13 - Major concern of the day I.e. slingshot fires ball bearings from – My February Fortean Times aports, as beyond the shop’s Closed Circuit does my stock pick newsletter. I spend the camera’s field of view, then quotes to AM working on the Short Story booklet, ‘Eves repair the damage. Gift and other SF&F Stories from the 2017 Blood 8.40 am – 7.7, 11.20 pm – 6.2. Sydney Freecon.’ Eventbrite shows one Sunday Feb. 18 - Major concern of the day Sydney Futurian meeting booking. – Not much done, other than reading the Blood 8.15 am – 7.0, 11.10 pm – 6.0 newspapers. I have been watching rather Wednesday February 14 - Major concern of a lot of Star Trek, first Classic Star Trek and the day – Received at home some then Voyager Star Trek. The reason for this documents about a buy-out of one of my is that my DVR is ‘full’, not counting Mother’s investments – Timely money in. The deletions, so I’ve got to watch my way Rhubarb suffers from the heat again! It through some months of Why-did-I-record – seems that I collected a pool cover last that? Tapings until I can face formating the light, or a big circular blue plastic Flying machine and starting again. Saucer cover? Sent two letters to the I found the Science Fiction element of the editor – off into the silent unresponsive void. Classic Star Trek to be noticeable Blood 8.40 am – 7.8, 11.55 pm – 7.5. compared to the ‘character develop- Thursday February 15 - Major concern of the ment’ emphasis of Voyager. But what I day – Wrote up recent Concord Library noticed most was the diversity of the young meeting notes, started on the (fragmentary) women served up each episode. They 2017 Sydney Freecon notes. News of were all young, attractive and showed no ‘Progress’ arrives, sometime soon the NBN signs of the surgically assisted conformity will be arriving in our street – Really! Mixed currently seen on TV, differing body shapes, 19th and 20th century communications natural looking faces. In Voyager, even technology, faster than the steam under the prosthetic face masks you could telegraph. Who says Steam Punk is living in be pretty sure that all minor facial faults the past / misplaced nostalgia, now what had been corrected to Industry Standard message to spray paint on the node box? conformity (I have at times found it difficult Not much physical effort at all today. to tell some female characters on US TV Blood 8.10 am – 8.5, 11.15 pm – 8.9. programs apart, possibly why British and Friday February 16 - Major concern of the Australian Made TV appeal?). Note that day – Some walking associated with trip into high Blood Sugar reading, OK, so I had one town for Sydney Futurians meeting. The Bloody Kit Kat at 10 pm. Blood 9.05 am – Eventbrite booker didn’t show up, so 8.2, 11.55 pm – 10.5. overbooking is unlikely to be a problem. At home I received another offer ($0.73) for Monday Feb. 19 - Major concerns of the Mother’s shares - $2000 lower than the first day - Writing up Friday’s Futurian meeting. ($0.95) offer. This is possibly one of these Blood 10.00 am – 7.6, 11.55 pm – 7.4. sucker bait efforts, preying on the easily Tuesday Feb. 20 - Major concern of the day confused elderly. Each $2000 signature – During the afternoon, I visit Mother with would pay for a lot of mail outs! Not two forms for her to sign. I found her pleased, will visit and get Mother’s signature asleep, hunched up in her chair, in the on the real offer soon. dark. She had great difficulty in writing a Blood 8.20 am – 8.7, 11.20 pm – 6.5 larger legible signature. I.e. I asked her to Saturday Feb. 17 - Major concerns of the try to do it bigger, to fill the response box day – Stephen over for a meeting, I write on the form, but she couldn’t do this. To and post the quarterly PAYE cheques for date, three replies to the Roseby letter, Mother and I, posting them while walking quite good considering. Bin night, took Rusty. I discover steel ball bearings at the Rusty for a walk, found a heap of children’s books. 36

Blood 8.15 am – 7.3, 11.55 pm – 8.0. and single use plastic drink cups stand out Wednesday Feb. 21 - Major concerns of the more clearly, and you can trace a trash day – Business as usual? – At the moment trail of coffee cups back to the place my bank balance is low. I’m a not broke, where they sell ‘better’ coffee. The extra just having to live through a few months of length of tonight’s walk is shows up in the an annual dividend drought. This month I next morning’s Blood result. have to meet quarterly PAYE payments and Blood 8.55 am – 8.5, 11.50 pm – 6.1. there is a ‘they-are-giving-away-money Thursday Feb. 22 - Major concern of the rights issue on the immediate future, so I day – Getting into town for a SMSA talk on have to cash in something. Scientific Fraud, shopping and visit library So I spend the morning reviewing what I’ve etc., Will go by a less than direct route, to got, what they pay and when they pay etc., benefit from Opal Card Anomalies. It so I can identify what should be sold off went Bus $2.15, Train $1.11, then Train $3.11, without reducing real soon dividends. This Bus $0.15, so its $3.11 by train from Campsie takes all morning, but by the miracle of to the City Vs $4.61 by bus (412 or 423), the online broking services, I’m solvent enough faster, indirect route picking up a $2 by lunchtime. discount for the Bus/Train mode change. This afternoon I notice something, or rather I arrived at Town hall Station, just after it’s what I do not see that catches my noon. On the street there was a vocal attention. The Banana plant growing altercation between two rather grubby about 60 cm from the back fence is no looking homeless people, street sleepers, longer visible over the chook shed roof! over a doorway sleeping spot in front of Good Neighbours? – I see the banana plant the old County Council building on has been cut – again – Crew Cut style, well George Street, which previously was the below the fence line, and it will take weeks monopoly Electricity provider. The to regrow, its summer growth cut off, so I go desirability of this spot being that it is well lit for a walk to speak to my rear neighbour, at at night and only a few steps away from a 5 Parker Ave., to clear up any pop-up Police Station, i.e. the homeless ‘misunderstanding’ about trespass and person sleeping here is Not going to be property destruction. During a front door attacked or molested at night. They were interview with two voices that are Invisible separated by someone who was dressed behind a shark proof steel screen door, I’m casually, who evidently knew them by told by (older) her that she did it, but only name, possibly a welfare worker, and the the bits hanging over the fence and she did latecomer was directed to a nearly as it because by ‘Chinese Culture’ the sight of desirable spot a few doors away, under Banana leaves is extremely unlucky. Both the protective aura of the lights and CC claims are untrue, she cut much more than cameras of a 7/11 type convenience store. that and a web search immediately reveals Says something about Sydney Real estate that by Chinese Culture Banana leaves are when even the homeless have a strong in fact ‘one of the fourteen items precious opinion. The talk itself was packed 140 to Scholars,’ not bad luck at all. So I’m not people! Even the lifts were crowded with too pleased. I put up a 5 metre long sheet SMSA members. See elsewhere for my of roofing steel against the fence, to block notes on the talk. access, as a visual reminder and as pre- Blood 8.30 am – 6.3, 10.55 pm – 7.2. emptive protection against any more Friday Feb. 23 - Major concern of the day – ‘misunderstandings’. Getting the lawn cut to earn the approval Tonight I take Rusty out for a longer than of my neighbours, mowed the nature strip, usual walk tonight, to Northcote Avenue, driveway and the back yard, for Rusty’s out for about an hour, we struggle to collect convenience. No mail for me today, but I less than a dozen refundables during this get two for number 3, so does the postie hour, so the streets and gutters ARE less get the rest of the street wrong, from an littered than previously, but the fag packets initial confusion about 1A. (Image, a

Busby Berkley type synchronous routine of Went to Campsie at around 5 pm, looked every householder walking out to take the around St Vinnies, bought one $2 book, mail out of their letter box and walking it to then did some grocery shopping at the letterbox one house up the street?) Woolworths. I found 3 nice books at the Couch potato like, I watched and deleted Campsie Station Tardis. The meeting a few more recorded TV programs, down to turned out to be a twice quorum bounced 9ea, but still at ‘Memory Full - 96%.’ Turn the AGM. My being present may have machine off and re-boot (but not reset) gets supplied the quorum, allowing the AGM to me space to tape an hour of program each proceed? I made a few suggestions based re-boot. Used the exercise bike, it evidently on my experiences promoting the 2017 lowered my Blood glucose level after an Sydney Freecon, and I handed over a indulgent meal? copy of my Roseby booklet. Blood 8.40 am – 8.7, 11.15 pm – 7.0. First World Problems – Exiting Woolworths, I Saturday Feb. 24 - Major concern of the day saw that someone had dropped two (still – Finally pulled the pin. Re-formatted the warm) Pizzas on the pavement near DVR, so much space to record, but precious Woolworths. I made mental plans to little on ‘Don’t-Give-a-damn-it’s the-Winter- recover these later, after the C&DHS Olympics’ TV programming, so I watched meeting, under the cover of darkness, for my DVD of series 1 of ‘Misfits,’ where Rusty’s breakfast enjoyment. Returning troubled young offenders get some strange later, I found nothing left but some grease superpowers and then have to live with the stains on the concrete! At the KFC (9.45 consequences. Much ‘real’ than ‘Heroes,’ pm?) I found that had arrived precisely 12 which covers similar ground. minutes after they had RUN OUT OF Blood 9.20 am – 6.5, 11.10 pm – 8.7. CHICKEN. Shades of the recent UK KFC Sunday Feb. 25 - Major concern of the day – Crisis that took briefly took Brexit off the Tree eviction and Home duties - post the front pages. During this evening’s outing, Banana Tree incident, I inspected and here and there, I picked up about ten policed the South West quarter, i.e. the refundables during the outing. narrow space between the Garage and the Blood 9.30 am – 9.0, 10.35 pm – 8.4. fences. I cut off and removed five would- Wednesday Feb. 28 - Major concern of the be trees, must remember to ‘Roundup’ any day – The last day of summer! - Getting to re-growth. On the internet I encounter Marrickville for a refundables dump and a Philipino SF. It exists, but can I find anyone Food Pantry buy up. When loaded up ant local to talk about it? I Missed out on doing travelling with ‘all my worldly goods’ I live a PM reading, too tired. Blood 9.10 am – in fear of the bus foyer crowding live 7.8, No PM test toddler traffickers and their seat devouring doublewide baby strollers (and God bless Monday Feb. 26 - Major concern of the day the IVF industry responsible for the current – Portfolio pruning without any recent epidemic of twin births), and I do prefer to dividends and a rights issue on the horizon. avoid the more frequent peak hour busses, Also a call from St George Direct, Last but just after 9 am some busses delayed by Week’s third attempt to fully manage return journeys from the city tend to fall Mother’s investments (her intention) has hit a behind schedule or are cancelled etc., setback. Another form, set of signatures leading to Street Theatre moments. So, I and Powers of Attorney forms are required. was out of the house at about 9.30 am, on The form they send me online refuses to the way in, on the bit past 10 am 423 bus I download / print, as it is interactive, so I go was entertained by three blokes (one with to the St George Direct website to find and knee scars). Their conversation was about print one off. an attempt to connect a ‘thing’ between Blood 8.35 am – 7.5, 11.40 pm – 8.7. his guitar and amplifier, which was run off Tuesday Feb. 27 - Major concern of the day his ipad. Trials of Job it sounded like, a – Canterbury and District Historical Society day wasted on the phone talking to meeting and KFC’s 9 pieces for $9 night. 38

suppliers, retailers and other internet At the Food Pantry I spent $15, buying; 2kg denizens, as passwords failed to effect Cold Power Washing powder (12 points), installation, due to his NBN protocols not 825g tin of peaches (7 points, while a same recognising / permitting his software apps size tin of pears was only 3 points?) 2Litres and so on. Then the large and loud Mr of Ice cream (4 points) and all at one point Cranky gets onto the bus, with a large each, 2ea 1 litre Pet Milk, Rice Crackers, foldable wheeled walker which he plants in Brown Crisp Bread, so 30 points = $15. the middle of the busses aisle and Is this really a saving? Dunno. I admit DEMANDS (not asks) people in an already that I do tend to buy some items at Food crowded and delayed bus to get up and Pantry prices that I really wouldn’t try give him a seat. The people ‘in his way,’ otherwise, to fill out those last few points to are elderly and Greek people, who may not make a $5, $10 or $20 buy. Possibly I’m understand his language, but clearly eating better as well. As usual, they understood his belligerence. The fact of offered me bread, and I accepted a half the matter is that any accommodation of loaf of black seeded bread, and outside, him will cost several other equally frail folk at 11.30 am Breakfast was being served. their seats. He then threatens to get off So I bagged some boiled eggs, bacon, the bus with anyone who comments on his little sausages and pancakes for later demand willing to ‘settle’ the matter, consumption and headed back to the presumably with his fists. trash ATM to re-try some once rejected The bloke with two knee replacements gets bottles. No success with these, but noticing up and stands, so Mr Cranky has his seat, on the bloke with the camera set up (a bit his unfolded walker, enthroned in the area rude I think, no warning ‘you might be of the fold up seats, so his seat is preventing filmed’ or explanation – Tax people?), four other people from sitting. I had by presumably as some sort of time and that point already given up my seat three motion study of the trash ATMs in use. times, and if I was to stand, with the trolley So I gave an impassioned off the cuff there would be no net increase in available interview, talking to the bloke as if the seating. So, here we have proof that not camera wasn’t there. They need to do only the young suffered from an intolerable something about the non-refundable glass sense of entitlement? I decided to walk bottles that are piled up, filling red from the bus stop ~500 metres, was passed ‘Rubbish’ bins. Back on the road, on the by a 428 bus, that might have been a free 428 to Canterbury station I encountered a ‘Transfer’ ride. At the Trash ATM there are toddler in transportation. It was teething people, lots of them, some with a mountain and mouthing Mum’s Opal card. I of boxes, others with cubic metre sized commented on this, saying that it was bags, and one Glass Bottles portal is being commendable that her baby had already worked on by a bloke, so it is a while before developed a taste for public transport at I have a clear go. With my trolley and a such a young age. Canterbury Station, polythene cloth bag full pf plastic bottles, I then Campsie station, then a 473 bus to manage to score $11.80 in Woolworths the Clemton park shops and a walk up the vouchers, (Bus fares for the day; 423 - $3.58, hill. I was Home just on 1 pm, in time to 428 - $3.58, Train - $0.45, 473 - $0.15 = $7.76), catch the US PBS News service and to so the refundables do cover the bus fare, have lunch. The mail was seen to arrive but not by much, probably more cash is at about 1.30 pm, my business newsletter retained by the savings from using the Food and letters explaining my recent ~$2000 Pantry? bank account bump. At Reverse Garbage I bought; a bag of I spent the twilight hours writing up my books (14ea) for $5 and 10ea fold-back account of the last two days adventures. clips for $1.00. Most of these books will l do the rest of last week later I guess. end up being swapped for books that might Blood 9.40 am – 8.1, 11.40 pm – 8.6. appeal to Freecon attendees. END OF FEBRUARY - Mass – 141.4 kg.

An Index to this issue’s Book Reviews, pages 14 to 25, organized A to Z by Author. Pages 13 & 14 - ‘Stress Pattern,’ by Neal Barrett Jr.

Page 14 -‘The Burglar who quoted Kipling,’ by Lawrence Block, (US)

Pages 15 & 16 - ‘The Reward,’ by Peter Corris,

So, how is Rusty going? Does he miss Page 15 - ‘Mars Probes,’ short stories Mother, does he miss Amber? Hard to say, about Mars, Ed. by Peter Crowther the Basenjis really is an alien intelligence. So, this year he is 14, according to Rudyard Pages 15 & 16 - ‘The Ganymede Kipling (Second Kipling reference this issue), Takeover,’ by Philip K. Dick and by now the majority of his life has been and Ray Nelson (US), spent with me, with occasional weekend Pages 16 & 17 - ‘Time Station London,’ respite with Stephen, so Rusty must now be by David Evans US, considered to be an ‘Old’ dog, and ‘After Rusty’ is on my mind, but not urgently. Page 17 - ‘Over the Top, Great Battles of WW1,’ by Martin Marix Evans UK,

Obtaining a new Basenjis friend or Page 17 - ‘Dune,’ by Frank Herbert replacement for Rusty will be harder to arrange than previously, as I no longer have Page 18 - ‘The Road to Dune,’ by Frank the links to the ‘Basenjis Community’ any Herbert, Brian Herbert & K. J. Anderson more, and a pup (or two) is a $1000 plus Pages 18 & 19 - ‘Green Beach,’ each, 15 year commitment (perhaps a by James Leasor Greyhound, I’ve already got the collars?). Page 19 - ‘City of illusions,’ Both are issues I’d rather not dwell on just by Ursula K. Le Guin now. Health-wise he seems OK, not losing Pages 19 & 20 - ‘Seek the Fair Land,’ weight or condition to my eyes. Without by Walter Macken Amber the occasional ‘Splashdown’ incidents on the lino or the carpet no longer Page 20 - ‘Halo’ by Tom Maddox seem to be happening. Rusty now gets all Pages 20 & 21 - ‘An Excellent Mystery, the scraps and all the loving, so much so Cadfael No. 11.’ by Ellis Peters that the rate of actual dogfood consumption is way down on previously. Page 21 - ‘The Dark Side,’ Rusty is occasionally a ‘drippy’ dog, and the by Roger Rogerson (Aust.), coughing spells due to his heart murmur are Pages 21 & 22 - ‘Jutland 1916, Death in more noticeable. He is still eager to take the grey wastes,’ by Nigel Steel up the lead and go on walks, at any hour, and Peter Hart he is more of an indoors dog now, no longer having to keep out of Amber’s bitch zone. Page 22 - ‘The German Empire, 1871 to If I’m in a room, he feels compelled to join 1919,’ by Michael Sturmer (Ger.), me or take up a station outside the door. Pages 22 & 23 - ‘An Iron Rose,’

by Peter Temple So, that’s life with Rusty, as of April 1, 2018. Page 23 - ‘Man Eater,’ by Marilyn Todd