Words

Eagerly and with intent I tried to find a proper Australian dictionary online. I soon found that the Macquarie Dictionary of Australian English is the standard but unfortunately it is only available from certain universities to their own students and staff. It would be good if my own university were to add this reference work to their resources but I doubt that will.
If you look online for Australian English you'll find some slang web sites which are good fun but I want to find something more substantial. Apparently, Australian English is closer to British English than American English, which has deviated more seriously. Even so, Australian English is notorious for an idiosyncratic vocabulary; they've made up some cracking new words along the way. Knowing that in Queensland 'a pot' is a measure of a beer glass, 'a two pot screamer' is someone who can't hold their drink. A friend of mine from Cairns recently said of a certain business outlet that they were 'a bit shonky'.
I feel an urge to accommodate the Australian element in my heritage more fully and what better way to start doing this than by focusing on the lingo? Ripper!

Vogon Verse

Tried the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Vogon Poem generator with the following result:

See, see the vivacious sky
Marvel at its big brown depths.
Tell me, David do you
Wonder why the hippopotamus ignores you?
Why its foobly stare
makes you feel drowsy.
I can tell you, it is
Worried by your zontagio facial growth
That looks like
A a light bulb.
What's more, it knows
Your plinker potting shed
Smells of pea.
Everything under the big vivacious sky
Asks why, why do you even bother?
You only charm a small ponds.

Give it a try at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/hitchhikers/vogonpoetry/lettergen.shtml

Summer's Day

It's a beautiful warm day here in Bristol. Every year I enjoy the blossoming of Spring, the abundance of Summer and all the fresh fragrances of nature rejoicing. I don't think I would like to live somewhere where the seasons don't occur with such variety.
Meanwhile, on the poetry front, I hear that Lulu.com, the US based Print-On-Demand facility, might be preparing to launch a UK outlet. That would be very good news for yours truly as Lulu, unlike almost all other POD companies, don't charge for services in order to set up books as the author does all of the formatting and preparation of the manuscript. I did enjoy learning how to do all this with my two books on Lulu.com. It's a real community with forum-based tips and suggestions from authors to other authors and the whole thing has a good feel to it. So, I think I will wait and see what happens with their UK plans and think again about proceeding with any other projects in the mean time.
My books on Lulu.com so far:

Remembering Dreams





En de Nacht Verwacht de Dageraad

Londinium

Today, four weeks after the first bomb attacks on London, a huge police presence is on show, protecting tube and buss passengers. When the bombs went off on 7/7 I was at work, receiving BBC emailed news updates. A friend of mine who was due to visit us here in England (I do not live in London) has postponed her trip until further notice. I was intending to visit London for the day over the coming weeks but I've decided against it for now. How different must it be if you live in the capital and need to use public transport to get to work on a daily basis. Londoners are resilient and will bounce back but it comes to something when you have to feel unsafe just getting on a train.

A new plan for a new book is slowly percolating as I write these lines. I'm always thinking up new projects and schemes; it must be the Gemini-factor rearing its many-faceted head..
We are now the proudish owners of a brand new computer. One that should make my writing related activities a lot easier. Meanwhile, I also have to finish a gothic novella I started on before our trip to Australia. And, as ever, the next issue of the magazine looms just over the horizon.

As I write this there is news of Al Qaida issuing more terror warnings for London. Great..