Friday Five Time

There's a "National Read In The Bathtub Day" coming up next week, of all occasions...


1) Read any good books lately?
I'm currently working my way though the box set of The Witcher books by Andrzej Sapkowski, translated into English. Having watched the 2 seasons of the TV show, I have to say I wasn't expecting the depth, slower pace & different storyline that the books (I'm on the 3rd now) are providing... in a good way! Non-TV tie-inwise, I recently read the 2nd novel by Australian author Trent Dalton 'All Our Shimmering Skies' set in the Northern Territory during WWII & every bit as good as his first novel 'Boy Swallows Universe'

2) Taken any good baths lately?
I don't think I've had a bath this millennium... Before you accuse me of being unclean, I DO shower every day (& sometimes twice!!), it's just that there's no bathtub in WaitingManor. If spa-baths count, Long-Suffering Partner & I had one of those about 7 yeas ago

3) Do you read paper books, or do you prefer another format? I read physical books - both hard-cover & paperback. L-SP has a Kindle, but we just don't seem to get around to loading much onto it... there are a couple of Terry Pratchett books on there that, indicatively, I've been looking for physical copies of, but that's probably more to do with the fact I'm a completist when it comes to collecting authors', or musicians' works

4) Where's the most comfortable place in your home?
Depends what you're after. In the back yard there's a wooden bench that catches the morning & later afternoon sun which is nice in Winter, but a bit punishing in the Australian Summer, our sofa is nicely padded & long enough to stretch out on. But for reading, nothing beats the bed!!

5) What's the most relaxing sound you can put on?
I'm a 70s ambient fan, so Fripp & Eno's 'Evening Star' comes to mind first, followed by Eno's Ambient 4 - On Land', or 'Apollo' albums. To calm down for a while, before getting your energy back up to face the world, I strongly recommend 'Starless' by King Crimson... Starts gently, but you're up & running by the end

"Can You Tell Me How To Get...

... if you don't know the next line, you had a different childhood to mine

Here in Australia, the ABC must have started showing Sesame Street not long after it debuted in the USA in 1969, as I can't remember it not being on television & I was 2 in the Summer of '69 (though it would be many, many years later, that I got my first real 6-string!!) & I can remember seeing the show in black & white for a few years (Australia didn't get colour broadcast until 1975) & even though I was 7 years old by that time, I still watched this amazing 'kids show' & was amazed to see what colours Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird & Mr Snuffleupagus all were. Kermit, being a frog, was unsurprisingly green...

There's a new documentary about the origins, early years & continuing mission of Sesame Street, celebrating not only the off-the-wallness of Henson, Oz & their Muppets, but also the creators of the show's determination to be as racially & socially inclusive & educational as they could be. I think I need to go back to where the air is sweet one more time...

Watch on YouTube

I'll Try To Hold It Back!!

Related to my last post, here's how I remember colour TV coming to Australia...

Watch on YouTube

The Aunty Jack Show was a kind of Australian hybrid of Monty Python, The Goodies & All In The Family, only with more shameless parochial references & without anything like the budget of any of those influences. The effect of Aunty trying to hold down the rising colour & managing to remain B&W while the other cast members went colour, probably blew the meagre budget for that week... but it's my enduring memory of the time - priceless