Irreverently irrelevant.
Sysadmin, developer, web dude in a science research organisation. WordPress, Japan, planes, trains, Arduino, Raspberry Pi/Pico, puns, dad jokes, etc
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Markets and spectacles
We looked outside our window this morning to see warm blue skies and a market set up underneath the railway tracks. While shopping for groceries at the supermarket the previous night had been a painful ordeal, the opportunity to mingle with the locals at the stall selling fresh produce, breads, meats, seafood and miscellaneous items…
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A birthday in Paris
Alex has been talking about this day for months. He wanted so much to turn three so he can do “martial arts” at preschool with his slightly older friends. And he knew a bit about Paris thanks to some books brought back by his Nanna. He opened his presents, a complex Swiss wooden puzzle and…
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A noisy remembrance
In Australia we commemorate the 11 of November with a minute’s silence to remember those who have fallen in war. In Zurich the town centre is invaded by colourfully dressed brass bands playing loud music. But only because of the extra 11. It was 11-11-11 (well, 2011) and we were wandering through the old streets…
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The kingdom and the castle
After a very comfortable night’s sleep we arrived downstairs to a breakfast that included Kristina’s famous hot toasties. Saving our legs we bought day tickets on Pragues public transport system and caught a tram down to Prague’s funicular. The line runs up to Petrin, through a pretty park. Alex loudly declaimed his Daddy’s error in…
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To Prague
The overnight train was as good as it gets for travel. I awoke to farmlands covered in mist and frost, the bare branches of a coming winter visible in the pale light. Alex awoke and we sat together, watching signals whizz past, then a red sun rise into the morning sky. B made the mistake…
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Castles and night moves
I began writing this lying in the top bunk of a train from Amsterdam to Prague. There was a bit of Australianess in our time in Ghent. Apart from the Australian Ice Cream shop (funny how most of our ice cream shop advertise other countries like New Zealand or Copenhagen), there was Julia Gillard and…
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Getting to Ghent
As we descended into Kuala Lumpur, a tourist video on Malaysia was played for our benefit. It was awful. Cheesy lyrics, karaoke singing and claims to be everything. The slogan was “Malaysia, Truly Asia.” I’ve got a better one. “Malaysia. It’s yummy!” I’ve also got a slogan for Britain. “Britain: Under repair.” It didn’t help…
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Mummy!
London is one of the world’s great cities. It’s also congested, dingy and apparently almost nobody speaks English here without a non-English accent. Well, at least not near the city’s centre. Actually, I did hear two families and both had the fairest hair you could have and then there was the erudite guy seated next…