The Demise of Buranda Railway Station

Due to a stupid act of thoughtless selfish arson, Brisbane has lost one of its older-style railway stations. Buranda Railway Station, on the southern side of Brisbane, was burnt down on Sunday night by a teenage boy of 17 who lives at Loganlea. When he was up in court today, the judge (and rightly so) did not give him any leniency, and remanded him without bail.

I've been through Buranda Station. It was a lovely sweet older-style station. The railway line first went through Buranda station and others like it, weaving its way down to Cleveland in 1888. While I doubt that the timber and iron construction Stationmaster's Office, loos and sheltered seating area date back to that time, they are still old enough have been built back in the 1950s or earlier.

To have them destroyed in a raging fire is not only criminal, but also such a waste of what little bits of heritage Brisbane still has. Not to mention the total disruption it has caused commuters on an already heaving and overworked train network.

A new station will be a long time in the coming, although according to Queensland Rail, there will be a temporary structure on the platform by the weekend, and port-a-loos are already in place, as are railway staff to help commuters who have no other option but to use the station. It goes without saying that Queensland Rail have done a fantastic job in this situation (where others would no doubt have failed), and should be commended for such quick action in getting the station up and running again, even if only in the most rudimentary manner.

I hope the little shit who did this gets more than a fine and a slap on the wrist. Perhaps making him pay the cost that will inevitably fall to the taxpayers for the construction of a new station and replacement of everything lost would be a good start?

Grrrr...

The Cuteness That Is My Dalmatian

I had plans of posting an update on my current doings, but then as I was doing a bit of a clean up of old files, I came across some of my silly dalmatian when he was just a tiny puppy. Seriously, they are too cute NOT to share. But if this type of thing bores you, please feel free to skip this entry :-)

These pics were taken, for the most part, at the breeders, the day I went out to pick which puppy I wanted. In the end, he picked me, but that's another story! The only picture not taken at the breeders is the one of him asleep in his bed. Please note - he was so small when he first arrived, that the bed he is sleeping in belongs to my cats! He was smaller than they are, and they were quite happy to let him know that with the odd beating going on when I wasnt there to protect him. Only one of my cats (Female Velcro Twin) chose to befriend him and look after him, and they remain firm friends to this day. The rest of the cats just put up with his company, or, when they think I'm not looking, try and attack him (Mr Vampire Teeth), tease him with promises of sharing toys (Male Velcro Twin), or just plain do a battle of wits against him (She Who Must Be Obeyed).

Either way, enjoy the pics (or not!)

Is It St Patrick's Day (and March) Already???

Right about now, I'm struggling to even remember what day of the week it is, let alone the date...

But apparently it is St Patrick's Day - has been all day, in fact! So to those of Irish descent (and I am one of them), blah blah blah etc etc etc....

Sorry - just too tired to think straight at the moment.

I'm into my third week of university, my second week of having a skin allergy caused by something in my yard, and my first week of serious storms (in a while). The university studies are keeping me busy - doing a language, especially a foreign one, involves conjugating verbs among other things....

My itchy extremities aren't quite so itchy as they were last week, and are now mostly to be found on my hands....

And the dog (big sook that he is) came in last night due to the ripper storm we had. But he's in a sulk with me because he thinks I've been keeping him outside because I had another dog inside. What that translates as is - he saw his reflection in the mirror inside the display cabinet, and took it to be another dalmatian. Silly pup. He also saw himself on my webcam last night and thought it was yet another dog...

Dad tells me this is quite normal - he has a horse that spends inordinate amounts of time looking at his reflection in the window.

Animals are odd creatures :-)

Various things that come to mind...

This blog entry proves to be more about various things that come to mind, than about one particular thing in, well, particular.

But before we start....just a point of note - this is my 100th blog entry - apparently....

And now, without further adieu:

So, firstly....

Who We Need To Say Goodbye To (a.k.a remembering those who have passed recently):

• Majel Barrett Rodenberry, who died December 18th, 2008.

Will Wheaton did a very nice blog entry about it here:

http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/wwdnbackup/2008/12/a-moment-of-sil.html

She will be sorely missed, that's for sure.

• Philip Jose Farmer, who died February 25th, 2009

A very good Sci-Fi writer - one I am still reading through. He was 91 when he died, so not a bad innings, all told.

• Wendy Richard, who died February 26th, 2009

Good ol' Pauline Fowler, from "Eastenders". Also Miss Brahms from "Are You Being Served?" I for one enjoyed watching her on the telly, and will miss her, as she was always one of my favourite actors in both those shows.

So now, secondly,

Neil Gaiman, where did you go???? I was getting worried!

As you might well have noticed, I tend to follow a lot of writer's blogs, one of them being Neil Gaiman's. Thing is...he stopped blogging for a while there (about a fortnight), and even though I've not met him in person (though I would love to), I was starting to worry that something had happened to him, as he is a very regular blogger. Nice to see he's back now though...

Words of wisdom (yet again) from John Scalzi:

I like this man. I really do. I like the way he thinks, I like the way he writes. I like the way he "sensibly" dishes out commentary on what it's like to be a writer, and puts readers in their place, without (I think, anyway) stepping on too many toes. I just plain like him.

So, from his blog, I will point you to a few favourite reads, and mention (perhaps, or perhaps not), why I like them, and why I chose to include them:

PISSY FANS:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/02/23/pissy-fans/

Yep, he definitely has a point here. It can be a real pain in the arse when people want you to get stuff done NOW, just because they have the patience of a gnat. Yes, a G-N-A-T. It will get done, when it gets done. Humans have this thing called "a life", and it's not just a thing that normal, boring people do. It's something that everyone on the planet does - writers, actors, politicians, teachers, even the milk man. Live with it, and learn to chill.....

10 THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT AUTHORS:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2009/02/26/10-things-to-remember-about-authors/

Oh I love this man! Read this, and understand me - finally. Why I take forever to get stuff done, why sometimes I just DON'T finish a story etc. Again, can I say I LOVE THIS MAN! :-)

10 THINGS TEENAGE WRITERS SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WRITING:

http://whatever.scalzi.com/2006/04/27/10-things-teenage-writers-should-know-about-writing/

Been there, done that. All I can say is, thank God I'm not a teenage writer any more. Though what he says is also applicable to newbie writers. Everyone is bad at stuff when they first start out. It just takes time and PRACTICE.

And now, thirdly,

Ceramix has been on his soapbox, and very well spoken he is too. Go check out his blog NOW.

TOLERANCE:

http://ukceramix.blogspot.com/2009/02/tolerance.html

I sat and listened to the BBC2 radio broadcast about this woman. Having grown up with an injury to one of my arms that left me in a position where I regularly got called all manner of names from both students and teachers alike, I feel for her. And I don't at all like the narrowmindedness of certain people (who call themselves parents, no less!) in their total disregard for her feelings, let alone for the simple fact that there is nothing wrong with her as such. So she's missing a bit of an arm. So what? It hasn't stopped her living a normal life, why should it affect her ability to be a television presenter? Grrrr....

AM I MISSING SOMETHING OBVIOUS?:

http://ukceramix.blogspot.com/2009/02/am-i-missing-something-obvious.html

Umm....no....you aren't missing anything that I can see. It's your government that seems to be missing the plot. Add to this I read an article this week stating that your rail prices will go down next year, but that there is also the possibility that some of the privatised stations and lines and such will have to be handed back to the government as they aren't making a profit. Sorry, but what about basic services for the masses? Or doesn't Britain condone that anymore? You know, simple things like a public postal service, a public transport network (that actually works), even the right to be intelligent and bright and demure (see the results for the University Challenge last week where Oxford's Corpus Christie College wiped the board with the other team, and their leader was a women who single-handedly answered over 800 of the 1200+ questions BY HERSELF. And boy, is she wearing it now!).

Right...end of post.

The Invasion of the Gekko Lords....

It's almost Autumn here. I can feel it. And besides which, the calender states that Autumn is due to begin this coming Sunday, 1st March. Our seasons, are, apparently, somewhat unique. For over here, in this Great Southern Land, our seasons last exactly three months each. For example, Autumn goes from 1st March - 31st May.

Every. Single. Year.

Winter, the season I was born in, goes from 1st June - 31st August, with Spring right after it. The only season that has changeable days is Summer because it finishes in February, and so every four years, our Summer is one day longer.

Now, I've grown up with this system, so it's normal to me, but in a conversation recently with an overseas friend, they seemed rather surprised by our system. They thought it a tad ludicrous that we have, as they put it, "regimented seasons". But it works for us. At least we don't have to worry about what day a season will start on, because we know already. Just as we have always known, since Australia was settled by the British, anyway.

But seasons do odd things to people and pets alike. My dog, for example. He's getting into his third winter this year, and it makes me wonder if this year will be the one in which he decides he likes the idea of the nice warm dog coat I bought him last year, and will actually wear it when the weather gets cold. That said, he's not quite two yet, so he's still got a lot of growing to do.



As you can see from the pictures, he's growing up fast, but still loves to play with his toys. He's a good boy though, and being a dalmatian, he'll never really mature, and become serious and dependable and *proper*, like other dogs, for dalmatians are known the world over as being larrikins, jokesters, and generally a hell of a lot of fun to be around. He's good at protecting the yard and the cats, and barking at me when I come into the property, or out of one of my doors, but I'm sure he'll figure it all out in the end.



These gekkos, though, seem to be the scouts for an invasion. Everywhere I look these days, I see gekkos. Hundreds of the little buggers. On my windows, running across my walls, trying to look inconspicuous on the ceiling. I just hope that when they invade, their terms for surrender are acceptable....

That said, I've had a sick cat recently. One of the velcro twins has been less than well, and so she's been getting a bit of extra love and attention. Dad thinks it's probably worms, and so with some careful planning, and help from a friend, we attempted to worm the cats on the weekend. Needless to say, Mr Vampire Teeth didn't take it too well, and promptly started to shred both of us, and then proceeded to froth at the mouth in an attempt to rid himself of the yucky worming paste we squirted down the back of his throat. She Who Must Be Obeyed (Or She'll Rip Your Furniture To Shreds) actually chose to lick her dose off the end of the syringe (good little girl that she is), while my sick Velcro Twin got enough of a dosage to do the job. Her brother managed to avoid all the fuss by hiding, so he's the only one who didn't get dosed. But his day will come....in a fortnight....

But the velcro twin in question has been having extra love and kisses recently, which includes bringing her out of the cat room (now that they are inside), and sitting with her on my lap in front of the tv, or at the computer of an evening, and sometimes through the day. The other night, though, we were sitting where we could, apparently, see the kitchen windows, because despite being so ill she's currently just a bag of bones, she was well enough to launch herself at the windows to have a go at those pesky gekkos in the photo above. So she can't be TOO bad....

Anyway, university calls, and I must be off!

Storms, trains, and the like.....

I was down in Oxley on Brisbane's south side today, visiting two of my grandmother's cousins and got caught in a rather nasty little storm on my way home. As you can see, it wasn't the friendliest sort of storm....

While I was waiting at the station, the rain started, and shortly after the train arrived and we set off, the storm hit with full intensity. I have to admit, it's a very odd experience to be stuck on a train when lightening hits. Very scary too. But despite all that, I did somehow manage to fall asleep a few times along my three hour journey home. I know we were delayed at two different stations along the route, due to trains having to be removed from the lines where they died (their electrics not tending to like rain and lightening and such), and so it delayed my normally two hour train ride by an hour.

That said....it was a good visit, and an interesting ride home.

He's got a "Man Cold".....almost! :-)

It seems poor Ceramix in Berkshire is down with a cold (a "man-cold"?). Hope he feels better soon! Mind you, with the weather that Britain (and his part in particular) has been suffering through, it's no real surprise that he's a bit poorly at the moment.

That said, university starts again in just over a week, so I am likely to be ill as well in about a month's time, if my normal university record is anything to go by.

This Semester I am stuyding a language. Hopefully a useful one, but only time will tell. I like learning languages. There's something *calming* about learning everything in a foreign tongue. Or at least, there is for me! :-)

Anyway...this post is just a marker. Not really a post at all. But just something to keep all my readers (like there's SO many of you!) happy.

Anything else going on? Oh yeah - its HOT. And MUGGY. And a fair bit WET.

Right then - that's me done.