Before we had modern laundry detergents with optical brighteners, there was a mysterious little blue bag which was stirred around in the final rinse water on washday. This was laundry bluing or blue. A factory-produced block was the "modern" (mid-19th century onwards), … [Read more...] about The Laundry Blues
Nostalgia
Where are my missing hours?
Every year when Summer Time kicks in, I miss out on an hour of sleep. Every year when Summer Time ends, I wake up an hour early. I still feel that an hour has been stolen from me. Imagine the confusion and ire when thirteen days were removed from the … [Read more...] about Where are my missing hours?
I want to be a Ninja
I nearly fell of my kitchen chair when I saw the headline Japanese town suffering a Ninja shortage, will pay $85,000 to anyone who wants to be one Anyone who wants to be one? Would they take me? Apparently the little town of Iga is the birthplace of the ninjas … [Read more...] about I want to be a Ninja
Down the Street
My Collingwood is rapidly changing. I don't want to see a return to the old days when the area was populated by the very desperate, but I don't like to see my tiny suburb transformed into a playground of the very rich. Surely there's a compromise somewhere? Perhaps … [Read more...] about Down the Street
The Allied Plot to Dye Mt Fuji black
In the waning months of World War II, as the likelihood of a land invasion of the Japanese home islands loomed, the United States’ Joint Intelligence Center, Pacific Ocean Areas (JICPOA) instituted a new psychological warfare unit under the command of Colonel Dana … [Read more...] about The Allied Plot to Dye Mt Fuji black
Stung at the Zoo
It's a long time since I've been to the Zoo. We went every month and more when I was a kid, a picnic park only a few tramstops away, with live animals, frightening animals, and a minimal entrance fee. Costs more to get in now, a fair whack when you're on a Senior … [Read more...] about Stung at the Zoo
Happy Birthday Dollar Bill
Golly if you remember pounds, shillings and pence you're as old as I am! The decimal currency is definitely an improvement over the old system but I still know my 12 times table. A bit hard to forget, the 12 times table, it was one of those things drummed into our … [Read more...] about Happy Birthday Dollar Bill
My new Music Release
This year I'm reviving my musical career with another recording, this time something completely different - Hip Hop ! Yes, a dramatic change from my customary crooning but you have to move with the times. And you know me, when I'm able to move, I move with the … [Read more...] about My new Music Release