Alexander The Great

I have been watching the Oliver Stone film Alexander, about Alexander the Great. All the actors are Irish, which is wierd. Except Angelina Jolie who has a Bulgarian accent.

Where Have All the Ducklings Gone

We have been to Hagley Park today. It is a great place, the Christchirch equivalent of Regents Park. It has a playground with a huge paddling pool and an enormous area of beautifully planted Botanical Gardens through which the Avon wends its way prettily. There is a also a small lake which is home to a large quantity of ducks. But whilst there were a lot of adult ducks, there were no ducklings. Why is this? Perhaps they have all been eaten.

Toby at 2 and a half weeks

Here's a picture of Toby lying in his basket. He is doing well but spending a lot of time feeding.

Today the Ducks are Making Me Sad.

On Wednesday I counted sixteen ducklings on the pond. Today I counted only ten. That's heavy losses in two days, although I think that only a couple usually survive to grow into adulthood.

Who could imagine the tragic loss a mother duck must feel as she watches the size of her brood decline day by day. What a life of infinite sadness. Nature is indeed cruel.

Today the ducks are making me feel sad.

Duck News

There are now sixteen ducklings waddling happily on the lawn at the office with their mother. No sign of a father though.

Making Me Happy

Seen on the office pond today were twelve newly hatched baby ducklings. The staff are watching with interest and delight, and a slight sense of dread.

What's Bugging Me?

What's bugging you? That's the title of a weekly feature in the Selwyn Times, where they give grumpy old men outside New World the opportunity to sound off about whats on their mind. As a grumpy, newly middle aged man I have been waiting for my chance but it hasn't arrived. That's what's bugging me.

That and those tiny little individual labels they put on every piece for fruit saying what it is. How annoying are they? Very.

And another thing. They wash all the carrots now. They look very pretty but washed carrots only keep for about 6 hours.

This is the kind of needless hassle that degrades our lives.