Sunday, December 31, 2006

One today

Here he is again. Jeremy turned one years old today. He showed us how he could already walk, only learnt days earlier. Not a bad effort. He is a very content boy and is willing to try (taste) new things. His big sister gives him a lot of love and attention which may have something to do with his progress. I think he likes his new car.

Monday, December 25, 2006

Christmas 06

11pm, played bass at church. 5:10am, my niece Emily jumped on me. All the birds told her it was time to get up. Time for coffee.
Little nephew Boo got lots of presents.
Score! Update my list of possessions to include a CD of Herman's Hermits.
I gave Brando a bench vice. Don't think I am pushing him too hard into a career of practical engineering because he is already 8.
I had a tinker on our old piano. You can see middle C is chipped.
Mum and Dad gave me a puzzle. Had it done on the kitchen table before lunch, with some help from my sister's husband's sister's husband.

And there is my cake (which is very good). Someone put a reindeer on top made from wine corks.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Christmas Cake

Um, I made a Christmas cake. A bit of a rushed job, but it's my first fruit cake in many years. The picture is not very flattering, either of my cake or my kitchen. You can see the Vegemite there that we use for many things. Once at my sisters it may get decorated. It has soft icing that I rolled out. The cake is a heavy Christmas cake, chockers full of fruit and nuts. But it may scare some people to know the substitutes I made. Instead of a cup of brandy and a cup of wine, I used 2 cups of root beer and good dash of imitation vanilla. But it didn't stop there. I didn't have enough almond nuts, so it has heaps of peanuts and walnuts. Some of the eggs were 6 months old. Instead of a orange and a lemon, I used a orange and another orange that was quite old. I didn't have a rolling pin so used a Thermos flask. A few other compromises also, but it's all good and a very nice cake. Happy Christmas.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The Wedded Life

Many different couples come to me for counseling and ask: "Jonny, how is it that we can keep our love for each other strong, our relationship a fresh, and a life together that is long?" Actually not many say it quite like that. (Refer to my mind reading post). To be perfectly honest, no one asks me at all. In fact I am told I wouldn't know the first thing about marriage. But this often comes from people who seam to think the secret is in positions. But I imagine courtesy and affections during the day would go a long way to smoothing things over in the evening. (I'm talking about sex, as we do so frankly in this age.)

I have some quotes here from the first chapter of "Home Making" by JR Miller. But it takes for granted that couples should actualy get married, not just live together, and aim to live according to Gods plan as can be read in the Bible.

"...and when the wedded life is ruled by love. Then the bridal wreath remains fresh and fragrant till it is laid upon the coffin by the loving hands of the one who survives to close the eyes of the other..."

Remember there are different definitions of love, in our modern english. People worry about this but no one is perfect, meaning everyone is ill mated to some degree. Once married, the priciples are the same.

"It may be discovered after the marriage has been formed that the parties are ill mated... yet the Scriptures are very explicit in their teachings, that the tie once formed is indissoluble."

The weirdest thing to me, is hearing from couples that are already living together being shy of marriage. As if they would latter find they were ill mated after marriage. The mind boggles, such a misunderstanding I don't know where to start.

"...it is but the simplest commonplace to say that the greatest care should be taken before marriage to make sure that the union will be a true one, that the two lives will sweetly blend together, and that each will be able to make the other at least measurable happy. If there were more wise and honest forethought with regard to marriage, there would be less afterthought of regret and repenting."

If you are already living with someone, forget the above paragraph. Get married, make it work.

About marriage, for those that do it without telling Mum, in LasVegas: "It is surely worth while, therefore, to make the occasion itself just as delightful as possible, to gather about it and into it whatever will help to make it memorable, so that it shall stand out bright and sacred among all life’s days and hours. This is not done when the marriage is secret; there are no associations about the event in that case to make its memory a source of pleasure in after years."

Some romantic language: "Angels hover about the marriage altar and hush their songs while hands are clasped and holy vows are plighted, and then spread their sheltering wings over the happy pair as they start out together on the voyage of life."

Some real advice: "The first lesson to be learned and practiced is loving patience."

This one is more important than we think these days. It will come up in several self-help books: "Another secret of happiness in married life is courtesy. ...[why do] so many husbands and wives drop the charming little amenities and refinements of manner toward each other that so invariably the delightfully characterized their intercourse before marriage?"

For those wives that have no interest in motorsport, or never come to the back shed when asked: "No marriage is complete which does not unite and blend the wedded lives at every point. This can be secured only by making every interest common to both. Let both hearts throb with the same joy and share each pang of sorrow."

The above picture shows what two hearts throbbing with, err, joy looks like. And they are about to share a pang of sorrow. Or prang at least.

"Another rule for wedded life is to watch against every small beginning of misunderstanding or alienation... Has a hasty word been spoken? Instantly recall it and ask for forgiveness. Is there a misunderstanding? No matter whose the fault may be, do not allow it to remain one hour."

"Surely too much is involved, too great responsibility, too many and too precious interests, to venture upon wedded life without Christ."

Monday, December 18, 2006

Home Making

I have the book "Home Making or The Ideal Family Life" by the Rev. J.R. Miller, D.D. Sixth edition. The hand written inscription in the front cover reads:

To Mrs Walker Fletcher. On the occasion of her marriage with very best withes from her Pastor - James Barker. Bathurst St. Church Sydney. Feb 28th 1914.

INTRODUCTORY
---+---
This book is written in the hope that its pages may carry inspiration and a little help, perhaps, to those who desire to do faithful work for God within their own doors. Its aim is to mark out the duties and responsibilities of each memeber of the household, and to suggest how each may do a part in making the home-life what God meant it to be. J.R.M.

CONTENTS
---+---
I. THE WEDDED LIFE
II. THE HUSBAND'S PART
III. THE WIFE'S PART
IV. THE PARENTS' PART
V. THE CHILDREN'S PART
VI. BROTHERS AND SISTERS
VII. THE HOME-LIFE
VIII. RELIGION IN THE HOME
IX. HOME MEMORIES

For those of you just beginning or thinking about marriage, I may give you the first chapter. Or maybe just the good bits if there is any interest in these outdated ideals.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Mike and Christine

It was the biggest blogger convention I had been to. People had to come dressed as themselves. I recognised some people off their bloggs.

Bloggers Angus and Shaun knew where it was at.


Cameras everywhere. I expect this will go strait to Youtube.


Mike avoiding the hard questions.


I wasn't sure who these people were, they don't maintain a blog.


Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Mike and Christine

Well it has been a very slow week for blogs. Here is them again from sunday evening. People don't really want to know what I have been doing or thinking about, they just want to see couples in love.

Mike is a good friend and he would come around to my house when Christine is not on the internet. Previously Mike has helped me maintain the Corolla and come to the racetrack to help change tyres if needed.

Mike said he would bring Christine around here to the Winter Palace, (I don't think any other girlfriends had been). But he told me not to clean up, because he wanted to show her how the poor people live. I am in two minds about this.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Mike and Christine

In a vane attempt to increase my blog statistics (I don't even have a proper way to check statistics), let's lighten things up abit. I am going to blog about Mike and Christine. (arhhh) She just came here from the USA, already engaged to Mike as you all know. (double arhhh) I saw her in real life at my church, and even touched her to make sure she was real and not just a hologram off the internet. She is nice of course, and Mike is really sweet too :) I should put a link to Christines blog, for what reason I don't know, except to say I have read half of it. More from them later.

Some people don't like the carpet at our church, as you can see. So we have decided to change venue.

But equally as important, I talked to Paul Chew who just came back from 4 years at Moore Theological College. He used to be a member of Crossroads (my church) but will now be ordained into the Anglican church here in Hobart which is good news.

Des Smith is about to leave for Moore College, but will first do stand up comedy at the New Sydney on wednesday. He has a few gigs over summer in Hobart still.

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Clustrmap

You will notice that my last few posts were very strange. I now acknowledge that I may have offended many people.

As you can see I have a silly cluster map thing. Ever since I put up my bank details and other things I probably got less visits from friends, and all these weird dots on my clutrmap. East Germany, Thialand?, Indonesia?, Canberra and where is that (imagine me squinting without my glasses), Arnemland? I have no idea.

Anyway, what's done is done. People didn't get the joke. I am very sorry, and although I may never get your respect, I hope we can still be friends.

Monday, December 04, 2006

I can read peoples minds

Often I am telling a story, and I can hear the other person say “yeah I think you told me this one before”. Only they don't move their mouth, I can hear them telling me in their thoughts. Am I some sort of psychic?

Saturday, December 02, 2006

My code


Ever since 1990 I think it was, when I was at school I made my own code. This is a code of english, with one character representing each english letter. I have written a few sentences here for you to look at. I can write this at reasonable speed. I use it sometimes in my diary or to write notes to myself. No one else knows the code, and no one has ever been able to crack it. But now on the internet for the first time, I guess that is another thing I risk.

Bank details


Please look away, this is for my own use only. Just incase I loose my wallet, I can just go to my blog here and get some details I will need. LOOK AWAY this is for me only.

Note to self: Bottom 2 numbers are credit card PIN.