Family News Update

Since I last wrote, Benn has found a flat to live in over in London, and has also found a full-time job working for the big, international company "Siemens", Adam has had his graduation ceremony and has been receiving compliments for his good work at Albury Council, and Jack has scored 100% in a chemistry exam at North Sydney Technical College. He seems to have taken a liking to this subject, and finds it fun. If taught well, chemistry is a wonderful branch of science.

Over this Easter holiday period, I am teaching literary studies to a group of 7 to 10 year olds at the coaching college I work for up at Gordon, which is called "Think Table". The children are all hard-working, well-behaved and polite, and I am very lucky to have such a beautiful group of children to work with. I've been reading them some of my favourite stories from my own childhood, such as "Gordon the Goat", "Little Black Sambo", "The Story about Ping", "Ferdinand the Bull", "Madeline and the Bad Hat"and "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel". Do you remember any of these beautiful stories? After I read a story in class, we discuss the plot, theme, setting, characters, language and audience, and then each child gives his opinion and rating of the book. Next, the children write a book review, before we read a children's classic around the class. We've been reading "Alice in Wonderland", "Through the Looking Glass", "The Iron Man", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Anne of Green Gables" and "Silas Marner". Many of the children are very bright, and I work them two or three years ahead of their school year.

I was very disappointed at the outcome of the recent NSW State election. The corrupt and useless Labour Party that has been running this state backwards for the past twelve years has managed to scrape back into government again, with only 39% of the vote. We now have at least another four years of bad government and corruption to look forward to. It's so depressing that I feel it's best for me not to listen to the news anymore. This NSW Government is the worst, most undemocratic government of my lifetime, and it holds the public in contempt.

Summer has come to an end, and we are having beautiful, mild, gentle weather now. Autumn is always the best season in Sydney. We just have to cross our fingers for rain. It feels as though Australia is in a permanent drought these days. It's been so long since we have had plenty of regular rain and a green countryside. We're all so sick of low dam levels and water restrictions. I can't really remember when we were not in drought. I think it was just before Jack was born, which was nearly eighteen years ago. That's a long drought!

Just before I sign off, I want to send my best wishes to Yoonran in Korea. I hope you're settling back into Seoul life smoothly, and that your psychology business is going well. Also a big hello to Louise MacCallum. We will be so happy to see you again when you come over to Oz at the end of the year. To everyone else who may be looking at this blog, "Hals und Bein bruch!"