After picking on Sarah Palin so much during the US election, I feel it is only fair that I pick on someone in my own country, this time, no lesser light than our own Acting Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, whose partner (according to the ABC) has just been appointed a Men's Health Commissioner.

Now I am all for promoting better men's health. I think it's a worthy cause and I'm sure the Australian Government would never stoop to anything as shamelessly corrupt as nepotism, because they're, well, better than that. Just ask them.

And...I mean, this guy is emminently qualified for the job, isn't he? He is, after all, a hairdresser.

In response to cries of nepotism and cronyism from the Opposition, the government responded by saying the appointment had nothing to do with Ms Gillard.

"Mr Mathieson was selected by Health Minister Nicola Roxon because the Government wanted to hear from a variety of voices from all walks of life."

The hairdresser in question, Mathieson, on the other hand, seems to think he's the right man for the job.

"That space in a hairdressing salon for women and for men, they open up way better than they do if they're in a psychologist's or a psychiatrist's or in a doctor's or a GP's [office]."

I look forward to further insightful appointments by the Rudd Government to key posts. Maybe one of the Wiggles for Defence or Intelligence? I mean, they travel a lot and deal with pirates all the time...

PS: The whole No Talkee Politics on the Blog  thing is a bust :)

aboygoesonajourney.com have reviewed The Chaos Crystal.

The review is headed...

If I was stuck on an island and only had one book.

With the High Tide approaching, Cayal is the closest he has ever been to fulfilling his suicidal wish. With the mad self-deluded 'god' Kentravyon released from his prison, the danger to the world is even greater than before.

The Chaos Crystal is the perfect ending to this bestselling series. Short of a miracle, no one will be able to predict what happens in this thrilling and totally un-put-downable read. It doesn't matter whether you have been following Fallon's books for years or if you've never heard of her and generally don't even read fantasy, no one will regret buying this series and this is why....

Fallon twists the immortal stereotype with originality to create the Tide Lords. It's common in other books that immortals will occasionally whine about never dying, but Cayal seems to be the only one who is actually determined to see his own suicide through. Elyssa, the Immortal Maiden, is another example of Fallon's great creation. It's been seen in books like Interview with a Vampire where immortals keep the body they had when turned, but Elyssa's situation is deliberately pointed out, rather than being mostly ignored or not mentioned at all.

The world building of Amyrantha is beautifully designed, both functional and creating that sense of reality. The creation of the Crasii, half-human half-animal beings, whilst not entirely original, is done in such a way that it doesn't feel so wrong as other authors have done before. The Crasii keep their animal spirit whilst being forced to live in a human world - as opposed to being written as almost completely human in action and mannerisms despite furriness, scaliness or tails. Fallon's balance in this is unflawed, and at a level that has not been seen in the genre much.

As with the immortals and the Crasii, the humans occupying the world of Amyrantha are just as real. Arkady, as the predominant human, is filled with flaws and faced with many harsh realities. In this book perhaps more than any other, she faces a tragic sadness. She is not so strong as to withstand threats against those she loves, or the potential threats to herself, but chooses instead the most practical, if morally-displeasing, actions in which to counter it. It is very hard to place her up against characters from other novels, as she is not like any stereotypical fantasy female character.

Fallon has outdone herself....again. Even if you may have disliked earlier series, she is most certainly not a one-plot author! The plot hasn't weakened nor faltered in four incredible books. The amazing intricacies weaved throughout the series come to an end here as revelations, good and ugly, are uncovered. After three wonderful series, Jennifer Fallon can still (and will continue to, I'm sure) ensnare all readers with her bewitching and glorious storytelling.

Hey Mum... let's go get Hungry Jacks for lunch. I'll drive... whoops, I may have gone a bit close to the wall.

No... really? How close?

Ah... that close...

Oh, says Seccondborn. And I'm stuck. Car won't go into gear. Can't go forward, can't go back without wiping out the side of the car. Oh, and there is a water mains right behind the car. And I can't get out. (For the record, Secondborn the Vet is supposed to be the smart one)

Hmmm... let's ring the AANT (Automobile Association of the NT).

Bruce looks on... Can I help?

No Bruce... you can't help... but wait, after a mere 20 minutes, the calvary arrives! Not one tow truck, but two of them!

 The boys quickly deduce the problem and how to fix it... We'll make a ramp and drive it off!

Going up!

Saved!

And the best bit?  Car is off the wall and not a scratch!

So... the moral of the story is...

If you plan to stuff up reversing down my driveway, make sure your AANT membership is paid up.

Those guys are awesome:)

Another thunderstorm warning has just been put out by the Bureau of Meteorology, so I have to shut the computers down.

If the power stays on, I'll came back later and share the photos of Secondborn's rahehr disastrous attempt to reverse down our very steep driveway yesterday, that resulted in two tow trucks being called in to retrieve the car:)

Stay tuned.... hehehe

From Sara Douglass official website:

I beg forgiveness for all the letters I have not answered – I will get round to it … eventually.

But there is a good reason why I haven’t and why book 3 of Dark Glass Mountain is going to be a little-ish late (how late depends on me right now).

For close on 6 months I have been feeling shocking – it got dramatically worse 4 months ago since when I haven’t been able to work at all. Even making a cheese sandwich to eat has required monumental mental and physical effort. Doctors have spent a lot of time and a lot more of my money trying to decide what was wrong with me, coming up with roughly a different diagnosis per week, but fortunately (or not, as the case may be) they finally managed to settle on a firm diagnosis about 3 weeks ago, since when my life has been turned upside down several times over.

I have been diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer, so now I am on a course of chemotherapy, to be punctuated with major surgery in January-ish of next year, followed by more chemotherapy. I am happy to have a diagnosis (although I did try desperately to renegotiate back to one of the earlier ones!) and more than happy to now have a course of therapy and A Plan for the future.

Happily the chemotherapy has been working fairly well – even though I have just the one course of it thus far. I had a hellish week following the chemo, but the week following that has been rather good – yesterday I cooked myself a pork roast and vegetables! You have no idea what an achievement that was for me – not simply being able to eat a meal like that after months of constant nausea and vomiting, but finding the mental and physical energy to prepare it, too. I have been happily snacking on delicious roast pork ever since. So I am feeling fairly positive. Pork does that for me.

I have an amazing team of two oncologists (one surgical, one medical), one oncology nurse, one set of chemotherapy nurses and an awful lot of support from my friends and family, which has been awesome. Sometimes you don’t realise just what is out there for you until something like this happens. I am very positive for the future, but I am also looking forward to taking at least a year out to concentrate on me rather than write. Sara Douglass will be taking a break, so Sara Warneke can concentrate on herself for the time being.

But there is something some of you might like to do for me, if you wish. I have many friends who live very far away, and all of them wanted to do something, but what? Well, many of them have joined my Rake Squad.

I have a visualisation thing I do regularly. I visualise I live in a beautiful walled orchard. It has only six trees, but that’s enough for one person. There is emerald green grass and white daisies growing between the trees and stretching to the sandstone walls, and the sun shines down on the orchard with a soft, lovely light. But a gribbly black monster has taken up residence in one of the trees, and he’s casting down all kinds of black fungus-laden leaves about the place.

Each day I go in there and I rake all those black leaves up and then take them out to the incinerator through the cast iron gate in the wall and burn them to white ash. I can do that much, at least. I can’t do much about the gribbly black monster just yet, except poke him with my rake and curse him in words I can’t print here and tell him he’s not going to get my orchard, thank you very much, and wait for my tree surgeon (Penny the surgeon) to come on in and cut him out, but in the meantime raking up the fungus-laden leaves is important. I was explaining this to a distant friend and she said, “I’ll come in and rake, too!” and suddenly I have lots of people in there raking and manning the incinerator and the table of tea and cream puffs and whiskey (someone insisted on the whiskey) set up for the rakers by the raging incinerator.

So if you’d like to join the Rake Squad you have no idea how much I’d appreciate it. Those black leaves sometimes accumulate a little too quickly, and some days I am too sick and too down-hearted to go in and rake myself. I am unashamedly asking for a bit of help with the raking. You can send me an email at sde@oldlondonmaps.com just to let me know you’ll be in there raking occasionally – the Rake Squad could always use a few more rakers!

Anyway, I can’t stop thinking about that cold pork in the fridge so must dash for now. Thanks to everyone for their patience regarding their letters – I will get about to replying eventually, but likely not for a little bit yet. 

Please help Sara with her raking. I have anohter friend fighting this disease at present. Believe me, she'll need all the support she can get.