39 Days of Christmas - Day 05, 06 and 07

Yeah, you get three suggestions for the price of one, today… I’m kind like that and by ‘kind like that’ I mean I’ve not had time to post the last couple days.

I don’t know about you, but kids spend a hell of a lot of time on screens these days… Today’s christmas / black friday sales / gift list for kids is a ‘screen free’ only option. My kids do get screen time and I’m not about to become wholistic and new age on y’all, but it can get out of hand.

1. One of those throwing hook+loop stick on ball target thingy games - fun and not a screen! (Also, dress your kids like this little chap when they play.. err)
   Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/3tVirKw

2. Rechargeable frikkin lasertag! Yes please… I mean its noisy and chaotic, but combine it with phrases like “Snipers are really silent and win games! Are you a sniper little johnny?”
Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/3Ow0onF

3. Hover soccer! Yeah, roll over Michael. J. Fox, you don’t need 88mph for this chaos - a hover soccer that also blows all your pet hair into the corner (easier to clean - winning) I gotta say, we didn’t have this as a kid, we had sticks and some rope and a dam with a tree that hung over it… But hey, close!
Here’s that link: https://amzn.to/3GEUbE1 (for the soccer, not the sticks)

Just another day

A photographic interlude to the 39 days of mayhem known as Christmas. I was thinking fondly about the madhouse that propped themselves up across the road from my old apartment in London, SW5.

Just another day.

That Tuesday, Barry wouldn’t shut up. Barry was the name I gave him, the loud man in the white t-shirt, he was there every day. Sean looked away, grinding his hands together, but invariably in support of Barry. Carol was done, she’d had enough of Barry tormenting her for borrowing his precious gree lighter, today she wasn’t having it, she’d ignored him long enough and began to boil over…

The wrath bubbled to the surface as Carol reached out for one of the crew’s metal crutches, she turned to Barry and screamed that he should shut his ***** mouth before she **** smashed it off, she seemed serious… Eddy, in the midst of all this, seemed to be mostly oblivious to what was about to happen, Sean though, he knew, he tried to calm the situation by shouting “stop it you scrag” Carol wasn’t having it…

The metal crutch came down on Barry’s warm tin of White Star, Sean and Barry tried to protect themselves, but Carol was on fire, a raging midget of metal crutch wielding fury… Eddy finally realised something was up and held his hand up asking for peace (and another ciggy)

“PEACE, BE STILL” was what I’m sure Sean and Barry were yelling, it was muffled and garbled all at the same time. Carol half screamed half spat ‘No’ and kept swinging her cold metal friend in their general direction. Eddy resigned to the fact that what was happening was happening slipped back into his semi-oblivious state…

Carol needed more, she needed to feel skin on skin! The skin of her fist on the skin of Barry’s chubby face, her hook connecting, her small frame not allowing for much of a wind up, it glanced off of Barry’s face and only just missed Eddy’s sleepy mug… Sean tried to use the force, it didn’t work.

Pulling her tiny clenched fist back, Carol was keen to get off one more shot, Sean didn’t think it was a good idea but had decided to just let her get on with it, and Barry knew what was coming. He closed his eyes and shuddered as her grubby hand connected with his squishy nose. Crack. She was done.

Back in her seat, Carol instantly regrets her decision to give Barry the good news, her cigarette remains cold and unlit, her metal weapons now safely in Eddy’s control. All this while, Max, dirty Max I named him, sat watching the fiasco play out, pausing only once to issue a slap to the bottom of a passer by.

Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it…

SW5 and beyond.

39 Days of Christmas - Day 04

It was no surprise I skipped yesterday. It was my oldest‘s 13th birthday…

Anyway, day four and I’m in the mini-shed and listening to a new album by a band named ‘Sweet Jean’ called ‘Monday to Friday’ ..rumour has it a Melb band but from all I can find they have retired :( anyway, you can grab that album (I got it at my boys school fair on vinyl!) on spotifried if you wish.

si mentioned, I’m the shed working on some drawers, and while I’m in there I play my music on this Sony Bluetooth speaker. It’s pretty bass heavy if you’re into that BUT depending on placement in your room, you can make it sound really good.

Get someone a Bluetooth speaker this Christmas.

39 Days of Christmas - Day 03

I’m not even kidding… socks. Good socks though, not your average joe (sorry Joe) socks… Happy Feet are my faves, followed closely by Bonds, (Fair play, less than a fiver a pair and these are great too, just not as great… great) but yeah, these Happy Feet are great. Effectively $13.09 a pair (It’s a four pack, do the maaaaath)

Get ‘em here - https://amzn.to/3AuRAsv

Day One - An Axe
Day Two - A different Axe (A guitar for your kid!)

39 Days of Christmas - Day 02

I mean, how do you follow ‘an axe’ …also, who suggests an axe? Well, these gifts aren’t all for kids, some women and men may appreciate a good (ok, an average) axe…

Day 38 spots us dipping into the old ‘music’ category.

Guitar… maybe you’ll buy your kid one, maybe they’ll play it three times and get bored because they can’t make it sound like …well, anything good. Get your kid a second hand guitar, get them a guitar introduction course, make sure the teacher isn’t boring (but obvs is teaching more than the intro to Smoke on the Water!) …If you’re in Melbourne, take your kid to Music Swap Shop, wander around in there for a couple of hours, just get a look and feel for a few different guitars…

There are a whole range of crappy cheap guitars on Amazon and sure, with the right strings and ten minutes spent setting the guitar up, they might sound slightly better than a cat attacking a chalk board, they might even sound ‘Just fine’ - Have a look through here (Click) …but yeah, Music Swap Shop if you can.

https://www.musicswopshop.com.au/

Now, here’s a selection of photographs of guitarists I’ve taken over the years, how many can you name?