Sorry for slow reply. Yes indeed. It is Melbourne. Sunny Melbourne, where it is forecast to be 34 Centigrade on Sunday.

It's the RACV Club. Originally a Motoring club but now with superb facilities in the centre of the City. I used it mainly to play competition squash (four courts); it has a huge gym, a 25 metre swimming pool, eight full sized billiard tables, extensive luxurious accommodation (subsidised), a huge li...

Not sure on the problem with my link, but your second link goes to the same URL. Between about 45 seconds in and 55, she is clearly strumming or picking or whatever, with her thumb on the two un-bridged strings. Hope others can enjoy the link too.

My Club has several restaurants and cafes and bars, one of which is called Sojourn. It is quite a fun place but the dining, although 'haute-ish', is pretty casual. It is lunch place mainly and people are certainly not expected to spend all day there. I suppose two hours is certainly sub, under, dies...

Fascinating. I too have had a look at a few videos and found this one https://www.google.com/search?q=thecrwth&oq=thecrwth&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i13i512l2j0i13i30.2850j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:91492b1a,vid:svci-AA6ycw,st:0 The performer is clearly picking or ...

And presumably related to complexion? Goodness knows how we get from peaches-and-cream to psychological disturbance.

Splendid, Barbara! A really good idea and one that I will adopt henceforth. Happy solstice everyone. Or perhaps more poetically, auspicious solstice to all.

Nice one, Debby

I will risk one of your cookies, if you are passing this way Slava.

I always assumed the constriction in astringency, was actually a puckering of the mouth after having tasted it.

Love it, Slava. Clever cartoon.

Yes, I'm afraid the disparaging take is perfectly valid. I think the occy derivation was actually created when someone invented one with eight arms/hooks to hold down a roof load. Of course they were always going to be a disaster because they are stretchy. If the headwind gets under the front of you...

Ahh! I have confused you. The obituary of the cavalier referred to an old schoolmate of mine. My partner, Carolyn, merely made a suggestion about the distinction between carefree and careless, between 'without a care' and 'without care'. As to the origin of bungy, I have no idea, I'm afraid. I do kn...

Carefree. Is that different from Careless? Both appear to mean 'without care'. But there is a difference between 'without care' and 'without a care'. My partner suggests that there is some sort of distinction around awareness of the risks or consequences. I was at school in England sixty years ago w...

This surprises me. Goat droppings are hardly 'absolutely nothing' - not much, I agree, but not really nothing at all. Maybe nothing worth bothering with? In Australia, we vulgarly use the word bullshit, but it means nonsense or baloney, rather than nothing at all. Perhaps this is another one that is...