Social Science; 1.2

Dear Pets,

Oh my poor darlings. What was it like to arrive at Heathrow into the teeth of a blizzard? I do hope you were travelling prepared with spencers, long socks, cardie etc. Its our fault I know, on Wednesday we were using all the worlds available heat to try to scorch a saving grace win out of those South Africans. That nasty Mr. Putin should share the blame though. Turning off the gas to eastern Europe wasn’t nice.

So much for your problems, now what about me. Since you all have returned to the excitement of the UK leaving only the detritus of Christmas and New Year, without any expectation of a rerun within the foreseeable future, I have had to return to the drudgery of work. Can you possibly see how the prospect of another year at Bunnings rates in contrast to, well who knows how long in one of the worlds capitals, and on the doorstep of many others? I’ll bet London doesn’t even have a stupid Bunnings.

Sorry about that hissy fit. I’m alright now. It’s good to get things off your chest don’t you think? Anyway I just remembered that Alice, the good looking girl from the wedding CD, which does in fact have excellent sound, is planning to take me to all the afore mentioned capitals and more later this year. In fact I’ve just now read an email from my darling with a prospective itinerary suggesting many such places including Amsterdam, Paris, Florence, Venice, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Seville and of course London where I believe we will be sharing beds with you pets in scenes reminiscent of Oliver Twist. He! He!

In light of this prospect I feel much better and find it hard to understand the attitude displayed in the second paragraph above. Perhaps there’s a moral to be derived here regarding the power of anticipation that could go something like this.

Any event in our history could be divided roughly into three phases.
1. The anticipatory
2. The actuality
3. The reminiscent
To all of these phases a value could be applied but this value would be tempered by time.
The anticipatory phase can be long or short to the extent of miniscule as in the case of an earthquake.
The actuality will never be more nor less than the time it takes.
The reminiscent will be as long as is memory.

No event is separate from these three parts and our enjoyment of any event is divided between the three. Anticipation can be the best of an event but seldom the longest. Actualisation is usually to fast, holds the potential to be the best or the worst and is the essential phase without which the other phases cannot exist. It should be noted that even cancellation of actualisation is in fact actualisation. The reminiscent is usually the longest phase and has the potential to become better over time even in the case of bad actualisation.

That’s enough of this lecture for now but any of you wishing to join the course this semester should send your applications with educational details and $149.99 registration fee (GST Inc.) ASAP in order that I can finalise the anticipation of the actualisation of my afore mentioned European trip.

Little left now than to reminisce and how better than to do it in pictures

Beat Regards,

Aunty BAD. ABBA. ToBA. SOCCA. Ret.






Kelly (Paris) O’Keefe and her body guard Mart attempt to ward off paparazzi.


PRIMATES AT PLAY: Grandmother nurtures the latest arrival while Jack treats one of the elders to some grooming.


I can’t explain the compulsion to put the following two pictures together



The glow in this photo taken westward from McMahons Point on Boxing Day is believed to be that of the remnant party at Rae Road Epping