November, 2005:

Do you ever get your days a little out of whack? I spent a lot of yesterday thinking that it was the last day of November. I don’t know why I was thinking that, but when I got home, I found that Pauline had been thinking the same. She had mentioned it to the kids so both Emily and James were thinking that November was history as well.

It was only a little later that I realised that it was indeed the second last day of November. I suppose it means that we all get an extra day that we weren’t expecting. That’s always a bonus.

And now I know for sure that today is the final day of November. Well, hang on, let’s check. It’s the 30th today. 30 days has September, April June and November – yep that settles it. It’s the last day of spring. Summer starts tomorrow.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

I’ve had a number of calls this afternoon from people who have heard the tragic news that a cyclist was killed at the intersection of Tonkin Highway and Benara Road around the time that I would normally be cycling home. The intersection is about halfway between work and home.

I certainly appreciate everyone’s concern and I’m thankful that many people cared enough to phone. I’m sure many others have yet to hear of the accident so I thought I’d post details to ease any concern for those hearing the news later.

While I don’t normally ride that way, the news came through at work just before I left to cycle home so I went past the area to see if I might know the person involved. The bicycle was still on the road and police were all around. I didn’t recognise the bike and so I don’t believe that the person who was struck was anyone I knew. It’s obviously still a tragic loss.

I am always grateful for those with whom I work that remind me to ride safely when I leave each afternoon. It’s advice that I always take seriously and I’m always extremely cautious on the road, whether I’m behind the wheel of a car, or more often, on my bike.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

It’s been about a year since I mentioned Blog Explosion so I thought it was worth another mention.

The general idea is that you sign up – free – and then surf other members’ blogs. It’s a great way to find a bunch of new blogs that are probably outside your normal reading sphere. At the same time you accumulate credits which means that other people will be reading your blog.

I’m sure that a lot of bloggers will simply skip through blogs just to rack up credits but I know that I’ve gained a number of regular readers and found some wonderful blogs through Blog Explosion.

On top of the basic surfing for credits, you can use a variety of other methods on the site to send people to your blog.

I’m sure it won’t suit everyone but if you want to give it a try, just click on the banner above and register.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

The Christmas season has begun. While the shopping centres have been adorned with Christmas decorations for weeks it certainly hasn’t felt like Christmas. All those decorations do is remind me that I’ve got lots to do before the big day and I need to get some Christmas shopping done.

We had a wonderful time last night attending Carols in the Square at Weld Square Primary School in Morley. Now it’s starting to feel like Christmas is on its way. Not the Christmas that the retailers want to sell us but the real Christmas.

The main organisers for the night were the people from Bethlehem Lutheran Church. They run what’s called a SUPA Club at the school throughout the year and this is their big end of year event.

We sang carols, watched the school kids perform a wonderful little musical and waved electronic candles about. (Unfortunately, due to safety reasons, more and more ‘Carols by Candlelight’ events are banning real candles this year.) I had the privilege of being the MC for the evening so I got to introduce the various elements of the night.

Even without real candles, the ability to sit around in the open and sing carols while kids run around laughing together is something that makes an Aussie Christmas what it is. While a lot of people say that they can’t imagine a warm Christmas, I’ve got to say that it’s absolutely wonderful to be able to enjoy this marvelous time of year in shorts and T-Shirts.

I hope that you’ll take time out of your busy Christmas preparations this year to be part of a carols evening. I know that for me it’s one of those things that helps me remember what the so called silly season is really all about.

Posted by Rodney Olsen

Some days ago I posted about an incident with a shoplifter.

Just wanted you to know that there’s a continuing discussion on the issue here. It’s mostly Quirkie and I kicking around a philosophical football but you’re welcome to join in.

If you do join us, please post your comments with the others connected to the original post.

Posted by Rodney Olsen