I am did much nice vists to the post office today in morning time which was good. The nice people of post office are very happy and alwaays the nice in helpful of finding packagings for of do send in the parcels.
I am today did send photo of nice cat Slavcatchski in gardens with flowering and also the weight records of him for last days of month to Mother of Russia. I also did send bake of orange and pineapple cake in other boxes in hope of the Christmas time at posting expresses which are of much expensive for when do late in postings.
Mrs. Lesley of next door is will be do get cake of orange and pineapple in tomorrow morning when I do the plant and care of flowers in her the gardens.
It is also weekend of soon and with the Christmas on next week in day it is much and many people doing holiday drivings for weekend. Please be od safe drivings if going away and to and from.
The enjoyment and afternoon to you.
From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly
Dear and goodly mornings on this lovely day of the rain.
I am did do hear of the newses on the radio yesterday at time of do gardenis of the work and did hear of newses that the people of the easy DVD for where the good watchings can do of from are doing the bankruptings in ways of almost which is not the good as I am do like to be finding many nicely movies of from them. I do of try to be find the DVDs of with words or writings for screen in Russian as this does the help with good learnings as my language is OK but not best because the words do muddle and with grammar of problems of have and do.
Mrs. Porrit did do of say that the watchings of DVDs have be on good improvingments in times do soon in past.
Also of news in good is Mother of Russia is sending photo of current for Squeelivich the nice mouse of living in Russia with Mother Of Russia as is pet mine but not here for the quaranatinas.
Please be do good day of lovely and have Umbrellas.
From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly
I have received a request from Maritz which, based on what I’ve seen, looks quite reasonable. Maritz has asked if I can ask all people leaving comments for the rest of this week to do so in English, this is for two reasons:
1. Maritz thinks that by seeing your comments in English, she will learn the language more quickly.
2. Maritz thinks that people who don’t understand Russian might be having “the much and many of troubles” understanding the comments which are written in Russian.
Maritz appreciates the sentiment of making her feel more welcome by writing in Russian, but would prefer English.
I agree with Maritz, but I’m going to be a bit harsher as I’m getting tired of the bizarre comments which are getting a run in Russian, that I’d probably be binning if they were in English. English, or not at all. Leaving a comment in a language other than English between now and Sunday will result in your comment being deleted, and your account suspended.
I hope that you all understand, and are enjoying the stories from our guest blogger.
Hello and Goodly Wednesdays to you on the today of lovely.
I am not the much do of proper and good with computers at the of times and have been do of want the show of nice song of Moscow which nice Mr. Ian of the Radio did play as I was driving home on a night of Saturday in the weeks of ago. The good singing is on the YouTube but I am not much of knowings the how to be doing show to you as I can not be doing send of computer to you for the watchings.
I did send email to Mr. Samuel on Sunday for question and the answer and goodly it did come and I am do copy and the pastings so hopefully video of good song of lovely Moscow does the show here for you and watching.
From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly
Hello and the lovely mornings are of here and to you today and this afternoon as well too.
Lastly night at the teachings for English with Mrs. Porrit I as doing learn of song as Mrs. Porrit did think the songs of childhood would be a good for and the of happen so that such and would be able for learnings of ways of words in order for correct and grammar in the Englishes. I am not the sure of song as it was not the senses making much but it did something of the twinckeyling stars which I am not sure from meanings.
Mrs. Porrit did nice singings of good a nice though as she did say that once in time but now long before she was wanting do to singing teachers but found the Englishes to be better as she was then of able to teach people of big skill in the happen in country for living is easy.
I am did tell of her the song lovely Mr. Ian of the radio played of the weeks ago which was wonderful and I am find song of Internet video picture but do not be knowing of how to do put on the blogs. I am will do of email to Samuel and the hopes that he does telling for how of do and then you can be doing singings with me.
Please do enjoy of lovely and wonderful.
From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly
I am do remember of Christmas in the Russia which was cold and freezing of mostly and Mother of Russia did the big cookings of warm and house did sit of near kitchen for the warms and heat. It was of Christmas that I did first of eat the vodka breads which were much lovely although I think the day did a blur of afterwards which not the good.
Also of remember I do that Father of Russia who was much lovely man of good but is now late sadly did the try to do make of heater inside of and for in the house in one Christmas which was OK for try but not the good as the electricings were new in the part of Russia where did live and the was not of work properly in blackout so Father of Russia was the electrcial work but could not be making heater do work in properly. It was mostly of the wood in making so and not finished so when Electricings was not the work after the week two it was of on fire that heater for warmth so did some heating after eventually and time.
Father of Russia went to the work of with electricity company in weeks afterwards when snow was going and did help of fix the workings of which was much good but could not be fixing of Steel Tevelevisions which did not make the noise and sound proerply but had buzzes so often sound was off and not on for watching of teveleivisions.
From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly
Last of week I did have talk of telephone with Mother Of Russia about gardens and she did much tell of me the good singings in longer to garden is good for rains, and I did in the weekend last in my weekly singing to gardnes on the Sunday at 4am at the home and the Monday at 11am at the work where I am do also the gardens.
The singings were of longer than the normal and then it did the rains so maybe and perhaps of something to true of story from Mother of Russia. The rains are of very much nice so I did more of nice singings longer to Gardens today and morning and also tomorrow at the work of gardens so and hopefully the rains to keep for this week as well.
I think the Christmas is of much and better with the sun and warm of temperature as it is otherwise of similar to Russia and the cold and freezings of Winter and Christmas so I will be doing not of singings in longer on the weekend to come and then hopeful and sunny should be OK and good for week in Christmas.
Please and thank you to Samuel for the writing of the week which is here and I am doing look forward of it, after words of nice earlier. I am do hope of writing for you during week when can and good.
I am of previous from Russia and now do living in Sydney with cat Slavcatchski who is much lovely. I am much fond of bakerying and gardens, and am do learnings of Englishes with Mrs. Porrit for improvements. I am of lucky to be in lovely Country australia which is wonderful in the ways as especially not the same as the Russia which is also lovely but as good in for the people of living, which Australia is the better for in the democraticies.
Please be doing the wonderful and lovely days.
From Maritz
Ms. Maritzkrozlavsky Throrglasnishozly
I will be leaving for Deniliquin later this morning and will be away for the week, returning to Canberra at some stage on Saturday, with a reasonable backlog of television programs to catch up on, and a mere day to ensure that I have everything ready for 1WAY FM breakfast on the following Monday.
It looks like I will probably have limited Internet access while I’m gone, so I’m pleased to be able to say that I have been able to do something that I’ve wanted to do for a while, and that is, get somebody to fill in for me.
The guest blogger for the week is Maritz, who will hopefully introduce herself shortly. Maritz would be familiar to talkback radio listeners in Sydney and Canberra as the Russian lady who sends emails to various presenters. She first contacted me last year after the federal budget, and has since been in intermittent contact; she wrote two comments last week.
Maritz has a day job of her own so I’m not sure how much time she will have, but she seems to be excited by my offer, so I hope that she writes at least daily while I’m away. Her English isn’t great, but it will have to do. I hope that you all welcome her warmly and enjoy her company while I’m away.
I will check in during the week if possible, so that means that there will be delays in approving comments which hit the moderation queue. If you have any questions please feel unencumbered to contact me forthwith (such wonderful words), and I will do my best to get back to you in a timely manner.
The more observant amongst you will have probably noticed that every time I post a poll, a stray “n” appears just above it. Annoyingly, it’s not possible for me to remove this without manually editing the database which runs this site.
As it turns out, it’s a bug (as I suspected) in the Democracy plugin which runs the polls. I just didn’t connect the dots between that and me upgrading this blog to WordPress version 2.5.x a while back.
In lieu of a patch from the developer, it looks like the fix is fairly straight-forward. I’ll try it out at some stage in the coming days and see how it goes.
That was a rather busy weekend. A late version of Aircheck Sunday, a new poll, an article which I’m writing for a corporate newsletter, and some interesting news about the week of the 14th-20th of December are all coming shortly.
I have scheduled some site maintenance between midnight and 6am tomorrow morning. The site should be fully operational for most of this period, however you may notice intermittent issues with various bits of the site during this time.
And as such, is not a sabbatical, although I will admit that “Blog Sabbatical” would be a snappier title.
I have to wonder if my absence was a mistake, especially considering the detrimental effect that it had on the ACT. Clearly missing my sound judgement and influence, Canberrans went mad and doomed themselves to four years with four Green Party MLAs in the Legislative Assembly wielding a dangerous “balance of power” sword. Perhaps if I had spent more time prior to the ACT election blogging and podcasting about the dangers of letting the Greens have any power then we wouldn’t be in this situation.
A tad egotistical? Well maybe, but when you consider the effect that I had on the ACT election when I decided to wield my influence, you would have to consider the evidence compelling. For example, I wrote about Labor candidate Mike Hettinger breaking a Labor promise and a mere handful of hours later, the Labor Party powerbrokers froze his campaign funding. He also failed to win a seat, quite possibly on the back of my noted disappointment that “Mike has decided to try to become part of a Labor government that he has previously accused of using policies which are against “core Labor values”.”
More of my influence could be seen at work in the election count when my number one preference, Liberal candidate for Molongolo Jeremy Hanson, secured a seat in the Assembly. My second preference, Liberal Leader Zed Seselja, also secured a seat, although the power of my influence on that one is debatable.
None the less, I did fail in my duty to “warn, warn and warn again” the Canberra public about the dangers of a Greens dominated government, and before I explain where I have been for the last little while, I shall take this opportunity to humbly apologise for my lack of warning in the leadup to the election. The detrimental effect of my absence is quite clear, and I’m sorry. I’m starting to think that my previous idea of organising a fill-in blogger during future absences would be a very good idea.
Anyway, the question of where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing has come up a few times during my absence, both in comments on this blog and in emails sent directly to me. There has been a fair bit on my plate recently. I have been back at work for a couple months or thereabouts, I’ve been volunteering at 1WAY FM since late August, primary as the panel operator for Open House with Sheridan Voysey and local weather presenter on Sunday nights, but also doing some production work, co-presenting/producing the ACT election coverage and filling in on the odd air shift. I’m also continuing my work with AIR News, albeit on a much reduced scale due to my personal time constraints…I may be about to increase my workload there if it fits in or around the rest of my schedule.
Ultimately, all of this has taken so much of my time and effort, and considering that I have delved in to all of this off the back off nearly burning myself out by working myself in to the ground, I have had to work out what the right balance of work and rest is again…enough so that I don’t go completely mad from not having enough to keep my active mind entertained, but not so much that I don’t have any time to unwind. Some of this involved a (not quite as) gradual (as it could have been) return to the rigours of work, although another important step was my conscious decision to return to the anti-depressants which, as much as the side-effects can be annoying, have been prescribed for a very good reason, and it’s quite clear to me that I struggle quite badly without them.
That, admittedly, is a very abbreviated version of the last few months, but it seems to sum it all up reasonably well.
For now, I’m back on the blog and will hopefully be back on Editorial Echoes shortly.
I have a written editorial on the US election which I’m working on at the moment, and I expect it to be online tomorrow. In the meantime, it’s great to be back, and I hope that you haven’t all missed me too much.
If you were trying to read this blog over the last hour or so, you may have had some trouble as I was busy upgrading WordPress and various plugins, both of which caused minor disruptions to the normal operation of the site.
A number of you have reported problems, especially with changing your passwords, over the last few weeks. Hopefully the upgrades have fixed that, and I’m looking forward to seeing what has been newly broken by the upgrades.