I have just returned from a very pleasant lunch with Ricardio, jo, and a few other friends. We needed to discuss the play: tomorrow, we’re going to see the venue where we’ll probably be putting it on, and we also needed to discuss where to go after Regeneration is over. It’s strange how my casual interest in Ricardio’s productions has morphed into a possible career path. If this takes off – and I really hope it does – I could make a career in drama. It’s quite closely related to both film and creative writing, my first loves, and, as an art form, affords one a type of creation which is both immediate and keen. Of course, I’ll have to discuss all this with Ric, but the possibility that this could turn into something bigger really excites me.

My website has come under attack again. My brother Luke is currently trying to repair any damage they did. I’m very grateful to him – without Luke’s expertise, this website would have disappeared years ago. In the meantime, bear with us folks.

It hasn’t yet turned eleven, and it’s already been quite an interesting day. Our production of Roadwork, now re-named Regeneration (a much more descriptive title) is going well. The Very important theatre company is primarily focussed on issue-based theatre, which means we have purpose in what we do. Our efforts in the fight to save the coachmakers arms, hanley, apparently got the attention of the press, and so this morning we were filmed by a very nice woman from midlands today.

I never function well before about 9, but at 8 this morning we were all gathered in studio 40. incredibly, Dan, our male lead, was able to deliver one of his monologues with the intensity of a double-bourbon even at that hour. I think the woman was quite surprised, too. She would have got some damn fine shots, judging from where she placed her camera. Thus I think it went really well; we’ll know when it airs next Tuesday evening.

She also took a shot of the whole company, including yours truly, stating our purposes and so on. It reminded me of when I was on the news before, back in 99 or 2000, when my class at school won a wheelchair dancing competition. I didn’t speak this time, but then, insufferable urchin that I was, I had quoted Julius Caesar. My parents have a tape of it somewhere, but that is a video I can never watch again.

Well, if you’re interested, we’ll be on Midlands today, next Tuesday, at half 6.

Not much happened today. Mum and dad popped over with my aunt jill, but conversation was rather dominated by the nasty click my wheelchair developed yesterday. I had my hair cut this morning, but nobody noticed. Work, too, seems to have slowed to a standstill – I’m taking what I call an ‘editorial rest’, allowing me to think things through before proceeding, reading etc. The last one I took, in January, proved very fruitful.

There’s some stand-up comedy on campus this evening; I’ll probably go.

So, other than that, a pretty dull day. Things should perk up again soon: I could be on local TV tomorrow, but I’ll tell you guys all about that if and when it happens.

I have been thinking about nonconformity again, and have decided that most people are dull. The most interesting people, I have decided, are those who break down barriers and ‘think outside the box’. I guess that’s why I find Lyn fascinating: she pays absolutely no notice to social norms, and is at the same time just herself. I think something in me finds transgression very attractive – I love to fuck with peoples heads. I think charlotte does too in a way, which is part of why I like her also. Lyn got me an awesome cat zentai for my birthday; it’s bound to make heads turn.

But, paradoxically, both Lyn and charlotte are just being themselves. They don’t deliberately go out to break down barriers, but just do. In this respect, our society is repressive inasmuch as it doesn’t yet allow certain kinds of people to be themselves. Oh, I still can’t fathom it, but it is bloody fascinating.

I was at home this weekend, where I managed to catch up with the news. Do you know, my parents took us to loch Awe in about 1990; thee loch was on the news this weekend and we recognised the name. more pertinent to my blog, though, is the news that doctors are being allowed to let a baby die, against the wishes of it’s parents. This makes me very angry and very scared. True, the child is/was in a great deal of pain; but from my conviction that all people are of equal worth and potential I draw my belief that life must be preserved. Who are those doctors to play god, to say who can live and who can die? What gave those judges the right to go against the parents wishes? I believe in neither god nor an afterlife, so I think this existence is all we have. Surely, then, it must be preserved. Moreover, I fear this sets a very dangerous precedent – if this kid’s life wasn’t deemed worth saving, would mine have been?

The last 48 hours have been stupid, even by my usually inane standards. Everything, I suppose, can be traced back to the point where I forgot to plug my chair in before going home on Wednesday evening. I usually charge it every night, but I thought it would be okay. Never mind the fact that I’d been to Hanley and back in it on Wednesday; the battery had never died on me.

When I got back here yesterday morning, I plugged it in for a couple of hours then went to Crewe. I wanted to see Alan. Esther had emailed; their family had had a bad week. She told me she got home after 3, so I planned to see Alan in order to cancel today’s meeting then go to see Esther in person. I felt that the best thing to do, under the circumstances. So off I went.

I knew I was being foolish, but given Esther’s home internet connection isn’t working, it was the only way I could tell Esther what Alan had said. The thing is, Esther lives a good two or 3 K from campus. I got there O.K, going slower than usual though. When the time came to go, the Bat’leth wouldn’t go at all. A taxi seemed the obvious solution so we called one.

Esther saw me onto the taxi, and then went home. It seemed the fun hadn’t stopped there, though: when I got back here, I opened my purse to find just five quid. Oh shit. Rob was skint too. We ended up giving the driver an IOU. This morning, then, I got rob to drive m to the building society, then we went to find the driver. This took a while, but everything is now sorted.

Dad will probably be having a fit when he gets to this point, but he needn’t worry. Yes, like most people I can get myself into trouble; but it also shows I have the confidence and know-how to get myself out of it too.

I have had time to calm down now. It’s been a long, eventful day, but this evening I’ve sat in here and had chance to reflect. For one, I’ve had about a hundred birthday messages from all over the place; it reminds me how many good friends I have. I also met Alan this evening, and his encouraging words got me out of my stupor. Such things remind me that things aren’t as bad as they may have appeared before.

My birthday was ok. I went home, got shouted at, ate some cake, went to bed, got up, gott shouted at some more, then came back here. Woopdidoo..

sorry, I’m not very happy now. I’ll try to make a proper post soomn.

I am officially getting old and I don’t like it. I was having coffee with lee m this morning and we got on to the sibject of school, as per usual. Turns out that a girl from a few years below us has had a baby, aged 21. I try not to be judgemental. But I can’t help despairing slightly. I mean, how is she going to look after it? What was she, and other girls like her, thinking? I can’t help thinking it was too early for her.

It is election time here on campus. Although I am still generally uninterested, I still think that the student population is unrepresentative of the general population. More disabled people are going to uni than ever before, but ‘we’ are still underrepresented in higher education. Uni, I fear, is still an uninclusive area, geared towards more traditional methods of learning. You go to lectures, then you go to the library to read around the subject, then you write an essay. I think I’m reasonably good at this, but to some it is ultimately exclusive. Some people with disabilities just don’t work like this. that’s not to say they need to be ‘spoon fed’ information, but they take in and express knowledge and learning in other ways. I just think that the academic system should adapt to reflect this more.

I look forward to the day that the first essay is submitted in Bliss or Makaton.

I just waved goodbye to Lyn on her bus home. It’s strange – she’s the most enigmatic person I’ve ever met: strong, yet fragile; certain yet somehow scared. I whish I could just take her in my arms and tell her everything will be ok. I look into her eyes and see a strange vulnerability and confusion; yet also I see love. She’s quite a bit older than I am; perhaps more jaded and world weary; and yet there’s also this optimism in the future – and in me. I invited her up after last Friday’s drama: I now see dumping Lyn would be like ripping my soul out. Age difference or none, and all other concerns asunder, I love Lyn levett.

Lyn has been here since yesterday afternoon, bringing with her my birthday presents. I already have quite a haul – a book of ‘501 Must see movies’ from Esther; a book, DVD and cd from Charlie and of course my new wheelchair. It isn’t even my birthday till Wednesday, but I’m already very happy.

Today, after breakfast, I’ll probably take Lyn on a short walk, then lunch, then I have rehearsal to go to. Tomorrow it’s back to writing, but even that’s going well, so apart from my tendency to drink too much things are all good.

We just got back from a walk. It’s been a long weeks – I reckon I’ve produced close to 15000 words over the last few weeks, and I needed a break. So we went into town. The local scallies had just been set free from school. We were on the main road, when one fat little shit thought that it would be rather big to mock the guy in the wheelchair.

Perhaps I’m too proud these days. I have a degree, and with luck I’ll soon have a master’s, but when these kids mock me it’s as if to say ‘you deserve no respect because you’re in a chair.’ I get so angry. Why should we have to take this abuse, in these days of equality?

He was a fat little shit.

The geeks are back. I’ve spent most of the day in my room, typing up my thesis, checking email from time to time. My wrist hurts a bit, but it’s quite fun. Anyway, because of this, it wasn’t until after dinner that I noticed tents had appeared outside brandies. That can only mean one thing: the LAN partiers have returned. I went in, but didn’t stay too long, for I had had an idea. Given that nerds and geeks are often fans too (Jenkins, 2002) this will be a perfect chance to do some actual field research, so I plan to type up a quick note of introduction and go back there later. Should be awesome. Plus, I’ll get to ogle their computers!

I am having a night in, in the simple company of the net and MSN messager. To be honest I need it, as I think I’ve been working hard and partying way too much recently. Even when I’m out, though, the thesis is never far from my mind. Went to see Alan today – he had some criticisms of my recent output. They were fair criticisms, so I spent the afternoon making alterations ahead of my official meeting Friday. Then, on Saturday, Lyn’s coming up, and we’ll be going out for dinner with Ricardio. It seems I never stop these days.

And no, we probably won’t be going to the Indian restaurant.

We went to one of the local Indian restaurants Sunday night. It’s strange – I never really used to like curry, and I still don’t like it too hot, but now I’m older I have grown fond of the stuff. Anyway, all was going well; we were having quite a good time. Ricardio was talking crap, but it was amusing crap. However, it was soon time to pay.

I didn’t have much cash on me, so I needed to pay my share in credit card. I have a chip and signature card, as I’ve said before. But there was a problem – their machine wouldn’t accept my card. I’d used it the night before in the pub, so I knew there was unlikely to be a problem with the card, but were they listening? No.

They kept insisting I needed to enter my pin number. I don’t have a pin number! Things got a little heated. After all, if they can’t accommodate all methods of payment, then that, as I see it, is discrimination. It’s not the first time that this happened there. My friends got angry; I got very embarrassed. Eventually Ricardio paid on his card for me, but when we were leaving we were asked not to come back.

I was so angry. When I got in, I told dad. He phoned the restaurant, and they apparently apologised. Also, next day I went to the bank to double check my card was ok. It was, but I asked the lady to phone the place again to find out exactly what the problem was. Again, they were apologetic, but I’m still quite angry about the way in which me and my friends were treated.

Another long day. my first proper draft if my thesis is complete; I need to print it and bind it. al has seem most of it, and while it still needs a lot of work, I feel really good about it.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you what happened at the indian last night, but its been a long day, and I’m in too good a mood.

I am in such a good mood tonight. I’ve been at rehearsal all afternoon, and roadworks coming along nicely, but I seem to be constantly thinking about my thesis. Thee introduction is now just over ten thousand words, and if I can round it off, adding a bit on the self-reflexivity of fandom along communal lines. And a bit about how fans do indeed reflect on their love, then I can have a draft completed by the end of this week.

Must dash, though – it’s curry night.

Relations with Lyn seem to have returned to normal, although I definitely must go to visit her soon. Truth be told, I still don’t feel quite right, although this could have something to do with the two bottles of red wine I drank last night. I guess I need cheering up, so I found this, one of thee best pieces of fan art I’ve come across. Never knew star trek could be so rude.

Its been a long day. I’d rather not go into it too much, but I nearly broke up with Lyn. I told her it wasn’t going to work out. Then, I felt this pain on my heart like no other, and I realised I love her. I cant help it – I just do.

There was a gig on at the coachmakers arms last night. Rob mentioned it Monday, and I thought it sounded fun: a poetry night with folk music. It was set up by terry fox, who teaches writing here. I told my friend Chris about it via facebook; we hadn’t seen each other since graduation, and I remembered he lives in stoke so I thought it’d be good to meet up.

So we went. It was a good evening – no poetry, but some good music and great company. Chris is still the highly intelligent guy I knew: we talked about the old times, like the party at Chris and Steve’s which is now the stuff of legend. It made me long for those days – although lots of my friends came on Saturday, quite a few couldn’t make it. Like Steve and Chris.

There’s only one thing for it – a trip to Scotland.

Rob and I drove Chris back to his, before coming back ourselves. However, we passed a shop which I thought I’d like to visit, so this morning I got on the bus to Hanley. Getting there was easy, and I had a little trouble finding the shop, but it was when it came to going home that the fun started. I went back to the bus station. The first bus came – no ramp. Second bus came – no ramp. Third bus – no flipping ramp. By this time I was getting agitated. I was about to force my way on, when one of the staff came. She had arranged a bus, especially for me! They had seen my plight and got another bus. So, in the end, I was driven directly back too campus. Perhaps first busses aren’t so bad after all.

This global economic downturn thing seems to be getting worse. I haven’t yet felt any pinch from it, mind you: I just go about my business here on campus, withdrawing around thirty quid a week. Last week I used more, mind you – girls and beer are expensive. But I hear about the credit crunch every day, and we are heading, I think, for another depression.

However, yesterday I read the most absurd thing. this guy seems to be claiming that this isn’t the fault of capitalism, but the fault of human nature and greed. Even more absurd is the fact that this guy claims to be intelligent. Capitalism and the free market economy is an individualistic ethos – it’s an every-man-for-himself philosophy. It is based on a quazi-darwinian principle of the survival of the fittest in order to maintain society. And just as the gene can be called selfish, so must be capitalism. Thus any attempt to separate capitalism from greed is an absurd misunderstanding of capitalism.

Frankly, it is as if this guy and those like him are still trying to protect their values at all costs, and so would tell us anything rather than admit that their system has once again failed us.

just aquick note to say I’m not dead – uni has had a major wornm attack, and the internet connection is currently rather tempremental. noormal blogging should resume soon.

thanks to dad, luke and the i.t guys for their help.

This weekend has been so much fun. I said goodbye to Charlie, Lyn and Lyn’s PA Denny after brunch today; having them here was fantastic, and Westfield flat now feels quite lonely. It was also quite insane – you should have seen the mess in my room this morning, and the number of empty bottles in my bin.

Last night didn’t go quite to plan, but it was still great fun. The social I expected in my room didn’t really happen, and we went to brandies a bit earlier than I thought, but it was one hell of a night, I was in a bright pink outfit, Lyn wore the black dress I’d given her as a welcome gift, and charlotte was in a scrummy green dress. Denny was being normal and boring.

Our friends got here at about half seven. Scott and becs were the same excellent people I remember; Vanessa was even more Vanessa-like though. I finally got to meet Vanessa’s husband to be, Neil, who turns out to be a really nice bloke. I also saw sally and jo, and many of my other friends. It felt great. They all seem to really like Lyn, too. I was so happy last night that, at one point, I pushed Lyn round the crowded dance floor on a mad tour of doom.

This morning we got up, dressed, and, after a lengthy hunt for my glasses, went to eat in the wes. We furthered the plans we had already made, like Amsterdam, and made new ones, Charlie has hatched a new plan for another trip to Newquay, which I’m definitely up for. Then it was suddenly time for Charlie to head home, and a short while later I walked Lyn and Denny to the bus stop. I already quite miss them.

It is the calm before the storm. Me, Lyn, Charlie and denny have spent a nice, quiet-ish day in my flat. We ate lunch in the plough, and now everyone’s taking a nap before everyone gets here at seven. Last night, there were about eight of us in my room, having pre-brandies drinks; I’m expecting fifteen to twenty here later, given that we didn’t get back till half one last night, and Charlie didn’t get in till half seven, a nap seems very wise.

Today is old boys, and I feel like it’s Christmas. All my old friends are going to be here tonight, except for Emma, and it is going to rule. Well, truth be told I’m not sure exactly who is going to show up: Lyn and Charlie I know are coming, but apart from that it’s a case of wait and sea. Either way, it should kick arse.

This Seems appropriate.

I almost forgot with the excitement of my new chair and the hassle of the internet: today is my brother Luke’s twenty-third birthday. Luke is a top bloke, an excellent website administrator, and all round good egg. Happy birthday Luke!

The internet is very good, especially for cripples, at helping you keep in touch. That is, until it goes down. Then you’re screwed. Like a junkie trying o get his next coke fix, you search desparately for ways to get online, paranoid that somebody is trying to contact you, or that plans have changed and nobody could tell you. Of course, when you finally do get online, you see that nobody has sent you much, and that no plans have changed.

Anyway, back to blogging. First, my new chair arrived. It is a black f55 with tilt and lift, and looks as cool as hell. I mean, sub-zero! Its sleek and shiny, like Darth Vader’s helmet. Also, I don’t know how, but she looks like a predator. When I first saw it, I thought of something keen and sharp. I named her The Bat’leth. When I meet him tomorrow, I can, at last, look down on Alan.

Much more seriously, I would like to express my deepest condolences to David Cameron and his family. I know I often ridicule him, but all politics aside, no parents should have to go what they are going through.

The guys in the mechanics department have began to take the piss. My wheelchair is getting old and certain bits keep falling off. Just little things, like the screws in the footplate. However, one of the benefits of living on a uni campus is that there are workshops with things like screws and screwdrivers. So, whenever a screw falls out, back I go to the workshop. Mind you, I must be going too often, as the guys have began to say things like ‘oh, not again’ and, rather more sarcastically, ‘see you next week’.

In other news, today I produced 3900 words for my thesis, mostly from old stuff. And did you notice that, funnily enough, Short Circuit was on Channel 5 last night.

I am in an abnormally good mood, but don’t quite know why. Dad dropped me off at university earlier, and I’ve just come back from roadwork rehearsals. I feel optimistic – almost excited – about work this week. I know what I’m going to write, and it’s very interesting ground I’m covering. I have a lovely girlfriend to chat to online, and most of my friends are coming on Friday. God, that’s going to be so much fun.

I’m not sure what I’ll get up to this evening. I’ll probably stay in and talk to Lyn, or I could play follow-my-nose in my wheelchair. Life is good/

I was surfing the net yesterday with Esther looking for our favourite childhood films. I think we were both in a retrospective mood. We first looked up back to the future, and found this bit of silliness. I then remembered one of Luke’s favourites: short circuit. I googled it.

What I found was truly stupid. They’re re-making the damn thing. I wouldn’t mind a sequel at all – I’d love to see the return of Johnny five. But to remake it seems pointless. The producers claim it’s so they can update it with today’s technology. I assume that means that they will make a third version in twenty years, then a fourth in 2048, as technology progresses even further.

Why can’t Hollywood just leave things me? Why can’t they think of films as works of art, and not tools for making money. Why not re-paint the mona Lisa using photoshop, or re-write Shakespeare using modern language? Idiots!

As you probably know most schools are on half term this week. When I went to see her with Lyn, Charlie said I should visit her during the break, so that’s where I’ve been since yesterday. Charlotte now lives on the other side of Chester to her parents, in a nice houce with a lovely social worker called Kathy. Charlotte came to meet me at the bus station at 5 yesterday, although I had got there rather earlier and had already been zooming about Chester City centre for a few hours. It’s a nice city and worth exploring. I found a shop which sold swords – replicas of course.

I was just expecting a quiet evening at Charlie’s family house, but Charlotte had other plans. We got a taxi into the city centre to save my wheelchair battery. There we had a curry. I’ve been craving one for a couple of weeks and it was delicious. We shared a bottle of Australian red. We then went to the Frog and Nightingale, there I met Holly for the first time since Charlotte’s birthday. It was great to see her and she’s doing really well. They have great music at the Frog and it really is lively place. Most of Charlotte’s friends were there and it was good to see them too.

This morning we were up rather late, got dressed and headed back into town to get breakfast. I was a bit worried because I couldn’t bring my wheelchair charger and the battery was getting a bit low. We found a French restaurant and had omelettes sitting by the window, watching people and talking about old times. I found it funny than every now and again Charlotte says things like ‘those kids are in year 10’; it seems we’re getting rather old. Then after the omelette and the best coffee I’ve had in awhile, it was time to get the bus home.

So that’s it, my account of where I’ve been for the last 24 hours. It was rather cool. I’ll see Charlotte a week tomorrow, for Old Boys. Lyn’s going to come up too. I really can’t wait.

Not that I want to jinx myself, but my thesis seems to be taking shape at long last. It has 5 sections:

1.An introduction and historical perspective of cinephilia – currently about 7000 words

2.an outline of fandom – 5000 words

3.a comparison of cinephilia and fandom – 5000 words

4.the application of the above principles to my own engagement with the star trek films – 7000 words 5.conclusion – 3000 words

parts one two and four are drafted – I just finished part two. Part one and four are almost finished. This leaves part three, which I’ll start quite soon, and my conclusion. I have allowed myself about 4000 words wiggle room, but that can easily be filled.

I used to think 30000 words was a lot, but it really isn’t. all the same, I’m pleased with myself.

I saw cloverfield over the weekend. I must admit to being stunned by it. For many years Hollywood, it seems to me, has been trapped into quite a formulaic way of making films. Or more accurately, it has had many – okay two – formulas. First there was the studio system. Then there was George Lucas, who screwed everything up.

Now, though, there seems to be a new kind of film-making. In cloverfield, we are supposedly viewing the hand-held camera footage of some kind of alien monster invasion, as filmed by one of the characters. Thus we have a diagetic auteur; the film is created within the film. This strikes me as the very opposite of classicism. The camera is not omnipresent; we don’t have any of the filmic grammar we are accustomed to; there is no satisfying ending. On the other hand, the film is introduced by the explanatory message, which frames the film in some sort of conventional fiction. nevertheless, this is an exciting departure from most of what has been before, and I cant wait to see where it might lead.

I go home this weekend for the first time in four weeks. At the moment I’m knackered, and definitely have that Friday afternoon lethargy. It’s been a productive week, and I’ve managed to write over 3000 words. Also, I went to an exhibition in the gallery last night about the artists relationship with others. It reminded me of mine, and I could do with exploring some of the issues he brought up. But now, I’m just waiting for Mark Kermode – who, incidentally, is referenced in a text I’m using for my thesis – to come onto the radio. He is now part of my Friday afternoon wind-down routine. Just want to slump down in front of the Simpsons.

A while ago my girlfriend Lyn posted a couple of videos to youtube. I hope she doesn’t mind me saying that one was of her in a swimsuit, another was about her transexualism, and so on. As such, as much as I don’t like using the word, I think they are brave art-works, and I feel Lyn is to be applauded for uploading them.

Yet it would seem that Lyn has received derision from fellow youtube users. This makes me very angry indeed. They seem to think that Lyn is something to be laughed at, and post crass comments. Would they laugh at a black man, just for being who he is and not being afraid to hide it. Such people strike me as illiberal and narrow-minded. They cannot accept that some people are different, and aren’t ashamed to hide it.

I whish I could charge to the aid of my girlfriend. She is probably the most unique person I know, and I feel proud to know her. She has had to go through a lot, just to be who she feels she is. Yet she told me last night that she regularly has to put up with such bigotry and intolerance.

Why can’t people learn to accept others for who they are? Why can’t they tolerate difference? Why can’t they accept the idea that not everyone is like them? The answer, I suspect, is a lack of education.

It now seems that if u get something wrong, and get found out,, you can go to Wikipedia to change the facts. Well, that’s what conservatives do. Rather than being exposed for the morons they are, they try to deceive everyone. The question is, can we trust a party which dos things like this? I don’t think so

It’s been ages since I went to the cinema, and I was feeling guilty about it. There are two or three good films currently showing, so today I went to see slumdog milliner, largely at my father’s suggestion. I think Mark Kermode was right when he said there’s a lot of slumdog and not much millionaire: Danny Boyle is good at showing us poverty. I got a real sense of what these slums are like, and yet the film has a certain beauty to it. Some of the shots are composed magnificently. Although the type of narrative structure (where the film begins almost at the end of the story) is nothing new, I think boyle constructs it especially well. Having said that, I found the way in which jamal got some of the answers from those scenarios a little far fetched. Also, he admitted to murder, yet ends the film free and very rich.

Now, in comments, dad asked my opinion on the scene where the kids are blinded so they can become more lucrative beggars (it made me thankful for the fact I can’t sing, for once). I don’t think anyone in their right mind would condone that, not even the most extreme disability rights lobbyists. This is not to imply that I think blindness is bad, or any other disability, but come on guys: seeing must be better than not seeing, just as tasting is better than not tasting. If you have an ability of any kind, to get rid of it or to have it taken from you must not be good. Nor do I think that the director is being disablist by putting this in, for some would argue that he’s associating blindness with pity and inferiority. I can believe that some ruthless assholes actually do this to kids in India, and that boyle is merely portraying a reality.

I really should go to the flicks more often. This film had me on the edge of my wheelchair – I was almost shouting the final answer at the screen. It also reminded me how long its been since I had a curry.

I saw the news of the bush fires in Australia this morning, and I thought of this song. I know it’s a natural part of the country’s ‘life-cycle’, but it is rather ghastly. I found Australia a beautiful place, and it is rather upsetting to see it so ravaged.