Even thought they’re both less than two they’re a definite gang. A giggly gang.

And P’s thousand Watt grin says it all.

I’m sure Sue will tell you otherwise but P arrived without the fuss of B even though she was bigger – 3.5kg – and when you see them both at comparable ages they’re definitely two peas in the proverbial.

I think Sue told me not to let B use forks along the way. But how would you chow down on an apple strudel otherwise?

You can find the following Time special sites at this address until, well, they’re deleted from the server – I need to take some screenshots first before their digital demise. Might even add notes to this one day.

I went along with Kate S from Universal and my dear cohort on RTRFM’s homegrown. Let alone her pride of seeing Ammonia support the Oxford four – well past her time managing Ammonia – this was very well looked forward to. If either of us, and Perth, could script the music we were really into in ‘95 it was Swervedriver.

About two minutes in to the opening number she left my side to bring back four wads of wet toilet paper. My first gig earplugs. And needed. Blistering, but beautiful, Swervedriver went from an onslaught of Raise to the meandering sonic perfection of Duel which, with one particular live recording I have of theirs, always makes me bawl like a baby.

It’s true they stood at the exit and shook hands with punters as they left.

A couple years later, or it may have been before, at Summersonic or sumsuch, I had the privilege to share the tour van to a post-festival band knees-up at The Stoned Crow with the band. There they joined in to faff about onstage with luminaries which I vaguely recall – maybe Beck etc – in a room that could fit around 80. Would love my mates to fill in those gaps. But I do recall thinking this was probably the zenith of my musical dreamscape.

Looking forward to tomorrow eve.

SYDNEY–Flying visit for a pretty sad occasion, and it’s not just the Penrith location. Myself and middle bro Scott here for just a few hours.

Pluses include a $10 steak meal worth at least 14. Minuses are the re-emergence of fishermans’ pants to tight ankle around George St.

The bowls club went off Friday night. The ‘reef and beef’ bridged the species divide with a good ‘ol crumbing. B-boy got a bit rowdy cheering on granddad to the point where the nine-month-old got some cool death stares.

Someone got down on the rink with the locals and pitched a couple of kittys. It takes a while to get end to end though. Getting ready for the cousins’ pre-Xmas bash on the weekend and maybe a bit of bocce.

WAROONA–Spent a lovely evening with my sister’s family on their farm out on the flatlands. They have an amazing palm-lined oasis with a pool and shady lie-downs. Plus dogs and cats and birds and horses – all of which are new to baby B.

It’s still scorching hot but the cricket, while depressing, is a great diversion from eating eating eating. Not complaining about any of this.

WAROONA–Popped out for a litre of milk this afternoon and realised again the madness of town planning. The footpaths here are all placed to catch the afternoon sun directly. No matter that the opposite side of the road is tree-lined.

A scorching stroll took Bowie and I to the rather cute picnic area by the side of the highway through town. B caught his first alumina train rumbling metres away. I drank a real WA Coffee Chill. Waroona’s homage to Native American culture was notable. We hung out watching road trains and shift workers in their hi-vis jackets heading home.

Nanna and granddad are off to bowls. We can’t go because baby needs to go to bed. Was really looking forward to a sherry.

WAROONA–One of the cars is missing. Might have been because they leave the keys in it. At least the thief closed the garage door.

And I’ve had a Facebook win, using it for actual productivity. The cot arranged by the grandfolk was too small for bubs so I sent a message to FB schoolmates. A cot was offered. Quite amazing.

WAROONA–Day three in my hometown for Xmas and what I’ve unflatteringly called The Pumpkin Planet. AM radio is still damn horrible and the folks watch grisly cop and animal rescue programs on television.

I’ve already taken it upon myself to rearrange the local market’s shelves. There’s a whole lot of watching Bowie polish a whole new floor. And there’s his run-ins with the grandparents’ dog Misty.

Jetlag has entered the little fellow’s lexicon. And it’s taking all of mum and dad’s power not to just hand him over to the family and go hit the stinky local tavern for a large glass of mother’s little helper.

For some reason removing all of the trees along the main street through town has been adopted as modern landscape architecture in these parts. Thus a scorching moonscape, but somewhat safer for P-plate drivers who tend to pick out the only tree in the district to wrap their high-powered car around. I know that because I was one in my youth.

As wealth is measured in the size of one’s 4×4 my parents grace the middle classes as they have two. But we’re not allowed to drive them. Sue and I are 38. Humourous, if not for the fact that no-one walks and the footpaths reflect it. We’ve been here for a week already, right?

Chinese authorities remain outraged with the Nobel Committee’s plans to honour imprisoned dissident Liu Xiaobo on Friday.

But the chairman of Norway’s Nobel Committee says the award is not a push for Western values in China, but for universal human rights.

But the results – disputed by some independent observers – were not clear enough for supporters of the third-placed candidate, who have taken to the streets.

Meanwhile, a French medical team has confirmed the worst that the UN’s Nepalese peacekeepers are the most probable source of the nation’s first bout of cholera.

Its foreign ministry now claims more than 100 nations will boycott Friday’s ceremony in Norway, but the committee claims otherwise.

The former activist lawyer who went on to become the first democratically elected leader in Chinese history was convicted last month for graft and bribery amounting to nearly $US15 million.

If you want more on the fall of Chen Shui-bian see my 2008 feature The year of living democracy for Radio Australia and ABC The World Today.