Well, G’day my old mates.   Time for me to vent the spleen again and let the world know what’s wrong with it.

But first a commercial:  Short Fat Stubby Finger Publications, the web site I started creating back in December is just waiting one last adjustment to PayPal (who else) and the site is open for business.  Mind you, it is not what you would call humongous as there will only be 2 draw-it-yourself books and 3 volumes of poetry available for purchase.  but that is not the point.  The point is that once it is online and working I don’t need to pretend to myself that I am some kind of super computer geek forever creating blogs and face-book and webs and other thing I don’t really understand.  I can throw all my time and efforts into writing again and become a writer geek instead (though I probably still don’t know what I am doing).

Seriously though, the books I am selling on the web site are all hand printed and bound and I really don’t want to throw them out to the wolves (Publishers or super sized chain stores).  It doesn’t really matter if I never sell a copy, but I can still share the poems in my blog.  The rest of the books on the site, as well as those I still have to finish writing, hopefully will eventually become e-books and print on demand books selling (theoretically)through various on-line companies whom I have been assured will actually give me a small percentage of whatever they make …. though that mightn’t be much either.

Anyway, the reason I am mentioning the web site just now is as a reminder for anybody who wants to read The Night of the Darkness (the first in the Edge of Nightfall trilogy) that I will commence blogging a chapter every week or two over the next year (there are 54 chapters in total plus the introduction/preface and epilogue) starting with the INTRODUCTION/PROLOGUE  (re-blog) plus a repeat of the other chapters already released.  This should should make it easier for new readers as all chapters will have a similar heading. All blogs for the serial will The Night of the Darkness and chapter number as the header and there will be nothing else in the blog.

Now back to more serious things.  The WORLD CUP in Australia and New Zealand is coming to an end with the two host countries facing off in the Final on Sunday and Australia is almost certain to cream New Zealand, but I’m prejudiced so there is no point arguing and if we lose I’ll just say ‘We waz robbed!’  ‘That’s the Aussie way, Sport.  never admit defeat – there was always a reason behind the loss.’

But what I actually want to talk about is a bit of trivia.  Do you know where the origin of a hat trick began and why it was introduced?

Well, it makes a lot of sense when you find out.   Years ago, when the majority of the cricket playing world were amateurs, if a player (bowler) took three consecutive wickets some of the officials would pass a hat amongst the spectators and the money placed in the hat would be given to the bowler as a reward for the entertainment he had just provided.   Well there you go.

well that’s it for the moment … except for the short note and the poem at the bottom.

Have a great Easter break and I will see you shortly.

Regards

Tony S

Watch out for the monsters in the night

Watch out for the aliens that live in outer space

Then begin to worry for the future

The future of the human race

Travelling

by Tony Stewart

I’ve tried so hard to leave some days behind
As I’ve traveled so far in space and time
But try and try as hard as I may
I can’t forget the days when you once were mine

In days when life
seemed so fair and free
No insurmountable problems
existed then – Not for you or for me

Yet little did I know
In those golden days of yore
That you were planning separation
Your love for me no more

My heart back then – ruled my life
I had never considered what I would do
If I alone shared my life
If I could breathe if I didn’t have you

Yet all along
Or so it seems
You desired something else
You never shared my dreams

So you left me flat and cold
When everything seemed so right
Sneaking off so quietly
Into the darkness of the night

Leaving me to travel on
Both in space and time
Unable to prevent my reminiscing
Of the days when you were mine