Townsville Daily Bulletin 20 May 1924 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article61148646
I wonder if Captain Webb was about to auction off a pair of ornamental angels or if this was a genuine otherworldly vision?
If at the time of this amazingly prophetic statement he was gesturing towards some angelic mantlepiece decorations this incident is less remarkable. Of course, if the next auction item was a pair of old boots and he was talking about something only he could see I am definitely interested!
The North Western Advocate and the Emu Bay Times 5 Dec 1907 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65209624
As soon as I read this article I just had a vision of the bunnies holding onto the ears of William Thomas and laughing manically while he struggled. It sounds just the kind of end the bunnies might hope for a trapper to meet really.
Sadly for the bunnies I am on the side of the trapper at the moment, you would be too if you saw the state of my remaining tomatoes.
Yes, some of them survived the onslaught of huge hailstones I posted about the other day only to be munched on days later by a rabbit. I don’t mind sharing the veggie garden with the birds, they at least have the manners to wait until the veg show signs of ripening before they move in for the kill. That just means it is a matter of timing and me paying enough attention in order to beat them. I’m ok with that, it means nothing gets wasted.
The stupid rabbits though, well they just munch bits off anything within reach no matter how unripe it is and wreck it for both the birds and I. They haven’t noticed the lovely zucchini growing at the moment so I am off to the hardware tomorrow for some star pickets and chicken wire to fence them off before they fall victim to the evil chompers too.
The Argus 5 Feb 1900 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article9047707
I wonder why a hopeless alcoholic like Christina Holt decided to take up bike riding? Of course, brandy has probably never been something that has ever helped with good decision-making, so, there you go. I suspect that her brandy consumption might have been part of the reason she crashed the bike in the first place.
Little Lonsdale Street is not somewhere you would consider taking your bike riding lessons these days as it is pretty much in the centre of the city of Melbourne. The only bike riders there are the much-maligned bike couriers rushing from building to building.
I found the article about the inquest and it reports that Christina and a companion were learning to ride gentlemen’s bicycles with the assistance of the owners, whom they did not know, when she crashed into a kerbstone, fracturing her ankle.
Little Lonsdale Street would have been an interesting address back in 1900 though, not one known for health and fitness, but certainly one known for liaisons between men and women. From the late 1800′s this was a street known for its variety of brothels. Perhaps Ms Holt had a good reason to drink!
Interestingly there were further articles about this unfortunate death bemoaning the way doctors treated those with the ‘disease of drunkeness’. It was suggested, quite obviously you would think, that tapering off the drink instead of a total stop would be a far better way to treat those afflicted, as complete withdrawal often ended in death. I wonder how many unfortunate souls died this way?
The Advertiser 28 Aug 1923 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article37201356
Collecting butterflies wouldn’t be high on my dangerous hobbies list but here is an example of how even the most innocuous pastime can kill you.
I wonder if Rabbi Meyer was found with a look of horror on his face? Did he lick his finger then realize, too late, what was going to happen?
Was a ghostly butterfly chuckling in the background?
The Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser 2 Jun 1879 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article18927604
If you have some time to kill, amuse yourself in a constructive way, don’t attempt to wreak destruction upon an innocent creature you happen to come across. That may be obvious to some of us and if he had just kept on with his seaweed picking and left the fish alone this fisherman would have been alright.
It is a very cartoonish end for this poor bloke, I wonder if the fish had its little fins wrapped around his tonsils, snarling ‘that’ll learn ya…’
 | acflory on A Woman Pirate. 1936. |
 | lorddavidprosser on A Woman Pirate. 1936. |
 | metan on Girly helplessness, 1890… |
| metan on Girly helplessness, 1890… |
 | J. G. Burdette on Girly helplessness, 1890… |
