April ’08 – Here’s a song from this very moment: THE BAND PLAYED WALTZING MATILDA as sung by Tommy Makem and Liam Clancy (written by Eric Bogle). Just a moment ago, I was innocently listening to a batch of songs poached from my brothers’ playlist, while I was log-cabinning (any patch-worker will understand that verb) a cushion-cover I’m making for another brother, and thinking, “I should get ready to go out and meet Chris, just as soon as I’ve sewn on this strip…” (and so I reveal that my habitual lateness can be blamed on the allure of hobbies). Next thing I know, I’m sobbing away for the man whose legs have been blown off at Gallipoli, and who realises that there are worse things than dying, and, when he disembarks at Circular Quay, sings, “I looked at the place where me legs used to be, and thanked Christ there was no one waiting for me.” And now my eyes are red and if I leave my room, I might bump into a flatmate who’ll ask me what’s wrong. Unplanned bouts of weeping are also very occasionally a cause for lateness. And having two legs, and being able to walk, is regularly a cause for great happiness. If you happen to be in Sydney, visit the War Memorial in Hyde Park (go by yourself, and bring a handkerchief).
