Well, time does move on, doesn't it? Nothing much to show for the last three months on this blog and somewhat at a loss to explain it. Letting things slide is never an excuse, but the fact is that I just haven't felt like writing, perhaps because there have been other things to do.

As mentioned I indulged quite a lot of time in listening to podcasts on my little Philips MP3 player. Walking and listening to broadcasts on politics, society and philosophy (to name but a few) is very agreeable, giving me both an education and some exercise. It saves on quite a lot of reading time too, but, as you might have experienced, where there is a gap, there is a queue.

So now the Christmas tree is up and summer has spluttered into December, with record low temperatures. Our gas heaters are on today, remarkably, and people are done up in winter gear. Right on cue, the Lawson Pool pump has gone rogue and the water temperature was, well, chilly, when I slid in this morning. Reminding myself that the Bondi Icebergs like a winter swim with extra ice in the water, I ploughed on with intrepid though ungainly dexterity.

Two weeks ago, my trusty (and already alluded to) MP3 player gave up the ghost and my kindly wife bought me an early Christmas pressie, an ipod touch. Disinclined as I am to Apple Inc. I have been pleasantly surprised by its capability and just hope that it will be reliable. But the less said of gadgets, the better.

I note with interest the implosion of Herman Cain, whose steadfast denials of moral wrongdoing came apart at the seams as more and more women came forward. It's not possible to deny everything, surely, but Herman gave it his best shot.

And in Australia, the Gillard Gov't appears to have ended the year on a positive note. It's hard to know if its luck will continue into next year. Oh if only those Liberals can get a pasting somehow in 2012!