It was a dark and foggy night...

Walking back home from seeing the animated movie, "Cars 2", last night, Penrith was becoming blanketed in an eerie fog.

By the way, the best things about "Cars 2" were the hilarious "Toy Story" vacation short that ran before the movie (Barbie and Ken are such dorks), and the closing credits. Not a good sign for "Cars 2".

Vale Max

I had my "Magic Circle Club" photograph professionally
framed, along with Max Bartlett's autograph!

Dammit. I just tried to send Max Bartlett ("Magic Circle Club") an email update and it bounced back. I've just Googled him and uncovered the headline of a "Herald-Sun" obituary, so it seems Max passed away in July 2010, not too long after Tedd Dunn (Fredd Bear).

As a fan, one tries not to be too much of a pest, but the time goes so fast. And then... they're gone. Seems like only yesterday that Max and I met, and my memories of several phone calls are strong (eg. "I rang you because I thought it might give you more of a thrill than sending a text message"). I'm hoping to do something with the interview I conducted (April 2009). Several irons are still in the fire...

Vale Max!




Ian & Max meet in April 2009


Me - when I first discovered
"Magic Circle Club!"

Winter Magic Festival 2011

Steam Train at Katoomba Railway Station


A dragon leads a group from Katoomba Public School (pic courtesy of Maxine)


Bad bunny in the street parade


A busker with his two puppets


Wolf in Grandma's clothes


Shop window white spiders


And my souvenir of the day:


Argon the dragon, bought from Rod and Eryn
of www.weefolkgardenart.com

Star Trot x 2

I'd seen "The Paul Hogan Show" version of "Star Trot", but this TV parody of "Star Trek" with the same name from the much earlier "Mavis Bramston Show" - another iconic Australian satirical sketch comedy series - and featuring Johnny Lockwood, later of "Number 96" fame. Very cool Youtube find!



Note that the captain calls one female officer "Number One", so it also drew from "The Menagerie" ("The Cage" being unknown in Australia in the 60s). The "Mavis Bramston Show" ran 1964-68, so it was sending up "Star Trek" as a then-current show.

Here's the "Paul Hogan Show" (late 70s/early 80s) version. It once received a write-up in "Starlog" magazine, long before Hogan became a household name in the USA. The skit uses the same Spock-in-the-elevator joke, not just the title of the old MBS skit:

Up to 3 hours free man parking

Spotted at Westfield Plaza, Penrith, today: Man Lounge - Park your man here. Rest area for bored men. Up to 3 hours free man parking.

ALF gains a chair, meets a dog

This silvery spaceship chair is a repaint of a dolls' wooden high chair I found on the kerb a few days ago. Note the new green and red buttons on the throttles and gears. A perfect chair for...



... my Mum's ALF doll, which used to sit an a rather substandard stool in her spare room.


ALF (Alien Life Form) meets Jack.

Double spike!

This year, the grass tree has developed a new spike - while last year's is still in the centre. Normally, it has only spiked every second year.

A taste of Jam Sandwich

In 1983, I renewed my acquaintance with ABC-TV director, Virginia Lumsden, who had overseen an episode of "Mr Squiggle and Friends" I did in January 1980.

"Jam Sandwich" was a children's afternoon magazine show, quite similar to "Simon Townsend's Wonder World". The night they featured science fiction media fan clubs: including Astrex (the NSW Star Trek Fan Club) and the Australasian Doctor Who Club. Young reporter Rachel Enright was making her "Jam Sandwich" debut. Her more experienced host, Tim Grogan, who'd been with the show since its first episode in October 1982, even forgot her name at the end!

We were invited to gather, in costume, one evening at the original 106a Bathurst Street location of Galaxy Bookshop.


The show's opening credits resembled a "Space Invaders" computer game.


Rachel Enright and Tim Grogan presenting; Rachel discovers Galaxy Bookshop - and K-9.




Assistant Manager Ron Serduik morphs into "Doctor Who" fan, Karsten John.


Therin of Andor (Ian McLean) and the Empress of Traken (Carol Bott) beam down.


Rachel and Karsten witness a beam-down!




A non-commercial network helps to promote my fanzine!


Aliens from "USS Hood Orientation Manual: Races of the Federation".








Gary Armstrong explains how he built his K-9 robot.


K-9's control box (80s-style miniaturisation); Therin goes browsing.


Chrissy Amphlett and the Divinyls accompany the episode's closing credits (above right).