Author Archives: rodbie

Religious Education 2

Posted on February 12, 2015 by rodbie

A couple of years ago (back when I was quite prolific) I wrote a long piece on my painfully ambivalent attempts to introduce my girls (just Tilly at the time, really) to the Jesus person. I just re-read it, and … Continue reading →

Posted in parenting, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Stop it egg!

Posted on January 5, 2015 by rodbie

I have decided to begin the new year with a return to my blog, and, as has been the case after previous breaks from blogging, I am going to commence my blogging rehab nice and slowly. My plan is just … Continue reading →

Posted in parenting | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A question about fear and death

Posted on October 8, 2014 by rodbie

A couple of days ago, I read a post by my friend Paul about a motorbike accident he had recently. In the post he talks about his strong desire to ride again, despite the many reasons there are for him … Continue reading →

Posted in parenting, Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

A polite child

Posted on September 9, 2014 by rodbie

I’ve always had an ambivalent relationship with politeness. As a teenager, three factors combined to create in me a contempt for it: pride, introversion and Christianity. Introverts are, I believe, at a temperamental disadvantage in the politeness stakes. Even when … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Kitty and Sylvia

Posted on August 12, 2014 by rodbie

A strange thing happened tonight. I was cooking, and Kitty (now 21 months old) brought out ‘Ariel’, a book of poems by Sylvia Plath, that she had found in the lounge room, in a box of packed up books (we … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, parenting | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

I wish you a Shitty Easter

Posted on April 18, 2014 by rodbie

Last year, I wrote my version of the Christmas Story (I’ve pasted it at the bottom of this post if you’re curious). I wrote the story as a way of channelling the nausea generated in me by the gentle-Jesus-meek-and-mild-no-crying-he-makes representation of the story. For me, (and … Continue reading →

Posted in Default | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

ICE, ICE Baby

Posted on April 8, 2014 by rodbie

Warning: the following features a Russian Scuba instructor using language that is much stronger than he realises, so if you are offended by Russian Scuba instructors using unintentionally strong language then stop reading now! Now, I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned … Continue reading →

Posted in Thoughts | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

How to make a Jelly River

Posted on March 29, 2014 by rodbie

This morning at breakfast Tilly: If everyone in the world jumps on a jelly river will they go through it? Me: Good question. Tilly: You know that night…Kitty…this night…you know that sound that I was making? Me: Last night, when … Continue reading →

Posted in parenting | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Odd Collocations

Posted on March 24, 2014 by rodbie

Check this post out for strict adherence to my new posting protocol. I possibly could have cut ‘Come on, Australia’ (see text for context), but aside from that, this one is as lean as a whippet. A collocation is a … Continue reading →

Posted in parenting | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Postito (or yet another desperate attempt to re-ignite a blog)

Posted on March 21, 2014 by rodbie

I was having lunch with a friend the other day, and we got talking about blogging. She asked me how my blog was going, and when I said that I hadn’t posted for ages, she suggested – quite sensibly – that … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, parenting, Thoughts | Tagged , , | 2 Comments