Cop A Gander At These Rippers Too...

  • Commo

    Commo is Strine for communist, either a person, the ideology, or an adjective. It reflects the Strine tendency to use the diminutive form. Commie is also used. Commo はストラインで“共産主義者”を指す言葉で、人そのもの、思想、あるいは形容詞としても使われます。ストライン特有の縮小形（短縮形）を好む傾向を反映した表現で、commie という形も使われます。

  • Bees Knees

    One of the most striking aspects of my last visit to Oz (in the early southern spring of 2022) was seeing how honey bees swarmed around bottlebrush trees, clearly enjoying their presence and making me wonder if Japanese bees would like the callistemon in our garden. We got the flowers, but didn’t see too many bees until last week. Bees are great for gardens because they pollinate flowers and play a crucial role in diversifying the environment and attracting other creatures, such as birds. And the rumor mill must have been abuzz as the bottle brush in our garden is now a hive of activity. As I’ve mentioned ad infinitum,…

  • Cherry Ripe For A Ride

    I always look for a sharp way to start of a post, hopefully with some sort of catchy word play that might draw anybody who stumbles across the blog into reading further. I was pretty sure today’s title would play that role perfectly. And then I wasn’t. A cherry ripe is an Australian chocolate bar and for me was also a term used to describe someone or something in its optimal state. And I thought the expression to be cherry ripe was pretty common. But when I Googled for a link to the term to help the SEO, I was surprised to find that nothing came up. British English uses…

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    レストランの「BYO」とは？

    What Is A Restaurant BYO? Imagine walking into a restaurant carrying a bottle of wine. In many countries, you’d be stopped at the door. In Australia? You might be thanked. A restaurant marked BYO means Bring Your Own alcohol. Many smaller restaurants don’t have a liquor licence. Instead of losing customers, they invite diners to bring their own beer or wine. The restaurant usually charges a small corkage fee to provide glasses and open the bottle. It’s a particularly popular tradition at family-run Asian restaurants, where bringing your favourite bottle has become part of the dining experience. Vocabulary ExpressionBYO Pronunciation/biː waɪ əʊ/ MeaningBring Your Own (usually alcohol). Example “Don’t forget—it’s…

  • Bromocalypse, Now!

    As fate would have it, I got to ride my Brompton in a post-apocalyptic landscape over the weekend, making for some eerie-looking pics. It’s not the first time I have been able to ride through the area, but it was Brommie’s first chance to do so. Although the scenes appear post-apacolyptic (and I referred to them in that manner), it really wasn’t the case. We were in Tama Hills Recreation Area. I woke early, as is my wont, and got on the bike I had stored in the cabin where we had stayed. The camp area was deserted and the only noise was the morning calls of the many birds….