Adventures on our Minecraft server

A little while back I created a Minecraft server on my home computer. This allows my daughter Maddie and I to play Minecraft together. Since I've started hosting this server Maddie's friends have joined and together they've created some amazing constructions on their world.

This morning I played with Maddie and her friend Jackson on a new world we created. We adventured in survival mode, using just the resources we gathered by our own exertion. It was fun.

Here they are posing for a screenshot.

Maddie & Jackson

Some book bargains

I'm recording this more for my own information.

I had a successful visit to a local op shop the other day and scored the following bargains.

Six Osprey books from the Combat Aircraft Series all in near-new condition -

F-15 Eagle - $0.95
F-14 Tomcat - $0.95
F/A-18 Hornet - $0.95
A-4 Skyhawk - $0.95
AH-1 Huey Cobra - $0.95
AH-64 Apache - $0.95



I also found Killer Angels by Michael Shaara, an historical novel of the American Civil War recounting the battle of Gettysburg from the viewpoint of Lee, Longstreet and some of the other men who fought there. I first read this novel when a work colleauge lent it to me about 10 years ago. I've been searching for it on an off in 2nd hand stores ever since and it's become a bit of a personal grail for me. When I saw it on the shelf my face lit up in a big grin and I let out a laugh. Yes, finally!

Killer Angels by Michael Shaara - $1.95

Let's escape...Tonight

I recently came across this original song by Allie Goertz. It's about joining friends and escaping the everyday worries and humdrum of your life through playing Dungeons & Dragons (D&D).





I played a lot of roleplaying games (including D&D) with friends in my teens and early twenties. It was a great time and I, too, looked forward to those evenings when we adventured together battling hideous monsters, performing heroic deeds and finding hoards of treasure.

I miss that time.

Common Brushtail Possum

This is a Common Brushtail Possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) in one of the palm trees in our front yard. I took this photo on the evening of 26 March 2011.


The Common Brushtail is a nocturnal marsupial native to Australia and the largest of all possums. These possums thrive in cities and have a love of fruit trees and vegetable gardens.

During the daytime, brushtail possums take shelter in dens which may be located in tree hollows, logs, dense undergrowth and even roof spaces of houses.

Imperial Rome

Milsims had a online discounted sale last month and I had ordered two expansions for one of my favourite war games of all time - Commands & Colors: Ancients by Richard Borg.

They didn't have Expansion #4: Imperial Rome available at that time so it was put on back order for me.


I arrived home today to find it waiting for me. Now, to affix the 586 sticky unit labels to the front and back of the 293 wooden blocks.

Oh joy ;)