Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
Boswell's Life of Johnson, 1775

Say no more.

Leaving Mallacoota and travelling into the Greater World always involves a large measure of cultural dislocation.

This time I had got no further than Tullamarine before I got king-hit the first time, a Lord Of The Rings themed pinball machine!

There was a time when one would have considered Tolkien and pinball diametrically opposed. Wasn't that an example of one of the things Pete Townsend was on about with Tommy. The lyrics for Pinball Wizard are here. (Watch out for the synthesized music, albeit less cheesy than usual.)

Back then I was enough of a hippie to be aware of Gandalf's Garden although the covers featured here do not ring bells at all unlike some of the contemporary Oz covers. The back at the bottom of this pages takes you to an article about the magazine which gives you a fair idea of that type of late sixties ethos.

Back again, a hectic period. I spent Christmas with my family in the UK (East Anglia).

They always say never take a break, stuff happens behind your back. Well its true, the Green Guide has acquired staples! From now on, even if it is badly folded it will still hang together.