"He" by John Connolly

This is a far cry from Connolly's Charlie Parker novels. It's a fascinating insight into the Golden Age of Hollywood, as well as a recount of the rise and fall of the world's most famous comedy duo, Laurel and Hardy.
In his three room Santa Monica apartment, Stan Laurel looks back at his life - his early music hall days in England, sharing rooms and comedy material with Charlie Chaplin, working for Hal Roach, making silent movies, the transition to talking pictures, Hollywood scandals (Fatty Arbuckle, Charlie Chaplin, Thelma Todd), his disastrous love life (marriages, remarriages, four divorces, mistresses) and his enduring love and respect for Babe (Oliver Hardy).
It is a story of  loss - not just lost millions but lost opportunities and the loss of his faithful comedy partner.
At around 450 pages (containing over 200 short chapters), it's a quick read because it is such an engrossing subject.

"The Disappeared" C. J. Box - Joe Pickett #18 - A great winter-read

"Things almost got Western", remarks game warden, Joe Pickett, early in the book.
And they certainly do. Furnaces, fish-slapping, massive wind turbine projects, snow mobiles, cougars (the human kind), five star ranch resorts are in the mix this time. Nate Romanowski is back with a new form of interrogation (trout-slapping). It beats ripping off ears - used in earlier 'chats' with the local miscreants.
Concluding with a call from former-Governor Rulon, there is bound to be Joe Pickett #19.

Set in the middle of a bleak Wyoming (U.S.'s least populated state) winter, the reader is advised to snuggle up by an open fire with your favourite tipple.

The coolest street in Australia - Brunswick St, Melbourne

Brunswick Street, is in the Melbourne suburb of Fitzroy, just north-east of the CBD. It is a street that doesn't try too hard to be cool, it just is.

How to get there on foot:

Just 500 metres from Parliament Station or Parliament House, pass by St Patrick's Cathedral, walk across Victoria Parade and you're at the start of Brunswick Street. 

It is a blend of inner city battlers and urban hipsters. Home to an abundance of vegan eateries (one restaurant, Smith & Daughters, call their fare: "Plant-based dining"). There is a huge range of other restaurants, from Ethiopian to Malaysian, from Basque to Mexican.

Public housing towers, welfare agencies, thrift shops mix it with antique shops, Goth clothing stores, exotic bars (e.g. "Naked for Satan") and a bondage/fetish store ("Lucrezia + De Sade"). Window shopping recommended.

Looking north

Looking south (St Patrick's spire in the distance)

First major intersection after Victoria Parade is fashionable Gertrude Street

Victorian architecture meets street art

A florist is on the ground floor

Victoria Parade, East Melbourne

Forget Melbourne's Chapel Street in South Yarra, Sydney's Newtown/Surrey Hills or Brisbane's Fortitude Valley.

"Marlborough Man" a thriller by Alan Carter - Kiwi-noir?

The joke title is wasted on millennials but this is a great read. You get two thrillers in one here - Sergeant Nick Chester hiding out from a vicious northern England criminal gang and his hunt for a child killer in the Marlborough Sound area of New Zealand.
Alan Carter (a Western Australian author - though he hails from northern England) might be better known for his Cato Kwong thrillers.
Carter perfectly captures the dry New Zealand wit. There are strong female characters - Vanessa, Nick's sagacious wife and Constable Latifa Rapata his wily, wise-cracking partner. The author seems to have a grasp of some of Maori culture, humour and sensibilities.
The South Island setting is atmospheric and integral to the plot.

The best bits of "Picnic at Hanging Rock" miniseries (2018)

1. Werribee Park ('Appleyard College') is the undoubted star of the show. The buildings are part of a museum and hotel (Werribee Mansion and Spa), 35 km from Melbourne.  Honourable mention: Ripponlea ('Lakeview House') in Elsternwick (an inner Melbourne suburb).
2. Cinematography (although I think they ODed on the fog machine).
3. Natalie Dormer is incredibly watchable, a much younger (but with more demons) Mrs Appleyard (played by Rachel Roberts in the 1975 film). Loved the mini-sunglasses.
4. Yael Stone (Lorna Morello in "Orange is the New Black") - unrecognisable as the sycophantic Dora Lumley).
5. Inez Curro (the orphan Sara) - a breakout performance -  that deadly stare!

This miniseries has received mixed reviews. The action is drawn-out and repetitive. Probably 4 episodes would have been sufficient.

"Macbeth" by Jo Nesbo - The Scottish Ploy

This is one of the latest adaptations in the Hogarth Shakespeare project.
It must have sounded good at the time - Scandi-noir adapting Tartan-noir. What a ploy to get thriller fans queuing at the nearest Waterstones.
Och, it is such a yawn. At over 500 pages, it never seems to end.
I fondly remember the modest film from 1955, "Joe Macbeth" -  American gangsters, Sid (Carry On) James as "Banky"/Banquo.
Nothing new here. This bloated effort features some cringe-worthy dialogue and tedious plotting.
Initially it's fun - the setting is a dismal 1970's industrial wasteland/doomed city - very dystopian.
Hecate (and the weird sisters) manufacture "brew" (SWAT boss-Macbeth's drug of choice, as well as most of the town). Lady Macbeth is "Lady", an ex-madam, now running Inverness's classiest casino. Both Macbeth and Lady were sexually abused as children. Does this account for their psychosis and lust for power?
But it's soooo drawn out. There is a cliched subplot with Duff having an affair with forensic officer, Caithness (female in the book) and the Mayor (of this 70's Gotham) is called Tourtell (which accounts for a lame joke toward the end of the book).
Please, Mr Nesbo, keep your novels set in Norway. The one set in Sydney, Australia ("The Bat") is another case in point.

If you want a decent Shakespeare adaptation, try Edward St Aubyn's take on "King Lear" - "Dunbar".

Applying for a Letter of Probate without a solicitor (Australia). Save at least $1000

Most people go straight to a legal firm or trustee company, probably whoever is holding the will of the deceased. This is not necessary in most cases. You can spend $1500 - $2000 on an average estate (not including Supreme Court costs, see below).
Request the will, if it is held by a solicitor. The funeral director organises the death certificate.
With these two documents, you are ready to do-it-yourself.
You need:

• Original Will
• Death Certificate
• A computer and printer
• Application forms (filled in by typing or clearly printed)
• Advertisement (see below)
• DIY Probate kit suitable for your state/territory (recommended but not essential)

If you live in the state of Victoria, Australia, paste this in your browser:

https://www.supremecourt.vic.gov.au/forms-fees-and-services/wills-and-probate/applying-for-a-grant-of-probate-or-administration

Other states or territories will have similar sites.

Supreme Court of Victoria website is clear to follow, set out step-by-step. For extra help and tips, you can buy a D.I.Y Probate Kit online that includes stationery and application form templates according to a wide variety of cases - e.g. original executors, substituted (in the event of death) executors, multiple executors and beneficiaries.
The Supreme Court gives you a link to LibreOffice (used for entering in your application for probate that you simply print out and take to the Probate Office in Melbourne).

Costs (in Victoria, as of June 2018):

Advertising your intention to apply for probate through the Supreme Court website) $45.50
Application fee (paid on the day you go to the Probate Office)  $320

Optional D.I.Y. (I used Legal Kits of Victoria) guide $99 + $15 postage (money well spent)

In my situation I found the only tricky part was finding out the full names and addresses of witnesses to the will (written nearly 40 years ago, it there were two indistinct signatures). However, my father's solicitors had this information on file and emailed me this (at no cost).
The staff at the Melbourne Probate Office (Level 2, 436 Lonsdale Street) were friendly, helpful and not intimidating to a legal-newbie like myself. Note, the office is only open on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m.

Cathay Pacific's Airport Lounges - Hong Kong International Airport - review

Got a late night/early morning flight at Hong Kong Airport? Flying Cathay Pacific in Business Class?
Why not spend the afternoon/evening exploring Cathay's four lounges? Just ensure that you wind up at the closest lounge to your departure gate for your late flight.
The Cathy reception staff stamp your boarding pass so you can enter/re-enter any of the four lounges.

The Wing (near Gate 2) - our least favourite, even though it's the newest (too hot, glaring late afternoon sunlight), showers downstairs

The Deck (near Gate 18) - cosy, intimate, lots of smaller sitting areas - noodle bar, relaxation room

The Bridge (near Gate 35) - our favourite
Turn left from reception desk - it's quieter on that side - bistro, IT room, coffee/ice cream bar (where you can also order champagne), showers
Turn right from desk (for some reason most people do) - busier - bakery/TV lounge/noodle bar

The Pier (near Gate 65) - it's HUGE - it has everything, right at the end of this expanse is a tea-room followed by relaxation/massage rooms

The Deck - cosy

The Pier - huge space

The Bridge - quiet and classy - remember to turn left