BEARD DREAD

What's with all these young Sydney blokes and their Alfred Deakin (pictured) meets ZZ Top meets South Carolina hillbilly meets lost Nimbin soul meets European philosopher beards? Everywhere you look, there's another mountain man who has never trekked to a mountain's summit. There's even a tumblr site celebrating the beards of Sydney. I don't get it - I'm off to have a shave. LJ, Easter Saturday, 2014.

WHAT I'M TURNING UP TO 11...

Chet Faker. The Knife. Chvrches. Foxes. Kate Miller-Heidke. Tycho. Coldplay. LJ, April 19 2014.

POETICA

Mark Tredinnick is the featured poet on this weekend's episode of Poetica on RN. Mark talks with Mike Ladd about birds, landscape, love, life etc. At one stage, they walk a track near Fitzroy Falls in Morton National Park and Mark recalls when he and I were there a few years ago and I was clarifying bird calls for him. My thanks to Mark for his kind words on my birding abilities. I'm keen to read his new volume Bluewren Cantos. LJ, April 10 2014.