A strangely reflective, even melancholy day. Is that because, unlike our cousins in the northern hemisphere, Easter is not associated with the energy and vitality of spring but with the more subdued spirit of autumn.

No one welcomes chaos, but why crave stability and predictability?

Nothing is perfect. Life is messy. Relationships are complex. Outcomes are uncertain. People are irrational.

Actually, I can't imagine anything more tedious than a perfect person, especially if it was someone who also demanded perfection from me.

On average, Australians watch more than three hours of television a day, compared with 12 minutes a day spent by the average couple talking to each other.

Universal literacy was a 20th-century goal. Before then, reading and writing were skills largely confined to a small, highly educated class of professional people.

With increasing frequency and growing vehemence, you hear people saying they are ashamed to be Australians.