Metrognomic Tales - a collection of nineteen short humorous essays - has nothing to do with metronomes. The metro refers to the omnibus system in Hobart. The gnome refers to my lack of height. It is also a literary term, which is nice to know. My literary friends will know of course that it is a ’short pithy statement of a general truth - thus, a maxim or aphorism’ (J.A. Cuddon, A Dictionary of Literary Terms).