Let's Be Creative......

Vicki has done it again. She has sent me a montage (Combining images into collages with subtle blends, composite multiple photos and stitching photos together to create moving panoramas). In other words you unload as many photos as you would like (in my case I uploaded 90 photos) and follow the directions to create new effects and transitions. It was so much fun. I have no idea where she finds these but Mr J and I had a great time being super-creative with our photographic trip to the Bowral Tulip Festival last Springtime. I hope that you enjoy them. Just click on the link, it may take a while to load as I did add a lot of pics...ENJOY!.

BOwral 2008

The Grey Nomads......

Some friends have returned from a two-year trip around Australia. They are both in their late forties and decided to take a few years off to explore the country and work as they went. It was fascinating to listen to their story and I am presently encouraging them to start a travel blog before they commence out on their next adventure so that I can read about it as they go.
As some of you know, Mr J and I traveled through a lot of Australia with three children years ago however, we were always restrained by time, extended school holidays and space. I have often wondered what it would be like to have endless time to explore what and where one chose to go. This couple towed a caravan to Cairns in Queensland at the start of autumn and spent two months there. They did some house sitting out on a cattle property for six weeks after Cairns, an opportunity which they came across over the Internet. Apparently the house-sitting chores included watering the gardens and feeding the family pets while the owners took a much needed holiday overseas. They had never been on a cattle property before and found the experience wonderful. Then they moved back out to the coast to Airlie Beach in the Witsundays, working here a couple of days; fishing and sailing the rest. Some time later they moved on to the Sunshine Coast where they picked up some work three days per week in a club and spent their spare time fishing and enjoying the beaches and mountains around Caloundra. Eventually they headed further south stopping along the way in various places including Coffs, Sydney, Canberra, down to Melbourne and over to Tasmania where they spent the three months of summer. From what I can gather three months in Tassie is not long enough to experience everything that you read or see on shows such as "Get Away" etc. so they plan to head back there in a futre summer. The wife worked as a receptionist and the husband was employed crewing on a fishing boat. The other four days per week were spent at their leisure. One of the comments they made was that there was a wonderful feeling of not being rushed with life and not having to be anywhere at any particular time. If they decided to stay on for another week or month, they did. That thought appealed to me. How great to rise in the morning and decide to take a cuppa, a fishing line and a book to sit on the beach all day. Or perhaps today seems like a nice day to go for a hike up into the mountains. I wonder if one would get sick of the lifestyle or perhaps moving on to new towns changes that.
They moved on through the Nullabor Plains and made their way across the continent to Western Australia. Working and travellng north they ended up in Broome and drove through the Kimberly's to Darwin. Working part time gave them enough money to keep moving so that they would not diminish their savings. Of course you can not always get work everywhere you go but then other places have a lot available from what I have read. This couple said that they enjoyed being Grey Nomads. They loved the lifestyle and opportunities of making new friends because the social side of this sort of life is very prominent in that Gray Nomads people share their experiences and activities with each other when they meet up at van parks and rest stops. Jude said there was always "happy hour" at someone’s van any night to share stories and experiences and they have caught up with many of their fellow travelers since coming back home, which was two years later. Meeting up with other travelers would also give them access to valuable information and help I should imagine.
So I came home and had a hunt on the Internet to discover exactly what a Gray Nomad was and read some wonderful stories. It seems that some of them travel indefinitely, choosing to spend winters up north and summers down south (now that appeals to me lol), others take a few shorter trips each year and finally there is another group who “work” their way around the continent, such as the couple in the story above. I was amazed at the numbers and statistics on the Internet. Some 17,000 caravans per year are sold (new and second hand) to undertake this sort of lifestyle. Apparently some 350,000 motor homes, tents and vans roam the country at any given time; I guess baby boomers all have to retire at some stage however Mr J once made a comment about the advantages of not waiting until retirement, which is what this couple did. I was amazed to read just how many couples are "nomading" and surprizingly more and more are people are opting out of the rat race for a few years. It sounds and reads like a culture in itself. I must say after researching the Internet and some books, the idea that “the horizon doesn’t finish where the sun goes down” (their moto) certainly is attractive to me. Perhaps it is a case of embracing the unknown rather then taking the safe and usual mid-age and retirement paths.
I can think back to years ago when young people and back packers did the same thing. They worked as they traveled from town to town and state to state. Now it would seem the Grey Nomads are doing the same thing or similar with their travels. It is exciting to think we are all still young enough to embark out on new adventures. We all have many life experiences behind us now and time in front of us. And it doesn't end there...in North America the Grey Nomads are referred to as “Snow Birds” as they camp and travel all through Canada and the United States. A lot of Aussies, upon finishing their Australian travels, become snow birds. I imagine that Europe would have a similar group of travelers but I have yet to read about them, although we are following the van travels of one Aussie couple (via their Internet blog) who are currently travelling through Europe and Russia). I like the concept of meeting and mixing with new people who are also undertaking a new journey; of letting go of our boundaries and packing up to just “go”. It would certainly be a courageous undertaking at first I imagine. Perhaps it is like many things in life....we just need to make the decision and just do it and there is certainly a lot of country to see, water to fish and snorkel in, parks to hike through, areas to sail around, scenes to photograph, roads to travel on and experiences to be had.

Tai Cha 2008.....

Each Sunday morning I pass a park near home where a large group of people (all ages, sizes and nationalities) meet to practice Tai Chi. They say that Tai Chi is very relaxing but I must say that it can be equally relaxing simply watching them perform their movements, as Tai Chi has a peaceful appearance about it. The movements are marshal arts defence movements performe in gentle slow motion. In fact, I am told that because it is such a gentle practice people of all ages and physical conditions can participate in it. Some days one will pass them and they seem to be creating shapes with their hands using slow movements. Other days they seem to be meditating. In any case I always associated it with elderly people but realized after watching them for a while that many were actually my age.
Now during the week I was reading an article about "How Stuff Works; the benefits of Tai Chi" and discovered some extensive studies done in America that found Tai Chi to significantly improve the immune system and general health of the community. A group of people suffering from shingles, were introduced to Tai Chi; half practiced it for 25 weeks and the other half didn't.
"The study showed that the Tai Chi group's rate of increase to immunity during the 25-week study was double that of the control group (the group that did not practice Tai Chi). In addition to the improved immunity, those in the Tai Chi group also reported significant improvements in physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality and mental health. "
Now while I don't have shingles I did find a few other ailments it can help. It is supposed to be especially good for people with bad posture (guilty), bad eatting habits (guilty), people who don't get enough sleep (guilty), people who have suffered from stress (guilty), difficult/busy working conditions (guilty), poor digestive systems (guilty), bad flexibility, high blood pressure and need better overall health (sounds like me). In fact after reading the article, I fitted so many of the categories that I felt like I should have been taken down to the back paddock and shot lol.
OK so I logged onto the Internet to find out where one learns Tai Chi (I don't want to have to get out of bed too early on Sunday mornings you see) and was amazed at the places, schools and groups available to practice Tai Chi. They are everywhere and some groups have designed instructional techniques for beginners, intermediate and advanced, etc. A lot of it depends on what you want to improve as well, for example, if you want to promote balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness you can do just that. Some groups mainly concentrate on calmness, relaxation and stress control, I liked that idea as well.Others cover everything, which is what I need to do. It is hard to imagine how I have made it half way through life without Tai Chi lol.
Anyway, I found a group that is starting up in October, which is good timing with the finish our my writing club and the weather should be a little warmer by then too. So, very excited with my information I raced off to meet Mr J out at the construction site, only to find him explaining a design problem to a builder. You had to be there to see just how funny it was. There was I waiting for Mr J to tell him how Tai Chi is going to change our lives and there is Mr J........unable to describe the shape of some roofing he wants altered so he gently lifts his arms up into the air above his head and sloooowly moves them in spiralling motions and then gently, very gently, brings them down to rejoin once again, his fingers flurrying in the air (like a drowning albatross). He looked like he was performing a construction version of Tai Chi.
Some things are just meant to be aren't they lol

Have a good afternoon everyone

From the memories of a young child......

My Grandmother (on my father's side of the family) remarried a few years after my Grandfather died. I think it was the same year that I was born and the new husband's name was Ted; we were brought up to call him "Uncle Ted". I remember as a child, visiting my Grandmother and Uncle Ted at home. He had never married and except for the Second World War he had never travelled nor had any grand plans for the future. He didn't drive a car and was happy to catch a bus or train where ever he went saying that it gave him the opportunity to make new acquaintances among people. Uncle Ted was a gentle man, about 5'6", very slender and quietly spoken and each time we would visit he would give us ten cents each to walk up to the old corner store to buy something nice. Now ten cents was a lot of money back in those days and I can remember thinking that he must have been the richest man in the world lol. He and my grandmother would sit smoking and enjoying a beer together, I don't think that he was an alcoholic but I can never remember visiting them and he was not sitting drinking his beer lol. Sober he was a softly spoken gentleman; after a few beers he became a jovial and witty man and a good laugh that obviously enjoyed having visitors. Uncle Ted's life was not one of discontent, his days were filled with work at Rothmans Tobacco, a job he had been employed in for some 30 years; you see he was a product of the Great Depression where one valued, guarded and respected employment, which had been rare back then. If you ever visited him he would sit in the loungeroom, and ask questions about school. As a seven year old my brother, sister and I would try to make awkward conversation with him, painfully aware of the generations that separated us although it seemed to me that he did try hard to make us feel comfortable and welcome; he simply lacked experience and social skills with children and didn't know how to go about it until several beers later lol.

In the 60's he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis and the doctors removed his left lung but this did not stop him from smoking or drinking however in 1980 his body gave out, undoubtedly worn down from years of abuse and my Grandmother found him deceased in his bed. He had died peacefully from pneumonia. One of his daily rituals was to read the newspaper, which were published morning and afternoon back then. He once told us children that what ever the working man needed to know could be found in the newpapers and he always encouraged us children to read and write, that was the one subject he appeared comfortable talking about. Looking back now perhaps underneath the outward show of drinking, working and jovial ten-cent-give-aways was a man who understood the value of education yet never had the chance himself, I was never really sure, but he was certainly enthused about it from the way he talked. The only advice that I remember receiving from him was about creative writing to which he said that the stories were not what was important so much as the way it was written.

When you look back on your life it is amazing where encouragement came from, the most unlikely voices or incidents, but as an adult I realize that it takes all sorts of people in all kinds of ways to inspire courage and confidence within us. Then as you grow through life the little snippets of advice from ever age join together to foster a skill.
Have a good weekend everyone

A Quick Story That I Read.....

I read a simple story today that made me smile. Some time way back early 1800s a young American lawyer was riding with his friends into the local township. They were meticulously dressed for a town meeting. Along the way they found some baby robins that had fallen out of their nests. The mother robin was cheeping and tweeting frantically as she fluttered over head. Her distress for the babies was obvious however, the friends rode on, even though the young lawyer stopped.

He looked at the distressed mother robin overhead, dismounted his horse and ever so gently picked up the babies and returned them to the nest. As he climbed down from the tree he fell into a puddle of muddy water which drenched him and strained his knee lol. With muddy boots and clothing he continued his journey into the town to meet with his friends who gave him a good natured teasing. He admitted to them that if he had left the baby robins behind he would have felt bad about it, it didn’t require much effort after all, and as insignificant as the action was, his gut instinct said it was the right thing to do. They all laughed and called him a softy and commenced their meeting. I could imagine most kids today simply ignoring the birds at best and incidentally, the young man’s name was Abraham Lincoln. He later became the President of the United States of America, who was considered a strong leader whose acts of kindness were many. I guess compassion and kindness are second nature to some people from a young age.
When you stop and think about the modern leaders across the world we could certainly use some more like that today. Just a few who could restore our faith in politicians, just a few who are not afraid to get their hands and boots dirty in muddy puddles seeking the best for their country rather than themselves, women & men whose consciences are not soiled by secret agendas, popularity polls and toeing the party line; just a few leaders who can show that truthfulness and love for their country is more important than love for power and their careers.

A A A Achooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!

Winter is always that time of year where we spend equal amounts of money and time defending ourselves against head colds, flu and pneumonia. I say equal amounts because I take vitamin tablets, multi and vitamin C. I also take garlic tablets and drink copious amounts of fresh juice as well. I was told that this all helps to build up your immune system and give one an advantage against the winter woos. Many people spend so much time fighting off colds, etc. that we are too busy to catch one and if we are not busy doing that then we are busy bouncing back from them, often for weeks at a time. When I was working in communications at the hospital, senior management decided that it was compulsory to be vaccinated against influenza. I remember coming back from the nurse’s office having been jabbed with the needle, thinking to myself that I was safer than any other individual that I knew because I now had the ultimate protection against the flu and guess what…I have never had the flu as badly as I did that year lol. Just six weeks to the day the dreaded sniffles began, followed by a rising temperature which didn’t stop rising. The infection moved in like an unwanted house guest and although I fought tooth and nail to evict it, my guess had made it self comfortable and was definitely not going any where. One characteristic of the flu is that an individual is either suffering from it or else you simply do not realize that you are dying from it and continue life as if you are living in a vortex. I remember driving to the doctor’s surgery and I drifted and changed lanes on Victoria Rd. My daughter nearly had a heart attack and yet I remained oblivious to the honking horns from everyone around me and the truck driver next to me who waved his tall finger like a bird at me. When I came out of the doctors I vaguely remember that my house key wouldn’t open the car door and that putting the gear stick into drive did not allow me to reverse backwards out onto the street. Yes…I truly was sick with the influenza. Now the doctor suggested that I had bed rest and medication for a week and in addition, I was to visit a physiotherapist and have her bash on my back to relieve the building congestion in my chest. Given that my body size deals with enough congestion around my chest area I couldn’t imagine how this could be a good idea however we headed to the therapist’s anyway. In my almost semi-delirious state I had forgotten about my health fund details, which are practically non existent in matters of rehabilitation, lol. Influenza does that to you..it makes you forget the simplest things, in the exhaustion of the heat pulsating from your body while your immune system fights off the germ, your memory retains nothing. The physiotherapist asked if I was taking medication to which I replied that I was yet to visit the pharmacy and collect my prescribed tablets. “Well” she replied sarcastically, “You should have done that first, otherwise I could catch this from you”. Now normally I would counterattack the said cynical comments however, on this particular day (and in my Disney-dazed state of indifference) I simply nodded like the proverbial circus clown and swayed to clocking of the tick on the wall lol. Yes, that's how bad I was feeling lol. God, I felt so hot that it was like I was existing in the middle of summer instead of winter, even though by now, I couldn’t even remember what season it actually was lol. I do recall the physiotherapist droning on and on about something and my daughter told me later that she appeared annoyed that the doctor had sent me to see her in such a sick state. Perhaps she didn’t like houseguests either.
She then listened to my lungs after repeatedly playing the bongo drums on my back. Can you believe that she even asked how I had caught this flu? Now I ask you….if I had known how I had caught it I would not undertake that particular activity in the first place, agreed? The thought ohhh derrrr came to mind but I was simply too sick to be able to form the words with my mouth. Nonetheless, several days later (about a week I think) after lots and lots of exhausted, sweaty, restless sleep (and many antibiotics and fluids) the temperature and the aches and pains began to subside. When ever I hear the news and a commentator talking about the upcoming winter I always remember that year. Hence, nowadays I consume vitamins and fruit juice and vegetables like the winter is my opponent and it works. Funny thing once the flu passed on from me to some other poor human, I had no trouble reversing out of the driveway or locating car keys again Amazing that lol. Stay healthy everyone!

Queen's Birthday Weekend 2008.....

I am sitting at home waiting for a delivery driver who is running very late. What to do meanwhile to fill in the time….lets talk about the Shoalhaven area lol.
Over the last Queen's Birthday Weekend Mr J and I took a run down there, located two hours south of Sydney. Once you by-pass Woolongong the highway travels past Gerroa, Kiama, Gerringong, Berry, etc. The scenery is magnificant, rolling greens hilsides, beautiful blue ocean and lovely beaches. It is hard ti imagine how so much of rural Australia is in drought when areas such as these are so rich in colour and scenery. We had won a tender for an upcoming site and wanted to take a look around. My mother has lived there for a number of years since she retired however she has an interest in a craft shop in Berry and so we never seem to get past there as she and her friends are always at their shop. Berry is a beautiful town filled with gorgeous trees, antique stores, arts and craft shops, cafes and gardens. Even walking through the town is like stepping back in time. The buildings are mostly heritage structures and the entire area has an old world feel about it. Its certainly worth a visit.

Anyway I digress. Mr J basically wanted to find out exactly where this site was and to get an idea of accommodation and recreation, should we decide to run the business ourselves instead of leasing it out; accordingly we located the area and branched out from there. What a lovely surprise we were in for. Nowra itself is a business and residential district (which is about all we see when we do get to visit my Mum at her home) and is located on the Shoalhaven River. Tourists holiday there to go rock climbing, fishing and boating but I imagine that’s about it. So we took a drive out to the coast to see just how far the beaches are from Nowra and to enjoy what was to be a beautiful drive out there.

Along the way you pass a little country town called Brundee, dairy milk farms are everywhere. The area is so lush and green, the grass so thick, the land very flat and of course, dairy cows everywhere. It really is a beautiful picturesque rural spot. In the background are the Cambewarra mountains overlooking all of this and the fog was ever so slight that it was worth stopping to take some photos. Further along dotted randomly, were the homes (I guess of the farmers). It was just as you imagine...quite a few beautiful old world country farmhouses situated in the middle of the pastures all separted by a lovely white picket fence. I swear it could have been straight out of Little House on the Prarie lol.
The dairy farms themselves are interesting to see. As we drove along Mr J explained about the huge silver vats which were found on each dairy farm, that’s where the milk is stored after milking time until the milk companies come to pump it out. His Dad grew up on a dairy farm so he delighted in sharing his knowledge lol and if you have never been a “country person” then it really is quite interesting.

By the time he had finished talking we were entering Greenwell Point. Now the Shoalhaven River enters from the coast and splits into two. One becomes the Shoalhaven River of course, and the other becomes the Crookhaven River. The town of Greenwell Point sits at the joining of the two rivers. There was no beach there in fact it is more like a bay or small harbour due to the number of sandbars that separate it from the ocean, many fishing boats everywhere. I might add that we stopped to watch a lot of people reeling in their catches too, so obviously the fishing is good. I was amazed that all of these areas are a mere twenty minutes from Nowra, so all these years we should have picked my mother up and gone for a picnic out to the coast lol.

A little further on was Crookhaven, which is around the other side of the bay and sits with the bay on one side and the beach on the other. From this area onwards all of the towns were positioned on the beaches. Culburra Beach, Culalla Beach and further down Jervis Bay and Huskisson. One of the things which dawned on me was that years ago when we drove down the west coast of California I remember thinking how nice their beaches were; Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Long Beach, Malibu, I can’t even remember a lot of them now but, when you drive along the East coast of Australia (up and down) I think our beaches rate just as nice, if not nicer. They have an untouched beauty about them here. Of course the Sydney beaches could always do with a clean up in comparison, but that’s life lol.

Because it was Winter there were very few people even walking the beaches however a few were rugged up and busy fishing. When we stopped at Culburra Beach I spoke to a local who was fishing and she said that she and hubby swim, snorkel and sail all year round. It made me shiver just thinking about being in the sea during the Winter lol. I will say that the beaches did look beautiful even if it was just for a walk at this time of year. It is easy to convince one’s self of how lovely it would be to drop by the beach on your way home from work for a swim, some fishing or just a walk along the water’s edge.
After taking a few more photos we decided to buy some local fish and chips and then head off inland towards Kangaroo Valley. For those that have never heard of Kangaroo Valley, it is nestled between Cambewarra and Barengarry Mountains. The valley itself is surrounded by steep escarpments and it is breathtakingly beautiful and fully enclosed by mountains all around. Kangaroo Valley is one of those places where the peace and quiet soothes the soul and gives you a chance to relax; that’s after you have taken about a hundred photos lol. The only sounds (aside from the occasional car) are mainly bellbirds and the water running down through the mountains and the rainforest. There is a sign up that says the valley is now the only place left in the world where conservationists can find the endangered brushed tailed rock wallaby (I know that will impress you Richard and Robyn lol). I have been down there years ago when it seemed so dry that the slightest spark would see it in flames, and then other times, such as that last visit, I have seen it lush and green filled with Australian timbers, glorious rainforest ferns and some beautiful Fringe Lillies. Unfortunately we had a long drive home and so I couldn’t stop in the township but we have taken a break there on past occasions. Anyway after a few photos of the old Hampton Bridge we made out way back to Sydney. It's a lovely drive should you ever get the chance to go. Have a good evening everyone.

Wordle......

Some people have the wonderful knack of finding interesting things out in the world and on the Internet. For myself, I can search and search and never find "different" things but others have that great knack. My friend Vicki came across this heading-decoration called a word cloud by wordle. It will turn your blog feeds into a word-cloud decoration with the more frequent words being enlarged. Alternatively, you can add particular words yourself and as you can see above...it will reproduce your spelling mistakes too lol. I just highlighted and fed in a load of blogs and this is what it created. There are all sorts of fonts, a variety of layouts and an array of colours. I think the word cloud tool is based on a similar principle to a saturation/hue/contrast tool. In the wordle gallery there are some very artistic word clouds produced by school students. I have no idea how they did them lol.

Did I tell you the story about my washing machine?

I am married to the ultimate home handyman, nicknamed Dr Bandaid because he can “patch” up anything temporarily and occassionally he will actually fix it lol. There is nothing he will not attempt; electricals, plumbing, carpentry, motor mechanics, tiling, cementing, swimming pool maintenance, the list goes on and on…nothing is sacred Ask him about any trades work and he will tell you that it’s easy and that it won’t cost a cent, “I have it all under control”. Interpret that into regular English and it will read like “I want to do it and it may take six months but we can always rebuild the rest of the house around it lol”

His favourite line is “I can do that…it’s simple”. That’s a line that sends horrors to the pit of my stomach in double fast time. I once asked Dr Bandaid how he cold possibly know anything about trades work given that he had never been a tradesman. “Are you kidding” he said. “My father taught me many skills”. I might add that his father was not a tradesman either but we won’t go there.
One weekend the washing machine stopped towards the end of the wash cycle and would not work no matter what I tried. “I’ll call a washing machine repair man” I announced.
“NO WAY ! I can fix that, it’s simple” Ohhhhh those dreaded words. Anyway, Mr J conversed with the neighbours, one is an aeronautical engineer, another is a computer programmer and the third is a triage nurse. They all agreed that it was agitating problem linked to the wiring. I enquired as to why he would consult them and he replied that they owned washing machines as well. Now that makes sense (not) why didn’t I think of that. Mr J was convinced that the repairs would take no longer than about thirty minutes, brought his toolbox and cordless screwdriver in from the garage and headed off into the laundry. I grabbed the yellow pages and headed off to the study to locate a local QUALIFIED tradesman ready for when the inevitable happened. I tried to be as tactful as possible and suggested that we should call the tradesman first to save time however John mentioned something about my not understanding about money or men and their need to be the king of their own castle. Loosely translated that means “I will not pay a competent and skilled TRADESMAN when I might be able to bodgie my way to a fixed washing machine”. When I reminded him that he had no previous washing machine repairs experience he acted flustered and insulted with a little boy pout. I could see the usual home handyman symptoms appearing in his features. He was becoming more and more confident as the cordless drill wizzed and zoomed into action. His eyes became glazed, he had a smile from ear to ear and colour infused his cheeks. Ohhh well, I’ll give him two hours and he’ll want to call in a professional by then.
It is amazing how power tools inspire such self-assurance and certainty in men, have you ever seen a grown male holding a deafening power-saw when cutting a branch off a tree? OMG I swear they go off to Arnold Schwarznagger land. The thrill of the revving and roaring of power and strength going through their hands is like an addiction; an addiction which Mr J knows all about lol. I could hear the power serge (I mean cordless drill) loosening and removing the screws from the back of the washing machine; the bang when the sheet of metal being held in place , fell to the laundry floor was a dead give away. It then landed sideways against the door and I could picture the new dent in the paint work. “Would you like me to ring for the repairman yet?” I asked purely in moral support of course. There were a few choice adjectives in reply, which the Internet will not permit me to use on here. When I stuck my head into the laundry I was presented with an array of hoses leaking water everywhere and a barrage of electrical wires. I decided not to go shopping right at that point in case the two came into contact with each other and I was needed to ring an ambulance. Mr J assured me that he had everything under control and that this was easier than he expected…that dreading sensation was back again. I potted around for several hours in the garden and once again stuck my head into the laundry only to find him sitting in the middle of the floor surrounded by approx. one thousand washing machine parts. “Would you like me to ring for the repair man yet?”
“You have no faith in me” was his reply. “Go ahead, ring your tradesman, I hope he charges you like a wounded bull”. I ran (I repeat RAN) to get my phone and organise a time with the repairman; just in case Mr J changed his mind.
Well Rusty the Repairman turned up several hours later he took one look at the state of the laundry. Bloody hell was his only comment, he seemed perplexed and I immediately felt both sorry and embarrassed for Mr J, who was busy declaring that he had been on the brink of diagnosing the problem when his ungrateful wife intervened. “What exactly happened here” asked Rusty and I replied with the only answer that popped into my head…”thieves, there is a local black market for machine parts and they are currently targeting this suburb I believe.” Rusty stared at the machine parts while stroking his beard and occasionally squatting to pick up a part of varying shape or size. When I looked again Rusty was replacing the last of the parts and asked why John just hadn’t cleaned the filter. The filter? responded John. Rusty the repairman tapped the hose against the sink’s edge until a filthy ball of grey sludge dislodged. “Your filter was completely blocked, OK I am finished here now….that will be $70.00 thank you”
The dent in the door is still not repaired and the scratched floor tiles remain a testament to Mr J's handyman washing machine antics however, the washing machine works just fine and Rusty was ever so kind in giving me several fridge magnets with his phone number on, much to Mr J's disgust. I believe this “fix-it” process to be a male thing, a king-of-his-castle syndrome of some sort. Now I just need to find a cure for it lol.

The best fertilizer is a gardener's shadow,,,,,,

Since moving home I spend as much time as I can out in the garden. I find it an enormous pleasure to g6 out amongst the plants, its good exercise and I love the final results. I really like to garden because I take pleasure in seeing things grow. It is wonderfully rewarding to see a part of nature budding and thriving because of our efforts to dig in the soil, remove weeds, sprinkle some water. A small seedling begins as exactly that, a small weak shoot stretching up towards to the sunlight, looking around for a much wanted drink of water. There are so many barriers to stop it from developing into a shrub; extreme wind, excessive heat which will burn it back, frost, domestic animals and local wildlife which will tread all over it and insects and pests. I often marvel that many seedlings eventually grow into the beautiful flowers or fruits that they become.

The older established trees here at home are all Australian natives. They attract kookaburrasm cookatoos, parrots and an array of Australian birds, provide us with shade during the hotter months of summer, are drought resistant and are maintenance free. The back garden is very small and filled with agapanthas, you may recognize them as tall blue, mauve and white flowers and I have a few Kangaroo Paws growing along the back fence. As autumn begins each year I plant seedlings to restock the garden’s colour as the deciduous shrubs and trees loose their flowers and leaves. Winter is such a dominant and suppressive season that my garden becomes dull and dreary, often it almost looks lifeless. Leaves begin to drop just enough to make the grass, paths and gardens messy and yet not enough to allow some sunlight into the yard during the cold months. The perennials, the trees and even my lawn look tired and old at that stage. I find that annuals add colour and beauty to the graying garden, the splash of bright colour makes it cheery and a pleasure to be out in, regardless of the cold windy weather. This year I planted pansies, marigolds, , petunias, verbenias and zinnias. All provide a massive display of colour and love only a little sun. The colours available seem limitless. I will add that the weeding can get boring but over the time I have learned to pull them up as I see them growing rather than weeding it all at the one time.
Gardening is also a great form of exercise and a big stress reliever. Never mind that I often get dirty by it lol that’s ok because the rewards will be plentiful several months down the track and it is not just flowers that can be rewarding. In years past, pre-remote working, I have grown vegetables and a few fruit trees. I remember at one stage, Mr J and I grew cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and spinach and much more. My mother once gave me a lemon tree which did well for many years too. I think it is satisfying when one can eat from your own garden rather than buying it at the supermarket, especially after our accumulated efforts. Of course, this current back yard is too small for vege gardens but I grow my own herbs in pots; parsley, lemon grass, chillies, thyme and garlic. I absolutely love going outside to cut stuff for cooking, it simply doesn’t get any fresher than that.
I also have a pot of lavendar growing. There is not a lot that you can do with lavendar but I love the smell of it so every now and then I cut it back and let it dry enough to crush into a bowl and leave around the house. It has a gentle scent about it. I once read that lavendar is great for relation, soothing tired muscles and aids in a good night’s sleep. Now I am not sure if this is factual or not but I can testify that it makes the house smell fresh and welcoming.
By now you can guess that Spring is my favourite season of the year. I can feel the beginnings of spring actually occur; they lure me out of my winter doldrums with the smell of fresh soil, the budding sprouts on the trees and the new shoots on the shrubs. Spring and the birth of new growth offers a promise of what the garden will bring, especially with a little help from us gardeners. Indeed, my mother use to say that she could smell spring in the air and she was quite correct too. With trowel in hand and a wheelbarrow I am happy to head outdoors for a day of digging in the dirt. Of course I wake up Monday mornings after the stiffness has set in to my joints and long forgotten muscles, to remember that I am not as fit as I should be lol. Aside from the pleasure in seeing my plants grow vigorously, especially with new blooms, such an outdoor activity leaves me feeling energetic and contented. In our home, there is no distinction between the house and the garden because both are a sanctuary. In the warmer months we eat outdoors, read, relax and talk outdoors and fortunately gardening is a work in progress which will never finish. I can not wait for Springtime to return…..and it has only just left us lol

You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive......

I live off one of the busiest roads in Sydney. Because of the positioning of our home the noise isn't all that bad however, the volume of traffic is. The problem with this road is that it is a feeder road to a motorway which takes traffic north to the Central Coast or if you decide not to proceed on to this motorway one ends up on another major highway which will take you into the city of Sydney, about 20 minutes. Traveling on the main road near home is an experience in itself. Traffic lights adorn every second block whilst school (school zones) adorn every forth block. To my amazement there is only one red light camera between home and work, on this road.

Now this road is also used daily by hundreds of trucks and driving along side of trucks requires special considerations. Every day I watch cars battling with these huge vehicles, refusing to share the roadway with them or even give way to them. I always find this incredible because trucks, rigs, prime movers, trailors and commercial trucks (what ever else you may call them) are not like cars in the way they operate and have a lot of momentum; they are not as maneuverable and take a lot longer to stop then smaller cars because of their weight. Logic dictates that they need more space than the rest of us however, I am constantly amazed just how many car drivers give little or no thought as to how to share the road with them. I understand that it's a daunting thought having a big rig slowly climbing a steep hill in front of us. Like everyone else I hate the thought of being trapped behind then too however, common sense demands that in many cases we have to exercise patience and understanding with these drivers. Their job must be hard enough as it is and NRMA statistics show that in most cases truck drivers are generally better and more exoerienced drivers than the rest of us however, we have to remember that whilst they are professionals they are not perfect and can make mistakes too. So what's the problem? People still continue to cut in front of them or tailgate them or insist in overtaking...beats me why.

Today I was coming home from work mid-afternoon when a car with the dreaded "L"plates zoomed in front of me. I watched in horror as the young driver moved between two enormous trucks, one being an oil tanker and the second was a prime mover. The young driver looked no more than about 17 years old or so. With the cocky confidence of youth he sat between the two trucks doing 80 kms per hour, moving slightly to the left and then to the right. I breathed in slightly, mentally willing the kid's Honda to become shrink. Remarkably the smaller car remained the same shape. One more coat of paint or even a window sticker on the prime mover, the oil tanker or the Honda and there would have been a major accident I am sure. The senior driver in the Honda looked old enough to be "L" plater's Dad.....his hair was changing colour as I watched. One minute it was brown and the next it was turning grey. I could feel the dreaded pit of horror entering my stomach when I realized that I had all that ahead of me now that darling daughter had decided to learn to drive. I have just bought her a car, she has her L" plates, she just needs a volunteer to take her driving lol. My son (Mr A) was so easy to teach driving to that it was a pleasure to take him out. Daughter (Ms K) had been there and done that (with her father) before. Her father (phlegmatic by nature) became so traumatised with her attempts at a three point turn or lane changing that he has been reluctant to take her driving ever since. Even the sight of her holding a car key sends him pale lol.

Anyway, I have learned a lot by driving regularly all over New South Wales. I have especially learned to avoid busy roads where possible and to share the roads with truckies so that we can all drive comfortably together. These photos were taken in Vanuatu 2006.

A quick blog while dinner is cooking........

There is a large contingent of Kiwis that have commenced work here recently. Actually they corrected me when I used the word Kiwi and told me to replace it with the word "Maori." These proud boys are huge, broad across the shoulders, very tall and skin the colour of golden brown. Even though as a group they all share the same characteristics I have little trouble telling them apart. Their appetites are amazing, huge would be an understatement lol and they have a wonderful sense of humour. On first meeting them one thinks…OMG I would hate to meet them in a dark alley however, stop and have a conversation with them and they are the gentlest men you would choose to meet.

I have found their accents to be fascinating. I actually had to listen carefully to what they were saying at first. Their language is a dialect that involves restructuring syntax so sentences all end in an upward tone as though asking a question. The sound “eh” is added to the end. For example one of the boys Justin remarked that he loved Sednay Hurbur and nut meny estrillians were there eh” It was disconcerting at first however once I realized that they were from Nu Zulland I was ok lol.

Now according to these guys working in Australia (or Estrilia as they pronounce it lol) is considered a wonderful way to get ahead in life. Apparently the cost of living is much higher in New Zealand hence they can save much more when working here. The foreman of the group has resided in Australia for some 30 years. Every now and then traces of his heritage can be detected in his speech; I especially noticed it when he ordered some cappuccinos. I asked him how many he would like and he replied that he wanted sex. I did a double take and thought I must have misunderstood him.
“I am sorry, how many did you say that you wanted?”
“I want sex” Now that could either be construed as down right rude or perhaps given that 25 Kiwis (excuse me I meant Maoris) work for him, he is obviously from Nu Zulland lol. So six it was lol.

The boys spent their afternoon tea break telling me about New Zealand. They are obviously very proud of the geographical features in their homeland and regaled me with stories of the mountains, the fishing and the hot pools. Sheep play a very important role in the local economy and not matter how wonderful we may think they are in Australia, one simply has to purchase some sheep skin products from over there. They love the prices of goods here in Australia. Apparently everything is much cheaper here and often Kiwis come to work in Australia and plan to return to New Zealand but find it difficult to leave. I calmly explained that many nationalities share that same problem to which they roared laughing.
The boys did their trade certificates together and decided to travel on a working holiday. The five frinds (friends) arrived here and have not looked back. They enjoyed the Rugby League Test match at Sydney Cricket Ground on the weekend and look forward to the next one. They thought it was "tirrible" that New Zealand had lost but were quick to remind me that 100 years ago the Kiwis won the first clash between the teams lol. It’s good to remember more positive times I guess lol even if it was a century ago lol.
Meeting people from different countries ll over the world is always interesting. It's ashame that the rest of the world finds it more threatening than appealing.
Have a good evening everyone. The sunset photos above were all taken in Nigthcliff Darwin 1997