(Warning this may be another of my introspective, naval gazing posts)
As a kid I used to listen to my Dad's Bushwhackers Band albums, ....
....I was totally hooked on Redgum, and later the Warumpi Band ....
Here's some Redgum for ya! (With apologies to the band for embedded film... )
(One more boring night in Adelaide! You had to be there!)
(Deleted drivel)
...I liked to listen to Redgum because they challenged and fought against ....(all sorts of crap, You get the drift, I deleted this bit too)
....Their songs were proof that something insidious was happening.... IT STILL IS!
Although I owned most of their original albums, this year I happened across their compilation album 'Against the Grain' while in Geelong. I hadn't listened to them in about 15 years ... (Deleted this too!)
....They were in fact profoundly prophetic. Of course they didn't need to have any supernatural powers to predict what our future would be...
(Still Life is a haunting premonition of how our world has actually become, but as the song suggests maybe "Slowly the Tide will turn")
(Fabulon for a bit of a cynical laugh at consumerism)
..... (Deleted a whole bunch of crap from here too)....
Ooh I'll leave this link it's for a great song by Roger Waters....
.... (Blah blah blah).... all manner of violence via the luxury of distance like watching the Gulf War unfold ‘From Bars three thousand miles away’.
Basically this post was about the band Redgum and how they provided a voice of dissent and how I liked them when I was young and how I still like the music and the guts to speak out... and thats it.
Friday, February 05, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Australia Day 'Bunch Run'
Here's my account of my first ever 'Bunch Ride'... I love cycling but have become somewhat unfit due to the fact that the only exercise I get is a 10 km each way daily commute. If I pushed it 10km might build some muscle and stamina but the truth is I don't ride fast... I just cruise along and let the efficiency of bicycle design carry me to work each day. (Bikes are very energy efficient you know.)
So anyway about a week ago we got a brochure in the mail advising of all the great things there will be to do on the Australia Day (Invasion Day) holiday. One of them was this thing called a 'Bunch Run', I had no idea what a Bunch Run was but my wife read the brochure and said "Oh... but you're so into bikes I thought you'd know... It's a bike ride with a 'bunch' of other cyclists." "Ohhh" says I. My brain starts ticking over... tick-tick-tick- - - - Clunk.... (She's saying I can go!) "Are you saying I can go?" I ask hopefully. "Yes" she replies... "Hmmm OK" I say. ("COOL COOOL COOL", I think)
I've never been on a Bunch Ride before, besides a couple of rides around Darwin Harbour, organised with some friends. This will be great! I find out some more about the ride. Starting 6:00am (No problem, I'm an early riser), finish 8:15am (Great it won't eat into family time or cause resentment at home). Must wear helmet and have lights.... (Can do) Road bikes strongly recommended... (I love my road bike... It's about 20 years old and I can't bear to part with it but it's got terminally flat tires and I haven't ridden it in a few years... I'll fix it it'll be fine!) This is going to happen!
By last night I'd prepared the bike... (wish I knew how to true a wheel), sorted out my cycling clothes, this time I'll even wear shoes! Packed a spare tube, and stuck water in the fridge. I set the alarm on my mobile phone and went to bed ready to rise at 5:00am.
January 26th Australia Day
This morning I woke to the sound of birds tweeting and the dim light of dawn angling through a gap in the curtains... I burst out of bed and checked the time... 6:28am! Damn! I can't believe it! I slept in! I jumped in a luke warm shower for about 30 seconds, (the water's never cold at this time of year), sculled some apple juice, grabbed my drink bottle and dived into my shorts and special, fancy style proper cycling shirt I found at an opp shop for $1. I put on shoes and even socks, ran out the door and was peddling furiously down the hill by 6:35.
I'd seen the Darwin Cycling club several times, they always ride on McMillans Rd and disappear somewhere around the Thorac Cemetery... I'll catch them out there... By the time I'd cycled 5km I was exhausted... My heart pouding, legs burning, I was panting heavily and my balls were aching from the strain of trying to ride hard against the wind or up any inclines... (we don't have hills). I rode past the cemetery to the end of the road where I thought they might be comming back from. There was no sign. They must have taken another rout! As I headed back toward McMillans Rd I saw a rider headed for the Stuart Highway so I took off after him... Legs aching, heart pounding, breath gasping, balls tied in knots and groin chafing... There were no others to be seen so I slowed down as I rode along the SH bike path to Palmerston and ate the banana I'd brought for energy. I rolled on a little way further... Still no Bunch. I decided it must be getting late now so turned around and headed back to town. I came to a cross road which offered two routs that would both get me back to where I was going... There I met a lady who was headed toward Casuarina from Palmerston (a 20km ride), she knew about the Bunch Rides but hadn't seen them today. She suggested maybe I should just go for a ride instead.
"Yes" I said through gritted teeth as I tried to decide which way to take back into town so I could at least join the group for breakfast.
After much hesitation I decided to ride back along the Stuart Highway, I rode into a head wind the whole way... demoralized but philosophical. I laughed to myself about the error and resolved that maybe these group things aren't for me. I am a loner, what business do I have riding around with a bunch of hard core road racing, licra clad speed addicted sports fiends? I'm no athlete... I am a Wanderer, a romantic drifter, a slow cycling officianado! Where's the space for dreaming when you're crammed into a tight pack of sweating, speeding cyclists fixated on the rear wheel of the bike in front of me? What wonder is there in cycling with your head down and your arse up? What do you see from that position? ...My shoulders were by now aching! (Not used to supporting more than a coffee cup for the past 10 years or so!)
I finally made it back to the finish line at Myndil Beach at 8:00am (quite by chance, I thought it was much later) where there were 100s of people covered in Australian flags who'd just done the Australia Day Fun Run/Walk. I waited till about 8:20 but there was not another cyclist to be seen!
I rode home... (exhausted)
Conclusion. I had been intrigued and excited by the idea of participating in a Bunch Ride before having attended one. Now that I've attended my first Bunch Ride, although not particularly taken by the competitive nature of the riding or the pressure it can put on participants, I feel I am now ready to go to the next stage. I would like to attend a larger Bunch Ride. It is my view that more participants would have created a much different dynamic, (even one other person would have been nice.) I am sure that some would argue that since I was the only cyclist attending this particular Bunch Ride, unless you count the lady I met on that corner... but we didn't really ride in the same direction so I guess I can't even count her, that it wasn't technically a Bunch Ride! But it was my first ever so cut me some slack OK!
Oh Yeh... Conclusion... Bunch Rides are probably OK if you're wanting to improve your fitness and ride with a 'Bunch', however I will have to reserve my opinion until I've had a little more experience... At least I didn't have to endure any overt Nationalistic flag waving or Oi Oi Oi crap on my ride.
Cheerio.
So anyway about a week ago we got a brochure in the mail advising of all the great things there will be to do on the Australia Day (Invasion Day) holiday. One of them was this thing called a 'Bunch Run', I had no idea what a Bunch Run was but my wife read the brochure and said "Oh... but you're so into bikes I thought you'd know... It's a bike ride with a 'bunch' of other cyclists." "Ohhh" says I. My brain starts ticking over... tick-tick-tick- - - - Clunk.... (She's saying I can go!) "Are you saying I can go?" I ask hopefully. "Yes" she replies... "Hmmm OK" I say. ("COOL COOOL COOL", I think)
I've never been on a Bunch Ride before, besides a couple of rides around Darwin Harbour, organised with some friends. This will be great! I find out some more about the ride. Starting 6:00am (No problem, I'm an early riser), finish 8:15am (Great it won't eat into family time or cause resentment at home). Must wear helmet and have lights.... (Can do) Road bikes strongly recommended... (I love my road bike... It's about 20 years old and I can't bear to part with it but it's got terminally flat tires and I haven't ridden it in a few years... I'll fix it it'll be fine!) This is going to happen!
By last night I'd prepared the bike... (wish I knew how to true a wheel), sorted out my cycling clothes, this time I'll even wear shoes! Packed a spare tube, and stuck water in the fridge. I set the alarm on my mobile phone and went to bed ready to rise at 5:00am.
January 26th Australia Day
This morning I woke to the sound of birds tweeting and the dim light of dawn angling through a gap in the curtains... I burst out of bed and checked the time... 6:28am! Damn! I can't believe it! I slept in! I jumped in a luke warm shower for about 30 seconds, (the water's never cold at this time of year), sculled some apple juice, grabbed my drink bottle and dived into my shorts and special, fancy style proper cycling shirt I found at an opp shop for $1. I put on shoes and even socks, ran out the door and was peddling furiously down the hill by 6:35.
I'd seen the Darwin Cycling club several times, they always ride on McMillans Rd and disappear somewhere around the Thorac Cemetery... I'll catch them out there... By the time I'd cycled 5km I was exhausted... My heart pouding, legs burning, I was panting heavily and my balls were aching from the strain of trying to ride hard against the wind or up any inclines... (we don't have hills). I rode past the cemetery to the end of the road where I thought they might be comming back from. There was no sign. They must have taken another rout! As I headed back toward McMillans Rd I saw a rider headed for the Stuart Highway so I took off after him... Legs aching, heart pounding, breath gasping, balls tied in knots and groin chafing... There were no others to be seen so I slowed down as I rode along the SH bike path to Palmerston and ate the banana I'd brought for energy. I rolled on a little way further... Still no Bunch. I decided it must be getting late now so turned around and headed back to town. I came to a cross road which offered two routs that would both get me back to where I was going... There I met a lady who was headed toward Casuarina from Palmerston (a 20km ride), she knew about the Bunch Rides but hadn't seen them today. She suggested maybe I should just go for a ride instead.
"Yes" I said through gritted teeth as I tried to decide which way to take back into town so I could at least join the group for breakfast.
After much hesitation I decided to ride back along the Stuart Highway, I rode into a head wind the whole way... demoralized but philosophical. I laughed to myself about the error and resolved that maybe these group things aren't for me. I am a loner, what business do I have riding around with a bunch of hard core road racing, licra clad speed addicted sports fiends? I'm no athlete... I am a Wanderer, a romantic drifter, a slow cycling officianado! Where's the space for dreaming when you're crammed into a tight pack of sweating, speeding cyclists fixated on the rear wheel of the bike in front of me? What wonder is there in cycling with your head down and your arse up? What do you see from that position? ...My shoulders were by now aching! (Not used to supporting more than a coffee cup for the past 10 years or so!)
I finally made it back to the finish line at Myndil Beach at 8:00am (quite by chance, I thought it was much later) where there were 100s of people covered in Australian flags who'd just done the Australia Day Fun Run/Walk. I waited till about 8:20 but there was not another cyclist to be seen!
I rode home... (exhausted)
Conclusion. I had been intrigued and excited by the idea of participating in a Bunch Ride before having attended one. Now that I've attended my first Bunch Ride, although not particularly taken by the competitive nature of the riding or the pressure it can put on participants, I feel I am now ready to go to the next stage. I would like to attend a larger Bunch Ride. It is my view that more participants would have created a much different dynamic, (even one other person would have been nice.) I am sure that some would argue that since I was the only cyclist attending this particular Bunch Ride, unless you count the lady I met on that corner... but we didn't really ride in the same direction so I guess I can't even count her, that it wasn't technically a Bunch Ride! But it was my first ever so cut me some slack OK!
Oh Yeh... Conclusion... Bunch Rides are probably OK if you're wanting to improve your fitness and ride with a 'Bunch', however I will have to reserve my opinion until I've had a little more experience... At least I didn't have to endure any overt Nationalistic flag waving or Oi Oi Oi crap on my ride.
Cheerio.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Gardening (for food) in the town
(Bundoora Park Community Garden, Bundoora, Victoria)It's been great to see a revival and growth in Urban food production, which is apparrently becoming hugely popular in Australia, UK and the USA. To grow your own food is now considdered to be cool... (Common practice in most other places)
A couple of years ago I discovered the Life Island website after viewing an amazing video about the Manor Gardens in Hackney, UK. At the time they were fighting to protect their 100 year old garden allotments from being leveled to make way for a sporting complex for the Olympic games... Sadly they lost the battle and the whole site has since been completely cleared! But! I will be very difficult to rebuild the sense of community that appeared to have existed in that special place and I was really saddened when I learned about the garden's demise.
A couple of years ago I discovered the Life Island website after viewing an amazing video about the Manor Gardens in Hackney, UK. At the time they were fighting to protect their 100 year old garden allotments from being leveled to make way for a sporting complex for the Olympic games... Sadly they lost the battle and the whole site has since been completely cleared! But! I will be very difficult to rebuild the sense of community that appeared to have existed in that special place and I was really saddened when I learned about the garden's demise.
Somewhere in my trawling of the internet I discovered that there was a cookbook produced with photos of the people and their special places in the Manor Garden. The Book is called Moro East.
I managed to order a copy of it online and it was delivered toward the end of last year. It's a wonderful book full of very rustic recipies and images, the cover features some beautiful Islamic art.
I managed to order a copy of it online and it was delivered toward the end of last year. It's a wonderful book full of very rustic recipies and images, the cover features some beautiful Islamic art.
(Moro East Cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark)It may be idealism or escapism but this stuff really inspires me. The book is wonderful and I like just flicking through the pages.
Sliver Gardening
Back at home our little garden is providing shade and green where once there was only the blinding glare and heat of too much concrete ... We've eaten a delicious pumpkin, snake beans, heaps of basil and enjoyed Lemongrass tea. We only harvest food occasionally but the aesthetic value of a food garden makes enormous improvements to our peace of mind regardless of limmited crops.
Friday, January 08, 2010
The down side to travel
Oh boy! Yes there is a down side to travel! For one thing, when travelling by plane you should make sure you keep all your exess hand luggage to a minimum! Like if you've got your own hand luggage and both your kid's wardrobes squeezed into pint size cases to avoid paying for checked luggage and a sleeping child to get on and off the plane... You'd better get that book you're reading stashed back in your own bag long before the plane lands!
I can't believe I lost a library book on the plane!
It was a Quarterly essay I'd specifically asked the library to purchase, I was the first borrower and I left it on the plane! I realized as soon as I reached the gate but it was too late, by the time the hostess managed to check my seat it was gone!
That was the first thing.... There's more
These days I hardly ever drive, I've become quite comfortable riding my bike and would have gladly caught trains during the holiday but was talked into hiring a car!!! (Well not talked into it really but that other thing that happens to some married when the man has an idea and the woman has kind of a different idea and they really should discuss all the pros and cons of both ideas, but something happens between having the idea in the first place and that moment when the man finaly give up and does what he's told!)
So we're getting around pretty easily in our 4 door Toyota hatch-back, doing 101 things in the ample 15 hours of daylight that Vicoria provides at this time of year, and I'm trying to squeeze in a few extra curricular activities like visiting relatives who happen to live along the way. So I drop half the clan off in St Leonards to get an Ice Cream and zoom back to a cousins house to introduce them to my 2 year old, and wham! An unmarked Police Motorcycle gets me doing way too much speed in a stretch of road I was sure used to have a very different speed limit!
He asked me if I'd like to see the reading but I just grunted... "Nope... I believe you... You got me!"
What a bummer!
Then today when I'd barely recovered from the fact that I am broke and I owe the library a book + processing fees and trying to figure out if I'm pissed that I got a huge speeding fine or grateful that I didn't loose my drivers licence, I get a call from home....
She "Hey do you remember when we sold the car?"
Me "Ohh I dunno... why" (It's my usual response and usually correct... I rarely know or remember specific details like obscure dates or what day it is!)
She "Well something arrived in the mail today..."
Me (naively) "Derrr, ummm... What is it?" (half hoping it was some kind of award for being a nice guy or that Trek bike I've been waiting to win from Ride-to-Work day.... It wasn't)
She "A speeding fine!"
Me "Humphfffffffff.... fck, aow..... (Long pause for silent humiliation as sense of complete defeat and uselessness sets in....) hmf.... "
The 'offence' was committed back in September! We tried to recall when we'd sold the car, hoping that it was all a mistake and that I could gleefuly pass on the bad news to the new owners. Of course it was definitely me... again! I was really busy at work doing a spate of really long days, running people all over town in the little red buble with no airconditioning... So I was rushing and they got me! Damnit!
Why did they send this fine so long after the fact? Do fines get lonely and need to travel in pairs? Were they hanging on to it until it could do the most damage to my self esteme and my wallet? Was this some kind of punnishment for doing bad things in another state? (Victoria I mean) Why the hell are they sending me this now? It's cruel and wrong! Ohhh the shame... Ohhhh the annoyance! Ohhh the waste... Oh the money!
It's already been really difficult to go back to work, I've been wondering all sorts of crazy stuff like could I survive without going back at all? I've dragged my ungrateful ass through each day of this week and now this just had to happen to top it off. (Sorry work guys... it's nothing personal I'm just in a bit of a funk at the moment.)
I'd even put off buying some much needed mud guards that I'd been covetting for the past couple of months! I didn't buy them before we left because I had no extra money and we came back to the residual weather of a Tropical Low. I've been riding to work in torrential rain every day this week! (Actualy I really like it but could use a decent set of mud guards...) So thinks I, I shall part with the cash and get me a shiny new set of lovely Mudguards! I go to the only shop int town that stocks them and wouldn't you know it, they were closed for the week.
Now I find that I couldn't have afforded them anyway because I've effectively blown 4 months savings on speeding fines! I can't believe it! I usually drive so slow (the speed limit actually) that I have cars tailgating me all over Darwin yet in the 3 months that I've spent the least time behind the wheel I get busted for speeding twice!
"Waaaa Waaa!" Somebody call the Waaambulence!
RESOLUTION: Don't drive any more...
I can't believe I lost a library book on the plane!
It was a Quarterly essay I'd specifically asked the library to purchase, I was the first borrower and I left it on the plane! I realized as soon as I reached the gate but it was too late, by the time the hostess managed to check my seat it was gone!
That was the first thing.... There's more
These days I hardly ever drive, I've become quite comfortable riding my bike and would have gladly caught trains during the holiday but was talked into hiring a car!!! (Well not talked into it really but that other thing that happens to some married when the man has an idea and the woman has kind of a different idea and they really should discuss all the pros and cons of both ideas, but something happens between having the idea in the first place and that moment when the man finaly give up and does what he's told!)
So we're getting around pretty easily in our 4 door Toyota hatch-back, doing 101 things in the ample 15 hours of daylight that Vicoria provides at this time of year, and I'm trying to squeeze in a few extra curricular activities like visiting relatives who happen to live along the way. So I drop half the clan off in St Leonards to get an Ice Cream and zoom back to a cousins house to introduce them to my 2 year old, and wham! An unmarked Police Motorcycle gets me doing way too much speed in a stretch of road I was sure used to have a very different speed limit!
He asked me if I'd like to see the reading but I just grunted... "Nope... I believe you... You got me!"
What a bummer!
Then today when I'd barely recovered from the fact that I am broke and I owe the library a book + processing fees and trying to figure out if I'm pissed that I got a huge speeding fine or grateful that I didn't loose my drivers licence, I get a call from home....
She "Hey do you remember when we sold the car?"
Me "Ohh I dunno... why" (It's my usual response and usually correct... I rarely know or remember specific details like obscure dates or what day it is!)
She "Well something arrived in the mail today..."
Me (naively) "Derrr, ummm... What is it?" (half hoping it was some kind of award for being a nice guy or that Trek bike I've been waiting to win from Ride-to-Work day.... It wasn't)
She "A speeding fine!"
Me "Humphfffffffff.... fck, aow..... (Long pause for silent humiliation as sense of complete defeat and uselessness sets in....) hmf.... "
The 'offence' was committed back in September! We tried to recall when we'd sold the car, hoping that it was all a mistake and that I could gleefuly pass on the bad news to the new owners. Of course it was definitely me... again! I was really busy at work doing a spate of really long days, running people all over town in the little red buble with no airconditioning... So I was rushing and they got me! Damnit!
Why did they send this fine so long after the fact? Do fines get lonely and need to travel in pairs? Were they hanging on to it until it could do the most damage to my self esteme and my wallet? Was this some kind of punnishment for doing bad things in another state? (Victoria I mean) Why the hell are they sending me this now? It's cruel and wrong! Ohhh the shame... Ohhhh the annoyance! Ohhh the waste... Oh the money!
It's already been really difficult to go back to work, I've been wondering all sorts of crazy stuff like could I survive without going back at all? I've dragged my ungrateful ass through each day of this week and now this just had to happen to top it off. (Sorry work guys... it's nothing personal I'm just in a bit of a funk at the moment.)
I'd even put off buying some much needed mud guards that I'd been covetting for the past couple of months! I didn't buy them before we left because I had no extra money and we came back to the residual weather of a Tropical Low. I've been riding to work in torrential rain every day this week! (Actualy I really like it but could use a decent set of mud guards...) So thinks I, I shall part with the cash and get me a shiny new set of lovely Mudguards! I go to the only shop int town that stocks them and wouldn't you know it, they were closed for the week.
Now I find that I couldn't have afforded them anyway because I've effectively blown 4 months savings on speeding fines! I can't believe it! I usually drive so slow (the speed limit actually) that I have cars tailgating me all over Darwin yet in the 3 months that I've spent the least time behind the wheel I get busted for speeding twice!
"Waaaa Waaa!" Somebody call the Waaambulence!
RESOLUTION: Don't drive any more...
Thursday, January 07, 2010
A few moments around coastal Victoria
Although nearly a week has passed since we returned from ‘Down South’ I’ve got a bunch of pictures and memories I need to store so I thought I’d continue to share a bit of the story here.
We had some fantastic walks exploring the bush reserves and beaches around Western Port Bay but after just 2 great days it was time to return to Melbourne and Geelong to spend Christmas with Family.
On Boxing Day there was a special day with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends! Of course we'd booked more than a month in advance so as not to miss out. My kids love Thomas and I think the romance of Steam Engines has rubbed off on us quasi adults too! I forgot to mention that just two hours after arriving in Melbourne we went to a miniature railway where we rode on small scale trains for the afternoon.
(Eltham Miniature Railway)
(Salty, Thomas and one of the Big green trains at Queensclif)
(Green loco Queenscliff)
(Thomas The Tank Engine)
Just a couple of nights in Geelong and we were headed off down to the Otway ranges to stay in a cottage at a place called Barwon Downs. It was fantastic! So many native birds! While most of Victoria is still recovering from drought, the Otways remain lush and wet and full of life! It was so beautiful there amongst the eucalypts and the smells were out of this world! There's something special about the scent of wet eucalypts! Even the grass gave off a wonderful perfume!
(Blue-winged Parot aka Grass Parot, Barwon Downs)
(Tiger Snake, Barwon Downs)
We had a ball there, just hanging out with the trees and the birds and horses, a chook and a few cows oh and on the last day... A LARGE TIGER SNAKE! There are some great bicycle tracks through the Otways including a mountain bike track that is apparently one of the worlds best!
(Otway Fly)
(Otway Fly)
Next time I hope we can cycle the Beechy Rail Trail.
After leaving Barwon Downs we headed back to Geelong and visited the National Wool Museum on our last day before coming back to Darwin. I really enjoyed the museum particularly the weaving looms and the old Factory workers cottage.
(Weaver's cottage, National Wool Museum)
(Small weaving loom, National Wool Museum)
We experienced so many great things on this trip but right now I'm too tired to post about all that! Especially since our computer blew up while we were away and I am having a hell of a time downloading photos or even typing on an under powered make-do laptop that's running VISTA and keeps Blaaaagh!
We had some fantastic walks exploring the bush reserves and beaches around Western Port Bay but after just 2 great days it was time to return to Melbourne and Geelong to spend Christmas with Family.
On Boxing Day there was a special day with Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends! Of course we'd booked more than a month in advance so as not to miss out. My kids love Thomas and I think the romance of Steam Engines has rubbed off on us quasi adults too! I forgot to mention that just two hours after arriving in Melbourne we went to a miniature railway where we rode on small scale trains for the afternoon.
(Eltham Miniature Railway)
(Salty, Thomas and one of the Big green trains at Queensclif)
(Green loco Queenscliff)
(Thomas The Tank Engine)
Just a couple of nights in Geelong and we were headed off down to the Otway ranges to stay in a cottage at a place called Barwon Downs. It was fantastic! So many native birds! While most of Victoria is still recovering from drought, the Otways remain lush and wet and full of life! It was so beautiful there amongst the eucalypts and the smells were out of this world! There's something special about the scent of wet eucalypts! Even the grass gave off a wonderful perfume!
(Blue-winged Parot aka Grass Parot, Barwon Downs)
(Tiger Snake, Barwon Downs)
We had a ball there, just hanging out with the trees and the birds and horses, a chook and a few cows oh and on the last day... A LARGE TIGER SNAKE! There are some great bicycle tracks through the Otways including a mountain bike track that is apparently one of the worlds best!
(Otway Fly)
(Otway Fly)
Next time I hope we can cycle the Beechy Rail Trail.
After leaving Barwon Downs we headed back to Geelong and visited the National Wool Museum on our last day before coming back to Darwin. I really enjoyed the museum particularly the weaving looms and the old Factory workers cottage.
(Weaver's cottage, National Wool Museum)
(Small weaving loom, National Wool Museum)
We experienced so many great things on this trip but right now I'm too tired to post about all that! Especially since our computer blew up while we were away and I am having a hell of a time downloading photos or even typing on an under powered make-do laptop that's running VISTA and keeps Blaaaagh!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Chicory and history
Hi Ho!
Yeh so the climate talks showed us that it will take more than a bunch of world leaders talking to change the world. I'm sure deep down we all knew that! Yes I know my travel has also contributed to the problem and I am working on a long term plan to reduce this, however, since I am traveling I am committed to enjoying that great privilege while it I have access to it and to cherish the opportunity to share it with my family.
We all recently made a trip to a quiet coastal town not too far from Melbourne. What a great way to unwind! What a find! Of course the place we visited had been discovered and already the small weatherboard holiday houses were being gradually replaced by gigantic edifices of concrete and glass for the urban rich, however the place remained quiet and pleasant. I saw no grafiti whatsoever and we managed to walk a full 1.5km along the main street without encountering a car!
We visited a Hedge maze and discovered they had a meditative labyrinth which was another great way to unwind.
A short trip on a local ferry brought us to anothe beautiful and secluded part of the world that I could easily become acustomed to living in!
A visit to an old Chicory farm on a quiet rural Island and some wonderful encounters made this a favorite trip for all of us! We sampled some Chicory and ate scones... Yum!
Freedom for the spirit away from the rock and roll! Away from the agro and fumes in the full breeze of the southern ocean, home to the penguines and seals! No towns no haste. The gusty winds blow...
Oh I really liked it in that place. What better way to spend Christmas. Simply, quetly, in the fresh air with family.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Advice from the Idler
In the words of Tom Hodgkinson "Boycott the Banks!"
OK the guys an anarchist, and yes judging by his writing he may be prone to alcohol induced romanticism, however the theory appears pretty sound to me!
If you want out of this system there are other options. While you're deciding what good purpose you can use your money for, maybe you could leave it with Ethical Investments for a while... At least they won't be shooting - - - - - - - - or Bulldozing the last of our Old Growth Forests with your money. It shouldn't be too hard to change super funds.
Check out what Tom Hodgkinson has to say about the banks over at The Idler.
OK the guys an anarchist, and yes judging by his writing he may be prone to alcohol induced romanticism, however the theory appears pretty sound to me!
The money path when we invest in the global economy... (by bank or by shares)
I have not studied this subject formally and my comments are based not on fact but on my bewildered observations... I was born at the end of the sixties, as a kid in the 70s I learned to meditate, helped my parents grow vegies in the back yard, helped to measure out food for the local co-op, collected aluminium cans and newspapers for recycling, visited working bees where people built houses out of mud and rode my bike in the streets with the other kids around the neighborhood. As far as I knew we were all supposed to be working together towards an enlightened, home spun, home grown, self sustaining future... The 70s must have been idealistic where I grew up... Some how by the 80s something changed... I don't know what did it but everyone got all greedy and really quickly no one seemed to give a stuff about the trees or the whales and the koalas any more. I cared but I was kind of rebelling in my own uninformed way that didn't require me to know too much, well actually I guess I (was) wasted most of the 80s and90s. I couldn't be used as a reliable witness but I still noticed a few passing trends in that time. I know my views are biased against the Economic Rationalists view of the world. But if you think a world view based on economics is rational then we're living in opposing universes.
It's been pretty clear that in this age our sense reason and compassion for our fellow human beings or any other species is tempered by our rationale as 'Shareholders'. Is this the result of a Worldnation wide conscription of the proletariat into the stock market? A cunning plan that makes us stakeholders in the very corporations that exploit us. This was delivered upon us via the enticing allure of Market Shares and self funded Superannuation! You probably don't remember when it happened to you but it did. Unless you've completely opted out of the system and rely on a local skills trading network or work for cash only and never invest in Superannuation then just like me and everyone else you are part of the problem!
There was once a time when we went to work, received our wages, paid our bills and if we were lucky saved a little in a bank account for a rainy day. We might have run our own business . Maybe we took a loan from the bank for a house and that was about the extent of many people's knowledge of the financial system. The Evil still existed but we were separate from it. We didn't respond to ethical issues by first asking will this affect my investment returns. We judged right and wrong based on our ethical standards which were generally founded in the tenants found in most religions. Personal responsibility, and a sense of justice and equality with the way we treat other human beings. The banks used to appear to be ethical, but now they don't even bother trying.
Back in the 60s and early 70s people caused all sorts of problems because they voiced their opinions based mainly on their moral convictions or how a particular situation affected them personally. I imagine this caused huge problems for exploitative companies whose only interest was in making lots of money. So someone came up with the most ingenious idea, I'm sure it came something like this...
"How do we deal with these plebs? The Unions have too much power! The bleading hearts are interfering with our profits! If this was Bolivia or China we could get rid of them! How are we going to deal with all these assholes and Greenies who are getting in our way?..."
Then someone at the back of the room says... "Make em all shareholders!"
Of course this would have caused some concern in the board room but the beauty of the plan would have won out...
If you can't beat them... Conscript them! And so somewhere in a back room in Canberra some papers were shuffled, bills were passed, regulations removed, and somewhere along the line we were committed to a system of self funding our retirement and becoming THE MACHINE.
Combine that with the idea that anyone can make a fortune from realestate and you've created a nation of Money Hungry Bread Heads! Our Moral Compases tossed to the wind or hocked at Cash Converters for a fist full of Futures! I used to avoid the poker machines because I found the atmosphere repulsive... Now that same sense of greed and obsession with wealth can be found in any home... These days if people aren't talking about the value of their stocks they're speculating on the value of their home. Or if they're a 'truly successful' kind of person, they'll be bragging about the value of their 'Investment property'! Unfortunately I find that alla little really, really boring... actually it makes me feel sad.
It's been pretty clear that in this age our sense reason and compassion for our fellow human beings or any other species is tempered by our rationale as 'Shareholders'. Is this the result of a World
There was once a time when we went to work, received our wages, paid our bills and if we were lucky saved a little in a bank account for a rainy day. We might have run our own business . Maybe we took a loan from the bank for a house and that was about the extent of many people's knowledge of the financial system. The Evil still existed but we were separate from it. We didn't respond to ethical issues by first asking will this affect my investment returns. We judged right and wrong based on our ethical standards which were generally founded in the tenants found in most religions. Personal responsibility, and a sense of justice and equality with the way we treat other human beings. The banks used to appear to be ethical, but now they don't even bother trying.
Back in the 60s and early 70s people caused all sorts of problems because they voiced their opinions based mainly on their moral convictions or how a particular situation affected them personally. I imagine this caused huge problems for exploitative companies whose only interest was in making lots of money. So someone came up with the most ingenious idea, I'm sure it came something like this...
"How do we deal with these plebs? The Unions have too much power! The bleading hearts are interfering with our profits! If this was Bolivia or China we could get rid of them! How are we going to deal with all these assholes and Greenies who are getting in our way?..."
Then someone at the back of the room says... "Make em all shareholders!"
Of course this would have caused some concern in the board room but the beauty of the plan would have won out...
If you can't beat them... Conscript them! And so somewhere in a back room in Canberra some papers were shuffled, bills were passed, regulations removed, and somewhere along the line we were committed to a system of self funding our retirement and becoming THE MACHINE.
Combine that with the idea that anyone can make a fortune from realestate and you've created a nation of Money Hungry Bread Heads! Our Moral Compases tossed to the wind or hocked at Cash Converters for a fist full of Futures! I used to avoid the poker machines because I found the atmosphere repulsive... Now that same sense of greed and obsession with wealth can be found in any home... These days if people aren't talking about the value of their stocks they're speculating on the value of their home. Or if they're a 'truly successful' kind of person, they'll be bragging about the value of their 'Investment property'! Unfortunately I find that all
If you want out of this system there are other options. While you're deciding what good purpose you can use your money for, maybe you could leave it with Ethical Investments for a while... At least they won't be shooting - - - - - - - - or Bulldozing the last of our Old Growth Forests with your money. It shouldn't be too hard to change super funds.
Check out what Tom Hodgkinson has to say about the banks over at The Idler.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Parliament of World religions media release
A friend who recently attended the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne advised me to check out what went down there.
Here's an interesting statement they made:
Here's an interesting statement they made:
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Transition may be blogged
Transition Towns
So with all the drama and fear around the environmental crisis and potential economic collapse how do we prevent total social breakdown?
Maybe we just need to wake up, read the writing on the wall and begin preparations for our Transition to a different way of living.
Let's not resign to Cormac McCarthy's 'Road'. There may yet be a way...
So with all the drama and fear around the environmental crisis and potential economic collapse how do we prevent total social breakdown?
Maybe we just need to wake up, read the writing on the wall and begin preparations for our Transition to a different way of living.
Let's not resign to Cormac McCarthy's 'Road'. There may yet be a way...
Friday, December 11, 2009
Walk Against Warming - Darwin!
It's on again! We've been doing this for a few years now but this year is critical!
Wherever you are on Saturday 12th December: Walk Against Warming!
If we are concerned for the welfare of future generations, and in fact our own, if we do not stand now and raise our voices loud enough to be heard above the noise made by big polluters with their cashed up Lobbyists and army of naive climate Skeptics then we will lose the opportunity to prevent a catastrophe far worse than the 'global recession'.
If you live in Darwin then here's where it's at:
Nightcliff
5pm Sat 12 Dec
Sat 12 Dec
Nightcliff Jetty and along the foreshore
Wherever you are on Saturday 12th December: Walk Against Warming!
If we are concerned for the welfare of future generations, and in fact our own, if we do not stand now and raise our voices loud enough to be heard above the noise made by big polluters with their cashed up Lobbyists and army of naive climate Skeptics then we will lose the opportunity to prevent a catastrophe far worse than the 'global recession'.
If you live in Darwin then here's where it's at:
Nightcliff
5pm Sat 12 Dec
Sat 12 Dec
Nightcliff Jetty and along the foreshore
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