Mulubinba Moments

Tales from the garden

This afternoon I put aside some time to mow the front lawn as it was starting to look untidy and a disgrace. Feeling very virtuous I dusted off our petrol mower only to find that it would not start. I primed the engine and pulled the cord that starts the motor with all the strength I could muster.. putt,putt...silence. In desperation I retreived this gadget (picture left) from the back of the garage. We used to use it to mow a strip of grass the size of a pocket handerkerchief and a more inefficient piece of equipment I am yet to find. I'm sure it flattened the grass and hardly cut it at all. After an hour of pushing and shoving the damn thing the lawn looks hardly touched. Sarah, our eldest daughter congratulated me on using an environmentally friendly machine...I would personally prefer to hire a sheep for the day. I hope I've managed to burn up a few kilojoules with all the energy I've expended.

By the way, loyal readers may remember the rat story I wrote a few weeks ago. We were in the process of demolishing our pergola in order to build a more substantial insect proof screened room. It isn't quite finished yet - we are waiting on a bug strip and the walls need a paint. The photo below gives you an idea of what it is like at least.

Denman

Approximately every four weeks I travel to Denman in the Upper Hunter Valley for work. There is some spectacular scenery on the way and I never think to take my camera with me. This week I managed to take a few shots of Denman and surrounds. As I was driving home the setting sun was reflected off the cliffs which border the north eastern tip of the Wollomi National Park - I was unable to stop the car safely to take pictures so will have to take a passenger up with me next time I go.
Freshwater lakes with National Park in the distance

Downtown Denman

"For those who've come across the seas, we've boundless plains to share."

I met up with an elderly relative last week who is in their eighties. The topic of the London bombings came up as we both have family living in England. Unfortunately this elderly person then decided to express the viewpoint that it was "The Muslims" who were at fault. Time to change the subject I thought as I had no way of convincing this person to take a more moderate and open minded approach. Unfortunately this person is not alone in our society - I am starting to pick up uneasiness within our community. "Racism" and "religious bigotry" are strong terms - things haven't come to that yet but they could. A friend of mine is married to a man who was born in the Middle East. He was part of a minority group in his birth country - they were Roman Catholics. His family emigrated to Australia over thirty years ago and became Australian citizens. Recently, his family persuaded him to fly (he has a fear of flying) to Central Australia with them for a holiday. He was singled out of the crowd at the airport by security guards who subjected him to a baggage and body search. The reason?

Last Sunday 60 minutes interviewed a "radical" Muslim cleric - I don't watch the program personally but this story led to much discussion in my workplace and at the local gym. Some people labelled it "scaremongering" journalism, others took the story more seriously. A brief search amongst the online newspapers elicited two editorials of very different flavour. One from the Sydney Morning Herald and one from the The Daily Telegraph. Debates on failure of multiculturalism, "White Australia policies" and revoking Australian Citizenship makes this verse of the Australian National Anthem rather poignant don't you think? (...and then there's the plight of Australia's original owners...)

Beneath our radiant southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands;
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands;
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share;
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing
"Advance Australia Fair!"

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Staying cold free

Message from NSW Health:

"Follow these simple steps to reduce the risk of getting sick this winter:
1. Get a flu shot.
2. When you cough or sneeze, cover your nose and mouth with a tissue.
3. Wash your hands regularly to reduce spread of infection.
4. Stay at home and rest if you have the flu.
5. Stay warm.
6. If you smoke, try to stop now."

I'm spending the day at home today so that I don't spread the cold I've caught to the people I work with. There is nothing worse than sitting near a person who has stoically dragged themselves to work heavy with cold....and yes, before I worked with children I was one of those people. I now realise that keepng away when contagious with the cold virus is generally more appreciated than exposing everyone to it.
I need to now devote the time I have off into getting rid of this cursed cold. Any ideas? I generally dose myself up on Vitamin C but dietitians tell me it just goes straight through our systems. Garlic? I can't stand the smell. Good book, hot soup and a spot in front of the heater sounds therapeutic...I think I'll try that.

Cat on a petticoat

Our younger daughter, Anna, played a part as an ugly sister in "Cinderella" recently. Part of her costume required a hoop petticoat. After the show I dutifully hand washed it and when it was dry, placed it flat on the sofa bed prior to returning it to the Theatre. The cat obviously thought it had been put there for his convenience.....

Mulubinba Moments or...the "Grumpy Old Woman Attempts Skiing".

We have just returned from a week at Mulubinba lodge, Perisher Valley. As you can see, it actually snowed...in fact it snowed almost every day which was fabulous for those of us who live in a sub tropical climate 51 weeks a year. I often wonder how good it would be to live in a place where it snowed all winter.

This week I reluctantly hired skis and booked myself into level 2 skiers classes for those people who can "snow plough turn" in other words SLOW and SENSIBLE. This is a grade I feel comfortable with -- I'm not one of the people who ski flat out, I would rather potter around on the slopes, enjoy the scenery and remain injury free. Skiing in school holidays is quite a trial as the slopes are crowded and there always seems to be a large number of people hooning around making it unpleasant for those of us who just want to take our time. Have you ever watched the program "Grumpy Old Women"? I do believe I'm sounding just like one. The lodge has always had the attraction of no TV, no radio and one pay phone. At night you entertain yourself by playing cards, board games, chatting or reading. My only complaint (only one?) was the mobile phones...My God...why couldn't everyone leave them at home!!!

The beauty of this place however did take my breath away. The last day was blizzard conditions - great excuse for sitting by the fire and reading a good novel regardless of mobile phones ringing. I indulged in some entertaining crime fiction.... Linda Fairstein's "The Kills" - quite a satisfying plot except for leaving the relationship beween Alex and Mike still annoyingly up in the air.

London

A quick post before we leave for the Snowy Mountains tomorrow. The flags are flying at half mast today out of respect for those killed and injured in London. My sister was in London all this week but decided at the last minute to go home to run a clinic and as a result was fortunately not on a London Tube when it happened. So many people I have spoken to have relatives or friends in London this week. This time last year exactly, Anna and I were there also. The terrorist acts in New York and Madrid seemed more distant - this one along with the Bali bombings are making us realise that our country could be next. One of my favourite blogs is London and the North...Coup de Vent - hope you're OK!