Whether the weather

.. will just be what I remember.

Friend of mine (yer, do have one) turned up on Friday afternoon/night for a few beers and we bloody near froze (and Nah, didn't share bed;  both have sleeping bags, .. tch tch). This is Australia .. in late December??  Had to go and chainsaw some more wood for the heater on Saturday afternoon .. just before the rain set in.  Is still raining.

Have to admit that have never spent much time in NSW, nor been this high up.  (nah, no illegal chemicals - and 'high up' is probably small bikkies for someone who lives in 'real' mountains.

(gah, bloody computers .. can't find any online maps which tell me the exact height above sea level ..)

Will not be impressed by anyone in snowy England (or anywhere) who chortles .. 'see, global warming is a myth'.   It's NOT about 'warming' per se - the concept is "climate change" (as well as acidification of oceans, melting of tundras, changes in ocean currents - but that's all a bit complicated for the "flat-earthers"* to comprehend).. .. and did I read somewhere that the "overall" temperature in Australia is the 'warmest on record'?? (*Flat Earther - i only know what i read in the bible which is proven by what i see) [as if we didn't have enough uncontrollable unicellular lifeforms on this planet]..

Yer, I also see the big hot orangey thingo in the sky turn up on the eastern horizon every morning (well, most), travels overhead, disappears to the westward. Obviously 'proves' that the sun travels across the small valley where i am at the moment from that side to that side. So? Obviously dragged across the sky by some mysterious spacecraft?


Have been having a squizz at some of the 'science' sites and this one is fascinating. Became annoyed when saw one of the "commenters" still disputing "proof".  Bloody sight more "proof" of  the ecological change/ fossil record - than trying to "prove" the existence of  a mythical "god"; who picks up a pen and writes books?..
Which one?  Ra? Jupiter? Zeus? Yaweh? Jehovah? Christos? Allah?

There was a prediction some time back which contemplated what would happen if the meltwater from the Greenland icecap/Siberian tundra affected the Gulf Stream - ocean current that keeps the British Isles sort of temperate.

[can't find the post where I mentioned it , but this link will do, circa 2003]

Evacuation

Whatever ..

there is an ancient aphorism. 'if ya don't eat, ya don't shit. If ya don't shit, ya die'.

Where does the human waste go?

justice

Interesting word.

Am not dead, just sort of ' out of touch', don't say much - but still have a bittuva squizz around the blogosphere.

This one caught my eye.

fishing

OOOps wrong image ..
Dunno where the days have gone, really.
The sun comes up from the middle of a distant, easterly barley-field stubble .. and disappears into the slightly curved, ultramarine horizon, occasionally flecked by distant merry whitecaps on a jocular sea.
I don't DO much, actually. A ramble along the dune-tops, amazed by the stunted, tough, hardy, spindly spiked vegetation who inhabit this area; surviving on dew, seaspray (and the occasional piss). Have dug down a bit to see if I could discover the true source of their sustenance and survival .. but have only discovered sand, drier than a Temperance Union Sunday breakfast.
One of the problems at the moment is a distancing from christian calendars. Had no idea that last weekend incorporated a “holiday” Monday (tho am bemused to note that that “holyday” was for a city horserace – apparently lobbied for and won from the State Gummint some time ago by the the local jockey club because “South Australia had one less public 'holiday'” than the rest of the States (fully supported, of course, by the Labour Unions) .. Oh Well .. heh. At this point of my life – every day is a “holy day”.
I was, however, somewhat premature when I wrote last Thursday about “solitude”.
Anyway, as of last Freya's day afternoon, and Saturn's day morn my “solitude space” was interspersed with 10 or so other tribal groupings – including one tribal group with 3 4X4's, two tents, a camper trailer, 5 trail bikes, two quad bikes who spent most of the next three days raising hell dust around the campsite.
Was up in Moonta a couple of days ago for supplies and casually mentioned it to the bar-person. “Oh yer,” he tells me, “on long weekends we're inundated with city people, so the locals go down the coast to escape.” Mmm, whatever.
Did, however, get to say hello to a bloke who unpacked his camper-trailer about 20 yards in front of the van.
[Curious thing – this area is, to all appearances – “uncontrolled” and yet there is very little litter – what there is I collect. I feel “safe” here, for all its isolation.
The only evidence of “local council” interest is a new sign-post with new concrete footings about 1k up the track proclaiming “Cape Elizabeth Conservation Area. Day use only” .. and an adjacent area on the map that says “Gynburra Narungga Aboriginal Land”. May their Spirits long be present.]
Another thought. What IS “natural” spacing? Everybody here seemed to camp about 22 yards away – the length of a cricket pitch? As far as a normal male can throw a fist sized rock?
All that being as it may – am, for all the “isolation” am untroubled by passers-by or other campers. If I believe myself unobserved, wander the dunes naked.
(the weather for this past week has been superb. Warm enough to wander naked, not hot enough to render a body prostrate or burnt to a crisp. Could I survive here unaided? Interesting question. Funny, really, have just finished reading “Naked under Capricorn” by Olaf (?).)

Where has the Aussie sense of humour gone?

What prompted this post? Ah, many things. A mention of Asterix, for one. Am also re-viewing ( um, looking at) a repeat of "the Collectors" on ABCTV). Some bloke collects "comics" (the printed paper versions, he's not interested in freeze dried Billy Connollys). Whatever happened to "Bluey and Curley"?, "Ginger Meggs"? "Felix the cat"?, "Snake gully"? and er, well, can understand the banishment of "Lucy Lubra, the artful Abo" - into the backblocks and dark alleys behind the facade of "political correctness".

Asterix, of course, is the eternal battler against the Roman Legions.

(thanks Beth)

Paddy's crabs

[An old yarn .. could be from anywhere, or any time - but heard it as Irish, some 40 year ago.]

A tourist wandered out on to a jetty where Paddy was fishing for crabs, and putting them into an open bucket.

“Um,” said the tourist, “shouldn't you put a lid on that bucket?”

“Na, no need,” replied Paddy “dey're oirish crabs, have more than one. Soon as one tries t' climb out, t'others will drag 'im back in.”

This yarn, of course, can be further embroidered with multiple adjectives and concepts - in whichever way one chooses. Is the tourist sophisticated, scientific, knowledgeable.. Is Paddy a simple rustic.

Could the concept be applied to any tribe, family (working; or not), trade unions, football teams, business associations, political parties, religious groups, Empires?

For my peculiar mind .. one simple sentence

rang a tinkle from the bell of clarity ..

And so ..

If I told you the truth, you wouldn't believe me*.

but the sentence was written
down through the ages,
and sages -
by a bystander smitten;
a long 2000 years
and seers
ago.

*Written, not by Yeshua, but found within the recorded writings of Thomas ..

This is, according to the doctrine of the Roman – or any - clergy .. sheer heresy. Punishable by “Ex-communication!”? Expelled from the tribe. Slung from a tree, nailed to a cross. No longer a valid person! Discarded! Sent into exile, to Coventry, a railway carriage to Belsen/Auschwitz ! You are on your own! No support!

Terror!.

(and yet the basic human spirit survives, i wonder why)

Ethics

Interesting word.

Edited comments

um, yup, have a tendency to go back and have a look at what have written and what arrives in the comments ..
(see.. never give a "manual labourer" time to think, or analyse .. always a dangerous concept .. )
Theirs not to reason why ..

Have taken this sentence from a Greensmile comment from back here and errm, changed it slightly.

the man who takes provisioning into his own hands has nothing to fear but his own incompetence

(Um, something odd. Blurger is not allowing me to - easily - directly link to a post in my own archives. Hmmm, mebbe my problem, dunno yet).

Anyway, the comment turned up on the post "Ra Ra Ra" in March 2008.

Thanks fer that, Gs.

(and by the way, don't try the "Gurgler" search of Womby's Drivel over on the sidebar. It used to work, but these days yer more than likely be directed back to the sites that contribute to Grubbles billions.)

Cronulla to Kokoda

Watched this program tonight (yesterday night?) on the local "Aunty" ABC .. "Compass" series. About a group of young Aussies tackling the "Kokoda Track". The challenge, the struggle, the history - the changes in attitudes.

Of particular interest was the change in attitude of a young Australian of Lebanese Muslim extraction.

[UPDATE LINK: Cronulla to Kokoda

Also .. what is written there is christian biased bullshit .. the Track is a tough ask .. for anybody.]

Upside, downsides

Very pretty, all those blossoms.

Bit early, methinks. We are/were still in winter. Roughly 3-4 weeks too early.

Am not going to attribute the early blossoming to very much, only time will tell, but last Thursday we had a temperature of 30C (whatever that is in F).

Last year, as the water restrictions came into consciousness, the "richies" put in bores. This year, the local underground water table has dropped by roughly 2 metres (6 feet?).

(am not being exact at this point, probably alarmist, the figures are available and will post them at some point ).

Last year, the word was that the Murray Darling Basin faces EXTREME water restrictions unless ABOVE AVERAGE rainfall occurs.

So far, South Australia has experienced BELOW average rainfall.

Cognitive dissonance

Who knows. How long does it take?

Peering at the roadside

Rauf has a sense of ..

Empty space for rent

Have noticed that the rental market is very tight these days, rents are increasing rapidly, probably due to house prices being as they are. It's my theory its because of LOW interest rates .. and de-regulated easy credit. The "buoyant" economy will be due for a “correction” soon .. but that's another story.

Anyway, am a bit short of cash, have a unique empty space available. Have owned it for a long time, now falling into disuse, so have decided to rent it out.

Elevated, Multipurpose, automatic comfort control. Might start at $5000 per week, which seems to be a fair rate for vacant spaces these days, but everything is negotiable.

Went and inspected it the other day to tidy it up and see if there were any cob-webs left over, but yup, a large empty space... mostly. Did, however, find four inhabitants startled by the inspection, cowering in fear, hiding under a mat in one out-of -the-way corner.

What are you doing here? Say I.

There was silence for a while. They looked at each other, then “We live here.” one ventured timorously. “Since when?” ask I, confused.

“Since the beginning, haven't you noticed.” says the pathetic, shriveled, pale creature which I shall name Braincell 1.

“I don't understand.” say I.
“Yes, that's the problem.” says Bc 1, “The family that used to handle comprehension have all gone. Now I have to look after that, as well as the motor co-ordination desk. Can't efficiently do both at the same time.” Growing bolder, Bc 1 continued, “This space used to be filled with a thriving, active community of networking families. Was a happy, joyous place – but over time, neglect and peculiar policies, have all gradually become comatose or died out. We're the only four left.”

“I sit at the hormone flows control desk,” explains Bc 2, “but we don't DO sex, can't reproduce or replicate.”

“And it's getting bloody tough,” grumbles Bc 3, the anger management specialist. “We're getting bloody worn out with only four of us having to multi-task, do the work fer everything. Need a bloody rest and holiday.”

“Shushh, he's the owner, don't upset him.” whispers Bc 4.

“Oh Shush yerself,” snaps Bc 3. “You might be in charge of empathy and consideration, but it's bloody time to speak up!”

"Oohh .." wails Bc 4. "but I'm supposed to handle self control as well, It's all getting too much".

Somewhat surprised to find anything active in the space, I begin to ponder. Bc 2 hunches up, begins to shiver and strain, “Don't be too long at this,” it groans, “am but a pale shadow of my former self, need sustenance for long term pondering.”

“Sustenance? Ask I, “What sort of sustenance?”
“Oh, a bit more Berocca and heaps more oxygen,” says Bc 1, “cigarettes and alcohol don't help much.”

Faith

Funny, really, just had this wonderful script run through my mind about moving mountains with a teaspoon. ..

the evolution of fundamentals.

Am not going into details, but the words in the title are multi-pronged.
(South Africa, Canada and Australia are not included in this survey.)


The link pinched from Radical Goddess.

A note on seeing

Please go and have a look at Rauf's photoblog. He has just been on a trip within India.

Perspectives

Australia is a peculiar Island/continent/Nation. Only 20 million people live here. 80% of the population survive on a thin strip along the Eastern coastline.

Think about it. (there is a reason for that, don't come here - and it's not political. After 200 years y'd think we could support more? .. heh.)

That superimposition, of course, is upside down in relative terms. Tasmania is the coldest bit, Cape York is tropical.
(not my pic, pinched it from Holties house)

Quote: (pinched from somewhere, dunno who, dunno when) Americans travel around the world as if they owned it. Australians travel around the world as if they don't give a shit WHO owns it.

Freyashawk blog

While am still on the notion of "Myths and Legends", must add
"Notes from Freyashawk" to my "other perspectives" list.

It's a beautifully written comment and commentary on the various myths and legends around the world and relating them to each current day .. I hope.

Wisdom

I really had to reprint this one. Found at Kathy's place .

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2 "wolves" inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith." The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."