dejabrew  Is coffee the new opium?
Religion is the opium of the people.  The tennis superstars from the Russian bloc wear a gold cross on a neck chain. Curious. Postmodern. What does Putin wear?

Riverside. On taking a short cut.

Red white and blue for Australia Day. At Lambton library another bright garden from the city council.
Next door,  is another old feature found in the 'burbs: Lambton Memorial Baby Health Centre. Maybe more parents do their own thing around raising their offspring. Never the less, appropriate free support probably goes a long way.
Would seem really useful as a multi-purpose community centre as well.
An internet glitch has stood in the way of the blog these past days.

Around here, we hardly know what crowds are like.

Sawmilling by water power. We are right into alternative energy here. Or water torture?
From Melbourne, at this hour, it's torture watching Hewitt take a set off Djokovic, it's stress all round. May the best man win. But we know who's already number one.

Under a gum - eucalypt - tree and scribbly gum trees.  Smooth bark marked by insects.

Deer are never found wandering around our countryside and deer farms are few and far between and this elderly dear and friend were lining up for supplementary food from the keeper. The animal's eyes are very endearing and the hide is course and rough. Naturally they are kept behind high wire fences. Feral deer probably exist. Interest in unusual animals or crops waxes and wanes, perhaps demand is too small to become mainstream.
Confront a deer and enjoy B&B at Mesopotania B&B just north of Kempsey NSW.

nonsense act at national museum canberra - slides

Road Safety! Stop Look Listen!
Pit stop for the brave and unwary?  Way out of town on the highway, a thoughtful new strategy, probably during the holidays, is that of setting up portaloos plus a wheelie bin in a number of the parking bays. Roadside areas are not necessarily very safe from passing traffic, imagine if one of these were run into!  And do they sway with each passing of a  B Double?

At Toronto on Lake Macquarie. And poster art.

At Newcastle Baths.  Traditional poster.

Maidens or parents, Italy or Lambton, coffee is shared. And gelato.

 coffee at Kinokuniya - for books international especially Asian cultures

Refreshments.
Illy Coffee had its origins in Trieste.  In the 1930s, the founder invented the predecessor of today's expresso machine and further work on the art and science of coffee has continued from the global company that still involves the Illy family - according to Wikipedia and Illy on-line.

Why ever do we copy everything that's done overseas? Government-wise. Do we want to end up with the same problems? Be original.
Caffe Aurora Medaglia D'oro is a family business in Australia since 1947 into coffee and tea.  Bambino - win a Fiat 500 in their competition.

Refreshments! Customers order at the counter - so taken for granted now - then at many cafes the finished product is taken to the customer's table .
Unrelated to the above coffee bars, Schibellocaffe.com has photos from the past

Our latest cars have adopted the shape of a Dakar rally car and this one looks like another contestant or a backup vehicle
SBS TV will take you to Argentina - the new Dakar - to see the rally.
Bereft of those old Aftican connections and ambience -how well do the French rally cars adapt?
It's a man's world.

Possumbuster. 

Swimming in the Bogey Hole Rock Pool Newcastle.
A very slow video/slides without the rough seas and an adaption of what was intended.

In and out of a time warp in Morpeth.  Old billboard sized signage is fast fading. 

Chippy, the biker and owner film videos as Djrcmach on YouTube.

Here's a Christmas carol new to me possibly one for the motorist.

 Child in the manger, infant of Mary;

outcast and stranger,....

Child who inherits all our transgressions,

all our demerits on him fall.