Beersheba and the first world war and one of the last large cavalry charges, is honoured today at its centenary with an enactment in the Middle East.


 ....an order was given; one unheard before in military history. Cavalry were to be sent against infantry who were well entrenched, supported by machine guns and covered by artillery. The 4th and 12th Regiments of Light Horse were ordered to charge.....


Drawings from a little old copy of The Wells of Beersheba by Frank Dalby Davison with illustrations by Will Mahony, 1947.
Horses, said to be from all corners of our land, were shipped out for an alarming cruel long desert march to a battle front that put everything at risk.

 It is the time for blue blossoming jacaranda trees all round town. Thunder storms arrive now and hail pounded us last week.  The storms batter the flowering trees and are a disaster for mango trees where the fruit is in early stage - what could be worse? At least delicious mangos from the north are on the shelves.

From the past: Lambton Memorial Baby Health Centre.  Now our offspring are not monitored in that way but in the nearby shopping centre is the commercial equivalent in a 'baby nurse'.
The memorial has become a tea room.  Panels at the entrance refer to the war years.

Times of change.  Want that 'sickie' validated at the chemists?
 Same sex marriage is best accepted in our present day.  It is a matter for the state to enshrine it in law.
  Respect for LGBQ community is due in a just society.
It is frowned upon to mix this with further issues but does it imply that relationships, casual or other, are made between people of any genders or of any sexual orientations? Is it gone along with that more than homosexuality that all or any orientations are acceptable relationships. It is a totally private matter most of the time.  Change is underway.  I'm slow on the uptake.

Jumping ship. 
No original thinking in these words.  They say the young and old have become disillusioned with politics.  Look at the latest romp in federal politics.  It means interviews, publicity and focus on the group of dual citizens whom the court has invalidated.
We have got it all wrong.
Loss of a seat in parliament is significant but no other specific "sentence" so to speak.  What is the penalty for wasting time and money on elections, for leading supporters up the garden path, for parliamentary salaries and more, for legislating while disqualified or for using resources to determine next in line or by-election. For High court deliberations priced at millions per day.  No penalty. Not even an apology.
There are some extenuating circumstances but that's too bad.

It is no Westconnex (50 billion plus), on a back road between Vacy towards Singleton this bridge rattles a lot and to give it its due is well patched up, craftsmanship is not high with the timbers left all uneven and one thick bent 'pin' the size of a stake on the wheel track, is it marked so as to dodge it or is it marked for repair?  No load limit is signposted nor passing or no passing.  Local drivers use their common sense probably.
The budget for road work no way compares with that of the city with the harbour bridge and the constant traffic snarls..
Believe it is the Paterson River, just north of where it joins up with the Allyn River.
Captain Cow and the dairy is in the vicinity where the lucerne on the river flats is bright green and contrasts with the dry brown countryside. 

Gresford is easily reached and today the past was celebrated with a fair with rural themes and the little old Saint Helen's church celebrated 150 years which is rather old by our standards.
The church organist is shown with her baby son.  With grand parents at her side the baby was shared around and probably listened to the hymns.   

A country river crossing heading towards Vacy and Gresford.

Saturday arvo at the river

Spring didn't make much impact on this corner.  Rain has been scarce.
ENVIRONMENT.  A dim pink and dusty summer sky is not unusual but not so in England where they were confronted with a red sun, and dust and smoke driven from deserts and fires in countries to the south.
Scenes from a sc fi coupled with the effects of a hurricane - is it a wake-up call?
Shame the anti-intellectuals, including our so-called scholar and politician, were not meeting this week in this strange atmosphere in London.
 

This festival was well planned and well financed and highlighted a certain nation - the object of my    love/suspicious relationship.  Some say that that country has too much influence around our universities - for one .  I wondered about that when their centre of learning opened at the local university but who can say? The university would know what it is doing.

ENVIRONMENT.  Currently, with Ireland in its path, the powerful hurricane, Ophelia, is the most powerful hurricane to have ever been as far east in the Atlantic on record.
 Currently, our decision makers only toy with policies to curb the emissions from energy use that contribute to climate change. The law makers are weak and pushing back.
  One educated politician,  Jesuit education, I believe, and Oxford scholar, has abandoned science and talks second rate anti-climate-change gossip to make matters worse. We need to pay for our pollution in cold hard cash if that's what it takes.     

David Bowie

Hunter Street once again and the new bumptious presence of the University of Newcastle city campus. Or 'New'.
No gain without pain. A lane was closed all year while building was in progress now the whole street is closed.

Hunter Street as never before.  Revitalising Newcastle. Newcastle Light Rail. NSW Government.

Karaoke gave way to the league Grand Final with rapper Maclemore beamed into every corner of our parallel universe and Same Love was heard without a reaction in the country pub before it all became more hectic as the evening got underway.
 The tables filled, wifi pagers blinked, eating began, rowdy children came indoors from a grassy space with a big tree to climb, a few hopeful dogs prowled through, several bikies called in, two police arrived for a meal break their divvy van out front, the TV got drowned out, a local apple cider with a kick was enjoyable, the match itself so so.
Ours was a secure evening with a sense of ease, the rapper and his culture to be pitied and almost rejected, an urgent lesson for us to learn.  

 Gender issues are topical but campdrafting is unrelated.  Australian Stock Horse Society Eastern Branch 43rd Annual Breeders and Performance Championships and Campdraft this weekend at Gresford showground. A splendid warm calm day to farewell September. 
Stock Horses are a strong national tradition as is campdrafting. One beast is singled out of a mob by a horse and rider then let loose with horse and rider in hot pursuit to 'persuade' the cattle to run a set course rounding several points all of which is timed - my uninformed description.
 Pictured are events for the younger women wrangling calves or similar . The quality of the horse is of great importance as well as horsepersonship.
At one stage, a lively calf escaped in among the nearby tents, caravans and campers by the river bank but a pack of riders soon headed it out of the chaos.
 At least, there is a tiny strip of access to a river, hugged by the campers, access difficult to come by despite the endless waterways all over the countryside. Of course, lovely out of way legal camps are 50ks further on beside remote streams and need a bit more planning and determination. Someone we know has been rescued by chopper no less than twice (not two times) when injured coming down the rocky little river.
  Forget primitive access to the coastline, most of it has gone private and wherever can you find a real 'frontier'?  The most primitive hotel we ever found was in Merriwa, not so far from here.
 

  

All in a day's work..... this long weekend.....what's next?