Cheers from Awakabal Country

Cadenza

Newcastle Beach

     Life is a journey not a destination.   

         Peace and passion forever!

That is the final word.

 

 

The festival of Diwali is staged at this time in the subcontinent and in the diaspora when religious syncretism leads to large and colourful gatherings as I understand. In synchronism I write of an Indian novel which was reread to consider the synthesis of story, semantics and syntax but the story was strong and held sway.

I can’t say if the novel, Burnt Sugar, has wide appeal. Before this, I couldn't see the wood for the trees and the story proves to be an unusual enticing read. It is humorous and harrowing, not romantic in the usual sense, every sentence is an event, lots of flack is aimed at Indian domestic life and beyond.  The chaos and excentricity is likeable, the protagonist risks the label of OCD or Spectrum yet is probably normal – depending on where you are coming from. The dynamics between mother and daughter are a disturbing theme. 

   The writing by Avni Doshi flows along in short sentences and naturally there is a lot of scope to check out how it is done. The work is also full of detail. In another universe the films from Jacques Tati are all about detail except they can make you laugh out loud (Monsieur Hulot's Holiday). A novel is a change after a lot of non-fiction - good as it is. Mr Peter Hartcher writes politics for the Sydney Morning Herald and he usually comes to our aid by refreshing the background as he goes about the analysis. The other regular pundits are always in fine form.  Thanks go to Elizabeth Farrelly for calling out the latest assaults on the cityscape.

  

A loving tribute found displayed at Newcastle beach

Out do the Illawarra coast

A road follows the seafront and twists  and turns through a park.  Why didn't locals demand it be kept in use? All the way. As the special feature it is. The cliff face was unstable. Council is risk averse. As it is nearby works are taking years of effort.

Debate about renewables and attention from on high is great. Consider whether it is abstract talk. Big company seeks Hydrogen investment via Twiggy, is it a carbon write down? However, hydrogen technology has not been developed. It is all delusional.

Ten things to do before I die

#7. End this blog.

Symbolism

Our climate policy is in a little blue guide book brandished by the PM. Is it all about proposals rather than action? By and large we don't yet experience climate change, carbon, animal extinction are invisible, the enemy is unseen and fails to pressure us into zero carbon.                  Sunday and the institutional side of some religions is vastly symbolic, layered and peculiar when all else in life is in 'yer face. The institutional is far from the sum total of any religion.                       

Meta...metamorphosis

Chenille type bed 'linen' has made a comeback. Chenille is French for caterpillar! Having had the good fortune of keeping out of shops for almost two years who's to know the latest trends. 

Halloween

  I can't recall seeing any of the iconic horror movies from Hollywood although The Shining was an earlier one. From memory, the optics of a looming planet and uneasy atmosphere of a drama scfi film Melancholia was very haunting. It was like that whilst the gist of personal dramas therein have gone.  

Positive negative

Spotlighting and spotclouding Newcastle Beach

Surfing

Surfing is a simple pleasure. Certain sized breakers every so often swamp, half wipe-out, propel back and forth, deep enough water is one way while calm warm deep bouyant water is for when you go with the flow and take it easy, rise and fall between surprise dunking, the feet landing on softest sand. Feels wonderful afterwards in any warm summer breeze.  This is one view from a binary female. She was not a strong ardent surfer.

Power and Promise

No surfing. Dangerous currents. Red flag flying at Newcastle beach. Looks benign but don't let it fool you. 

Consider the life-saving COP26 Summit, it is a time of tremendous hope and anticipation as we plan and work to avert climate change. Imagine our satisfaction when we succeed in dealing with this critical situation.

The Australian policy to reduce carbon emissions will be rewritten the very day we get a credible government, no problem, no hurry, it's only our survival at stake, better still, take heart, the states will continue setting goals, the states are at the very coal face. What's the tommyrot about Australian values?

Says the Health Minister: 'We will be one of the most vaccinated people in the world.' Why cover one cause and neglect another?

 

Wiradjuri country

Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk.  Beside Milawa Billa (Murray River) Albury. Stroll, reflect, although the above carving of a kangaroo-like figure is somehow disconcerting.

Wiradjuri Country

Yindyamarra Sculpture Walk beside the Murray River, Albury, NSW.

Southern Crux constellation

Beyond the train, the pandemic affected world becomes topsy turvey and the pace gathers all the way to Kulin nation. Individual standard gauge line conveys the train to the end to the southern cosmopolitan state of apprehension and Number One platform. 

 Slow Travel means excess luggage is of little concern and a sleeper cabin offers cold white sheet and isolation in a pandemic, the overall service on XPT is unremarkable.

 In comparison a flight takes no time at all yet is a crowded space. At the airport, join a long march through dim deserted food halls and lounges while outside silent jet aircraft sit grounded nose to tail. 

Expresso

State borders are in flux, past travel was stealth-like.

 Cootamundra station is remote and deserted this midnight hour. Soon a moonlit train moves south away from its state of origin. 

Further on, the old Murray River is a fluid border but once across the Stynx there's no turning back. Interesting journey. Into Wiriadjuri nation. Ghosts of the Kelly Gang replay silent shoot-outs.

 

 

Elvis hangout

Retro cafe. Empty.

Not more about Delta/covid. Those who reject vax and who avoid mainstream are unlikely to be informed about patterns of infection or where the latest vax are offered or the penalties/restrictions. Talking heads, education or science make no difference.

 It is difficult to visit the unvaxed. The unvaxed put pressure on a family of vaxed and jeapodise the family.

 It was not clever to plan to open to the unvaxed on Dec 1 for they might wait till then and never make a move. Or is a small minority ok in the whole scheme of things? All right for some.

Misspent youth

Yes, back in the day city of Tamworth was a Hill-Billy centre but there was more.  Only half captured, this build is from 1866 and then a bit later on when I was a youngster it was a library when Enid Blyton books were tops. Naturally the place became a restaurant and a nod to literacy is in a decorative letter grid and in the name Williamsburg - as in burger.    10 things to do before I die:       

#8 Choose to read with more mindfulness. Rarely have I ever read to appreciate the text itself and to notice how writing is done. I could look at this now and again as a challenge. Forego the plot and pay the syntax. Not so long ago I happened to be reminded how language is an art. So it's not a bad idea to dabble along these lines.

Surf and turf

A benign tea garden claimed to have best scones on the coast. Is it Halloween?  Even more unexpected than the  skeletons was a whole roomful of 'normal' people meeting there to discuss issues around vaccination and state powers. It was only a small village. The natives are restless. The scones were enjoyable enough. 

What does it mean?  Halloween is  popularised far and wide yet is a weird  tradition for us so called rational folk so it is consistent to see a spooky approach to vaccines and climate sort of issues, science does not come into it.

Memory lane

At Port Macquarie the boulders at the entrance are covered in messages. 

It is an acutely nostalgic walk. It records holidays, friends, family, memorials, clans and more mainly from the holiday caravan park beside it.

Biripi country

Some crops are vivid green others are yellow.  Canola.  The plant has tough long stems and the leaves form on the lower parts of the plant. Stray plants grow along the road sides. Yellow fades away before harvest next month. 

There is talk of a bumper crop state wide with time constraints while a shortage of workers is feared and compounded by state border closures which prevent the movement of labour and machinery. Flexibility is unknown.  Canola is also know as rapeseed and was grown as cattle food earlier on. So this is the ingredient in spreads and other foods. Polyunsaturated fats are sought but more on the exact status of canola has slipped the mind.

 

 
 

Xcountry

Up hill and down dale, cattle grids, creek crossings this was a back road. 

On reaching a pub where were the more agile who were about to start back there.

 Outdoor service: safe, clean, green, sunny. Covid regs are observed everywhere, QR entry, masks, distance, some vax cert, all at last count.

Kamilaroi country.

Squattocracy Redux

Some gates!  Sign of former glory?   Whisps and undercurrents from the past led to a property where my forerunners were employed. 

A close look was precluded by Delta restrictions but a word picture was given to fire the imagination.

I held onto an old NRMA map (for the detail) and was taken by surprise, my father had made notes on it when he toured there late in life. 

'I still havn't found what I'm looking for'. U2 nailed it.

Who wants to match the Yangtze?

The Middle Kingdom always says just  what it likes. They are no fools. They must know their stance is over the top and that domination is so uncool. Makes no difference.

Any nation would find it so much easier if it were to change and became content to coexist.  Can't China picture themselves as a splendid country as they are without threats and territorial goings on.  Unusual when the leader is always so darn impassive which is beside the point.. 

The Mississippi  Peel Delta was shining like a National Maton guitar, 

I am following the river, down the highway

We are going to Graceland Graceland   country music capital in New Southee. 

Kamilaroi country.

Tame the plain

Efforts are made to protect the plains from mining and it is well worth it.

Plantation timber is shipped in containers to China according to a local. Will China have a tantrum about that?

Real Estate

More often than not it is usual to improve the value of a property. There is no doubt the above house with trees is the outlier. Below, the same property is shown over time.                                                                    After all, trees are only life-giving - who needs them.

"Real men use chain saws' was a gratifying meme. 

No one asked me for proof of twin vax yesterday. Jaycar was trading while Super Cheap next door was restricted. No frantic trading was seen in any small venues. Ironically, the GP is still bunkered down. The restrictions explain the rise of bar stools all through some venues. Sit while drinking.

CLIMATE CHANGE. A ground swell is underway.  Such as, the PM voluntarily uttered the C words. He is urged from high places to attend Glasgow. What's more, Murdoch press is coming round, it's not that difficult to put in a good word. The excitement is all too much. What's next?