Tocal Field Days

Tocal Agricultural College: see today's farming on show!

Retro or pre retro

Spied in old Morpeth town a left- hand drive import.

In earlier days Morpeth was close to where we lived. A vantage point when the Hunter was in flood to see  the river flats and pastures turned into a wide 'lake'. 

 The village seemed just right for day trippers and setting up projects. Campbells store sat and sat unused....if only.... One gallery had existed for a time that was all. 

 There was a miscalculation. It seemed that peak oil, fuel prices, pollution and pressures would lead to city folk being deprived of pastimes further afield and flock to places like Morpeth.. Well, that was 'yesterday' as far as environment.

Be careful what you wish for.  The little village has changed and grows very crowded  has lots of shops selling cuteness and the latest nik nacks  places to eat and relax possibly. An annual jazz fest is set up in back street venues.

The village 'common' was 'saved' but  was appealing as a unique larger set of colonial and church buildings, walkway and trees and grew mushrooms!  Then progress, was the property a sitting duck? Did the church needed to liquidate to pay for its sins?

A large early timber bridge spanning the Hunter was renovated and stands strong and painted white. Thanks to a state dept whose work is usually effective.

Zen

Zen and the art of survival. Today was THE day for AstraZen given in a cheery atmosphere with quite a gathering at the GPs.

Rant

Is it a narrow education, aka economics or is it a religion that stresses personal success and the domination of nature that results in national leaders who refuse to state anything constructive about curbing carbon emmisions and the question of climate change. 

Schooled in some sort of manner they are insensitive to the bigger picture around sustainability and biodiversity.  Lifestyle and productivity promoted to the exclusion of the totally indispensible natural world. That's my leaders.  The Subcontinent knows about this from a conservative  prime minister who has gone along with large risky political rallies and only  toyed with lock down because of the economy  and has disaster on his hands and all our hands as well.

Street art

Indigenous artist working on a bright presentation outside preschool.

Not in my lifetime will global connectedness become a reality. 

A crisis among others gets little assistance while we complain about our 'first world problems'.

  What is a fair thing?

 We have drama over one case of pandemic infection and elsewhere  are thousands of deaths. 

We have the luxury of abundance of caution. 

Earth Day.

Earth Day from the coal capital  Mulubinba. 

TREES are treasure. A mature tree can absorb 21kg carbon a year. This carbon capture sequestration is real. A tree gives 117kg oxygen a year.

Carbon capture projects promoted by the Feds are very questionable. There is failure to bite the bullet.

For goodness sake stop land clearing as a small start.

Art Gallery

Hey! Bird's nest aloft. Years later and that egg has not hatched. It is local art. Does it have some hidden worth? The same as Jackson Pollock at another level.

  We have "missed the boat" over a Jackson Pollock!  Or increase our council rates to raise a few million. Only the national gallery invested in him quite some years ago.

National gallery has outright masterpieces on loan from London for a few months. 

Use those gift vouchers tho Canberra may not be into them really designed to boost economy in NSW.

Yeah nah

Was this that sealing in Roam? Michaelangleo's avant-guard period?

Looks cimilar to a Brett Whiteley.  Art Galllery Newcastle now Mulubinba.

At Newcastle Art gallery.  Koori event with bush tucker and didge.

Hunter valley network

and its not really leaning.

Atop Mt Sugarloaf TV towers have gained height. Commercial type tower shown but strangely two must be essential. No doubling up.

Kpop

Group waiting at a little K-pop store in Sydney's Haymarket.

Shoppers are limited by covid rules and by inclination.  K-pop is a notable new direction in style with gradual change over the years to become is it 'cheaper' but havnt seen it for some time.  SBS was the source. 

An excuse for a Korean meal of nice variety of flavour and texture.

 Korean language is a challenge, with different forms, a total  mystery like all the others. The script is interesting.  Haseyo.

Mt Sugarloaf

Republic

 

The high road.  It is usually rewarding to hear a British spokesperson in interview or in entertainment as their language is pleasant, the expression is nice and seems better than most.   While living in another country there were times with a strong desire to hear a speaker who used familiar language or accent. The same for each and everyone.  Are we all racists?

Links with the UK are not strong not counting high immigration from there. The fact that the country is of interest is beside the point and that a smattering of history and culture has been absorbed and enjoyed by some of us does not count for anything with the UK nor does it make one a monarchist.

 The days of setting up an in-yer-face expat group in London has changed to Australian individuals who find a dominant role say in entertainment or as big-wig at a London university. Then again, we read of supply of   717 000 doses of vaccine manufactured in the UK and almost secretely supplied to us - such largesse. 

This nation is on its own, lost stranger to its Asian neighbours. The UK won't figure with our next generation.  They will be global citizens (hopefully) or sadly US inspired and many of us have arisen from Europe or Asia. So will they have strong support for Australian republicanism? Is that the way ahead? 

Vale Prince Philip.... little did I know.

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cooking

A rare phenomenon/a from me. A cake baked from scratch. Heirloom recipe and cake rack. Cake mixes are more usual and always work.

Why is doughy bread popular? It has a raw texture of half cooked solid dough.  

This applies to ordinary and inexpensive bread - the staff of life of yesteryear.

Hot Cross Buns from supermarket are typical. Woolworths and Coles.  Not only sold with no regard to their traditional season and with nontraditional ingredients such as chocolate, they are raw and indigestable.

Uncooked dough is imported from Ireland or somewhere and tossed into ovens in the supermarket chains.

It is simple, pay twice as much and choose decent bread.

Bread maker machines are ok, must have grown tired of it along with other routine kitchen tasks.

 How will the cooking stars of TV feel after a lifetime of cooking?  Some of us have seen it thru and have outdone them.

At Merewether Beach.

 Sacred music marked today. What a treasure to have musicians from a composer's birthplace and the same region because the music tradition is familiar to them and performed very well. 

ABC radio gave us Bach today and more. 

 Es ist vollbracht!

 

World Surfing League and Rip Curl Newcastle Cup at Merewether Beach begins today. 

Visiting surfing competitors out of two weeks lockdown to an event that moved to Newcastle because of covid restrictions at the usual destinations while most of our restrictions have lifted which makes us very very fortunate.

Action on a wave while cargo ships wait on the horizon - the line up is a constant.