The road to Paterson was closed by water and the group were looking at the Paterson River flowing over the levee and forming a wide expanse of calm water.

Ahead, the bridge was high and dry

No worries, a tractor returned thru the water, any excuse, a farmer said that cattle on the other side had to be attended to.

The family group rode home on the back of the tractor.
Safety on the farm is in good hands.

Past Tocal, an alternative route was almost below flood level on one side and quite close to the wild and wet Paterson River on the other side.

Sign of the times.  Farewell,  The Sydney Morning Herald will go tabloid on Monday.  The term compact is preferred.  The rain must have got to our crumpled edition. 
Also, my vote does not go to Rudd.

On Sunday morning, after the amazing Pop Asia on SBS and gangnam goings on one can go to Hymns of Praise from the UK.
No doubt special preparations would be made by the church goers of all ages in readiness for the BBC cameras.
All the same, it contrasts with our situation.
We are not a nation of church goers.  Even government schools in the UK launch into upbeat hymn singing contests which the students seem to enjoy.  Selected students probably.  Never the less, religion based activities are banned in our state school and would be unlikely even in our church schools. 
Our focus is narrow. 

Earlier in the week, inbetween the wonderful downpours, joggers and fishers had to dodge the sea spray and low tide at that. The sea has been 'whipped-up' lately.

I suppose it is rather pleasant to live by the coast. Most people cling to the coast in this big continent. The ocean would be missed. 

Wow!  shooting in national parks has been postponed for a while.  I suppose it is some tactic by the O'Farrell government before they go ahead with this sick plan.  Indeed, all we need is sufficient staff to manage the parks. Or will we all need fluro vests!

Amazingly, the same government has made certain areas exempt from gas drilling. I believe only small areas at that.  It seems that effective leglislation is possible. But more land must be protected. So many are immune to everything in the countryside except the dollar.

The Hunter was lapping the top of the river banks on Sunday as viewed from the verandah of the hotel which was full of carefree diners in Raymond Terrace.  Don't choose the roast lamb (mutton dressed as lamb).  Seafood is the real speciality, I guess.  True vegetarian dishes are rarely on any menus, that is, a balanced meal not just vegetables.

Elsewhere, many are having floods for a second time in several months. Heavy rain has created widespread problems and a mini tornado hit Kiama, a very rare occurance, almost unheard of. Is it climate change? Ask Lord Monkton!!!

A 'black spot'. Just beyond Raymond Terrace, a local road was under water, yesterday after heavy rain.  It is close to the river probably the Williams River.  Water weed was evident and was breaking up and spreading around.

Is this two Jags?

The Mythbusters are gun happy.  Should they limit their glee over shooting up dummies while they smugly demonstrate their prowess at the shooting range.
Perhaps the show is one way of gratifying the viewer's desire to do deadly things with a pistol instead of launching into a real life disaster.  It would be better if the Mythbusters excluded guns from their show and concentrate on the other zaney experiments that they do so well.

At the same T intersection was this greenry and a bettle.

Civic art in Cooma.

+Why was Pope Benedict grinning wickedly at breadfast?
Someone asked him what he was giving up for Lent.
+What will the Pope eat for breakfast in his retirement?
Ex-Benedict!

 Leaders. Democracy and the possibility than anyone can get to the top.  In the case of Sarah Palin it is scary.  A 2010 doco, while it is British and low key, revealed the bizarre nature of Palin and just how far one can get with an intolerant totally selfish message. 

Misconduct. 

What's happened to the use of the name Working Class?  We only hear about Middle Class.
Are the alternatives to middle class the homeless and the jobless? Where do the working poor fit in?
So much for classless societies.

I'm glad that I don't experience the big struggle that the Americans have in order to get good and reasonable leglisation passed, or so it seems to me. Our system is a bit different to all that.

I certainly expect government to take the lead.

For a change, President Obama expresses ideals, just like a leader should and, would you believe, he extols people of the union to do good. He is good with media.  Even when it is likely that any decent, indispensible leglislation will wither and die up against extreme lobbists, the politicians rely on their thick skins and remain positive during the farce. 

Are we going the same way?

 Local beach: a source of mineral wealth

Nobbys was warm and bathed in special lighting and the tide was very low.

If we are to ruin our environment with coal mining and gas wells, and ruin our atmosphere with unhealthy dust, and contribute to global warming by burning coal,
we can at least have
a carbon credit scheme
and an effective mining tax.

Black swans taking cover in a little bay on Lake Macquarie. Dull weather has left us for warm February days.

Recently, the doco, Gasland, from Josh Fox in the USA, showed all the dreary problems that follow-on drilling for shale gas and the film was made some years ago when some states were already littered with wells. Is Josh still hiding out in an idyllic spot on the banks of the Delaware untroubled by fracking activities? Although it was filmed in warm weather.
Europe doesn't seem to be taking gas drilling as a given. Must we follow everything that is done by others and copy their mistakes.
Stuck at home lately I have seen more TV and the interest shown in movie making and the celebs is difficult to take seriously. This pervasive imported rubbish is all over commercial TV.  It has its following.
 Please girls, don't adopt, the must have hair styles featuring long locks carefully tumbling forward on each side of the face over the shoulders and down. Please be more down to earth.

The local food industry has been quiet about the horse-meat troubles in Europe.  Are we importing the same products? who knows? another black mark against processed foods.

Below, Channel 7's gear at Nobbys Beach where visibility was very poor as we wait for the impact of a tropical storm which caused destruction in Queensland and on down the coastal areas of NSW.  The worst floods ever recorded along with a cluster of mini tornadoes hit Queensland. Major widespread floods occured in the same areas just two years ago.  

Today the PM said that we are a smart and strong nation, when she visited one part of the hugh bushfires that had spread over vast areas in the eastern states and will possibly continue to occur in February. 

If we were really smart and strong we would act to prevent climate change and these disasters. 

The leader of the Opposition has a policy to end and undo Carbon credits. Not only that, this pathetic leader will not hear of a mining tax. 

Newcastle's contribution to climate change is coal.  The Port Waratah Coal Services web site claims the operation of the world's largest and most efficient coal handling facility.  About 1200 vessels were loaded in the year and export tonnes was just over one million.

Their site is expanding over the island and infrastructure is built and a fourth berth and loader requiring dredging operations are full on.

We would never see developments like this for any of the basic things that we need in our community. Coal is King.  

We are not alone in the race to sell coal.  Indonesia is ripping up the jungles of Kalimantan and exports even more than we do according to some figures and the USA is the fourth largest exporter of coal and is expanding a whole lot to meet the demand in Europe and Asia.

So, we are stuck in the age of coal.

Allied to climate change. Guilty of climate change.

Some years ago, a community meeting had people who were worried about the first conveyor belt on the island, the noise etc and tree plantings etc.  All that has tripled nowdays. Was the whole valley to be dug up for coal? Thats coming true. 

 

Above, stockpiles and a coal reclaimer close to a suburb.

Above, fairly recent construction of a converyor belt it seems.

Above, Seems like contruction for a fourth coal loader

Coal Loader at the wharf in the Port of Newcastle.

Towards Nobbys

An early coal loader, perhaps the first established, is beyond suburb of Wickham. Is it Port Waratah? Loads two ships at once.

Another heat wave last week.

What a New Year! Heatwave hangs over the country and climate change is number one suspect.
Newcastle coal exporters are feeding climate change by exporting coal to Asia etc.

At the same time, we are supposed to admire this wonderful boom time in the coal industry.
How can we suspend our knowledge about climate change so as to accept
the goings-on around the port of Newcastle as valid let alone outstanding progress.

From my position of recent, less than perfect health my 'feeble' rant will be sent out over
the internet with all sorts of serious things about the export of coal.
A photo has been made a little more difficult to do by the cyber kings

'Good bye Porpoise Spit' as Muloombinda, just visible under sea tow, off Nobbys Beach, leaves for other shores. It is a floating dock.
Leaves Newcastle on the edge of the de-skilling cliff.
 One last look, often things under tow sink or beach themselves. Our old ferries didn't get far before they came to grief off South West Rocks.
Real video of the departure can be seen on The Herald on line. I avoided the whole scene.

Next, a Hunter Street hot bread shop looks spick and span.  Not this time - which is unusual.  Is it true that Viet migrants are successful  in bakery shops became of the French traditions they saw in their home land.

Next, tribaltravel.com.au are responsible for the daggy camper van often seen driven by backpackers.  A rival for the original Wicked vans?

Next, who's hiding and reading behind the Christmas tree?  That's Christmas 2012 from Newcastle. Peace!

During the morning, these youngsters enjoyed receiving their end of year awards. From there, in contrast, to the evening when, during a ceremony, all children were remembered in prayer especially those who had lost their lives in the school in the US.

From Christmas in Word and Song with nine lessons come the words from a very traditional hymn:
...God is love, and he, enfolding
All the world in one embrace,
With unfailing grasp is holding
Every child of every race.
And when human hearts are breaking
Under sorrow's iron rod,
Then they find that selfsame aching
Deep within the heart of God...

Several tree varieties are displaying Christmassy red flowers. 
Visitors don't get to see the Australia that I know.  But really, we all have our own different vision of our country.

Red and alas, the blood of the innocent. Again. Overseas. Extreme action, extreme grief, drama, helplessness and tributes are rapidly becoming a fact of life.  We look serious and act out the sad Hollywood cliches. It is so not enough. In the cold hard light of day, try and question our society and its ways.
   

Outside 414 Hunter Street, a protest against hunting with guns in national parks was outside the shop front of Mr Tim Owen, Liberal (read conservative) party member.  'Not happy Barry' is aimed at the state leader.  My vote, as a visitor of national parks, is for nothing less than sufficient park rangers to well manage the parks.  Petition ....nohunting.wildwalks.com/ 

Belatedly, blog topics of the past came to notice with a new bio of Rachel Carson heard on LNL and Theroux was in a Pittsburgh blanked in snow.  

Close to the sea, scruby prickly open land displays patches of Christmas Bells at this season.
The bells are almost visible in the photo and idealised specimens are shown in the painting along with Christmas Bush with small red flowers, Mistletoe and the Christmas Beetle.  Biodiversity: we can't live without it!  

From the north coast, greenery, don't think any pot is included, that would grow in Newcastle but probably likes the warmer latitudes better.

 Time flies. Off with the electric blanket. Summer ahoy! Terminal velocity towards when the Saints come marching in!
And the north coast beckons. 'Good bye Porpoise Spit!'