This corner of Hunter street looks terrible.  The tennants will have to do better than this right at the entrance to the mall.  And the hugh marbles have been removed from the mall.

Are these wind generators in the parking lot?  Take note Mister Abbott and climate change deniers.

Ladles. Once upon a time: at BHP Newcastle the BOS furnace is charged with hot metal from a ladle. "Each hour or so the great BOS furnace is turned down to run 200 tons of steel into the waiting ladle below.  With an absence of fuss that belies the scale of the operation, the furnace turns to receive its clanging charge of scrap, and then to the other angle for molten iron (pictured). Within minutes of the tapping, the furnace is re-charged, the oxygen lance lowered then the rising roar of sound marks the beginning of a new blow."
Lower image: No 1 BOS furnace under construction. Newcastle 1962. Drives can be seen on either side of the trunnion ring, with the water-cooled hood above.
BOS or basic oxygen steelmaking was an innovation using pure oxygen under high pressure to charge the furnace with oxygen and with hot metal from a ladle and with scrap steel from the opposite sides of the working floor. Steel production was increased a whole lot.
from Giant Strides 1965 BHP Publicity Dept.

A 'ladle' from the old BHP steel works and the overhead hooks from which it hung to move and pour white hot liquid steel.

Post industrial presence.

 Nother injun. CFCLA or Chicago Freight Car Leasing Australia is part of rail transport and this could be a EL class loco built or reconditioned by Goninons who have works in several locations in this country.

part

A benign fragment from nature near The Washpool.  There's no crocodiles. Or forbidden plant species?

Here is The Washpool, north of Scone in a national park. Take a walk there one time.
 Imagine projects that would enrich our lives, just imagine worthwhile cultural, educational and recreational ambitions.  A spare half a billion dollars to spend in our area and all we hear about is rail and road stuff. Is that all there is? Have we lost all inspiration?

Are they watering the garden?
Lately we hear from the government ''as a tax payer you are paying for a university education for Joe Blogs.... the tax payer does not want their taxes wasted on unemployed youth or whatever.... these are words that breed bad attitudes.
 Revenue is for the common good, it is the common wealth. Not so much about your taxes.
 Unbounded potential to get ahead is possible.  Not good enough to do a simple days work but double that.  Forget about work and life balance. Self first. Out for what you can get. Often a wife accepts any and everything on her own shoulders so that partner wins all.
 No wonder penalty rates have become old fashioned and under threat.  Who needs predictable recreation times and extended family life if it stands in the way of success.
 Total dedication to extended work hours seriously underminds work conditions, raises the bar and increases the cost of living for the entire community - food, housing, education.
 A leading politician said his father, who began with nothing, worked, was it, 24 hours a day.  Not for some adequate comfortable return but for quite considerable wealth for the son.  So that is the template, the outstanding example to cast before the electorate in this sink or swim budget in the lucky country.

Deck hand multitasking on board Hunter, the Stockton ferry.

Locos in all designs and colours can be seen around the Hunter Valley in the race to transport coal from the mines.  For example, it is believed that old locos from North America are given a new lease of life and a seachange before joining the locals.
  UGL (Goninins) at Broadmeadow, where the above loco is pictured, does work on trains from the ground up. Often, contracts go to overseas fabricators which makes no sense.   

A church in Paterson.  Even some church members wish to combat global warming. President Obama is tackling that problem and targeting power generation and its emissions. What sort of a last century type government do we have for it has no initiatives around climate change.   

Central Australia rail in the fifties. 
Very striking obsessional images from above by Gielen, take in urbanization in America, and raise questions about the sustainability of our ways. 
 They are on PBS Newshour on SBS which when caught from time to time will show presenters Gwen and Judy and another woman. So much talent.
 Otherwise, I can't comment on John Kerry's abilities but there is a little bit of Sesame street muppet about him to distract our listening. Like our Prime Minister. And that somewhat original press secretary will be stepping down.

VIVID in Sydney is delightful show.  Images probably done to death, I can't say, I don't check the media.

If you drive instead of taking the A train these dramatic chimneys are a landmark near Newtown, probably on an old brick kiln.
Where are the vast numbers who will depend on pensions in an aging population and so stress out the budget?  Growing illness and obesity in plague proportions do not lead to a long life. Only the lucky will reach the jackpot at 70 years. Are there any children who can't boast asthma and allergies or emotional or learning disturbances? How will they be later on?
Has the Tony Budget poured money into healthy living? No way. Even made direct cut backs, I heard, and indirectly is a source of stress.

Disease prevention and more and more prevention, promotion of healthy lifestyle, exercise and diet are much more important than 'picking up the pieces' at hugh cost in hospitals and the vast illness industry including medical research - a proposed beneficiary in the budget not only that but taking from more essential services.
Research needs support although there is no need to reinvent the wheel and could leave much of the work to Harvard or wherever. 
The everyday prevention of stress and provision of mental health services, good community and housing, equity and a good standard of living are what count in a really useful budget and the proposed budget does not help at all.   

Ocean swell and water temperatures have been ideal.  Warm days of May have broken the records. Is it global warming?  Hello deniers and the antiscientific

Also on the other corner of Newcomen and Hunter we can see a make over has begun.  Whatever do they have in mind?  Hope they notice some worth already in place. This may have been a clothing department store named The Huslers or similar. Although Breckinbridges was another contender.

Wrapping paper from the distant past when The House of Margo, for a 'superior' type of dress, was on the corner of Newcomen and Hunter, Newcastle. A ubiquitous and popular coffee shop currently occupies the corner.
A tale about textiles and haute couture when a more rigorous style of dress was de rigueur and what Jackie Kennedy did, as well as Irish heritage, is related in a light fictional account named The Pink Suit. A novel of hope, heartbreak and the American Dream written by N M Kelby.  Happens to be set in same era as The house of Margo. Virago Press 2014.

For hours, a lone little black and white Willie Wagtail danced nonstop in front of this windscreen, diving towards the glass and singing loudly.
  Other moves were to plunged down behind the stone guard  and flip up and around above the edge. Melodious but this was a hard days work.
Rhipidura leucophrys fantail flycatcher, distribution all over except Tasmania.

Is it World Cup fever?  International Uni students and Police soccer game.

Plein air camera work probably for Sky service.

Scone, upper Hunter, race meeting outdoor style or in a furlong of marquees for the patrons while close by the horse celebs were discussing their pre-race nerves.

Race day at the horse capital, Scone.
Punters enjoyed the sunniest, calmest, that is breeze-free, days in the history of the universe regardless of winning or losing on the sport of kings.

Eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we.........
Must the Prime Minister and Co be like unthinking bogans?  They typifiy the run of the mill groups - unthinking, money first, pedestrian, exploiters of the free-market, dole bashers, insulated by defence and tight borders, totally immune to environmental, sustainability and climate change sensibilities.
 We need better leadership.
   Rip offs will increase by forcing a rise in Good and Services tax.

Predictable rant. ROADS ROADS ROADS ROADS ROADS TOADS.... ROADS TO NOWHERES. Is that all ?
ALIENS did the budget.  UNAUSTRALIAN.... LUDDITES.  Anti-public transport. Anti-global warming. Anti-science.
Education neglected.  Social insecurity cut-backs made saviour of the economy.  Medicare trashed.  Essential health services starved to fund burgeoning medical research, sucked in by worried researchers - that end in itself - as pointed out status is high on the agenda. Aliens just don't get it.

Nobbys Beach halt.  Travellers and their vans are taking a break.
 Would it spoil some vast eternal plan if the city offered a regular place for tourists and their vehicles to pause a while.  Adjust to the reality of those who come here stretching their Aussie dollars as far as possible by free camping or other ''outrageous'' ways.
  Financially, we must stack up, these tourists may have come via Asia where they have probably driven a hard bargain and exploited the low costs only to arrive on our very expensive shores although our exchange rate must put a smile on their faces.
Whatever way you look at it, today is a financial kind of day.  Bad news in store tonite.

From the road near the nation's capital. A lake bed that is usually waterless! Sucked dry?
We hear, the budget, tomorrow, will mean new taxes.  The old promise of no new taxes has manipulated voters.  A more savvy politician would have avoided making that type of promise.  I assume this politician has a high IQ and would have avoided such a mistake.  Manipulation must be the real reason for the broken promise.
Mr Joseph Hockey, treasurer, and his sidekick, were caught with cigars and smoking like a chimney recently.  One commentator said they can do as they like, this is no nanny state. Another said how it was not a good look and one rarely caught.  Another wondered what the cancer Council would say. Then, that cigars are elitist and what about the level playing field? (All on ABC TV). And, to be sure, they were in a no smoking zone most likely.  To his credit, Hockey has shed a lot of weight.  But are those guys human?

Participation.... winning....don't let it go to your head!  Singer, Jessica Mauboy is a good sport and has true enthusiasm for entertainment. She seems natural, good natured, non-dependent or needy and free of hysie fits. Verily an anti-superstar. Hope she can guard her artistic and natural abilities and be a role model. 

Recently, the annual catch of the day was mullet near the fish markets on the Port.
One down in Eurovision on SBS.
Azerbaijan approached magical heights, trad instruments plus song in native tongue.  Liszt like piano was part of a noteworthy item from Hungary.
Portuguese, Latvian and Icelandic acts were in the real spirit of Eurovision. An offering with Celtic like pipes, ice skater and non-English (I think) had something going for it as did the treadmill duet or the see saw act.
English language, seriousness and drama of all the rest were so so. The song about mother takes the cake. The dramatic build ups are over exhausted. Actions and dance over explicit, exaggerated, each contestant forced to outdo the other in histrionics.  So often, nuanced performance is unknown. That's the spell of Eurovision and all the rest.

Eurovision (Copenhagen 2014) shares the action with the Aussies but are we any match for that wacky show?  See all on SBS TV this weekend.
Eurovision contrasts with Fargo, also on SBS, although both are a curiosity and give us insights into the west in all its glory.

 My knowledge about the donkey was nil until I visited the Tocal Field day although most of the encounter was hijacked by misbehaviour because its friend had just left to take part in a donkey show.

Now, residential areas always spread somewhere.  Now's the time to plan a balance between settlements and open spaces. It is an urgent matter in the Hunter valley and all over. Promised funds should be used to plan our Hunter communities. Without any dim reaction towards ''progress''.
Vast sprawling suburbs covering every hill and dale are less workable and permanently blot the unique landscapes that we love.
Patches of high density with pleasant surrounds are called for together with overall rationalisation of developments. And fragmentation of land use is undesirable where each locality dabbles with selling off lands around its edges.
We must do better than ten acre blocks and offer smaller alternatives to the general population to enjoy and even take the pressure off the tendency to gravitate to a overblown mega city to our south.
Newcastle CBD will do for the present time.  Instead, focus on the overall picture.

Sheepish subjects.  Kelpie sheep dogs demonstrated their skills.
The old art of spinning. Woolen knitwear is looking pretty good during this cold snap.
Where were the legendary moleskin trousers, tweedy jacket and slightly wide brimmed hats? None were seen at Tocal Field Day. Is nothing sacred? Jeans.....
Yesterdays racing piglets - insensitive? Spare a thought for the ravage of the pig population by disease in other places.

 This little pig went to race. Piglett racing at Tocal Ag College Field days over the weekend. Friday was a tremendous day

The triumph of restoration. Triumph Stag.

Lotus Elite
After creating a somber atmosphere with clouds of doom emerging from the poor federal capital, clothed in autumn hues, our leaders justify a very tight budget.  It is all a set-up.
How is it that trillions in superannuation funds are amassed even after supporting an army of fund managers who reap untold amounts of fees and commissions, how is it that a government, with its power and reach simply cannot manage to gather a similar amount to support the less well off in the community and into their old age?