This evening, Police and forensics were on duty at a crime scene in public housing in Waratah.

In Blackbutt Nature Reserve. A sunny holiday emerged as the wet weather fled away.
A sly Mr Fox would make nice work of these cute little ducks.

Real koalas are part of the experience at Blackbutt Nature Reserve but these sightseers are hugging a toy koala.
I've only seen koalas in an enclosure once or twice, and twice (not two times) seen a lone koala in a tree top out of captivity and another time suddenly one ran close past me in bushland days after a bush fire that had singed its fur, an encounter not forgotten.  The numbers of koalas are declining as their bushland habitat is cleared and pet dogs attack them and other problems.  

Window shopping. Beacon Lighting, Kotara. All that glitters is not gold.

A safe recovery from the economic tightrope that several countries find themselves on could be via the way of the Cup Cake.
A cup cake recovery stimulates a raft of activities and the outcomes are sweet when products, services, the workers, imports and exports are all involved.
The PM knows the wisdom of this with a Fiftieth Birthday Cup Cake Arrangment as a surprise during a school visit where the cup cake had infiltrated.

Infrastructure becomes crucial with strong demand for space age baking trays, giant psudo-cup cake pans, paper patties, tierd cake stands, cake mixers and mixes, themed fridge magnets, cards, toys and adorments, Wedding cakes and parties. At its peak, job creation is just the icing on the cake.
As well, social capital benefits because Cup Cakes are good for self esteem. Trouble with a successful full size cake?  From experience Cup cakes are almost fool proof.
Is this a valid policy? On second thoughts, it is most likely, that the cup cake craze began in one of those big countries that is not doing very well at all.
Kids in the Kitchen. Turn a simple cup cake into a masterpiece. A school holiday activity at City branch, Newcastle Region Library. Thursday. 10yrs+

Blackbutt Nature Reserve is a good idea for things to do in the school holidays.  New work is offering more to enjoy there, thanks to Newcastle City Council. 
As well, Fantastic Mr Fox is a show on next week or 4 - 8 October.  Foxes have attitude but wonder why Mr Fox is fantastic?  

top: The Chaffey Pump.  This is the original pump installed by the Chaffeys when irrigation was first brought to the Sunraysia district.  The pump is now preserved near the art gallery (Mildura).
From vintage postcards:  In 1887, George and William Chaffey selected land in this barren area of red soil and stunted growth. They were Californians.  However, with the ample waters of the Murray River at hand, abundant sunshine and a dry climate the area, at the corner where the states of Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales meet, was to turn from land valued at 2/6 an acre into a fabulous district of patterned greenery with values up to five hundred pounds an acre.
Geogre Chaffey, an engineer, knew the miracles worked by irrigation and saw the possibilities in this area. Nowadays, the Sunraysia district consists of a hundred square miles of properties planted to vines, mixed fruits and vegetable growing.

In 2011, the story unfolds with current debate about suvival of the Murray-Darling rivers, water usage and long-term management.
From Nucolorvue Post Cards.

Wide calm waters of the Murray provide excellent passage way for the paddle steamers.  This scene was taken between Mildura and Merbein. (South-west corner of the state NSW.)
Next, dipping grapes at Irymple. before drying.
Vintage post cards by Nucolorvue

This is how it was. This bridge near Wentworth is typical of many which span the waters of the Darling or Murray Rivers.
Old postcards from Nucolorvue P/L.

Flannel Flowers growing in the wild.

Our past and our future.  In the background is an extensive new church primary school built in Branxton.  It is very large as this is a growth area probably and kids will be bused in.
Pictured is part of the existing old school which is quite reasonable. Easy come easy go.
 They say gains and losses are only on paper. A few weeks ago, it would have been possible to cover the cost of once in a lifetime indulgences with this weeks write down. Instead I count my blessings!

School concert making the most of new school hall built recently by economic stimulus activity.  

Assembly halls have sprung up everywhere in the lucky country. Are we appreciative?
The public's response was painfully mirrored on ABC TV ?comedy, At Home With Julia,  (Prime Minister) where she was painted as inept.

Mr Wayne Swan, Federal Treasurer, at her side, also finds himself among a nation of whingers even when he is named Finance Minister of the Year slash World Best Finance Minister for 2011 awarded by Euromoney (sic) with a ceremony in Washington (sic).  

Far too much is made of personalities. Just give us decent government by expert work from appropriate work groups.  

In transit, potential conversations around the water cooler.  How are the office converstations in a Google workplace? Is the water in its original state? According to the Sunday newspaper, Google is voted one of the very best workplaces. Now that's good advertising.   

New retail centre on the other side of the Styx, Tueday evening.  They will have to brave any double dip recession although this country is not bearing the brunt.

This is not Thursday night shopping.  A textile factory was here once.

Just imagine how it is to be a radical.  I'm still the same old self but my ideas are extreme.  Climate change is not happening yet I have been known to mull over the ethics of taking a flight on a holiday whim, considering the hugh amount of fossil fuel that an aircraft burns and exhausts. The act of using a human or a donkey as a beast of burden so as to swan around mountain tops is another question. At least the donkey is not carrying a male bigger than itself. (yes, it is employment, but...)  And isn't Nepal riddled with malnutrition?

Prime Minister Gillard has an uphill battle.  In my books, she can do nothing better than finalise climate change leglislation.  If she has to sacrifice everything and become a martyr to the climate change cause she will be glorious and enjoy the view from the top.

My daughter just loved trecking in Nepal despite the effects of local illnesses, was it the altitude, and she carried her pac.

The tree of life.
 If, say, ten very large fig trees were felled, how much carbon would be released?  In terms of carbon sink, what if a suitable financial penalty became attached to felling a tree? And cost cutting is debated.  There's no time to lose.
After felling, if the timber were put to a noble use to build or furnish, for instance, the new art gallery, then the carbon would remain sequestrated and we could forever admire, feel good and rejoice over the trees that grew in Laman Street.

Many many church goers flocked to this sacred site then later the numbers declined.  Mount St Alphonsus monastery became empty,  pervaded with solitude and changed to a non-denominational wedding venue (according to the signage).
The members of the well know international religious order who built the monastery, came to Singleton in the Hunter as their first port of call in the early days and have recently left the Hunter area possibly for ever.
The large size of the monastery of 1887 makes it unique in Newcastle.
New innovative uses for the building can be imagined if we happened to have a bigger population.
If in doubt, turn it into a wedding venue (or aged care)!  Secular society still likes to hark back to vestiges of a church wedding. Same with Christening - some people like the idea - that's it.  Baptism can become useful with spin offs to do with church schools and the like.

Another corner of the coastal nature reserve.

Dudley Headland south of Newcastle. Suburbs surround a nature reserve. Amazing luck had this sought after land preserved free from McMansion creep.  

Follow the secret path to a wonderful eyrie and hear the hum of bees, wild flowers, birds and shore break. 

Udder Farm Milk and Milk products, not from the multi-national factory, but from a dairy farmer in Luskintyre, who prepares fresh non-homogenised milk, cream and cheese and supplies corner stores in the Hunter as well as a market at The Entrance. This farmer follows his dream.