Last one for the year!!

If you are reading this in Australia it definitely is only 7 hours before midnight and the year 2015 begins!! Whoopee!! You thinks so? I hope so for your sake! But I'll be reminiscing! I already have done...by reading my Blog inputs this time last year.
And as so much interest is in travelling ... our most recent trip took us to Sydney...our home town...well one of them anyway. The latest family addition and the youngest student of Sydney University joined us in our celebration of her mother's graduation in Industrial Law. Yes that was the reason for our visit and I took the opportunity to buy a jumpsuit in orange which had Sydney University printed on it. So there! Zoe became the youngest Sydney Uni. student and she didn't let anyone down as she watched her mother's performance. Not bad for a 3 month-old baby!

 Of course we hired a car and drove south to Moss Vale...luscious gardens...mountains...and surprise of surprises caught sight of a native echidna...what a pleasure it was to try and get a reasonable photo before it burrowed itself into the local soil.

 Then Dangar Island on the Hawkesbury River...was our next stop...big winds, heavy rains, lightening and heavy cloud formations challenged us...but luckily these storms only bothered us late afternoon and late evening. In between time we took our small tinny across the rough waters and visited the local club for a delightful dinner.

 Anyone ever see ducks flying so high from the water so as to be able to hide amongst the treetops during the heavy rain and lightening? Amazing? I never knew ducks could fly so high! And always in pairs!!
And so may you fly effortlessly through the New
Year and experience only the best!!

The unexpected or not hoped for has happened!

Sorry this bit of news has motivated me to write again! The LIBERAL government led by MR BIG EARS has placed the "TOE CUTTER" in charge of Social Services in Australia. Not only that but this government has taken the social ideas from America (read my previous blogs) and taken 21 billion dollars away from the usual "Homeless" in Australia.  No new ideas this government has decided to follow the ideas of some States in USA. Will making it illegal to feed the poor the next 'great idea' this government steals from the USA? If so, lets rush on the double dissolution!! Or the next election! How much more is this country to tolerate of this far right wing 'Nasty' Nazi-types' actions? I say rally now and stop this 'leader' with a small 'l' from embarrassing us anymore! Those who voted this mob in think again please!!!  

I have to write this today!

East Berliners are Free!! So what else is new you might ask? Thanks to Mr Jaeger who opened the Bornholmer Strasse border crossing between East and West Berlin on the night of November the 9th 1989.
Euphoric East Germans had massed there flooding into the West and so peacefully bringing down the Iron Curtain after 28 years of Berlin's division.
Mr Jaeger, now 71, still recalls the disbelief he felt hearing the words that drew the crowd there in the first place. On Tv someone, some communist official announced that East Germans could now travel abroad almost immediately.
I nearly choked on my bread roll! And didn't believe my ears!
Thank God he did but not until after he had rung a superior.  And so, down with the wall!!
"I had never seen such euphoria and I've never seen it since."
Yes the reality is quite different for everyone...EAST or WEST!

One for the West newspaper and the World!!

Who said only the word quiz is worthwhile opening the West Australian for each morning?  I did! And I take it all back ... today anyway ...Saturday Nov-8/9 2014.

I might be bogged down in writing my novel (is 28000 words being bogged down?) for the NaNoMoWri or some such but this article stirred me up.

New York- TRIO ARRESTED FOR FEEDING HOMELESS Page 50.

Yes can you believe it? Two pastors and a 90 year-old have been arrested in Florida for feeding the homeless in public violation of a new law banning food sharing (500.00 dollars fine and 60 days in jail) .
Is this saving the 'poor' residents of Florida from seeing the shameful state of their country? There are 10,000 homeless people in Florida. Mr Abbott, the 90 yr old arrested, who runs a not-for-profit organisation called LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR said homeless people were drawn to Fort Lauderdale because of the climate (they were less likely to freeze there).

You the reader can be sure that this MR. ABBOTT is not the same as our MR. ABBOTT as our MR ABBOTT although not far off 90 in his looks could never be seen to run a not-for profit organisation.

But cynicism aside, Fort Lauderdale has become the 13th city to impose restrictions on feeding the homeless.

Can we see this sort of LEGISLATION move on to our wonderful country?  I don't know why not.  We copy everything else from overseas!


BUT DON"T TELL MR ABBOTT!!!

Nothing like a front gate you can lock!!

Why would you say that? because its Halloween of course!! You are a spoil sport! Maybe...but it was my visiting daughter from Connecticut who asked...but what's it doing in Australia? It is an American custom!! You may think it is but the truth is quite different.

HALLOWEEN is an ancient Celtic celebration, Samhain. It marked the beginning of winter or the 'dark' half of the year. The day before Halloween is the last day of summer and the day after is the first day of winter. So John Stickle of Daglish asks...what is the logic in celebrating this in Australia?
'You may well ask' as the late Gough Whitlam would have replied. Thank you Gough for sharing your intellect with us.
The answer and I wish I could send this to the USA but I can't...Halloween was seen by the corporate US and pumpkin growers as a way to herd the sheep into department stores, supermarkets, novelty stores and any other place where the paraphernalia could be sold. and it seems to have been introduced into Australia in late 1960ties by homesick draft dodgers from the USA....to exploit our resources and who seem to have a fervent belief that the world would be a better place if everyone embraced the culture of the USA.
And this is where the family argument started...and this is why I can't send this explanation to anyone in the USA and why I won't be visiting this Xmas.
Roll on the National Rifle association says John Stickle, tongue in cheek of course!  But who could have said it better?
No photos for this one ... the words said it all!!

Spring ... it was a day of sunshine!

Too true! We just get our summer glad rags on and the Spring turns back into winter.  What can you

do? Go to Kings Park and snap a few pictures? It might be the school holidays...and it was...or

is...for another week or two...and the only available seat to sit and sip a hot coffee was at the foot of

the war memorial.


Not being a plant expert I did know that there are three types of Kangaroo Paws ... red   yellow...

and...and... you've got it...GREEN. Wow I have

never seen a green Kangaroo Paw until now.










But I know a bee or some bees actively pursuing

their reasons for being. Must have been great in

there because they never came up once to feature for my camera.

I can't say much about this shot but I do like it.

Don't forget to click on the photo to enlarge.








And then of course I couldn't ignore the huge

transplanted BOAB tree from Broom...going very well except

that some smart alec named MM left his or her trademark

carved into its trunk. Other than that it appealed to me as an

abstract image.

So forget the real world! let's try the world below!

Yes to continue my travel itch....and my underwater experience. when someone suggested I go snorkling in Galapagos of course I said yes. I could vaguely remember my last severe fright doing just that...a beautiful day...blue skies clear waters...just like Galapagos but one difference we were in Perth waters. Everyone snorkels here I told myself. So in I went a little bit unused to the waves throwing me around and just about relaxing when I saw it!! Something waving around underwater...black and grey...I didn't wait to find out and shot up to the surface. A good samaritan took himself where I'd been and came back laughing. You idiot!! It was an army great coat someone had left behind. Yes but the arms were waving about like...like...oh never mind.
So this time an eager photographer handed me his underwater camera...me? moi? underwater photographs? BUT? No buts about it. GO!

And so I did. No army great coats this time. Instead....solitary peace...clear waters...no waves...just the fish and only what nature had to offer. Or so I thought.

One way traffic at times but even the terror when fish swam their darndest to escape me didn't faze me. I was concentrating on my

camera settings. After all just floating about in these beautiful and fascinating surroundings was very relaxing. We had explored the lava tunnel and the many lava islands. But I should have known. Never let your guard down...don't be too confident! Then it happened! What was I to do?
 I kicked my flippers so hard that I flew out of the water head first straight into the arms of a human fish! But this one was smiling! don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them,

Happy Long Weekend!

Question one: how did we end up at home when everyone else with any sense goes away? Oh yes...gotta watch the Aussie Rules game of the year! But to do that one needs power doesn't one?
Of course so who was to know that just on that day or to be specific the night before and that day...all power to our house disappeared. AND it was raining cats and dogs so how do you entice the emergency crew to come and have a look. But look they did...the day of the footie...the morn of the footie and even while the footie match was being televised. How do I know? Because we had to try the manual escape of the garage door to buy a cup of coffee and  couldn't access our front door on our return. So what's the problem?

 The power is on isn't?  Yes! But.....ah just a little one! I've spent years growing my hedges And cutting them to an architectual look. So? Well this is the second weekend the look has been massacred. Last weekend it was a burst water main! Boo Hoo! no I didn't take any photos...I must have known! At least we weren't trapped and we learned how to manually open the garage...at least!
What else can fail in a house only 16 years old? I think I should have stayed in my 40+ year-old house!

More than flowers!

Too right! Florence is more than anything one can describe or expect. I wouldn't want to live there as the number of visitors would drive me mad. And we visited in the off season.

Florence means architecture...culture...history...history of

religion...sculpture...cobblestone streets...international

dining...people from all over the world...steps to climb...

queues to join...photographs to take home...

But there is always time to have fun! To stop for

coffee and to rest those legs. Click on the photographs to enlarge.



This little fellow I found irresistible...hard to ignore

his happy face as I sat drinking my coffee.

Florence means flowers? Si?

Who knows? The Oxford Concise Dictionary couldn't help me so what the heck! Through the photographs I go.  There were a lot of flowers  in fact the whole city and surrounds let flowers be the interest amongst many others of course. How about this one beside a street many tourists use.

 And these pots filled with brilliantly coloured flowers lined many streets. Everywhere one looked flowers were there to lift the mood.





Even some householders showed their creativity by creating a flower entry.  This is not unusual however filling the streets with flowers certainly is.








And these were a bunch one could buy. Spring had definitely arrived if one stopped long enough to admire the decorations.

Still scratching!! Serving the travel BUG!

Yes I am still dealing with the travel itch and so are most of my friends in Galapagos, Equador.

 That comes from living a hairy life. Can't say I have that problem. But I'm not judging these
creatures. They are the cutest and friendliest
even if most of their day is spent chasing the bugs.

Transport to these islands was never a problem. we experienced both. But didn't need the water taxi.
And found some of the local seals making themselves at home on the deck of a long-abandoned boat. Click on the images  to enlarge them.

It wasn't Valentines day but this bird didn't know that. These balloon fronts rather than showing love are used to soften the birds' landing when out fishing. When in their nests the balloons make comfy head rests.

I couldn't resist the infant feeding image as well as the 'how do I look?' picture.  Never winning anything with them in competitions doesn't reduce my love of them.
The one at the bottom, the marine lizards, reminds me of the saying ... if you can't be with the one you love ... love the one you're with.

I am suffering!!

But what's your ailment I can hear people say? The weather is fantastic ... yes the sun is streaming down ... endless sunny days it seems ... the house has warmed up ... the B/B/Q is in place ... seat cushions have been replaced onto the outdoor setting ... the courtyard has been swept clean of winter debris ... but ... but. What can be the matter?

I have been home for 6 months and Qantas keep writing to me offering reduced fares to here there and everywhere. And all I can do is ... ... SCRATCH THE TRAVEL ITCH! And Facebook is not helping! Barb, Sue and Geoff are traipsing around the world and sending back photos.  What about me? ME! ME! ME! Alright live on memories ... look through your album and share ... share ...and share!

Yes I've been on a boat too! But not this wooden one thank God! No ours was the one in the background ... built especially for its Antarctic voyage in Italy ... a French boat with totally French cooking ... and I mean choice snacks everywhere and at all times.

But of course there were some out there with
too much testosterone. Fascinating to watch but difficult to influence.

Peace Brother! Get over it and move on!

The stand off!  But some had lost interest.

So on Christmas day peace overtook all and sundry and we were fortunate enough to visit Grytviken and not only go to the whaler's church there but catch up on some fantastic history at the little cemetery. The only and oldest whaling station to be able to welcome visitors on the Island of South Georgia which operated from 1904 to 1965. The church was consecrated on Christmas day 1913.
But of course you all know about the explorers of Antarctica and so the story of brave Ernest Henry Shackleton was relayed to us.
But closer to home I discovered that a country town in WA has remembered Shackleton in name and it is not far from Perth. So we will drive there soon and drop into Mawson on our way there.  You do know about Mawson?  An Aussie explorer ... Yipee!!



Not everyone was aggressive on that trip ... here is a calm resident watching our activities with interest. And of course ... it was summer!