New Year

I don't know the meaning of Christmas. I spend more time thinking about the meaning of the New Year.

There is the whole thing about finding the perfect party, the perfect time to be had. Then there is the whole resolution thing, the diets that last a week or two.

Neither of these things speaks to me.

I am tangled in the idea of "start as you mean to continue."

If the New Year is the start, then this is the chance to give our year a flavour.

A boring New Year's Eve? Perhaps a dull year. That is not necessarily a bad thing.

2007/8 we spend at the Woodford Folk Festival. It rained buckets and buckets and there was mud up to our knees. But we kept on smiling. Everyone kept on smiling. Woodford is like that. But actually, it was a trial and many, including us, left early.

2008 - A year of challenges? You bet. I spent the whole year smiling while I trawled through the mud thinking what doesn't kill me makes me stronger.

2008/9 - We had new year at our place. It was not what we had planned, but old friends were coming to visit and it seemed logical bearing in mind the mud we had spent the year muddling through. I was in pain, I was sick and no one knew it. I didn't want people in my house. I wanted to go to bed.

2009 - a Year of not getting what I wanted. I was thwarted at every turn by other people and other things. It has been the busiest year of my entire life.

Today we are going back to Woodford. Already we are thwarted by a puppy with a red eye and an emergency trip to the vet. One last hurrah from 2009.

Anyhow, we will get there. I have my gumboots, my hat and sunscreen and water and I am prepared. I have my smile and a positive attitude. Will it be enough?

Games Suck

I admit it, I was sucked in by the tv advertisement. The new Super Mario Wii.

I don't like "video games." Really have never been good at them. Not ever.

But occassionaly I get addicted, and I have a soft spot for Mario.

There is a family in the advertisement. Four people. Two adults and two kids. Wow just like us. Look how happy they look, playing together.

Sucked me right in.

So if this game is an indication of our family dynamics, I would say we are an arguementative, chaotic group of people living in this house.

I think I prefer to go to bed.

puppies for sale!

My new camera!! Brisbane

Puppies

Perfect Contentment

Puppies

The little puppies lie on thier backs, and thier little legs twitch and wiggle while they sleep.

Puppies

Puppies love to be close to each other. Is it any wonder they make great companions for people too.

Puppies

A jumble of puppies? A tumble of puppies? Certianly not a little of puppies.

Puppies

My life is a delicate juggling act. If I take my eye off any particular ball it will fall and crash on the floor like an over exhausted mother/partner/worker/writer/gardener etc etc.

The blog ball dropped recently, partly because I have had that eye trained on the puppy ball. So to keep the two balls flying at once, a feast of puppy photos will take over this blog.

To begin, this is "the white one", the only one that looks like his Maltese dad.

Ugly Critques

Living in the middle of nowhere, the best way for me to have my writing critiqued is to be part of an online critique group. I've had membership of a few and some unhelpful experiences.

As part of a speculative fiction group, someone told me my story "Soul Mates" which was eventually published in Black Magazine , could never happen because houses were inanimate objects and couldn't think or feel. Did I mention this was a SPECULATIVE fiction group. Had he not heard of - let's say Stephen King's "Christine"?

Another critiquer told me I was writing a story - therefore it had already happened - therefore I could not write it in present tense. I am still shaking my head over that one.

When I first started to seriously write, I discovered I knew nothing about commas. I did a lot of research on the Internet, thought I knew what I was doing, but thought my online critique group might point out to me where I was still getting commas wrong. I asked for specific feedback when I submitted my story - the answer from one helpful person. "Have a look on the Internet." I think that is when I left that group.

Happy, happy - I belong to a great group now, who would never be so patronising or unhelpful. I am a better writer for their honesty and experience. A fellow member, Nancy Kopp blogged about us and online critiques groups today.

Coraline Versus Up

At the heart of Coraline is truth – two truths. The type of truths that keeps all good fables resonating throughout the centuries.

Truth no 1: If you neglect your children, they will look elsewhere for love, and sometimes that love will be damaging. The battle back home again will be a challenge.

Truth no 2: The grass is never greener on the other side. I loved this story when I was a kid. Was it a cow or a sheep who keep going from paddock to paddock thinking the grass he saw was greener?

We had to travel all the way to Indooroopilly to see Coraline. It seemed to just come and go from our local cinemas before we had blinked. This movie is smart, quirky, dark and looks beautiful.

Up, on the other hand looks like every other Pixar animation since Toy Story had us all raving. Every kid and his dog went to see it in the holidays. I feel asleep. Slept away at least $2.00 of the movie. It’s not that it is bad necessarily, but you can only see so much animated slapstick before your children become teenagers.

Up will make money. Then, the next slick over promoted movie will come out and it will just be another DVD in every families' cupboard.

In years to come, those who remember Coraline will be consider it as a cut above the rest.

Wivenhoe Weed Fairies taking flight.

Breathe

This is the gum tree in my front yard. I walk past it every day. It has possums, bees, parrots and once an old grandaddy koala.

Whenever I look at this photo it reminds me to breathe.

Cinema Etiquette

As impressionable 14 year olds, our head mistress bundled us boarding school girls onto a bus for an hour long trip to visit the nearest cinema. She took us to see Ghandi.

The movie ended. We stood up. She admonished us. It was disrespectful to stand while the credits were rolling. We had never heard of such a thing. We all sat down again.

My head mistress, despite her uncanny habit of suspending me from school, was a woman I came to respect, and her respect for movie credits is something I still practice.

It seems to me, if someone makes and effort to make a movie, no matter how obscure their role (what is a best boy?) then the viewer should have the respect to pay attention for the entire length of the film, credits included.

It is not always comfortable. The usher wants us out so he can clean up, the children are over it and are embarrassed, but I feel righteous in my actions.

It is also a bit about train spotting too.

Rewards are at times surprising, most notable the alternate ending following the credits of 28 Days Later. It remains one of my most satisfying story viewing experiences – all because I stayed until the end of the credits.

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds – no mistaking this is Tarantino. Irony, wit, imaginative dialogue, and let’s face it Violence with a capital V. I am not squeamish. I watched a surgeon cut up my daughter's mouth, but I covered my eyes in several of this movie's scenes. Well, you know covered and peaked.

Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction changed the tone of movies. The define their decade. Kill Bill did not thrill me, but in Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino has returned to the story telling that I think Kill Bill lacked.

The overhead shot of Shoshanna walking from her room and down the hall to David Bowie’s Cat People (Putting Out Fire) is a masterful combination of cinematography, plot and sound.

Rewrite history, why not? Who else would have the audacity?

Up the garden path

Tulips

Elegant and simple. Nothing at all like me, perhaps why I love them.

More and more flowers

There was a time when I aspired to be a florist!

Flower Festival Day 4

Carnival photo feast continues

The Carnival of Flowers is Sprung

Spring Celebrations

The Toowoomba Carnival of Flowers is 60 years old, Australia's longest running horticultural festival.

Night Watch

The 2004 Russian film, Night Watch doesn't lay anything out on a platter - it lets you be confused and then unravels the satisfyingly complex storyline in a visual feast. The mix of interesting cinematography, sets and animations buzzes with life.

This action fantasy tells a tale of good and evil, or specifically the Others, who posses special powers and must choose light or dark. But for me, the real theme of the movie is that life is shades of grey.

We saw this movie when it came out. There were exactly three people in the theatre. I picked up the DVD pretty cheap, but it is worth every cent. It is a keeper that can be watched over again. The DVD has been dubbed so you don't have to read the subtitles and miss the gorgeousness of the visuals.

Why we love the internet.

This is why I love the internet.

At 7am on Sunday morning, whilst still in my pajamas, I can:

- Buy my mother her birthday present

- Buy my favourite Gum Leaf Essential Oils.

Breastfeeding - fiendish or miraclous?

There are three good things I have done for my kids: read to them, talk and listen to them, and breastfeed them.

According to the Courier Mail, a newspoll survey found up to 30% of people think breastfeeding should not be done in public.

Let’s put this in perspective. It is fine to drink and get drunk in public; people do it in pubs every night. We can see nudity and sex on television. People barely bat an eyelid at swearing.

The Valley on a Saturday is a flesh feast, bum cheeks, breasts beaming in the street lights.

And yet, the very best start I can give my baby in life – one that will protect him from illness, increase his intelligence, speech and eyesight and is free and environmentally friendly – is inappropriate for the public.

I was discreet, but I never hid while breast feeding in public. One of the saddest things I ever saw was a mother breastfeeding in the corner of a room while her husband held a cloth up in front of her. I wonder was it his problem or hers?

Breast milk and breastfeeding is a natural miracle. Any support a woman gets to continue breastfeeding is an investment in the future of her child. Criticism is tantamount to child abuse.

There, you did not know I was a ranter did you?

Another View

Shadows and shine: a different angle on the Sydney Opera House.

Ok, so we went to Sydney. This is what we saw.

We stayed at the Raddison on Liverpool St (nice sheets), the balcony smells like the restaurant 8 floors below, the monorail is a stones throw away. There are lives played out across the street. Each window like a TV screen of people watching their TV. We arrive late on Thursday night but the air is full of the static electricity of so many lives in one place, feet constantly moving on the footpath, and constant noise.

There are two Sydney icons to be ticked off. We climbed one of them. This 77 year of bridge with rust like wrinkles shaped this city and still does. The buttresses on either end of the bridge serve no purpose at all other than aesthetic. Each tile was hand carved, the larger ones at the base took one man a week. Hey, this was the depression right?

Icon number 2. The thing about the Sydney Opera House is there are so many ways to see her. From every angle she is something different. In every light she is something different. Just like a well rounded woman.

The Rocks are both sad and fascinating. Sad because it has been made sterile by galleries, cafes and tourists, fascinating because the real gritty history that claws from behind the walls. These bricks all look different - each convict used the them to graffiti their mark.

Of course there was more, dirty hot double decker trains, friends and stalkers, the All Blacks in a dramatic win, good food, ordinary food, ferry rides and lots and lots of walking...

Sweet Jasmine

For many, August may signal the Ekka and westerly winds, but for me, August is the scent of Jasmine.

Pink Jasmine smells like heaven. Better than chocolate cake, better than Calvin Klein’s Obsession. Pick the flowers before they have opened and fill your house with sweetness.

Jasmine is tropical and sub-tropical plant and well suited to our sub-tropical Queensland. There are several varieties of Jasmine, coming from different parts of the world. They can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs or climbing plants. They produce yellow or white flowers, whose best quality is their fragrance.

Commonly seen in South East Queensland are the Pink Jasmine and the Star Jasmine.

The Pink Jasmine, also sometimes known as White Jasmine, is native to China. It is a fast growing evergreen, needing a strong trellis or fence to ramble over. It is called Pink Jasmine because of the colour of the buds that open to star shaped white flowers.

For South East Queensland, it is a low care plant. Once established it does not need excessive water, and only needs a good trim after flowering. In cold areas it will flower much longer, and it has become invasive in southern parts of Australia. It also causes allergies in some people.

Star Jasmine, on the other hand, it a woodier plant, with (I believe) less sweet flowers. Technically it is not a Jasmine, but we won’t get technical here!

This plant grows more slowly and can be shaped as topiary or against a wall. Unlike the Pink Jasmine it will cover the whole of a fence or wall, rather than just growing along the top. It can also be used as a ground cover, even in the shade (but don’t expect too many flowers). It requires more pruning to keep it shaped. Flowers will only form on new growth.

Both of these plants can be grown from cuttings. Grow, smell and enjoy.

I'm excited

Hint fiction is sweeping through the world - hopefully with the staying power of Energizer batteries rather than a Rubik Cube fad.

Submission guidelines for "the" Norton publication on Robert Swartwood's blog.

Cannot Buy My Soul - Story in Song

Myth or otherwise, our Australian belief system includes the idea that anybody can succeed - that we are a land of opportunity. Kev Carmody’s story may embody this belief, or it could be a story about talent always winning out.

There were many things working against Kev Carmody being a successful singer-songwriter. To begin with he is an aboriginal who grew up at a time when aboriginals in Australia were not considered citizens. He didn’t go to school until he was 10 years old. But he had family, he had country and he had stories and music.

At some point he found a book at a rubbish tip – “How to Teach Yourself to Play Guitar”. He dried it out and sometime later he is at university studying music and history.

“Cannot Buy My Soul – The Songs of Kev Carmody” is a tribute concert which should become a legend of Australian music and we were lucky enough to say we were there at the Riverstage in Brisbane.This gathering of Australian artists – Paul Kelly, Tex Perkins, Missy Higgins, Troy Cassar-Daley, Bernard Fanning, John Butler – to name only a few, paid tribute to Kev Carmody, sharing their respect and esteem for Kev Carmody with the biggest concert crowd this performance has had.

I have always loved songs that tell stories. For some people music resonates, I listen for lyrics. Kev Carmody’s music is story.

It is stories I remember, like "The Young Dancer is Dead" performed by The Last Kinection or places I know, like "Darkside" performed by Tex Perkins.

Kev Carmody also tells me new stories, of people and lives with deep roots in the Australian soil - like "Droving Woman" with Missy Higgins singing the last verse with passion.


The ultimate climax is "From Little Things Big Things Grow" the song Kev Carmody co-wrote with Paul Kelly. This is song always makes me cry.

Gold

I went for a walk today
and saw
a beetle as colourful as a bird,
a trail of bright bird feathers
like a rainbow - but
no pot of gold,
except
an old Baptist church
empty
waiting
to become the newest Mcdonalds in town.

Game on

The maniac in the blue Ford comes from behind me. He overtakes me and weaves between the cars from left to right lane like he has a death wish. No indicator, nor patience and no regard for anyone else.

I exit the Warrego highway at North Ipswich and stop at the stop sign behind a big old Council truck. It blasts the horn and startles me. What is his problem?

I follow the truck, both of us turning right. On the other side of the overpass is a car with the driver door open. The truck misses swiping the door off by a dog’s tail. The car door closes and the car takes off behind the truck, dust and gravel spitting out behind the tyres. Then I realise it is the maniac in the blue Ford.

The Ford is swaying back and forth on the single lane, trying to pass the truck. The guy is insane. I want to get his licence plate, but I can’t read it from this distance and my self preservation is telling me not to get closer.

At the T junction, the lights are green.

The truck stops in the left turning lane.

The car stops in the right turning lane.

They are stopped side by side at the green light.

Finally the truck lurches forward. The car burns out smoke and screeches in front the truck. They both turn left.

The light is yellow; I stop and watch the vehicles curve up the hill. The car is dancing back and forth in front of the truck. The truck is hemmed in. The truck pulls over and the car stops in front of it.

The truck driver gets out in his orange fluro workvest.

The Ford driver gets out, dressed entirely in black.

I turn my CD off and pick up my mobile phone.

They step toward each other.

The light is green and I turn left. I have lost sight of them.

I curve up the hill.

The two men are on the footpath shaking hands.

Did I see that right?

I look in my rear vision mirror. They are leaning against the front of the truck, arms crossed casually over their chests, chatting.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

If your surname is Potter, you would be brave to call your son Harry. It would be like calling your child Jesus, or Elvis if you were a Presley – or Elvis at all really. I have never met an Elvis in real life.

So what of the newest movie, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince? It is one of the better ones, exciting and relatively coherent. I don't think it is as dark as some the past ones, but it looks lush especially the signature scene of Harry and Dumbledore on a rock in the ocean.

But by necessity, the movies are merely summaries.

When you have read the books you can fill in the gaps. I wonder if a person without the details is left confused.

In the book, Harry is obsessed with who the Half Blood Prince is, in the movie this is not strongly depicted. When the identity of the Half Blood Prince is revealed it falls flat. Ho Hum, who cares? (I won’t say who it is in case you’ve successfully managed to live under a rock)

The familiarity we have with these characters, and the extra snogging, mean some laughs in the right places. If you do not end in tears...well you have a heart of stone and are probably a deatheater.

We saw this movie at the Regent in the Brisbane mall. The life of the elegant Showcase Cinema is hanging by a thread. Read about the Save the Regent Campaign

I’ll be pulling the book out for a reread soon. Testament to a good tale is that you enjoy having it retold. Is that not how every good myth and fairy tale continues its life?

"Sun Room", Wivenhoe Pocket

India quite likes the view too.

Transformers, Revenge of the Fallen

Boring, boring boring...the good guys are going to win so get on with it already. Not that I have a problem with the good guys winning, I just like the journey to engage me.

The "Transformers" were probably cool but they move so fast it was hard to tell.

Of course, what I think means squat and the movie will make masses of money and they'll make another one and my kids will want to go and see it. I will stay home and watch Dr Who reruns. You see I don't mind when the good guys always win.

Miriama - 9.5/10 humour, action, excellent animation
Tama - 8/10 cool, funny, exciting
Wayne - 8/10 cliched escapism
Kathryn - 2/10 please don't make me watch it again.
http://www.transformersmovie.com/

Thunderbird Park, Mt Tamborine

Thunderbird Park is unpolished. This is not a slick tourism establishment. There is no gift shop with overpriced Koalas.
We stayed in a 'lodge' just metres from a running creek. We sat by the fireplace and watched the water bubble past. There is also a pleasant shady campgrounds that allows dogs.


Thunderbird Park is a hub of outdoorsy activities. More than we could do in our short stay. It all started years ago with mining. You can pay for a mining license to look for Thundereggs. Thundereggs are a mystery. A round grey rock, which cut open, may or may not reveal hidden beauty. It is fun hacking in the dirt with a pic, but we would have appreciated more detail on what to look for. We ended up with four buckets of rubbish.


There is also laser skirmish, horse riding, abseiling, bush walking and of course mini-golf. I think this course was built by a local farmer after he finished some fencing. I came so close to beating Wayne. In 20 years I have never won a game against him that required physical coordination.

The highlight, the reason we went to Thunderbird Park, and the reason I have rope burn is Adventure Parc. This is a high ropes course, which starts off cruisy. No problems, just a bit of walking on ropes and wood blocks. By the end of the course we had all reached our physical limits. Wayne was the only one to finish, but the kids and I did almost all of it. Just for the record, I hate flying foxes. How can I enjoy hanging upside down, go fast, not knowing where I am going? Too much like real life.






All in all we recommend Thunderbird Park as long as your kids are upper primary or older, and you don't mind spending some money on the activities.

Wivenhoe Pocket, Queensland

This is the perfect favourite place for winter breakfast. It is protected from the wind, and also sunny and warm. If only I had the time for leisurely breakfasts.

Goldfish have personalities too.

It doesn't matter if my house is messy, as long as the fish have been fed, the dog walked, the children are willing to smile at me, and the All Blacks have won the Rugby. I think I have ticked off all those this weekend.
http://www.allblacks.com/

My home patch

http://www.upstreampaddle.com/lowood.html

There is adventure in all our backyards. This is my river, the Brisbane River, which channels water to a million people, is muddy, populated by lung fish and fun.

Winter in Wivenhoe

Winter in Wivenhoe Pocket is soft and sparkling. Like a cushion made out of glittering blue Velvet.

Avocados are ripe again

Avocados come from South America. The name is a corruption of the Aztec word ahuacatl, which is the same name given to a piece of male anatomy with a similar shape. I’ll leave you to work that one out.

We decided to buy our house, pretty much oblivious to the actual house. But there were these four mature avocado trees laden with fruit. We have two going off this year. This is what I have learnt about growing avocados.

Homegrown avocados are superior in taste to store bought ones. The longer an avocado is left on the tree, the higher oil content it will have, and consequently the tastier it will be. No doubt commercial growers whip them off the tree as soon as they can, and the taste does not develop.

Avocados do not ripen on the tree. You can leave them on the tree until you want them.

The trickiest thing about avocados is knowing when to pick them. They only way to know if they are ripe is to pick a couple and wait and see what happens. Putting them with bananas or kiwifruit, as often suggested, is useless if they are not ready.

There are several varieties of avocado, and some of them have quite a high tolerance to cold weather. (It gets cold here, but we do not get frost.) We have four mature trees; we do not find they are prone to pests, except birds who tend to arrive at the very end of the season when the avocados have been on the tree as long as they can stay.


Avocados need water. Sadly, a dry season can produce nothing.

One down side to so many avocados is you can’t pickle them for later. (Not that I know of) Of course, having too many will make you a hit with your friends and neighbours. My friends only invite me to visit in avocado season. I have been wondering about that...

The most irresistible thing about avocados is guacamole. I am sure most people know how to make it, plenty of garlic and some lemon or lime to taste is my preference. My tip is, when you put the cling wrap on the bowl, push it right down so it is in contact with the dip. Then it won’t go brown. Also make it ahead of time so the flavours have time to fester.

Grass, Wivenhoe Pocket

One of my favourite places...yes, it is grass.

Green grass is something we don't take for granted in Wivenhoe Pocket. Grass is just as likely to be dry and crackly.

Lying in the winter sun, on the green grass, or in the shade on a hot summer day. Perfect!

The right place at the right time...with a camera!

Adventure Sunday

Tama says the best thing about the our walk was going through the water. The second best thing was the chocolate. The worst part was thinking the mud on his hat was chocolate.

Finding our way up the normally dry gorge was certianly challenging.

It's Raining Agian!

Marsden Parade 8.30am

Bundamba Creek

Wivenhoe Pocket - My Garden

Under the grapevine,

by the rosemary bush,

bigger than any rosemary bush you have every seen,

watching the parrots steal guavas.

Claremont House

Claremont House

Elegance, sandstone and cedar on the Bremer River.

http://www.slq.qld.gov.au/whats-on/exhibit/online/timewalks/other/ipswich/claremont

Sweet Contradiction

The moon looks most fine when against the black sky.
Coffee is never more divine than with chocolate.
The funniest of comedies are full of tragedy.

Autumn

Crisp.
Morning fog hugging the trees
and daytime skies blue
and blue.
My hand in my winter coat
finds
last years tissues
soft,
clean,
reassuring
like cashmere.