We have had a holiday

and now we are back - but I will only be posting about once a week due to University commitments and living in general. I finish study for the year at the end of October and then I will be painting and readying the house for summer visitors and of course, how could I forget, Christmas. Do you like Christmas too?

I have also been doing some family research and I guess some of you know how entrancing and at the same time frustrating this can be. But I can't complain as I have managed to access some documentation online, eg copy of my parent's marriage certificate, just havent paid the fee yet to actually have a copy at home...

Have a great weekend:):)
Olga

While the weather is good...

I am making the most of the great weather by working in the garden before the rains come. Hey wasn't that the title of a book written in the early part of last century:):) BUT, I am taking part of today off to have lunch with a really good friend:):) and then I will hopefully have time to catch-up when I get home.

I had some great feedback on the photos and blog - so thank you:):) - just couldnt resist the Dougal doggie photo... what do you think? As for the rest well summer is coming:):)

NSW politics...study...working in the garden...

I am not sure, at this moment anyway, who actually runs NSW. Is it the elected government of Barry O"Farrell or is it the small factions led by people like Fred Nile.  Will the real leader please stand up and be counted?

I am now breaking up my days between study before morning tea, working on the new garden beds which involves breaking up the clay and getting the beds ready for the soil till about 3ish, then coming inside and more study combined with getting ready for dinner and an evening in front of the log fire.  Cannot complain can I...

We didn't manage to get out and take more photos for our calendar on the week-end so we have a bit of catching up to do - but next weekend is already a day closer:):) I look forward to hearing from you about what you think of the photos so far...

It is not a lazy Sunday...

I am back in study mode now and working my way through readings about modernism and realism and just a few of the writers involved in both movements...it is really interesting stuff with lots of theories about what is expected of a writer in relation to 'reality'.  What do you think reality is all about?

Can't resist the 'pounding waves' photos:):)

Just can't resist them, I really did enjoy taking photographs on the weekend...so I have posted a few more below for you to have a look as well.  Let me know what you think:):) Isn't nature awesome!

Then...

Well then it is back to the study...mind you, the articles I am reading about Modernism, Realism and Stream of consciousness writing are really interesting:)

Go Cadel Evans...massive waves pounding the coastline...

What a wonderful result for Cadel Evans yesterday after his many years of hard work and determination:):):)

Yesterday, we managed to take heaps of photos of the massive waves pounding the coastline. Cheery seaguls walked along amonst the fishermen, all nonchalance, while the battering rams of water lashed against the beach. We stood, and walked, and sat, shooting off picture after picture, camera set on sports, so no hesitation there.  Well over 200 shots were taken in about an hour.  I am hoping to get out again later today to take more photos of another part of the coastline.  Let me know what you think:):)

Norway...and new poems

My heart goes out to the people of Norway this morning as we listen to radio reports of the awful bombing and shooting incidents. I hope that the perpetrator/s can be caught quickly and that justice can then play its part.

Following a couple of days of 'memory burning and re-visitng poems' that I have written over the last few years, I have spent the last two days of this week adding these poems to the computer poetry-file.  The collection of poems is now quite large and I have enough material to start seriously selecting poems for the book...so full steam ahead yeahhhh:):)

Uni starts back next week and I was able to download the readings yesterday thanks our hard-working tutor. I must admit I would love to be a tutor encouraging people to read, study, and grow but I don't think I would be any good at marking papers.  So my hat is off to those tutors who take on the role of encourager without a punitive or superior than thou approach.

Once the chores are finished this morning we are going to have a quick cuppa and then head out to take some photos of the pounding waves that have been part of the storms and rain we have experienced this week.  We are quite close to the ocean and we want to see the huge swells that we have been listening to all week as they crashed against the coastal stretch near us .  Nature is truly amazing...

Meanwhile, here are more photos of sunsets:):)

Collins Class Submarines enquiry, and more 'burning the memories' activities...

One of the stories on the ABC website covers the Collins Class Submarines as the Defence Minister (Smith) announces another review into the $6b fleet.  This link is below for you to look at.  The newstory is interesting and after so many years and other reviews my one question is, if. as the story points out, we have only had one submarine available for most of the time, and we don’t appear to have needed the six subs, why do we have to replace the one sub that works with a further 12?

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-07-20/smith-says-subs-have-toxic-rep/2802422 

Well after my 'burning the memories' day yesterday I have been doing more of the same today. It is still wet and cold and therefore inside jobs prevail.  I have now been through all of my papers and managed to scale down to only three folders instead of about ten. So my life, for the last thirty years, is now in three folders. What a great concept to start a story with. Think I will have a go:):)

I am going out tomorrow to take more photos as, according to the weather man, there are going to be huge seas around our way - can't not capture that:):)

Burning the memories...

Today has been an interesting day.  Dougal Doggie and I have been going through the old writing note books stashed away in my cupboard to see if there is anything that is worth putting on the computer.  Well I found a few poems that I will include in my collection and many that I won't.  I found the process of looking back over my writing a little like learning about a separate life that I lived so long ago. There were certainly some dark moments back then as I was dealing with recovering memories from a troubled childhood and what was initially called post natal depression by my doctors and later termed Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome.  I felt that I did not want to really re-live that time and as I already had a fire going (it is cold and wet here) I decided that I would burn the books.  They are gone now as are the detailed memories and I feel like it has been a way to 'draw' some really disparate elements of my life back together - am I one person now - that remains to be seen:):)

There is a very interesting post on the ABC Blog on fastasy literature.  Have a look:) the link is:
http://web.overland.org.au/2011/07/all-those-wizards-and-dragons/comment-page-1/#comment-12768

Just a few more photos for you:)

Most of the garden beds are now resplendent with new pebbles surrounding the plants to help them retain water when it rains.  The only bad point is that in the process I have kind of damaged my nails and had to spend time shortening them this afternoon.  Not a bad thing really I guess but short nails have their own drawback I think - especially when opening the mail:):)

Mmm...what do you think of the News of the World (no longer) situation as it unfolds in England.  It is funny how in a short space of time the News of the World Newspaper has become the focul point of the news of the world.  Should Australia hold its own media enquiry do you think and if so, how can we prevent it from turning into a witch-hunt?  Let me know what you think:):)

I think I now have enough sunset photos to fill a file but you know I am still searching for that quintessential  photo. I think I will have to wait for summer to come though. 

I couldn't help myself as I took a few more sunset photos yesterday - let me know what you think:):)

Some of the colours surrounding and within the clouds are subtle but so starkly contrasted against the silhouetted foreground.

It is a lazy Saturday...

It is...and it has been a heavy week but we have made progress in the garden and with our new almost finished garden shed. The weeds are nearly under control which is a situation that will last for about 5 minutes but at the moment most of the garden beds actually look okay:):)

In keeping with our lazy Saturday feeling today I have posted a few photos from last summer:):)

The continuing News of the World saga and daily doings...

There is a great post on the News of the World fiasco on the ABC Drum's website (Link: http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/2791442.html).  As the potential phone hackings look like they may involve US citizens it is a good time for Australia to review its media legislation!

Uni re-starts on the 25 July but before then I have to make my way down south to visit my mother. Where does the time go? I thought I had months before I had to make the decisions about when to go, where to stay etc...ah well can't complain.

I managed to take some sunset pictures this week and have put a few below for you to look at - let me know what you think:):)

Making sense questions...

I am trying to make sense of the News of the World saga and have concluded that given the sheer volume of phone hackings said to have been done by the paper, management must have known and approved.  Again my question is about what the police and other security agencies knew and let pass by. It was interesting to hear on the news this morning that the chap who ran one of the phone hacking investigations a few years ago ended up working on the newspaper as a columnist.  Mmm...so what is the question again?

We got up early enough this morning to take a few sunrise photos. As the morning was very cloudy and overcast I had hoped to get some pretty specky shots...but, my battery ran out after only taking a few photos. I am now waiting for the battery to re-charge before I can see if the few photos I took are interesting (sigh)...time passes slowly when you are as impatient as I am to get on with things:):)

I have posted a few other photos below in the meantime and hopefully tomorrow I will have some of today's photos to share - let me know what you think:):)

The mining industry and the carbon tax...

Sounds like the title of a romance novel or play doesn't it.  The news today that two large mining companies are now interested in developing a small mine in Australia kind of takes the spin out of their argument about the carbon tax. After all, if the tax is going to cause job losses and mine closures to the degree the mining industry has said it will, then why would you invest millions of dollars in developing an old mine?  Just another little story that doesn't makes sense!

We have now finished painting the eaves - yeah!!! This morning I have time to spend in the study looking at my poetry collection and the calendar for next year as well as our income tax return. So, life starts to take on a new look:):)

When we went to get the paper yesterday to find out all about how the carbon tax affects us, the wind was up on the beach.  Managed to get a few of photos...hope you like them:)

Carbon tax...

Wow - is Australia about to really get involved in the war on climate change. Let's hope so, and I can't wait to see the details of the policies to be announced tomorrow.  I note the release of certain titbits of information about pensioner benefits which is great, but I confess self-interest in how self-funded retirees are going to be compensated.

Painting today, and no not picture painting but painting under the eaves. Still I have already done one coat so the next couple of days will see the project finished:):)

Can't help it - I have this thing about clouds:):)

News of the World...and more flowers:)

What a situation...finally the News of the World's business practices have been highlighted and it seems halted.  There remains some interesting questions for me though in regard to how these alleged phone hackings (what is a phone hacking anyway?) could have occurred without no-one in the Police or other Security agencies knowing what was going on!  The analyst in me would love to be able to look at the 'paperwork' for the last few years:):)

We went to Canberra on Wednesday and we managed to get a few great plants for the orchard.  Hopefully in the next few years we will have plums as part of our 'grown at home' fruit menu.


I just love how in the middle of winter there are still lovely flowers to be seen:):)