So it's not just us?

Only 40 F-16s deployable (from De Telegraaf yesterday 29/3)

'Of the 105 combat aircraft that the Netherlands owns, only 40 can be deployed. This is the result of a scarcity of maintenance personnel and a chronic shortage of spare parts'.

We in Australia have similar problems with helicopters, submarines, along with fighters we just cannot get delivered fast enough.

SCOOP rhymes with POOP!

This afternoon we (I) decided to go to see a movie after I finished work. I chose the new Woody Allen film Scoop. What an unmitigated load of crap this movie was. What a shame. Woody Allen was just plain irritating - I just wanted to hit him or slap his face until he shut up. Scarlett Johanson was fine, Hugh Jackman gorgeous but no chemistry (who cares?) but in the end a silly film that could have been so much more. Rene and I saw it with my free tickets from renewing my Palace Movie Club membership, which made the pain of this experience more bearable, just...

Other than that, the new French film 'Priceless' (Audrey Tautou - Amelie) previews this weekend for general release next week. I really want to see this film. The Palace Centro also hosts the French Film Festival this weekend, following up on the Italian Film Festival last weekend and the Indian Film Festival at the Dendy, Portside. I love the choices available in Brisbane.

Borat Baywatch

A friend, Cliff, alerted me to this clip. It is well worth a click. If you are easily offended, don't watch (then again, nobody I know is that sensitive haha).

http://www.glumbert.com/media/sexydrownwatch

Bored graphic artists

This is seriously clever stuff done by someone who has w-a-a-y too much spare time.

http://www.glumbert.com/media/graphicartists

Improvements

This morning we were both up early. A man came to finish off the corner garden at our town houses. It now looks pretty neat and, above all, weed free.

Another man arrived to install our ceiling fan on the back terrace. It's a stainless steel fan designed for outdoor use in tropical climates. We've had it for nearly a year but have only now got around to installing it. It'll allow us to sit outside with a cool breeze on those hot afternoons and evenings.

I've already gone to a newsagency to cash in my $40 worth of Scratchies that I won last weekend at the fete worse than death (joke Di, a joke). We won $4, but have Lotto tickets for tonight and next Saturday as well (thinks...how could I spend $21m?). Rene's sister in law's father won 750 000 euros last year, maybe our turn is next?

And it's only 11am.

Iraq again...

I spent over two hours Thursday morning with a mother who has five daughters and a husband who 'disappeared'. She was from Baghdad, a Christian family. After the kidnapping the UNHCR assisted her to escape to Damascus where she applied to emigrate as a refugee to Australia.

She arrived for the interview 20 minutes early. The interpreter arrived 10 minutes late, so for half an hour I had a discussion 'of a sort' with this lovely lady who was trying so hard to use all the little English she had. She shed tears at one point. I already knew why. It was exhausting for me, let alone her.

My heart went out to this person. How tragic! She is enormously grateful for all the help she's getting. With less than three months in this country the whole family is doing remarkably well. The pain of her loss will take for ever to ease.

The war was four this week. Happy anniversary? I think not!

Amy's Gone....Look Out Wales!

My god daughter Amy left on Wednesday for Cardiff. She has three days in Amsterdam before heading off to Wales, but be warned. She is a girl who loves life, finds 25 hours in every day and I love her to bits. Her mum had her school fete last Saturday so Amy could now leave (she worked the bar, a skill from Birmingham). Amy's only been back a few months from a year in England, but she has a boy over there, from The Valleys, so she's off. She's expected to return for her Dad's 60th in October. We'll see :)

Amy's second from the right.

Happy Birthday

The Sydney Harbour Bridge turned 75 today. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! There's a gallery of 20 pictures from today's event here. http://www.smh.com.au/ftimages/2007/03/18/1174152886499.html

Lunch, Sunday

Whilst having lunch today at Portside with a friend from Airlie Beach (in North Queensland) we couldn't help but notice a rather large vessel berthed at the terminal. The Boadicea is valued at A$90m and is owned by the Australian game show tycoon Reg Grundy. His wife is from Ipswich nearby to Brisbane. The five-deck, 71m Dutch-built vessel is the 40th largest superyacht in the world. It has a cinema, piano, gym, swimming pool, 8m jetboat and jet-skis on board - and costs $420,000 a week to hire.

Successful Hamilton Centenary Fete

A very successful fete was held today at Hamilton State School and the weather was hot but tolerable. Rene and I were there from 11:30 - 7:30 but some people worked even longer hours. I met some lovely people, especially a lady from the State Library. She has offered to direct me towards many resources they have in the English as a Second Language (ESL) area. I even won a raffle and came away with a cricket set, a radio, a tartan duck for my bath (they'll be going to some children I teach) plus a voucher for $40 worth of Instant Scratchies.

The Governor, HE Ms Quentin Bryce, was there in the official party along with the Lord Mayor and many politicians from all levels of government. Our state governors are not political and represent the Queen in matters of state. More on the role can be found at the Government House website http://www.govhouse.qld.gov.au/ I am not a Monarchist, but I find this lady to be extremely fascinating. Rene is so not into any of this stuff and found my interest in her attendance most amusing (for all the wrong reasons).

The Governor is on the left, our friend Karen (today's MC) is on the right and second from the right is Di MacDonald, the school's principal.

A SENIORS MOMENT

Federal Senator Santo Santoro, whom I gather is a very near neighbour of ours, has had a 'seniors moment' regarding his share portfolio. Now as Minister For the Ageing he may well be in total empathy with his political portfolio as far as politics and ailments are concerned. I'm prone to these too, but he somehow 'inadvertently' failed to declare shares in over 70 companies. In this country politicians are required to declare special interests that they have in order for them to appear to act impartially in their dealings with lobby groups etc.

Santo last October discovered he had some shares in a bio chemical research company researching, amongst other things, remedies for arthritis (a common ailment of Seniors). Once it was drawn to his attention by his share broker in a casual conversation, he immediately divested himself of the shares, plus donated the $6000 profit to a 'charity'. Now, he doesn't have to worry about claiming a tax benefit for this donation to this charity because the so-called charity is in fact a lobby group in itself. It doesn't have a charity status. The PM defended the oversight last October but yesterday couldn't overlook this embarrassment.

Yesterday he fell on his sword after announcing a further load of shares not declared to the Pecuniary Interest Register. Prime Minister Howard accepted his resignation and declared his anger at this oversight and cautioned his Government Members to carefully review their interests.

HAMILTON STATE SCHOOL CENTENARY

Hamilton SS is 100 years old. It is a very small school in the inner north part of the city, around 70+ pupils. Our friend Di MacDonald is the principal and both Rene and I have been recruited to help. I'm on souvenirs and Rene's on the bar (actually behind the bar, but we'll see haha). It's Saturday March 17, wear green if you must (St Patrick's Day) but come along if you're nearby. Starts at a very civilised 12 noon and finishes around 6. The state governor is attending, but not speaking. She's from Ilfracombe, just down the road from Longreach where Di was brought up. I'll try and get a picture for the blog.

http://www.hamiltonss.eq.edu.au/centenary2007/HSS_Cent_2007.mht

At last!

Finally Rene has received his papers for applying for permanent residency. They were supposed to have been mailed late last year to our home here in Clayfield but we never received them. It took a second call to the relevant authority to finally get the papers sent. Where did the original mailing go? Who knows, but now we set about getting all the new information the government needs.

Rene needs a new Federal Police criminal check, new pictures and details of our living together (nowhere near as detailed as in the original application, but detailed enough) and statutory declarations etc. He has made the first moves. This time we don't need statements from friends and family so that's a big time and effort saving, but it is still a little time consuming, however the result will be a permanent residency visa stamped in his passport. Well worth the effort.

Such a nice change

OK, I confess! I'm a plane spotter, just totally intrigued by the world of civil aviation. Going through my favourite site http://www.airliners.net/ I found this picture of a plane that's NOT nearly all white. Also shows a sign of a sense of humour. Fancy putting a sheep on the tail? Click on the pic for a detailed enlargement if you're interested. Oh, the terminal at Denver looks interesting too.

A Monday Giggle...

I just came home from a solid day. Yes, very hot again. Open my emails and find this one from my friend Yasmin in The Hague. I just have to share it (well, she got it from her sister, and so the story goes on...)

GOD ALSO ENJOYS A GOOD LAUGH!
There are 3 good arguments that Jesus was Black:
1. He called everyone brother.
2. He liked Gospel.
3. He couldn't get a fair trial.

But then there are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Jewish: 1.
He went into His Father's business. 2. He lived at home until he was
33. 3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin and his Mother was sure He
was God.

But then there are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Italian: 1.
He talked with His hand 2. He had wine with His meals.
3. He used olive oil.

But then there are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was Californian:
1. He never cut His hair. 2. He walked around barefoot all the time.
3. He started a new religion.

But then there are 3 equally good arguments that Jesus was an American
Indian:
1. He was at peace with nature.
2. He ate a lot of fish.
3. He talked about the Great Spirit.

But then there are 3 equally good arguments the Jesus was Irish: 1. He
never got married. 2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.

But the most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a
woman: 1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just
didn't get it. 3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because
there was work to do.
AMEN!

NEW BRISBANE ON LINE NEWSPAPER LAUNCHED

Last week a new online newspaper from the Fairfax Press was launched in Brisbane. It will attempt to provide some opposition to the two major papers in Queensland; The Courier Mail and The Australian. Both of these papers are owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Limited. Let's hope some real in depth news with a broader perspective comes from this new 'paper'. Check it out at http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/

...is it me or is it hot around here?

Went to Toowoomba today, it was the hottest March day on record - 35C. Back here in Brisbane it was 38C, just a little lower than a record for March. Tomorrow it is to be 34 so I have my shorts ready for school. I don't like the heat.

WHAT DID I SAY?

Just a couple of weeks ago wrote something about Indonesia's airline industry. http://eternalbeau.blogspot.com/2007/02/dont-fly-low-cost-carriers-in-indonesia.html This week another accident has resulted in more than 20 fatalities, five of them Australian.

I realise one hasn't a lot of choice in such a large nation as Indonesia - you are virtually compelled to fly long distances.

You would have all seen the video footage, a miracle so many passengers escaped. The other five Australian survivors (some horribly burnt) tell incredible stories of luck and bravery.

The flight recorders have been delivered to Canberra for analysis, Indonesia doesn't have these facilities. Ironically, these black box recorders (orange in fact) are an Australian invention. 85% of air accidents have been attributed to human failure at some point. It is still the safest way to travel.

Clayfield 'Village' Upgrade

The before and after pictures show the difference some money makes to a streetscape.

I'm on a committee for the tarting up of our local shopping strip. The local businesses and the Council are each putting in $750 000 for the project. It's a great idea.

Around 60 attended the first meeting and the meeting of the consultative committee last Wednesday attracted 20, plus folk from the Brisbane City Council.

A major road flows through the strip (Sandgate Road) and whilst we'd all like less traffic and improved safety for all, it ain't gonna happen with just $1.5m to spend. We are getting some new paving, street furniture, trees and plants, along with modern street art designed especially for the 'village'.

We have two more consultative meetings, the final plan being sighted in July. Construction will be finished by October. I'll keep you posted. The interesting thing about all this is finding characters who have lived here all their lives. The stories of what Clayfield was like in their childhood and subsequent development of the area just fascinates me.

It usually is sunny on the Sunshine Coast

Our poor Dutch neighbours Hans and Aurea visited the Sunshine Coast on Boxing Day and for three days we had nothing but wind, showers, cold and far from what is typical here. Today I went to Mooloolaba for lunch with friends staying there and the weather was stunning. Rene stayed home to finish up an assignment. I also checked on the progress of our apartment which is up to the first floor. Scheduled completion is December. It is situated at Double Bay, Kawana Island. Tomorrow we're off to Toowoomba for Kay 2's birthday bash.

Beautiful Moreton Bay, Brisbane

We are so lucky here in Brisbane having the Gold and Sunshine Coasts to our south and north along with beautiful bayside areas within minutes of the city. Today we had lunch with friends at a cafe in the Royal Queensland Yacht Club marina. It was so very cool under the tree. Our table was on the far side of the tree beside the water, but this picture gives you an idea of the spot. The Jetty Kiosk was where we originally intended to lunch but it was packed. Brisbane's best kept secret is out. Operated by the Port of Brisbane Authority, the Kiosk at Wynnum serves brilliant food at ridiculously low prices over the water with a view across the bay.

The very hot weather continues. Our home is fully air conditioned, and we've been using it. The cyclones in the north might bring some decent rain to South East Queensland where it's desperately needed. Northern Australia is again deluged with record breaking falls, but not here just yet. Hope it's happening soon, we are about to go to Level 5 water restrictions in Brisbane. Toowoomba has been on that level for several months now.

Another 3 day weekend gone

Friday's trip to Bribie Island for lunch was delightful. Rene also picked up some chairs he bought on eBay from neighbouring Caboolture, so a great day. I even found some nice gifts to purchase at a gallery. One amazing thing was the Coral Sea side of the island. Paddling in the water was like walking through a tepid bath, the water was that warm. Beautiful beaches, but of course we have so many.

Saturday's visit to a new Spanish restaurant was lovely too. Paella was shared along with tapas, and the wine flowed freely. The Spanish guitarist asked me if I was Spanish when I applauded his playing. I indicated I was from here, so he said did I know this tune, and proceeded to play Waltzing Matilda, and he asked me to sing it for him. Well, without thinking or getting embarrassed I sang loudly and in tune the first verse. Rene just sort of looked as if he didn't know me. It was fun. There's only one person missing from the group of six, but Kerrie is loving her salad and Torquil, Rene and Di, along with myself, are eating and drinking everything in sight.

Archibald Winner Announced

The premier prize for portraiture in Australia was announced yesterday. My friend Debbie alerted me to this site. As she most rightly stated in her email, one has no idea of the dimensions of these portraits. These are very large canvases indeed. The winner was born in Wales. Read all about it. http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/winners/archibald

Luxembourg Hot Air

I found this on the net, love the colours.

I'd vote for you Maxine...if I could

The USA has Hillary Clinton, I'm a fan, Holland has Rita Verdonk (left) -not a fan, now Australia has a woman in the field of politics that interests me. Her name is Maxine McKew, born in Brisbane, and the endorsed Labor candidate for Bennelong in Sydney up against the incumbent John Howard, who has held his seat for three decades.

She's ex ABC (radio and television), a journalist, very intelligent, extremely attractive, and Left of Centre. I'd love to marry her. OK, I can't marry her for two reasons: 1. she's already married (lucky guy) and 2. she lives interstate. Can't think of another reason? Oh yes, I'm not really THAT interested in marrying her (I would have to give up Rene for a start haha) but you get my drift.

Her bio is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxine_McKew, so if you are very interested in the woman who hopefully will topple Howard in October, read it and see where my positive feeling for the immediate future of this country lies. Top it off with the fact that the Federal Opposition Leader is from Brisbane (Kevin Rudd) I'm really anticipating change, unlike in Holland where the reborn Balkenende (the PM) government looks unhealthily stacked with very unlikely bed mates.

Aurora visits Brisbane

Well, I missed the P&O cruise ship Oriana a week last Monday, caught the QE2 last Saturday and this morning I saw a coach drive past me while on the way to my first school with Aurora on its windscreen. Intrigued, after my final school of the day I drove to the new cruise terminal and saw the 76 000 ton P&O Aurora towering over the terminal. The new apartment buildings were swamped by the superstructure, gleaming white with a vividly yellow funnel. Anyway, I tried to fit it all in but to no avail. Suffice to say the other side of the river would have been better but I didn't have the time or the inclination to drive there. Impressive up close. It's virtually the same size as the Superstar Virgo I went on in 1999.

Warmest Winter in 300 years...

Read this today on Expatica.nl - makes you think.
AMSTERDAM – The winter of 2006-2007 was the warmest weather since measurements began in 1706. A spokesperson for the KNMI meteorological institute said this on Wednesday.
The average temperature this winter was 6.5 degrees Celsius. The average temperature for the winter months is usually 3.3 degrees.
The KNMI recorded frost on 15 days, compared to the winter average of 38 days.
The average temperature in the Netherlands this year was comparable to southern France.
The year as a whole (2006) was also the warmest on record. July and September 2006, January 2007 and the autumn of 2006 were the warmest in three centuries.
Today is the last official day of winter for meteorologists. The average winter temperatures for the northern hemisphere are based on the months December, January and February. The last day of winter on the astronomical calendar is 21 March.

The KNMI says that the warm southwesterly wind was responsible for the persistently warm weather. Increased cloudiness and global warming also contributed to the record highs.
The warm weather is expected to continue on into the spring.