My nephew David visited and stayed over last Friday, the occasion being a few local guys meeting up for our monthly card night. Dinner was simple but delicious, and one guy sent along a cheese cake to die for (he had to work that night). The dessert lasted a further two nights - a white chocolate creation complete with fresh raspberries on top. The goulash and beef bourguignon lasted another night each. David left at noon the following day (still feeling a little seedy). It has been lovely seeing and entertaining family and friends here at the coast.
Also last Friday we had an unusual occurrence here on the coast. Not one but two boats washed up on the shore overnight. The first was a 27m long trawler with five crew - it sort of hit a sandbar just off our beach and came aground. That was the night before at around 9pm. At first light Friday morning another smaller craft stolen from its Kawana mooring washed up on a nearby beach with nobody aboard. I think that one broke up a couple of days later, but the trawler was later refloated. Never happens, then two on the same 24 hour period. Truth is often stranger than fiction.
The Sunshine Coast has yet again been excelling itself on the rain front. A sub tropical low has formed off the coast. We've had around 150mm over last last 2 days with more expected tomorrow and Monday. Disappointingly
, in the dry parts of South East Queensland it has been minor rainfall. Perhaps these next few days will provide a pleasant boost to hopes and dams. (We're on the east coast where the cloud mass comes inland)I've nearly forgotten to mention my birthday ten days ago. It was the most low key event of recent years, but also very pleasant indeed. I had two morning teas at my schools, and when I came home in the afternoon Rene and Gina (our Dutch neighbour) were there to greet me with coffee and cake (Rene's really spoiled me this time - he rarely if ever buys cake) and also a couple of lovely presents. Gina got me a lovely tall vase for the new house (black and brown vertically striped) and Rene
got me a rice cooker. I bought him a top quality fry pan for his last birthday. Some folk at school laughed and laughed at getting an electric rice cooker as a birthday gift, but I love it and we even used it for the dinner party and it passed with flying colours. When you have the love of a terrific guy plus a brand new schmick home about to be completed, you just about have everything anyway (OK, enough of the schmaltz). Oh, I nearly forgot, at 6pm the courtesy mini bus from the Alexander Headlands Surf Club (where we're now members) picked all three of us up and sped us to the club for a lovely dinner, then back home again. Lovely day.Speaking
of the new home, I have just a couple of pictures to share. The tilers are working there right now - not sure because I've never seen them, but I'm told they are there. The house is locked up. The stone benches look terrific and the third bathroom vanity shows the finish off well. The tiling will make this a smart looking room. I bought bathroom fittings yesterday for three bathrooms - that's a lot of products. The electrical lighting items (including bathroom heater/extractor
units) are at a friend's home until the electrician rings up and asks for them. I'm meeting yet another concreter on Tuesday to get a quote for driveway/pathways/rear patio. It is a challenge to coordinate things from so far away. I had a bit of a scare over whether or not the flick mixer tap in the kitchen would fit, but it does, so another minor crisis averted.Last Saturday night Gina, our neighbour, visited for dinner, and would you believe it the second semi final of Eurovision was on, so we watched it together and made loud observations on the talent (and lack thereof) on the big screen. I saw the end of the final night, but we already knew the result
from the net and TV news. It is a load of cobblers, but it is also gloriously 'out there' and at least you have reason to react and have communal fun at the same time. I know that my cousin Rachel in London last year confessed to being a 'Eurovosion Tragic' - good on ya Rache! In our lounge room it was hilarious to see and hear Rene's reaction to the crap songs and presentations - it was worth it just to see him in action. Incidentally, the UK entrant was more worthy than the points suggested (even Malta didn't give them any points) and the Balkan and Soviet Bloc voting patterns (as well as Scandinavia) were hilarious and oh so predictable. I only saw and heard the Dutch entry on the net. I thought it was quite good, a mix of styles that evoked the cultural profile of present day Holland. Oh well, there's always Moscow next year.During this Eurovosion evening Rene suggested we might climb Mt Coolum the next day (208m). I agreed, and around 10:30 Sunday morning we were driving off towards Noosa. This 'mountain' is for experienced climbers (according to the warning sign) and I found the ascent a challenge - due to fitness more th
an anything else - but the descent was a serious challenge to me, especially where the steep rocky section induced some sort of vertigo feeling in me. Rene at one stage came back to assist me in a few difficult parts, but finally I finished and felt a deep sense of personal achievement. What seriously pissed me off was the number of people seemingly doing the climb effortlessly - three even doing it in thongs. As I said, for me it was a challenge, but I can tick it off as having been achieved.We met a retired lady on the summit, and whilst admiring the view we talked about trips around Europe and this and that. There are so many lovely folk out there who have wonderful stories and interesting lives and who are just waiting to share them whilst admiring views and basking in autumn sunshine. We chatted for around 20 or so minutes, a highlight for me of the climb.
I met some fascinating elders from the local Aboriginal community last Wednesday. One of my schools, Holy Rosary at Windsor, held a celebration of the Apology for the Stolen Generation for Sorry Day. A troupe of 20 or so children from the school painted up and danced with the backing of a didgeridoo
player Rodney Boschman . And guess what? This Aboriginal didge player was part of the Stolen Generation and was brought up in Holland and speaks fluent Dutch. You can see and hear him play here http://www.humanrightstv.com/episode/182 There were two huge cakes with the Aboriginal flag in icing on the top, masses of food, lots of talking and laughing, generally a good day all round. The issue of Reconciliation and working towards improved health and education outcomes for the indigenous population throughout Australia is and always will be contentious. A quote from Lilla Watson, a Brisbane-based Aboriginal educator and activist, was at the end of the printed program last Wednesday. It says, "If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time....But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together." Worthy of rereading and reflecting upon.
Afterwards, in the evening, I went to a couple of my African families homes. These Sudanese refugees are tough folk, people who have endured great hardship and misery. I can't for one moment really think about what it is like to arrive in a new land with little or no money, no language, somet
imes no family support network, occasionally carrying the visible scars of torture, deprivation, rape, malnutrition. And grief. The children in the main are resilient, the adults usually stoic and strong. I introduced two new voluntary tutors to one family. We got a health form signed and ready to return to school. We talked and asked questions, we also used another parent who was acting as a translator when the questions became too difficult to understand. The husband is at TAFE learning English (coming along well too), the wife is working in a local shop. She needs more English, but can't attend TAFE because she needs to work to help the family here and also to send money back to her family back in Sudan. That they are happy, safe and very thankful is a tribute to their spirit. To be in their presence is a truly humbling experience. Our volunteer translator, another mother from my school, was unwell - feeling cold as well - but even so, she came to this house to help her friends. This is a woman who had her husband dragged out of their home and shot in front of her. She is strong - she has needed to be.Next on Wednesday evening I followed the interpreter (and her three sons) in their car to another neighbouring house where we found another family from school. Here they are having their rental home sold therefore have to find somewhere else. I have been following up on leads for her and also trying to offload the task onto pastoral care people in the parish. Technically, this isn't in my job description, but when Australia insists on bringing in refugees without enough of the necessary support in place for them, it becomes a very difficult situation indeed. I drove home to the Sunshine Coast very tired but also feeling very satisfied. Not a typical day, but a good one though.
Perhaps by the end of the year the Aussie dollar will be on parity with the American dollar. Currently around A$0.96, it has risen dramatically. Rather like the price of petrol. I saw petrol on Wednesday in Brisbane at a high of 15
5.9c/L, but earlier it was somewhere else at 136.9. We're currently having huge political arguments over this pricing issue, one party wanting a uniform cut of 5c/L, another one wanting more interventionist approaches in the form of a Fuel Watch body that gets petrol companies to post their prices 24 hours ahead instead of daily fluctuations (not always because of competition either). My personal opinion is what a load of crap! With all my driving around I see variations of 19c (or thereabouts) a litre on a regular basis within a few kilometres from each other. All this fuss over 5c! I'm sure there's something more serious to be fighting about on the national stage - like food, water, biodiversity. Sure, fuel is a component of everything we do, but when the world price of oil has doubled in a year we need to be focusing on renewable energy, more clever tax rules to encourage lower Co2 + higher mpg cars to be attractive, solar panels on every roof in Australia, water tanks in every yard, greater investment in public transport infrastructure....you get the message.
Oh, if you think it is all too much and want to leave the country, it now costs another $9 more to exit all ports and airports....that's on top of the extra 4% fuel levy increase on Qantas tickets.
Well, enough! I hear you cry. OK, I agree. Rene and I are off to dinner tonight with a group of mates somewhere towards Noosa - it'll be Chinese, and reputed to be the best around. Ah, it's a tough life. TTFN
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