At Home

I went to the Bellingen Energy Festival and what a Festival it was. The Festival is in its sixth year and has previously focused on renewable energy. This year they expanded that to looking at sustainable communities so it included an art exhibition, contributions from Transitions Bellingen, the community gardens, many kids activities and a myriad of other local businesses and projects .... and was in conjunction run with the best local Growers Market I have seen! Dick Smith and Bob Brown were the headline acts.

I spent a good six hours there, mostly sitting in the shade chatting with people (for logistical reasons) but there was certainly wandering when I could. At one stage I got co-opted into helping supervise the kids (say 7 - 9 year olds) who were making paper mache .... which ended up in me getting paper mached and all of us laughing uproariously (and a number of fruit bowls made, as well as fruit and vegetables to fill them so there was some constructive work being done as well as the silly play).

What gets me most is that I am home here in this town. I have known it for a while but it is the first town ever I have felt at home (I have enjoyed living in many towns but always knew they were temporary stops on the journey of life) and it still surprises me when something happens to remind me.

I probably knew to talk to about a third of the large crowd, and could identify others as familiar. Obviously there were still lots I didn't know - be they locals or visitors to town. I spent the day talking to farmers and producers and chefs and moms and business people and artists and children and musicians and gardeners and friends and and and. Some of the conversations were deep and meaningfuls, others were on local food, some were on catching up on various projects I/we are involved in, still others were general chit chat.

There was very much laughter. There was much hugging of hello. There were promises of catching up again soon over coffee or wine or produce. After all of my years on this planet, I have found where I belong. I am home.

Time flies

What a year it has been -  certainly not my best, but far from the worst so I guess I can't complain too much.  One of the big highlights has been my little radio program Passionfruit and Chilli - broadcast on our local community radio station 2bbb but also available as a podcast (check out the website or do a search for it on iTunes).

But that is no excuse for neglecting my poor Mountaingirl's Musings (where have I head that before) - and my neglect has meant it is now getting spammed. Sigh .... my fault really.

But onwards and upwards :-)

Bin Night

It is bin night. Not a big deal in the scheme of things.

But I have a friend who has volunteered to put the bins out for me and they haven't done it yet. Okay it is only 5.00 pm but I am beginning to assess my options.

Of all of the household chores I need to do, putting out the bins is the one I struggle with most of all. Fortunately I am not much of a rubbish accumulator so can afford to put the bins out fortnightly, or even less frequently, rather than weekly.

Which is why my friend is going to put the bins out.

So do I remind them? And if so at what time? The rubbish truck doesn't come around until 7 am tomorrow so there is plenty of time but I am quite sure they have forgotten.

No, maybe I being too antsy, this is the first time it is bin night for my friend and the neighbors don't have their bins out yet which would be an obvious visual prompt... well not all of the neighbors - the woman from six doors down still hasn't put hers out, and the gentleman across the road, down the end of the street near the corner has still got his tucked away.

It isn't a real problem if they don't go out tonight - they were emptied last week when I had a bout of energy but, well it IS bin night. Okay Pearl, sit back, breathe deeply .... and find a glass of wine and try not to think about being a control freak.

Image: "rubbish bin" by Semut23

It's All About the Gate

... isn't it?

I have had a number of visitors to the ol' mansion recently and many of them have the annoying habit of not shutting the front gate as they come through. Now I acknowledge it is there more for decoration than any practical purpose - there are no cattle being kept in; there are no burglars being kept out - but surely there is a great unspoken rule that if you open a gate (or door for that matter) then you close it again afterwards.

On a farm it is more than a rule - it is as natural as breathing. And you only ever make the mistake of not doing it once - again, a bit like breathing. Having to chase down a trio of bobby headed calves heading in three separate directions is not my idea of fun.

So, back to my gate. No, none of my guests are the farming type so I guess I shouldn't presume the knowledge but I am also wondering if there isn't something a bit more going on.

Could it be that I am getting stuck in my ways? Could it be that I am becoming or worse still, have become) once of those people that have a black and white view on the right-ness and wrong-ness of things?

I know I have been pernickety about how the toilet paper hangs for years but that isn't a sign - that is a clear case of right (end hanging over) and wrong (end hanging under) with even the manufacturers agreeing with me. And I do like my clean glasses and mugs to sit upside down on the shelf - it keeps the dusty and everything else, another clear case of right and wrong. And I do like my bathroom towels to be neatly folded vertically and evenly balanced over the rail with the folded side facing the door .... okay I think that one is just me.

So maybe I am becoming one of those people .... just remember that I am right - and shut the gate.

Image: "The gate .... is open" by realtimelord

Wow What A Year

It is amazing what can happen to a woman when she stops being a hermit and steps out the front door and into her community!

I am now officially the Secretary of the Northbank Community Garden for a start. I will only do it for a year - they are going through the incorporation process and there is all of the paperwork to get gone - it makes my brain cells tingle with excitement with excitement every time I think of legislation and minutes and the like lol.

Then of course there was the incredible inaugural Bellingen River Festival which surely is one of the most exciting projects I have ever been a part of. The actual day was, as the name suggests, a celebration of our River and there was bands, workshops, guided walks, a program run by our indigenous people, canoe races,a  lantern parade - oh the list goes on - and all for the cost of a gold coin donation ($1 or $2). 

My component was the Storytellers tent (yay!). I have spent the past few weeks running around town interviewing all sorts of people and beginning to collect photos that tell a River Story. I have started a project on ABC Pool to allow them to be used for future projects by others (and they are also all stored in the National Library). And on the day we had poets, people telling stories, a photo display as well as an audio/visual presentation.

I am now looking at pitching a program for ABC's Radio National based on storytelling and using some of the work created for the Festival.

Oh and there is my beloved Foodbox which I am actually stepping back a little - helping out with packing the boxes and other little bits - not for any reason but that I am trying to balance everything out. I was doing a newsletter and recipe development as well as media/public relations but they has been passed on to others.

Oh, and I did a quick trip to WA in July - and will be going again in three or four weeks - and yes it shall be blogged this time lol.

So all in all, 2011 has been one of my best ones yet - and there are still two months to go :-)

Aaaah!

Okay that is me expressing my pain. I don't like talking about it because it sounds like I am whinging and I am sure it bores the listener rigid ... or makes them want to do something and there is nothing I can do - and I do appreciate that not only do some people have more pain than I do, they also have serious conditions to go along with it. But it is day 34 of my latest run of bad pain and I need to talk to someone so I figure this blog is as good as anything.

Now I say up front that I am not having spasms today (and haven't for the last week), and they are the factor that I struggle most with so that is one blessing. But this pain is more intense - and not only sharp, but sometimes feels like tearing. I did some research to distract myself yesterday, well looked up wiki and discovered that this latest round of pain focuses on the inguinal ligament (see I am learning human anatomy). I am still working out the name of the rest of the muscles that I can feel but it is safe to say all of the ones in the pelvic area are alive and well at the moment lol.

And it is at this time that I get increasingly frustrated by the things that I can't do. I have wanted my little patch of garden done for months now - I did start it a few weeks ago so it is half weeded, with newspaper down ready for the mulch to be added. Seriously, if I wouldn't think it would take more than an hour of no-so-hard work to finish. I have tried to pay someone for nearly a year now but can't find anyone (yes I am serious). So every time I leave the house, all I can see is the job half done. Part of me is getting frustrated enough to just finish the rest off - I mean how much more damage can I actually do to myself?

Okay so now I am getting into whinging, not having my little patch of garden looking pretty does not rank in the top 10 problems of the world .... or even the top 10 of Australia. It is just so damn (insert expletive here) frustrating.

I have been looking at marijuana for pain relief but have decided no, aside from the fact that it is illegal. For a start, it stimulates the appetite and I do not need to be putting on any more weight so that is a real consideration. The second is dosage, there would be a variation in the amount I would need to smoke each time. It may sound silly but having too much getting stoned and accidentally falling over is something I need to avoid at all costs. So that is out. So there is not pain relief options open to me at the moment.

So I come back to square one, suck it up and get on with it.

Image: "Ouch" by Kyndlefire

What Does History Smell Like

This was a random comment that was in one of my pods and it has stuck in my mind. So what does history smell like? We see so many visual representations (real or imagined) of various moments, and in some cases we can even touch items but I must admit I have never considered what things smelled like.

My first thought went to the street of Dickensian London. With the prevalence of raw sewage (for a start) I can't imagine it smelt very pleasant. And what of the original forests of England, or Germany, or the Americas, or anywhere else? Or any pre-mankind, untouched landscape for that matter.What would the Temple of Dionysus have been like - I assume there was incense (for example) but what kind I wonder?

And then my mind goes to the fabric that made up the robes that Roman leaders were meant to have worn - were they a soft, luxurious cotton fabric, or was it more coarse? I know it perhaps a little silly but I am getting a whole new perspective on life in previous times - and a greater sensory appreciation of my own

Image: Unsure of the painting's name but I sourced it from here

Decisions, Decisions

The State Election is coming up on Saturday and I am genuinely struggling with who to vote for. The Greens are an easy first preference but that isn't going to get me anywhere so I have to decide on who is going to get my number two vote.

Option 1: The state Labor party has been in since Adam was a child and is making a real mess of things. Not to mention they are self-imploding. And, I have vowed an declared to never vote for Labor again due to their refugee policy.

Option 2: The incumbent member is from the National Party. Now he is an excellent local member - advocating for a full range of local groups (such as the local hospital) as well as having provided me personally with excellent service on the occasions that I have had to contact the office. Having said that, the party is anti-gay marriage, anti-republic, anti-so many many things that I find important. Bit of a dilemma here.

Option 3: Lunatic fringe (Christian Democrats) - not a chance.

Option 4: Independent. Hmm, well I got a flyer from an independent in the local newspaper this week (see photo). No policy details, no contact details. Being an intrepid sort I hunted him down anyway. I asked what he stood for. He replied that he would represent what we (the electorate) wanted. Sounds good but such a cop out. I explained that he wouldn't be holding a referendum before each vote so where did he stand on the popular issues. Got a heap of spin as a reply - oh he tried to sound genuine but I have been around long enough to understand it is just empty spin (with a lunatic fringe crossed with a populist tinge). And he is very focussed on the southern part of the electorate and don't believe he has any intention of doing anything real for my section. And he is incredibly naive in the small suggestions he did put forward - a policy needs to be integrated to be realistic, not just a knee-jerk reaction. Why can't an independent be a candidate who actually has real opinions - who actually stands for something real, who has a belief, a plan. I might not agree with them but it would be oh, so refreshing.

So now I am still none the wiser on where my second preference will go. Two more sleeps to figure it out ....

Buffy In Australia

Yes it is true, Buffy Saint-Marie is touring Australia next moth - well a couple of dates anyway. I first "met" her when she was on Sesame Street in the mid-70's (yay I do have some early childhood memories). Apart from being an incredible singer - and playing a mouth harp (the first - and probably only - one I had ever seen) she was my first real live Indian I had ever seen. Prior to that it had been white folks, or people from the Mediterranean who were dressed up like Indians.

I can't remember what she said or did but I realized that the Native American's were a living breathing people and not just a caricature. A couple of years later when I was visiting Howard and Bev (family friend's who lived near Albany), Bev had a pile of necklace's that we were allowed to choose one from. I chose the one that most looked like Buffy's. I still have it today.

At some point in my teenage years I realized that she was a singer - and what a singer. I have really only seen her on YouTube in the intervening years.

I won't be able to make it it her concerts, but I am so very, very pleased she is coming to Oz :-)

PS: Other things I learned from Sesame Street - how to count in Spanish up to 10 (and a few other words too); how to cook a tortilla from scratch; how to say Happy Birthday in American sign language (and I could spell my name and do a couple of other words too); classical music is not all dull and boring; and, it takes folks of all shapes and sizes and colors to make a neighborhood - and it doesn't matter whether you are people or bird or monster, you have something to offer (even Oscar).

The show is so very watered down these days from what it was in the 70's - 80's - I watched it at the right time :-)

Ray Martin Said It So It Must Be True

Or "Pearl has a rant"

I am tired of spending a lifetime around the mis-informed that pick up the mis-information and run with it. I know I have had a similar rant before but it just keeps coming at me.

Why do people limit their information sources? Even if you ignore the internet, there is the choice between commercial and non-commercial radio and television in Australia. Some newspapers are more reputable than others. Heads up - mass circulating emails/tweets/facebook messages and women's magazines are no source of anything credible.

Now the world doesn't have to agree with me on everything - and to a great extent I am not even contesting my "rightness" on most issues, but I am asking folks to educate themselves and not just take the lowest common denominator of information and take it as gospel.

Current affairs example - our illustrious Opposition Leader again crying "just stop the boats". You mean the boats full of people who are claiming refugee status - which is their full legal and human right to do so. You mean those people from Afghanistan (yes that country that we are at war with and is getting the life bombed out of it, with corruption running the few bits still standing), can't understand why they want to leave.

Or to take it back to land rights when I explained to the ignoramous (that I am related to) that it didn't mean our Aboriginal people could only claim land that they had a continuous, unbroken link to ie not or back yards. Says this brainiac - well why didn't they just say that in the papers? Well they did in the media I follow ...

Or to a classic quote one of the donators of my genetic heritage - "the Aboriginals are such a primitive people - they didn't even invent the wheel". Well, you try and live in this hostile, mostly desert country for 70,000+ years without a wheel and then come back and tell me about who is "primitive" mate!

I know some of this is history, and that's okay. I can't publish the latest comments to respect the privacy of identities of those who said them but damn it pisses me off. There is no excuse for ignorance (climate change is a fallacy, the American health-system-for-all is a conspiracy of evil, Muslims are "bad") in this day and age with reputable sources of information available at the click of a button.

... breathing deeply, and stepping off the soapbox (for now) ....

* I acknowledge that mentioning Ray Martin dates this but you could insert John Laws or anyone from Fox News. And I do acknowledge that Ray martin used to be a real journalist but his years on the most commercial of commercial tv news is his lasting legacy as far as I am concerned.

The Things You Learn

Ayla and Nick have chosen to use cloth diapers - saving the disposables for when they are away from home. Some time ago Ayla mentioned that she was getting them made locally for (about) $10 each. I thought it was a bit rich but thought no more of it.

Having included a nappy (diaper) stacker in the care package for baby (photos coming) it occurred to me that I could maybe include a dozen diapers in there as well. A few clicks and I have been educated to the ways of the 21 st century.

Diapers are no longer flat white squares that you fold and clip or pin. They are individually sewn and shaped like disposables - for real! There is an ongoing conversation about whether to use man-made fabrics for the padding (it has a natural wicking to help keep baby drier) or to use the natural fabrics for a more environmental approach.

I worry about how long they will take to dry - a flat one takes no time, even in wet weather. These ones can have (maybe) 5 - 10 layers of fabric in the centre area so I figure will take much longer. In any case I will find out in due course.

So now I am just waiting to get hold of the parents to see if I can make a dozen or so or whether they already have the situation covered. Terry cloth (for the inside body) is only $6-ish a metre, you can use whatever you want on the outside (I have a big fabric box for just such occasions) and then there is only the padding. Then I just need some studs to hold it together and some elastic for the leg-holes.

So modern this 21st century lol

I Wonder Why?

Why do we, as the public at large, take such an interest in the downfall of people affected by addiction or mental illness (or both)? Is it merely a perverse extension of  the gawkers that slow down to see a car accident? Is it a form of shaudenfreude? Would we react in the same way if it was one of our loved ones?

The local football codes seem to provide an ongoing list of people having one form of a breakdown or another. Hollywood provides their fair share too. In any case, isn't it a time to give the person space, time and privacy? Surely we must understand that they may not be in a position to make the best choices for themselves so just because they want to speak out, it doesn't mean we must provide a forum until they have finished a treatment plan. This applies more so if they refuse treatment but continue on their destructive path.

It is one thing to laugh at the proverbial clown slipping on a banana peel. It is quite another to revel in the downward spiral of someone who is ill.

My two cents for the day.

Image: "Palette World Breakdown" by farizasuka

Dreaming of Dallas

I always miss Miss Weasley and her family like crazy but I am now missing my Dallas experience too. Admittedly it may just be a variation on a theme but you get that.

Last week I was hankering for food from Abuelo's big time. We have lots of "yellow box" Mexican here (Tex-Mex really) and it is really hard to get ingredients to cook real Mexican - especially in my regional area. In the end I had to compromise and fix up some black beans and make enchiladas and do it that way.

Then I got a taste for pulled pork. Now that would have to be what I would request for my last supper and fortunately it is something I can do myself. Last night dinner was a pulled pork sandwich with a side of homemade coleslaw - divine!!!!

Now, it is Red Hot & Blue that I am hankering for. I have ordered ribs from the butcher so I am thinking hickory smoked ribs with twice baked potatoes and slaw would be fabulous for a meal next week sometime. Now if I could just replicate their iced tea - I am sure they use fake sugar or something which you just won't find at my place lol.And I haven't forgotten the peach cobbler either but it isn't peach season so that might have to wait.

And there is just food from Chilli's to go :-)

I so have to figure out a way to get back there ....

Time's Are A Changin'

Time's change. People change. Hey, even I have changed. But there are some changes I don't like. This week I have been missing phone calls - long chatty, rambling calls.

Now it isn't convenient to do these on the mobile/cell unless you have won lotto so that eliminates many of the many of the possible candidates. It is also necessary to have a window in your schedule that tally's with the same on the person you want to call. And having a job, family, partner or the like does preclude many of these calls from happening at all. It is also convenient if you actually like talking on the phone.

Now I certainly don't begrudge those who don't indulge for whatever reason, it is just a wishful missing for times when it did happen.

And while I have been reflecting on this, the solution wasn't far away - I spent almost two hours chatting with the awesome Graham last night and I was blessed with 90 minutes of the incredible Delma today. My cup runneth over ... now if I could just get motivated to hand-write a letter ....

Image: "Vintage phone call" by TarkinX

Random Question

How many of you know a young person (say someone under 30) who regularly wears a watch? If need be, sit and people watch along a cafe strip or in a shopping centre for a few minutes as a straw poll.

Now obviously those who need them for work (say a nurse) don't count. And I am not talking about those people who  wear them as a fashion accessory periodically.

I am talking about regular folk who get up each morning, have a shower, get dressed and put on their watch - before the first cup of coffee. These are the people with a suntan watch band ... well the reverse of one anyway.

In this day and age, it appears that the cell phone has replaced the need to strap a clock to our arms.

Just something I am noticing ....

Myths and Legends

For the first eight (ish) years of my life I grew up in a fundamentalist Christian household. The Bible was the be all and end all on everything. Creation was absolute, dinosaurs never existed and were never to be mentioned. There was Bible study over breakfast most mornings as well as weekly attendance at church, Sunday School and a mid-week youth group. Women were second class. The body and sex were the ultimate source of shame.

One of my neighbors was vaguely interested in Greek and Roman mythology but that was considered heresy and I was not allowed to investigate myself. Our other neighbors were Catholic and well, while they were great people and fabulous neighbors, we "knew" that was even worse.

I do recall reading about Tidilick as a child but it was presented as a "pretty story" as opposed to the legends of one of our indigenous peoples. Anything that had witches, fairies or the like, that weren't one of the traditional fairy tales, were definitely off limits.

It came as a shock when I was somewhat older to discover that some people considered this fundamentalist "truth" to be a myth and that there were other trains of thought out there in the big wide world.

Since then I have been trying to catch up on the myths and legends of the world. Not just creation stories, but the whole realm of literature that explain the world around us. I am not an expert, far from it - I still confuse my Greek and Roman gods, but I am loving the journey.

Image: "Creation" by PhunkBlazt

Bring Back The Yumbo

Way back in the days when the dinosaurs roamed the earth (or about 25 years ago) Hungry Jacks made the Yumbo - a delicious combination of shaved ham and plastic cheese that had been melted until it was gooey. All in a Bacon Deluxe bun.

Okay delicious might be taking it a bit too far, and it did come in a styrofoam container but it is funny how some things stick in your mind. And I do confess that for a day this week I was thinking it came with pineapple before I got the memory straight.

So it wasn't gourmet, but I would love to have a Yumbo again (and don't suggest I make my own - I want an original). Bring back the Yumbo :-)

By Way of Explanation

The last year has been a tough one. I live in chronic pain that is spreading. My mobility is compromised. I am socially isolated. I am living on a budget with no fat - and none of that is due to change any time soon. I am not complaining, I am just explaining my absence over the past couple of weeks.

Most days I can put a happy spin on it all but recently I have run out of energy to do so. I have been to see my doctor and we have a plan that is in the process of being implemented but I have been struggling.

I haven't wanted to complain so I haven't blogged - but I have been thinking, always thinking so I have a lot to catch up on.

Image: "Tulip VII" by WindyLife

Travel Dreams

I have some obvious travel plans - to get back to Dallas asap (with a detour via Alabama).

I have some dream travel plans - to tour Italy and learn regional cooking for mammas (just like everyone else I know, sigh ....).

And now I have a travel-for-the-sake-of-travel plan - to Tanzania. I want to go to look and experience and take photos. Between Kilimanjaro and the landscape and the animals and the light and the people and the culture and the colors, I think I could amuse myself quite happily for a few weeks.

Top picks would include a visit to Zanzibar, sighting the mountain (although as I am dreaming I may as well plan on climbing it), checking out the rock art, maybe swinging by the Ngorongoro Crater to see an animal or two and a wander around the delightful Dar Es Salaam.

Do You Remember?

The original



And 23 years later the beloved Gobbledock is back :-)

Ah how time goes by lol