Baby Plover

The last couple of days we have discovered a family of plovers in our front yard. There where five now there are four...

Our girls have been quite excited and have watched their protective mother out of our front window. There is something quite nice watching nature happen around you.

Bikes and the Baillieu government

A distubing editorial in 'The Age' today regarding cylcing in Victoria

"...More than 11.5 million bicycles were sold in Australia over the past decade - 2 million more than cars. The Government, rather than having abandoned a moribund policy, should have found ways to improve it, making things safer and more desirable for cyclists."

I couldn't agree more. I also find it particularly disturbing that many environmental initiatives have either stopped or wound back with the Baillieu government. Cattle grazing in national parks, talking of opening up Wilson Promontory to development. Expanding Melbourne *cough* green corridor. 

Even though Ted Ballieu is mentioned in the media as a 'moderate' people who vote in the middle may not be thinking this is the case. I'd be a bit worried if I was him with a one seat majority.

Spiritual Home

A Spiritual home I think is something that sneaks up on you. You walk in and you feel that Ahhh, I can relax feeling. It fits a few spots. For me you can be who you are, specifically believe conscientiously without switching off your brain; a place with the grace to explore. We dropped in Solace on Sunday that was the experience for me. We did the labyrinth, it was a time to sit still and reflect. No hype, slogans; ahhh.

I've had that 'home' feeling only once before, my late teens, late eighties early nineties. The Vineyard presence was just beginning to make itself know in Bendigo through the renewal of a Charismatic Anglican Church. It felt like God was in it for me. It fitted a place for me socially and I didn't experience God. Yet I kept on looking for the same experience for the next 10-15 years of my life. Trying to manufacture that moment again and again. It became tiring after a while. At times hollow.

The photo is some cracks I took in the middle of the labyrinth at Solace. I couldn't help looking at them. They possessed a strange beauty. Fractured.

Cargo Bikes, inital investigations

Christina and myself are exploring the option of a Dutch style cargo bike. So I thought I'd check out the local bike shop in Cowes.
Their first response was what is a Cargo Bike? I told them to look up google. After that they went on to tell me the reasons not to get a Cargo Bike. There are no seats for the Children... (rubbish) they are unstable... Towing a trailer is a better choice....(We already have one)
I was disappointing that they had such strong opinions considering that they had never heard of a Cargo bike prior to me walking in; let alone never ridden such a bike! I'm unsure how they could have formed such opinions without even given such a bike a go or at least read a review. All the reviews which I have read have been positive.

On reflection I wouldn't go to this shop for the obvious reasons. I wish people could just be honest and say I don't know anything about these bikes.

Around the garden winter

Just a few photos of what is happening in the garden at the moment...I'll try to update things early and late spring.

Oregano

 

 

Potatoes Desiree

The composters, 'sweetie' giving us a wink

strawberrys

guarva

popino? (not sure of exact spelling)

Chook's palace

Sabato Potatoes

Hopefully asparagass

The French Explorers and the Aboriginal Australians 1772-1839, Colin Dyer

The French Explorers and the Aboriginal Australians 1772-1839, Colin Dyer

I had some idea that the Australian land was visited by others than the English. The French I was unaware were frequent visitors. (as to a lesser extent the Russians!) There observations where quite different from the English who where there as colonists while the French appeared mainly for knowledge.
Much I had already gleamed about the Aboriginal life. That they where nomadic and had customs which were totally foreign to Europeans. The book just confirmed this.

I found the later chapters saddening, the decline of Aboriginal culture with introduction of European vices namely Alcohol. The aboriginals would do anything for such things. As such they were often used for entertainment with all stratas of European society. One such distressing narrative was Aboriginals pitted against each other often to the death just for a rich merchants entertainment. Dyer, the author makes this observation 'This us- or abuse- may have made assimilation of these people into European ways all the more difficult."

I could not help wondering how the Aboriginals would have fared under the French. Freycinet the French explorer seems at times sympathetic to there plight. As well as understanding of there Nomadic ways.