In 1960 the year I was born...........

Was buying a little car today - plus trade in.
The man in charge of the sign off payment remembered my car from when he was @ Mitshibishi.
He even knew who sold it to us.
It seems the records on cars are better than people!!
He also knew the last time Anzac day fell so close to Easter.
Which was in 1960, the year I was born.
Anzac day then fell on the Wednesday after Easter so the government decreed a public holiday on the Tuesday - not sure if they would have done that today.

Tallinn feature

Tallinn - Estonia feature in the weekend Australian travel section.
Looks like quite an imaginative place - can't wait to visit in June.
Off to the Adelaide Hills for a wander today when I finish nights.
There could be lots on the agenda or just relaxing.
We shall see.
Will definitely go to Bird in the Hand winery @ Woodside.
By the by am hooked up to facebook - shock!

How can I not believe what Ita tells me to.

Thanks for the insider goss on Ita - Shelley Gare 'Beneath the gloss'
Isn't it a bit unnerving to have life events we lived through being portrayed as 'History'.
Memories of Chisel's song 'How can I not believe what Ita tells me to'.
Stop! Was it really that long ago, to now be consigned to reenactments i.e. Hawke, Underbelly et al.
What is real or not fades into getting good 'drama' on TV.

Only tyrants will force you to be happy - ?

Have just got around to writing regarding Brendan O' Neill's anti authoritarian rant (Only tyrants will force you to be happy April 16 - 17).
He rails against a campaign called Action for Happiness as if it is code for some conspiracy to keep us all under the thumb.
Brendan needs to walk a mile in the shoes of a mental health worker, social welfare agency or take a peak in one of the local schools.
Many people are stranded in there own little world - they are already stuck beyond the realm of possibility.
Our society needs choices but many of the population never get a start in life to start making choices.
There is no bill of parliament that can force someone to be happy. Does O' Neill fears a conformist blitz of happiness police on the streets?
The truth is we could all do with a tool kit in life and some support to get through. As Brendan states, happiness.....is something we discover through our own lives and interactions.
Getting though life is a huge challenge, getting happy so elusive.
But we do need the opportunity to talk about our discoveries and searches for happiness.
In the words of Ben Lee - We are all in this together.

Beginning and ending..........

What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from....
T.S. Elliot

Easter ruminations - death and chocolate

Easter has always been a hard sell. It is about heavy things like death and sacrifice. It seems it is hard to sugar coat that sort of message. But in the wonder of modern consumerism we have found a way. Enter the Easter bunny and all those choccies. I guess we can't live without the sugar coating?

Death, art and life

Giving up the Ghost - April 9th - 10th. How wonderful to hear an incisive, inspiring and introspective voice on matters of Australian life and art. For it is in our way of life we consider ourselves the consummate outsiders. But we have our art and our place. Antigone Kefala is right on the money when she describes Australians writers as lacking intensity. It is a reflection of our way. Death may be seeping into our consciousness, but it is almost as if the land itself is saying it will all fall away. Just get on and be. Thanks for exploring the notion of death, art and life.

Whodunit?

It is hard to let go of old friends. (Demented Old ladies, cream cakes and brutal murder - 9.4.11). Old detectives heading for the byways. The Bill, Frost, Poirot and now Barnaby. There was something comforting about this sleuth of the English vales who was unfailingly polite but firm. The antithesis to the parade of botoxed, glitzy American crime violence overkill. So what if he and/or his family had the uncanny knack to be involved in every murder in the villages(!) The English crime whodunit genre will be lesser now John Nettles has moved on.

Art as the key....................death matters

There is of course, a difference between privacy and being alone, between spiritual integrity and feeling atomized. In a secular culture, art provides a key to the door between these worlds, if not the kingdom once promised us in the Bible (let alone by Facebook). It can also pre-empt the dangers of premature withering, of being dead inside long before we are buried or burned. In reminding us of our internal universe, of that person, art marks us with mystic residues and consolations and a degree of consciousness that dilates our being with what might be described as a renewing vividness. Giving up the ghost - the need to negotiate death's place in our lives' led Mark Mordue to ask how artists deal with this most fundamental matter. Weekend Australian Review 9.4.11

Menopause roulette

The Menopause Dilemma Decide which menopause remedy is right for you: HRT, homeopathic remedies or champagne, wine and biscuits. I’m going with all three currently!

Greening of the hills

Finally some good news about our planet. (3.4.11) Trees are our life blood. It has been particularly joyous to see the greening of Willunga's hills, the past two decades. The whole eco system is now flourishing on these hills thanks to wonderful volunteers. What a legacy. (letter to Peter Goers)

Buffet Breakfasts

Have long been a convert to the city break - holidaying in Adelaide! Have taken the whole family too. The key to a fabulous time however rests in the quality of that buffet breakfast. This sets you up for the day and is also a wonderful indulgence. Especially for busy families who usually eat on the run as they are about to go out the door. Rooms that include breakfast in the price are the ones to go for. Happy breakfasting.

Buffet Breakfasts

Have long been a convert to the city break - holidaying in Adelaide! Have taken the whole family too. The key to a fabulous time however rests in the quality of that buffet breakfast. This sets you up for the day and is also a wonderful indulgence. Especially for busy families who usually eat on the run as they are about to go out the door. Rooms that include breakfast in the price are the ones to go for. Happy breakfasting.

Milk Wars

I was recently appalled to learn of the standards of care for the dairy industry for bobby calves. I wrote away to dairies to find out more and the prime minister - still awaiting her reply. As with all ethical and organic foods, the better you treat the animals, the better the quality and taste of the food. Don't underestimate the customers willingness to choose products that are produced ethically and without the chemicals. Thanks to Andrew Fenton for his incisive investigation.

Big Issue Letter of the Fortnight

There is something confronting about retiring (issue 377). My parents retired relatively early, he was 61, she was 51. It all went wrong when my mother got cancer and died aged 60. It seemed like they had only just begun to enjoy their new life and it was cut short. There is a lust to be done with the grind of work. But when I hear this I see people who have lost their imagination. To learn, discover and contribute. Sure slow down a bit. But to just stop - is the kiss of death. Thanks Alan Atwood for bringing this issue into the now. As a baby boomer I know it is what is expected of me. But I plan to grow old and cranky in the workforce(!)

Portrait of a stranger

I believe a good portrait needs to create a feeling for the viewer, this can be from the story of the subject or the way the shot taken. The main thing is to choose an interesting subject. I once heard the line “a good portrait is all about the subject, not the photographer”. Viewing the everyday moments. Two people sitting on a verandah at the front of a fish and chip shop in Aldinga. The butchers paper of the chips out on their table. The blackboard menu out the front. The bright blue paint of the store. Captured in mind. If only I had taken that shot.

Autumnal skies

While everyone else got an extra hours sleep on the weekend, I got an extra hour to stay awake(!) The perils of night duty. Writing projects to consider-: Neighbourhood collectives - a social experiment. Positive psychology - what makes us happy? Gardening as therapy. Writing as therapy. Coffee with the girls as therapy!! Travel as escapism - the escape clause of retirement. Isolation promotion in western society. Autumnal skies, the bite of the morning sun.

Supercharging into the 21st Century

Nursing has always been about serving those in need. Identifying, collaborating and achieving the best in often trying circumstances. All hours, locations and all manner of human dramas. I recall one of my first placements in a busy Melbourne emergency department. It was about 3am when I heard loud cheering. The whole department was joining in to cheer on an old homeless person who was ready to leave. I guess they had got to know him. Today the human dramas are ever present but the health care system is more streamlined for fast entry and exit. There are short stay wards and the wards are encouraged to ‘pull’ their patients to the ward. Gone are the days when orderlies seemed no where to be found(?!) and nurses were doing everything from serving the meals on a plates to cleaning all the equipment and beds. ‘Nurse, quick that bed needs carbolizing.’ There were pan rooms full to overflowing for that junior nurse to attend to and we were expected to bring all the meals to the patients, do the flowers And chase down any out standing specimens to the lab. The hospital I did my nursing training in was demolished about 20 years ago, it was massively outdated. The new hospitals, nurses and health care of the 21st century are about what works in promoting health and well being. Encouraging people to be the best they can be rather than just patch up jobs. We await the future and the role nurses will play in making a difference to those in need, in whatever setting that may be.