From left field

What a trying time its been over the last few weeks

So many issues to be dealt with  for relatives for whom I am carer requiring hospitalisation and  an immediate family member becoming ill and requiring a  long recovery time

A real test of ones mettle . Hopefully I can soon get back to the wider world and all its issues soon

The communication quandary

I mentioned in an earlier post that I have finally obtained an address of a friend from whom I became separated many years ago

I have so much to catch up on that I fear I will not be able to type all I have to say

Working in an era when typing was done by others has left me somewhat in a skill shortage situation in retirement and even these small posts are a bit of a struggle.

A mere mention of my dilemma brought a response from a younger generation member who said technology now exists for people like me to speak to the computer and words shall appear on the screen

This is a revelation that has lifted my spirits no end and  has me planning a trip to the software providers

Joyous day

It may be Friday the Thirteenth but what a glorious offering from nature

The first of the autumn winds arrived from the south of the country bringing a further downward change in humidity and temperature

Oh wild west(south) wind

Thou breath of Autumn being

A piece of Shelley which seems to fit so perfectly

It was a day to feel alive, thankful ,and spiritually in touch with all one cares about

Old contacts by post

It was the shrill whistle of the postman that roused me from my reading and sent me off  to collect the daily delivery

The usual assortment of bills etc fell to hand with the exception of one particular letter

I recognized it immediately as a card posted several months previously and now returned It was the writing that hit me like a line lifted from Banjo Patterson

A reply had come directed

In a writing unexpected

For I think the same was written

By a thumbnail dipped in tar

It was an address, hastily scribbled on the envelope, that now gave me a feeling of hope and satisfaction. It was my chance to make possible contact with a mate whom I had lost touch with so many years ago.  A mate who had left the area and sadly as is the case with us men we had let the communications lapse.

Retirement with its capacity for pursuing these things has begun to make its mark

A change of season

In an earlier post I mentioned that living in the dry tropics means there are really only two seasons of the year  The green season and the brown season when the rains cease and what we know of autumn and winter arrive.

Change, however slight, is now with us and there is an air of expectation of better weather around. The humidity has dropped considerably and morning temperatures have reached a low (for us) 17 degrees C

We walked the foreshore this morning and from the sheer beauty of the clear sky and calm blue sea one would think all was well in the world

On returning home a quiet cup of tea on the porch allowed time for a close look at the hill tops where the grasses are beginning their transition to brown and the soil beginning to harden without the falling rain

The words of John Clare in his poem Autumn  came to mind

Hill tops like iron glitter bright in the sun

And the rivers we’re eyeing burn to gold as they run

Burning hot is the ground   liquid gold is the sky

Whoever looks round sees eternity there

 The gullies on the hill sides still hold moisture and that keeps the native trees that line them green causing them to stand out like veins on a large leaf .

The Wood swallows have arrived and have begun their dry weather clumping and the first leaf on our only exotic tree has begun to turn yellow

Yes all is well in the world again as nature takes her course

Democracy at work

We have in this country always taken great pride in our commitment to democracy and have in the past even gone to war to defend this status .It underpins our very being of the country we are

After a recent election in this State I have become alarmed at how fragile democracy can be
There has just been  a democratic   election and the outcome was a great surprise.  Whilst few believed the incumbent Government would survive even fewer could foresee the outcome with the opposition party completing almost a clean sweep of all the seats in the State Parliament.

It was almost a comprehensive victory and whilst a lot rejoiced (the Government of the day has lost popular support) a   few reflected on this result

It was not really about which side won but the sheer size of the win and the responsibility that comes with such power that caused me to wonder .It was almost possible for the opposition to have won every seat and have no opposition to place an alternate view or apply scrutiny to policies. The very thought of a one party State is sobering and its possible in an extreme case a dictatorship could be easily delivered via a ballot box

Political parties of most persuasion have had times of questionable actions and policies and we have seen this first hand in this State when Ministers of the Crown have been goaled for corruption  including in one instance a Premier facing Court and even a senior Police Officer being stripped of a Knighthood and goaled for corruption  Almost all in cases where power was not monitored sufficiently

My friend and I discussed this at length and concluded that absolute power can easily corrupt unless that power is subject to examination. My friend was of the optimistic  view and said quoting from Hartley “The past is a foreign country – they do things differently there “

I however was a little more pessimistic on this occasion and countered with Santayana who said- “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”

The blessing of rain

There is nothing in life  that  brings  a  closeness to a dear friend more than being together and feeling the softness of the rain as it falls upon you.   You   feel joined as one as though anointed by a superior force   A true beauty of life and a memory that lasts forever

The change of colour

A short time ago I had admitted to feeling rather flat but there has been a sea change at last  We have had several days of rain and in this area where I live it marks the real change in seasons

I live in the dry tropics and unlike other areas of the country where the change of seasons is more gradual into the four defined times of the year we really only have two seasons   The green and the brown

Now the green season has arrived and the transformation is remarkable .Many folk do not enjoy the rainy days and would no doubt agree with Longfellow when he wrote

“Into each life some rain must fall

Some days must be dark and dreary”

How can the days be  “dark and dreary” when you know the transformation around you is taking place !

The arrival of the rain lifts my spirits in anticipation of what is to happen and the wet days also provide the ideal time to read and reflect on life itself . While I have had the opportunity to witness the beauty of the seasonal changes in other parts of the world it’s the changes here that make the most impression on me

A thought on loyalty

I spoke to my dear friend a day or so ago and it was delightful to hear her voice again but there was a note of sadness and dismay coming through.

I had mentioned her predicament in an earlier post and how her many years of loyalty to one of the four major banks in this country counted for little.

Luckily she has been employed rather rapidly it seems by one of the second tier banking institutions who were aware of her skills .Still I could tell that all was not the same nor did she have the vibrancy in her voice that I have heard over the years.( Sadly a nice lunch and a chilled glass of Riesling was not a panacea as we are some twelve hundred kilometers apart )

It seems to me that all that nonsense we were fed in the nineties about “people are our best asset” was little more that window dressing It sounded good and it created a false sense of loyalty by staff towards the company  A loyalty I may add that was not reciprocated in many instances

Perhaps loyalty to your employer will be a disappearing quality in this new century This point was made quite starkly by this countries Prime Minister who ,when addressing a graduating  High School class told the students to expect a lifetime of many employers A somewhat unsettling thought for folk of my generation

Not the "Black Dog"

“O what can ail thee. Knight- at- arms,

Alone and palely loitering ?”

The question posed by Keats seems so appropriate

I feel as flat as a founder today and I cant seem to lift the gloom nor sense what has caused this malaise. Hopefully it will be of a transient nature.

It has been a rather hectic week with some family members requiring much medical assistance and numerous other issues all cropping up at the same time .The older one gets the harder it is to recuperate when all your mental energy is exhausted  Well that’s my theory on this and I hope its right

Is it really local ?

Finally the transport situation has been resolved following my traffic incident of January when the old car was written off

After much searching and kicking of tyres in car lots a decision was reached and the new car finally delivered A rather neat sedan well suited to our needs for cheap safe local transport Certainly not the style of car one would purchase for long distance driving My days of driving vast distances are now behind me and I have now resorted to plane travel and hire at the other end if a car is needed

I decided to purchase what was badged as a local product but I later found that the badge may be local but the vehicle comes from Korea  How small the world is and how local are local products these days?

Is there hope?

The news coming from Syria is worrying to say the least I cant understand the reason behind Russia's and China's non support to the UN resolution

I note that Russia has some assets in a Syrian harbour and this gives it access to the Mediterranean Sea  but what is the reason for the Chinese ?

How long this suffering can last worries me not in the least the supply of arms to those opposing the regime will in itself not solve the longer term problems .International pressure is sorely needed

Knowledge acquired by other means

I was talking with a friend about the younger generation and we stood amazed at their total absorption with technology

Not surprising in that technology is now so enmeshed in our lives it would be well nigh impossible to extricate ourselves

Also we had no doubt that it will be our shadow and mentor into the future and we also reflected on the way in which people’s knowledge base seems to have changed

Young folk have an encyclopedic knowledge in the technology side of life but sometimes seem to lack knowledge about other things that matter especially about our daily governance processes and the things we took for granted not so many years ago

Most can explain in great depth the benefits of an Iphone or Ipod or whatever but few can recite a few lines of poetry or even name the head of Government.   Many (or most) have an arsenal of songs on their Ipods but few can repeat some lyrics

As these young folk reach voting age are they going to have the knowledge to make an informed decision about the things that will no doubt influence their lives and futures?

The answer to that is probably yes because they achieve knowledge via a  different medium to that of the earlier generation

Travel,voyaging and a Coleridge moment

After an indulgent cruise overseas it was extremely difficult to return to the hot and humid tropics after enjoying cooler climes.

The first longer ship board travel in my lifetime apart from several ferry crossings of various lengths across some of the worlds waterways .I must admit it proved far more favorable than I first imagined and I can confidently say worthy of repeat albeit with some changes learned from the practical experience of this trip

Several highlights of note all underpinned by the fact that this little country had welcomed us over thirty years ago on a driving tour

How things have changed with the exception of course of the sheer beauty of the countryside which remains a joy to behold

In our earlier visit we had not visited the Fiord land and this was to be a highlight for me especially as we were unable to access this area all those years ago

Our ship departed the southernmost port to the sound of a Scottish band playing “Will ye no come back again” Slowly we made our way down to the open sea passing by a rocky headland on which was a superb colony of Royal Albatross  many of whom watched the great ship glide by while a couple soared around the stern

The next morning we arose to a grey sea and a grey mist as we approached our destination for entry to the Fiords but as we approached a sea fog of some intensity settled around the ship Unable to see forwards the ships foghorn was sounded in all its mournful note The sea was calm –the passengers less than happy with the possibility of not seeing what many had traveled so far to see The Ships Captain announced comments that we may not be able to enter the fiord and it was at that time I experienced  what I can only describe as a Coleridge moment

The sea calm, the ship surrounded by fog and an eerie silence over passengers

“Did you shoot an Albatross by any chance?” I asked of a member of the Iphone Generation who stood next to me   His look was priceless and he stumbled off muttering no doubt suffering a lack of satellite signal to enable texting friends or seeking Google explanation of my inquiry

 “He went like one who hath been stunned and is a sense forlorn”

However it appears that someone shipboard had connections in high places and the fog mysteriously cleared allowing for our entry to the Sound   And what an experience that proved to be ! The sheer majesty of the mountains .hanging waterfalls and glaciated valleys   A sight to behold and also one I found to be quite humbling

The journey was time well spent

Costly trip

Perhaps I should have turned an earlier corner but that's fate

A short trip out to do some business ended abruptly with my car being written off

No injuries sustained only a rather large dent in my wallet

A halt at a slip road while waiting to give way to traffic was my undoing   A SUV behind me failed to see me stop and ploughed into the rear of my sedan crumpling it to the rear window  How unlucky can you be and only three days away from heading overseas

Its only when this happens you realise the value of your own transport and the cost of taxi's

Where to from here

This weight loss lark is not so easy.

Fixing the blood sugar readings was a breeze compared to losing weight

The statement by the Dietitian was quite to the point when saying "I don't think you overeat it seems to me that you under exercise"

So is that a direction to try another form of exercise ! Gym programs or what ? Exercising in this part of the world at this time of the year is no joke when average daily temperatures are in the low 30 degrees C mark and humidity levels average in the seventies

I did do some gym work for fitness nearly twenty years ago and it did work but I did not feel at all comfortable in that environment

There was far too much testerone and posing -and that was just the women!!!!!

The changes of society

‘Another years over and a new ones just begun’

So goes the words of a very famous John Lennon song and sets us up for the adventure of the new  year with all the hope we can muster

I must admit that getting older tends to bring out in you a certain reflection on things generally especially where you can see changes in society .These changes make you wonder what we have lost

Near Christmas a serious tragedy befell a family with their home catching fire and four members of the family losing their lives The father received serious burns and was hospitalized and was in a most serious condition  The very worst thing that could happen

In an earlier times help would be offered by people in a meaningful way without fanfare and without making a public spectacle of the family’s grief   How things have changed !

Grief is now seems to be public property with television intrusion into the most minute details of the victims lives Tribute walls of flowers being publicized, expressions of sorrow by neighbors, friends, school kids, double page stories in the major metropolitan papers and the list goes on      Counselors arrive by the bus load for adults and even the local school children have this service offered to them.

I do not wish to diminish the full horror of what has occurred to these folk but what have we become of a society in more recent times

It seems to be that we have almost reached the level of grief voyeurism.

New Year wish

The fireworks lit up the night sky with color and noise welcoming the new year with  optimism  The crowd sang Auld Lang Syne and no doubt tried to erase the sadder moments of 2011  A spirit  of goodwill prevailed

Just how long will this spirit last in this crazy world   I wish I knew but I suspect it will evaporate as quickly as the smoke from the fireworks. I said before I was a glass half full type so I will not prevail on this line of thought

Best wishes to all !!!!!