Australia burns and Friday song day.
Greetings, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with you. Regular readers may have noticed that I skipped my Friday song day last week. With Australia burning, I just didn’t have the heart for it. I feel much the same this week, but, you know, it’s like falling off a horse …. Read more
Still here. Going strong.
Dear readers, the temperature is blessedly cool today in the national capital (Canberra, Australia) and the bushfire smoke has cleared somewhat. We expect the smoke to return this evening when the wind changes. In the meantime, the terrible gloom that descended on the city has lifted and people are in good spirits. So are the animals. A flock of silvereyes visited our garden. One was lucky to enough to find a small praying mantis but its best efforts to dispatch it were defeated. Read more
Australia burning — I wonder whether those thousands of people that are sheltering on isolated east coast beaches, overwhelmed by acrid smoke — in towns where supplies are running low and where some unprincipled grocers charge exorbitant amounts for a few basic supplies — are contemplating jumping on small, overcrowded boats and sailing across treacherous waters to New Zealand? I wonder whether these prospective boat people — call them climate refugees, if you will — might beg the New Zealand government grant them asylum and a new beginning? I wonder how New Zealanders might react to such requests? I wonder ….
I wonder how far-fetched this actually sounds?
Sometimes it seems that I grew up in a golden era — at a time when world peace seemed possible, and Australians of all faiths lived together harmoniously. Religious wars were something that happened ‘somewhere else’. There was also no such thing as culture wars. We had a strong two-party system, one representing business, while the other was perceived as the workers’ champions. There was even an accord between business and labour. Fancy that! The way people voted was less about one’s religious affiliation or to which dioceses one belonged, it was predominantly about class. That is what it seemed like to me anyway. However, that has all changed. Read more
A little Aussie satirical poem because, well, life vapes and then you die. This is not the happiest poem so you may want to skip it.
It’s Christmas Time In the City
no joy no joy no
air no air no air none
kirribilli smokin’
white men jokin’
it’s Christmas time in the city
make haste to land of the smoke-free
blow smoke up ya
are we having fun yet?
not me not me not
happy mo-mo
no joy no joy no
air no air no air no
Christmas barbie in the city
Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen. It happens when you’re starved of oxygen. I will resume my normal calm programming as soon as we can breathe again. Maybe in a few months time. Or maybe when we meet our Paris emission target through accounting loophole. Not happy mo-mo.
Regards.
Tracy
Australia. Perfect one day. Bushfires the next.
What is life without hope? Amidst the ashes and broken dreams wrought by the bushfires in Australia, life goes on.
A Vow Softly Spoken
smoke in the distance
lights a wildfire in our heart
hope for the future
heart, mind, body, soul
we shall overcome
My nephew and his lovely lady got married recently. I wish them all the very best.
Kind Regards.
Tracy.
For the Ragtag Daily Prompt — Wedding.
Speaking of calendars, my husband (aka my True Love) bought one the other day. It’s a long story. 495 words to be exact-ish. We didn’t buy a calendar last year and by mid year, regretted that decision. Anyway, my husband has ordered one. From a Danish vlogger of all people! I am as surprised as you, ladies and gentlemen. Read more
Welcome to my regular Friday song/tune day, where I pick a piece of music that reflects my mood or the times, to share with my Readers. I have to admit that I’ve had a busy month with mosaicing, a short trip away from home, a medical procedure (all good, by the way). so I haven’t really had time to think about a song for this Friday. The deciding factor for me is that while I’ve been able to get on with my life, so many of my fellow Australians have not had the same luxury. Read more
In Australia, the expression ‘to stir the possum’ means to stir up trouble, controversy, or interest in an issue. So I thought I would use that expression to generate awareness of the critically endangered mountain pygmy possum. There are less than 2000 mountain pygmy possums left in the wild and their survival is on a knife’s edge. What a tragedy it would be if they were lost to us forever. I have just completed my mountain pygmy possum mosaic and am excited to share it with you. Then, one thing led to another, and I had to write a poem for them too. There is always hope and as usual, good people are working hard to save them. Find out more about these incredible little marsupials and how you can help them here. Now for the poem. Read more
Reflections of An Untidy Mind 