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Sunday, 30 March, 2008

Did I mention that I like a challenge?

I am nothing if not inspired by a challenge, and this week has thrown up more than one in my workplace, one of which was completely out of the blue. It has provided us with the opportunity to work as a team, in order to work through a health crisis of one of our work mates, to get through a week which in the normal course of events would have been extremely busy, but thrown all together has been frantic.

For the Bombers fan who will probably not get a chance to read this any time soon, "Hang in there, mate! "

Last night, another reminder that the thread of life can be very thin, as we were sitting watch the Saints overcome a slow start to beat the Blues, a member of the crowd sitting in front of us was taken away for emergency medical attention.

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. "
Harper Lee (1926 - ), To Kill a Mockingbird, 1960

In our sanitised, standardised modern world, we don't often have to suffer pain, hunger, heat or cold in the same way that our ancestors had to. When we do, it provides us with an opportunity to get in touch with our humanity, to remember the sorrows and pain, to celebrate happiness and joy, for it's experiencing them that defines us.

Monday, 24 March, 2008

Lazy Easter long weekend

The Easter weekend in Melbourne starts early afternoon on Maundy Thursday, well, at least the traffic does. A normal trip of 20 minutes between Mt Waverley and Southbank was extended to one hour, on Thursday afternoon, even though I had left work at a little after three. Still, plenty of time to grab a bite to eat prior to my French class, as we explored the intricacies of indirect questions and discourse. Our teacher is encouraging us to work much harder than we had been, and a group of us are continuing to meet for French conversations to practice what we have learnt the Thursday evening before. This time with a two week break, and some difficult concepts to grasp, we had more participants than usual, and fortunately for us, the Creperie in Williamstown was open.

Even in French, I am able to explain that St Kilda have won their first game of the real season, by two points on Saturday night. My French language skills are not yet sufficient to describe the edge of the seat tension, the mix of both frustration and relief as both teams missed goal after goal, the dour defense tactics and finally the welcome burst of the final siren, with the Saints in front.

The rest of the first round of the AFL season goes on, with a similar thrilling win by the Bulldogs, and disappointing form from Melbourne against the Hawks, and Carlton against Richmond both of which may be a predictor of a long, hard season for those teams.

Another long conversation with Aussie Lass, last night, and further thoughts on the planned holiday later in the year: the timing is not set, but we need to make some firm plans soon.

Wednesday, 19 March, 2008

Time for a cool change

In thirty six hours, the weather has turned cooler after an unseasonably hot run of warm weather for March, with 38 degrees at 7.30 pm on Monday evening, turning into 16.5 degrees this morning, after a much welcomed cool change.

To continue the sporting theme, on Monday night, we attended a Rugby League match at the Docklands Stadium, with the local Melbourne Storm playing the Auckland Warriors. It seemed like a good idea at the time the idea of going was raised, but we didn't realise that we would be in the midst of a heatwave, or that the Storm had organised some entertainment in the form of six flame throwers situated on the Eastern end of the ground, which spat out great plumes fo flame, every time the Storm did anything even remotely exciting... As the temperature was already around 35 degrees C, and we were sitting only about 15 m away from one of the flame throwers, we were gradually toasted more and more, as there were quite a few tries scored.

Well, yes, Melbourne did win, as you would expect the incumbent premiers to do, but we went away feeling like partly roasted chickens. it was too hot to drink more than a glass or two of alcohol, in fact I didn't have any, and much more reviving to keep the fluid levels up with some bottled water.

The change in temperature yesterday meant that our last session of Street Orienteering for the summer season was held in much more bearable conditions than previous weeks. Indeed, the breeze blowing off Altona Bay was invigorating, and refreshing after days of sitting around trying to avoid the hot weather.

Oh, yes, and our table had a number of category and section winners and placegetters, so we thought that we had done quite well: mainly in the increase in fitness levels, but also in the opportunity to get out and have a bit of fun in the West of Melbourne on a Tuesday evening.

Wednesday, 12 March, 2008

Snapshot of autumn

Autumn has to be my favourite time of the year and in Melbourne crowns itself with warm days with a particular golden character to the sunlight, and if we are lucky a cool evening, which is ideal for sleeping, and getting refreshed for the new day ahead. Over the weekend that has just been, the weather was just a tad too warm for my liking, being into the mid thirties, and after a couple of cooler days, we're heading for those temperatures again tomorrow and at the weekend.

Soon enough, the weather will turn cooler, and we're all awaiting the arrival of autumn rains, which we all hope will turn the recent cycle of drought around. In the meantime, I spurn trips to the nursery, because I know that a visit there will only mean I have more watering to do, and a hot few days will burn off the fresh new growth in a matter of hours, if I forget to water at the right time.

In the meantime, it's a season of change, and we've decided that the house needs to be painted. The painters started yesterday, and we hope that it will be all finished in three or four weeks time.. Just stay tuned for a photographic update. And by the time it's finished, maybe I will be able to have a trip to a nursery, but in the meantime I will plan for the seasonal displays for the seasons to come.

I wander'd lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

William Wordsworth

Tuesday, 11 March, 2008

So easy to go astray...

We were unexpectedly given a satellite navigation device at the weekend, and this new toy provided us with some amusement, and not a little frustration as we worked out how to use it...

The device had been charged, and was ready to use, so we headed off into the Eastern Suburbs with the voice ringing in our ears..."turn left in 500 meters", "do a U turn when possible", (after we had ignored the previous instruction) "take the second exit" at a roundabout etc etc etc.

Most disturbing, was our own attitude to this mechanical device, one of defiance, just to see what the next instruction would be. Thankfully, we arrived safely, after ignoring the instructions to take the new East Link tollway system, which will not be open for at least three months, and we got back to Richmond, too, without too many problems. This is where the problem started: we decided that we would let common sense go by the wayside and we would follow the machine's instructions for getting home from there.

Maybe it was the preference settings of the device which caused us to take Wellington Parade and Flinders St heading west, and maybe on a normal Sunday night at 10.30 pm, this would be OK, but not when Melbourne has a Labour Day long weekend and is celebrating Moomba, all around the city. So, instead of being a nice 20 minute drive home, it turned into double that time, as we crawled along Flinders Street, with thousands of Melbournians spilling onto the streets, from Federation Square, Flinders St Station, and entertainment venues along the way.

“Stand still. The trees ahead and bush beside you are not lost.” Albert Einstein

Hot, hot, hot...

We had a pre-planned outing to the Mornington Peninsula yesterday, and when in my first foray out of the door at around quarter past nine, a wave of heat hit me, I figured that we were going to be in for a hot day, but the plans, the company were in place, and what better way to spend a day?

We had a reviving coffee in Mornington, as we took notice of the changes since we moved from there in mid 2001, with an explosion of housing to the east of the town, made me think that on another day, it would be a good outing for some shopping therapy. We lived in Mornington for a year after we first left the farm, and thoroughly enjoyed it, but found that the move to closer to the city was essential to cut the amount of travelling.

Happy memories, though, as we drove down to the pier, and the bay was sparkling, and the sky was bright blue, though with a hint of haze, as we remembered Aussie Lass’s adventures on the pier, befriended by the fishermen, and learning how to fish…, and the taste of freshly caught garfish, just superb...

Then, further down, to Red Hill, and a relaxed, though hot shady lunch at T’Gallant, with a glass of sparkling wine, mushroom and blue cheese pizza, and a tasting plate of Italian preserved meats, before ice creams at the Strawberry Farm, just down the way…

The heat had its effect, and we only had the energy to visit one antique shop in the day, before turning for home, as the much awaited cool change started to roll in.

Saints in form

Well, the pre-season competition is finally over, and I can now settle with a satisfied smile, knowing that my beloved Saints have triumphed in Adelaide at the weekend.

We weren’t able to go to Adelaide, so instead we settled down to watch the match, in the evening. Well, I should say that I settled down to watch, and G after sitting companionably for little while, (having a very short attention span for watching AFL) went off to ring up his brother, then a mate or two, and finally found someone home, who he could talk for an hour or more…

In the meantime, the dour struggle of the first quarter with shaky kicks for goal which somehow missed, by both teams, then fourteen lead changes during the match ensured that my attention was captivated by it all.

I have written before of my passion for the red, white and black, but this time, I believe I was very dignified in my gestures of contentedness at the finished result, as it is only a pre-season cup, not the real one, which is what we really want to win…

But, after many years of passionate support, can we really believe that we can do it? Only time will tell…

Saturday, 8 March, 2008

Friday on my mind...

The Friday afternoon rush starts around 3pm in Melbourne, but with a long weekend, such as this one, it starts even earlier, and traffic stays clogged on the major arterials until well into the evening. Yesterday, some urgent tasks meant that an early departure in an attempt to avoid the traffic could not be contemplated.

There is a visual traffic indicator on the freeway, not too far from the entrance, near my workplace, which yesterday advised a 48 minute trip to Kingsway, as opposed to the usual 15 minutes. Settling back into the driver's seat, turning on the CD player and escaping to the other side of the world is a good start...Last weekend in a long conversation with Aussie Lass, I mentioned I was listening and re-listening to Jean-Jacques Goldman's Singulier, and she said it was time for some more French music. I think that this is because JJG is considered somewhat ubiqitous in France, and perhaps even passe, and certainly in his long career, has been a pop idol, at least in his own country. AL has likened him to John Farnham, here in Australia, and perhaps she is right. Anyway, whatever anyone else thinks of him, I enjoy listening to it, and it helps the journey pass.

While I'm driving, I can also think through the events of the week, contemplating what has been achieved, and what is yet to do, and allows me to gently debrief to the gentle sounds of Il y a, Puisque tu pars, Tu m'as dit and Confidentiel.

The traffic remains heavy, through the tunnel, until I get to the Montague St on ramp, then it's home in a matter of minutes.

Luckily, there has been a gourmet pizza ordered, so no need to think about what to cook for dinner, and there is now the prospect of three short weeks in front of us...

Thursday, 6 March, 2008

Ring, ring....ring, ring...

One of the dilemmas of modern women, is where to carry your mobile phone when you're in the office, but you don't have any pockets in the outfit you are wearing to put your phone in when going to lunch, going to another floor to catch up with a colleague or the myriad of other things one needs to do during a working day.

I tried a leather case for my phone, attaching it to the lanyard which holds the building and car park passes, but to be to be totally honest, it looked quite daggy when I looked at myself in the mirror, so the leather case lies abandoned on my desk. The case would be ok if I was wearing a belt, because the loop on the case would hang off the belt. Maybe, still a daggy look, but preferable to the former, I think.

My more recent solution for this dilemma has been to tuck the mobile phone into my bra, and I thought that this was a very discreet place to secrete it, until one of my colleagues said recently: "Excuse me, but your boob seems to be flashing..."

Well, I was wearing a lower cut top than normal, but we all laughed, as I pulled the phone out, and put it on the table. Just as well she didn't realise that before the flashing commences, the phone vibrates!

Sunday, 2 March, 2008

Sensational Saints...

One of the things that I have learnt about following the fortunes of St Kilda, in the Australian Football League, is that it's important to celebrate the successes when they come, so the suggestion from G on Friday evening, before we headed off to the pre-season semi-final, that we should leave the game early if one side was leading by a big margin, did not go well...

"Not if St Kilda's leading!", I said, firmly, and he smirked, knowing full well that this would be my answer.

So, we headed off for the game to meet some colleagues, and it is one of the joys of my life that we now live only five km from the Docklands Stadium. Unfortunately, G has been suffering from some soft tissue damage in his feet, and the pace of the walk from the carpark to the ground at his pace was almost too much for me, as I was trying not to race too fast, but at the same time take into account his need for a slow and steady pace, and wishing to be safely in our seats when the match commenced.

The idea of the pre-season competition is to give younger players a chance to get some match practice in an atmosphere which is more competitive than the normal practice match situation. Coaches are careful not to put high expectations on their players, though, as it is the real season which counts, when it starts at Easter, not this pre-season hit out. And losing a player to serious injury in this competition is definitely not part of the game plan.

However, having said all of that, Friday night's match was a thriller, with both the Saints and Essendon players putting on a display of skill and ferocious tackling, and the lead changed 13 times during the match.

Somehow, with a minute to spare, one of the young Saints players scored the goal that gave victory by three points.

Of course I had to stay to sing the Saints theme song with the rest of the Saints crowd, and then when I got home, watched most of the final quarter again on delayed telecast, then yesterday morning watched a bit more of the early stages of the match before heading off for the usual weekend shopping.

The win means the Saints will play in the grand final next weekend in Adelaide, and there will be no social engagements to distract me from watching the game, pre-season comp or not.