I've been flat lately. Too much to do. I almost sapped myself of energy.
I've been trying to get up a capital works grant application to the the Cardinia Shire on behalf of the Emerald Museam and Nobelius Heritage Park committee, to have replaced a delapidated concrete mishmash retaining wall in the park behind and to the sides of The Green Shed. I started out planning a stone wall replacement, gathering quotes and going through the paperwork. I was nearly there when a heritage consultant's report came in saying the wall could not be replaced with a stone wall, it had to be conrete/brick render as is the existing wall. Start again Carey, with 2 weeks before the April 5 cut off, Easter Monday, which makes it effectively April 1 it has to bein by. I'm still at it. I'm hoping two quotes come by email tomorrow, or my efforts will have been in vain.
The application may well fail, due to council's judgement on what are the most deserving and valid applications for council expenditure. That's OK, but if I fail to get the bid in, after so many hours of work and meetings with contractors, because I haven't met the criteria, well, that would be demoralizing.
As I've ploughed through, some good things lately are starting to give me a feeling of restoration, beginning to grow. Firstly, 22ml of rain on the weekend, perfect timing, Then, yesterday, because of the rain I worked late to get some seeds in at the farm. Violas, cornflowers, calendulas, brocolli, in some ground I forked over a week or so ago. The seeds I put in a few weeks ago, just before the big rain, are up and away and this is encouraging. And some salvia cutting I hastily stuck in some newly dug ground seem to be taking.There's something rejuvenating about putting in seeds and cuttings and seeing them grow. It's renewal.
Then this morning, walking down Quinn Rd. on my way home, I was feeling good that I was fit and well and able to walk and soak up the superb autumn atmosphere. Big John McCann came up the the other way.
We stopped and talked briefly, sharing our feelings of good fortune to live in such a place and walk in the morning fresh air. John's about 80 years old, a tall thin man with lifetime of rich experience and a bent for philosophy. He was once a minister of religion, has spent a lot of time in the bush as a pilot, and in New Guinea. Right up until recently he was travelling to Monash doing honours in a theology degree, I think, part time.
He said that last year he was in Shanghai on a holiday with his daughter. The air was that thick with pollution you could hardly breathe. We looked across to the Warburton ranges, breathing deep the fresh cold air, across green paddocks and forested valleys.
We are lucky indeed to live where we live!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Letter from Barry
The letter I wrote to Barry Heard about his book 'Well Done Those Men' in my 24 Feb post was sent a few days later addressed c/- the publisher. I was chuffed last week when a reply came from Barry thanking me. He said he gets quite a few and answers them all. Most people respect his honesty. He does a lot of work helping vets. There are many problems, especially alcohol.
Amazingly, when I looked at the return address on the envelope, Barry lives in the same street in the same town as Lib's sister Margaret. Marg and Phil are at no.26 and Barry's is 27. He's not straight across the road but Marg knows him and waves when she sees him. They worked at the same TAFE for a while.
He's written three books. As well as 'Well Done Those Men' there's one about his chidhood growing up in the Tambo Valley, 'The View from Connor's Hill', and a novel TAG set in WW1. The publisher is Scribe, http://www.scribepublications.com.au/
I'll get 'Well Done Those Men' to send to my mate Ian in Canada and the others for my own interest.
Amazingly, when I looked at the return address on the envelope, Barry lives in the same street in the same town as Lib's sister Margaret. Marg and Phil are at no.26 and Barry's is 27. He's not straight across the road but Marg knows him and waves when she sees him. They worked at the same TAFE for a while.
He's written three books. As well as 'Well Done Those Men' there's one about his chidhood growing up in the Tambo Valley, 'The View from Connor's Hill', and a novel TAG set in WW1. The publisher is Scribe, http://www.scribepublications.com.au/
I'll get 'Well Done Those Men' to send to my mate Ian in Canada and the others for my own interest.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
St. Peter's Dome
I met Heinz on my walk this morning. He's leaving on Easter Monday on a trip back to Germany with his new partner. They go via Singapore, then the 13hour leg to Frankfurt. At Frankfurt airport, he told me they go underground to catch the train, a bullet train that trvels at 320kph. At Cologne station they get off. The cathedral is about 100 metres from the station.
He'll go there first. It was the tallest building in the world for 1000 years. It's construction started in about 900AD and continued for 800 years. 96% of the buildings in Cologne were destroyed by bombs and fire in WW2 but the cathedral survived. The city authorities took out all the stain glass windows before the raids and stored them somewhere safe. Four bombs went into the cathedral but it was of such strong stone and steel construction, and without windows to compress explosion, the damage was restricted internal. The structure remained standing. After the war the windows were replaced and repairs made inside.
Heinz isn't religious. I think he said he was an atheist. But he likes visiting churches. He said today," If there is a God then it is a God common to all of us. Churches and religion are man's work. When I go to Melbourne I go to St Paul's opposite Flinder's street station. I go inside and sit down. It's a respect I feel for fellow humans."
I asked him was the Cologne cathedral Catholic. He replied, "Yes it is, but I don't care about what type of church it is, it doesn't matter to me at all. It's called St. Peter's Dome."
I don't know if I'll ever visit Europe, but if I do the St. Peter's Dome at Cologne will be on my list of must sees.
He'll go there first. It was the tallest building in the world for 1000 years. It's construction started in about 900AD and continued for 800 years. 96% of the buildings in Cologne were destroyed by bombs and fire in WW2 but the cathedral survived. The city authorities took out all the stain glass windows before the raids and stored them somewhere safe. Four bombs went into the cathedral but it was of such strong stone and steel construction, and without windows to compress explosion, the damage was restricted internal. The structure remained standing. After the war the windows were replaced and repairs made inside.
Heinz isn't religious. I think he said he was an atheist. But he likes visiting churches. He said today," If there is a God then it is a God common to all of us. Churches and religion are man's work. When I go to Melbourne I go to St Paul's opposite Flinder's street station. I go inside and sit down. It's a respect I feel for fellow humans."
I asked him was the Cologne cathedral Catholic. He replied, "Yes it is, but I don't care about what type of church it is, it doesn't matter to me at all. It's called St. Peter's Dome."
I don't know if I'll ever visit Europe, but if I do the St. Peter's Dome at Cologne will be on my list of must sees.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Quite a Storm
The downpour yesterday started about 4.00pm. About an hour later when it eased there was 40ml in the raingauge. I hadn't even thought about clearing leaves from the spouts near the downpipes. That was a big mistake. About two minutes after the torrential rain started water was overflowing all the way along the spout onto the deck saturating everything.
I was a bit stunned at the sheer volume of water cascading everywhere when Robbie suggested I check the carport and driveway. Water was running down the hill depositing screenings and silt in the carport. I got wet through shovelling this aside so the water didn't build up. With the rain easing I stripped off shirt and trousers and climbed onto the roof in gumboots and underpants to clear the leaves from the downpipes. It was as slippery as all hell and I realised how easy it is for silly buggers like me to fall off and break their neck or leg or back. It should have been done before the rain started.
Why hadn't I done it before it rained? There'd been plenty of storm warnings and the sky had looked threatening on and off or some 30 hours previous. It was because my mind was focused on something else and I take the valuable lesson to be more flexible and respond more to the obvious and immediate. It'd been on my mind to work the bees and get a bit of honey off at first chance, after not being unable to do it for the past three weekends. When the expected rain didn't come on Friday and I woke to clear blue skies and warm weather on Saturday, I got into my head to do the bees.
It was after lunch when I got to them. I united two weaker hives. They weren't as weak as I thought, but again, I'd had it in my head to do it. It was messy, bees and combs were everywhere and robbers were quick to action. It's better to stay away from bees when a storm's brewing but I ignored this, thinking it was still warm and I'd be quick. It wasn't one of my better beekeeping efforts. Half way through I knew my mistake but determinedly kept going.
The rain kept up overnight bringing another 22ml for a total of 62 till now. I'm about to go outside to the shed and extract honey. There's possibility of more storms. At least the downpipes are clear now, but the tanks are already full so any more rain will overflow down the hill. I haven't seen rain as heavy as that for a long time. I'm grateful we missed the hail they had in other places. Hail can be a killer to the foliage business.
I was a bit stunned at the sheer volume of water cascading everywhere when Robbie suggested I check the carport and driveway. Water was running down the hill depositing screenings and silt in the carport. I got wet through shovelling this aside so the water didn't build up. With the rain easing I stripped off shirt and trousers and climbed onto the roof in gumboots and underpants to clear the leaves from the downpipes. It was as slippery as all hell and I realised how easy it is for silly buggers like me to fall off and break their neck or leg or back. It should have been done before the rain started.
Why hadn't I done it before it rained? There'd been plenty of storm warnings and the sky had looked threatening on and off or some 30 hours previous. It was because my mind was focused on something else and I take the valuable lesson to be more flexible and respond more to the obvious and immediate. It'd been on my mind to work the bees and get a bit of honey off at first chance, after not being unable to do it for the past three weekends. When the expected rain didn't come on Friday and I woke to clear blue skies and warm weather on Saturday, I got into my head to do the bees.
It was after lunch when I got to them. I united two weaker hives. They weren't as weak as I thought, but again, I'd had it in my head to do it. It was messy, bees and combs were everywhere and robbers were quick to action. It's better to stay away from bees when a storm's brewing but I ignored this, thinking it was still warm and I'd be quick. It wasn't one of my better beekeeping efforts. Half way through I knew my mistake but determinedly kept going.
The rain kept up overnight bringing another 22ml for a total of 62 till now. I'm about to go outside to the shed and extract honey. There's possibility of more storms. At least the downpipes are clear now, but the tanks are already full so any more rain will overflow down the hill. I haven't seen rain as heavy as that for a long time. I'm grateful we missed the hail they had in other places. Hail can be a killer to the foliage business.
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