Boxing Day 2014

Last Tuesday our wholesaler rang in the morning.

"What are the chances of getting 20 bunches of green beech on Friday by 2pm."

My immediate reaction was, "None." Then after a few seconds I said, "Yes, I'll do that." It took me those few seconds to realize that, as much as I didn't want to pick foliage that day, Lib would be working and I'd be at the farm catching up on grass or blackberry control, so why not make a few dollars reducing a tree I'd like down a bit.

So today I started work about midday and had the beech picked well before 2pm. It was a bit wet underfoot from the overnight and morning rain, so rather than cut grass with the whipper down the back I went on a blackberry hunt, cutting and painting the cut stems with a dabber sponge bottle containing straight Round Up. These blackberries I had been seeing for weeks shooting out of garden beds and hedges but I had not had the time to do anything about them.

Now in four hours you can do a lot of blackberries when that is your sole focus and I have to say despite the difficulty crawling in under dense growth and often having to cut a hole in to get to the base of the stems, it's rewarding work. I feel good about myself tonight, that I have killed so many of the blunny things. Mind you they don't all die outright, some will re shoot probably next spring. It needs follow up or going over repetitively over time. The more regularly the better. If it is not done it would not be long until rampant blackberries took over the whole property.This will probably happen one day, after my time.

Christmas was good. My 63rd, but of course I don't remember many of them. I know I have spent the last 34 in the company of Lib, usually with all or some of her family, many times in Wangaratta at her parents', some here in Gembrook, some in Bendigo at sister Pat's, a couple in Bairnsdale at sister Margaret's. There was one in Lakes Entrance. Before that I had one with the Kelly's in Wangaratta, one with John and Nicky at Moyhu, Prior to that I have a void in my memory of several years. The parents and Meredith for some years after we moved to Emerald packed a picnic lunch and drove to the Botanical gardens in Melbourne which was deserted so they had it more or less to themselves. I never went with them. I can't really remember what I did. I think I spent a few with Rickyralph, in the bush or down the beach. The only one I clearly remember was on Mt. Terrible because it snowed heavily. Ha! A white Christmas in summer in Australia, but not really, the snow melted soon after it hit the ground.

My childhood memories of Christmas are at my father's parents' place. I didn't enjoy it. They were religious crazies who made us kids sing religious songs and I hated that, it spoiled Christmas for me. If I could have the time over I'd just say 'No thanks, Sing it yourself." There are many things I would respond differently to if I had my time over. Like at school when I was told I was going to be caned for a minor indiscretion. I submitted meekly. If I could go back I would say, "No, sorry, no way. Bye." Or when I was called up into the army, I'd tell them to shove it now. It is easy with hindsight, of course back then I knew nothing but believed I should be obedient. It took me probably a decade into adulthood to realize these things. I like to think I'm a free thinking person, but I have to conform to so many inane rules and regulations, I'm not free at all. I would like to reject more of modern society but I don't because I don't want to live a life of conflict and deprivation. It is and always will be a moral question - when to dissent or to go along with the status quo. Maybe the solution is to find more effective ways of dissenting. Hmm.

Happy Christmas and New Year to all.