my, time certainly flies...

hard to believe that my two weeks off are just about over – and i didn’t even blog during that time… hey, there were times i didn’t even turn on the computer for days at a time… guess i needed a break from technology too…

i did the 'dutiful daughter' thing though – yep, the mother was ill - she thought her kidneys were 'packing up' so we got into the hospital and then spent 7 hours in the emergency ward while they monitored lungs and kidneys - once they discovered neither had deteriorated significantly they sent her home – the next day was spent checking up on her and doing her shopping…

of course, when she wanted more shopping a couple of days later i wasn't so happy when she insisted on coming - she refuses to accept she can't do what she once did - consequently she needed to take a break from walking (it wears her out - and she can barely breath) so we decided on a sit-down and a coffee… she thought we should eat but she just couldn’t (or wouldn't) understand that there was nothing in the shop i could get that was vegan-friendly and anyway, all i wanted was coffee, but she could have food... her response was typical - why couldn’t i just 'stop being so damn difficult' – hmmm,  apparently i went vegan just to antagonise her!!!!

you could say we get very niggly after too long with each other - conversation sometimes can get a bit strained between us - the mother's become really conservative over the years so we disagree on a lot of issues… i try to just let things ‘wash over me’ but after a while ‘bad daughter’ comes to the fore and stands up for herself and her beliefs… my mother just doesn’t ‘get’ vegan – vegetarian she could (just) cope with, but vegan - now that's just tooooo weird... never has she asked why i chose to be vegan - of course, why would she, she already knows i did it to be difficult!! – these days it seems if it’s not her belief system, it's not worth learning about - it's not the status quo so we just won't talk about it… fuck there are times when i wished i lived on a remote country property far away from my mother (and, at times, humankind in general!) – see, bad, bad daughter….

enough of the mother/daughter shit... 

i haven’t gotten through anywhere near the amount of reading i had planned… and now i’ve gotten even more to read because two new books i bought a few weeks ago arrived… ‘the sexual politics of meat: a feminist-vegetarian critical theory’ by carol adams, and ‘sister species: women, animals and social justice’ ed. by lisa kemmerer… being mine rather than the library's though means i can read them anytime...

i did watch a couple of interesting movies – one, a documentary called “troubled minds - the lithium revolution” – in the 1940s an australian doctor, john cade, discovered the ‘benefits’ of lithium for treating manic depression (as it was called then – bi-polar now) – this in effect marked the beginning of psycho-pharmacology (the use of drugs to manage psychiatric conditions) – up until this discovery electric shock ‘therapy’ and lobotomies were the dominant treatments… it explains his search for chemical alternatives to these brutal forms of treatment and the lack of interest from drug companies because lithium is a naturally occurring element so couldn’t be exploited commercially – it was quite fascinating actually….

i also watched ‘ironclad’ – set in 13^th century england when john was king – this is the story of what john did after being forced to sign the magna carta – his rampage across the country and the violence he and his mercenary army perpetrated against all who signed the document and supported limiting a kings powers – that included mass slaughter of families and villagers - in his desire to regain total control… this was also very interesting, but very graphic - i found myself closing my eyes a lot – but they were violent times…

i caught up with a number of people too – usually dinner at my place because it’s just easier – i know exactly what’s gone into the food and nobody that comes to share has any problems with my vegan menu – consequently i cooked, ate and drank soooo much – and i did catch up with a vegan friend that i hadn’t seen for ages – it’s always lovely to speak to a full-on, ra-ra-ra vegan - ahh, another's passionate belief in the things i hold important – it makes the heart sing...

two causes i strongly believe in take ‘centre stage’ this week…

the first one is the oscar’s law rally i’m off to tomorrow -  a campaign to stop the factory farming of companion animals… the campaign is named for this wee little boy who was finally rescued after spending 5 years as a breeding machine for the greed of humans… the sheer neglect these babes suffer is heartbreaking… my old girl allie who died earlier this year spent her first 4 years of ‘life’ as a ‘brood bitch’ in a puppy factory and believe me there are psychological as well as physical scars from the deprivations they endure…

the second cause is palestine’s 'push' for UN recognition of statehood…  over 120 nations from the middle east, africa, asia, and latin america have already endorsed this initiative, but israel and the US are trying to block it... europe is still undecided - sadly it appears australia is undecided too… 44 years of occupation is just way too long - please sign the petition calling on the UN to recognise the state of palestine here…





i'll leave you with this video a friend sent me... 'freed' after decades as laboratory animals in a pharmaceutical research facility, this is the extremely touching vision of a group of chimpanzees seeing the outside world, feeling the sun on their faces and bodies, for the first time... their pleasure is apparent - palpable - and brings a tear to the eye and a smile to the lips... (the commentary isn't in english - but who needs commentary - a picture paints a thousand words)... you can read more here...

and life goes on...

well i wasn't able to stave off the 'lurgy' that's been doing the rounds at work (thanks to poorly people who come to work in the mistaken belief they're no longer contagious - you know who you are!!?!!)... i've been unwell the last couple of days but felt a tad less miserable this morning - luckily, because there was to be no snuggling into a warm bed today - the old girl had wee'd in her sleep so she was damp (but oblivious), i was damp (and very aware of it - the warm stream woke me up), and the bedding was wet and needed to be changed... i should have put her out at 5am when i let the boy out - but she looked so cute, cosy, cuddly and dead to the world!!

now i'd been 'encouraged' to get up, what was i to do but get myself a cuppa and turn on the telly (it was 6.30 sunday morning) - i didn’t watch any of the ‘election day coverage’ yesterday or last night  – like a lot of people i’m over politicians, political speak, grand-standing, empty promises and the blah, blah, blah - but i was somewhat surprised to discover australia had a ‘hung parliament’ – the first in 70 years…

so with no outright winner it appears we have a caretaker government with neither party able to govern in their own right… so now julia and tony have to play the 'i'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' game in order to woo the independents (all right wing apart from the greens - not looking good for labor!!)

the greens made up ground as a viable major party threat, winning their first lower house seat in the electorate of melbourne (previously held by labor for 106 years) and who knows - perhaps the balance of power?

wyatt roy seems set to become the youngest ever member of parliament by taking the seat of longman – not only does young wyatt have a back to front name, this is the first time he's been able to vote in a federal election - he's 20 so was too young to vote in the 'kevin 07' election (ahh, those crazy queenslanders!!!)

of course there are losers, winners and blame aplenty - and the community will no doubt be subjected to watered down half promises and outright backflips - yep, that's politics!!! unfortunately there's no end to the politicking yet folks!!

yawn & sigh…

what i did do last night though was watch a really interesting movie – disgrace – based on a novel by j m coetzee – jon malkovich plays david lurie, a middle-aged academic in post-apartheid south Africa – it explores racial tension, sexual abuse and power, the search for identity, father-daughter relationships (jessica haines plays his daughter lucy) and touches on animal rights… it was thought-provoking and confronting...

and now i can feel the pull of domesticity - towels and bedding won't wash themselves... neither will the dishes, nor will the vaccuuming get done if i don't get up and do it...

ah yes, life does indeed go on…

bring back Buffy...

because the new breed of young, nauseatingly broody vampires need a good slaying!!!

not having read the Stephanie Meyer "Twilight" series - nor having had any inclination to - they're aimed more at the younger adult - i don't know what possessed me to listen to a recommendation by a patron a few weeks ago - but I decided I'd get comfy, snuggle up with Allie and Shadow, give the movie a view - and hopefully enjoy some good entertainment... huh - what a disappointment... guess I was expecting a vampire like Angel - not Edward, who appeared to have watched too many daytime soapies, which is where I suspect the young actor learned his extended 'broodiness for the cameras' look... as for a strong female character like Buffy - Bella was so very different...

a very clever person put the following 'twilight remix' clip together - If Edward stalked Buffy instead of Bella - it's very good - it's been referred to as a 'feminist mash-up' and there's a really interesting piece on it's impact on young girls at WIMN's voices, a group blog on women and media... it does make more sense though if you've seen the movie, but it's a nice dose of Buffy if you're a fan - and Angel was a far superior vampire portrayal - but then I loved "Buffy the vampire slayer" and the "Angel" spin-off!!!!!!

I also started reading the novel "Evolution of the vampire : the Australian story : the beginning" by Juliet Peniston-Bird on the same persons' recommendation - i couldn't get very far into it - there were way too many 'christian vampires' references - you've got to be kidding - maybe 'mills and boon' vampires next??? very disappointing!!!! one i definitely don't recommend...

needless to say, the patron and i obviously have different interpretations of the genre...

i'm not gonna write about it again...

but i'll mention it's that christian 'pagan celebration rip-off' time - easter - and if you weren't following my blog last year you can check out my previous post "another stolen fertility celebration"... oooh, but when you've got the bottomless-pit munchies, walking through a supermarket can be a dangerous thing - all that chocolate on display - forget the shopping list - you can live on chocolate can't you - found the aisle, now where's that fair-trade chocolate???"



caught up with larry-the-librarian the other evening... had a very pleasant 'chin-wag'... shared some organic home produce with him - so nice to be able to share something you grew, made, cooked, whatever, with friends...




hoping to catch up with sailor lily week after next sometime... 'tis her birthday on the 18th april and mine on the 21st - i'm on holidays for the week then, yes!!!! - so can't wait to see her and meet the wee baby Finn...

i finished reading The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale - i really enjoyed it but it did take a while to get into...

have another book by the same author - The Queen of Whale Cay : The Eccentric Story of 'Joe' Carstairs, Fastest Woman on Water - that might be my next read when i finish my current book...

i've been having a nice relaxing weekend so far... almost finished an easy to read (and follow) mystery - Hidden by Katy Gardner - watched an interesting movie last night - 1408... not bad at all if you're into supernatural phenomena etc. - based on a stephen king story....

i've been thinking about what to write about next... thought seeing as how last year on my birthday i started a series of reminiscences of the 60s, i might tackle the 70s this time... an exciting and interesting era - from protests, gough whitlam, disasters to disco (or was disco a disaster too?) - but more of that closer to my birthday!!

i've just finished watching a really, really good movie...


The Bank job ... "Based on the true story of the 1971 Baker Street bank robbery which was hushed up at the time by a Government gagging order. The real story of how one of the biggest robberies in British history took place." read more here.

talk about fucked political morality, graft and corruption... i highly recommend it!!!! one of the best movies i think i've seen in a while!!! brilliant!!!!



just a wee digress before i finish... we're coming up to 12 months in this house - waiting for the agents to let us know when they're coming to inspect the property (they've already bailed once!!!) - hope we get an extension on the lease... this is a grouse house to have two living areas - it's like having your own large flat (duplex?) or half-house - with outdoor areas - and neither of us has to deal with the other human house-dweller if we don't want to (and that happens a lot more these days!!!) - or we can have companionship if we want it... the animals have a wonderful time going between living spaces and different human contact - i luv it, and they luv it... and of course me old girl Allie would find it very difficult (not to mention traumatic) to have to get used to a different place...

since turning 50 a few years ago i just luv having my own space - i need it... solitude is not a dirty word - it's a necessary, sanity-saving interlude to the hustle and bustle of dealing with the outside world - if you work with the public you'll know what i mean!!!!

on that note, it's ciao for now...

Melting moments...

Did your world feel like this the last few days???

I know I felt like this after 3 days of 42+ degrees!!!!

far out, let's hope no more melting temperatures... I don't cope very well... neither does me old girl Allie!!!! and that sort of heat can wreak havoc on a person's thermoregulation...

on the relaxing, leisure side of life....

I've been reading a few biographies lately...


Cups with no handles : memoirs of a grassroots activist by Carolyn Landon

The true story of Bette Boyanton, born in St. Kilda in 1921, feminist and activist -she tried to organise the Commonwealth Match Factory women (girls would probably be more apt for that era) into the union in the late 30s - a fighter against social injustice all her life - in her later life, having, for health and family reasons, moved to the country and, having been inspired by the women's liberation movement’s campaign for women’s learning houses where "under-educated women organised their own classes in craft, drama, creative writing, first aid, nutrition, cooking, history, art, politics, health and other issues" - she was instrumental in setting up the first rural neighbourhood house - the Warragul Neighbourhood House, now called Warragul Community House.

I loved reading about her life and nominated this as my favourite summer read on the SLV voting site!!!

Connie's secret : the true story of a shocking murder and a family mystery at a time when appearances were everything by Anne Lovell

It was February 1939 when Connie Sommerlad was butchered and her brother left for dead in their family farmhouse in rural Tenterfield. The murder was brutal... Jack Kelly, a worker on the Sommerlad property, found guilty of the murder, was to become the last person to be hanged in New South Wales... but there's more to Connie's life than her death!!!!

There's a secret involved - but I'm not going to tell it here!!!! This is a real family-saga-mystery-thriller... let's not forget - it's 1939 Australia - women's place in society was that of 'damned whore or god's police' - so it's a really big secret - so read the book and find out about Connie's life - it's interesting, and very, very sad!!!!

The Lucy Family Alphabet by Judith Lucy

What more can I say??? It's Judith Lucy...

I love her dry (and dark) sense of humour. She says in her postscript that someone said to her after seeing her perform and telling jokes about her parents that she "must hate her family"... she was horrified - she loves them but has no problems seeing them as a bit weird - don't we all feel that way about our families - at least some of the time????

I think my family's weird - but it's weird in a good way - I'm sure there's a lot of comedy that could be found in most family situations... anyway, I got quite a few laughs and some nostalgic flashbacks from her memories...

if only I could stay at home all summer and read... oooh, and maybe watch dvds tooooo....

I watched a documentary - Taxi to the dark side - about the inhumanity and brutality of the torture and interrogation policies and practices of the american "intelligence" agencies (a misnomer if ever I've heard one!!!) and the military (heavily 'encouraged' by a conservative Bush administration!!!) perpetrated against those considered 'terrorist threats' by christian zealots - from Bagram to Abu Ghraib, to Guantanamo Bay detention camp... it's disgusting... it's powerful - I highly recommend it...

I was reminded of a book I read some time ago... "The men who stare at goats" by Ron Jonson - it's along the same theme... and I just discovered while googling that it's being made into a movie, 'in production now', with George Clooney, Ewen McGregor, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges and a cast of 1000s apparently (not really - but there's a helluva lot of names in the credits on imdb... now that will be interesting - due out in December 2009!!!

all I need to do now is decide what to read...

just finished The keepsake by Tess Gerritsen for a quick, edge of seat mystery...

Sailor 'Lil has recommended Poppy Z. Brite... her writing is described as 'dark fantasy' and 'vampiric erotica'... one of my favourite books has been "The witching hour" from the Mayfair Witches series by Anne Rice... I'd call that dark fantasy - it was definitely erotic... so if she writes in a similar vein (huh!!!) to that, I think I might like her... anyway I've decided to read "Love in vein" - edited by Poppy with a few fantasy writer's I like (but never saw as writers of erotica) in the mix... so I'll let you know what I think...

I had the house all to myself (with the 'gang' of course) all day and night on Saturday - so it was a very lazy day... well, Sunday was pretty lazy too!!!! I got a lot of 'reading' done...

My friend 'Lil left a comment on my last post which I have to quote from...

"as bibliophiles we know the power of the book as an object that can travel so far and hold so many stories in its very 'skin'."

it's quite interesting 'Lil mentioned "People of the Book" by Geraldine Brooks...

I just happen to be listening to it at the moment too... it's 'inspired' by a true story... the journey of a rare illuminated manuscript - the Sarajevo Haggadah... it's also about Hanna, a rare-book conservator - her passion and dedication... we follow the Haggadah from the 15th century through to 1996 where Hanna gets the chance to restore the artefact... and why tell you more - it's worth reading!!

and in between listening to this, I also finished reading "Dewey : The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" - I think you might be able to work out what this one's about... it is a really touching story - and beware, tissues are a must when you get to the end of it... beautiful and sad... it's not just about Dewey though, it's also about the people who became his family, and their lives as well... go on, you know you want to read it!!!!

I also managed to watch "The brave one" with Jodie Foster... I quite 'enjoyed' it... sometimes you just need to watch a 'vigilante' film - although the outcome was very unlikely - but definitely desirable!!!! Of course, Jodie Foster was brilliant - or is that just my bias???

And on that note, I'm going to bed and starting another book - "Cups with no handles" - another Summer Read recommendation.