nectar for a parched land

aah, it was wonderful to look out the window this morning and see the mother's healing tonic... who would have thought just a few weeks ago we were in the throes of an incredible meltdown with death and destruction affecting us all in one way or another here in Victoria...

ironic though that today sees a major 'bushfire relief' concert happening simultaneously in Melbourne and Sydney... the line-up is incredible - Melbourne's line-up includes Jet, Gabriella Cilmi, Kings Of Leon, Paul Kelly, Augie March, Kasey Chambers & Shane Nicholson, Liam Finn, Jack Johnson, Wolfmother, Hunters & Collectors, Split Enz, Midnight Oil, while Sydney's includes Coldplay, Wolfmother, Hoodoo Gurus, You Am I, Josh Pyke, Marcia Hines, Taylor Swift, Eskimo Joe, Jet, Icehouse, Barry Gibb - Jet and Wolfmother are playing both concerts - very noble of the young lads...

I would love to have gone... so many of my favourite (old and new) bands... but with them all spread out over 12 hours I just couldn't leave me old girl for that long... and it would be such a long day for me these days - I think 'artificial stimulants' would be a necessity to 'go the distance' (gettin' old sucks - and I did take a variety of drugs when I was younger - hey, I was growing up in the 60s & 70s!!!! - no doubt that's had an effect on the body too!!!!)

anyway, I've put together a YouTube 'thingy' featuring some of those playing at the benefit for your listening pleasure (well, pleasure might be a stretch for some!!!) - and it's taken most of the day - I just had to listen to soooo many songs... as an 'Oils' fan I find it strange that Peter Garrett can justify being a politician to himself (having been totally stymied since becoming a minister) when he sings songs like Power and the Passion - "it's better to die on your feet than live on your knees" - Short Memory, US Forces etc. - you can't change the system from within because you become a cog in the party political machine - you have to follow the party line so you can't be honest or vocal about personal political beliefs - and the labour party sold out ages ago!!!! (sorry, went off on a tangent there)... looking forward to the dvd of the concert though - surely they'll produce one... that would be a massive 'boon' for everyone affected by the bushfires - the survivors, welfare agencies, animal rescue agencies... yeah, of course they will...

now I'm going to sit back and relax... been a returns and shelving nightmare kind of week at work (ooooh, miss you in the mornings 'Lil!!!!)....

there are some mouth-watering smells coming from the kitchen teasing the senses at the moment - Brann's cooking a yummy vego indian feast for dinner - 'all's right with the world' for the time being...

so enjoy the rain and I'll finish with this quote by Susan Allen Toth from her book "England for all seasons"...

"The best kind of rain, of course, is a cozy rain. This is the kind the anonymous medieval poet makes me remember, the rain that falls on a day when you'd just as soon stay in bed a little longer, write letters or read a good book by the fire, take early tea with hot scones and jam and look out the streaked window with complacency."