Yep, heading home after a long week in Denver attending a conference and sitting in a bar at Denver airport killing time. I mean, what else can you do at an airport other than drink coffee or beer and eat. I suppose you could wander aimlessly wondering how you can spend that last $18 of local currency that’s not worth hanging onto. And it’s not worth worrying about the price because what else are you going to do?
Anyway, fairly easy trip in a shuttle out to the airport and then got changed into more comfortable travel clothes and packed the bag before checking in. Managed to get a window seat to LA and then and aisle on the jumbo for the 14 hour flight to Melbourne. I bought myself one of those travel pillows to wrap around my neck and will be very interested in how it goes. A few hours sleep between the movies will be very welcome.
Denver is a large airport and a significant domestic transfer hub and quite busy. Architecturally it’s special with a marquee type vinyl roof intended to reflect the Rocky Mountains. Actually looks a little like a Bedouin tent from the outside and provides a nice diffused light inside. So, people are busy eating fast food, hanging around, sleeping on the floor, browsing the stores, sponging free wifi (like me) and generally making the most of being captive in this closed system environment. Yep, there are rules and lots of security (particularly getting out to your departure gate), and I was impressed by the ‘ambassadors’ stationed around the concourses who seem to be retired people that answer questions and provide help if you need it.
I suppose the one thing everybody has in common at an airport is that they are all going somewhere – unless they are seeing someone off, or work there. There’s a mixed mood of excitement about heading off somewhere as well as one of frustration as the sense of movement is stymied by the processes and systems of security checks. I reckon fair enough, because I for one would like to be safe as I travel and recommend giving yourself some time between connections so you don’t get stressed.
Now time has been killed, and blog post written – might mosey off to my gate and then sit around to read my magazine and/or book as I’ve another hour till boarding. Oh, and hoping the new pillow will perform as advertised.
During the first weekend in April we enjoyed some time in Castlemaine in rural Victoria (rather than the usual trip down to Cape Otway). It happened to be the opening weekend of the (10 day) Castlemaine State Festival and we thought it would be fun to check out some of the local arts & crafts and get away for a few days. Very thankful for the perfect weather and it was fairly easy to walk around the town checking out what was on display. Amongst other things, found a large sculpture of a sitting Buddha made up of recycled computer motherboards.
There seems to be lots of local painters, sculptors, writers etc. living in around Castlemaine and we managed to get around to see quit a few things on display in public venues as well as in their home-galleries. This meant a little bit of driving as some people live out of town. We didn’t get to see any performances (other than street buskers etc.) but great to see plenty of public activities and the farmers market on the Sunday. We also dropped into the local library and were amazed by a display of some of things that have been found in returned books.
On the Saturday afternoon we caught the VLine train into Melbourne, and went to see play Café Scheherazade. This was a very special and enjoyable experience. We know the book by Arnold Zable, and have been to the cafe itself for a meal, so to watch this story performed (from the front row) was wonderful indeed. This was a lovely treatment of an emotional story(s), and managed to portray the complexities of the lives of those who have lived through the Holocaust and eventually migrated to Australia.
Fantastic that we could have some time out and be inspired by the beautiful countryside and the diverse creativity of people.
We’re very happy to live in an established neighbourhood with lots of trees. This ensures plenty of bird life, possums and recently a few fruit bats (or flying fox) enjoying the environment along with the residents. I came home in the evening mid week and spotted a Tawny Frogmouth on the wires above the driveway, raced in & got the camera and managed to take a snap before it flew off.
This weekend though, we’ve been distressed to see two magpies and a fruit bat hanging lifelessly from the power lines (there was also another dead fruit bat straddling the wires further up the street). Somehow they’ve managed to electrocute themselves across the wires. The electricity company has been called to get them down (if they down’t blow off before then) and we’ve asked them to check if the wires are too close together…
Seems such a shame that our suburban infrastructure can be so dangerous for the wildlife. I’m sure there must be ways to prevent things like this from happening.
After a busy week for both of us it was time for a break, time-out, culture day. We headed up to Melbourne early in the morning and enjoyed seeing the Altocumulus (mackerel sky) clouds from the freeway. An easy drive up compared with the usual busy weekday traffic.
First stop the NGV Melbourne for a look at the Gustav Moreau exhibition. A great collection of work from a prolific painter & drawer. He had a thing for the old mythical dramas and had mixed up his painting style with drawing, paint (both oil & acrylic), & etching to crate a mashup type style (which brought out the critics). Also caught the Luminous Cities exhibition of photos of the built environment from the 19th through to the 20th century. Some nice old black & white photos of Rome that brought back memories of our visits there.
Headed off for a coffee and a raspberry muffin and came across the Little Bookroom (their new store) in Degraves Street. Nice shop with lovely books (for kids) and some expensive collectors items… It was interesting to compare this book business with the mega Borders & Angus & Robertson chains, and to think about the different business models. Seems one might be more successful than the other. Note to self: must check out the original Little Bookroom store in Nicholson Street some time. Then we had a quick stop of at the South Melbourne markets before heading home.
Then is was out to the multicultural Pako Festa – we were too late to see the parade this year. Lots of people out enjoying the afternoon with ethnic dress, food and performances making for a lively saunter down the street. Last year the kids all had silly string, but this year it was air horns and vuvuzelas (more noise – but not as messy). The Spanish were very busy dishing up (and making more) paella, and the pubs were filled to bursting. It’s great to see this festival is alive and well. All up a busy day, but great to spend time absorbing some culture.
Last weekend I took apart an old, dead commando (Victa mower that is) and enjoyed getting dirty and learning about carburettors. This broken mower had been disposed of at a rubbish recycling depot and salvaged to be sold at their shop for $15. I was after a mower the same as an old one we have and thought it would be useful for parts. It still had compression when I pulled on the rope so thought it might be worth getting.
On getting it home it actually seemed in better nick (wheels & frame) than my other one, so thought I should have a go at cleaning it up and seeing if I could get it going. I thought I might see if there was an online manual for the mower so I’d be able to get it all back together if I pulled it apart. I actually found a couple of videos on youtube where a young fellow (geoff390) had recorded his attempts at dismantling and reassembling one of these mowers. Watching this helped me understand what would need doing to return the carburettor back to working condition.
So, pulling everything apart was easy enough, and I worked out what parts I’d need to get it back into working order. It seemed that things were a little clogged up with gunk so I needed to clean the parts in petrol and to find an air filter, an o ring, some fuel line, and a set of blades. A couple of hours later I had it all back together (thanks to John for the parts) and tentatively pulled the rope. It started first go! There was a metallic click from the blades as it was running though, and I discovered I’d put the platter & blades on upside-down (a Murphy’s Law design problem) but fixed that easily enough. After parts, I now have a $31 mower that’ll go for a few years yet…
A wonderful (and successful) learning experience that’s got me thinking about purpose, intention, & passion in education. I’ll blog somewhere else about that…
Just back into that other dimension of regular life (and work) after a couple of (very relaxing) weeks spent in the bush. This summer, down on Cape Otway, we managed to have a wonderful time enjoying a life at a different pace with no pressures or timetables. What a gift to pause (stop doing some things) and indulge yourself in (sort of selfish) simple pleasures. Forest walks, beach strolls, reading, talking, eating & drinking, and even doing basic chores, make for a very refreshing time. A bit like chicken soup – good for the soul.
Good food featured quite a bit this year with puddings, soups, coq au vin, and roasts being crafted in the camp oven and wok. We were even able to quaff some home brewed beer which was brought down & chilled. There’s definitely something special about cooking & eating outdoors.
The Koala’s have been busy finding ways to circumvent the polycarbonite bands I put around the trees. They climb up other trees & jump across as well as using the pads on their feet (rather than claws) to scrabble over the slippery surface. Looks like I’ll have to add another band to make it harder if I want to keep them from eating all the leaves & killing the trees. Also lots of birds, king parrots, wrens, cockatoos, kookaburras, magpies, wattlebirds etc. as well as a couple of different wallabies. Fun to hear the young birds practising their calls & generally squawking a lot in an attempt to get a free freed from mum & dad.
So, now have been back at work for a week and trying hard to keep the work/life balance in order – we’ll see how we go…
PS. Looks like I’m going to have to invest in MarsEdit – works a treat…
I’ve been struggling to have my images upload along with my post in the MacJournal software. It’s been a love/hate relationship as the functionality has worked – but not consistently and now it doesn’t work at all.
So, I’m trying MarsEdit and hoping that this new software will do the trick – this is my first attempt.
I’ve realised that my grand intentions to post more frequently have not been realised. It doesn’t matter – there are no rules. Just to say that life’s been fantastically busy.
When I sat down to write this I couldn’t think of what I might write about, but note that there are two things I’d like to share. Books I’ve read recently and films I’ve watched. Cold rainy days means time inside and books (and films) are useful diversions.
The first book is Pompeii by Robert Harris. A great insight into life & times of the Romans over four days around the time of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD. I enjoyed this story as we’d visited Pompeii this year and it added some understanding to what things might have been like. The story is about the experience of a young man who has come from Rome to look after the aqueduct that brings water to eight cities on the Bay of Naples. The water stops and he needs to find out why…
The second book is My Father’s Glory & My Mother’s Castle by Marcel Pagnol. Set in Provence in Southern France these two autobiographical stories tell us about Marcel Pagnol’s childhood. We have also travelled in this part of the world and it was nice to read about summer holidays spent in the countryside. They have also been made into films which we’ll be watching shortly. We’ve also seen two other films set in Provence based on stories by Pagnol called Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. These stories are set around the turn of the century and give a wonderful portrayal rural village life filled with interesting characters. We also found the Fanny Trilogy by Pagnol which are three films adapted from plays set on the Marseille waterfront. A great love story that made it onto film in the mid 1930s.
So, if you are trapped indoors by the rain – you’d do worse than spend some time experiencing Marcel Pagnol’s world.
Well, there we go again. Just when I thought I’d had an afternoon off to catch up on some of my own plans, the sewerage gets blocked. Like, and properly. It needs un-blocking because it won’t take any more water etc. No flushing toilets, no washing etc.etc. …and we’ve got people coming over tomorrow.
Dang! After spending the morning on jobbies, I wasn’t in the mood to have to deal with this development. Anyway, had a think about and we rang a friend who said he’d unblocked a few and had a grubber thingy. So, grubber thing came round but it still took three hours to get it sorted. Very thankful that there’s now some flow, and that we didn’t have to get the (expensive) plumber out… Now to get some copper sulphate to send down the pipes to kill the roots…
I don’t mind chores as there is some satisfaction in getting them done and I’ve realised long ago that life is a chore. Things have a changes since centuries ago and the types of chores we do have changed. Even though life in some sense has become easier, there are still things to do, get organised, ticked off the list. The jobs may be different but they are a part of getting on with it. They are a part of living and making an existence, we need to move, otherwise we’ll die. So, next time there’s a list of things to do, I’ll just plunge in and tick them off, one at a time.
a quick entry before we head off on a time of holiday travelling in Europe again. It’s been a very busy first half of the year and time for a much needed break away from the normal routines and demands. Heading off to the airport soon, and once we get through check-in and customs I’ll be sighing with relief and starting to relax. Looking forward to warmer weather and seeing some more of Italy (particularly Sicily) and a conference in Barcelona.
You can follow the journey at the Europe 2010 blog.
