Voting Day

The referendum result was a resounding NO.

As it should be.

When your leader hasn’t even made the effort to read the whole document AND is unable to explain exactly what would happen following a successful YES result, it certainly doesn’t instil confidence.

Thank you Prime Minister Albanese for spending $450million on effectively dividing the country. You had the opportunity in April to cancel the whole thing, but your pride got in the way and you pushed it anyway.

Imagine the good that $450million could have done in this country - especially taking the worsening homelessness crisis into consideration.

Anyway … it’s all over!

I started a new page in my art journal but I haven’t done enough to take a “work in progress” pic. Hopefully I’ll make some progress tomorrow.

I’ve booked a tax appointment next week so I gathered and checked all of the paperwork. This is for the final 2 years of the shop and luckily I have it all together and in folders. It should be easy for the accountant.

I started to tidy up some of the art space. I really need to declutter and clear some space.

Adoring Husband and I did a grocery shop before voting.

Bangers, mash, veg and gravy for dinner.

I fell asleep early last night, around 9.30pm, but I woke at 1am and couldn’t get back to sleep until 3.30am. Harley woke me at 7am.

I’m feeling a bit tired tonight so it’s sleep time for me.

Nite all.

Relax and Breathe

It was nice to do nothing and go nowhere today.

I cooked breakfast for BGWLBH and Adoring Husband.

I played with Harley.

I made tea and toast for myself and returned to bed to watch the movie “Babylon”.

I played with Harley again.

I finished a couple of art pieces. My fish and the dragonfly.

I watched my quiz shows.

I crumbed chicken and made salads for dinner.

That’s it!

Time to sleep now.

Nite all.

Mountain Drive

“Do you love me?” asked Alice.

“No, I don't love you” the White Rabbit answered.

Alice frowned her forehead and put her hands together as she always did when she felt hurt.

“See?” the White rabbit replied, noticing.

“Now you'll start wondering what makes you so imperfect and what you did wrong so I can't love you at least a little...

You know, this is why I can't love you. You will not always be loved Alice.

There will be days when others will be tired and bored with life, they will have their heads in the clouds and will end up hurting you...

Because people are like this, sometimes, Alice. Somehow, they always end up hurting each other's feelings, whether by neglect, misunderstanding or conflicts within themselves...

If you don't love yourself, at least a little... if you don't create an armor of self-love and happiness around your heart... the setbacks caused by others will become lethal and destroy you...

The first time I saw you I made a pact with myself: I will avoid loving you until you learn to love yourself!"

~ Alice in Wonderland

We had a great drive to Bauple this morning. The weather was delightful, the traffic was light, the road was smooth and new, the directions were easy, the people were warm and inviting and the trip was a roaring success.

The coffee shop no longer exists, the service station no longer exists, the mini supermarket come cafe no longer exists and Bauple is no longer the thriving hub that it once was, however there are plenty of lovely homes and friendly happy people.

We were invited for tea and coffee by complete strangers and we met four Bauple residents who gave us a rundown on what’s been happening with the town and who all agreed how much they love living there.

From there we met another local couple who were fabulous. Their 2 acre property is on the market and we got to inspect it, spending more than two hours with them and learning all about the previous owner and all the changes they’ve made in the last three years.

Beautiful people on a beautiful property.

It was a long day and we arrived home after 3.30pm. An early dinner of easy tacos.

I am buggered so sleep time for me.

Nite all.

Another Session

Meditation today = Perfect

Qigong today = Perfect

2.5 hour session with The Gypsy today = Perfect Enlightening Refreshing Cleansing Joyful Affirming

2 fresh crab meat sandwiches for a late lunch = Perfect

Duck with chilli cranberry sauce, mash and stuffed zucchini for dinner = Well received

Cuddles with Harley = Perfect

Going for a drive to Bauple tomorrow so sleep time for me.

Nite all.

End of Season

We were very surprised when Captain Phil announced that today’s whale trip was the final one of this season for the Boat Club boat!

We had no idea!

There were only seventeen of us on board.

On the way out he also announced that we had perfect conditions for the trip.

As we left the marina, the sky was grey and gloomy but the water was still and calm and it looked like he might be right … until 20 minutes later when we were heading straight towards this …

Storms surrounded us …

… making the water rough and choppy and the wind positively gale force!

I’m so grateful that I took half a travelcalm! BGWLBH and I even sat downstairs and indoors for some of the trip.

For the first 2.5 hours we chased whales that didn’t want to be caught. We barely caught glimpses of them as they moved as far away from us as they could.

Just as we were considering turning back (because the weather was once again looking ominous) we came upon a pod of 8 whales. There were four mothers each with a baby.

As we approached, two of the mothers and their babies went under the water and disappeared, while the other four whales were very curious and came right up close to the boat, popping their heads up to have a closer look at us.

I was standing on the bottom deck right up front and if I’d reached out, I could have touched them! They were so close I was overwhelmed with emotion and struggled to hold it together.

They hung around for about 20 minutes with the little ones flapping their tails and showing off like puppies with the zoomies and the Mums were gentle and led them around the boat like they were proudly displaying their offspring.

*sigh*

I didn’t have my phone in hand so I got no pics but BGWLBH took a couple.

It was the BEST end to a very ordinary whale trip!

During the trip we also saw leaping mullet, flitting bait fish, dolphins, a lions mane jellyfish and a white breasted sea eagle.

The water was much calmer on the trip home because we got close to the beaches of Fraser Island (K’gari)

Thanks to Capt Phil and his final whale stop, we were VERY late back to the marina.

BGWLBH and I stopped for coffee and a toilet break at the Boat Club. We were wind swept and slightly chilled from our day out and it was nice to be inside away from the cold wind and the rocking boat and the rain. It took a little while for the ground to stop moving under my feet!

We stopped at the fisheries where I bought a couple of bags of crab meat. Expensive but worth it. Fresh bread and butter and instant crab meat without all the mess of shelling the crabs.

Of course we had to stop at the bakery to get some low GI bread - the only bread not to upset my tummy.

When we arrived home I sent Adoring Husband to the butcher for meat while I made mashed potato and mixed greens (spinach, snow peas, green beans and asparagus) cooked in garlic butter. He cooked the meat on the barbecue.

So my house mates ate that meal and I made crab sandwiches for myself. We ate before 5pm! Like old people!

Tomorrow is meditation day and qigong so it’s time to sleep.

Nite all.

Just Saying

Aboriginal History

Dot painting was invented in 1971 by Geoffrey Bardon who then taught the style to aborigines. There are no dot paintings in caves.

The Welcome to Country Ceremony was invented in 1976 by Ernie Dingo and Richard Walley to welcome Maori performers.

There is no aboriginal word for a Welcome To Country like the Maori's Haka.

How can it be an 'ancient Ceremony' if there is no word for it. How could someone say, 'Who's going to perform the welcome to country ceremony'?

The Acknowledgement of Country was invented in 1990s.

The Smoking Ceremony is also a recent invention.

There is no film or video evidence of any of these ceremonies at important events such as royal tours, the 1956 Olympics etc., prior to the 1970s and 1990s.

'Walkabout; is also considered an offensive term, since it implies someone is lazy, despite it being an integral part of initiation ceremonies.

The ‘oldest living culture' is not just factually incorrect, it defies logic. The branch of the tree cannot be older than the tree itself.

Humans evolved in Africa. There are African tribes who live exactly as they did 100,000 years ago, without mobile phones, 4WDs, or welfare, etc. Aborigines are descended from these tribes as humans moved out of Africa around the world.

As such, Aboriginal culture cannot possibly be older than the cultures from which it evolved.

Today was Bathurst day, so we left Adoring Husband to it and we got the hell outta Dodge.

Tomorrow is yet another whale watch day. It will be my 6th trip this season!

Time to sleep.

Nite all.