Christmas Carols, COVID and Connection – December 2021
This December I gave my vocal cords a real workout. Not by talking about ‘the virus COVID 19, 20 and currently 21’ nonstop but by singing Christmas carols. As Ed Ayers from ABC Classic radio wisely said, “music is the greatest gift of all”. We all know that. During times of crisis, people everywhere in […]
I took my harp to a party ….
Today I took my harp Brandden, named after his maker, to a party. It was his first outing in over five years. I had been asked to play at a Christmas function at a palliative care home. About twenty residents attended the party in the dining room, most of whom walked in or were wheeled […]
How about wind power for cargo ships?
What do Viking boats, Chinese junks and Spanish galleons have in common? They are all propelled by wind power. Marine vessels propelled by the power of wind are nothing new. Humans have known about this since 3 400 BC when the first sailing ship was developed in Ancient Egypt. I wonder if they emitted any […]
Another world record for Melbourne, Victoria
First let me recap. For four consecutive years, Melbourne has been ranked the most liveable city in the world. But now we have a world record of a different kind. We have achieved the world’s longest COVID-19 lockdown. Melbourne already held that grisly record last year but that has since been disputed. But there’s no […]
Construction workers – No jab, no job
Today is the seventh day of THE Melbourne protests that began on 20 September outside the CFMEU office. The protests were instigated by mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for construction workers. The government took this approach because hundreds of new infections have been linked to building sites. The industry was given notice weeks earlier about non-compliance with […]
Riots, lockdowns and now an earthquake. What’s next for Victoria?
It was Wednesday about 9:20 in the morning of the 22nd of September, 2021. I was making a coffee. Suddenly the windows started clanging. The front screen door was banging as it was opening and shutting by itself. The apartment started swaying. No, it wasn’t a scene from a horror film. It was an earthquake. […]
There’s only one way out of Lockdown #6
In Victoria we are now well into Week 4 of our one-week lockdown. It started on 5 August after a mystery infection of the Delta strain of COVID-19 was detected. Now it’s raging across the state with no end in sight. So far only three people have died. That’s still three people too many. Compare […]
Letter to Lockdown #6 protesters
Dear Protesters, You are not alone. We all want freedom. But your actions are delaying freedom indefinitely and endangering the lives of the rest of the population. If you have children think about them. I’m sure you know that one in four new Covid cases are children. When I see your violent protests on the […]
My holiday snaps; the best of 2020/21
I’ve been limiting my holidays to within five kilometres of my home during 2020/21. And I must say it’s been amazingly stress free. There’s no need to waste hours making online bookings or pack heavy suitcases to fly to overseas destinations or over Australian borders. There’s no need to take trains, trams, buses or taxis […]
And now Lockdown #6 for Victoria, Australia
There was movement at the station, for the word had passed around (Henry Lawson, 1895). No seriously. It was at Flinders Street Station. Hundreds had gathered after text messages had been sent around. People were going crazy. enjoying the opportunity to protest again. They seized the moment to attack, kick and throw bottles at police […]