Month: September 2017

Merkels Paradigm has Outlived Itself

http://www.zeit.de/kultur/2017-09/angela-merkel-chancellor-confidence-english

This is a very interesting article about the present political situation in Germany. I wonder what government is Germany going to have in future. These are very uncertain times. I think for the stability in Germany and Europe it is important that Germany is not going too far right leaning in the coming years. During the last election  in Germany the voters voted in quite a number of different parties. That means that no party is strong enough  to govern in their own right. But so far Merkel’s  party is still the strongest oneof them all. The question is, if Merkel has now to form a coalition without the SPD (Labour  Party) with what  other parties could Merkel form  a successful coalition?

“All the Birds, Singing” by Evie Wyld

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/30/evie-wyld-birds-singing-review

In our cabin at BIG4 Nambucca Beach Park I actually was able to do a lot of reading. I had taken “All the Birds, Singing” along. I had started reading this novel some time ago, but had not read very much of it yet. Our double bed had very good reading lamps on each side above the bed. So both Peter and I felt encouraged to spend quite a bit of time reading. My book did get extremely interesting and I could not put it down anymore. Each day, that is Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, I was reading, reading, reading. We had to leave the cabin Thursday morning. Alas, I got to the last pages on Wednesday and finished reading this book. I learned about the fate of a girl from Australia, who went through some horrible experiences. But in the end it only made her stronger. She became a sheep farmer and owned her own farm  on a very lonely island. At first I thought how can a life like this be very interesting? This story is told in the first person. It was absolutely captivating to gradually find out what happened to her as a child and during her teenage years.

Below I copied a bit from an interview at the Sydney Writers’ Festival:

https://writersedit.com/fiction-writing/sydney-writers-festival-evie-wyld-all-the-birds-singing/

On Writing Novels & Endings with Evie Wyld at Sydney Writers’ Festival

The Roslyn Packer Theatre was abuzz with chatter, much about Evie Wyld and her latest novel All the Birds, Singing. There’s often much contention about the ending, and while people tossed up theories and commented on Wyld’s Miles Franklin win, the lights went down and Evie stepped onto the stage.

With her fringe and bright yellow shoes she was already a character in herself. And throughout the hour, Wyld spoke with wit and wisdom (my notes are a slanted scribble that’s hard to decipher; a testament to the great things I heard and couldn’t get down quick enough).

Evie Wyld

Gothic and Horror as a Modern Genre

Wyld started by reading from her novel, All the Birds Singing, emphasising the imagery of death and blood, bringing a chill and a hush over the theatre. The first question asked was about the gothic canon, and how Wyld has used horror as a genre in a contemporary way. I’d never thought of All the Birds, Singing as a gothic novel and having it pointed out (and listening to Wyld read), it seemed rather obvious! The moody English island, the dark past, the mangled deaths of sheep…

Marriage Law Postal Survey

I burnt my survey papers. I refuse to participate in such a sham, expensive process, masquerading as democracy.

https://marriagesurvey.abs.gov.au/

“Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey
Event
The Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey is a national voluntary survey to gauge support for legalising same-sex marriage being held in Australia via the postal service between 12 September and 7 November 2017. “Wikipedia
Result: Result announced 15 November 2017
Organized by: Australian Bureau of Statistics

Our Walk along the Beach at Nambucca Heads

Early in the morning we went for a walk along the beach in our toe shoes. Later on on that day we had a beautiful warm 30 Degrees Celsius. The beach was just lovely so early in the morning. We saw quite a few people walking along there, some with a dog or two. Several people started a conversation with us. One man said that he was from Melbourne. Another man had a dog that was part dingo. the man said the dog was very shy of people and was only one year old. Near where our camp was, there was a lot of driftwood.

 

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Peter  kneeling down taking a photo of that uprooted tree which obviously belonged to the shore line that is why I probably should not call it ‘driftwood’.

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And here we are back at our camp site:

 

Big4 Nambucca Beach Holiday Park

“Our dog friendly holiday park is set on the beach and in natural bushland with abundant wildlife. Enjoy 4 star accommodation in this retro funky park.Choose from a elevated surf shack, funky bathing box, beachfront villa, drive-through or ensuite powered site, standard or budget powered site. Wake up in the morning and go for a stroll on the beach while the kids have a ball on the jumping pillow, heated pool and playground. In the afternoon, go for a drive to the on the beach to the Valla lagoon or pain a rock on the well renowned V wall. We pride ourselves on excellent customer service and super clean facilities. More information and online bookings on.”
We booked accommodation for five nights in this holiday park.  It says:

Fan – Toilet – Bathroom – Private Entrance – Sofa – Wardrobe/Closet

Leaving tomorrow morning and driving up to the North Coast of New South Wales, we are going to stop for one night at Taree. On the way back home we are going to stop for one night at Newcastle.