Easter 2015 (continued)

In preparation for breakfast . . .
In preparation for breakfast . . .

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For breakfast we had filter coffee, boiled eggs, warm bread rolls out of the oven, as well as some orange juice.
After breakfast at eight we left for the drive to the bottom of Macquarie Pass from where Peter, Caroline and Matthew went on their nice little walk to the waterfall while I stayed outside in the beautiful, warming sun. Towards 11 o’clock we were on the way back home. Matthew was driving. He stopped on the way at a Pie shop in Dapto that was open! Several pieces of cake and a few pies were purchased.

So at eleven at was time for us to have our morning tea and to eat some of the things from the Pie shop. For lunch we had to wait quite a while for Monika and her family were a bit late in arriving. All in all we expected six additional persons for lunch.

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Monika came in her car. She has a special child’s seat in her car. Her daughters Tash and Krystal came along too, as well as Tiana, the daughter of Mark. Krystal and Tiana are university students, whereas Tash has a job with the Postal Service. Tash is going to have an engagement celebration this coming Saturday. Krystal turned 18 on Easter Sunday. She had a birthday party the night before her birthday. She started university at the start of this year when she was not even 18 yet. Monica’s daughter Roxy did not come yesterday. But we are going to see her for sure at Tash’s party next Saturday. This is also when we are going to see Troy as well as Ryan and Ebony with their two little sons. It was so lovely that we could see Lucas already yesterday. Tiana kept carrying him. She said he was so cuddly. He did feel a bit tired for a while after they arrived. I think he had already seen Ebony’s parents in the morning and then he was at grandma Monika’s place  for a while. After lunch Lucas went outside for some egg hunting. Everybody watched him as he was doing this! Tash and I took pictures.

Back to lunch now. Caroline and Matthew had earlier baked the leg of lamb.  We had bought this meat, 2.7 kg of it,  at Aldi’s the morning after Peter’s eye op.  It only needed heating. Matthew sliced it. I had cooked some red cabbage the previous day. This also needed just some heating up. Caroline cooked green beans and sweat potatoes. Some other potatoes were baked in the oven together with the meat. Caroline filled up a jug with tap water and set the table with this jug, glasses, plates and cutlery. Peter sat up some extra chairs around the table. I think all I had done was to cut the sweat potatoes and to help with the tablecloth. I also took a few pictures of the lunch table.

In between I had another turn of rapid heartbeat. So I stretched out a bit on the sofa to calm down. A few times I did get a bit short of breath. When this happens, I know, I have to take a rest. I am always worried, others might think, I am just lazy! Anyhow, here are the lunch pictures now;

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I served myself only vegies, not meat for me please.
I served myself only vegies, not meat for me please.
Lucas had no problem with counting all this eggs in his basket.
Lucas had no problem with counting all this eggs in his basket.

Yes, he knew at every stage how many eggs there were in the basket. Later on Tiana made him count all the chicks he could see. I think he counted right up to twenty!

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The girls left early with Lucas to take him home. Tiana drove. She took Monika’s car. Monika went home later with Mark who had come in his car. He had come a bit later for he first had to do something for his mother.

We had a nice coffee afternoon with Monika, Mark, Caroline and Matthew. We animatedly talked about a lot of things. And we did not even drink one bit of liquor! Nobody thought of doing the dishes that had piled up in the kitchen. I had no idea Caroline and Matthew wanted to travel back to Sydney soon after Monika and Mark left. I thought they would stay till Easter Monday. Nobody had told me they wanted to be home on Sunday already. I am afraid I said in a probably snappish sounding voice: So, you are going to leave us with all the dishes!

Caroline became upset. Peter said she cried. Peter said he could do the dishes. I would not have to do a thing. In the end Caroline and Matthew decided they would catch their train one hour later and do the dishes in the meantime. I was very happy that Peter did not have to do the dishes. I probably could have helped him with putting away some of the dishes. However it would really have been such an effort for us oldies. I felt we needed a more restful evening.

I was very grateful that Caroline and Matthew cleaned up the kitchen. They did it very quickly and efficiently. I thanked them for it before they left and apologised that I had been playing up so much. When Caroline had arrived back in Sydney she sent Peter a message on his phone, saying that she loved us both.

When Peter accused me of treating Caroline like a slave, I felt really awful.

At the Bottom of Macquarie Pass on Easter Sunday Morning

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We were lucky yesterday, on Easter Sunday: There was beautiful sunshine all day after a lot of rain during the previous days. Early in the morning we went with Caroline and Matthew to the bottom of Macquarie Pass. It was easy parking there. At the other end of this beautiful green grass area is a path that leads to a waterfall. Everyone wanted to go on that walk to the waterfall. They all said I should come too. But I decided against it. I thought the path might be too slippery for me. I did not want to risk it. I had taken a picnic rug along and made myself comfortable near a table with bench. Peter took this picture of me:

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I thought it was very pleasant to sit for about an hour in the morning sun. I did not mind this at all while the others disappeared to walk to the waterfall. All the following pictures Peter did bring back from their walk.

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Brother Sun, Sister Moon

  1.  Peter and I saw this movie on SBS on Good Friday. We very much liked the music and the beautiful Italian scenery.  Here I copy some of the reviews I found in Google.
    Brother Sun, Sister Moon
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    Theatrical release poster
    Directed by Franco Zeffirelli
    Written by Suso Cecchi d’Amico
    Kenneth Ross
    Starring Graham Faulkner
    Judi Bowker
    Music by Riz Ortolani
    Donovan (songs)
    Cinematography Ennio Guarnieri
    Edited by Reginald Mills
    Distributed by Paramount Pictures (USA),Cinema International Corporation (non-U.S.A.)
    Release dates
    • 2 December 1972
    Running time
    135 /122 min.
    Country Italy / United Kingdom
    Language English
    Box office $1,200,000 (US/ Canada rentals)[1]
    A medieval Italian wastrel (Graham Faulkner) becomes Francis of Assisi, founder of an order under Pope Innocent III (Alec Guinness).

By Brian E. Erland

. . . . .  What we do have in ‘Brother Sun, Sister Moon’ is a film of overpowering innocence and spiritual purity. It’s a story of one man’s vision of the “Life of Christ” and his commitment to living that vision to its fullest. Coupled with some of the most amazing scenic footage of the Italian countryside you’ll ever see Zefirelli has given us not only a moving spiritual document but a visual feast not soon to be forgotten.

Praise should also be given to a young cast, most of whom I’ve never seen in anything else. Graham Faulkner “is” Saint Francis as far as I’m concerned. Leigh Lawson was superb as his best friend Bernardo, as was Judi Bowker as the lovely Clare.

By Daniel Y. Graybeal

. . . .  I was pleased to see effective focus of the camera upon the facial expressions of the characters. For example, the eyes of Alec Guinness’s Pope Innocent III clearly show me his great warmth and concern for young Francis as he asks the Holy See for his advice. Francis’s eyes likewise convey his deep humility and sincerity. Pietro, ripping his bread from his jaws as he eats, reveals his fury raging uncontrollably. The filming also glorifies the fabulous scenery of Italy. . . .

Kevin Rudd at TED Conference

The following I found in Google and copied it. 

 

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/kevin-rudd-appears-at-ted-truth-or-dare-conference-makes-terrible-dad-jokes/story-fn5tas5k-1227289956093

Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has turned out his classic Kevin ‘07 election line, but this time, he’s international.

Formerly, “My name’s Kevin, I’m from Queensland and I’m here to help”, the former Labor Party leader opened with the zinger after he zipped to Canada last month to talk China and US relations at the TED Truth or Dare conference. The full video was uploaded on Wednesday.

In his 20-minute speech, Rudd, billed an “international relations expert”, outlined what the future holds for the “giants of the 21st century” and how their decisions “will affect all of us in ways perhaps we’ve never thought of”.

kevin rudd ted talk

Kevin Rudd made his debut on the TED stage, but his jokes fell flat.

He urged the countries to reflect on history and learn from our previous mistakes and called for the US to engage in a better understanding of China’s culture.

But what’s a Kevin Rudd speech without a Ruddism, or three?

Without fail, he delivered. Here’s the best of the worst.

Kevin Rudd: Are China and the US doomed to conflict?

WEED JOKE FALLS FLAT

If China does become the world’s largest economy, think about this.

It will be the first time since George III was on the throne of England that in the world we will have as the largest economy a non-English speaking country, a non-Western country, a non liberal-democratic country.

And if you don’t think that’s going to affect the way the world happens in the future, then personally I think you’ve been smoking something — and that doesn’t mean you are from Colorado.

HIS HANDS WERE CLEARLY NOT BUILT FOR FARMING

Soft and supple: These certainly aren’t farming hands.

Soft and supple: These certainly aren’t farming hands. Source: Supplied

People ask me why is it that a kid growing up in rural Australia got interested in learning Chinese. This is Betsy the cow. Betsy the cow was one of a herd of dairy cattle that I grew up with on a farm in rural Australia. See these hands, they’re not built for farming.

So very early on I discovered that in fact working on a farm was not designed for me and China was a safe remove from any career in Australian farm life.

KEVIN THE CONQUEROR?

The great thing about learning Chinese is that your Chinese teacher gives you a new name:

“Conqueror of the classics”. Any of you guys called Kevin? It’s a major lift from being called Kevin to be called “Conqueror of the classics”.

KEVIN TALKS ORGASMS

The ambassador began with this inelegant phrase, he said, ‘China and Australia are currently enjoying a relationship of unprecedented closeness’.

I thought to myself, ‘that sounds clumsy, that sounds odd, I will improve it’.

Note to file, never do that. It needed to be a little more elegant a little more classical, so I rendered it.

There was a big pause on the other side of the room.

The blood was visibly draining from their face … when I rendered his sentence … in fact what I said was, ‘Australia and China were now experiencing fantastic orgasm’.

That was the last time I was asked to interpret.

ASKED IF HE HAS A ROLE TO PLAY BRIDGING THE GAP

what we Australians do best is organise the drinks, you get them together in one room and we suggest this and we suggest that, than we go and get the drinks.

kevin rudd ted talk
Talk about a turnout. Source: Supplied

Some experimental Photos before Easter 2015

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Yesterday, on Easter Thursday, Peter and I took some experimental photos for Easter. But  first I want to show a couple of photos from last Monday. A few ladies of our complex came over for afternoon tea.

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These two books are for Alex and Lucas.

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Jenni, our neighbour, gave us this flower from her garden.
Jenni, our neighbour, gave us this flower from her garden.

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Last week the Homestead people did renew part of the path in front of our house. It was done by the Body Cooperative for security reasons, for after a plumbing job some time ago that piece of concrete had sunk. They broke the old piece of concrete up completely renewing it with new concrete and then painting it over.

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Last Tuesday Peter had his eye operation. The morning after the operation he had to see his eye specialist in Figtree who was pleased that Peter could see all right after the operation. We had to go to Figtree by bus for Peter was not allowed to drive yet. We were happy that this time the operation went quite well. But Peter has to insert an enormous number of different eye-drops which keeps him pretty busy.

From a Spiegel Inerview with John Cleese

http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/spiegel-interview-with-john-cleese-a-1026293.html

I found this Spiegel interview with John Cleese very interesting, especially the following statement where he says that he thinks that it is not possible  that the planet can be run in a rational and kind way —

Here is what he says:

” . . . .  I think you can reduce suffering a little bit, like the Buddhists say, that is one of the few things I take seriously. But the idea that you can run this planet in a rational and kind way — I think it’s not possible. There will always be these sociopaths at the top — selfish people, power-seekers who want to spend their whole lives seeking it. Robin Skynner, the psychiatrist that I wrote two books with, said to me that you could begin to enjoy life when you realized how bad the planet is, how hopeless everything is. I reached that point these last two or three years when I saw that our existence here is absolutely hopeless. I see the rich people have got a stranglehold on us. If somebody had said that to me when I was 20, I would have regarded him as a left-wing loony. . . .  ”

Would you like to comment on this?

Percentage targets for planned burning are blunt tools that don’t work

A more effective plan

http://theconversation.com/percentage-targets-for-planned-burning-are-blunt-tools-that-dont-work-39254?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+30+March+2015+-+2587&utm_content=Latest+from+The+Conversation+for+30+March+2015+-+2587+CID_3ea97089c94d786890216c71b60f85c7&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Percentage%20targets%20for%20planned%20burning%20are%20blunt%20tools%20that%20dont%20work

. . . . . . .

“A more effective plan

The Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission also recommended that the Victorian government develop risk-based performance measures for bushfire management. In response, the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning has developed sophisticated methods for mapping risks from major bushfires across the state, and predicting bushfire risk following planned burning.

We strongly support this more sophisticated, regional risk-management approach. After all, planned burning to protect human life and property should naturally focus on places where people are most at risk from major bushfires.

Another new piece of our research, published in the journal Conservation Biology, offers a way to predict how planned burning also influences risks to biodiversity. This will allow land managers to consider trade-offs between protecting people and conserving wildlife when applying planned burning.

Just as the 5% target is an inefficient method for minimising the impact of major bushfires on human life and communities, it also has negative consequences for the resilience of natural ecosystems.

It’s time to drop the simple 5% target. It is a blunt tool, and a risk-based approach more effectively focuses fire protection where it’s most needed: safeguarding people and wildlife.”

 

Methyl Bromide and Strawberries .. Shock .. Horror .. Oh, Wait a Minute.

http://theconversation.com/methyl-bromide-and-strawberries-shock-horror-oh-wait-a-minute-39529?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest+from+The+Convers

“Methyl Bromide has been withdrawn worldwide under the Montreal protocol as it is a potent greenhouse gas (not because of toxicity, as many people have assumed from the headlines).”

Please go to the above link to find out more about it!