Uta’s Diary, August 2016

John Lord from THE AIM NETWORK says in his recent blog:

If you want a good read on growing inequality read this:

https://ourworldindata.org/incomes-across-the-distribution/#australia-rising-inequality-but-everyone-is-better-off

I had a look at these data. They reveal a lot about income distribution. Truly interesting!

Peter and I spent a few days in Canberra. We returned on Sunday, the 28th.

Last Saturday we drove up to the Telstra Tower.

We had arrived early when there was still quite a bit of morning fog.

Opening time was 9 am. The lift took us to the top. — Opening time was 9 am. The lift took us to the top from where we took several pictures.

We had some breakfast in the Cafe of the Telstra Tower.

This is Peter writing a Telstra postcard to Caroline and Matthew.

The Telstra Postcard is about to be inserted into the Letter-Box!

Here Peter is near the Entrance to the Telstra Tower.

At about 10,30 we left the Tower and explored a little bit its surrounding and the views towards the city of Canberra. The fog had lifted. There was even some sunshine. The air was fresh and crisp. Temperature had risen to about 8 C.

This is where our rented car was parked.

When we had been arriving earlier in the morning we were just about the only visitors. But now more and more people kept arriving.

Apparently there is a bit of public transport going up here:

Then we drove on to the National Museum.

The National Museum's Loop gets closer. — The National Museum’s Loop gets closer.

This one is about Mystery.

I took more pictures of other verses. I might show them some other time. All these verses made a lot of sense to me. This is why I took pictures of them to remember them. There was for instance more about hope, loneliness and thrill as well as devotion and passion.

Most of the cafe's outside area was under construction. — Most of the cafe’s outside area was under construction.

We just had a look outside, but were sitting inside the cafe for our lunch.

We shared some fruit salad and then shared some lovely fried eggs on barbecued toast. I very much liked this lunch.

Peter had some knee problems and at one stage was limping a bit. One museum staff member noticed it and promptly offered Peter the free use of one of the museum’s scooters. Very bravely, Peter rejected this offer. He just was not inclined yet to use one of these motorised scooters, hoping his knee would soon get better. And luckily, by massaging some relevant pressure points, it soon did get better, and Peter was able to walk around again more freely.

Saturday evening The Museum of Australian Democracy presented
THE HANSARD MONOLOGUES: Age of Entitlement

We had tickets for this very interesting show. The Museum of Australian Democracy is int the Old Parliament Building.

You might like to have a look at this website:

http://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard

The Old Parliament Building at nighttime

A visit to Australia’s Wonderland in Sept. 1988 and another Visit to Canberra in Jan1989

Caroline with friend Amy in Australia's Wonderland, Sept.1988 — Caroline with friend Amy in Australia’s Wonderland, Sept.1988

In January 1989, during the summer school holidays, we went with Caroline, Troy and Ryan to Canberra. Previously we had stayed in Canberra only for the day, driving back home on the same day. During the kids’ summer holidays and Peter having a few days rostered off, we took the chance to book into a Canberra motel to stay there for a couple of nights.

This is a park in Goulbourn, where we stopped for some refreshments on the way to Canberra.

Let's do a city tour here in Canberra. — Let’s do a city tour here in Canberra.

A Trainride around the Cockington Greens

Having some Fun at the Motel's Swimming Pool. — Having some Fun at the Motel’s Swimming Pool.

Our Visit to Canberra towards the End of June 1988

Towards the end of May 1988 we had been in Queensland. Some time later we went for a visit to Canberra. Caroline was nine and a half.

In the Pine Forest near Canberra, June 1988

Sydney 7 – 18 Celsius sunny

Hi, it is Monday, the 4th of August 2014, a bit after 7 am.
I just looked up the temperatures for Sydney. It says it is there 7 C at present but it feels like only 5 C which I believe equals 40 F. Here where I am the temperatures are similar to Sydney. In Canberra, which is more inland, the temperatures during night time did go down to below freezing point for the last few days.

It has not rained much the last few weeks. I looks like our fire season starts early this year. This is what out Rural Fire Service states:

“Across NSW there are more than 700 #NSWRFS firefighters working on 84 bush and grass fires. …”

Apparently it burns only in some northern parts of New South Wales at the moment. (NSW is a huge area, about the size of the whole of Germany!) Still, we have to be prepared with warmer weather coming up and not much rain, there is definitely going to be increased risk of bush fires in the coming months or even weeks.

It feels strange to have to think of bush fires when we have such a tremendous cold spell right now!

THE ITALIAN FORUM, CANBERRA VISIT to PARLIAMENT HOUSE, MORE PICTURES FROM MOTHERS’ DAY 2001

Probably around the beginning of the year 2000 an Italian Forum was established in Leichardt, an inner Western suburb of Sydney. We had a look at the Forum towards the end of May 2000. It was still pretty new then.

Caroline, Peter and I enjoyed gelato and a cup of coffee. A year later, in 2001 all three of us went with Ilse to the Forum. The Forum looked still fairly new!

I wear my favourite hat again!

On the day that we went to the Forum Peter took this picture of us at Caroline's place in Sydney. — On that day, when we went to the Forum, Peter took this picture of us at Caroline’s place in Sydney.

It was probably April 2001 when we drove with Ilse to Canberra. We stayed there in the Formula One Hotel for one night. This time Ilse made sure that we booked for her a separate room. When we had previously stayed with her in Newcastle in another Formula One Hotel we had booked only one room for the three of us, and Ilse did not like this at all! There was only one double bed and a single bunk above the bed. Peter climbed – with difficulty I might say – into the bunk bed. Ilse had to sleep with me – horror of horrors – in the queen-sized double bed. I did not mind this at all. I kept well to my side of the bed. Ilse did not disturb me at all. But I do not blame Ilse for wanting her own bed when we stayed at Formula One in Canberra.

In Canberra we had a good look around at Parliament House, also a lovely lunch there in the canteen. Going back home the following day we drove towards Batemans Bay and from there along the coastal road.

On the way to Canberra we went along the Hume Highway via Goulburn.

We stopped for a while at a park in Goulbourn, Ilse loved the trees there. — We stopped for a while at a park in Goulburn, Ilse loved the trees there.

Looking through one photo album I came across two pictures that were taken on Saturday, 10th of March, 2001. On that day we had lunch with Ilse at a cafe near the Parkridge Apartments in Sydmey. We had booked a very nice apartment at the Parkridge. If I remember right it was on the seventh floor and had two bedrooms. We stayed there for three nights. This gave us the opportunity to explore Sydney a little bit. The apartment was right in the centre of Sydney and quite reasonably priced. Our apartment was in the main road. But where we had lunch that was in a back road behind the Parkridge Apartments.

This is where we had lunch on that Saturday.

On the second Sunday of May is always Mothers’ Day. In May there are also the birthdays of Ilse and Peter. Ilse always points out that she is one year and three days older than Peter! I think Ilse was still with us for both birthdays. On Mothers’ Day we met the whole family in Merrylands, a Western Suburb of Sydney, where Gaby and David lived. David came with us to the Merrylands Bowling Club for lunch. Here he is with Ilse. I think he liked her quite a lot. Who wouldn’t?