The Lorax by Dr Suess was a kind of mascot for our wedding, and the message of the story is one that is very important to Mark and I. Amy (see previous post) is looking for a photographer for the Big Girl Knits 2, and one of the applicants posted a link to her portfolio, where I found a photographic re-telling of the story. Definitely worth a look.
Author: laranettle
The Bunny Mandala
I Love My Dad
Mum and Dad just got back from a month in Vietnam. I am close to my parents, and I missed them dreadfully while they were away. I popped in to see them on saturday arvo, and mum told me of a dream that dad had while they were away. In his dream, dad was expected to come to visit Mark and I, but he didn’t want to come, because he knew that Rhubarb wouldn’t be here to greet him.
Dad isn’t an “animal person”, and neither is mum really, but they both instilled in me a respect for life, and the understanding that ability comes with responsibility. If you can, then you should. And if somebody relies on you utterly, then to betray that responsibility is a dire thing indeed.
As a child, it took me a long time to understand that lesson, but now I think it is the overriding principle of my life.
Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed.
— Antoine De Saint-Exupery
McMahon Locked Up
I was in court today, hopefully for the last time. After summarising the evidence against McMahon, which was chilling, and kept out of the papers, he commented that there was no contrition of a guilty plea, just repeated attempts to have the case thrown out on mental health grounds.
Ultimately, the judge made his decision based on two factors – that NSW law offers no protection to people who take drugs then claim that the drugs they took impaired their judgement, and that there was “community outrage”.
So maybe I made a difference. I choose to believe that.
Let’s hope he doesn’t appeal.
Nothing to see here…
I’ve been a bad blogger.
No posts, and no pictures. And almost no news.
Work has been horrid – the stress has obvioulsy affected my immune system, as I’ve been sick for the last few days. Or maybe it’s not getting enough sleep. Remember the gorgeous baby chicks we took in just before Christmas ? The ones that were borrowed for a PETA photo shoot with JD Fortune from INXS? The ones that couldn’t go back to the horrid petting zoo they came from?
Or did I not mention them?
Anyway, we took them and the grown up chook that we called Grace, and it’s been a delight watching them grow up. Until the crowing started.
All three are boy chickens. Roosters. Handsome, big, healthy, boys, with a compulsion to greet the day before it arrives, at the top of their little lungs “I’m alive, and it’s a BEAUTIFUL DAY”. “WAKE UP AND ADMIRE ME, I AM SPECTACULAR”. At 4am. Really. 4am. In Denistone.
Not Good.
So the race was on to find them a home, before the boys ended up in someone’s oven. The call went out, and animal lovers in two states were alerted. I was given a number for a lovely man who lives on 5 acres near Canberra, which has been set up as a sanctuary, and he already has more than his fair share of roosters.
So Mark and I are driving there tomorrow, with a car full of feathered machismo.
I Have a New Love
I’ve just cast on a gauge swatch for a beanie I am knitting for a work colleague who is leaving to move to Tasmania, to work on a house he has bought down there. Toby is a funny guy, with possibly the driest sense of humour I have ever come across, and we have had our clashes in the past, but I really like and respect him, and will miss having him around. Toby loves good craftsmanship, classic design, and things that are handmade.
So I thought it fitting to knit him a beanie to keep his head warm in the cold Tasmanian winter. I chose Naturally “Harmony” 8ply 100% merino, in a charcoal grey. It’s a low twist, with an almost felted feel, and it knits up to be an incredibly soft and wonderful fabric.
I bought this at Champion Textiles in Newtown, for $6.50 a skein. I can feel a Rogue Hoodie coming on. Though I would really prefer the zippered version that Kris did, but this is such a lovely fabric, the fact that the colour is lest than exciting doesn’t bother me.
Oh dear. Have I finally seen the merits of substance over style ?
Someone’s thinking
The Bigots Strike Again
National Anger As Gay Civil Union Ban Upheld
The Sydney Morning Herald poll shows that 71% of respondents have no problem with Gay Civil Unions. And yet our government continues to act as though allowing a public display of love and commitment will irreparably damage the fabric of our society.
The Marriage Act was written with consideration of the understanding that the family is the basic unit of society, marriage protects property, and hence protects the family. The legal nature of marriage is nothing more than a extension of property law. Allowing equal access to both the legal protection of marriage, and the rite of passage of marriage adds value to the institution of marriage. Denying that right to a significant number of people, in my opinion, devalues it.
Society is changing. And the liberal party isn’t keeping up.
To have your say, click here.
Lillian Fraser Garden Photography Competition
Mark and I took our cameras to the Lillian Fraser Garden this afternoon to take pictures in the hope that we might end up with an image worth entering in the first photography competition. While I was unemployed, I volunteered at the garden, and it holds a special place in my heart.
Lillian Fraser was a scientist in a time when women were supposed to stay at home. My recollection of her exploits is sketchy, but I believe she became a bigwig at the Dept of Agriculture, and was a keen plant collector, traveling the world to bring back specimens to her garden in Pennant Hills, Sydney. On her death, the garden was bequeathed in perpetuity to the people of Hornsby Shire.
You can see the pictures we took here.
Please take a look, feedback is very welcome. 8 words per month…..
Jelly
The past few weeks have been a catalogue of disasters. The death of Rhubarb, SImone’s cat, Scooter, the death knell for AppleCentre Broadway (and probably 2 years worth of my superannuation payments gone with it), and some random lunatic setting fire to Simone’s house – all within three weeks.
So it’s nice to have some happy news in the mix. Adam and Sarah are pregnant. Very early days (about 6 weeks by now), but mother and Jelly (that’s the baby’s official name for now) are doing very well – apart from Sarah feeling very tired and unwell !
George would be very pleased – he’d been pestering me for a great grandchild for years – his sisters had quite a few between them, and he felt a little left out. My parents aren’t too sure if they are ready to be grandparents, but I am ready to be an auntie. Prepare for many bunny booties, bonnets and blankies !
Disco Knitter 