Sign at a country pub. 

 Spoiler! Behind the scene and shadow puppet.  A legend seen in Clyde Street.
(On the fourth day a second tram broke down.)

He who juggles on stilts.
Teething problems.  On the third day one tram had a breakdown.  It was said the problem was in the device that rises to contact the power supply that hangs above each tram stop.

Amazingly a very large crowd came along to ride the new light rail during the public opening day complete with little stunts to mark the occasion  In hot sun, a long line of punters extend out and down the block awaiting a sardine-like experience which took them past Honeysuckle, Civic, Crown Street, Market Street to the final stop Pacific Park aka Newcastle Beach.
I believe the large flag was flown by an ardent protestor.  A reminder about the debate over the loss of the old train service.

In the city library it came to mind to have a look for ideas about the stir fry to improve on my existing haphazard methods. If a lift home is not available, take care not to choose a cook book that weighs a ton as many of them do.
 Things have moved on and the new cuisine which is usually delicious is not exactly like the old stir fry. Hunt through all sorts of diets, kale, low carb, paleo and more kale, be side tracked by wonderful feasts and exaggerated ambitions to try this that and the other without giving in to it - this time -to come up with the desired meal. 
 This time the result was tasty and the flavours were usual with a little lift as the thinly sliced chicken pieces had five spice mix, lemon grass, grated ginger and garlic applied an hour before cooking, grated lemon rind and juice added to the usual stir fry ingredients lastly coriander and spring onion. The Hoi sin sauce was rather salty and salt is usually avoided in my dishes.
     

From the files.  Cooling off.

A letter in Traveller Feb 2 (Sydney Morning Herald)

....I too, have a list but I also have a spreadsheet with a detailed clothing list.  My spreadsheet, updated for destination and season, has been the subject of many a joke for many years. However, last year my mother died five days before I was due to fly to Morocco and her funeral was the day before.  My spreadsheet saved the day and we managed to board that plane with everything we needed and everything done that needed to be done.

A scorching national holiday.  Celebrate!
 Are there climate-change-denier politicians holed up somewhere in the worst of the record-breaking heat wave conditions?  Should do them good.  

At the bus stop, King Street - quick before it becomes redundant.  Restoration of City Hall is almost finished and it is like new again.  City council has moved out of the 'round house' which will become an hotel I believe..

Sunday church-going sure has its ups and downs.  Today was notable for the splendid organist -accomplished, subtle variations, - good organists are a rare treat.  As well, a little child in the next seat was so lovely it brought tears to the eyes. Generations and tribes are together for a time.

Darling River conservation and fish.   Darling River, Wilcannia, (a very small 'village' 950ks west of Newcastle), Oct 2016.  The water level was not terribly low.  Wilcannia was a large 'port' in the days of river transport.
 Management of this unlikely long and grand old river is in the hands of an untold number of authorities. In reference to a local lake it was pointed out that The Department of Primary Industries Wetlands and farms project, a management plan for a lake was completed and recommended the fencing of the lake so the Lake Woytchugga conservation was undertaken by the Central Darling Shire Council.  It was funded through the Western Catchment Management authority High Conservation Value Program which is supported by the NSW and Australian Governments.

Just imagine if big time water user way upstream offered to release water into the system. What an amazing gesture!  Could they spare a drop from their water holdings the size of a harbour? (An insightful  French movie has a theme about water and manipulation)

Outside of Wilcannia is Lake Woytchugga - an ephemeral lake. Perhaps the area was a scene of neglect and abuse for a time...then a couple of authorities worked together to fence the lake which has environmental and heritage features.
   Lake Woytchugga is an ephemeral lake, impermanent, temporary, on the North -West side of the Darling River.  During times of flood, the flood waters from the Darling flow out via the Woytchugga Creek. The lake covers 2043 hectares when full and is typical of an ephemeral lake in the Western area of the state. 
  All the same, a web site says that in the past a culvert blocked the water flow to the lake and there were problems until the council removed the culvert.
  It is one of the many lakes that are connected to and are filled by periodic flooding of the Darling River. usually every 7 to 10 years,  a process that is becoming rarer and rarer in modern times.
  During times of inundation, water birds and other birds inhabit the wetlands.  The riparian vegetation along the Darling and Lake Woytchugga is used by many birds including the red-tailed black cockatoo to nest and is important for their survival.
  Aquatic organisms, and fish observed in the wetlands include shield or tadpole shrimp, fresh water mussels, yabbies and silver perch. Trees and shrubs vegetate the land there.
  Aborigines use the Paakantji language and call the Darling River Paaka and the Paakantji see themselves as belonging to the river. In good times they camped around the lake to hunt, catch and gather food, fish, birds, eggs, and plants.  Now, the younger generation is taught these skills and see the work of their ancestors. The land is a place of burials and of ancestoral spirits and serves  continuing connection to the land. Totems are another aspect.
 The internet refers to other tribes and languages as connected to the lake.
 The local signage conveyed the above description.

What's this?  Seen from rail interchange, the co-operative store is no more, facade unworthy. 

Often local trains pull in behind a Sydney service of six or eight carriages waiting at the station.  It is not exactly convenient to be deprived of the prime position on arrival.
 The Sydney trains could wait somewhere else and line up just before the time of departure. We would like Gladys to look into this.

An hour ago this black twin cab was charging along with a flat tyre or on the rim - very noisy - followed by a dozen police vehicles sirens full on.
Keep clear! - would it get out of control? would shots be fired?
The chase ended when the twin cab crossed over and stopped outside an office building and everyone soon gathered round.  The offender was taken away.

The Darling River in the far west is a scene of distress where truly vast numbers of fish have died along one reach.  Algal blooms have caused the loss of for example young breeding stock on to venerable one hundred year old Murray cod.
Even the field workers are showing total dismay.  As we all should be dismayed and question the management of the Murray Darling basin - a scene of controversy.
Demand better management of our environment.

Scene from the work Garden of Earthly Delight, two channel video, from the Middle Kingdom by Zhou Xiaou. Outlandish and fascinating, a great little collection.
White Rabbit Gallery.  Environmental aspects and ideology in the Middle Kingdom were present themes or so I believe, who knows?.

Early morning was just right before the heat wave and the hot wind set in. It was the time for action before sucumming to the air con. Forty degrees has been exceptional.

Merry season. The gift of hydration pack was worn 24/7.   If generation Z gets hold of your mobile, in a flash,  it will have some new trick on it.

Spires













The footpath is being redone. When it was done once before, well, an earthquake occurred. Dec 28, 1989 an earthquake hit Newcastle with loss of life injuries and damage.
  At the time, the day was immortalised with a small inscription in the wet cement however the slab was replaced over time. Street trees and their roots cause some problems with the paving but it is a small price to pay.
 At the time of the quake, one first thought was that the workmen had caused an explosion by digging near the gas main - noise, everything in the kitchen rattled and a cupboard toppled over while the floor swayed but a timber house must be flexible, only the chimneys were damaged. An earthquake seemed so unlikely every other cause was suspect such as a train derailment. No,the damage proved to be widespread.

Red again, Cooper S was a hot car and top of the line mini from BMC and this is a revival by another company from India or somewhere.
Then a blue electric car, a Renault Zoe, soundless and zippy.

Newcastle University is the first university in the country to sign up for 100% renewable electricity.
A seven year contract with Red Energy will get underway soon.  Better later than never as more solar panels are also installed.on the campus, I read.
Years ago these web pages were run on solar, firstly from a mobile set-up etc until the panels where installed on our roof. 

Red is the Christmas colour.  It is not every day a brand new red light rail is commissioned with trial runs up and down Hunter Street till late at night.  Motorists and everyone else toed the line as they took on new rules of the road. 
Newcastle had trams once before. Around the town certain roads can be seen to have cuttings because that  is where the trams went.
 The latest bus routes journey across the suburbs instead of in and out of the CBD.  A non-government bus service once travelled between Beaumont street and Merewether beach in similar style, everything inside the bus shook and rattled as it travelled thru a section of tight little streets. Who was to know that the real estate on journeys end would become among the most sought after in town.

Outdoors near Civic Theatre and City Hall.  The air was humid and misty like a mysterious overheated planet.  A storm was brewing.  Some years have stormy weather every evening as in the tropics and the humidity is unpleasant. Other years have very few storms round this time.

Japanese scallywags....from Gallery of NSW   The British use of word scallywag is preferred .

From Papua New Guinea, the island to our immediate north, are carvings and weavings, story boards and shields.  Splendid face painting and body art plus wearable artifacts are seen at tribal gatherings and sing-sing activities for intense men and women.
 Recently foreign aid for PNG in the form of a national power network is planned by several nations working as a group which is a big challenge.  Imagine the cooperation called for and work in conjunction with locals as essential.  Solar should be suggested as top priority with appropriate technology thereby ahead of the donor nations. As well, aid needs to be on the ground ahead of China and its developments there.
 That we have a struggling country right next door is not on the radar of most of us apart from our long term aid budget which was liable to cuts until the Chinese ramped up their presence.  See the dreadfully slow improvements in public health.

November, Jackaranda and Christmas Bush - what could be more typical?

The nascent Christmas Bush is not humming with bees.  When will they arrive?
 The blossom will gradually turn red over the next several weeks.

National priorities...global priorities. Idealistic nonsense. It's about the issues that can't wait.
  Call a halt on spending time money and energy on most things that we can well do without and instead address critical issues that cannot wait. The time is now.  The ultimate rewards will be ten fold.
 High levels of extinction of wild life is recorded globally. Insects...bees..failing. Fascinating animals gone for ever and the very web of life in jeopardy where our interdependence is crucial.
 It is trite to describe the world as worse than ever and be a victim of the news cycle that overloads us with national dramas but do we really come to grips with the size and scope of some trends? Communities in many areas are on mass migration. Environments are consumed by bush fires. Weather patterns are changing and records are broken. Those are the major priorities to address.

The sacrifices and horrors of war are not lost on me one bit. But, $500 billion to finance additions to the extensive national war memorial is unnecessary.  Empire building out of control. An investment to stimulate in the national psyche some sort of spirit based on war.
 We could be steered into positive, inspiring but pressing notions about out future. Spirituality is found in nature and its renewal not only in war, death and mateship.

Celebrate life. Celebrate the future, work for peace and make better use of money to fund urgent priorities.   

PS I am remiss and have had it pointed out that positive aspects about war need to be stressed in order to gain military recruits and approval of the next conflict.

 

Since about 100 BCE these two buildings have stood empty close to a now pivotal part of town. What is their story? Near Honeysuckle and Hannell.  Development is all around.
  Never mind. Other notable sites have moved ahead after sitting idle for aeons.  Latec House!

See works from the Impressionists at the Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney . On loan from The Hermitage.
The time will fly during a visit. Big names. A few have glaring colours. An audio visual is curious. The staff were attentive at the time.  Has an admission fee and usual appealing merchandise.

A day trip to the Hermitage. 

Outdoing Portillo.  NSW City Rail Sydney urban and Newcastle.  On a good day, no crowd, seats plentiful, the air-con was right temp, on time - which is usual - all good.
A couple of minor hitches of my own doing - the timetable has been up dated but using the old times there seemed no need to hurry but a Sydney service departed when just 20 metres away to buy a paper but the next train left before too long. There is no crass indicator at the point where the train departs.The indicator is some distance away outside the 'barriers'.
The rail website has no easy access to the timetables.  It has a service that offers a total plan for a proposed journey close to the time of looking but does not seem to cover a journey in the future. It is much more interesting to see a full timetable for flights, trains or buses and work around it instead of the use of a string of fictitious dates to research travel.   
 On returning it was decided to change to a bus at Broadmeadow but the bus timetable had been altered and the next bus was thirty minutes away. It had been seen as a better alternative to any delay at Hamilton or Newcastle. The apps would be the solution.

When will urgent policy on climate change be addressed?  The conservative Liberals lost a by-election and lost their majority.
 They are slow learners.  Their mantra continues 'economy... economy.. and jobs' which ignores what electors complain about. Many say they were rejected because of lack of climate policy and failure to act on our disgraceful refugee prisons and the children therein as well as the change of leadership. 
  When will they ever learn? With their days running out decent policy might be shelved. More delay, no pressure, we have all the time in the world to swan around.  

Seen: a large old mincer.  Not the mincing attachment for a mixer.  The brand is Ruberg which sounds European.
We had a similar smaller mincer and as a child I saw cold roast meat minced up, probably for cottage pie.
A standing rib roast was a great favourite and one that is not usually made available now.  It was made up of Sirloin or T Bone steaks in one piece.
The old rolled roast can't be good enough anymore or butchers have no time to prepare the roll which means using skewers and string to hold it together.
Our usual diets change over time. As well, Low Carb might ward off ubiquitous diabetes 2.  Then, like most diets, it has its detractors.

Meet Lord Jagannatha. Sanskrit for Lord of the Universe. The name given to the form of God, Krishna. An Eastern Indian festival has a huge heavy image dragged through the streets. (It has given rise to the word juggernaut).
Vegan and vegetarian dining in a practical manner is partaken in Mayfield West at a shopfront centre of the believers.

Unrelated topics-
Deutsche Grammophon marked its 120 annive rsary with an orchestral performance at the Forbidden City in Beijing.  The palace would have its own magical presence.  (J Post, Jakarta)  Just as well I can resist the regular emails about 'deals to get you packing'

A small flock of sea eagles, (I presume, probably wrongly, were large, not huge and shrieked) about 4 birds, created a big stir among the local birds who suspected them of predatory moves.  This morning all the birds cried out and the visitors shrieked and circled around and trespassed into the tree tops. A kookaburra and then magpies joined the small critters and flapped into the action. Then things settled down again after ten minutes.
The first intermittent repetitious solo call of a certain bird that arrives each summer has just been heard back again, welcome back, Koel!

Do something NOW for the next generation. Urgent and unprecedented action is called for by UN to deal with the rise in global temperatures so that at worst no more than a 1.5 degree increase is reached by 2050. And that will result in significant climate change.

 It is in our hands to act now for it is said that we can still avert extreme problems.
 The UN group, backed by the works of the scientific community, made many points and seeks a reduction of 75% - 90% in thermal coal use by 2050,  so, will my local powers that be, do just that alone?  We must use our influence to do the right thing to reduce coal use and do much better than that scenario.     

Retro imports ....is it anything to do with free trade agreements?  Despite the complete folly, the size and style is notable.  A two door Continental. 
 In Rutherford, Midlife Crisis, a car yard with links to the net sells Yank tanks inside an electric fence.  All left hand drive.

The previous words were of the earthquake in Indonesia.  All that could be said is that life is cheap.    While resources are not unlimited the response appeared callous and terribly lacking in speed and usefulness.  The tardy acceptance of foreign aid was also unbelievably bad. 

Feast or famine.  A local Hunter valley vineyard for wining and dining.  Spring was in the air the day before amazing

welcome rain came along.  Wine tasting looks more formal ...professional... once it seemed ok to sample a few wines for whatever reason.  I wouldn't know, have left it all to the tourists and sadly only try a very occasional wine as it is difficult to digest.