Category Archives: Uncategorized

A rare treat

Posted on by
1

A rare treat; lying in bed in the morning, the cat asleep on the covers, the lace curtains moving with the breeze, a thunderstorm passing overhead, corellas flying wildly and squawking,  reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery; I smile. My tea cup is empty as I read about the love of tea shared by Madame Michel and the young budding intellectual Paloma Josse. There are so many turns of phrase in this book that I smile constantly enjoying the story. I savour the experience. Here is my full review.

Food for thought

Posted on by
Reply

Food is one of life’s great pleasures. I have always had a hearty appetite and yet, like so many people, my experience with food has been a journey of discovery, understanding, and getting to know which foods and drinks best nourish my body.

My interest in healthy food began during my teens and I tried to convert my family to whole grain bread and less salt. I accepted the intellectual argument against cow’s milk and still choose soy milk when I can, but without fanatical avoidance of all things dairy. Your Life in Your Hands by Professor Jane Plant  offers an extremely convincing argument against all dairy foods.

Over the years I have been my own guinea pig and tried: food combining; vegetarianism; Leslie Kenton’s raw food; Dr  Sandra Cabot’s books; Eat Right for Your Type; the CSIRO diet; and the rich European style of eating. I think that the CSIRO diet comes closest to a sensible, nutritional, balanced and manageable plan for eating for life. Balance, portion control, and variety are the keys.

It can be confusing and even more so when we are “fed” on TV The Biggest Loser closely followed by Master Chef. On the Biggest Loser they plead with us to exercise, diet, and stay away from fatty foods, shunning butter altogether. As a society we are fast heading towards chronic obesity, diabetes, and heart disease in alarming numbers.  Then Master Chef tantalises our taste buds and challenges our culinary skills, all the while piling on the butter, fats, and sugar.

Recently I read somewhere that there could be a connection between migraines and gluten in the diet. This is new to me, but seems to make sense. Often my migraines feel triggered by poor dietary choices and particularly if I’ve been eating too much carbohydrate in the form of bread or pasta. So I ransacked the library shelves for books about gluten-free cooking. This led me to the book “Gluten-free girl” by Shauna James Ahern and her blog. Reading her story made me feel very sorry that as a child she was fed a very poor processed American diet. There must be so many people living in the wealthy West brought up on poor nutrition. Yet we are so lucky in Australia to have so much fresh produce easily available; and so many different cultures to learn from and eat as they do.

The theory behind Eat Right for Your Type by Dr Peter D’Adamo sounded right to me when I read it years ago. He states that wheat in particular is bad fuel for people with my blood type. Wheat is the food containing gluten that is so widely used in our diets. It is very difficult to avoid wheat and its products I found.

So on to my next experiment in order to find a diet that nourishes me, keeps me healthy, and does not add excess weight. For breakfast today I made Sweet Quinoa (organic) Fruit Compote from the book Wheat & Gluten Free. It was not bad but required far more cooking time at breakfast than I am accustomed to, and has left a strange aftertaste. For lunch I had avocado, salmon, cream cheese, and salad on a corn wrap. Time will tell how successful I am at finding alternatives to wheat and the impact this has on my health and BMI.

It is not only important to try new ideas and foods, but also to listen to your own body. Only you can feel how food is affecting your body. We are all indeed different, live different lives, and have differing nutritional needs. While vegetarianism may intellectually be a good idea, not all of us are suited to this regime and soon become starved for protein and iron. Your body will soon tell you, so take notice.

“Let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food” ~ Hippocrates

Rodeo of Time

Posted on by
Reply

Do you ever feel as if your attention is scattered to the four winds? Do you feel like you are always reacting to situations and responding to fulfil the expectations of others?

There just aren’t enough hours in the day. I’m too busy. I’d like to focus and complete one task but my time is too fragmented. What I’d like to do and what I have to do seem at odds and extremes. The things I’d like to do require focus, concentration, consideration, time, and no interruptions. My list of these things is long – some are work-related whilst others remain on my personal Wish List. Where is my time for painting, exercise, yoga, resting, music, reading blogs, writing, walking, learning French, playing the piano, and knitting?

I seem to be reacting but not creating. I’ve read the advice of others: the four hour work week; Wayne Dyer; Jonathan Fields; Zen Habits; Eckhart Tolle; Joseph Campbell; how to set goals; simplify; multitask; do less; delegate; create lists; turn off the TV; make time; etc.

This week I have finally had the chance to organise the office I inherited, and sorted through years of other people’s stuff with other people’s scrawled labels. Tick this off my list. I have been trying out project management tools and task lists to try to tame my job tasks into a domicile creature.

In reality it doesn’t matter how organised I am and whether I meet all expectations. What everyone is remembered by is how they went about their days. Was it with good will and a light heart? Or was it with a mean spirit and lack of humanity?

I know that none of this matters and yet paradoxically all of this matters. I still read the latest popular works in philosophy, psychology, physics, and spirituality. It is easy to forget these things and get caught up in the daily dramas set in motion by unseen forces. It’s too easy to react, and react, and react, until after eight hours of reacting you are mentally exhausted and need time out to regather you own wits.

Touchstones or talisman can be useful tools that instantly remind you of what is truly important in life. It might be a photo of your cat (or dog) or child at your desk. It might be a pebble, or a crystal, a cross, or a piece of jewellery that can instantly jolt you from your walking zombie-state. It could be a five minute browse at art; a quote; a dream of life in another country; meditation in a park; or all of the above.

Ultimately it is not about what you do, but how you do it and with what intention. The main goal should be JOY. I must keep reminding myself of this when I have 20 deadlines set arbitrarily by others.

“As time goes by you will see that we’re going to be free; you and me we’ll touch the sky; can you see in your mind’s eye? That we are one; we’re all the same and life is just a simple game.” ~ Moody Blues

Book Well

Posted on by
Reply

Book Well is “evocative”.

That is the conclusion that I have come to after being immersed in the Get Into Reading training sessions held at the State Library of Victoria last week.

There are so many other descriptions I could offer telling you what I think it is and what it is not. But even then you would be no closer to knowing the importance of this work and how it affects people.

It is a unique process that has profound impact on the well being of the individual. Research continues to try to identify how this reading aloud process affects the human brain.

It is surprising to feel the effects of listening to someone read great literature aloud. It sounds simple but it is not.

Aside from learning about the process, the other benefit of this week was the bonding of the group – real friendships blossomed immediately. There was a generosity of spirit that cocooned the whole experience. The experienced trainers from the UK set the tone for this I think.

We also shared a group task that took many of us well out of our comfort zones. We were to give a performance of Romeo and Juliet. Every one of us was to contribute in some way. And we were to use the text from the play; but could shape the play however we chose. It was to be 20 minutes long.

I, who has never performed before at all, was Mercutio. We performed a brief fight scene with Romeo, Tybalt, Benvolio and Mercutio. And of course, Mercutio and Tybalt both die.

Our performance was in the heritage listed Queens Hall of the State Library of Victoria to a small invitation-only audience. We had props, lighting, backdrops, music, costumes and a new script. This was all achieved in 4 days with only 1 hour at each end of the day for preparation. It was a lot of fun and a really positive experience.

Linking this task to the Get Into Reading program is difficult. I can only assume that by reading Shakespeare plays out loud in this way it gives us the confidence to read anything aloud to groups of people.

It is exciting to have shared this experience of Book Well with this group of amazing people and to be at the cusp of something new and exciting. I feel privileged to have been involved.

“A little, aloud” edited by The Reader Organisation will be available later this year.

The creative stream

Posted on by
Reply

I was reading the Saturday morning newspapers; Michael Leunig’s article “Into the Unkown” in The Age; when halfway through his discussion about the creative process, I remembered my dream from the previous night.

In my dream I had seen a piece of art hanging on a wall. It was a moving image of an underwater scene with only the soft light-filled sea-green water and the head of a teenage girl who was looking out at the viewer and smiling with blonde hair adrift in the currents. And as I looked the girl came forward “out” of the scene. As she emerged from the flat wall image she became a white paper cut-out silhouette that protruded into the space of the room.

When I awoke and remembered the image I realised this artwork was a combination of the two exhibition themes that we have running in our art exhibitions this year; “from the deep” is on show now, and “off the wall” is our next exhibit.

So I paused from reading the newspaper, wrote down these remembered thoughts about the image in my dream, and then returned to reading the Michael Leunig article. “He gets an idea for a painting. The muse has paid a visit, the light has come on, inspiration has struck – whatever – and now the idea must be given form. The urge is powerful…” So I acknowledge that my idea is there. But I lack the confidence and impetus to act further and try to transform the idea into a painting/image/sculpture. I give up before I even begin. I know from past experiences that art ideas not given life grow stale quickly and lose their power; lost opportunities for creative expression.

Michael Leunig continues, “It looks competent enough but lacks the spark and mystique that was in his mind at the beginning. Something has been lost in the translation. How odd; it is not transcribing.” Yes I know this all too well. And this is where I give up. But Michael Leunig tells us to press on, to continue through the negativity, self-loathing, and feelings of failure. He says that in the abandonment of the ego, we will discover authenticity in our creative work.

The image in my dream reminded me of an exhibition of artwork that I had seen at Salamanca Arts Centre in Hobart last year. In a darkened loft there were several life-sized still life works. The medium used was video, so these “still life” images were of a scene that moved, but repeated itself over a short time span. One was of a cocktail party where the guests were artfully placed and dressed and they were seated around a coffee table eating antipasto and drinking wine. It was strange to stand there like a voyeur staring at these people and then seeing the repetition of the loops in the video. There were others: one of a person driving; another looking through a doorway screened by dangling beads; and more I can’t remember.

I wish I could tell you who the artist was. I have searched online with no success. I have emailed the gallery in the hope they will tell me. Stay posted and I will tell you when I find out. In my online search though, I did find some amazing art works of video art by other artists, so it was not wasted time.

Thank you to Sue from Salamanca Arts Centre for letting me know that the artist is Derek Hart and his exhibiton was titled “Film Stills“.

The Village Well

Posted on by
1

It was a long way to the Village Well. I took the early morning flight that rose out of fog and darkness in Portland, bound for Melbourne. Then a taxi ride through workday congested traffic to the old Abbotsford Convent.

Gilbert (pronounced with French accent “Jillbear”) Rochecouste greeted me warmly. He wore black and white plaid pants, pink shirt and a purple sweater draped around his shoulders. Jac (Jacque) was the other presenter.

The group of about 40 people were mainly from urban local government and a few were from housing development companies.

This Village Well Masterclass was titled Place Making & the Art of Authentic Engagement. They began by using one of their engagement methods; a conversation cafe. With fresh coffee or tea, and a couple of questions to prompt discussion, we immediately embarked on conversations with some new found colleagues, while ambient music played in the background.

The concept of place-making takes us away from using planning and design to solve community problems and instead focuses on people power as the means to tackling and enriching community living. It embraces history, culture, diversity, story, enjoyment, environment, and more and favours a fluid approach to achieving this.

We danced to “Staying Alive”. We sang as a choir “Amazing Grace”. We sat in the courtyard enjoying a healthy lunch. We listened intently to the colourful Gilbert and the practical Jac. We shared our stories.

All in all it was a positive, hopeful experience but I am left wondering how to translate this information into practical solutions at work and in our community. It is food for thought I guess.

“Be an organisation, but act like a movement.” ~Gilbert Rochecouste

Read more about this at Urban Ecology Australia

Master of the Web 2 World

Posted on by
Reply

Gary Vaynerchuk is The Master of the Web 2 World. His voice rings out above all the other web2ers. He is a wine seller in the USA who uses social networking technologies to market himself, his business, and his world views.

I first heard of him mentioned by someone I was following on Twitter. I followed the link to a YouTube video of Gary’s presentation at the Web 2.0 Conference in New York in 2008. His presentation made an impression on me. He stood out as being brash, aggressive and passionate. His approach was far from being politically correct or polished. His impassioned plea to everyone to “stop doing what you hate immediately!” resonated outward like a tsunami.

So I started following him on Twitter and added his blog to my already overflowing and unmanageable list of blogs in my Google Reader account.

I noticed he had written a book, “Crush It”, but that hardly raised an eyebrow since nearly everyone who writes a blog is also promoting their book – advice from yet another self proclaimed guru on marketing using Web 2.0 tools. Yawn!

Then – again on Twitter – I see he has a music video, so I follow the link to YouTube. It’s a cute, catchy rap tune called “Crush It” that promotes him and his book. I am amused and think that here is someone who really uses Web 2.0 technology to the max. What he lacks in charisma, looks, charm, and polish, he makes up for in effort, determination, creative endeavour, and online knowledge.  

So the very next day I notice, on Twitter again, that he is about to do a live broadcast via Facebook. So I log on and tune in to his talk about marketing, wine selling, web 2.0, his book, his t-shirt, etc. Everyone logged in to Facebook can comment or ask questions, or comment on the comments. He answered the questions as they came up. The number of viewers grew steadily from about 30 to 430 in the first 30 minutes that I watched.

So the message wasn’t new, inspirational, or earth-shattering, but the use of Web 2.0 technology was clever AND his voice stands out above everyone else who is pedalling the same message. But having said that, it was the live and immediate comments from the viewers, that prompted me to think “I really have to read this book!” And so I have ordered the book for purchase at the library. This is the point of his marketing efforts and it has been achieved.

Stay tuned for my review when I do read it in the very near future.

BureacraSpeak

Posted on by
3

Do you speak BureacraSpeak? Sad to say I am learning this unique language. It is tight, legalistic, compartmentalised, and full of jargon. I have had my fill of strategic plans, policies, procedures, guidelines, standards and proposals. It is a barren and arid landscape with no soul. I am amazed that anything gets accomplished at all in this environment.

Oh to return to literature that is creative, expansive, poetic, and inspirational. The reality bending ideas of Richard Bach. The colourful, detailed illustrations of beauty and lifestyle by Frances Mayes. Tales and photos from France and Italy. Stories about music, art, language and culture. Intelligent and thought provoking writing that fills your soul with possibilities. Words that celebrate the reality and beauty of life. And words that teach us how be happy.

Who would have thought that in order to maintain a library of words that fill these common and shared  literary needs, it must be done using the structure of words that are dry, meaningless and overwhelming in  their weight, seriousness and number?

Gang Gangs

Posted on by
Reply

I awoke and thought I was in heaven. I felt at peace. My head was clear after a nights sleep free from The Hum.

A perfect symphony of bird calls rang out from the bush. There were no screeching divas with the absence of magpies, wattle birds, crows, seagulls and corellas. The subtle call of the Gang Gang Cockatoos could be heard. It has a quieter squawk than its cockatoo cousins. It is more of a croak. We had seen three Gang Gangs the day before. They are distinguished by their grey feathers and red crests.

I had slept well in the tent despite frequent interruptions from snarling possums fossicking about for food and the occasional wallaby bounding by.

The Glenelg River in south west Victoria is beautiful. Surrounded by Australian bushland, it is protected by its National Park status, amid the ugly pine plantations that go on for kilometers and spoil this environment. The river is large enough for power boats, but favoured by canoeists and kayakers. There are no rapids but a swift current moves the slightly salty water to the estuary downstream at Nelson. Bream are often caught by the fishermen who frequent this place.

We swam, dived and jumped off jetties, fished, sat, cruised in the boat, cooked at the campfire, and looked for satellites and meteors in the star filled sky. The next day we left the clear hot day behind and descended into the cool dark underground interior of the Princess Margaret Rose Cave to be amazed by the stalactites and stalagmites.

On the radio

Posted on by
3

Ray Jones is a radio commentator on the local community radio station 3RPCFM in the Western districts of Victoria Australia. He is an older guy who has been around Portland his whole life.

Yesterday he interviewed me for his program. The purpose of the interview was to advertise an upcoming event. Maura the Clairvoyant Librarian is touring Victoria as part of the Victorian Public Libraries Summer Read program organised and sponsored by the State Library of Victoria. Maura will predict your next great book to read. She will be in Portland on the Town Green on Friday 15th January from 11:00am until 2:00pm. The pre-recorded radio interview goes to air on Sunday 10th January and Wednesday 13th January during Ray’s program.

It was an interesting interview and Ray posed some tricky questions, that I was unprepared for. He posed the problem of the possibility of the internet crashing with far-reaching effects, and how our community depends so heavily on its functions. He talked about the deterioration of the English language and asked me who was to blame. He asked if I remembered Cuisenaire. I do.

I responded as the thoughts came to me. I told him (and the listener) that I had recently listened to the talk by Bill Thompson at The Big Issues conference held at the State Library of Victoria. Bill is a journalist from the UK and a commentator on technology and future trends. He stated that the current wave of online based technology is just in its infancy and no-one can predict what or how we will be using this type of technology in five years time.

I commented that the changes we see in English language usage – the deterioration of spelling and grammar (and perhaps our ability to express ourselves and communicate effectively) will only continue to get worse in my opinion. This is mainly due to the growing popularity and accessibility of online writing and conversations, such as this blog. I know my English language skills are not great and I do in fact blame the schooling system in the Victorian public schools in the 1970’s. Grammar was scrapped from the curriculum. (At least it was at the school I attended). I have had to work hard since then to try to bring my writing skills to an acceptable standard.

But further to that we all see how people abbreviate words for SMSing and the sentence constructions when using Twitter and Facebook. How long will it be before teachers start seeing this type of spelling appearing in school work? Maybe it is already.

By the way, Maura is not really clairvoyant, but a performer!! I think so anyway. I have been asked by customers if she is really a clairvoyant.

I have just finished reading The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson. It is the second in the trilogy and I loved it as much as the first one The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I can imagine the movie with Bruce Willis playing the role of Mikael Blomkvist. What do you think?