We went to the Royal Melbourne Show

As the title suggests we went to the RMS yesterday which was the first day and historically ( read pre Kaiser Kennett) a public holiday in metro Melbourne ; for whatever strange and oblivious reason 2IC's work still have this "holiday" as a public holiday, so as we had not been to the RMS for two years and it has been re vamped we decided to go. Apart form the incredibly LOOOONG walk from the Flemington Racecourse car park ( $12 parking) and then the old Weekly Times shed and the goats, sheep enclosures at the end of the grounds are shut up and still being revamped so it still a longer walk to the entrance, it was nice. I say nice, as there are aspects of the show I miss. The central arena as we all once knew it, is gone and only the Woodfull stand remains, the arena that once had the judging, grand parade, fireworks, stunts cars, etc that we all had to walk around to get form one side of the grounds to the other is now a town square with ample seating, tables, chairs surrounded by food outlets, and a stage with constant entertainment. All arena judging is in the new CocaCola Arena, which is smaller compared with the old arena which also doubled as a night time trotting racetrack in the show off season. It is so small that if judging on one event goes into overtime ( as did the 2 year old filly Clydesdales yesterday) all other events are not on time for the remainder of the day..So don't rush to see anything but may have just been day one teething issues. Despite the entry price being pretty high for most families and the pricing being suspiciously geared towards making you buy a family ticket anyway. ( $22 per adult, $11 per child, under 5 free=$64 for us but a family ticket 2 adults, three children was $60) and the cost of food and drink is very high, it is a good day out if you limit the showbag purchases and take your own lunch. We did limit showbags to one junk,marketing bag each (priced to $20) and bought the family mega bag which has all kinds of cocoa based product goodies plus some old favorites like Bertie Beetle, Fruit Tingles...Stuff you are embarrassed to buy individually at the milk bar but ok about buying en masse at the Show. We also got the Treasure Hunt bag, formally known as the Weekly Times "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" bag. You buy the bag ($13) complete with map free newspaper, on the map are specified places where you collect a freebie sample for the bag...It is as close to the way the Show was for some of our parents and grandparents. It was produce based and samples were given out. My eldest enjoys the collection of goodies and the hunt takes you to some parts of the show many might not venture into usually.
Some of the old favorites are gone, such as the old wooden cattle pavilions, now an ultra modern venue housing all the cattle, sheep and goats but the walkways are not as wide as the were in the old ones and the stalls not as long. So, if stock is being moved to the judging ring; which is also housed in this venue;you need to move to one side and hope that the stock in motion does not do just that as it passes ..Have a motion; and that the stock you are standing less than a metre from does not do likewise. And my kids wondered why stock were being moved with someone walking behind holding a bucket close to the rear of the cattle!!!!! This is a poorly designed area, given that many non farming people enter the area and are put off by the smell ( which is a fine smell to me) the fact that they might be splattered with cow shit, to boot, is prohibitive to many even bothering. One sheep exhibitor was telling us how they laugh about the teenagers who venture no further than the door and they can tell the people who come from farms or have experience in primary producing as they don't worry about the small shit only the big ones and know the signs of cattle about to design a paddock pizza and move about a meter away, outside the splatter zone. FYI: Watch for the tail lifting.
Drinks range from $3.50 to $4.00 for a bottle of water, fries/wedges are $4.00 to $5.00, dagwood dogs/hotdogs $4.00, some very, very fine eateries are about but prices are way off the range for what they are supplying. We took our own water bottles ,the kids had hot dogs and pancakes for lunch. 2IC had a steak burger which at $12 something was a rip off. They had the inevitable fairy floss which Mr 3 had never been fond of, Mr 6 would eat all day and Miss 9 just loves in small amounts. There is a lot of free stuff to be had, samples of organic chocolate,chocolate infused with merlot, pinot noir, port, pickled asparagus, cheeses, wine, beer, stickers, flyers, balloons, sample bags, balloons, info booklets, balloons. If so inclined you could eat lunch, dessert and beverages on samples alone...I noted a few people who I thought were doing just that.
There seems to be more space, however much of the section towards the racecourse is closed off still. I think it is because the stands that once surrounded the arena are all but gone and the area opens up to lot more space and seating facilities. I did notice ,with much joy, that the fast food outlets that once almost dominated the food areas in 2003 ,no longer exist...That's right, no KFC, Mickey D's, Hungry Jacks, Pizza Hut, or other franchised fat retailers. Lots of sole proprietor, restaurant based quality(?) food to choose from at often exorbitant prices. Rentals site fees must be a real killer.
The animal nursery is bigger and better with sheep yarding demos, milking, shearing, and all styles of "Country comes the the city" type of stuff. I do not like unrelated; yet juxtaposed ;sponsorship of the nursery by major bank. Nor do I like the sellout of the arena being named after a major soft drink maker. Perhaps the RAS could look at listing the RMS on the stock exchange,ownership by the people, limited stock to everyone...Minimum $50 share purchase, no major shareholders who would sell it off for a profit. In lieu of dividends, shareholders can opt for passes ( much like discount s offered to retail shareholders) to the RMS. No more outside conflicting sponsorship involved then. That way allows the event to be accessible to many more, places ownership back in the hands of the people..Just a thought as the RAS give away too many free passes as it is which is why it is so dear for every one else to get in. If you have a RAS membership, at $115 for an adult, and $65 for a child; let your friends use it at $40-$50 a pop over every day of the show, you not only make your money back but a tidy little profit as well. This little scheme is well used by many exhibitors thereby putting the entry price up for many too. Good on them, I say, as without their entrepenorial skills; many families would not be able to attend.
For me, the Royal Melbourne Show means some things never change but then again some things never should.

This is sooooo ME

When I stand up for myself and my beliefs , they call me a BITCH
When I stand up for those I love, they call me a BITCH
When I speak my mind, think my own thoughts or do things my own way, they call me a BITCH,
Being a BITCH means I won't compromise what's in my heart
It means I live my life MY way.
It means I won't allow anyone to step on me.
When I refuse to tolerate injustice and speak against it, I am defined as a BITCH.
The same thing happens when I take some time for myself instead of being everyone's maid, or when I act a little selfish.
It means I have the courage and strength to allow myself to be who I truly am and won't become anyone else's idea of who they think I "should be".
I am out spoken, opinionated and determined.
I want what I want and there is nothing wrong with that!
So stomp on me, try and douse my inner flame,try and squash every ounce of beauty held within me,
You won't succeed.
And, if that makes me a BITCH, so be it.
I embrace the title and proud to bear it.

Politico Ass...Ars....Aspirants

I'm getting a bit tired of the political games being played out by some aspiring politicos ( read would be's if the could be's) It' s actually quiet funny to read the hogwash being spread about by several local aspirants ( who shall remain nameless as they have a perchance of cruising the blogsphere and /or "googling' their own name in a desperate attempt to justify themselves, they also like to waste time and money on lose/lose/LOSER court cases but we won't go there...YET). One promises everything that looks like a hospital, smells like a hospital but isn't a hospital. And little else. The other flutters about on the perennial of a party who would not be seen dead agreeing to the warped ideals of "Spot the Rock Spider" and my rights outweigh your rights. So amusing to watch them being used in a game that cannot be won, why else lob up a self employed socialite and accept token "Please let me be a member" second prefs from an independent? Challenging to read the attempts by one to talk about a hospital, promise something like a hospital or an inquiry but not actually say...You can have a hospital. It's all in the vocab ..Use the word often enough and people will believe it might happen. A sort of "say it and they will believe" scenario. It will be interesting, to be sure,whilst one attempts to say, write and repeat the "H" word without one being built and they other hobby horses about with rhetoric about criminals rights being greater than victims and bogey men deviants around every corner. Bit like kids in kindergarten actually.

What's it all about?

Maybe I am insensitive; although I really doubt it; but I really just do not understand the public display of grief and outpouring of quasi tears over the recent deaths of two public figures. Yeah, you know who I am talking about and I won't give them any type space here as they have enough already, I think. Really, I did not know either and whilst I feel sad for their families and had shed a tear over the stories of their deaths; as I do when I read any in depth, well written articles about anyone's life and death;I cannot fathom the tears and somewhat hyper sensitive displays of tears being shown by people who did not know them or even met them.
What is our pre occupation with ownership of public figures/personalities? Don Chipp died recently, a man of courage and perception who took on the political game for what it was...a rort. He challenged all and sundry, created a major third political party from a pre dominatly two party preferred system and tried to "keep the bastards honest". I saw little reflection of any public ownership of him as I have seen for the others.
Why is it that people feel they had the right to intrude on what is a very difficult and hard time for these peoples familes with public displays, tributes etc? We saw it in 1997 with the death of HRH Diana, Princess of Wales, it went on for an intolerable amount of time. Yes, I cried when I saw photos of her sons walking behind her hearse and I sob if I hear Elton Johns re write of "Candle In the Wind" and whilst I felt little more than sorrow for her sons and family, I could not understand the tears and sobs of the voyeuristic grief mongers who lined the streets, left tacky tributes and wept despairingly for someone many had never met except through tabloid press articles.
Same applies to the two recent losses, their families are left to cope, I think they should be permitted to grieve alone and without the pseudo grief of a nation who assumes ownership of public figures because they saw them on TV, or in media articles. Some people really, really need to get a life for them selves instead of living life vicariously through others deeds.

Parties, Posters and Parenting

I have been busy ,What's new? As Mr 6 had a birthday party to attend Saturday morning and all three kids had a party to attend Saturday afternoon, then there was the annual Fathers Day shopping to do. Miss 9 wanted a day off from school last week and as she is not often ill and I am an advocate of days off/RDO/ flex time whatever in the workforce, I think the same applies to school sometimes, so she had a day off school and came with me and Mr 3 to the new Mattel Wholesale outlet at Smith St, Collingwood. Which is open to the public and not part of the Mattel Club to which I had access; if seems that is now defunct as are the great bargains I once got at the Mattel Club in Ardeer. I got presents for the three birthdays my kids were attending, yes, three...The PM party is a brother and sister whom are two years apart but only a few days between birth dates so they hold a joint multi guest party. We collected Miss 9's bracelet which had some more charms attatched (courtesty of Nana) and was adjusted ( Thank you, mummy), we drooled over the Teddy Bear shop where you can make your own bear, Miss 9 amd Mr 3 had Mickey D's for lunch and Miss 9 tried to remember which shirt Daddy had pointed out to her two weeks ago in a shop dedicated to charging you $30 to wear a shirt giving them free advertising for "Jeep"* Supamum shakes her head and will never understand how marketing ploys seem to work on men when it comes to cars and clothing***

On Thursday, I received a note via Mr 5's teacher from Miss 9's teacher ( secret parent/teacher postal service) She was to receive an award for her poster design for the school fete at the Friday assembly. 2IC agreed to leave work early to attend and it appears that Miss 9 won her year level ( 3/4) for the design competition the other year level award was for Prep/1 and the runner up was a Grade 5 and the winner a grade 6!!!! She recieved a certificate, a voucher for Red Rooster and some pencils...she had no idea she was getting an award. She was chuffed and I think her class teacher was too.

I have been busy with meetings about the fete also, I am on the plant stall and the co ordinator is fretting about how we cannot really do much until the last minute, especially in the way of any donations from local traders as they usually give us whatever is about at the time. I am not too stressed as I know alot of the church community come through for us every time. I am digging up the remainder of the ugly * ooops, trying to sell them are'nt I ?* lovely, fully matured, easily grown agapanthus and potting them for sale or give away what ever happens, the ugly things are going!

I met a very interesting lady at my friends kids party on Saturday afternoon, she is the MD of a group of ex teachers, aides, etc who are disillusioned, disheartened and just damn well pissed off at the DET criteria for funding special needs kids, the attitude some teachers and principals have for the funding model and how it is administered, the lack of attention given to the needs of autistic children and the severe lack of understanding and training given to teachers in regards to such children. She is my friends son's tutor and she is also helping my friend vet prospective schools for her daughter to transfer to. She is about advocacy and information, but primarily works as a tutor right now and is networking contacts for the other teachers in the group: speech pathologists, O/T, PSG support officers, etc. I am in the middle of swapping contacts and passing on info to her about things such as ECPs, and tax deductable gap payments. She is a person who my friend, AJ, told me was 'made from the same stuff" as me and after hearing her speak and her objectives... I think this is the realm for my copious pages of notes and web links to all things relevant to parents of special needs kids. They will be starting a web page and I think this is one of the places for my reams of info and cross referenced data.

Come On People...Are you really that busy?

Mr 5 is progressing nicely with his speech pathologist; who I would highly recommend to any one looking for a SP for a child. He is struggling with reading though and cannot co related between the letter sound and the combination of sounds to make a word. He relies heavily on the secondary prompt, which at this stage is a picture, but if the picture is ambiguous, like a person laughing he will say the person is funny. He is not looking at the word enough to establish that it could not be "funny" as it starts with "l". He is a rote learner, he can tell me all the 12 Golden Words.
BUT only if they are in the order that appear on the grid, mix them up and he struggles, he has got his Golden Certificate and is now working in his Red one, many children in the class have already achieved Blue and Green as well as Red. These "magic words' are the words children see most often and rather than have to "sound them out" each time, they become part of what is know as sight vocabulary, that being they recognise the words on sight in any context. Words such as "a, is, the, there, was, I , am, be, were, not, no, of, on, this" . Mr 5 tends not to have the ability to absorb the words out of context...But he'll be a wiz at times tables and such I think.

His pencil grip an issue and I contacted his EIP OT to see if she could recommend anyone: we cannot access SCHC services anymore as he is in school now according to the lady at the desk; which was apparently not entirely true as the pediatric OT put me in touch with the Paed OT who works with local schools ( betcha didn't know we had that service here, I didn't) and I can ask the school to use part of Mr 5s funding to pay for the OT visits which are better facilitated in the class environment anyway given it is a pencil grip issue. I am OK with this as his aide does not appear to work on Tuesdays anyway. I am waiting for the OT and the Principal to get back to me...* Yawn* It's been a week now................

Meanwhile I have sourced a private physio for him as the area concerned crosses both physio and OT areas so either is OK and I JUST KNOW the school will not pay an external OT for this...what he needs, he needs now and what's private health insurance for anyway.

On the matter of private health insurance, this week I will have reached my limit for Mr 5's speech therapy and it's only August...So we have kicked in his Enhanced Primary Care Program ( EPC) Which means that Medicare pay $45 each for FIVE visits to his ST. Which should carry us through to mid November so by my calulations ,I will only pay out of pocket full session fees for three session this year...Not too shabby. I am going to write to my PHI provider to see if I can get an increase on limits for Mr 5's ST given it will be a long term thing. I had contacted a well known SP in NSW who chairs many committees and deals a lot with dyspraxia who advised me that PHIs can increase limits on some ancillaries if you are willing to lose something else ( ie: increase ST limit by $250 and forgo $500 limit on osteopathy) You write to them and supply a diagnosis from the provider stating the condition is ongoing and long term. This is a very one to one, case by case, scenario but hey, rules were meant to be broken and I'm the one who will always try.

First Eucharist, Birthdays and Brothers

I have been very busy as Miss 9 made her First Eucharist yesterday, for those of us older than 25 that's First Communion, for the non Catholics, its when children first eat the wafer stuff at Church. So I was busy organising her party ( but it's not about the party ...Tell THAT to a 9 year old) and her present from 2IC and me ( but its not about the presents, tell THAT to a 9 year old) and amidst it all, attend my friends hastily organised 40th birthday dinner and a Candle party she was having. Phew!!!

My friend, AJ and I have been pals for it seems forever. She was bridesmaid at my wedding, her hubby was our best man. They both went to school with 2IC which is how I met them but AJ and I have stuck firm in our friendship. We share the same age for 24 hours and yesterday she turned 40!!! Our birthdays are one day apart and our wedding anniversaries are one day apart. AJ is as solid as they come and has had a lot of stuff to get over, a lot of which she gets over by herself...Often I do not find out about something major happening until its past..That's what she is like, non alarmist and non fuss. Anyway she was having a candle party (Partylites) which was REALLY GOOD if you are into candles and such but really expensive if you are into candles and such LMAO. Anyway, W, another pal of AJs decided that as AJ's hubby wasn't organising anything for AJ that we'd go out for dinner after the candle party, but as AJs mum wanted to come and her older sister and her niece and nephew and Miss 9 was with me and S ( AJ's daughter) we had to go cheap rather than "swanky, once in a lifetime, you are turning 40". We ended up at Pascoe Vale RSL..............Nice meal, great service, what can I say..AJ was happy after the two,three, four, five, no, it was four or was it seven Barcadi and Raspberries..W and I plied her with all night. Oh, and AJ if you are reading this... The big one was a DOUBLE!!!And Adam, AJs nephew; topped it of with his masterful fireworks display using two tennis balls and the compound from a packet of sparklers..Don't ask; the boys from the bush and sings kareoke!!!

We decided to have family only over after the Mass and as it was the later Sunday night mass, we hoped the family would all eat and run far, far away. It worked, all and sundry gone by 8.30pm...wonderful!!!My cousin, Simone; who is also Godmother to all three kids; came by at about 2.00 which was fine as she was coming from Bendigo and we hardly see each other much anyway. But when my Dad and his partner arrived at 4.00 I was a tad peeved, Mass was not until 5.30!!!! And I was still cleaning up, and we had to get three kids ready and 2IC was working in the yard in the veggie garden...Now I had to make coffee and chat pleasantly all whilst trying to do this other stuff. SHIT
Any way we got the Church and 2IC's family meet us there, ( they are non Catholic so are really lost in Church) There were only 6 children from school celebrating their first Eucharist last night and two others from outside schools ( non Catholic schools) and strangely enough the pew behind us( as all seating was allocated) was empty but had a place name attatched...Had to ponder that one, piked it? Illness? Forgot about it? Changed their mind? I am still wondering about it. Mr 3 and Mr6 were reasonably well behaved, Mr 6 let out groans of "Oh Man!!" whenever the priest started to speak again, and "oh, No!" when the singers started again...NOT GOOD!! And all this from the front pew with his school principal standing nearby and his religious education co ordinator as one of the singers!!! Gotta, hand it to him, he's not afraid to speak him mind, in volumes.

All the while, before Mass commenced; Miss 9 was turning about to check if "Unca T" had arrived, my errant, non compliant younger sibling. I had to invite him, he is family and he is also Miss 9's godfather ( god help her) I half expected him to turn up fashionably late as he did at her baptism ( however that time he arrived with his then new partner who wore a white leather mini, white CFM boots and a leather bustier...Simply stunning) But he did not arrive to my knowledge,( but not my surprise) much to Miss 9's dismay. When we got home, his car was at our house and he told me he was to the back of the church and left as soon as Mass ended...BULLSHIT. I have been his sister for all of his life and I know him, he did not attend Mass, no biggee, but don't lie to my kids about being there ok?

It 's your money, Ralph

Recently I have become aware of a little hiccup within the banking system which would affect us all at some stage, to me ,it verges on fraud by the banks,but hey that's just my opinion. Nowadays not many of us deal in cheques, no one wants to accept a personal cheque and the cost of a checking account outweighs the benefits ( unless you are a business or big $$$ customer and get a "special managers deal"= NO FEES)
Cheques use to take 3 working days to clear, 5 for interstate accounts, this is a fact. Cheques or the paper exchange takes place overnight and the cheques are returned to the drawers bank on day two, if they are not honored, they are returned to the payees bank by day 3. Hence the 3 day rule.
Cheques drawn on the Reserve Bank ( ATO, Centrelink, Dept of Defence etc) and bank cheques used to considered by banks to be cleared funds. That is, they were as good as cash. Government wasn't going belly up, the payee name matched the account name..No risk there. Bank cheques have to be paid for with cash or a withdrawal from a loan or with cleared funds, ipso facto; no risk of it being dishonoured. In fact a bank CANNOT dishonour a bank cheque, only stop payment on it.

So why are banks applying the 3 day rule to tax refund cheques and bank cheques? I raised this issue recently with my bank when they told me 2IC's tax refund cheque would take 3 days to clear and was advised that bank cheques receive the same treatment. So what happens to your money whilst you wait this little lie out....
Well, the money is credited to your account but does not show in the balance so it is only there in theory not in reality, so you are losing interest in it. If you place it in your mortgage or such it will have the interest adjusted;or show in the balance but not as available funds, if it isn't shown as this ...Ask for an interest adjustment ( I will give the equation for interest recalulation later). The money is actually sitting in the banks cash management, short term money markets and money exchange with billions of other dollars which is not theirs, earning millions of dollars in interest for the BANK.

It your money, Ralph, people have become so complacent and banks so internalised , that they are not adhering to the basic principles of LAW regarding paper exchange. Especially regarding RESERVE BANK cheques. Sure you can pay the $20 or $30 they ask for a "special clearance" but you can do that your self as it only involves a phone call. That's right, your bank charges you $20 to call another bank ...Here's what you do. Take down the cheque details on a piece of paper, drawer, account name, cheque number, account number, bank and branch and payee. Write "Special clearance" on the cheque but tell the teller its a mistake and you don't want a special clearance. Next day call up directory assistance and get a number for the branch the cheque was from, call them and ask for special clearances, get the persons name in special clearances, tell them you are calling for a special clearance and the cheque was banked via so and so branch, give them the details you have, and they will tell you if the cheque is to be paid or not. Never tell them you are from the bank but don't tell them you aren't either. Armed with the persons name, go to your bank and tell them that such and such from Big Bucks bank has advised the cheque is cleared and will be paid, sure they can call and ask for so and so and check but cannot charge you for it. You may have to fight it out but it is not illegal for you to do it, so long as you do not misrepresent yourself. I have done it three times and fought and won each time.
Use the system against them.
It's your money, Ralph.

Interest Adjustment Calulation:

amt. of money not credited to account x interest rate x days missing from account
__________________________________________________ =

36500

What are people thinking when they say this stuff??

Mel Gibson, inebriated or not, spouts off at a Sheriffs deputy about "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world". Then we have another dullard full of his own self importance, Dean Jones; making racial comments on air, when he thought the mike was off...Why make them at all? And then goes on to say it has hurt him in the hip pocket to be sacked, does he not think it has hurt his image at all or is he such a well known HAS BEEN that all will be forgiven?
If such "off the cuff" and sudden comments are not really what the person means or reflective of their ideals...Why are they saying them at all?
If it not something they subconsciously believe to be true or and ideal they hold as a belief...What would otherwise posses them to say it?
It is not the fallacy we have become such a politically correct society that such slurs are now deemed hurtful but the fact that such slurs are motivated and linked to world events, that they are directed at individuals and they are a generalist view of obviously prejudiced people. In years gone by, terms such as "wog", "dago", "skip", were part of the every day venacular. Any kid who wasn't born here was a "wog" or a "dago" , whether born in Cyprus, Athens, Syria, or Sicily..Any kid whose surname name began with the prefix of "O" was a "mick" or a "paddy". Such terms were all encompassing ,and although frowned upon, were part of the melding of our cultures. But these are non definitive terms, they do not point at any one being a terrorist or Taliban or a warmonger or anything else. Even terms such as "cow cockie" or "sheep jockey" whilst definitive in syntax are non vilifying in nature.
At school I had been called a "paddy ", "mick", when I started at a city school I was a "cow cockie", I have been known as a "skip", "grommit" and a "greenie".. I've been called a "lesbo pinko commie" even. Of which I am none. But the fact remains that such terms are non abusive nor entail any latitude of connection to any unsavoury activities such as the comments made by the two aforementioned dolts.
Maybe tertesterone and middle age cause some chemical imbalance in logical thinking.

Nah nah nah nah..Just getting in touch with my inner child

I am remiss as I did not update on the matter of this post.
Well we attended the mediation and so did two couples of each of the neighbours. They did not "understand why they were there as they were quite happy with the way council was handling the matter". The process is very, very good and each party is permitted to outline the issue and what they want from the process. We, as the initiators, outlined that we want them to approach us as if there is an issue then we can address the causation then, rather than they complete a diary, submit to council and us never be permitted to see the diary ipso facto not know the causation and be unable to proof the dog. I also outlined that I felt the matter was driven by one parties insecurities and their attempt to foist their issues onto other in another form. It got a bit combative at times, but boils down to this...We are deemed unapproachable because WE DID NOT ATTEND THE STREET CHRISTMAS PARTY which was held two weeks after we moved in... Oh and we were "unresponsive" to their complaint in March...Maybe because it was a bunch of lies and we proved it to council as such.
Anyway it boils down to the "just want the dog to be quiet"..Hello, it is a dog, WOOF WOOF WOOF!
They bark, IDIOT!!!!
They got a bit cross about my "matter being driven by other issues" and after they were out of the room when we were in discussions with the mediators, a comeback about "no one ever spoke about you to anyone" was touted out of the blue. Obviously hit a nerve there.
Anyway I feel the mediators did a good job but they recognised the futility we were faced with in that they did not understand what we were offering, only their perceived "wants". They were like petulant children with their demands and comments...Such as "when you moved in, I looked over the fence and saw you had a dog and then realised it was old and would die soon and then you bought the puppy"
LIKE YOU HAVE THE FUCKING RIGHT TO INVADE OUR FUCKING PRIVACY AND PASS JUDGMENT ON WHAT WE DO WITH OUR LIFE!!!!!
SANTIMONIOUS BITCH!!

Oh and the lies, apparently the wife at one house and the husband at another work shift work..Yeah, right the guy later amended his to "sorta shift work but usually office hours" What he doesn't realise is that I know where he works and they don't do NIGHTSHIFT..IDIOT!!
And as for the lady next door, well maybe afternoon shift but night shift NAH, You see when people lie like that you like to be prepared to counter it should the occasion arise. I have monitored their absences for the past month and YOU ARE LYING!!!AGAIN
We completed an agreement which states that they will approach us with any issues and that 2IC will approach them in a months time to check on any problems they may have, we all signed the agreement bar ONE. Stupid bitch doesn't relaise that she just did herself out of the opportunity to be part of the solution, now she is the problem.

It makes me cross to think that people feel they have the right to judge and make un quantified calls on your lifestyle choices because it doesn't fit with their little world. That they feel they can use systems put in place for genuine complaints for their own petty issues.
Funnily enough, 2IC pointed out to them that council we investigating the complaints and being outside our property at our request..Not because of their complaints. He also asked how they would feel if councils response was to that their was no case to answer. They said they'd have to go further with council on the matter...Oddly enough that is exactly what council advised us of the day after the mediation...NO CASE TO ANSWER!!!

This could have been me....

Being the bull at a gate that I am and relentless advocate of the rights of my children. A friend sent this to me and says specialist teachers throughout the Ed Dept are applauding this action

Lets hope they get more out of her than I did after a FOUR month wait for a reply. This is one of the very reasons my son would have been left high and dry in a public school, even though we had to fight, at least he gets some funding. SLD's cannot be lumped into the English as Second language ( ESL) cart and bundled into one lot of funding, teachers are not speech pathologists nor should they be expected to add the child's speech requirement s to the curriculum. SLDs are notjust a language issue but lead to learning issues, social issues and the education department has a obligation to be proactive in this area, not reactive a decade later when you have a 15 year old with the reading level of a 6 year old.
Although the line taken by the schools is that they only have "an obligation to see a child has Grade one reading and comprehension levels" ( as told to my friend by her child teacher and principal)
What hope have kids like this got???
I wish them every success and notice that our tax dollars are being spent on a QC for the Dept of Ed and Ms Allen, who probably will send a lackey to attend as she never seems answerable to anything on a individual basis.

How Come?

Some salient thoughts I have been pondering in my moments of oddity, which some may argue are many.

How come the dentists; whose face they cannot show on television in the toothbrush ads, always brush their teeth after a shower with only a towel around them?

How come the same dentists always have bathrooms that resembles something out of Design Digest?

Why is it that my 9 year old can sing all the lyrics and know all the dance steps to just about every song in "High School Musical" but struggles to remember to hand her school bank book in?

Why is it that when you go in the express line at the supermarket, that the person in front always has an item without a price or a fruit or vegetable the cashier doesn't recognise?

Why, when you are always in a hurry, do you get a nana/pops Volvo driver attempting to paralell park in a space the car will not fit into without a shoehorn and 10 litres of lubricant?

Why do you always see sports cars in the "Parents With Prams" parking spots, with no child seat or room for a pram?

How come your kids will always get their good clothes dirty 5 minutes before you have to leave for somewhere and all the washing is still in the machine?

How come you dog will always decides to give you a welcome home kiss after he has been chewing on a week old bone and has been digging holes?

Why doesn't the kid in the Subway ad; who drinks all the milk so he can have a Subway brekky; have toast instead or fruit?

I'm being silly, I know, but what are you for reading it all.........................

Caninism

This is the beginning of dog owners fighting for the right to be allowed their lifestyle choices. For too long the rights of the so called, thinking species, has outweighed the rights of the "poor dumb" animal who was once seen and a worker, friend and protector who; now due the media hype and the minority of iditotic owners, pet shops and backyard breeders; have been reliquished to backyards, enclosed runs and designated off lead areas.
Local government act in adjunct subjectivity, legislation is passed without community consultation and as a knee jerk reaction, the erosion of the rights of the responsible people in the community are eroded and gradually abolished.
Breed Specific Legislation ( BSL) is a prime example ,as it is without reason nor justification, it is based on the premise that a certain breed of dog attacks ipso facto that breed is a danger and needs to be outlawed. JUDGE THE DEED NOT THE BREED. The issue should be a case by case scenario not linked implicitly to one or six or whatever breeds. If we are allowed to judge and legislate on such issues, based on appearances, what next? "All Muslims believe in jihad, all Koories are welfare dependent"...You can argue that it is different with humans, we don't judge and label like that, but many of society already have with the two tradgic stereotypical comments I quoted.
Dogs were once seen as a right of passage for each child, now there are children growing up without dogs ;a very sad indictment on our world it seems. Dogs once wondered the street in which we lived and played cricket with us, followed us on our bikes and walked us to school. Yes, some of us got bitten and there was always the dog behind the gate at no 8 that barked and was a nasty bastard, but that was life.
Now we live in such litigious times that even to look at someone the wrong way can insight an attempted assault charge, let alone a dog might bark in their direction ( dangerous dog) or jump at them for a pat ( dog attack). We forget that we have denied children the passage of growing up with dogs and we forget that dogs are not as socialised as they were when we were young. As the owner, handler and trainer of many dogs over the majority of my life I can vouch for the difficulty faced by dog owners in socializing and acclimatising dogs to much of what was learnt "on the hoof" when out and about in the past. Responsible owners socialise and acclimatise their dogs, some owners do not have the time nor the knowledge; this does not make them necessarily irresponsible, just un aware.
Then we have the children who have grown up without dogs but who love them just the same, they run up to the dog who only walks to the shop to get the paper with his elderly owner and hey, presto, you have a dog attack and a dangerous dog label.
It amazes me that the proactive instead of reactive approach has not been taken more often, yes, the Responsible Pet ownership program is funded by dog and cat registrations and is active in schools upon request, programs such as these should be COMPULSORY.
For these reasons, for my children's right to own a dog, for my freedom of lifestyle choice and for the future of endangered breeds, I annouce myself a Caninist.

Bruce Springsteen & Melissa Etheridge Thunder Road

Pure stardust, pure magic, PEFECTION

Melissa Etheridge Sophie Hawkins Duet - Damn I Wish...

Now if only Bono and Melissa would duet on Elvis's "Suspicious Minds"......

Hmmm What's that smell??

I smell an election, a State election which, undoubtedly, some feel will be decided on how often your name is in print and what meetings you will attend. We have the inevitable Liberal last minute show up who no one has heard of, despite the Liberal President and ONE local GP crying the candidates accolades about being on a schoolboard, opening a Diabetes Foundation facility and other such irrelevant and un noteworthy humdrum. Yet no one else claims to know of or supported the platform.

Being on the board of a PRIVATE, INDEPENDENT, EXCLUSIVE school hardly validates your role as advocate to the constituency of public and semi private, religious schools in the area, does it now?? Being dressed the nines for a possible photo op and cutting the ribbon to open a facility is hardly supporting the cause nor working for it, is it now? What have you DONE for us? Answer, nothing!!!

Jumping on the bandwagon of political opportunity in a vain self motivated attempt for personal gain, I have yet to hear about " the community's wishes" or " what you want" its all party motivated with the Liberal party taking first, second and third on the list of wants, wishes and needs.

Then we have the local "coulda been" champion of the children fighting his fictional bogeymen of society via media hype and mob hysteria. Don't forget to call up the media before the rally at some unsuspecting persons home in a effort to garner some exposure before the election. Must be due for another game of spot the Claytons pedophile soon...The pedophile you have when there is no pedophile. Seems that they have the issues of the individual confused with the issues of the electorate, your issues are yours: take ownership of them but do not attempt to force your poisoned ideals upon the rest of the community using the soapbox of public office to do so. The amount of information this individual spouts to have access to about alleged offenders whereabouts gives serious issue to:
1. The persons honesty and integrity if they do not have the information
2. The persons ethics and integrity for annoucing that they have such classified information
3. The persons ability to be trusted in a position of public representation if they announce private information so publicly.

Time will tell and like all bad smells, the stench will fade and fresh air will prevail again.

Terrific Kids who can do it!!!!

There is a program in many local schools called "terrific Kids" it is promoted and supported by the Kiwanis and it along with programs like "You Can Do It", goes a long way in the support, validation, recognition and encouragement of our children in all aspects of their education.
Every child, in every class is a Terrific Kid at some time throughout the year, they are recognised for various skills, achievements or often for not giving up on a task or for facing some form of adversity. Mr 6 was Terrific Kid a few months back, his teacher makes a badge for them and they wear it all week and get to sit on the special chair. Each class has special privileges in place for the terrific kids and the recognition brings with it acknowledgement by the other children and staff at the weekly assembly as well as the school community at large by way of the listing in the school newsletter. Mr 5, this Friday, will be awarded Terrfic Kid for the term!!!!!
It is a good incentive for the kids to strive for betterment, be better people and generally care for themselves, others and society. I'm glad my kids are being taught acceptance, tolerance and recognition of everyone's abilities and contributions, they will be better adults for it. The entire student body cares for each other in a manner that out distances their youth. The Buddy system where the Preps are allocated both a Grade 6 and Grade 5 'Buddy" to look out for them and undertake mixed level activities with, is one for which I am extremely grateful. The older children take this task seriously and with the graduation of the Gr 6 buddy to secondary school the role of buddy falls to the new Gr 6 , formerly Gr 5 buddy who as the last buddy in the school for the now Gr 1 child to turn to and learn from.
Miss 9 greatly admired and loved her Gr 5/6 buddy who was a great friend and when she was in Gr 6 I thought about how the Gr 6's had few recognitions or impacting evidence of what they had left the school. A photo and Gr 6 jacket, a yearbook perhaps but little else to carry them into secondary school knowing they had made a difference, left a mark, been part of a history.
I wrote a poem that year, the title was decided by the staff, the reading of the poem that first year I asked to be done by Miss 9's buddy, in consequent years ,the reader has been decided by the Grade 6's and it is read at the graduation of the grade 6's. I was invited the first year it was included in the graduation program to hear it read, I declined. The poem is owned by the students and administered by the school. The copyright is theirs. The memories it instills are theirs for they are all terrific kids who can do it and did!!!

Almost at the end...

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, no not THAT light, although I am sure there are some readers who do wish that...TUFF. No, the light that will be revealed when we attend mediation this evening with the "neighbor's". That is if the gutless wonders even turn up, we have to wonder as one of the first dates given for the mediation by the other parties was the night one of them had a school meeting and when that date came, the persons partner was not even home that evening, how they were going to attend the mediation is anyone guess. So we think one ; out of the initial four; only will attend and attempt to "advocate" for the others...WHAT OTHERS??? IF THEY DON"T ATTEND,COUNCIL WILL NO LONGER ACCEPT THEIR COMPLAINTS!!!!!
We just want to know what there issue is, not that I care really, but so we can try and alleviate any further useless, frivolous, vexatious and false complaints. It is anal to write a month of info to find that only one other party wrote a diary for one of the four weeks we kept one for. But it was interesting to compare the two as we proved many of the things we thought were happening, one being that when other dogs in the area bark, they are marking it down as being our dogs the other being that people with little minds and even less IQ, think that marking down the dogs as barking after I leave my house and for the periods I am absent ( Yes, I know they watch my movements and I alternatively wave or given them a middle finger salute in acknowledgement) will leave it open to non contention that the dogs bark, after all they watch and know I left and the property is unattended, didn't they??? Or did I? Such a secluded property allows for my friends to park further down the street or in the court behind and walk undetected through the bushes at the bottom of my garden and enter my property unnoticed and unannouced. I am not so irresponsible and uneducated in the ways of the canine world as to not even consider that my dogs MIGHT bark in my absences, so when the initial complaint came about I initially set up a tape outside to record any noise in my absence, some very nice bird song and the pit pat of my dogs feet on the verandah is all I have on a one hour tape. I have also, over the past eight months, had the help of several friends, who have been parking their cars in the court, or the court behind or just walking through the he park and sitting whilst I am doing school pick ups. drop offs and general errands...Two or three times a week to check that the dogs are not barking in my absence. They ARE NOT BARKING!!! My friends have been very helpful in keeping records to ensure that there is rarely a moment when someone ;without an axe to grind, has been within earshot. They have been melding with the surrounds and as inconspicuous as the tar upon the roadway. Same cannot be said for the obvious and itinerant visits by the local members of the bombastic by laws division.
So either tonight it will be revealed what the REAL issue is, if in fact there is one. Or they will hide and not front up to the meeting. Either way, WE WIN!!!!

Working Dogs

Working Dogs

These are the dogs who companion, protect, herd, are the eyes and ears of humans, work as therapy animals, and who are the essence of a working dog. I am proud to be counted as "owned by working dogs"

Is it legal???

Have to ask how far local government with a piss poor record already of compliance, good governance, transparency and honesty is willing to go. It is now verging on harassment and invasion of privacy that they still attempt to prove complaints which we have disproved once and have had the approriate authorities make standing recommendations to in regard to acceptance and handling of complaints. Albeit ,they are probably in a quandary with phone calls from the complainants, however; we are also ratepayers, and deserving of honesty and objectivity. An undertaking was given that nothing further would be entered into by them until such time as mediation was attended or refused by the other parties, this is to take place next week. On no less than 4 occasions, various council vehicles have been sighted nearby, no doubt waiting for the incessant and constant barking of my dogs as reported by the neighbours. So sad, too bad, it never happens, as it never did and never will!!!! Twice council vehicles have blantantly been parked in full view of my property which is tantamount to HARASSMENT.

So much for honesty and transparency and hurrah for deceptive conduct and bold faced lies.

It wearing a tad thin that they constantly act under the guise of good governance whilst facilitating the harassment by some. In eight months they have been incapable of investigating or proving the claims because the complainants lodge diaries for inconsistent periods or fail to comply with requests for second diaries...Grounds for dismissal of the matter? Oh, no our local council continue to harauge us with these allegations and act infavour of the whiners regardless of information we supply to the contary. Which incidently is being relayed back to the complainants so they may adjust and modify their information..Hardly HONEST or TRANSPARENT governance.
Is it even legal that they continue to pursue the matter? I'll let you know.

Best Friends.....

Talking and laughing last night with my gym buddy and I got to wondering about what makes a friendship happen. Is it a strange aura that tells you someone is so much like you in likes and dislikes that you will hit it off auto matically.(.How boring!!) Or is it a gradual building of the relationship like exposures of photos? I cannot recall how I came to have best friends..Horrible term really implies that one friend is better than the others, not so much better but more in tune with you, I think. I am a very liberated person, I have no issues with gays, gay marriages, gays having children, I believe in freedoms , social justice, community consultation and care. I believe that Government at all levels needs to be transparent and accountable as well as answerable tot he community. I do not obey or condone all my Church, my government, my country or the world does to each other and I say so. I have been called a pinko commie lesbian Greenie bitch, I might be some or many but not all. My friends accept me and my idiosyncrasies( of which there are many) as part of the deal.

I have one friend whom is fairly strait laced in her beliefs and the Catholic Church, she is almost homophobic but I'd never place her in a position of embarrassment in regards to her beliefs. She is one of the most caring, nurturing, unassuming people you could ever met. She worries about my forthrightness and that it will get me in trouble. She understands if I don't speak up it will just build up. She worries a bit too much about what people think of her, not in a vain way, just an appearances way. But she is a wonderful person at heart. We have different views on parenting, gays, shopping but we are best friends.

Another pal, we have been friends for over 20 years and I met her through my husband( they all went to school together) she was my bridesmaid, has recently been diagnosed with MS, she has two special needs children and has a lot happening in her world. She and her husband (he was our best man) are both dog people also. Together we invented Barcardi and Raspberry as a drink, she is allergic to Coke. We enjoy a chat and a cup of tea, and when she visits its often bedlam but I can't get too angry.

My best friend is my gym and chocoholic buddy, we haven't know each other as long as I have know the other two and we had noting in common really except our girls attended the same creche years ago, we were pregnant with our second children together and she was PS and I was ex PS..Well maybe more in common than most. I left work after the birth of Mr 6, she returned to work after maternity leave, she saw me through my third pregnancy, I invited her to have a third but she was not to be had LOL. She's is a confidante, sage, and very resourceful. Who else would listen to you obsess about a topic of no interest to them, allow you to detail plans of revenge and attrition without shock nor judgment? Who else do you discuss your sex life and men with? ( Yes guys some women do talk!!!) Despite me being a stay at home mum and a late sleeper and her being a working mum and an early riser ( way too early!!!) we have a grand time and have more fun laughing at ourselves than much else. We shop together when time and funds allow, we read a lot but not always the same stuff, she likes Stephen King stuff and bios and autobios, super hero's movies and watches SMALLVILLE !!!! I like chickflics, chick lit, real literature, poetry, crime and legal novels, comic books. I watch DH and GA and CAC. She watches SMALLVILLE, Dancing with the Stars and SMALLVILLE!!! I watch ABC and SBS, she might watch them if the other 149 channels were not working. She watches SMALLVILLE!!!
Sorry, having trouble accepting this after she bought her mobile and headset to gym to watch the last 15 minutes of it. LMAO
So just my thoughts on best friends as I am lucky to have them and they all compliment themselves and me in some way. Each makes me stronger on some way and supports me in different ways. They are good to have about and I hope to have them for a very long time to come. I read somewhere once that "we could never not be best friends, as you know too much" but also that the rarest gift of all is that of the presence of a friend.

And so say all of us...........

This sums it up so poignantly I think, plus the little piccie I added:

Some people just do not get it. Everyone has varying degrees of tolerance, some of my neighbour's tolerance levels are so low, if an ant were to fart in my back yard the virulent whiners would send an anonymous complaint into council. To make matters worse they did not know, that we knew they made the complaints. Now they know we know they made the complaints - ha ha. Things have deteriorated to such a degree the Council were not going to pursue the dog complaint made by the virulent neighbours, well at least until we challenged them to investigate, and if they had enough information. Finally I believe the council is starting to realise that the dogs are not incessant barkers or disturbing the peace. The laws are there to pursue owners of persistently barking dogs not the occasional barker. You know the ones that bark all night or for extended periods not say thirty seconds. Nor is "reasonably disturbing the peace" an easy one to get either. The dogs may annoy someone with an extremely low tolerance of all canine and canine friendlies but a normal person would approach the offending neighbour directly. If I approach them to discuss if they had a complaint or were annoyed - response "they are a bit noisy sometimes". Unfortunately did not have the gumption to admit or deny making a complaint nor discuss what was annoying them. Well they would if they had any intestinal fortitude.After being subjected to these frivolous complaints and pestering of the council officers have taken matters into our own hands and forcing mediation. So how do you make a complaint to council to ensure they will harass a responsible dog owner? After suspecting that someone was attempting to cause the dogs to bark from time to time we have finally caught them out. Yes that is correct if the dogs do not bark enough to make a complaint nor for the council to make a conclusive finding go out of your way to make a dog bark so you can note the times they barked and lodge a diary with the council. Throw rocks into the back yard to stir them up. Bang on the fence everytime the dogs are asleep - that will help. Annoy your dog owning neighbour after you have conditioned the dogs to barking at the noise by doing a lot of banging and thumping near the fence line until the dogs bark. When the responsible dog owner calls the dogs away stop the noise. Note the duration of the noise by entering discrete events on the minute. When they relax thinking the dogs are settled - start up again. But do not forget to make your notes in a diary for submitting into the council. Make sure you slam every car door when leaving the house - even if you are the only person traveling. If all that is not enough, note down times that other dogs are barking in the nearby properties and report against the owner you wish to make a complaint about. Make wild and unsubstantiated claims about the impact upon you. ie how it restricts the natural enjoyment of your privacy or peace in the yard or house.Why bother go to such extraordinary lengths when you can just fabricate times the dog barks and triple the length of time the noise occurs. Fill out a diary for each of you neighbours as well, if you have not already convinced them that the dogs bark too much and to submit a letter at least. But be careful here your other neighbours may just have dogs that are the noisy barkers, or own a rooster that crows at 4:00am in the morning. In other words make sure you are squeaky clean. What will happen? Well the Council will conduct an investigation and witness the neighbours dogs barking while the responsible owner's dogs are silent. Oops!!! Also make sure the diaries actually line up as well and the dogs are actually in the yard - will look suspicious.Make sure that you and your collaborators take turns to string the complaints out over a lengthy period - say 8 months to make the Council think that there is a serious problem.When you have gone to all these efforts to put forward such a good case for continued harassment of a dog owner - how frustrating it must be when a responsible (or not responsible depending upon your perspective) dog owner that has allowed the dogs to bark for awhile to bring the complaints to a head - and just when you think you have the council on side the alleged barking suddenly ceases!!!! Damn that would hurt.
Well trained dogs are such a joy.

Whew...............

School holidays have finished ( for ten weeks at least) so its back to the regime of making lunches, getting up early, doing readers, diaries signed,making sure that if its PE or Sport that they have their sports gear, forms signed, communication book ( Mr 6 only as he is special needs) read and commented if required, library bags if library day, the list goes on...Never thought there was so much in getting ready for another school day until I wrote it all down. I had to keep reminding myself to make lunches last night or else ;after a two week respite; I would have forgotten. The kids were bathed, hair washed and ready for bed by 7.00pm, boys in bed by 7.30, then the fun began...Up and down, in and out, back and forth, playing with toys, talking to the dog through the window ( he gets up to the window to talk to them, to hear them tell it) talking to each other, telling stories to each other ....GRRRRRRR and Miss 9 has been permitted to stay up to watch a series called " The restaurant" on the Food channel with us...So she was in bed by 9.30pm and began the same routine as her siblings had been demonstrating for over 2 hours now. Eventually, the boys fell asleep, Miss 9 was still up and about, chatting and reading at 11.00pm!!!!!
Needless to say, some very tired Vegemites here this morning, I let them sleep in and took them to school late...Yes, good form for first day back for the term and they were so late I had to sign them in at the office so there were some sniggers and remarks let me tell you LOL.

What are you worth in Mr Howards eyes?

If you are a carer, ill, disabled, single parent,unemployed, gay or a pensioner: NOT MUCH!!!! The recent budget and legislation clearly shows the state of play for many of our society, in other words you aren't much to him and his Government if you don't work and contribute to his and his Government massive self regulated pay increases. The Government spouts idealically about family values with all the inanity of a 1950s commercial of the perfect nuclear family, yet tells the single parents of our society that they must find work when the youngest child attends school whilst enforcing IR changes that effectively ensure the parents no rights when it comes to their families needs and requirements. If you are lucky enough to get a part time job that suits school hours, fine and good, have to leave work early because your child is sick at school and has to be collected...Too bad you just lost that job and under Centrelink rules, you quit unless your employer gives you a separation certificate...No $$ for you for a while. Women and men who can or choose to be stay at home parents are worth the same as those who choose or have to return to work, we care for and nurture our children in a home environment and socialize them with other parents via community playgroups and kindergarten. Our children are growing up to be the medicos, service personnel, teachers, tradespeople, sales clerks, artists, writers, media personalities who one day may be responsible for your life, your wellbeing, your biography, your grandchildren, your safety...Treat them and the people who raise them with the respect they and we DESERVE.
Same variant applies to the elderly, they have fought wars , gone without , survived the Depression, traveled to the new world for a new life, started businesses, worked the land for generations, developed inventions that are world reknown, been part of medical breakthroughs and then in the time of their life when respect and thanks by the Government should be lorded upon them they are given a measly increase in pensions, the Department of Veterans Affairs strings out matters for such a period that many die before thay receive full entitlements and then they make it just as hard for those left behind, whilst fat cat pollies who retire early and then go on the speaker circuit or write self indulgent memoirs with a ghost writer are entitled to free travel, golden tickets and a myriad of other perks the public know little of. When Government treat the elderly of society with such contempt and with little or no support mechanisms in their twilight years, why would any one in community be any different to their plight? Government is elected by the people, they should lead by example, this is not a don't do as I do, do as I say situation and never should be.
The recent changes to the ACT laws in regards to the recognition of same sex relationships show that at least some of our society can move forward and accept diversity, alas the man with the mandate believes his views are those of the rest of Australia and passed laws excluding the recognition of same sex relationships as a definition of family. Seems it wasn't long ago that de facto relationships and single motherhood were scorned upon and unrecognised except under common law. Times moved on and regardless of what the old farts of the old Dart of our political system think ;the gays of our society have a right to be recognised for not only their contributions to society but recognised and acknowledged as being part of a family unit or relationship not defined by the old school of uneducated and prejudicial attitudes.
The Government need to realise that they are supposed to represent the PEOPLE, I am rehashing a point here, I know, but PEOPLE are not defined by big business, media monguls, financial institutions or multi national corporations, people is a collective noun not a singular. If they are not representing the views of the people, they are not governing effectively. Or with a mandate.

School Holidays ...Still going

Well, as we round the corner for the final days of school holidays...I must say I have been enjoying them to date( touch wood) There have been fights and yelling and hitting, but there has also been the soccer competitions with the soccer dog and Mr 6, who is neither left or right footed but manages to keep his balance, run and kick a moving ball whilst ;mostly, dodging a pup who thinks the soccer ball is his.
There have been games on the PC and games in theyard, pasting and cutting, cooking and eating, dinosaurs roaming about our lounge with Supermanin tow. Buzz Lightyear and Batman have been flying about in Lego ships and I have about a dozen socks without parteners thanks to the frequent indoor vists of the pup. His indoor siorees are usually predestined by the collecting of all socks from the floor and the picking up of stuffed toys from the bedroom floors, he usually makes a bee line for my teddy bear collection in the front lounge anyway.
Its nice to sit and watch Dora the Explorer with Mr 3 or Disney with all of them or to heard Miss 9 explain maths on the PC to Mr 6 or teach Mr6 how to use a beater or help him crack eggs into a bowl for a cake. I have to admit theses are probably the first holidays I have'nt dreaded, maybe I am mellowing.

School Holidays...ho hum

I think every time I begin the dread school holidays, I am more surprised at the relaxing(sometimes) time with my kids that the holidays turn out to be. Every time I cringe at the thought of mess, the fights and the screaming; I am surprised by the relative harmony the three can play together in, or separately or ultimately the boys ganging up on Miss 9 and harassing her to a tizzy fit...But I digress from the good parts. The sitting together to do art work, Miss 9 conducting classes for Messrs 6 and 3 , helping Mr 6 to read and reading to them, the building of houses with the couch cushions **frowns** the spaceships of Lego and the train lines that surpass the Ghan, all leave me with little doubt that they can play nicely together.

Miss 9 went to the pictures with a friend, the idea came about from the other mum who could not afford to take all three of her children and her self to the movies so opted for asking if Miss 9 would be permitted to go with her daughter. Readings are very amenable to this, they allow the parent to seat the children and even keep an eye out on them, my friend dropped the girls off and them returned later to collect them. Miss 9 had a friend over on Tuesday to play and will be going for a play date their next week, I will have Mr 6's friend from kinder over that day so he is not left out. He has made friends at school but to quote his teacher " not the preferred group" for him. They play chasey and guess who is "IT"??? And he is constantly asking for R to come to play, R is a little girl who is actually 7 but due to time overseas couldn't go to school last year so attended kindy, Mr 6 knows her from a few years ago when I hosted a morning tea for mums from EIP and their children and siblings. R has a younger brother who has special needs. She and Mr 6 get on like a house on fire and really compliment each other in the way they play together.

I have managed to clean up a bit about the place but the ultimate clean out of the toy and video cupboard has fallen by the wayside as the initial attempt was met with "that's mine" "I've been looking for that" and "Can you find the other bit of this, the green bit?". SO that little task is now relegated to when the kids are at school or such,whatever made me decide to attempt it when they were home is beyond me.

We have had another series of complaints ( those who know, know what about, those who don't perhaps should leave now) so we decided to go to mediation about it, bit of a reverse from the norm for the Justice Department as they usually get the request from the complainant not the recipient ( read VICTIM) of the complaint. Nevertherless, they complied and despite us not having any knowledge of whom the complianants are, we "guessed" them correctly barr the 4th entrant in the quest whom we didn't know about anyway. Now it seems that with the invite to discuss their issues, openly, face to face and honestly, No4 has withdrawn from the matter as it not an issue, no 3 has also withdrawn; again ;because it is not an issue...Then there were two. Time will tell.
Maybe something is an issue whilst you can SUPPOSEDLY remain anonymous and faceless to the people who you are complaining about but when it comes to the point that , the guise of protection called anonymity is removed, the line is drawn in the sand and you have to justify yourself face to face; that the matter is no longer an issue. Anonymity is a fallacy, it perpetuates the myth that you will not be found out and that authorities will protect and habour your fictitious stories....YOU ARE SO WRONG!!!!

dog

What can I say it emcompasses all I love, musicals, Grease and dogs...ENJOY

Heading in what direction??

Honestly, some people must think all and sundry are absolute idiots when it comes to politics. We have a "give State Government a try" rallying about the flag of furphies like "Sunbury Needs a Hospital" and "Farce Rail", "Sunbury Out Of Hume" and other Sir Eric Pearce and the late news repeats; who is attempting to get Brownie points with the locals for the upcoming State election which they are contesting. Then along comes a phantom in the guise of an never heard of before member of a regional health service whose occupation is self employed consultant which covers a miriade of things I am sure, none of which would relate to the average Joe or Joanne Blow. She will "put in place a process for a referendum.." on the Sunbury Out of Hume issue...SURPRISE SURPRISE SURPRISE ** Use your Gomer Pile voice here, works for me***LMAO

Seems ironic that for weeks the local letters section and forums have been inundated with topics regaling the pros and cons of these matters. Seems equally ironic and fallible that the local independent candidate has advised that their pref "will swing depending on the stance taken by each party on Sunbury succeeding from Hume council" Set Up or game, set and match? Time will tell, although I would bet on the prefs and where they will go but betting on elections is amoral.

Wonder if the Liberal candidate falls into the catergory of social justice junkie being a member of a local health service which no doubt aides substance abusers, ex criminals, JD's and such or the category of old bags as did members of another health service board?

Time will tell, as we draw closer to the election, the letters to the local rags will get full of more hyperbole and hysteria. They will do all and sundry to get their names into the local media...I see no merit in your name and mosh being plastered week after week in the local media only serves to cement the ideal that some people have an inflated opinion of themselves and their own net worth in this community.

High School Musical and Cars

Having been a long weekend, I saw both of the above. High School Musical is a great show for kids and adults alike.
It encompasses tweens and teens fascination with all things American, school angst, fame, sport and the subtitles of boy/girl relationships. It has the ever present nasty girl, Shar Pey and in lieu of the mucho bully you have her over achieving, lime light seeking brother, Ryan. You have song, dance and music, sport, competition, and songs linked to dialogue...Very Grease, very The Wiz, very Joseph and His Technicolour Dreamcoat. The songs have been in the top 10 on Billboard for a few weeks and snippets have been playing for three weeks now in Australia as a promo. We downloaded the album for Miss 9 on Sunday plus the lyrics from the Disney site...Needless to say that the entire family know the words off by heart to many of the songs and they are not too bad either. I enjoyed the film, found little wrong with it...But the IMDb site lists boo boos for movies and the link above goes to that site, look at the boo boos if you are so inclined. I also don't mind singing the songs in the car with Miss 9!!!! Any one whose interested, the show replays this Friday 7.30 pm on Disney with a karaoke version ...yIPPEEE!!!!

CARS
We saw this together at the cinema on Monday, what a blast. Amidst many other families with kids, it was a real atmosphere. With the car races reminiscent of NASCAR and Days of Thunder, characters that stole your heart and one liners which; as with other Pixar movies; are way over the kids heads and require 2nd, 3rd and 4th viewings to catch them all; I LOVED IT!!! The detail that these imaginative people put into their work is beyond belief, flies in window panes that are VW cars, car garages that are like houses, every conceivable action and utensil that would be used by a "live' car was adapted and modified in such a rainbow of imagination that they must be geniuses!!!!!You need to stay about for the end credits, as with any Pixar movie; to see the drive ins showing "Toy Car Story" and other Pixar car adapted movies, best last line is Mack's ( John Ratzenberger of "Cheers") commentary about how they use the same actor for all the voices in Toy Story, Bugs Life Monsters Inc, etc ROTFLMAO.

Heeeeerrrrrreeeeessss...GUESS WHO?

OK, I cannot stand the emptyness any more , everyone needs to go and read this blog.
And then place it in your list of blogs visited or whatever and look in about once a week or so. I think it will work like Field Of Dreams..if you build it, they will come. So if you visit, comment and read, more will get written.

This person spends many hours formulating their posts and loading pictures and hogging the PC, so show some mercy and read, COMMENT and keep visiting if you enjoy the walk on the wild side.

Work choices or justice at Work?

Communities, unions and churches creating a fairer future. Weds 7th June Melbourne Town Hall.
6.30pm for 7.00pm-9.00pm(close 10.00pm)

Informative speakers discussing:

The new workplace and welfare laws The moral dimension-impacts on the most vunerable Building solidarity in the community

MC: Fr. Bob Maguire

Supported by Trades hall Council ( Vic) AMWU, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Melbourne Citymission, ETU, Melb. Catholic Commission for JUstice, Development and Peace,Angicare,Maritime Union Of Australia, Fairwear, Justice and International Mission Unit: Uniting Church Of Australia,Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, VCOSS, AEU, Federation Of Community Legal Services (Vic),ACTU, Union Solidarity, NTEU, Jobwatch, Victorian Council of Churches, TCFUA(Vic) Rail, Tram and Bus Union, AEA, UFA, Good Shepherd, Youth and Family Service, Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, ASU,CEPU, Emilys List, Australia, Yourrightsatwork.

Something which will affect us all at some stage and certainly will affect our children, I know I want my kids to grow up with a choice of being an employee with choices or an employer who values the rights their forebearers worked for.

With so many vast and varied bodies and advocacy groups involved a clear message is being sent via this meeting, it affects many in many ways and much of the impact will not be felt for many years after the instigators have long gone and are living high on the hog of tax payer funded pensions, superannuation and benefits.

We need to speak now and learn more about this mass social change.

Politically Me

Economic Left/Right: -5.38
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -7.08

I took a Political Compass test courtesy of Guruann.
Apparently I am in good company ,right in there with Gandhi and Nelson Mandela, couldn't ask for more.
Interesting, that I have never really had complete satisfaction with any political party since Hawke 's ALP and before that I was known as a Greenie Boshie at school. I supported Bob Brown and the Greens for the saving the Franklin in 82/83, I argued politics and policies with several members of the Young Libs continually in Legal Studies class much to the amusement of many as I was one of a few who supported things like Greenpeace, communal property, environment issues and social conscience and responsibility in secondary school.
I often do not vote as such but have my name ticked off in the roll and proceed to write a tirade about what is wrong with the candidates and/or their policies on my ballot card, thereby creating an invalid vote which cannot be counted; if you are not worthy, you cannot expect me to give you my confidence in ruling me and mine. My mother did the same for many years also.

I guess you could say I am a self related cause activist for want of a better term, if the subject is against my beliefs, my ideals, infringing on my rights or just plain wrong, I will speak out against it, refuse to support any thing to do with it ( EG: MBF closed the local hospital 4 years ago, I refuse to do business at Terry White chemists as they are a subsidiary of MBF) I act on principle and if it emits a response so be it, but I am happy enough to know I am doing what I know is right. Puddles form from little raindrops and rivers from them do flow.

I have been a unionist and shop steward and State representative of a union, I believe unions have a important place in our society to educate, promote safety and act as advocates of many. I have been in student unions, workplace unions and more advocacy groups I can to recall. I believe in the basic good in all people before I believe the bad. I do not agree with capital punishment, religion in politics, governing without accountability, perceived mandates without referendums, incarceration of asylum seekers and refugees, the holding without trial of peoples at Guatamalo Bay, the absolute governing of the USA and the apathy of the people to accept such governance when they have the power to veto it. I despise the killing of animals as sport, the joke that is Japanese whale research, the rape of the forests for the sake of profit and the commentary made by many uninformed about the benefits of nuclear power, etc.

I do believe in the right to a fair trial by ones peers, the right of freedom of speech, the right to support any one political party or candidate without repercussions, that elected officials need to be accountable and all actions of government be transparent and permitted to be questioned without limit. I support social justice and believe society has a resposability to care and support others in the community, NOT MATTER WHAT. No one person is more superior in rights than another. I believe in religions right to support and comment on political matter for debating and social conscience reasons, but not laws created from religious diatribe. I believe it is a woman's right to chose and government has no place in a woman's womb. I believe same sex marriages and relationships need to be recognised with the same rights as heterosexual relationships, inclusive of support benefits, tax breaks, superannuation allotments, etc., politicians were never elected to be the moral bullyboys of the minority.

Q: When is a grub, not a grub?

A: When it is Tony Abbot that uses the term in Parliament.

Duplicity and inconsistency dwells within many facets of our society, duplicity in declared alliances and true allegiances, inconsistency in what people say they are when it suits them and what they hide from the community when they feel it will affect a favorable outcome. Such factors are oft beyond the control of the average John or Joanne Citizen...However when it comes to the House Of Representatives, the so called Peoples House where the representatives of our electorate speak for us and in our stead the tone of equality and consistence needs to be unquestionable.

This was not the case on May 25th when Mr Abbott decried Mr Thompsons attempt to pass a motion in regards to debate about AWB shares held by and sold by John Anderson. Abbott requested moved a motion "that the snivelling grub over there be not further heard" and after outrage by the Opposition ,Abbotts response was "If I have offended grubs, I withdraw unconditionally". This set a precedent for motions about "snivelling grubs" and lowered the tone of the peoples house considerably,some action or reprimand shouldd have been made by the Speaker but he accepted the withdrawal of "If I have offended grubs, I withdraw unconditionally" WHAT A JOKE.

Yesterday, in a test of the objectivity and equalityty afforded in the House of Representatives; Julia Gillard, bravely and unbeatablyly, passed the exact same motion in regards to "snivelling grubs"and with the exact same worded withdrawal, she was consequently, suspended from Parliament for 24 hours.

Whilst I do not want to advocate the drollness or disdain with which the motion was primarily made nor do I wish to heap platitudes on the actions which have succinctlyly pinpointed the inadequacieses of the House of Representatives speaker; I feel it is fair to say that a point has been taken and made. The Speaker needs to address the issue of the inequality of the decisions he makes, the Government need to act as adults, and govern with transparency and honesty, they need to accept that the questions and motions put to them are for the people by the people and the use of terminology such as "snivelling grubs" they are encompassingng all constituentsts in that realm. They are showing disrespect for the people they have been elected to govern and lead, they are showing ill regard for societes rights to question the roles and interests of their elected officials in illegal and clandestine activitieses.

Elected officials at any level need to be sorely reminded that their place is but by the grace of the people who elected them, forget factional in fights, branch stacking and the ever present corporate interest groups. It is the PEOPLE you govern and decide for, not petrol companies, big business, multi national corporations or the USA. We need people ,such as Julia Gillard, to stand up for what is right, what is unequal and to prove the inequalities, inadequacies, inconsistencies and duplicity where ever it is.

I went to church...And the place is still standing!!!

I went to church yesterday and it did not fall down about my ears, actually I went last week too and a few weeks ago before that...No I have not seen divinity rather setting an "example" for my kids( example of what, you may ask...Well...Me too but we digress) As Miss 9 is making her first communion this year, they tend to like you to attend Mass a bit ( funny about that) and yesterday was to celebrate the arrival of the Message Stick which was arriving in Sunbury yesterday, it is to commemorate the 1986 speech by Pope Johnnie Paul 2 in Alice Springs when he "called for all Australians to respond to the challenges of justice and reconciliation faced by our indigenous people" (OLMC newsletter 24/5/06)
Strangely enough, I found the incorporating of the indigenous culture and the catholic mass very relaxing and insightful. The Prayers of the Faithful included a prayer of sorry and apology for the historical wrongs against indigenous people, a prayer for world leaders to accept mistakes and apologise ( ARE YOU READING THIS JOHNNIE HOWARD!!!!!) Whilst religion and politics should remain separate, their is nothing wrong with religion making political comment. This was done so yesterday, as a community we have a responsibility to ensure social justice for all...Call me a social justice junkie but I think it is more than a religious belief but a grounding in being a person. It was interesting to see who was there representing the indigenous of our community and who wasn't. Miss 9 was in the choir singing the indigenous "Our Father" and she was presented ( along with every other child in the Parish who are undertaking their First communion this year) with a copy of the Our Father but which also has a copy of the indigenous version which goes as follows:

Our Father,
You are in heaven May we talk your name in a good way,
May you be boss in our lives,
May we follow your feelings here as they do above
Give us bread today
We have hurt your feelings;feel sorry for us
Others have hurt our feelings we feel sorry for them
Stop us from doing wrong
Save us from the evil one
Amen

I am 100% sure this was about years ago but can't be too sure where I read it. But I also thought it apt that we prayed to the points of a compass which represent different things indigenous people and for the sign of peace we used the local word for peace which escapes me. It was a learning experience and a welcoming experience and in so far as my limited visits to Church go over the past ...(ah ah thought I 'd give a number then, didn't you?) few decades it was one of the better experiences of my lapsed belief.