The End of an Era

An important family milestone was reached on 11th February 2008 with the passing of my mum, Annie Irene Whiteman, or simply known to all as "Mim". After 94 years she left us for who knows where. I have my own thoughts about that but whatever you believe, the suffering and pain have stopped.

Mim was a trooper right until the end and her old heart just wouldn't give in. As I watched her during those last days, I wondered how much longer she could hang in there, indeed I knew she wanted to go months ago but who knows what keeps us going when the body has given up.

Mum was born on 31 December 1913 in Trangie NSW and was the eldest daughter in a family of 7 brothers. All her brothers passed away before her and it seemed that she did at the end of her life what she had done at the beginning ... looking after her young brothers ... she hung on until all of them had gone to sleep forever before she herself decided to turn in.

Those last days were difficult for all of us, my sisters Wendy and Jan and Mim's many grandchildren and great-grandchildren and sons and daughters-in-law. Her funeral was a real tribute to her and the love and respect she earned over all those years. Mim wasn't perfect, as none of us are, but she was a great mother who always put her family first and she will be sadly missed by all of us.

The theme of her funeral was the Frangipani flower. We spread them in her coffin and we all wore them on the day. Her ashes were scattered on Jan and Alan's farm at Cudgen next to the Frangipani trees with Mt Warning in the background.

Archibald Fountain

Archibald Fountain
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

While at the Sydney Night Noodle Markets in Hyde Park with Wendy and Nick and Mitchell and Liz, Charlie and I managed to score some spectacular night shots of the Archibald Fountain.

The Journey Begins

The Journey Begins
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

Andrew and Heidi's wedding on 30th September 2007.

Lunar Eclipse

Lunar Eclipse
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

Full Lunar Eclipse 28th August 2007 as seen from Emu Plains western Sydney.

Taken with a Pentax K100D and a 300mm lens. Standard stuff no processing.

Misty Mountains

Misty Mountains
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

A day spent down in the magnificent Megalong Valley is rewarded by some sensational photos of the stunning landscape. With the low cloud it reminds me of the Himalayan foothills. Here too, the main mountain range is hidden in the mist.

Smile Please

Smile Please
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

This is my Miss Lizzy at Faheem's Fast Food Newtown, where we shared dinner with our good friends Ian and Linda, after Ian and I returned from our India Adventure.

I'm incredibly proud of her and the work she does both in her job and looking after the 3 Amigos who don't always appreciate her.

Paphiopedilum dayanum

Paphiopedilum dayanum
Originally uploaded by Just1Thing

Very busy lately and not able to venture out on photo shoots with Charlie, Ben and Chris so I've had to settle for flowerscapes instead of landscapes.

My New Interest

I caught up with my old mate Ben Sharif after a few years and seems he's semi-retired too and is into photography in a big way. So I dusted off my old cameras, hauled out the digital one and we're now off on regular photo shoots. It's a lot of fun and keeps me out of trouble ... well almost!

Here's my Flickr site.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/purfleetannex

My Tibetan Friend

Those of you who have followed Ian and my Inja Or Bust weblog will be familiar with the Tibetan monks Tamkey and Lekshey we met in Darjeeling (http://www.injaorbust.blogspot.com).

I have kept contact with Tamkey through emails and we correspond about once a week. He is such a gentle soul and gives me news of his studies to become a doctor so he can open a hospital in his village in Tibet.

His last email contained a couple of photos, one with his Mum and one of his family.




I count Tamkey as a true friend and I am humbled by his simple philosophy and life. It is my hope that one day I will be able to visit Tamkey and his family in Tibet.

Rain From Nowhere

For the benefit of those who missed this poem in the Sun-Herald on March 11 2007, here is the link to it......

Rain From Nowhere

It may just be the most important Australian poem of all time.

QEIII-Cam

I recently went up to Tweed Heads to visit my Mum who is 93 and not doing to well.

The QEIII headed north along the Pacific Highway and during the trip we were able to capture some sensational video of night driving on the Pacific Highway.

Check the video here at YouTube

Make sure you turn up your speakers.

Chinese New Year 2007

It's always good to catch up with old friends and what better place and time than Chinese New Year here in Sydney's Chinatown.


I'd been bragging about the excellent Laksa's down at the Phnom Pehn in the Dixon Centre so Tony and Kerry Wright and Liz and I met and enjoyed some tasty food and a few laughs.



Fireworks were still being let off in the streets of Chinatown and there was a festival atmosphere in the air. Of course, the girls wanted to explore the revamped Paddy's Market shopping mall so Tony and I got in a spot of eye exercises while they checked out the hundreds of factory outlook shops.

A great day out and with our wonderful friends.

Only in Australia ... !

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE!!! OI OI OI!!!

Being Australian is about driving in a German car to an Irish pub for a Belgian beer, then travelling home, grabbing an Indian curry or a Turkish kebab on the way, to sit on Swedish furniture and watch American shows on a Japanese TV.

Oh and Only in Australia can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Australia do supermarkets make sick people walk all the way to the back of the shop to get their prescriptions while healthy People can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in Australia do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries and a DIET coke.

Only in Australia do banks leave both doors open and chain the pens to the counters.

Only in Australia do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars on the drive and lock our junk and cheap lawn mower in the garage.

Only in Australia do we use answering machines to screen calls and then have 'call-waiting' so we won't miss a call from someone we didn't want to talk to in the first place.

Only in Australia are there disabled parking places in front of a skating rink.

NOT TO MENTION...

3 Aussies die each year testing if a 9v battery works on their tongue.

142 Aussies were injured in 1999 by not removing all pins from new shirts.

58 Aussies are injured each year by using sharp knives instead of screwdrivers.

31 Aussies have died since 1996 by watering their Christmas tree while the fairy lights were plugged in.

8 Aussies had serious burns in 2000 trying on a new jumper with a lit cigarette in their mouth.

A massive 543 Aussies were admitted to Emergency in the last two years after opening bottles of beer with their teeth.

and finally,

In 2000 eight Aussies cracked their skull whilst throwing up into the toilet.

A Classic

Last night, Bill Collins Golden Years of Hollywood featured the 1942 classic Random Harvest with Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson. What struck me during the introduction was the announcement that it was rated G for General Viewing.

Anyone who has seen the movie will agree that it is indeed a classic and one of the most popular romatic films of all time. Written by James Hilton (Lost Horizon etc) it contains no nudity, no swearing, no gratuitous sex scenes, no violence, no unbelieveable car chases, all the ingredients of today's blockbusters, and yet it holds the viewer's attention and what is more, tells a good story.

Random Harvest, like Lost Horizon, is a so-called "feel good" movie but it shows that you don't have to have all that other X and R rated rubbish to make a good film. Unfortunately the morons running the movie business these days don't get it ... they think they have to try and out-shock us with every subsequent release. The "F" word is so common on TV these days that you don't even blink and they are pushing the boundaries even more so who knows what will be next!

I'm not a wowser by any stretch of the imagination but I am thouroughly sick to death of the rubbish dished up as entertainment by people who have no moral standards and even less talent.

Just my thoughts for what they are worth.

The Tibetan Rug

During Ian and my recent trip to India, we spent about 9 days in Puttaparti which is the home of Sai Baba and also my friend Chris.

We dined at several eateries but the Little Tibetan Kitchen was one of our favourites. From its second floor position you could sit and watch the world go by (see our injaorbust blog).


Attached to the restaurant was a little shop where the owner of the restaurant (who was Tibetan) sold craft items of interest. On one wall was a beautiful hand-made Tibetan rug which he told me was used in temples where they were hung across the ceiling. I became mesmerised by this hand-crafted rug and wanted to buy it but the news from home was, "There is no where to put it!" So I left India without the rug.


But when I got home it continued to bug me and I knew I had to have the rug. So, through the efforts of my friend Chris, it was duly purchased and sent back here where it now hangs on the ceiling of the Purfleet Annex.

And That Was 2006 ... !!!

Well here it is, the 31st December 2006, my mum's 93rd birthday ... Happy Birthday Mim ... and both she and I have survived another year. Frankly I think she will outlast me but that's another story.

It has been quite a year on many fronts, both at home and in the world in general. The Sunday papers are full of the Saddam Hussain execution and I for one join in the millions who wish him a speedy descent into hell. No doubt the bleeding hearts will carry on about the death penalty and all that but Saddam was a cancer on society and like all cancers, had to be cut out and destroyed.

Anyway, as I look back on the year I find a couple of significant events in our corner of the world. I guess my biggest thrill for the year was going to India back in September with my mate Ian Finlayson. The trip of a lifetime and although the Himalayas were shrouded in cloud, there were other things that made up for that. Meeting Tamkey the Tibetan monk and his sidekick Lekshey was one of the highlights of not only the trip but of my life. We correspond by email regularly and his simple, gentle words are a calming force in my otherwise often frantic life.

Of even more significance for 2006 is the fact that Nicholas and Liz escaped uninjured when his Hilux rolled in the wet conditions on the first Sunday Ian and I were away in Darjeeling. They didn't tell me until I returned and I don't even want to think about the consequences if they had been injured but suffice to say, maybe the Himalayan gods were shining all the way back here on that fateful day.

Andrew (Tip) and Heidi were engaged after his proposal on the 7am Sydney to Coolangatta Virgin Blue flight. Once again, this was while I was away so I don't know what that all means. Anyway, congratulations to them both.

We were all anxious at the news that my step-brother Max has a serious illness and we all wish him the best in the difficult months ahead. If you are into it, a prayer wouldn't go astray.

Except for those memorable events it was otherwise, a pretty normal year. A few birthdays, anniversaries and family events rounded out the important stuff. Who knows what 2007 will bring. Maybe some of Tamkey's compassion and gentleness will rub off on me and maybe I will handle things a bit better. That's my resolution anyway.

Have fun and be safe.......

So this is what Rain looks like!

I'm not sure if anyone actually reads all this waffle but for what it's worth, I hope you had a pleasant Christmas and I wish you a safe and happy New Year. Hard to believe that 2007 is only days away. Was a time when I reckoned if I made it to 2000 I would have done well.

Anyway, as most people realise, we've had a one in a whatever-hundred years drought in Australia (who kept any records all those years ago!) and we're down to 30-something percent in our main Sydney Dam, Warragamba. The morons running the show have the foresight of a house-fly and I reckon they spend most of their time praying for rain hoping we won't string them up when the water finally runs out. But we have our own little water storage project happening here at The Purfleet Annex and as I write a bloody great thunderstorm has just passed through with hail and rain and wind and all those other natural wonders. The smell of fresh ozone lingers in the garden and the birds have ventured back to sing their thanks for a thorough drenching. Even Toka looks happy.


In keeping with the Balinese theme of our garden and having just returned from the Himalayas I was keen to hoist a couple of Tibetan prayer flags. So Simon and I ventured out to Maraylya and grabbed a couple of bamboo poles (each about 20 feet long) and erected them on the Bali Hut. Sensational ... even after a thunderstorm!!!

In Our Lifetime

My recent post about the moon landing and the momentous events that have occurred in my lifetime got me to thinking ... always dangerous ... What other important events, discoveries, milestones and inventions have happened in your lifetime. To start the ball rolling let's start from 1906, exactly 100 years ago this year, and see what we can come up with.

The kind of things are those that will go down in history as important events and people will read about them in hundreds of years time. They should be events that have happened IN YOUR LIFETIME not just the past 100 years.

To jog your memory here are some of the things on my list ...

The First Man in space
Man Landing on the Moon
The destruction of the Berlin Wall
The Beatles
Finding the Titanic

Leave your list of things that have happened in your lifetime as a comment and we'll see where we end up.

Anna's B&B Redcliffe

My Brisbane client MTAI hold their annual Christmas party in late November each year and I've been to the last eight but this year is their 20th Anniversary so a big event was planned. Liz had 4 days off so she decided to come along for the ride but MTAI CEO Terry Behan graciously invited Liz to the gala dinner to be held at the exclusive Brisbane Club.

It was a chance to take Liz's new Mazda 3 for a good run and we'd see Mim along the way so we headed north on Monday and drove through to the Twin Towns at Tweed Heads where we stayed for a couple of nights. The resort is sensational and world class so we can highly recommend it. The cost is not much more than what the local motels are charging for a bare-bones room with old facilities. The buffet breakfast in Signatures restaurant is worth the price of admission alone.

A couple of years ago I read an article in the SMH Travel Section about Anna's B & B at Redcliffe on Brisbane's north side. So I booked online and we arrived at Anna's on Wednesday. It's located just one street back from Sutton's Beach and only a short walk from the main coastal township of Redcliffe.

The two chooks (garden ornaments) guarding the entrance is an indication that this is not an ordinary B & B and indeed Anna Joyce's penchant for the unusual can be seen everywhere from the detailed figurines adorning the bedside tables to the daily feeding of the young magpies at the kitchen window.

There are 3 guest rooms, each with their own ensuite and comfortable beds but the attention to detail was not lost on us as we admired the fresh soft towels and washers tied in white silk ribbon carefully placed on the pillows.

Breakfast is served on the upstairs balcony and it's self-serve but fresh yogurt and cereal is available followed by a full cooked breakfast which puts to shame the normal scraps served up at most motels.

As well as excellent accommodation you get to meet a real character, Anna Joyce, who has lost none of her Irish accent and she will enthrall you with wonderful stories of her childhood in Ireland and other interesting times in her life. We could spend hours chatting with her and next time we will.

Redcliffe itself is an interesting seaside town with a swag of eateries and coffee shops and it's only about 45 minutes from the centre of Brisbane. Definitely a place to stay out of the city and we will certainly be staying at Anna's next time.

Thanks Anna for a very enjoyable stay at your excellent B & B.

Here's the website for those who are interested... Anna's B & B

Try This Neat Trick

Here's a neat site with a challenge...

www.milaadesign.com/wizardy.html

Give it a try and then, tell me how they do it!!!

I know, but can you figure it out?