Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Melbourne's Act of Shame


I am so angry and disgusted at this abuse of police power that I can hardly think straight. I have not consented to my tax dollars supporting such abhorrent behaviour. How many police officers does it take to victimise one defenceless girl? Despicable and shameful. The following was posted along with video by RynChristoph yesterday.
This morning at 8:45am a peaceful Occupy Melbourne Protester was violently stripped of her protest costume and discarded on the ground in her bra and panties. The individual in question was part of the Occupy Melbourne protest and was dressed in a protest costume made from a converted tent. The significance of the costume was to highlight restrictions placed on protesters staging a 24/7 protest in Flagstaff Gardens.
The protester was surrounded by at least 4 Melbourne City Council officers and 8 Victorian police officers.
Her movement was restricted by the formation of officers surrounding her and she was subsequently restrained as officers proceeded with aggressively removing her costume. At each stage she declared that she did not consent or feel comfortable with the actions of the council and police officers, stating that this was a sexual assault."This is not consensual'
Her requests and declarations were ignored as officers continued to rip and jostle her costume and person. A knife was requested and used by MCC Officers as the Protest Costume was cut from her body. The remaining severed costume was violently torn from her body while the protester herself was discarded, semi-naked and crying on the ground as Vic police and MCC officers walked away with the costume.NO EFFORT was made to assess her health or wellbeing after the incident.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

Civil Disobedience

All this activism around Occupy the World along with the resulting attacks upon democratic freedoms has led me to examine my own corner of the universe with fresh eyes. A brisk walk down the main street proved most informative. Every few paces there was some admonition for me to adhere to....No Parking, No Standing, No Entry, No Loitering, No Walking, No Through Road, No Smoking, No Eating, No Drinking, No Skateboarding, No Cycling, No Picking the Flowers, No Littering and absolutely No Exit! But my favourite is this one (see photo). Yes, its an ordinary footpath with painstakingly clear instructions to keep left. As you see there's not a soul in sight, even though its Saturday afternoon, the sun is shining and all's right with the world. But it wouldn't matter what day or time it was, I'm usually the only sentient being plodding this pavement, apart from the odd dog or skulking adolescent. So do I keep left like a good little brainwashed citizen doing as I am told by those who think they know better? No, I do not. I make a point of doing everything but keep left. I wander aimlessly, gambol with gay abandon, pirouette on the spot, skip backwards, drift off the beaten track, even hobble with one foot in the gutter, but I adamantly refuse to keep left! Alas, for such is the limited extent of my civil disobedience, but its definitely a beginning.....

Sunday, November 6, 2011

99%


Media technology is a wondrous thing. It has enabled, if not totally created, the society in which we have consented to live. We have allowed ourselves to be cajoled, tempted, brainwashed, lulled into complacency and addicted to mediocrity. We are enticed to fill our lives with brain numbing banality, while the planet, blindfolded and brakes off, is rollicking straight to hell.
But media technology is a wondrous thing and not averse to biting the hand that feeds it.
Which is why September's moderate gathering at Wall Street to protest against social and economic inequality has become a global movement in over 2,000 cities worldwide. Thanks to media technology, I (and millions around the world) have watched horrified as ordinary people endeavouring to exercise their democratic rights, are beaten, arrested and vilified by an armed and militant police force. And just as I was thinking this couldn't possibly happen Downunder, disgust and disbelief churned my stomach at the atrocious behaviour of our own Australian police during Occupy Melbourne.
So thanks to media technology, the blissfully ignorant are blissful no longer and ignorant no more. Safely ensconced in God's own country I may be, but I know a revolution when I see one.
I am the 99%.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Who's Cool


The Who ~ my first independently purchased LP and like everything worth having, comes with a story.....
There I was, at high school, one of 4 girls in an otherwise all boy class of 24, and unfortunately at my most excruciatingly awkward period. I wasn't sporty (Yvonne), or sexually savvy (Linda), or Gone with the Wind gorgeous (Carol). No, I was the tragic who read Russian authors during unfathomable Maths lessons and haunted the library while everyone else was outside getting a tan.
Then one day the hunk of the class (you know who you are, Bob Skewes) was taking orders for a record club, the kind where you receive a decent price reduction for buying 12 albums at a time. Well, there he was in all his 16 year old manly glory, angling for takers, and I swear, I couldn't resist. No matter that this was the only time he deigned to address me all year, no matter that all he grunted was along the lines of "yeah, record like, wanna order, yeah money now, like yeah" and no matter that I had no idea who all the groups and singers were. All I knew was that he Spoke the Word and lo! I was in the land of milk and honey! I stammered something about not sure which record to buy and after some pursing of the lips and puckering of the brows, the mangod proclaimed " yeah, Who's cool" so I signed on the dotted line and handed over the dough.
And by the way Bob, wherever you are, you were so right. Who's cool!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Vinyl

Funny how old stuff gets rediscovered by the young, who then blithely rave about it as if they actually invented the thing.
Such is presently the case with vinyl, better known (at least to me and my peers) as records, albums, LPs, singles and even stacks of wax. All of a sudden, my collection of tattered, beer splattered, sad and dated old records (eyes left for my favourites) are in high demand from offspring and their partners and friends.


I am asked in wide eyed wonder, if I really, truly possess an original Pink Floyd or Janis Joplin or Lou Reed? And was I actually there (alive?) when the Beatles hit Adelaide, when Status Quo rocked the Thebby, when the Beachboys turned Memorial Drive into California and when Led Zeppelin made our ear drums bleed from shattering screams and electronic feedback? So I thought I'd have a rummage and take a walk down my musical memory lane....and I'll start with the first record I ever purchased with my own money....who? Another story for another time.....

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Books!



I love books, especially old books, the ones with pencilled notes in the margins, turned down page corners marked by previous readers, notes forgotten and left as bookmarks, hand written messages and dedications to people I will never meet, but with whom I share a book, a bond, a bit of one's life. I find myself entering the shadowy serenity of second hand book shops with the silence and deference usually reserved for churches and sacred places. And to me these are sacred places, repositories of thoughts, imaginings, creative manifestation, spiritual communion, scientific righteousness and all of humanity's best and worst endeavours. My heart warms at books that are tattered, coffee stained, sticky taped together, for I imagine they have been much loved. I feel truly sorry for the ones with still uncut pages, virginal and pure, but never experienced by another, never shared, their treasures yet to be uncovered.
I can't really say that all I know about life I have learned from books, but I can say with certainty that books have taught me not to judge a book (or anything else, for that matter) by its cover.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Earthquake


Mother Nature has a serene and totally dispassionate way of levelling all playing fields. Take last night....there I was, in the bosom of the Hills, the safest place in the safest state in the safest country in the world.
Or so it seemed. Then around 2.30am I was shaken awake by rattling windows, tinkling glassware and the sound of several trains vying to use my bedroom as a short cut. It only lasted half a dozen seconds and it only measured 3.3 on the Richter scale, but it was enough to set all the local dogs howling and enough to scare the fidgets out of me. After thanking whatever gods were batting in our favour, my thoughts turned to other earthquakes with less fortunate outcomes, like those in Japan and Christchurch.
Its so easy to get caught up in the daily grind, with its trivia, busy-ness and routines. But there's more to life than that, much more, and it took a little shaking for me to wake up and remember it.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Leaving Home


in my hands I hold my cup
that's up to me to fill
from dancing brooks and mellow streams
according to my will
and if perchance I wander lost
and sip the poisoned well
may grace prevail and save my soul
and guide me out of hell
for wherever my heart leads
and with all I fill my cup
sweet or bitter, bad or good
I poured it in......I'll drink it up

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Perfection


perfection is a flower
nature's work of art
creation wields the power
beauty holds the heart

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Hills Best


Living in the Hills, one is spoilt for choice when it comes to whimsical, original, unique and quality shopping. The shops I like most provide the best of their genre at competitive prices with excellent customer service, interesting and individual ambience in which to browse, a friendly chat if the customer is in the mood and time to walk around and explore without getting the evil eye from snooty counter staff.



The best shop in Bridgewater would have to be the Greengrocer, tucked in next to Coles and as far removed from that conglomerate as diamonds are from dust.



This little shop literally shimmers with energy, life and growing things, plump organic produce, home made treats and delicacies, lovingly crafted items supplied by locals, fragrant coffee, delicious lunches. Everywhere, on walls, stalls, benches and floor, there's an abundance of colour, pattern, rich aroma, creativity and a feast for all the senses.

Its worth checking out....tell them Marisa sent you!

Monday, September 26, 2011

The Mind Boggles!


PHOTO 1: see that tiny little rectangle with writing on it? Apparently its the foundation stone of the Dunn Memorial Church. One wonders at the expediency of locating a foundation stone half way up the building....more worrisome still are some of the words writ upon it (thanks to zoom technology)
PHOTO 2: "This memorial stone was laid by Mrs John Dunn"
And so the imagination rages......was the unfortunate Mrs John Dunn hoisted by tackle and pulley, swinging in the breeze and clutching mortar and trowel while gamely holding onto her flowery hat? Did she mutter imprecations under her breath, remonstrating with the Holy Angels regarding the injustices heaped upon the wife of the local philanthropist? Did the poor darling vow to closely examine her marriage contract and expunge any possibility of further indignities?
Truly, the mind boggles!

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Found Word Poetry



Setting the scene: Poetry Forum gathering...members chatting, writing, collaborating...I decide to listen and record whatever I can of the delicious acoustics, words, phrases, exclamations, ruminations....

one hour and 4 pages later I have my raw data, my Found Words and the fun part now begins: shaping, collating, moulding, creating something out of nothing, literally out of thin air! From breath to speech to page to Poetry....found!

**********************************************
Of the 9 resulting pieces, this is probably the most piquant!

Perfect Date
*****
If I wasn't so repressed
stoned and pissed
highbrow literate
anally retentive
sort of "done it all" player

and if you didn't know.....
it could just finish up all right!

Monday, September 19, 2011

*Dancing Madonnas*


"So what did you do this weekend?" innocent enough question posed by mildly curious offspring #3 but how to answer?
Should I ramble on about the garden, cooking, coffee with friends, or should I tell her the Truth?
That I spent Sunday in the company of priestesses, indeed that I led the gathering, that we danced, cast sacred circles, invoked the Beloved, channelled mana and power from the Source of All Things, bequeathed blessings upon each other and Mother Earth, broke bread together, renewed our sisterhood and replenished our creative wellsprings?
I decided that it was easier to ramble on about the garden, cooking and coffee with friends!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Sha-boom


You know what its like.....a line from some song gets stuck in your head and plays over and over and over. The one that's holding me in thrall presently is the Crew Cut's 1950's version of Sha-boom.
Doing dishes (sha-boom), feeding the cat (sha-boom), driving to work (sha-boom), right now while busily blogging....SHA-BOOM!
Woke up this morning, suddenly and inexplicably at 4.30, and there it was...sha-boom! as if someone (who obviously hates me and wants to make my life hell) yelled it into my left ear.
I suppose it could be worse. I could be waking up to "Wake me up before you go go" or "Girls just wanna have fun" or "It was an insy winsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini". Oh the horror!
Perhaps I could reprogram my compulsion.....Aussie 1960's band The Loved Ones should do it...Waking up to Gerry Humphreys' gravelly protestations of slightly stalkerish affections? Priceless!


Friday, September 9, 2011

~ Sophia Lovelies ~


Circle Dancing at Sophia last Wednesday, always a joy and pleasure! Our program included music from Spain, India, Greece and Africa, with a mix of energetic, meditative, traditional and contemporary dances.
Why "Sophia Lovelies?" Speaking with friends about the varied program at Sophia, I meant to say "the lovely Sophia ladies who dance with me" but my brain rearranged my words to come out as "the Sophia lovelies who dance with me."
So the Sophia Lovelies it is!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Yarnbombing!



Second gathering of would be Ybombers, busily knitting up the stash for our first gig at Hahndorf on the October long weekend.
Lots of chat, coffee, rocky road and planning....


" do we really need balaklavas?"
" how are we going to see what we're doing in the dark....to put up our stuff?"
" I've got a miner's head light..."
" and torches"
"and running shoes just in case"
" I have to run??"

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Blogger's Block

I can't believe I have blogger's block!
Made at least a dozen attempts over the last few days but nothing I write seems worth saying, let alone posting up for all eternity in cyberspace!
It seems the Muse has left me and is holidaying in the Bahamas (not necessarily my first choice, I prefer more land and less ocean).
Hope she's enjoying her time off, as I expect full and utter devotion to my cause on her return.
In the meantime, here's a ditty to entertain and bewilder:


There once was a Muse called Maisie
who was uncommonly lazy
her lack of application
and procrastination
drove her hapless poor human crazy!

Friday, September 2, 2011

Mushroom




The epic journey of
Birth, Life and Death
all in one little corner of my garden.

Sylvia Plath was right
about mushrooms.....

"Soft fists insist on
Heaving the needles,
The leafy bedding,
Even the paving.

We shall by morning
Inherit the earth."

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Why blog?

There's a long answer and a short one: long answer first.
Back in the 60's my high school maths teacher yearned to introduce us to the brave new world of computer science, so she organised an excursion to a local government office that housed A Modern New Computer. Off we traipsed, 30 pimply, bright eyed hopes of the future, in the care of Miss Smith and her misplaced expectations. At the "computer lab", we were able to view this marvel through a glass wall, and were accompanied in turns into its presence. The thing occupied a whole room, banks of shiny metal and blinking lights from floor to ceiling, attended by nerdy chaps in white coats and severe haircuts. These beacons of knowledge informed us that The Computer could solve any equation presented to it. To prove this, the nerdy chap boss produced a fistful of greeting sized cards, all with little holes in different places (binary code) and fed them to the computer. They were promptly sucked into the computer's innards, accompanied by flashing lights, beeps and shudderings and spat out at the opposite end. Nerdy chap boss then peeled off the top card and proudly announced "Correct! 2b + 7b= 9b!" I was not impressed.
Fast forward 40 years to my first job interview since giving birth, and all was going swimmingly, except that I possessed no computer skills, and if I wanted the position I would have to acquire some. Again, I was not impressed.
However, on the job training was offered to me and I accepted the challenge.
Thus it was that in 2008 I deserted the company of computer illiterates and have since joined the virtual masses clogging up cyberspace, surfing the net, googling til the lights go out and blogging like there's no tomorrow.
And the short answer to "why blog?"
Because I can!

Midnight Panther

My poor old puss....I picked him up at an animal shelter about 16 years ago, when he was glossy and sprightly and could leap up trees. He looked so feline slinking through the garden, and rightly deserved his name "Midnight Panther". Now he's just Puss and lucky to wake up in the morning! Like the rest of us, I suppose.....

Monday, August 29, 2011

My very first post!

So, let's begin with something about me:
LIKES
C....cocktails
R....road trips
A....ageing disgracefully
C....crop circles
K....knitting ninjas
T....taking photos
H....heart-to-hearts
A....adventure movies
T....tripping the light fantastic
E....enthusiasm & energy
G....global music
G....garden gnomes