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.

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.....

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.

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

Perfection

perfection is a flower

nature's work of art

creation wields the power

beauty holds the heart

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!

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!

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!

~ 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!

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??"

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."

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.....