Following The Major Mitchell Trail

This trip was most enjoyable and I set out in the early morning light.

Major Mitchel was not a man I would have liked to have met despite his adventurous spirit. His temper was alarming and he was the last man in Australia to have fought a duel. However, he only shot the man's hat.

His duelling pistols are held in the National Museum of Australia.

His cruelty to the aboriginals is well documented and dampens his deeds as an explorer and surveyor.

Mitchell's party came across a large group of aborigines at Mount Dispersion. Mitchell thought they would be hostile and ordered his men to ambush them. Seven aboriginals were killed and members of the party said that Mitchell ordered old women and children to be killed.

On another occasion, Mitchell's men followed aboriginals who were running for their lives and shot them as they tried to swim across the Murray River to safety. He was widely criticised in the colony for his deeds.

Mitchell had an unusual way of counting how far they had travelled. He would count the stroke of his horse's hoof. When he reached 100, he would put his hand into his pocket and remove a counter, such as a bean or a pea and put it into his other pocket. He claimed that 950paces of his horse made up a 1.6 kilometres and after this he would take a new compass reading and start counting again.

Apart from his misdeeds, he was fortunate enough to be one of the first into this wide brown country and see it in it's natural beauty.

I personally cannot admire a man on whose hands lies the blood of aboriginals, but it is interesting to stop and reflect on the country through which they travelled.

A land untouched by white man, pollution and ravage through mining.

Beautiful World

Could these magnificent creatures have just 'evolved'?

When one sets their hearts and minds upon God, one can see a beautiful world filled with the fascinations and utterly gorgeous creations of the Majestic God.

I confess that I have never been out of Australia, mainly due to the fact that it never occured to me!

Another reason is that I am always so contented in Australia I don't want to miss a second of it's beauty and terror.

When I viewed these magnificent birds on the big screen, I truly gasped at their supremity of beauty.

Man may have the brain to do what he does, but man could never be as stunningly beautiful, and innocent as these birds who rely entirely on their Creator to sustain them.

What a Mighty God to have created such glory!

Now it's my job to identify them ..... the white bird is the Great Egret.

Give me time to identify the brown bird.

Have also been on the Major Mitchell Trail, this has been heaps of fun, the next entry will show some of the images.


Also my apologies but I have had to apply Comment Moderation.


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The Water Of Life

Last night I pondered on the drought in Australia, and the suffering of the farmers.
But morso, on the true Water Of Life.


Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.



When Jesus turned the water into wine, it gave assurance that we will never thirst spiritually. It can only get better if through bad times and good, we cling to Him and allow Him to shower our souls with cool, crystal clear water, no fluoride.

He is the Bread of Life and the Water of Life. Food and drink.


As petty little sinning humans we can only do our best and use our brain in the manner God intended it to be used. For good, not evil for evil leads to a nothingness; a blank wall which will place a man in a prison or have him executed for a heinous crime.

Around me, in other towns, farmers are suiciding. They have lost the only life they know, farming, they go into deep depression and see one solution, death. And, they leave behind grieving wives and children who have nowhere to run. If only the farmer had turned to Jesus and pondered on His words!

A drought on the land means alot of trouble, but, a drought in our souls means more trouble than one could ever dream of.

God is Our Provider. This does not mean we must sit idle and wait for God to drop a bucket of water on our heads. But it does mean that God will see a way out and lessen the load for the faithful Believer.

One thing many people tend to forget is that the true Believer is loved by God. Individually loved. Loved in a manner that man will never understand.

But in order to be loved by God, we must be tuned into God and the Living Water.

Far too many people cry " But I prayed and God never answered me!!"

The answer to that is within the individual. God always answers, but often not in the way the human wants Him to answer.

Some time ago, many women of Ouyen staged a naked water dance during a drought in order to "frighten God into sending rain"? Is this the way to approach a situation during drought? No. Certainly not! God will not be mocked!! A "Rain Dance" to begin with is a pagan thing; to go naked is but a display of immorality as the woman's body belongs to her husband and is for his eyes only!

It would have been far better had the women gathered and flooded their souls with water from the Living Christ. In that manner God would forgive the sin today if asked and perhaps bring relief.

A drought to me is a test of human faith and forbearance, yes, we may suffer. But through the suffering we will survive and live to tell the tale.

Do you agree that we should now concentrate on the Water Of Life instead of any suffering and inconveniences caused by a drought?

The Price Of Life

The Landscape photo was taken yesterday. There are no sheep. They have been sold.

Huge trucks carrying their loads of drought stricken bales are constantly on the road making driving a little dangerous due to the narrowness of some roads if one is not used to driving on them.

Farmers are shearing what stock they have left around here, but drought stricken wool is not top quality wool.

Scientists and historians are beginning to realise that in 1788 when Australia was first settled, and for some time after that, Australia was in the middle of an unusual weather pattern, which gave adequate rain and turned normally arid zones into useable land.

Today, that useable land is no longer viable.

In the 1950's the CSIRO warned the Australian Government that Australia coud never sustain 20 million people. Lately, we have been sustaining 20 million people in Australia and three times that amount overseas.

As the population increases, the demand for water will increase.

Had this country been managed correctly by the Government we would not be in this dilema, but please remember, these are but my thoughts.

With the Government handout of thousands of dollars to a woman who has a baby, whether married or unmarried seems an obscenity.

To increase the flow of immigrants into our country now seems an obscenity, a drain on the farmers, and a drain on our precious resources.

The Victorian Government "owns" all the water in my State. That being as they think, it's a pity they didn't manage it correctly.

Water is a God Given gift to the land. Placing water tanks beside houses is of little value if rain doesn't fall. And if it does, remembering that the Government "owns" all the water, there is no doubt they will form some Organization in the future as they did in the past and charge the people for the rain water collected. But please remember, I am posting my thoughts.


The Bible often mentions water. Water is life giving. Without it is death. And as dams lower in water volume with no fresh water to refill they cannot be flushed.

I would be beginning to boil all water soon as water tends to stagnate.

On a brighter note, I had to laugh at a friend yesterday. She has her Mother In Law who lives in Melbourne staying with her and is trying to train her in the ways of managing water while staying with her.

This has almost led to an outbreak of Family Fisticuffs. MIL wants to linger in the shower while DIL is biting her nails and watching the clock.

DIL's water from the washing machine is pumped onto the garden - MIL is screaming about dirty water on the flowers.

I don't think some folk realize that washing water is the best thing one can use to kill thrips and black spot on roses.

MIL wants to rinse dishes three times. DIL screams "No way!! ONCE IS ENOUGH!"

On a sadder note, DIL had to sell the cattle, and the pittance received ... well ...
we are still paying high prices for meat so who is getting the money?

I dread the summer - the heat and dust storms will not be pretty. The stubble left in the ground by farmers will not alleviate the dust. Already it is drying so rapidly the wind can pick it up and toss it from the land.

All that is helping us now are the cold, cold nights. Last night it was so still I could burn off the remaining rubbish on the spare half acre. Thankfully, there was a smiley face!

But, my mind is concentrating on fire in Australia praying there will be none, for if there is more precious water will have to be used to stop the enemy.

Bushfire and drought. A bad combination.

Bushfire kills so much wildlife not to mention the human lives it can claim.

Well, I have stocked up on candles as there is bound to be blackouts here! Whoopee!

Time to deep freeze alot of things too!

I don't know what happened the other night, but, in the sky there was a terribly bright burst of light! It was amazing to see! It was followed by smaller flashes, then gone.

It was seen by a few people but never reported. The sky lit up like day. No, it did not fall to earth and occured in the western sky. Maybe some electricity up there - but it wasn't lightening nor space junk.

Well, today will come what may!

Time To Prepare

The photo of one of my flower's is to prove that blossoms can still bloom in the dust.

However, with us now ready to accept skyrocketing prices due to the drought, it is time to stock up on goods which will, in the near future, become very expensive.

Unforunately, due to human greed, many items which should not become expensive will indeed increase in price and be blamed on the drought.


In the country, one thing we are going to need is a Bread Maker in order for us to make our own bread. Breadmakers could go up in price due to demand in the country regions.

Many now are becoming used to the taste of Condensed Milk in coffee.

Melbourne is to face stage 2 water restrictions on November 1st. That will be a blow to the Melbourne people. But, knowing the Water Authorities as well as I do, any household going over the limit will be fined.

What to do?

To begin with, in the country we have hoses from our washing machines emptying water onto the vegetable plot as we all grow our own vegetables and share the excess with those with a bad crop.

In the cities, many do not grow vegetables. In fact, my 12 year old Grandson refuses to eat fruit from my fruit trees as to him, it doesn't look natural. I recall once when he and another city child stripped my Locut tree and used the fruit to throw at one another not realising Locuts have the bighest amount of Vitamin C of any fruit, and we make use of them in cooking.

He has no idea the jams he eats made by me are made with fruit from the same trees.

There is going to be a huge crop of fruit this year, this means we will all have our preserving kits out in order to bottle the fruit.

Jams, Relishes, Chutneys, and sauces will be made as usual. This is done every year regardless.

Honey is a must to stock up on as natural honey keeps. And, there could be an increase in the price of honey.

Honey is a healer of sores, scratches and bruises, and is a powerful natural antibacterial product and has health restoring values as well as being a food.

Cotton will increase in price, and fruit and veges will be almost unbelievably high.

This means that we in the country will have to preserve our vege crops this year.

It pays to watch the ants and their habits.

I recall the story "The Grasshopper Anbd The Ant". It is time everyone read that story.

For women suffering ultra dry skin due to drought conditions. Vaseline is the greatest thing to use. To soften and moisturise feet and hands, castor oil is the best one can use. One could spend enough money on skin care products to pay for a facelift when the best in life is very, very cheap. Castor oil's real name is 'Palma Christi" ( The Hand Of Christ)

Of course, if we get 1,000 inches of rain in the next few months, things might improve in the Supermarkets!

But always remember to be prepared for the worst in all matters. I know all this advice will fall on deaf ears, but I'll take the chance, ;)

Not Sure

My decision has been reached to make a New Years resolution now. I am going to post my blog entries in the morning. That means I have the night free.

Yesterday I spent some time explaining to the local 'Hit Squad' how well I have mown my '1 million and 1 acre' spare block all by hand with my Victa only to be told the letter had been sent to me just as a courtesy thing asking me to MAKE SURE it was kept mown down until February.

:doh:

So I spent a little time at the local Hospital getting all the dust out of my eyes. One piece which felt like a boulder would not move, so, they decided to send me to Dr (when he returned) in order to have some sort of dye put into it to see the thing and have it removed.

At the thought of that, I neatly shot through to pray. The 'boulder' in my eye has gone now.

Only the specks remain ... er hmmmnnnnn. (tries to polish halo)

In the Christ manner, we can only obey. We, as humans cannot be perfect. Let's face it. We all have our little sins. Often we are not aware of them, but they are there just the same.

The Human Brain is the roadmap to how we live and what we do with our lives. And, it is the Human Brain which prompts the action prior to sin. "To do (or say) or not to do (or say), that is the question".

How can we be obedient to God?

I brought my kids up singing a song over and over again, "Give A Little whistle" I think Jiminy Cricket sang it in the first place. But I felt it a good song to start my chidren to learn right from wrong.

I love to sing and dance, always have. I think that started when I was about 2?

Mum was a beautiful singer, Dad was a beautiful dancer. I copped both inherited lovelies. Naturally the kids copied what I did so we were a happy little group! Until someone walked in the door and told us we were mad. :(


Oh wow! I haven't written one word about the doom and gloom of the drought today!

OK, the photo today is a collage of some of my "Seagulls In Motion" shots. All photo's have been reduced dramatically in size to avoid theft. Oh yes! People with steal one's Copyright photo's for overseas advertisements! We find them and sue them. Thankfully, I am on a secret part of the Web where people make it their business to track peoples stolen photo's. Some have been found in Arabic magazines.
That's another reason why I have this blog, and why I collage. And yes, we do indeed sue thieves who take our work and claim it as their own! We do not tolerate thieves.

So that is why, if the photo's are 'saved' you get a bad image on screen. ;)


My photos are straight from the camera as I cannot use photoshop. The only editing I can do is reduce, frame, and collage. I can enhance, but prefer photos straight from the camera.

Photographing wildlife means that one must also be a bird watcher, and be prepared to sit and just watch with a camera poised.It is tedious, and time comsuming but ... an idealic life really!

In this day and age there is far to much hustle and bustle. One of the specks in my eye is not to go with the flow of hustle and bustle, if that can be called a speck.

Morning Has Broken.

It is now seven years since his death ...

VENI CREATOR SPIRITUS
______________________


Veni Creator Spiritus, Mentes tuorum visita Imple superna gratia Quae tu creasti pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus, Altissimi donum Dei, Fons vivus, ignis, caritas, Et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere, Digitus paternae dexterae, Tu rite promissum Patris, Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus, Infunde amorem cordibus, Infirma nostri corporis Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius, Pacemque dones protinus: Ductore sic te praevio, Vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem, Noscamus atque Filium, Teque utriusque Spiritum Credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac paraclito, In saeculorum saecula. Amen.
...................................................................................


English Translation.


Come, Holy Spirit, Creator blest, and in our souls take up Thy rest; come with Thy grace and heavenly aid to fill the hearts which Thou hast made.

O comforter, to Thee we cry, O heavenly gift of God Most High, O fount of life and fire of love, and sweet anointing from above.

Thou in Thy sevenfold gifts are known; Thou, finger of God's hand we own; Thou, promise of the Father, Thou Who dost the tongue with power imbue.

Kindle our sense from above, and make our hearts o'erflow with love; with patience firm and virtue high the weakness of our flesh supply.

Far from us drive the foe we dread, and grant us Thy peace instead; so shall we not, with Thee for guide, turn from the path of life aside.

Oh, may Thy grace on us bestow the Father and the Son to know; and Thee, through endless times confessed, of both the eternal Spirit blest.

Now to the Father and the Son, Who rose from death, be glory given, with Thou, O Holy Comforter, henceforth by all in earth and heaven. Amen.
.....................................................................................



My Simple Prayer to My Father In Heaven.
_______________________



My Father in Heaven, Creator of Heaven and earth, Father of my Saviour Jesus,

Blessed be Your Holy Name.

May Your Peace be upon all Believers.

May Your Will be done in all matters.

As a widow, I ask for nothing but good health, and strength. I also seek your Blessings upon other Believing widows.

My life is in Your Keeping, for I both Love and Trust you and only You for You are my Father, and Your blessings flow upon me and enrich my soul and spirit.

I thank you for all blessings through the seven years of walking alone. I Praise Your Holy Name, and You Divine Being.

Forgive me my sins as I forgive those who sin against me. See me not led into temptation but deliver me from the evil of the world.

I bow before Your Might and Majesty Holy Father of Heaven and Earth for You are my Love. And Your's is The Kingdom, and the Power, and The Glory. Forever.

This simple prayer I offer humbly at Your Feet in the Name of Your Most Precious Son, and My Lord, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

Great ... Just ...Great.

A day of extremes today.

1st, had am appointment to see Doctor for my regular checkup and WOO!! My B.P. is spot on! Dunno why Dr nearly took a fit when it was up, he should have known someone wonderful would pray for me like Hannah.

2nd. The Funeral of the first lady I met when I came to this town. Sad .... sad ...

3rd. I hate the Local Council with a passion. In fact I almost hate it as much as the Water Authority which I hate with a double passion.

And what was in my letterbox? The yearly letter from the Local Council (the "Hit Squad") to mow, mow, mow, mow .... and mow again the grass on my spare block of land. Fair dinkum, owning land is no fun in a drought.

So, back from the Doctor - straight to a Funeral - then straight to the lawn mower.

I wouldn't care if the grass was high and needed it, but it only needed to be lightly cut as I poisoned it and have kept it mown as low as possible.

Not good enough for the "Hit Squad". So ... ouside in the dust, and barley grass I think I swore to nuke something. The amount of dust that came up from my mower caused someone to ring the fire brigade. Lovely.

Down came the fire engine and so help me, I think they were going to drown me and my mower.

My reaction to them with hands on hips was " I dare ya!" while enveloped in a cloud of dust.

"Hey! You're mowing! A fire was reported here Hon!"

" Do you see any flames? Do you smell the smoke?" I asked.

Someone yelled, " Who bloodywell reported the fire? This is a flamin' hoax! Get on the blower!"

I had men everywhere.

" Hey! Whatta ya doin' mowin' for? It doesn't need it Darl!" one cried.

"OOO! You tell the "Hit Squad that. Last year they sent in a tractor, mowed my daisies, busted the plumbing, broke the gate and sent me a bill for fifty bucks!"

" Struth! That's pretty crook!"

" Tell me about it. Now you just put the water hoses away nice and neatly and nick off and let me get this job done or the Hit Squad will hit me for something else."

Soon, they were gone and I coughed, sneezed and spluttered all around the enormous block of land behind the lawn mower. And no, I won't sell the land because I love it.

Tonight I turned the hoses on to water my garden to nark both the Hit Squads. The Council and the Water Authority.

Then ... to top the day off, my friend got a speeding fine. Aieeeeeeee! I've Never had a fine of any sort in my life!! 139 bucks for doing 86 in an 80 K Zone. Poor girl.

And, tomorrow marks the 7th year I've been a widow .... it's a day I would rather forget.

Time passes ... memories dim. It is far better not to awaken some events in the past.

Wood To Ash To Earth Returning.

I believe all the swimming pools in Melbourne are full. Man's greed for luxury ... will it never end?

I don't think so. How many in the city know this song sung by we folk of the country.

While The Billy Boils.

Come and sit beneath the bluegums while the billy boils,
Shaded by the old and new gums, while the billy boils.
And tell your story as you will, of love and joy or tears
Let your memories gently fill the years
A timeless feeling.

There's the scent of gumleaves burning while the billy boils,
Wood to ash to earth returning while the billy boils.
So shed your worries with your swag
Forget your cares and toils,
And come and join us while the billy boils.


Hospitality can always come with humility as well as luxury.

We who have never been brought up with luxury cannot miss it and continue happily through life with little things that please, and are needed.

Humility is treasure and pleasure. Words to stop and think about.

People are always attracted to the humble, and the humble are a pleasure to be with.

We have all been asked to pray for rain. But will prayers be answered for land on which there are large statues of buddha today?

Drought Australia

There is still water in the Lake, but that will be taken soon and it will lay dry.

During the time water is there, I am capturing as many photo's of the wildlife which inhabits the lake as possible. The photo is a collage of some of the shots I have taken.

Today was an awful day. I had to spray the exterior of the house with spider stuff to stop them from entering, and webbing on the exterior.

So much fun inbetween all the coughing and sneezing!

Vacuumed and cleaned inside the car and could not believe how much dust had entered. Tomorrow, she has to be washed no matter what.

We are lucky not to be on stage 4 water restictions as yet, but that's because we have lived through drought before and know how to recycle and take care of the water.

There is no stock on my farm. The fences have been released to allow neighbours remaining sheep or whatever to make use of anything to nibble there.

I will be going there shortly to photograph. I do love the property, but she's gone under with the drought. Notso with the wildlife though. The farm lies beneath a protected canopy where no wildlife is permitted to be disturbed or harmed in any way.

That means the "Drover's Dream" is there.

"First there came a Kangaroo with a swag of blankets blue
A Dingo ran beside him as his mate
They were travellin' mighty fast but they shouted as they passed
We'll have to run along, it's getting late

The Pelican and the Crane, had come in from off the plain
To amuse the company with the highland fling
The dear old Bandicoot played a tune upon his flute
And the koala bear sat 'round him in the ring

The Drongo and the Crow sang songs of long ago
The Frill-necked Lizard listened with a smile
And the Emu standing near with his claw up to his ear
Said "the funniest thing I've heard for quite a while"

Last bad drought, I had a husband beside me. I wonder if I can manage to outride this one alone. So far it's been a bit tough but maneagable.

The worst is to come .... summer. If I can get through that alone, I reckon I'm still around 21 years of age.



My potatoes are looking good! The pumpkins are up too! Marvellous whar recycled water does! Praise God!!

God knows I try to be perfect in every way. *sigh*

Drought Australia

Today my heart is aching.

Went for a drive to face reality of the drought as it hits us and once again saw bare paddocks. The sheep are all being sold.

Crops are shocking. Many have failed. They are charging farmers over $500 per meg of water, money the farmers have not got.



It is said we will be paying $5 for 2 litres of milk in February. Prices will begin to increase rapidly.

Good job I kept my boomerangs! Might have to catch an emu or kanga!!! *erk*

The air is filled with dust; dust penetrates our homes and the vacuum cleaner is forever going. Cars are filled with red dust. If we get one good dust storm we won't be able to see our homes.

Trucks taking sheep out are forever on the road - and we are held at the mercy of a merciless sun.

Dams I thought would never be dry now have a sceric of water on the bottom, but not enough to water the sheep.

Brisbane is on stage 4 water restictions as are country cities in Victoria. The row continues over the piping of water from Shepparton to Ballarat which is on Stage 4 water restrictions.

We have to laugh and be happy though. We got through the last drought and we'll get through this one ... God Willing.

We are all taking it one day at a time in the area where I live, and, if it won't rain, we all just hope for a nice day.

And ... we have summer to face.....

Nature & Geometry

Water is made of a combination of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. There are two atoms of hydrogen and one atom of oxygen in every molecule of water.

It is The Majesty of creation."And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" Genesis Chapter 1, verse 2.

Following ths incident, God spoke.
"Let there be light." Genesis Chapter 1 verse 3.

Nothing can grow without water and sun (light).

It was due to the fact that everything I saw which was created by God, had a different shape which led me believe in God and to follow Christ. A "Someone" had to have made all these various things in such patterns. It could not have been coincidence, and certainly not evolution.

Genesis Chapter 1:11-12 God spoke.

"Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yeilding seed, and the fruit of the tree AFTER IT'S KIND whose seed is in itself, upon the earth ... and it was so.

An oak tree cannot drop an elm seed. An apple tree cannot bear a peach. Everything evermore was to come from it's root source from then, until today.

Such a happening could not have evolved, far too many intricacies were involved.



Everything God made had a geometrical pattern. A pattern so intricate it is breathtaking. I see this everyday in my photography.

Look at the photo of the rocks. It appears that I am flying above them, yet in actual fact, I took this photo while standing on the ground.

The geometrics of the rocks fascinated me. They all connected into a geometric pattern which enabled me to manipulate.

I experimented with the photo by cropping it, then turning it upside down and was stunned at what I saw. In the original photo the rock is a massive boulder which did not, in part, touch the ground.

The part which did not touch the ground was cropped from the photo and turned upside down giving the appearance of a birds eye view of the top of rocks.

The palm leaves do not completely touch, yet, they are connected through a delicate network system.

The seagull shows dynamics of geometry. Everything touches, yet, the connection is through a delicate network once again. Nothing is even, yet, everything is balanced. The geometric value is there in it's action of flight. It needs a geometric value in it's wings and body to enable it to fly.

The pink photo is one I took of salt crystals formed on a piece of dead grass on the floor of a salt lake. Everything is connected to a central field , and once again, we see geometrics. If we were to look at the salt crystals beneath a microscope, we would see an astonishing rythm of geometics.

The photo of the sun shows geometrics in rays reflected on still water. Once again a delicate network of connected geometrics. Something I would bever have seen so clearly had I not used a camera. Yes, I can see rays, but not as clearly as through the camera on development of the photo.


I am not a mathemetician, but one who loves God, and in these common everyday things we see an astonishing array of sheer Geometric patterns.

The stranger things which made me ponder was that water runs off all things shown here except one, the salt crystals which will melt if left in water.

Yes, indeed everything bar the rocks need water to survive.

The rock is a basalt rock and not therefore not a porous rock.

Nature itself is God's absolute wonder if one is to study it completely in it's geometric field.

I am but a child in this matter for I see the geometrics, yet know nothing about geometrics other than a sprinkling of knowledge here and there. I wonder how many others can see the connection between Nature and God?

Individuality

The photo is one I took of tonight's sunset.









There is an old Bali Proverb which says: Only dead fish swim with the stream

Meaning: People who do not posess willpower and individuality
will simply follow the majority, doing what everyone else does, without thinking.

Each of us possesses individuality. We make choices of our own. But how many really just swim with the stream?

Sadly it seems, too many do.

Todays trend is to follow what everyone else does without really stopping to think.

Of course, these are just my ramblings but it does grieve me to see so many people eating junk food.

It annoys me when I see greedy money making Fast Food chain stores advertising on TV for people to buy their health destroying foods.

Many people go into enormous debt as they must have the biggest and best house with every mod con available.

This leaves the people in debt and the banks getting richer. The Bible states "Owe no man anything".

With the country around me withering and dying in the dry weather, I think of the times when crops were brilliant and the farmer made alot of money.

I also recall the same farmers wasting the money they had as though it was something to be plucked from trees. A new car, a new truck, a new header, an expensive holiday, expensive high cholesterol take away foods. And of course in some cases, a new house on the farm.

Money was spent as though it was going out of fashion. They followed the trend of other farmers and did not look at the big picture by placing away funds to help themselves in future dry days.

Today, they face one big dry and need Government assistance.

Dams are dry, rivers, lakes and streams are dry and day after day we are faced with a merciless sun beating down upon a helpless land.

Sheep and lambs are being sold at half their value and farmers despair over lost crops.

They can work 24 hours a day - and get nowhere. Water mismanagement has been rife.

But what bothers some most has been the mismanagement of money by the farmers when the going was good.

Farmer Soandso had an enormous return of thousands upon thousands of dollars, in some cases, millions. So did Farmer Joe. Farmer Joe spent alot of money on extravagances, and Farmer Soandso followed the trend. Both were dead fish swimming with the stream.

Individuality is as precious as water. Not gold - but water, for man can live in a house made of gold and precious jewels, but without water it is useless to him.

Often I wonder if man cannot live with individuality? And certainly if he cannot live by a simple key to being happy in life by owing no man anything.

The Silence of Drought In Australia

I live in a farming area. We are in drought. Once again I am watching the ravages of what a lack of rain can do to my country. If there is no rain soon .. the worst is to come, one I hoped I would never see in my lifetime again following the 2002 drought when I saw sights so hideous the impact was never lifted.


There has never been a population of 20 million humans in Australia before. Nor has the land ever been used in the past to feed 20 million Australians and maybe 3 times that number of people elsewhere.


How does drought affect us is a farming comunity in Australia?

Prices skyrocket while seering dust storms cover us in a cloak of red dust - and the sun turnes red. The land lies at risk of terrible bushfires - and the elimination of life.

Farmers commit suicide - wives and children left to manage as best they can.

Lakes such as the ones in the photos I have taken are emptied - the precious water diverted to the channels for farm use. That is laughable as the Water Authorities charge such a high price the farmer cannot afford to buy the water therefore, beneath a seering sun, it evaporates.

Sheep are herded into a paddock and stockyards to be shot rather than see them die of thirst.

Their pathetic bodies are bulldozed into a heap, covered with fuel and burned.

The land lies dead - lifeless while the skies are filled with birds of prey and carcasses are torn to pieces. White bones take the place of live sheep and happy bouncing lambs.

Before the dust storm hits, there is a silence - then, in the distance a roar approaches. The sun turns red. We have time only to close an fasten everything.

The roar approaches and day turns to a red night. Lights in the town turn on automatically and we dare not venture outdoors for if we do, we can be cut by fast flying pieces of stone an grit.

During the time while the dust and wind enshroud our homes we have no idea if we will see our fences again, nor what damage is being done outdoors.

Poultry goes to sleep while we pray for safety for all livestock - and the people sharing the horrific experience.

Dirt and dust is dumped into whatever precious water there is on the land turning it into red mud.

The eeriness of the red sky and storm is terrifying and we are but helpless human beings gripped in the savagery of nature. Wild animals know how to defend themselves, but we do not, and cannot.

All we know is that death surrounds us as tumbleweed and dry grass, sand, dirt and grit hit the panes of cloaked windows while the wind roars savage messages to mankind.

People cry - people die - children scream - adults scream.

Due to lack of water now, the Mallards and various water birds unable to find water elsewhere are on the Lake shown in the photos and any other place where they can find water.

For the reason of the drought, I cannot leave my area for sometime. There will be too many people to help and comfort all too soon unless the rain falls - but, it won't.

The keeping of drought records in Australia began around 1910 - today, the Government gives assistance to keep the farmer on the land. But, they live in mansions with plenty of water and do not see what the farmer actually faces.

If they did - their hearts would break.

Alteration Of Plans

One today is worth two tomorrows.
Author: Benjamin Franklin



Plans to go to Broken Hill have been altered due to dry conditions and dust fallout.

If you have anything to say, say it now or forever hold your peace.

Never put off until tomorrow what you should do today.


Sydney - Farmers on Friday were urged to pray for rain after officials declared Australia was in the grip of its worst drought ever.

'It is a very, very severe drought,' Prime Minister John Howard said, promising farmers government money to keep them in business until rains make planting possible. 'We're not going to leave farms destitute and will make certain that farmers are kept going,' the prime minister said.

The Unity Of Two

It always begins with a mutual bond. A mutual attraction which is undefineable but cannot be erased.

There is never, but never one in life. A person always throws a shadow in the sunlight.

With Love, there is always two whether that Love be entirely for God, or shared with God through a marriage unity where two souls have become one in body and soul.

Our Christ Loves His Bride; His Bride Loves the Christ. It is The Unity of two. A Love shared - a Love which is unbreakable.

Who can describe what Love is? If one looks, it is in the Scriptures. Love is kind, it is gentle, it is tender. As a human emotion it cannot be defined but one knows when it hits them.

Many times I have seen young ones ask " I THINK I love him ... but ..."

This is youth with it's maze of confusion. There is no "but" when it comes to Love.

Before marriage - there can be "buts". I too went through that stage; could I stand beside a man who was as dedicated to things never touched upon by this soul? He soon put my mind at rest. It didn't matter. All that mattered was the love we shared.

My heart has almost always been with God. I say almost because once I touched on Tibetian Buddhism, and my life went in so many different directions I completely lost the way! But God showed His Love and brought me Home and into His Arms.

During that period of time when I was off to Tibet with the fairies and humming "Ohmmm mani padme hummmmm" and sitting in the most uncomfortable position called a "Lotus position", the track of time was lost. Worst still ... so was my Unity with God.

That's when my man came into my life.

God used this staunch Catholic man to gently sober me and bring me back to reality. In a flash I said goodbye to the pixies and knelt to pray to the only God I had ever known. To make sure I'd been positively forgiven I even went to Confession before Mass after many years. and took as much time in the Confessional Box as it had taken me to learn all about Tibet which was a long time. The Priest was ecstatic!!

The Unity of two was completed once again between God and myself.

But to look closely at a Unity of two, the individuals do their own thing while still being one person.

In marriage between man and a woman, the man ( in an ideal marriage) should be permitted to do those things he has been used to doing during his time of being single.

In this we look at our Unity with God.

God does His own thing. We, as humans do our own thing. But our hearts and minds are focused on God and Godly actions.

The two humans have become one flesh, the other Unity is with God. The Unity of two.


In my family there have been many divorces and family squabbles which I have kept far away from. It was during these squabbles, mainly about religion, I headed for the hills in order to forget words spoken which can never be forgotten by someone.

My thoughts were never voiced, they were private.

I did not approve of family dissention even at a very tender age, nor did I approve of divorce. Divorce to me did not make sense. If they loved one another in the beginning why did they divorce in the end?

But, I was a child. Today I see reasons for divorce. Sad reasons - and a Unity is shattered along with many lives whether it included God or not.

A marriage shared with God is a marriage sealed at the Feet and Throne of God whether the couple exchange vows privately with a couple of witnesses and an ordained Minister, or publicly in an overly expensive wedding with a multitude of guests to witness the event.

They need not live together continually but prefer to live apart each following their own life style and spending absolute quality time together when they greet one another keeping contact and loving one another dearly in the meantime.

It is still a Unity of One.

I am a positive thinker. Yes, I loved and lost, but that loss had to be faced with reality. There was no use my sitting down and mourning for the rest of my life. The Unity of Two in the marriage was broken between man and wife, but, the Unity of Two continued with my walk with God.

At first, the world seemed a strange place. It was empty, cold and foreign. The house was deathly quiet, the animals fretted. All kinds of odd things happened in that manner.

But, the Unity with God gave more power of positive thinking. I started to laugh at myself for still sleeping on my side of the bed, for cooking for two, for setting the table for two and waiting for the door to open. Silly little things.

I was not the only woman on the planet who had lost a husband. All over the world women were weeping who had lost their husbands at the same moment I had lost mine.

Men were also weeping, they too had lost their wives at the same moment I lost my husband.

Many had greater problems to face and surmount than this one. Many who did not have God to turn to.

Due to my faith, I counted myself lucky. There was still a Unity of Two. We cannot blame God for things that happen in life for that is the time we should be more aware that God is in our life.

When I lost him, people said various things ...... " How will she get on!" "She won't be able to go on, they were too close". " I feel so sorry for her, she'll never recover." " Expect a suicide mates!!" Oh dear, they sort of lived in their own little corner of the world, she'll die." " yeah ... well, IF she survives this she'll never marry again."

All utter rubbish as they did not know the me. And, now the years have passed, many look at me and ask "How?" My answer is " My God. My Saviour." ........ and they smile in silent acknowledgement.

Will I marry again? ........ that is up to God.

Today

Today would have been his Birthday .....................

The Swamp

When one goes to such a place as the Swamp to photograph, and knows how to utterly respect wildlife, nicer captures can be taken than at a popular Lake Resort.

(1) There are no other humans with their dogs around.

(2) There are no children to disturb the wildlife.

(3) There are no cars to add to their confusion.

The area is completely natural and unspoiled by man or pollution of any kind.

The major beauty of such an area as this is the utter tranquility, which I suppose could send some folk who are used to the city around the bend.

Not so me, it is the life I am used to and one I love dearly.

The moonlight is simply mystical and has superb quality. The stars seem to shine brighter and the air is sweetly touched by the Hand of God.

I will not go into detail about my short hol there; there are some things one would prefer to keep to oneself. It suffices me to say ......... it was beautiful.

Had A Ball!

Went to Kow Swamp for chin wag with my friends up there and Oh Boy! We had a fabulous time!!

Stayed a few nights as they wouldn't let me come home. (Aboriginals rarely do if they look on you as one of the 'family')

So ..... we went true walkabout around and through the Lake. Spent every night under the full moon and the stars with the billy boiling and the guitars out. It was a party every night I outback style.

Sorry I didn't announce my unexpected whizzer, just packed the car and shot through like a hairy goat.

Spent the time learning soooooooooooooooooooooo much!!! It was absolutely great mate!!

There is water in the swamps so the kayaks and canoes were out too. It was fabulous!

I learned so much, and saw more than I ever dreamed I could see.

Going back soon too!

Solitude

When this photo came through from my camera yesterday, I immediately fell in love with it.






What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great person is one who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

Ralph Waldo Emerson


Amazing! Elvis would have been 71 if he were alive today! Maybe what Elvis needed was a good dose of solitude.

Fruit Of The Spirit

This is what some of us can do with our photography. ;)

Quality.

Today, while on a birdwatching photography trip, I thought of the quality of life birds enjoy.

As the camera snapped and another of their movements was captured in a time capsule it occured to me that birds are so contented and have a quality of life which is unreachable by man.

Their flight from danger is an eyeopener. In comparison, man seems to walk into danger sometimes!

After pondering for sometime, I realised many don't live with a quality lifestyle.

In life there should be quality in contentment; quality in food eaten; quality in their walk with whichever god they believe in; quality in marriage; quality in being single; quality in the car a person buys etc;etc;etc.

Our Christian Spiritual Life should have quality. Loads of it.

After all my pondering I realised man and woman cannot really get along if their time together is not always quality time.

That means they must be able to talk together, to laugh together, to have lots of things in common.

I dunno ... these were just my ponderings for the day. Maybe I'm crazy or something but that's the way I see things even if others don't agree with me.

So after all that thinking, and watching, clicking and pondering, I flattened the battery in my camera - it's on recharge now.

Thank God He chose for me to buy a quality camera!!

It took me a loooong time to chose the camera I wanted because I waited on God to show me which one was for me.

The wait was quality time with my little camera - and when Father showed me the Camera I now own, I fell in love ... and we smiled, Father in Heaven and this little crazy lamb of His.

The Moon

And, there is the photograph I took of the moon over Australia.

I brought her in on the 12 zoom with FE, took CP right on target as I wanted. Each of us have our own method of photography. The sky was still bright when this was taken. Time taken 6.p.m.

Oh Boy ...

OK .... I accidentally deleted my entry for today. The photo is one I took of a pelican landing in a tree to roost for the night. Pelicans land in trees on one leg.

They say one never stops learning - well, I reckon never a truer word was spoken.

Today, I sat on the grass studying the use of the features on my new camera. We are under total fire bann too so couldn't light the barbie.

Sunset found me still sitting there reading and all the rest.

I have favorite times to photograph wildlife - and a beautiful full moon is coming so zoomed in a close one on THAT still in a blue sky.

So very beautiful..... how I love the moonlight.



If there is one type of person I dislike intensely, it's a Bible Thumper. I had enough of one Bible thumping religio to last me a lifetime. Those people cause more harm to christianity than they'll ever know.

I realise they have a great passion for thumping a person's ear off by reading the Bible AT them, but fair go!

I had one park herself in my loungeroom from 9 a.m. till 5.p.m. daily reading the Bible AT me. Finished me for life that did as it happened many years ago.

That's life!

WOO!!

OK my dear friends. Here is my 1st zoom shot with the new camera.

It was really a great day! But one needs a university degree to learn all the garble with these new digitals. Still, it's quite an experience! To widows out there, I say, use your camera and view a stunning world!!
This planet had more wonders on it than we can ever imagine.

Happy Me!

My new camera had arrived!!

There will be no further entries until all has been loaded, and a good study made into using all the new features.

What Price Freedom? cont'd.

I apologise for the noise on the photo, but did not remove it before uploading. Yeah ... lazy girl that I am and don't pretend not to be!

Fact is, last night my leg was so painful with that strained calf muscle had to go to the Hospital to have it seen to so can't be bothered doing much. Darn - I turned up there at half past 11 at night and thought it was 8.p.m ???!! Wondered why I had to pick up the phone and say "Oi! It's me! Lemme in!"

At the sound of my voice ... the door FLEW open and nearly knocked me flat! Great ....... they love me.

Reason? They know me and most of the Nursing Staff are my friends because I'm a true blue Aussie. If I take my friends there, they get the same treatment. "EMERGENCY!! GET THE WHATEVERS!!!" Absolutely pampered that oi be mate ... haaaaaaay maaaaaaate, someone in life has to pamper me at times.

I was tended by a top male Nursing Aide, trained like a Doc he is. "What did you do Hon?" said all the nurses plus the Nursing Aide who had a big grin on his face.

" Caused a HUGE inconvenience to my person which is a bloody nuisance so I came to you to fix it." I replied while attempting to stand.

"You been climbing trees again?" they asked.

" ME? Oh, no,no,no ...... me just ran out the door in bare tootsies yesterday, jumped down the step and screamed blue murder because the calf muscle tore."

"You live on the edge." laughed Liz, the Nursing Sister I adore.

"Will you get me off it mate?" I looked at her quite seriously and pointed to my leg. She laughed all the more.

"She's grounded herself!!!" they all laughed.

"You unsympathetic pack of heathens." I snorted. They laughed all the more.

" Bloody lovely," I said in all seriousness " here I be in absolute agony holding me leg up for the world to see and all the Nurses are laughing at my sheer utter agony."

I gave a dramatic 19th century back of the hand touch to my forehead, looked down with closed eyes and cried " Alas and alack! If I fainted they would laugh at the descendant of the mighty House of Byron!
Dramatically, with one eye watching, I draped my left hand in front of the handsome Male Nurse Aide to kiss. He dutifully kised my hand.

Suddenly my antics of drama ended, "Hey! That's me hand! It's me leg I want kissed better!"

They all doubled up laughing while I looked on in complete innocence.

"Come vith me to ze Cazba." Said the handsome Nurses Aide.

With one leg stiff and outstretched and the other moving as fast as possible I headed for ze Cazbaaah with a handsome man. * Flutters eyelids*

Gently he pulled the leg of my slacks up then touched pressure points to make certain it wasn't a clot.

Then, up went the other trouser leg. Nursing sisters watched this time in concern.

"Hell mate! You've made a mess of it! That calf muscle is really torn, there will be inside bruising as well and you ARE grounded!"

"EH?!!" My eyes widened. " GROUNDED!!!"

"Yes indeed!" He was filled with concern as he tended my leg.

"You really are in alot of pain aren't you?" His arm was around my shoulders.

"Not ummm.. not ummmm ... er ummm .... ahhh ... er ummm ... ummm.." My mind was thinking Hospital bed and no way!!! I was also thinking I wasn't so happy in zee Cazbaaaaah.

"I know you are Brave Face!!" came his words.

"Yeah." I replied quickly hoping he hadn't heard me." He had and gave a grin.

" I HAD to climb that hill to get the shots! Struth mate! The council might move the flamin' hill and there goes me shots!!"

"YOU CLIMBED THE HILL TO TAKE PHOTOS AFTER YOU DID THIS???!!!"

"Yes." it was a whisper as I looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

"And therein lies further damage you did to your leg."

"Well you can fix it!"

"Nope ... I can HELP it, but this will take time."

"How much flamin' time?" The nurses started to laugh again, don't know why but they always do laugh at me when I go there.

"How does six weeks sound?" He smiled at me.

I was silent. Flabbergasted beyond words, stunned into a silence unheard. Six weeks of total boredom; six flamin' weeks of utter annihilation from a world of magic; six rotten weeks of armageddon; six long, long, looooooooooooooooooooong weeks.

"Bugga." was all I could manage.



Soon I was home - my freedom was gone for six loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong weeks. But, it would not ground me. No flamin' way!! I've got a new camera to pick up any day! But ......................

It was time to reflect on freedom of the world. To think deeply --- to study my Bible deeply.

The Bible is filled with prophecy which man has tried to interpret for centuries. Yet today, not many can see that WW3 began follwing WW2.

It is not the little things we look at, it is the big things.The clash of civilizations as Europe and Islam collide. A crucial Bible prophecy here is in Daniel 11: 40-50
The Kings of the North and South in Bible times were the Seleuicid and Ptolemaic dynasties which succeeded Alexander the Great and ruled over what we now know as Syria and Egypt.
Their repeated clashes affected the Jews who lived between them in a negative way.
Revelation 17: 12-13 tells us that just prior to the Second Coming of Jesus "
kings" or leaders of nations will come together to form a new world superpower.

The Bible is packed with what is happening on earth today as the earth shudders beneath violent blows of manmade destruction.

The British Empire - once victorious and intact at the end of WW2 is gone. France and other European empires are also gone.

Succeeding them are alot of new countries across Africa and the Middle East which were non existant in 1945.

Then, following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 more new nations came int being across Asia, many of the muslim dominated which have added to the strength of that beast, Islam.

The world has changed so dramatically since 1945 it is hardly recognizable.

Christian women are marrying muslims and being forced into Islam. The ignorant are marrying muslims and adding to their strength.

And the Beast with two heads, one of peace - the other of war stirs ready to try to devour the world. Islam. One head calls peace - the other head calls war and destruction.

The Book of Revelation clearly points to Islam when it states the saints will be beheaded. Only Islam uses such a barbaric means of disposing of people. But, the ignorant cannot see this ..

America is becoming more and more isolated with Britain remaining a loyal friend and perhaps the only friend America has, evenso, Britain appears to be becoming disillusioned with America.

Australia stands firm beside it's principles with many hating the manner in which our Prime Minister John Howard remains a loyal friend to Bush.

And I grieve for England - imagine if during WW2 every one in eight of the population of London were a nazi?

Today, one in eight of the population of London is a muslim ........

Most of the western world has been blinded without knowing it.

Hosea 7: 8-9 states

"Ephraim has mixed himself among the people ( or .. embraced other cultures and religions as equally valid) ALIENS ( people who worship other gods) hae devoured his strength, but he does not know it."

Yes, people have been blinded by thinking they can accept all religions and cultures as equal when too often it sows the seeds of social and cultural disintegration.

Ignorance is dangerous.

Following WW2 Britons stopped practising Christianity and following Jesus in droves and held onto it in name only. Church attendance plummeted and people rapidly accepted a new standard. Multiculturalism and Political Correctedness.

And, according to this standard, all religions, cultures, creeds and ideas are morally equal and never, but never to be critisised.

Today, people honestly believe there is little or no difference between religions. That all people on earth worship the same God. Nobody can judge another persons beliefs or actions.

These people have become spiritual appeasers no longer able to discern right from wrong and know nothing, or very little about the Bible or the Koran.

Today, there is no grief in me when typhoon or cyclones strike and I hear of the deaths except for the children. Oh yes, I grieve for the children.

But, I often wonder just what the Forces, created by God, wiped out?

Strangely enough, the greatest disasters are taking places in muslim and pagan lands.
What God destroys let no man touch.

People who think they have freedom should think twice.

It was at a place where I met a friend who was to teach me a little about the Velvet Revolution.

I looked at her beautiful photo's and read her history lessons in awe. Her photographs were consise, sharp and well focused. And ... the story began to unravel. One I had not heard of.

Communism - that ugly beast which robs and despoils.

1989 marked the time of the Velvet Revolution in which peaceful student protestors in Prague, who dared to oppose communism were attacked visciously by Police.

This led to further disturbances in Eastern Europe.

Just why are so many things covered up by the Press of today and treated so lightly?

They cried for freedom ....... not for the earth, moon and stars - but for freedom. A freedom which was denied.