Wince! It’s a Quince!

Quince. Almost no one knows that it is a fruit, a very ugly fruit. Also described as hard, tart and astringent – bitter to you- and surprise, surprise “is seldom eaten raw”. So? It is made into jam, marmalade or paste. There it is – quince paste – the staple of the gift basket. You grind up that quince, add as much sugar as you can and let it set. And the quince sugar blob is in the gift basket because…goes well with a cheese board! Since quince paste is rarely seen outside a gift basket, I assumed that the Quince Growers Association has done a deal with purveyors of gift baskets to include the sweet yet rarely used comestible among the other goodies. Not so fast! I am reliably informed by http://quincehq.com.au/ that quince jelly had made appearances in movies, most notably Gone With The Wind when Scarlett O’Hara uses it to lay her hair down flat after it was freshly washed. Still, very few people know what a quince is, and fewer know how to use it. It simply fills the gift basket void between the macadamias and the fancy chocolates- because if you taste the quince, you will surely wince!

Ron Holme – a Scholar by Many Degrees

Ronald William Holme was born in 1930 in central west NSW into a family that had a multi-generational history of farming and grazing in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. It was Ron who took the family story into western, central and far north Queensland.

Although Ron left school at the equivalent of year 10, that was typical for his generation. He always had an enquiring mind and a broad range of interests. Calling Ron a farmer is a little like calling Rupert Murdoch a newspaper owner – there was so much more to him. Ron learned a lot from self-teaching, experience, reading and seeking out others who knew more than he did. While he pursued few formal qualifications, by any reckoning Ron would be entitled to the following qualifications on the basis of his business achievements, life experience and private study.

For his lifetime work as a farmer and pastoralist of nearly seventy years, a Doctorate of Agricultural Science would be most appropriate. Ron owned and operated a series of properties growing crops of wheat, sorghum, maize and grass seed. Ron at one time or another raised sheep for wool and meat and bred or raised cattle for beef.

He investigated many types of trees for use as fodder, timber, protection against soil erosion by wind and water, and to pursue his passion of making timber furniture. Ron not only knew the common names of the plants he read about, researched and grew, he almost always knew their Latin botanical name as well. AND he could pronounce the Latin botanical names! This is a little amusing to those of us that know Ron thought he had no aptitude for foreign languages! For this Ron would receive a Master of Science majoring in Botany and a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Latin.

Ron also had a lifelong fascination for the natural world which he indulged by reading and watching documentaries. His interest was a mixture of professional, personal and simply a fascination for how the world worked. This meant he could identify the animals and insects, both native and introduced, on his own properties and their effects.  Combined with the animals he raised, Ron should be awarded a Bachelor of Animal Science and Husbandry.

Ron earned multiple trade qualifications (Certificate IV) by study and necessity due to operating farms in rural areas.  Ron was a qualified and experienced tractor driver, plant operator, welder, mechanic, builder, carpenter, foreman, woodworker, metal machinist and lathe operator. Ron was also a teacher and passed on his skills and knowledge over the years to his family and many employees. For this Ron can be awarded a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.  

Ron was not only a farmer and grazier but also a very successful business man. Ron knew a great deal about how to size up a property, not only as an agricultural asset but also as a business proposition. Ron’s research not only involved talking to pastoral agents and the local DPI office in the districts in which he was interested. He also visited many properties and while driving around collected a few shovel fulls of soil, which he sent to a laboratory for analysis, an analysis he then studied minutely. Also included in Ron’s research arsenal were state wide and local maps showing rainfall, soil types, topography, vegetation coverage and seasonal climatic conditions. Combine all that with his study of historical records that showed the variation and range of rainfall, temperature, humidity, frost, evaporation rates and anything thing else he could find. For all this Ron receives a Bachelor of Business (Honours) and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) with a major in Geology and Earth Sciences.

Also because of Ron’s love of plants, he is entitled to a Bachelor of Environmental Science. Yep, Ron was a greenie! Ron planted tens of thousands of trees in his lifetime. He knew the value of trees for shading the homestead, providing produce in an orchard and as a haven for stock. He also surveyed and built hundreds of kilometres of banks and levies so that prime agricultural land would not suffer water erosion.

Ron had a lifetime love of books. Ron accumulated a prodigious library over the years, with his philosophy being that you never got rid of a book. It was rare for Ron to have less than two or three books by his bed AND on the table by his lounge room chair. His reading ranged from the previously mentioned interests in plants and animals through to poetry, biographies, woodwork and Western “deadwoods”. Ron was also a talented and humorous poet in his own right. For his wide and extensive literary knowledge and contribution to poetry, we can award Ron a Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Literature.

Ron never considered himself to be an academic or scholarly person. He certainly did not fit that stereotype. However, in life we often learn to assess someone not by what they tell us about themselves but by what we observe about them. In the end, Ron enjoyed the things he was interested in. That is just one of the reasons that his family loves him and remembers him fondly.

The thing I don’t get…

The thing I don’t get about the “go back to where you came from crowd” is the apparent fear of and anger towards anyone who is different: different looking, sounding, with different habits, customs, language, religion or food.

I was in the supermarket today and two men were conversing in what may have been a sub-continental language – you know, any language of India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. There are dozens if not hundreds of languages in that part of the world.

The two men were talking to each other, not to other shoppers nor were they seeking assistance from a member of staff. So why shouldn’t they be conversing in a language of their choice, one they probably grew up with? Conversing in a non-English language doesn’t mean they don’t know English, it doesn’t say anything about whether they are good citizens, caring people or useful members of society. It doesn’t even tell me whether or not they were born in Australia or are Australian citizens. All of these things make no difference to me. They were two people having a conversation in a supermarket. That is no threat to anyone.

Here is a small sample of English words that have Hindi or Urdu origins:

avatar, bandanna, bangle, bungalow, chutney, dinghy, gymkhana, juggernaut, jungle, khaki, karma, loot, mogul, pyjamas, shampoo, thug, typhoon, veranda, yoga.

So before you have a go at someone speaking a language you don’t know perhaps you could close your mouth, open your mind and realise that the way you do things is neither the only way or the best way. Or you could expand your mind by learning another language.

 

 

Isolationism-Getting What You Want?

Isolationism: “A policy or doctrine of trying to isolate one’s country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, and generally attempting to make one’s economy entirely self-reliant; seeking to devote the entire efforts of one’s country to its own advancement, both diplomatically and economically, while remaining in a state of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.”

“Make America Great Again” is the slogan that underpins the policies and rhetoric of the new administration of President Donald Trump. It is the statement that garnered considerable support among many voters who ensured a Trump victory.  The message of campaign rallies and promises included making the US economy much more self reliant through the return of industry and jobs to US, an intention to decline to enter into foreign economic commitments and international agreements such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and UN undertakings on the acceptance and treatment of refugees.

Trump has a direct non apologies approach to making America Great Again. He is not politically correct. He loudly dismisses any opposition both domestic and foreign. Among his supporters this shows his strength as a leader. Both during the campaign and first few weeks of governing Trump has promised; to take on China by reducing American imports from there; charge a 20% tariff on imports from Mexico; to use those proceeds to build a wall to exclude illegal immigrants from Mexico; repudiation of the TPP agreement; exclusion of travelers and immigrants based on their citizenship of a small number of countries.

Trump wants absolute control over America’s economy, borders and relations with other countries. As does almost every other country on earth. Perhaps America is big enough and prosperous enough to get its way and follow its own path. The only thing America cannot control is the response of other countries.

 

The Journey 2 November 2015

Mindfulness is not a magic potion. Like a new diet, piece of technology or idea it doesn’t work unless you use it. New running shoes don’t exercise to get fit or lose weight. I have to put the shoes on and actually go for a walk. Otherwise I just donated $40 to KMart.

I have been guilty many times in the past, as have most people, of moving on to the next magic potion, being enthusiastic about it for a while, even actually using it per the instructions. And then forgetting about it for whatever reason.

In my recent transition to another go at mindfulness, I have already reminded myself of this: yes, used well mindfulness is wonderful; I haven’t failed if I spill a cup of coffee; a moment’s inattention at the wheel could have worse consequences than that coffee; don’t be too hard on myself if I drop the ball; sometimes even when we make mistakes, we are extended grace, so that we do not receive the full consequences of our actions; and when we remember that, we may remember to extend some grace to someone else.

So what happened today? I needed to book some flights and accommodation for work to visit Groote Eylandt next week. We are using a new travel agency; I am going to Groote to present a new travel policy – I wanted to do it all “right”. I got a bit to caught up in getting it right and put myself under more pressure than I should have. As recently as a week ago this would have really thrown me out. Today, I was still stressed but mindfulness helped me get the job completed, ruefully smile a bit that I’d got myself into my own bind, mostly in my own mind but by the time I got home, it was all behind me. No rehashing it over, chastising myself. Not only had I let it go but because of the work I have pout in just recently, the letting go was closer to a natural process than a conscious process. It’s like breathing, most of the time you don’t have to think about it but it still happens.

If that doesn’t communicate, think of the scene in the original Star Wars when Obi Wan first tells Luke about the force and has him use a light sabre against a drone. Initially he is hopeless. Then Obi Wan tells him to put on the helmet so that he cannot see the drone and resume the joust. It is counter intuitive, taking away sight. Luke thought he was mad and did not want to do it. Luke did better when he used his other senses to harness the force.

Again mindfulness is not a magic potion like the Star Wars force. But sometimes you need to relax a little, see how it feels and simply dispassionately observe what difference it makes.

This week I’m improving my daily life with mindfulness to help me along the way. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.

The Journey 1 Nov 15

This day has been a long time coming. There have been false starts, doubts, relapses and just plain laziness and pigheadedness. The Journey is about being present and mindful as often as possible, in all areas of life. My dear friend Kathie introduced me to the concept sometime in the last ten years. I was sceptical and resistant. After a time I tried it out. The first time I seriously tried it out was early one morning a couple of years ago in the back yard, facing the new day, eyes closed, stretching arms, legs and trunk while listening – to birds, passing cars, sounds that may not normally be obvious.Then on the drive to work, the radio was off and I just noticed things – passing cars, pedestrians, trees, gardens, signs – not the mere objects but movement, light, texture. This lasted a few days and was very powerful. Like any new habit, mindfulness has to be practised and exercised, as the newness makes way for familiarity.

Mindfulness has been to the fore in my life again in just the last few weeks. Today I am starting this occasional reflection. I’m not sharing these posts to the world of Facebook or Twitter. But I want to be able to log on here when ever I want to. If people happen across this blog, there will be a lot of boring stuff but perhaps just one nugget or so.

I am very inclined to put numerical measurements in place, especially in projects like this. This time there are almost none. No word count minimum or maximum, no schedule of posts. This is my gift to myself.

Mindfulness. Already in just this last week, consciously using mindfulness has given me the perception that time has moved slower than normal. I have been busy at work and at home but a couple of times things that I thought were two or three days ago were only yesterday. It is an especially modern phenomenon that time seems to speed up as we get older; we lose time. Could mindfulness help give us our life back by giving us time to savour it more fully than before? Today, I believe so. Time will tell.

I have a huge ball of string that has built up over the last 52 years, a lot of it in the last 10 to 15 years. It’s not regrets and mistakes – most of those I have fully come to terms with. It’s mostly the practical things of how I want to organise myself. But it’s just this: start from where I am, be mindful in all things as far as possible, be kind to myself – then I will have the time , energy and inclination to participate in the world around me.

QWA? – Security at the Chemist

Have you picked up a prescription from the chemist lately? Do they put it in that secure little plastic box that only the assistant at the cash register can open? It stops you or anyone else getting out the door without paying for your drugs, doesn’t it? Perhaps you have two prescriptions filled. Maybe both of them fit in that one secure box.

However, what if you order 3,4,5 or more drugs? Do you get more than one locked box? Not in my experience! At my pharmacy you get one or two boxes in the secure plastic box and the rest to carry unrestrained. I have been known to refill ten prescriptions at once, so that is 80% on the loose!

So why do you only get one locked box?  Does this mean that people who get more than one prescription at a time are more trustworthy? QWA.

Council Idiots

My step-daughter is a qualified vet nurse, very good at her job and has a passion for the welfare of animals. She just gets outraged at the stupidity of bureaucracy!

Case 1: Our local council requires all dogs to be registered from the age of three months. Like most councils they charge only a nominal fee for registration if you have the animal desexed. The fee is otherwise much larger. But get this, according to vets, they will only usually desex a dog of at least six months of age. So, can you register your three month old pup at the lower rate on the basis that you will duly have it desexed at six months? Not with our council. Pay the full rate and there is no pro-rata refund even if you have the operation done. So, don’t register the animal until it is six months old and desexed. Hmm, that risks a fine for not registering the dog or even losing the dog for good should it escape and cannot be identified to be returned to you. Answer, council raise your dog registration age to six months!

Case 2: A lost animal is often handed in to the nearest vet. The vet checks for an identifying chip in order to reunite the animal with its owner. Failing that and if the animal has lost its collar, often any other identifying tags have also gone missing. It makes a great case for micro chipping the family pet.

So, micro chipping must make the council dog catcher’s job much easier. After all limited pound space, a policy of only keeping most animals for a week, the council would be delighted to be able to identify an animal and return it to its owner. And it collects on the pound fees faster too!

My step-daughter regularly checks the council pound web site and that of the other animal shelters just in case she finds a client’s animal that she knows to be missing. And that happened this week! The dog had been missing nearly a week. She phoned the council to ask whether the animal had been claimed and perhaps the web site had not been updated. Nup. The dog was still in the pound. “The council has no obligation to scan for microchips”, was the stern reply! Another beloved family pet nearly bit the dust. No thanks to our local council and all thanks to a diligent vet nurse.

Words that Lie

There are so many English words that lie; are not true to themselves; are the antithesis of their meaning. Consider:

abbreviation – isn’t

long – isn’t

diminutive – isn’t

big – isn’t

contraction – is not

ubiquitous – probably isn’t

palindrome – nuh

Feel free to send me more!

The home of the future

The internet has already change the nature of shopping. We comparison shop between real stores and online stores. Sometimes it is more convenient to buy locally. Other times because of range, availability, price or convenience we prefer to shop online. Currently, retail purchases are only 5-10% online. But that is only after ten years or so of online commerce. Already we can purchase so much online  for under $1,000 from any where in the world – that threshhold being the limit for inporting in to Australia without the need for payment of duty, GST or any other importing red tape – and in many cases have it delivered faster and cheaper than placing a back order with a real live store. What of the next ten years?

How does this leave the real world store in the average shopping mall? Your local mall is owned and operated by a large listed property manager. The average mall business has almost no control over their rent, outgoings or share of the mall’s advertising costs. Their hours are regulated, seven days a week and there are precious few days of the year that they can be closed. But there are no guarantees…on most mid week mornings and afternoons the mall barely has any customers. The weekends, late nights and school holidays are a mad dash to make some cash to cover the rent, outgoings, advertising and wages. And then there is competition from the internet. Any business in the mall that sells any THING – clothes, books, music, home wares – can be beaten for price, convenience, range and service by the internet retailer. And already, some of us don’t even go to the mall for our groceries.

The only businesses alive in the mall of the future are those where the customer HAS to be present – cimemas, hair dressers, chiropractors, dentists, coffee shops and take aways. But once all the other stores have disappeared, how will the whole food court be available to survive?

The plan of the future. Much of your local shopping mall will be converted … to housing? Don’t believe me? Studio apartment/1BR apartment/ 2 BR apartment for rent/sale, features: plenty of parking, central city location, public transport at the front entrance, complex includes a gymnasium, convenience store, coffee shop, hair dresser and pharmacy. Walk to the cinema, heated pool or indoor skating rink. Wait a minute, no mall has a heated pool or an indoor skating rink! There will be plenty of room once the supermarkets and large chain stores have vacated the premises!

And turning shops into apartments? Simple. Most major shopping malls have a major overhaul every 10-15 years. Turning a shop into an apartment only involves a few internal walls and some plumbing and electrical work.

You heard it hear first. In the future…you can live at the mall… and you have internet shopping to thank for it.