Author: Boadicea

Surreal

We woke this morning to blue skies and fluffy, white clouds. For the first time, in what seems weeks, it wasn’t raining – that heavy relentless downpour that bounces off the roof, fills the gutters to over-flowing and turns the garden into a pond. Today was hot and humid – just like any other summer day in Brisbane.  We walked to the creek, it took about two minutes, to see how much water was there. It didn’t look much more full than it usually does, although one could see that it had been higher. The sun shone all day and there was not one drop of rain.

It was quite surreal to know that, while I was basking in the sun, just 22 km south the city of Brisbane was slowly and relentlessly being filled with muddy water.

The extent of the flooding is taking effect. We went to the local supermarket – no bread, no milk, and very little fresh produce. No doubt, some of the deficiencies are due to panic buying, but I suspect things will get worse long before they get better.

I am, however, delighted to report, that the local bottle shop (off-licence) had no shortages of red wine. 🙂

As if Flooding isn’t Bad Enough

I don’t suppose anyone is now unaware that huge areas of Queensland have been inundated. It looks and sounds pretty horrendous. But water is not the only problem some of these communities have to face: there are snakes and crocs.

There is a report of one couple who must have felt relatively ‘safe’ because their house and grounds, roughly the size of a football pitch, were on high ground. They weren’t that secure – at least a thousand snakes decided to head for the ‘safety’ of their property – and I’m worried about a couple of cane toads sitting on my patio tonight… ? 🙂

There’s a BBC report here, which has a good video report on Rockhampton, where the river is expected to peak tonight.

December Creative Writing – The Winner!

I thought the Winner should have a post all to himself to celebrate, so here’s Ferret’s comment reproduced.


Sorry for the delay guys, it turned out that my New Year was even merrier than I hoped Hic!

I had a great time in Harrogate and hope each and every one of you enjoyed your chosen celebrations too.

Right then I have read through them all and have selected a favorite. They were all as ever, of excellent quality. I had a hard time spotting the Jeremiah link Janus you sneak. :)
Continue reading “December Creative Writing – The Winner!”

Creative Writing Competition – Discuss

In my post, End of Year Review, I said:

I’m also a little unhappy about the way the Creative Writing Competition seems to have lost its impetus. I’ve refrained from saying anything earlier, since Christmas is such a frenetic time of year!  But I propose that it return to its fortnightly slot.

One person welcomed the proposal, one did not and a third seemed undecided.

Since I rarely enter these competitions, it seems to me that I should, perhaps, canvass opinions from those who do participate.  All comments welcome, on the clear understanding (of course!) that the umpire’s decision is final!

This is Not About Assange

There is, I believe, a fundamental issue at stake here. Western ‘democracy’, however limited some of us believe it to be, is based on the notion of a ‘contract’ between those who rule and those who are governed. It is one of the basic foundations of Western Society that those who rule should have an obligation to the governed to rule in their best interests. Sipu touches on this obligation in his post ‘Downton Abbey’. Part of this ‘contract’ is that all will receive unbiased justice equal to any other, regardless of their status, rank, or wealth.

It has been a long fought battle, as those who have even a smattering of history will know, between the will of over-mighty rulers and the people they rule. Had the rulers of Europe had their way they would have become as autocratic as the Tzars in Russia or the Emperors of China where the ‘little man’ was subject to the whim of his masters. It is not a battle that has been won, it is and will continue to be a struggle between those who would like to rule untrammelled by constraints for their own interests and those who do not want to be used like pawns in a game of chess for the benefit of others. It is incumbent on everyone to protect the rights of the individual – even if we do not like the particular individual concerned. Continue reading “This is Not About Assange”