Work with meaning

I know a young woman working in marketing for a credit card company - she hates the job. She knows it is a rip off to the merchants and it is doing nothing meaningful.

In the Brisbane apartment boom it was soul destroying to work for developers. They wanted the cheapest build possible for a sale - they did not care what would give the least maintenance, say, or an effective fire alarm system. 

In dealing with solar panel installation companies, I am meeting people whose aim is to save the planet. They are enthusiastic for their work - it is refreshing.

Will Power!

Will Power! by George Weinberg & Dianne Rowe (ISDN 0-7336-0397-1).

A guide for psychological development using characters from Shakespeare's plays-

Stage One: Defining Yourself

Stage Two: Understanding Others

Stage Three: Self-Reliance

Stage Four: Preserving Your "Self" in Relationships

Stave Five: Keeping the Demons Out of Your Life

Stage Six: Nurturing Your Soul

This book is part of my permanent library.

Upper Middle Bogan

I was watching this comedy show on TV- usually a good diversion. 

But one episode really grabbed me. A younger character composed a tribute to his hero, another character who could be described as an idiot.

The hero was considered to be happy-

1) He had something to do - his job.

2) He looked forward to something - drag racing.

3) People loved him - his family

A Grilled Burger

Eating a burger would, I suppose, not be worth writing about - usually. But We have not eaten out for 2 months -it's worth celebrating the lifting of social restrictions in the effort against the new virus.

On the radio, an announcer mentioned that many people had written to her saying how traumatic the lock down has been for them. But my beloved and I have not found it so. We have spent a lot of time around the house and with each other. Going out for groceries was a major expedition with hand wash and gloves.

Most meetings I used to go to went on too long - meeting over the internet is easier and you can surf the net if the conversation is irrelevant. I was not a person who needed social gatherings and parties.

I finished a couple of books that were on my reading list for years. I weeded the garden and tidied my hobby space. Altogether it has been a productive time for me.

I realise that I have not been taking children through school lessons and I have not been worried about loan repayments or job security.

Mud pies

Today I made some mud then I squeezed it into the hollows of a couple of bricks.
I really enjoyed making the mud.

The project was to make a suitable nest site for the many solitary bees living around here. Some borrow into bare earth. So I placed the brick with the mud in a warm accessible spot.
Other bees make nests in crevices and hollow stems. The Northern side of the house is warm through the winter and many bees and spiders make a home between the planks.

Neon cuckoo bee on cucumber flower-

People will do anything to survive.

Virus lock down is a great time to read those books that are waiting on your shelf.
I have finished Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard (ISBN 0-575-03483-1) based on his boyhood experience of being confined in a Japanese Internment camp.
I had seen the movie but after reading the book I understood the meaning of some of the scenes.

Wrong way compass

 I have a wrong way compass - see the middle compass in the photo. Once it pointed to the north correctly but I suspect it suffered a severe knock.

The compass on the left has a bubble.

The compass on the right was previously posted  - it has wrong markings between south and west.

The middle compass is the easiest to use just remember the white end of the needle is north.

Faulty compass

I had this compass for 13 years, today I noticed it was faulty.
The marked divisions between South and West are 200, 320, 340, 280.
Until I realised what was wrong the calculations were driving me crazy.
I will have to replace this plastic.

Blue tongue

I try to keep a part of the yard around the house in a nature friendly state with  trees, shrubs, sticks, leaves, native grasses. I augmented nature with artificial logs made from old steps and watering points.

There was a winter a couple of years ago when a fat blue tongue lizard Tiliqua scincoides would emerge from the fake log each morning to sun itself. I would be watching out from the bedroom window. After that I noticed a couple of skinny juvenile lizards sneaking around.

A this point in the story I should mention that Jack the neighbours tom cat likes to visit my place. He sneaks around the undergrowth or naps under the hedge. And likes watching the birds.

To encourage the lizards and help them hide from Jack I have made hidey holes from old pallets. But with leaves and sticks and hidey holes I had not seen any blue tongues for a year or more. But I saw a big one rustling leaves under the steps where its shady and cool. Knowing a blue tongue lizard is living here makes me smile.

Cucumber smile

Growing my own vegetables will not necessarily give me all the food I need.
But it makes me smile.
And a bonus - there is no plastic wrapped around my cucumber.

Garage Sale

On the weekend I was assisting at a garage sale.

It was noticeable that the majority of enduring items were ceramic, glass, metal and leather. The plastic stuff was usually brittle and or tatty.

People came and went and some found something desirable. A lady found a masonite suitcase it was over 60 years old - older than me - and she wanted it for her suitcase collection. Several people found something to turn into a xmas present. One man went away with a box of xmas decorations.

It did not raise a great deal of money but maybe the purpose of a garage sale is to create happiness.

Merry Melodies

Tunes from my childhood make me happy.

Years ago when I was feeling depressed I watched old episodes of Doctor Who - Just the opening tune made me feel a bit better.

Recently I re-discovered another tune from my childhood The Robinson Crusoe background music:

I listened to this record with my siblings oh so many times. The background music is better known as Tchaikovskys 5th symphony.

I think that  Tchaikovskys 5th became unpopular in Australia because it was combined with Paul Hogan and used to advertise cigarettes.

Light a candle

The Observer has an article about people becoming anxious about the climate emergency. I don't think being anxious helps the planet.

One of the factors of the emergency is biodiversity.

The local environment group plants native plants along a creek creating habitat for native animals. We also remove the worst weeds. The community enjoys the improvements. We feel good and the environment improves.

It is better to lit a candle than to curse the darkness.

The article refers to the Imperial Colleges Grantham Institute which has list of nine actions for ordinary folk:

Incidentally the book mentioned in a previous post gave similar answers with analysis: Time to eat the dog? - the real guide to sustainable living by Robert and Brenda Vale- ISBN 978 0 500 28790 3