HOW CAN I BE SURE?

This song was on my mind this morning; I was singing it in the shower! Then I remembered the late, great Dusty Springfield (her album gathering dust in the shed) and I had to share this. She had so many fabulous hits.

STATUES AROUND TOWN

This statue of Princess Alexandra (later Queen of King Edward V111), is the work of English sculptor Charles Somers and is made of Sicilian marble. It was presented to the National Gallery of Victoria by Sir W. J. Clarke Bart in 1878, together with three other statues by the same artist, representing Queen Victoria. It was later offered and accepted by the Shire of Alexandra in 1939 where it stood in several locations in Perkins Street and later refurbished and moved to its present location in 1993. The official unveiling occurred on 3rd September 1994, celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Shire of Alexandra.

This sculpture, in my town, was by local artist and sculptor, Bruno Torfs, whose beautiful garden in Marysville was destroyed by the recent bushfire. Get an update of the restoration here and click on Rebuilding. Our town attracts many recreational fisher persons as it has the weir, the pondages and there are several rivers and streams nearby, so this statue is quite apt.

The sculpture following is of a woodcutter, also created by Bruno. It stands outside the Information Centre in Alexandra, a neighbouring town. The town is surrounded by eucalypt and mountain ash forests and timber mills.

I SAY, PLEASE RETURN THE MARBLES

Parthenon Marbles

Elgin Marbles Museum Opens

Greek President Carolos Papoulias ramped up pressure on Britain to return priceless statues from antiquity taken over 200 years ago as the new Acropolis Museum was opened in Athens.

The Greek leader reiterated his country's long-standing call for the return of the Elgin Marbles at a ceremony on Saturday to inaugurate the $227 million museum, which had its origins in British jibes that Greece would have nowhere to display the Elgin Marbles if ever they were returned. Melbourne Herald Sun 22/6/09

Lord Byron strongly objected the removal of the marbles from Greece, as reflected in his poem, 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'.

Dull is the eye that will not weep to see

Thy walls defaced, thy mouldering shrines removed

By British hands, which it had best behoved

To guard those relics ne'er to be restored.

Curst be the hour when from their isle they roved,

And once again thy hapless bosom gored,

And snatch'd thy shrinking gods to northern climes

abhorred!

DOWN MY ROAD

~ heading West about 3:30pm ~

~ our home just behind trees on right ~

~ 'Eloura', a neighbour ~

~ heading East, about 4pm ~

~ our roof in the distance ~

A VISIT FROM BROTHER

Paternal Grandfather, John Henry Hewish 1878-1927
Probably taken for his 18th or 21st Birthday

Out of the blue, I had a call yesterday morning from my younger brother, Leigh, whom I haven't seen for at least three years, asking me to put the kettle on. He lives at Hervey Bay in Queensland and me, down south in Victoria, at least seven hours away. He was nearly here and I had ten minutes to whip around - phew! It had been 'one of those mornings'!

DMJ had gone to post the mail and was going on to fish the Pondage for an hour or so. I called him back.

My brother is the spitting image of Grandfather John (pictured above). It was nice to see Leigh again and his friend, Irene. They are both members of the Urangan Bowls Club in Queensland and were personally delivering a cheque for $3600 to the Marysville Golf & Bowls Club, which was seriously damaged in the bushfire in February. Irene said they'd hoped to raise more but their club was already appealing for donations for people flooded out in Queensland!

Do you ever get caught out like that? Having a morning where you seem to be going around in circles and achieving nothing much, not expecting visitors and they lob? I could have put on a lovely lunch and dinner and had them stay the night but they were committed to their next destination.

John & May (nee Crouch) Hewish,
Doncaster Australia, 14th October 1908

CLOUDY

View from "Sedgemere" April 2006

Sonnet #33 - Shakespeare
Full many a glorious morning have I seen
Flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye,
Kissing with golden face the meadows green,
Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy;
Anon permit the basest clouds to ride
With ugly rack on his celestial face,
And from the forlorn world his visage hide,
Stealing unseen to west with this disgrace;
Even so my sun one early morn did shine
With all triumphant splendor on my brow;
But out, alack! he was but one hour mine;
The region cloud hath mask'd him from me now.
Yet him for this my love no whit disdaineth;
Suns of the world may stain when heaven's sun staineth.

LAST FLUSH

the last of the Icebergs

eleven down

seven to go

and, look what I found, three weeks into Winter

ready to be washed and dried....

the colour's nearly gone except for the beautiful green grass

and some evergreens....

looking forward to the sunny daffodils....