Breaking Bread...

A quote from John Stewart Collis's 'The Worm Forgives the Plough' (1973) - his observations and ruminations on agriculture after working on the land in England's South during World War  2:

When I got home I heard John Barbirolli conducting Beethoven's 'Seventh Symphony' over the air.  What was agriculture for, it seemed to me, except that such a thing as that symphony and the playing of it should be made possible?  To make bread so that it shall be possible for mankind to have more than bread and hear the scripture of the kings; to listen to a Beethoven, a Sibelius, a Tchaikovsky, uttering some far message to paradox and joy.


This book came recommended; it has had many reprints and the review on the link above is glowing.  Have you read it?  I think I'd enjoy it.

Pic: Arthur Rackham

Shooting Stars....

This past week we had a visit from Ashton Kutcher, who was here for the Melbourne Premiere of his movie 'Killers'.  Stopping off in Sydney first, he visited a wildlife park and tickled a koala.  "Koalas have two thumbs, that kind of freaked me out.  Imagine how fast you could text with two thumbs", he said.

 
More of my vintage was the presence of dishy Robert de Niro, here filming his latest spy thriller, 'The Killer Elite'.

His scenes, as 'a wily veteran assassin' were shot at several locations in Melbourne and producers were able to depict Paris, London and Oman.

Shooting was ahead of schedule and Robert fled Melbourne's winter for a holiday in Bali with his wife and son.

mm-mmmmmm!

Pics: Andrew Tauber
         Tim Carrafa

To Chloe...

To Chloe: Who wish'd herself young enough for me...

by William Cartwright (1611-1643)

Chloe, why wish that your years

Would backwards run, till they meet mine,

That perfect Likeness, which endears

Things unto things, might us Combine?

Our Ages so in date agree,

That Twins do differ more than we.

There are two Births, the one when Light

First strikes the new awak'ned sense;

The Other when two Souls unite,

And we must count our life from thence:

When you lov'd me, and I lov'd you

Then both of us were born anew.

Love then to us did new Souls give,

And in those Souls did plant new pow'rs;

Since when another life we live,

The Breath we breathe is his, not ours:

Love makes those young whom Age doth Chill,

And whom he finds young, keeps young still.

Painting: 'Daphnis and Chloe'

Baron Francoise Gerard

1770-1837

He'd never seen a frog!!

We had mentioned to our daughter that we were going to drive to the mountain opposite to check out the crevice where the Wedgetail Eagle nests.  Being school holidays, Nicole's always looking for something different to keep 9 year old Bailey amused;  the two older boys are happy to just laze around these days. They came up for only two days as Bailey had to get back home for his footy practice.

It was a freezing day, 3°C, so we rugged up and took our walking sticks.  It was only a ten minute drive but when we got there, it had started to rain and, to our surprise, there wasn't a track going in. So I'm afraid Nana was a spoil-sport and said I'd sit in the car but I also added that I didn't think it a good idea to push through the undergrowth, particularly as the weather was going to get worse and we'd left our mobile phones at home.

Click to enlarge

Our house in the distance -

it is directly under the

house furthest left

Well, we had a very disappointed boy on board, so we drove on a bit further and showed him the old gold diggings (I didn't take a photo there) and on to the river to watch the trout spawning.

This is the river below the Pondage gates.  As it is not irrigation season and the Pondage has been drained for maintenance; the river flow is at its lowest.  The barrier across the water is to stop the spawning trout from entering the Pondage and also to stop trout in the Pondage escaping into the river.

The Pondage drained

for maintenance on the gates -

fish find their way

into the old river bed

The Pondage full

(photo taken in Spring)

We headed home to show Bailey his first live frog.  We couldn't believe it but Grand-dad found him some in the woodpile.

The next day we took him fishing and he 

caught his first fish on a fly he'd tied himself.

Audrey's the one...

I'd never heard of QVC until yesterday.  They had a poll to 

name the most beautiful woman of the past century.  

Audrey won, hands down; that I won't argue with. 

British pop singer, Cheryl Cole, second ..

.. and Marilyn Monroe, third.

Well, each to their own but I would have pipped 

Elizabeth Taylor for a place.

Flattering for Cheryl Cole, at the least;

she's the only one alive to care!

Slow progress but enjoyable...

'The Soul of the Rose'

John William Waterhouse

One month ago my little package arrived from Amazon; a DVD of ten cross-stitch patterns and a book that came highly recommended by Willow of Willow Manor blog, "Savage Beauty", a biography of Edna St. Vincent Millay, by Nancy Milford.

The patterns depict ten of John William Waterhouse's paintings and I've chosen the one above.  It's very slow going, as you can see by the photo below.  This is as far as I've got in a month; I have to give it away when the back aches!  I imagine it will take about two years to complete - if I'm still blogging then, I'll post the end result!  

  

My workbench above.  It's very pleasant sitting at this window on a cold winter's day and doubly so when the sun comes out.

I'm slowly getting into the book as well and enjoying it immensely.   It's what I call a 'day book'; I pick it up when I have a few moments. 

A Communal Hug

Last weekend we re-visited the once beautiful country hamlet of Marysville, devastated by bushfire on 7th February last year.  Visit my previous post here and the one where we were about to evacuate, here.

Several groups, including the Australian Trout Foundation, Department of Sustainability and Environment, Flora & Fauna Scientific Division, representatives from the Murray Darling Basin Commission, Marysville Youth Incorporated and trout anglers had developed a joint project to re-vegetate the area around the fish barrier that had been severely damaged in the fire.

"The Victorian Government acted in the aftermath of the fires to protect the remaining Barred Galaxias by funding the capture of hundreds of fish at 8 sites and moving them to DSE's Arthur Rylah Institute research aquarium at Heidelberg.  We know there are still some Barred Galaxias in Leary's Creek but we need this type of re-vegetation work to occur to help it recover sufficiently to support the return of the fish we removed more than a year ago," said Fish Ecologist, Fern Hames.

Above is one of the fish barriers that have been put in place to protect the tiny native fish, Barred Galaxias (Galaxias fuscus).  It has been proven that they are prey to numerous species including redfin, trout, etc.

Steavenson River Barred Galaxias

On average they're about 7-9cm

but can grow to 15cm

300 trees were planted around Leary's Creek 

next to Gallipoli Park by about 30 volunteers

Removing burnt branches

from Gallipoli Lake

A rewarding sausage sizzle followed

After lunch, DMJ gave a young lad

a flyfishing lesson and he caught

his first fish on a fly.  The little trout

was released and DMJ presented the

fly to the boy to keep.

Marysville is slowly being rebuilt but it will be so unlike the heritage town it once was.

This little chap 

had a wonderful time

off the lead!