YES, THE EARTH MOVED !

Yesterday saw what is being called the “greatest defeat “(or victory, if you favour that side!) in Queensland politics since…I don’t  know. A long time.

But I promise  this is NOT turning into a political blog! For one thing, I am easily bored by political debate. Besides, I don’t follow these particular gee-gees with much interest so can’t name them, their trainers, track records, betting odds…

But I did grab a pencil and make a very quick scrawl when I heard the new Member for the seat  previously held by the  Treasurer. One of the things she “absolutely wants to address” is public transport.

And this rang a silly bell  as her new boss, incoming Premier Campbell Newman, was once Mayor of Brisbane and one of the things he spent public money on was a free public bicycle scheme. Laudable? Perhaps. But no one rode his bikes!

I don’t think John Kudelka has anything to worry about!  If you click the image you should be able to read it.

Of more interest to me is some other earth-shaking news.* The other day, ‘way out  west of Oodnadatta, a ‘quake was recorded at almost magnitude 7.  That’s quite a shake! Of course, out there there are no high-rise apartments and crowded cities. And, fortunately, no nuclear reactors  or “waste facilities.” There are small settlements and these would feel after-shocks. You can read more here. I suppose my interest in  this stuff comes from having been knocked on my  butt  by ‘quakes as a little kid. Today? I could probably hold my balance in all but a big  shake! 🙂

I could make this a meteorological post. But I wont. I still have some mopping-up to do!

So I’ll leave you with these chaps. 

Pee Ess…it’s raining again.

*   Don’t be rude! You know this is not a naughty blog! 

I GOT THE [PRE-ELECTION] BLUES

...and, baby, they’re makin’ me sad…

And hourly repeats of the same news bulletins have me slamming my radio’s “off” button with far more force than a little piece of plastic needs.

Ah well…by Saturday evening the Fairy Folk of Canberra will know which colour seats their trousers will rest on and the rest of us can get on with earning a crust. To pay taxes. Of course.

And on the subject of earning, a recent report says, among other things, that arts bureaucrats and administrators earn more than artists. Get away! Really?

You can read it here

It used to be tough in the theatre, too. Ask Mrs. Worthington.

And a lollipop to those who noticed a slightly different appearance to Idle Thoughts.

ANOTHER ARTWORK FOR MY WALL

Remember, a few weeks back, I was the lucky winner of Sherrie York’s blogiversary giveaway?

Well, on Thursday I heard the postman’s scooter squeak to a halt at our mailbox. “More election bumf!” I thought and didn’t bother going down to collect it til later. I mean, just how many “vote-for-me!” bits of paper do we need?

So it was a great thrill to find, not bumf, but art in the box. Now, I knew what the prize was and I’d admired the work on Sherrie’s site.

But, people, no photograph does it justice! After framing it yesterday and hanging it, the sky had darkened and we needed lights on. “Tomorrow,” thought I…

But today has proved no better! In the end, after trying  just about every wall in the house (yes, even the bathroom!), I took the print out to the front verandah. And it’s still a pretty rough picture…

But this is it! I chose a mat that picks up the deep, pine-y green at the top of the print and you’ll just have to trust me when I say it looks brilliant!

Thankyou, Sherrie.

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I haven’t managed to see all of the knitting that’s decorating various trees, park benches and shop fronts in celebration of the Arts Festival, but I did manage to catch this picture…Look! A cane train!

Alison and I had driven up to Gargett Gallery to see the exhibition and the train rattled by while we were having coffee. I missed my chance , but Lesley said,”It’ll come back in  about ten minutes.” Sure enough…and this time I was waiting. Highlight? The driver waved! Yay! Oh, that made my day as I thought train drivers  didn’t wave anymore!

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The rain, while very welcome, has made the palm trash too soggy to load into my car. So I’m off to cut down as much as I can for mulch and the rest will just have to wait.

But I’ll leave you with this:

Australia’s  top three positions are held by women.

Yes, the ladies have a trifecta! One of my book making* buddies is celebrating here and I thought I’d go out with this…That’s a woman switching the points. (True, a man was driving, but maybe driving is  not as much fun as switching!)

And the cats have an amusing post today

* Oops! Not the sort of book making that involves trifectas.