I went out back and spotted a buck. He did not appear on the video, even though he was right in front of the camera. We haven't seen any deer in weeks. The deerflies are too bad.
Nearby, the gun demonstration pissed off a whole bunch of neighbours. BBQ, free t-shirts, guns, little kids crying covering their ears. Maybe 25 people, we heard. They let people shoot. I taped it. No licence to have a gun range. The Chief Firearms Officer claims she has no control over it, as it is unlicenced. Complaints have been filed with the OPP.
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The Fiercesome Foursome Flyers are in Australia now. Their B & B had a pool!
We took a chance, and headed out for dinner, hoping for a waterside view.
The trick is to navigate the parking lot! It looked somewhat empty, which boded well for a waterside table. This is my summer dream, to eat beside the water.
We snagged one!
The problem is that they have a new sponsorship program whereby a company can now reserve tables on the patio. This has never been done before. It means we cannot be seated at particular tables if they are reserved by the sponsors, family or friends.
The water was busy.
This is the bay between the land and the island. It is usually inhabited by geese and growing goslings. I spotted a sailboat tacking, but by the time I affixed the zoom lens, the sailboat was out of sight!
THis is a heart-rending story.With floods in Australia, Brazil, the one-year long aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, dogs on Quebec found in a ditch with nails in their heads, a police officer run down by some with mental health issues, it is shattering to imagine people, aimals and families so affected. Add to that the horror stories of child soldiers, ongoing civil wars, I count myself fortunate. I grieve for those lost in the recent US shooting.
My fears revolve around my family. You give them roots and wings, and set them off.
You hope you have done the best you could at the time. I know we did well when I see these precious little smiling faces. Their spirits shine through. We know that we can handle anything the universe sends our way. It is all you can do.
Working with my hospice clients makes me realize how much each day counts.
After a lovely visit and lunch with the kids yesterday, we know what is truly important. It is not our things.
Not our home, car, possessions... but family. Tell someone you love them. Drive carefully. Be safe. Remember someone out there loves you!
Here is a video on YouTube getting a lot of coverage... You won't believe it! I can tell, from my Victim Service Training, that their laughter is nervous laughter. This is a typical response in such situations. The comment on YouTube range from crazy to positive. It is a scary situation.
They wrote:
Amazing footage of East Creek near Chalk Drive / Chalk Lane rising and washing away lots of cars during Flash Flood in Toowoomba on Monday 10 January 2011. This is some of the best footage I have seen of the Flood and was taken from the second floor of our office which backs onto Chalk Lane.
It shows just how fast the creek turned into a torrent and quickly flooded Chalk Drive and Chalk Lane.
I also got some video of where the creek crosses Neil Street and some video of the aftermath and the huge amount of cars damaged and piled on top of one another in the Chalk Drive car park.
*****
With the incredible exposure that my video is receiving all over the internet and media worldwide I would like to encourage you to donate to the relief appeals.
I wanted to look at another part of the world. The new film, Australia, reveals some of the beauty of this distant land. A friend of mine took her family there nearly a decade ago. Her daughter was in my class and we kept up a weekly Rarotonga Dispatch, and posted on a website. They visited Rarotonga before Australia, and went to the Cook Islands, on a sabattical. We tracked their travels on the map. My children honeymooned off of the Cook Islands, north east of Australia, coincidentally enough. The photos show a deep, rich culture of food, dancing, people, and unique flora and fauna.
What a horrible event: the bush fires. This fire, while it has been said to have been started by a pyromaniac in one town, it does reflect the results of Global Warming, since the land was so dry, and the temperatures so very hot. The winds were wild as the wept the fires up to a frenzy. Most of the population lives in the south eastern provinces.
We have by-laws and safety laws to protect us, the creatures, and our environment. In summer, here in Muskoka, signs are posted about the risk for fires. By-laws restrict open fires in these situations. What with some of the risks people take, I worry that this could happen here.
The coverage has been spectacular of the bushfires; the stories from victims terrifying. Most of the devastation is in the provinces in the south easterly portion, Victoria (orange) and New South Wales (brown). The responses have been heartwarming. Some are caring for animals. Fire restrictions are still in force. Relief centres have been set up. Schools were closed, many have reopened.
The Commonwealth of Australia has many things in common with Canada: a large aboriginal population that has suffered racism and exploitation by colonialization. A disparate meterological condition, differening geographical, and topological configurations across a country with peoples who practiced hunting and gathering, and oral traditions invaded and by those who came from industrialized societies and looked down on differing traditions, including responsible government, while being part of the commonwealth.
With 21.3 million people, 60% living in the southeast, we have over 30 million people primarily living in the cities, near the harbours and waterways; gold rushes, transportation routes that drew those seeking to escape colonial society, farm land and a new start. Invading peoples brought infections and diseases, and an attitude of superiority that resulted in boarding schools and cultural genocide.
I took students to an International Aboriginal Festival in Ottawa. There were many presentations , one of which was a Maori dancing/singing group. New Zealand being not too far away from Australia, has similar human, natural and cultural images. I worked in a school in which two teachers had done a job exchange: they switched between a city of Ottawa school and a New Zealand school. We had a grand time learning about different cultural practices of New Zealand. We learned some dances and put on a big assembly.
The video (below) shows some devastating shots. I cannot imagine living through such trauma. We were without power for 10 days in Ice Storm '98, and that has had a lasting effect on me. Any freezing rain, or high winds, give me some grief. I hope that the survivors and victims will work their way through the trauma of this Black Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009, as it is called.
I wanted to look at another part of the world. 
