A day at the beach

We said Sydney wasn't just about beaches. They do loom large however in Sydneysiders' lives. There are hundreds of them, though many are likely to be badly affected by rising sea levels in decades to come. For the time being, on hot days like today they beckon us strongly.

We headed out to The Basin in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park. It's a nice little spot, and you get there either by boat or by 45 minute walk, so it's not too crowded usually.

Highlights included the man we met who'd taken a liking to an octopus, the lyrebirds scratching around above my head, a very fat wallaby, the usual goanna up a tree, and various exotic human beach dwelling species. The lyrebird is so called because of its tail, which looks like the musical instrument when opened in display. It could also be thought of as the 'liar bird', because it mimics hundreds of other birds and indeed any other sound it hears, causing all kinds of confusion.

The day started ominously with another dust cloud blowing through from central Australia, obscuring views, provoking warnings for asthma sufferers and others, and reminding us again of the increasing frequency of extreme weather events seemingly associated with climate change.

It cleared somewhat later. But with the climate changing in front of our eyes it was hard for the reptilian goanna, the lying lyrebird, and the round and furry wallaby not to remind us of certain Liberal Party politicians. This very weekend their party has self destructed in a dust cloud of climate change denial, blood lust, hatred and dumb personal ambition. By Tuesday it'll have yet another new leader: probably a big wallaby but possibly a goanna or a snake.

Bring on an election as soon as possible, I say. Bring on a vastly strengthened Green representation in the Senate, and bring on some real action on climate change.

N

Sydney loves to talk

And we love to listen. For several years now we've been disciples of this wonderful institution. It's a website called 'SydneyTalks' and month after month it lists a fabulous variety of events catering to current affairs enthusiasts, philosophers, environmentalists, literati, amateur astronomers, foodies, history buffs... You name it - if your brain cell still functions, there's something for you.

For the coming month we've shortlisted:
*Exploding stars and the accelerating cosmos
*The rise and fall of communism
*Whither randomness? And Hamilton's principle of least action
*Author Talk: The mud house with Richard Glover
*My genes made me eat that!

Some of our all time favourites have been David Suzuki talking about his life, larger than life scientist at large Dr Karl Kruszelnicki and his magical mystery talks, Geoffrey Robertson advocating an Australian Bill of Rights, pre-Prime Ministerial Kevin Rudd preparing the ground for his subsequent Labor leadership takeover, and most recently, Irene Khan, CEO of Amnesty International, launching her latest book.

If you thought Sydney was just about eating, drinking and lying on beaches, well, it's not. Take a look at http://www.sydneytalks.com.au/


N & F

Wonder Wall

The big project of the week has been the lining of the garage's western wall with pine lining. Now it's not just the most functional garage I've ever had, but the most aesthetically magnificent garage too! In fact it looked almost too good when finished for its original purpose: to provide a gallery space for my photo collection. I didn't want to spoil the clean, neat lines of my new wall.

The pictures are starting to go up though, and I think it'll work out OK. Some of them have been collecting mould and dust for several years now, and are long overdue for an outing.

N

Spit to Manly without spitting the dummy

The bus driver had seen it all before. "Here's the emergency number in case you need it...walkers get a bit spaced out on the track...you're going to be way too hot in all those clothes" Not the most encouraging advice for my first ever gig as walk leader with the bushwalking club.

But everything went well. The sun shone, the sea sparkled, nobody passed out and we made it to Manly in very good spirits. Some even managed a swim along the way.

The Spit to Manly walk is something everyone must do at least once in their lives. The track meanders along the harbour foreshore 9 or so kilometres. The views are so magnificent, some even say it's the most scenic urban walk in the world. No further walks are planned at this stage, but it was a good introduction to walk leading.

As for the bus driver, what a wuss!

F

Sculptures by the sea

I've been going to see the 'Sculpures by the Sea' exhibition every year for a while now. It's quite a show, with over 100 new sculptures every year placed strategically along the 2km walkway between Bondi and Tamarama.

I think they're all magnificent. There are solid ones, clever ones, whimsical ones, interesting ones, and puzzling ones. All gloriously photogenic too.

I took Mum and Sue there during their visit last year, but we were defeated by a very uncharacteristically cold and wet day. This year the weather was fine though. Next year I'll take the whole day off to do it properly - an afternoon isn't quite enough.

N

Building Hoang Lien Son to be more developed in industry, agriculture, silviculture

And then there's 'Vietnam is long live, Ho Chi Minh'll live forever', Or how about just 'The most beautiful popularity?'

I was very taken by the posters in the Pham Manh gallery (Propaganda poster & painting). I wanted them all, but there were thousands, so these three will have to do.

Uncle Ho probably will live forever, by the way. His body is currently in Russia, having renovations done before being returned to his mausoleum in Hanoi, but his presence is ubiquitous still. He's inside and outside government buildings, inside houses, has whole shops selling just his picture, and his advice possibly features still in the daily 7:30am propaganda broadcasts from the loudspeakers dotted around the streets.

'Remember, the storm is a good opportunity for the pine and the cypress to show their strength and their stability. And when the prison doors are opened, the real dragon will fly out.'

N

The little bridge that could

Long Bien bridge is actually not so little - it's 2.5 km long and spans the Red River, and for a long time was the only bridge linking Hanoi with points north and east (including the port of Haiphong).

During the 'American War' it was frequently damaged in bombing raids, only to be quickly repaired each time by the Vietnamese. They seem to be that sort of a people - industrious, motivated, and organised. The defence of the bridge is much celebrated in poetry and song, and today it is decked out with appropriately heroic golden decorations.

As for the war, that's just ancient history to them. They're much more interested in the present and the future. Few people are said to harbour any grudges against those countries, including Australia, that waged that particular unwinnable, interminable, stupid war, and that so dominated my formative years.

N