Mum and Dad
My mother was a country girl from a little place called Kin Kin which is not far from where my daughter now lives. She grew up on a banana farm with her parents and 3 sisters. She told wonderful stories of her childhood to us, stories so vivid that we could picture her home and surrounds in our minds. In fact when she died we took her ashes back to Kin Kin, found her old house and scattered her in the creek that ran through her front yard. We took her home!
My dad was a slicker, growing up in the inner city of Brisbane. His playground were the streets of the city and the cliffs and banks of the Brisbane River. He grew up hungry sharing what food there was with 7 siblings and his ailing mother. His dad died when he was 6. Dad joined the army and spent his 21st birthday in combat somewhere in the jungles of New Guinea.
My parents paths met when my mother came to Brisbane to stay with her aunt who happened to live next door to my dads twin brother. Mum was very taken with this young man who was a fine artist. That is until his dark haired brother came home from the war. Dad swept mum off her feet and they married not long after.
By this time, my grandparents had sold their farm and moved to the southside of Brisbane to a more sedate life, growing flowers for the Brisbane flower market. My parents bought an acre of my grandparents land and built their own home. They settled here and had five children, I am the second oldest.
I think about these two wonderful people most days. I was fortunate to have such good people for parents.
Tags: mum, dad, brisbane, river, kinkin, | Edit Tags
Thursday October 25, 2007 - 05:21am (EDT) Edit | Delete | Permanent Link | 5 Comments
Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan
I actually watched a special with these two guys last weekend and this morning I found this clip on youtube. This clip was in the special I watched. Dylan has been my hero for almost 40 years and Cash more so in recent years. I hope you all enjoy this vid as much as I do. Note how young BD is.
A Thousand Miles Behind.... Tags: bobdylan, johnnycash, | Edit Tags
Wednesday October 24, 2007 - 05:09am (EDT) Edit | Delete | Permanent Link | 0 Comments
The History of Halloween
History of Halloween, like any other festival's history is inspired through traditions that have transpired through ages from one generation to another. We follow them mostly as did our dads and grandpas. And as this process goes on, much of their originality get distorted with newer additions and alterations. It happens so gradually, spanning over so many ages, that we hardly come to know about these distortions. At one point of time it leaves us puzzled, with its multicolored faces. Digging into its history helps sieve out the facts from the fantasies which caught us unaware. Yet, doubts still lurk deep in our soul, especially when the reality differs from what has taken a deep seated root into our beliefs. The history of Halloween Day, as culled from the net, is being depicted here in this light. This is to help out those who are interested in washing off the superficial hues to reach the core and know things as they truly are. 'Trick or treat' may be an innocent fun to relish on the Halloween Day. But just think about a bunch of frightening fantasies and the scary stories featuring ghosts, witches, monsters, evils, elves and animal sacrifices associated with it. They are no more innocent. Are these stories a myth or there is a blend of some reality? Come and plunge into the halloween history to unfurl yourself the age-old veil of mysticism draped around it.
Behind the name... Halloween, or the Hallow E'en as they call it in Ireland , means All Hallows Eve, or the night before the 'All Hallows', also called 'All Hallowmas', or 'All Saints', or 'All Souls' Day, observed on November 1. In old English the word 'Hallow' meant 'sanctify'. Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians used to observe All Hallows Day to honor all Saints in heaven, known or unknown. They used to consider it with all solemnity as one of the most significant observances of the Church year. And Catholics, all and sundry, was obliged to attend Mass. The Romans observed the holiday of Feralia, intended to give rest and peace to the departed. Participants made sacrifices in honor of the dead, offered up prayers for them, and made oblations to them. The festival was celebrated on February 21, the end of the Roman year. In the 7th century, Pope Boniface IV introduced All Saints' Day to replace the pagan festival of the dead. It was observed on May 13. Later, Gregory III changed the date to November 1. The Greek Orthodox Church observes it on the first Sunday after Pentecost. Despite this connection with the Roman Church, the American version of Halloween Day celebration owes its origin to the ancient (pre-Christian) Druidic fire festival called "Samhain", celebrated by the Celts in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Samhain is pronounced "sow-in", with "sow" rhyming with cow. In Ireland the festival was known as Samhein, or La Samon, the Feast of the Sun. In Scotland, the celebration was known as Hallowe'en. In Welsh it's Nos Galen-gaeof (that is, the Night of the Winter Calends. According to the Irish English dictionary published by the Irish Texts Society: "Samhain, All Hallowtide, the feast of the dead in Pagan and Christian times, signalizing the close of harvest and the initiation of the winter season, lasting till May, during which troops (esp. the Fiann) were quartered. Faeries were imagined as particularly active at this season. From it the half year is reckoned. also called Feile Moingfinne (Snow Goddess).(1) The Scottish Gaelis Dictionary defines it as "Hallowtide. The Feast of All Soula. Sam + Fuin = end of summer."(2) Contrary to the information published by many organizations, there is no archaeological or literary evidence to indicate that Samhain was a deity. The Celtic Gods of the dead were Gwynn ap Nudd for the British, and Arawn for the Welsh. The Irish did not have a "lord of death" as such. Thus most of the customs connected with the Day are remnants of the ancient religious beliefs and rituals, first of the Druids and then transcended amongst the Roman Christians who conquered them.
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Wednesday October 24, 2007 - 04:46am (EDT) Edit | Delete | Permanent Link | 0 Comments
Golden Wattle Tree - Australia's National Flower
This blog is for Teddy who thought that Wattle was Australias National Weed! Pfffffft!
There are some great links below as well, for those who may be interested!
Have a great Friday all! Ooroo
(28 days to go)
Wattle Tree (Acacia) - Australian native tree. The beautiful golden flower is Australia's national flower and also a national emblem appearing on coinage. The wattle flowers in the late winter to early spring for a period of about six weeks. It has a very heavy perfume and the very fine pollen is known to cause hay fever in susceptible people. Scroll down for more information.
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Golden Wattle Tree
Australia's national flower
For the Thumbnail Gallery please click this image.
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Acacia (Wattle). In Australia there are over five hundred species ranging in size from small shrubs to tall trees. All are evergreens with yellow flowers (from brilliant yellow to pale lemon yellow) and the foliage can be feathery, flat or needle like. They are extremely fast growing, but their life span is short.
Gardeners in Australia are now very fond of the native species and they are definitely more popular than the European specimens that were planted here by early settlers. The wattle is extremely hardy and it is perfectly adapted to our harsh conditions. There are varieties of the wattle growing all over Australia except in the desert inland regions, where nothing very much grows.
The wattle can be grown in full sun or half sun. The example above is not quite fully grown, and was situated in full sun. The life span of that particular tree was approximately six years. It was partially up-rooted during a wild thunder storm and totally finished off by a small child swinging on the remaining branches.
Tags: wattle, flower, emblem, national, golden, | Edit Tags
Friday October 19, 2007 - 05:16am (EDT) Edit | Delete | Permanent Link | 0 Comments
Galleries of Pink Gallahs.......
GALLERIES OF PINK GALAHS
Words and Music by John Williamson
© 1986 EMUSIC PTY LTD
Galleries of pink galahs,
Crystal nights with diamond stars,
Apricots preserved in jars,
That's my home.
Land of oceans in the sun,
Purple hazes, river gum,
Breaks your heart when rain won't come,
It breaks your heart.
It takes a harsh and cruel drought
To sort the weaker saplings out,
It makes room for stronger trees
Maybe that's what life's about.
Winter's come, the hills are brown,
Shops are closed, the blinds are down.
Everybody's leaving town,
They can't go on.
The south wind through verandah gauze
Whines and bangs the homestead doors.
A mother curses dusty floors,
And feels alone.
Trucks and bulk bins filled with rust,
Boy leaves home to make a crust.
A father's dreams reduced to dust,
But he must go on.
Tortured red gums - unashamed,
Sunburnt country wisely named.
Chisel-ploughed and wire-claimed,
But never, never, never tamed.
Whirlwind swirls a paper high,
Same old news of further dry.
Of broken clouds just passing by,
That's my home.
© EMUSIC PTY LTD
www.johnwilliamson.com.au
Tags: galahs, drought, rain, song, | Edit Tags
Thursday October 18, 2007 - 05:16am (EDT) Edit | Delete | Permanent Link | 3 Comments
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