Water rant (and coal for variety)

I have warned you I will probably rant about water and well it is here. I am so frustrated with all this global warming and lack of sensible solutions to Australia (I am actually mainly talking Victoria here though).
1. The states have to stop having personal ownership of the water issue. Each thinks they are more important than the other like children bickering over lollies. Get with the program we are talking about our country and its long term, not your electoral term.
2. Victoria has lost it brain. the two projects they are plunging my tax payer money into are desalination and building a big pipe. Desalination makes waste and the pipe just moves water the country needs so Chadstone can waste more drinking water in its toilets. Why can't they reclaim our storm water and feed it back for use in toilets and gardens? That I would support spending my tax on. All new homes and business should have dual water inlets and all large business that use lots of water should be given a couple of years deadline to do this. All homes should be able to have access within 10 years.
3. Electricity. The clean coal thing just sounds like doing something for the sake of doing it. What smells like a rat and looks like a rat is usually a rat. I simply do not understand why there is so much objection to wind farms. Okay they are not beautiful but they are extremely useful and a very clean way to produce energy. If the yellow bellied parrots are too stupid to get out of their way, well darwinism has a role.
4. Solar. We are the largest dessert (yum) in the world and we have lots of sun. Its free (like the wind) and why should we not use it. Within 10 years all homes should have solar panels, all new homes and business should not be approved without. And you know that's more jobs than building a stupid friging big pipe that has dug up everyones farms. I understand theres some people out in the desert trying to mass store solar and I drink to them.
5. Getting a bit hippie (and almost there). All new industrial and commercial buildings should have to have a garden on there roof up to 50% of the space. There should also be guidelines on what residential property can do to untilise their roof in the same way. Leaving enough space for the solar panels of course. I understand there is good evidence that this is great way to counterbalance the CO2 emmissions in densely populated areas.

Okay I feel better now. Wish there were more ways to actually get things done around this state but thats politics I suppose.

Sound Relief - Part 2

Okay where was I up to. Then we had celebrity time, the princes (Willy and his bro), the queen of pop, Kylie (wow, not!) then Wolfmother who didn't inspire me at all.
Then finally Hunters. Mark Seymour is great. Seeing so many artists together you get some feeling into their passion and despite the fact I really love his music he seems to be motivated by bitterness and angst, with a touch of love. Interestingly he dedicated throw your arms around me to his mother which I thought was a love song. Weird.
Around this time we also heard Hoodoo Gurus for a 3 seconds and Icehouse (Iva Davies) who really rocked and sang Great southern land with the same passion as when he wrote it 28 years (according to him).

Then there was Split Enz, frankly they were the best for me. I had forgotten that I would know all there songs (they were my first tv week pin up), they still play with the same passion and simply appear to be motivated by music and performing it. Tim Finn with his mop of white hair still shaped very similar to years past, made it look amazing. It was just right. Then the keyboardist did a solo, it was a classical piece I should know and it silenced the staduim. It was brilliant.

We heard most of Midnight Oil (I wanted to exit before the drunked rush as most people were still there), what everyone but me was waiting for. The first song was awful. I was worried that the once respected muscian, now terrible policitician was going to disgrace himself, luckily for him after the first song his nerves must have disappeaered as suddenly he was back.

It was the most amazing day and night but to be honest my only comment on the negative side would be the alcohol. It was unnecessary. Having been to big day out's where alcohol is only in certain areas I could see it could ahve been down without. It is always dissapointing seeing really drunk people at these events as they miss out on the fun. It also brings out the gross antisocial behaviour. In front of us were they 2 teenagers and they were gorgeous, with a parent fortunately, by the end there were a group of slimy drunks who had moved themselves into a few vacant seats near them and were just learing. It was foul. With out the alcohol this would have been less likley.
Don't get me wrong I love my red wine and champagne but don't thing big events and alcohol mix.

Anyway this was an expereince that I will always remember not only because of its cause but the chance to see so many awesome proformers.

Sound Relief

Saturday was a reminder of why I like live music, though still prefer smaller events but because of what we got to see it was worth the sacrifice. When we got there I could not fathom that I could last the whole day and Hunters whom who I was most keen to see weren't on til 8. It didn't work out like that at all, you didn't really want to leave your seat (except to get up and dance) in case you missed something. While they were bumping out the old band and bumping in the new one they would cross to Sydney so you got to see the Sydney bands while you waited.
We got there while Jet was playing who were followed by Kings of Leon who were really good. They crossed to Coldplay around this time in Sydney and they rocked too.

Paul Kelly was next and he played his song I like most (to her door) but he blew the stadium away when did an acapala ballad to close. No-one else would be game enough to do this in a stadium to 80,000 people and he pulled it off. I kind of grabbed you heart and took your breath away.
It was pretty amazing the mix of old, new, 'alternative', mainstream, hip hop and whatever.

When the hip hop band came on I was hoping they didn't play for too long. Well I thought too soon. They were really fun and you actually found your self bopping along, they were Australian too.

Then there was Liam Finn (son of Neil) and friends. You(speaking for myself) were led to think was only going to be Jimmy Barnes daughter whom he does a crazy gig with when they all change instruments all the time, but if you thought about it you might have guessed (Split Enz was playing later) that he was going to invite his uncle and father to join him and magically Crowded house appeared before us. I have seen them before and I love them. This to me was a special treat as i wasn't expecting it.
I will finish this post later.

the dilema of fruit and vegies

okay it goes like this. I started with the Aussie farmers boxes which were great, except for the excess of carrots, oranges and apples. you can stew apples at least. I liked the fact they were local produce. I decided to experiment and moved to organics on line. The variety was much better, they recycled the boxes and had less total packaging of the produce. But being only organic they sourced the gear from where ever and this included New Zealand. So the carbon foot print of getting it to my door was high.
Aussie - less variety, lots of packaging, no box recycling
Organics - not local produce (good produce, box recycling and mim packaging)
I tried calling organic angels and the guy on the phone was rude and told me if i wanted to try them just order on line and I tried another local company that sent the stock in polystyrene and was awful produce.
So it is Organics on line currently, but I am seeking a group that meets all my requirements. I like the box delivery as it works out cheaper as you have less wastage and I really only have to buy avocados and an odd other thing, and it forces to cook with variety (well me anyway as i hate wastage).

Hot chips

I think hot chips should be outlawed. They should be available with meals in restaurants (this is judgemental so maybe resturants should serve potato in another form like mash) but not in food courts and before 6 pm. It amazes me, this observation came from my father who doesn't really have strong opinions on many things but this and a few others, how many people need to have hot chips at 10 am when a banana, a yoghurt or even a fruit muffin would be a much healthier and yummier choice. Not to mention the strench of deep frying.
If hot chips were outlawed would it contribute to a lowering of obesity? Probably not but it is a thought that would be pleasing if true. I am working very hard to ensure that MS enjoys healthy foods and will choose them because she likes to eat them and be a healthy person. Also that exercise is part of our life not something extra you do eg bike riding, running around in the park. My rant has moved from chips to exercise but in the same vane.
Today i am going to try to not use the car, on weeks I only work 2 days it is possible to ahve a car free day. We have already been out for a coffee (and walk to the park) and later after lunch we might go to the shops again with the pram. Petrol free and exercise included at no cost (other than a few calories, and i have some to spare).

Weekend away

Just got back from a great weekend at Anglesea with some people. It was really fun. Even though we had a pack of kids (well 3) and they needed supervision of some form most of the time there was plenty of time for conversation about stuff other than the kids as we had more time. We talked a lot about blogging and I didn't confess I had a blog but decided i should blog more. I need to make sure its not just about J and M and about all the other things I think about.
I like the idea mentioned by other about posting about what you are thinking about blogging about such as politics, religion, eating meat, food carbon foot printing, water (I can rant about this) and I will add to my list as I think of them.

sun

it is a beautiful day today and i glad of everything today. i look forward to spending time with lots of people over the next few days.