Thursday 28 February 2013

Dear Gen Y and Z..ers...


This is an apology of sorts because I know I've been far too quick to judge you.

I am one of those 'oldies' who shake my head every time you teens and 20s cause a violent riot to quickly ignite or a rave party of thousands to mushroom just by sending a few text messages around to your friends.
And I always roll my eyes and consider you pathetic when I see you screaming, fainting and scratching each others' eyes out to get your hands on one of Simon Cowell's latest manufactured pop sensations, like One Direction. I mean seriously, didn’t this band shoot to fame overnight based on phone votes and cute hairstyles?


But all that was last month.

This month I've changed my tune and now have more sympathy for you.
Because I now know where you all get your bloody pathetic and stupid behaviour from.  
Two weeks ago the gorgeous home grown legend Barry Gibb, the only surviving Bee Gee, and the second most successful songwriter in history (Paul McCartney being first) was in town for the unveiling of a statue of the young Gibb brothers and the opening of a themed walkway dedicated to the band in Redcliffe, QLD.





It was very much a Gibb family affair; a reunion of the Gibbs young and old (his mother is 93), with special thoughts for the brothers no longer with them.

The event was also about acknowledging Redcliffe, the seaside town northeast of Brisbane that the Gibb family migrated from England to, and which Barry Gibb described as their "paradise".

"We wouldn't be here without Redcliffe," Barry told the crowds. "This was our environment, this was where the music was born."

I’ve always loved the Bee Gees - well since their second coming in the 70s anyway. Theirs was my very first album and Barry made my heart flutter. Seriously, look at him - Harry Styles has nothing on him.

 
But of course now at 66 he is old enough to be your grandfather. Imagine.
Barry’s appearance attracted big crowds. There were thousands of fans waiting to catch a glimpse of him and many lined up overnight in the rain to get a good position - no mean feat for people whose average age was probably 60.
However, as the day wore on I witnessed something extraordinary.  Senior citizens started to morph into screaming teenagers. They were yelling, crying, laughing hysterically, taking photos on their phones and texting their mates. They did everything they could to manoeuvre themselves to the front of the crowd and to see their idol up close.

Nothing was an obstacle for them. They pushed babies and strollers out of the way in their quest for a touch or autograph. They were armed and dangerous. No, not with shoes or flares like you guys use. They used walking sticks, zimmer frames and wheelchairs without much thought for other people's limbs, to make a path through the maddening crowd.

It was an eye opener.

There was one woman dressed up in a garish Gibb hat any 5 year old may be proud to wear who pushed past me muttering that she had spent the night waiting in the rain. As she shoved me hard in the ribs in an effort to get past me she said, "I've been a Bee Gees fan forever. I'm going to kill for an autograph today!"

And I truly believe she meant it.

Thankfully, when I was just about to use my elbow in a self protective move, the Gibb tune Staying Alive popped into my head and I quickly moved out of her way.

Now I know who taught you kids everything you know.

The generations that came before you.

So I'm taking back all the eye rolling and negative comments.  Although, in saying that I do still have one question for you, How Deep is Your Love? Really.
Because I can comfortably predict that none of you will be fighting over One Direction in 50 years time.....no, seriously, they are nothing like our Barry....and the Bee Gees. Nothing at all.



'Bee Gees Way' overlooks the Redcliffe Jetty and foreshore between Redcliffe Parade and Sutton St. Brisbane.


Friday 22 February 2013

I am speechless...

The most shocking part about the following advertisements from the 50s and 60s is that some of us may have already been born when they featured in the press......they are in our time.....so much for the good old days.......

I was doing some research in the National Library a while ago on the early editions of a major women's magazine and developed a fascination for the advertisements used in the 50s in particular. Clearly after the war, females needed putting in their place (given they capably took on most jobs while men were off fighting and had to give them up on their return from war).

These ads had me shaking my head....I wonder what people in 50 years time will be saying about today's advertising and our place in society.











Babies drinking cola? Surely not..









This one is my personal favourite...if you cannot read the print let me know and I will include it here ...you wouldn't believe they could get away with putting it in print....

What do you think? Does it surprise you too?

Tuesday 19 February 2013

How many cartons of milk did you say?


I opened the fridge this morning and counted.
There was Rice Milk, Almond Milk, Skim Milk, Lactose Free Milk, Full Fat Milk, Long Life Milk…….for three of us who live here and for the others who frequently drop by.

Choice is so overrated!
So now do you see Bill? I know you asked me if I was ever going to blog again before deciding a new theme for 2014, but the fact is I'm clearly wasting all my time in the supermarket choosing which of the 173 types of milk products is the absolute right one for me and everyone else.

So, in the interests of living a more productive live, I’m just going to do it.
Get a cow of course. Milk on tap. Perfect.

Then there may be time for blogging.
As it is, I suffer from that transient of all diseases, social media lethargy. It comes and goes. Someone was so concerned that I never use my Twitter account they decided to hijack it and send their own perverse tweets out on my behalf. Thanks YW for giving me the heads up. I have deleted the account altogether. And now Facebook has gone the same way. Deleted. I just cannot get into it and could not be bothered.

As for the blog? Well I sometimes entertain the thought about deleting that too but it’s like leaving your friends and a lot of history. I. Just. Cannot. Do. It. However, I might start a new, private one where I can say what I want about things like gun control,  annoying people and difficult subjects without getting threats of a bullet in my head.
Aside from spending inordinate amounts of time buying milk, I also went to my daughter’s fabulous birthday party.  It was a 1920s theme which I personally felt pretty comfortable about because being a certain age I knew I had most decades covered and just had to reach into my wardrobe and find something passable for the era. I would love to show you more pictures because everyone really went all out with their costumes but I do not have anyone's permission to post photos (but will add them here if and when I do).
And speaking of doing it, is anyone else wondering what Nike is going to do about its Just Do It trademark? First, it had Tiger ‘doing it’ with anyone and everyone, then Lance ‘doing it’ with drugs to make himself invincible and now the Blade Runner has been allegedly ‘doing it’ with a gun and cricket bat. Perhaps Nike needs to spell out exactly what it wants its million dollar athletes to do for them.
As for me, I'm going to just keep doing it some more and will pour most of that milk down the sink. I am going back to basics and buying organic full cream milk only. If it was good enough for my grandparents then its good enough for me given the small amount I drink. Anyone who wants anything different can bring their own.
Yep, it’s now a BYOM establishment. Anyone know any friendly cows? (on second thoughts don't answer that).

And please don’t get me started on any other foodstuffs……it really has all got totally ridiculous. We are making life incredibly complicated for ourselves.

___________________________________________________________________________
This one is for those who live in Melbourne. 
Yesterday afternoon, Deputy Commissioner Graham Ashton joined Premier Ted Baillieu and Deputy Premier Peter Ryan to launch a television advertisement for Go4Zero - a campaign that aims to reduce violence of all kinds in the community. Join in and say NO to Violence in any form.
 
You can join the conversation on the Go4Zero Facebook page www.facebook.com/go4zero (if you facebook that is)
 

Friday 1 February 2013

Water seems to be the theme for 2013


When I decided to just “roll with it” this year I didn't expect to be put to the test quite so soon.
The Australia Day (national day) long weekend proved to be an interesting one.
In the lead up to our national day on January 26 I'd been thinking about writing a post about what it was to be AustralianFor a couple of reasons, really.

First, I overheard a Engish woman tell her husband that the cruise (we were just on) was catering solely for Australians not for other nationalities and that even the entertainment was for the "Australian sense of humour". We speak the same language, eat the same kind of food and watch the same TV shows...but are we really that different?

And second, I read a review of Les Miserables in the London Guardian and the film critic noted that "as Australians, Crowe and Jackman probably have a particular 'feeling' for the convict culture that lies behind Hugo's novel". 
I mean really?

Britain may have settled Australia to make it a penal colony in the 18th century but this doesn't mean that all future generations can identify with that kind of suffering as though it's in our DNA. While history shapes us, a lot has sure happened in the many generations since then.  
As it happened, I never got to write that particular blog post because Mother Nature decided to interrupt. She sent ex Cyclone Oswald for a visit (there is such an entity as an ex cyclone, who knew?) resulting in substantial rain, high winds, widespread flooding and damage across northern Australia.


Brisbane City


These really strange bubbles washed up on the beaches and roads on the Sunshine Coast caused by the cyclone

Oh dear, an instant river in suburban streets...canoes are the order of the day
 
The worst we experienced was having no electricity, ripped up gardens and trees down here and there. Others have not been so lucky and flood damage has hit some towns very badly resulting in not just the loss of homes but also the loss of life.
Going without electricity for a couple of days gave me pause to contemplate what being an Australian actually means (along with kicking myself for not learning more survival skills when I was a Girl Guide - I desperately wanted a cup of coffee but didn't know how to rub two sticks together, lol).
 
Now, I think that being an Australian just means you are plain lucky. Nothing more.

We live on the biggest island in the world, surrounded by water and beaches with a pretty interesting history that goes back millions of years. We have space and the freedom to move around as we please. We are blessed with so many opportunities. And yes, we have just enough creepy crawlies and natural disasters to keep us on our toes.

We get to take our sunshine, freedom, peace, a classless society, jobs, mateship, health care, social security, a great standard of living and most of all, electricity and water, for granted. 

See? We are probably just as lucky as many other countries and far luckier than many others. 

And next Australia Day, come rain, hail or shine I will embrace being born lucky and give thanks to my British, Polish and German ancestors for having the guts and foresight to make the long journey here. No matter what Mother Nature dishes up.

Oh yeah, as well as being lucky, most of us are really good swimmers.....for obvious reasons really.


Tell me, when you hear or read the words Australia or Australians, what do you immediately think of? (be honest - we also have thick skins...must be all that sun..then rain..we are weathered like old boots).

                     _________________________________

And if you want to see what that sea foam did to roads and see some of our idiot drivers (yeah we have lots of them here) watch this video. Please note that there is swearing at the end of this I think so you may want to turn the sound down...