So much to think about

24.9.2012

The weather is improving and people are on the move again. David H came up last week and helped me clear dead trees from the camp sites and David P has phoned up to let us know that he is back from his UK summer, and is ready for the Australian half of his year. On the farm the first batch of goat kids has been sold and Edd has got the tomato plants growing in the polyhouse.

The school term ended last week and on Friday night we went to the Dixon’s Creek primary school concert in the Yarra Glen Hall. Bo has been working with the children and helping them write a musical that encompassed just about all the present paradigm. They started with the big bang and sang through Aboriginal creation mythology and evolution. The kids mostly wore white and James, who also has kids at the school, projected a slide show onto the performers and a back screen.

The kids had worked through the history of art and had made the images that were projected on to them. They then did a dance that romped through the history of music. Finally the kids came onto the stage to act going to sleep whilst the sound track played all their ideas about the future. Robots seemed to get a large rev, but I liked the kids who said “ in the future I’m going to get older”. He was pretty much on safe ground there. The great thing was how involved all the kids were as they sang and danced with out a break. They all obviously enjoyed it and so did the audience. Bo got a bunch of flowers at the end, which she obviously really deserved for all the hours she had put in.

This week India is off in the bush again. We have just come back from the campsite at Murrindindi where she is staying tonight. Today she packed up her camp and managed the two horses on her own by leading one and riding one. This is the new challenge she is tackling, so the ride was a short one. Al rode with her yesterday and we all had a campfire supper in the bush, which was fun. It had been a very long days ride so everyone was tired out. Today Alv has had to go back to work so we were on back up duties.

We have been pretty busy because the Grand designs team sent us tickets for the show in Melbourne and we went in and met up with Sha again. It seemed to me that she had done a huge amount of the work and everyone else took all the credit. Perhaps we don’t see all the other work that goes on in editing and sorting after the filming is all done. The show was good but I felt it would have been better if there had been more exhibits about alternative building materials and techniques. There was a lot of cooking ware and flash electrical gear but nothing I really was amazed by.

What I really enjoyed was going to see the Sapphires film with Merrie in the restored memorial hall in Healesville. In the past you had to more or less take in camping gear to watch a film because it was so windy and cold. Those in the know queued up with doonas and rugs but all that is in the past and the hall is now fit for anyone. The film was fantastic. It really hit a spot with me as the 60’s music was from my own youth and the Aboriginal attitudes were so familiar. I am so happy for all the young girls we worked with in the desert as I think they will get a lot from it.