Monday May 11, 2009 (diary)

The Arafura Games (named after the sea which separates the Northern Territory from Papua New Guinea) are on in Darwin (May 9-17). They are held here every 2 years, initially for the Asia Pacific countries in the neighbourhood, but recently have expanded, as countries from all over the world are joining. It is an ideal learning ground for participants of all sports to gain valuable experience for the larger International events. Darwin is buzzing with activity.
Today I have finally completed to reformatting of my 24 lesson bridge course. It took about 50 minutes to upload the 10 MB (1600 individual files) online via my mobile phone. Its on now and I feel like a chicken after producing an egg, or perhaps even a mother delivering a healthy baby, although fortunately without the pain.
Everybody was already quite happy with the 10 free lessons I had online, and I did not have many sales of the complete course as a consequence, so I decided to make the whole course available for free. This gives me great satisfaction and pleasure.

The air condition in Rick and Rene's caravan gave the ghost so they had to buy a new one : about $2,400, not cheap. Installation would have been another $500. So the Mango farm gang, headed by Andrew, sprang into action and completed that task this afternoon. It is excellent, you can't hear a thing standing just outside when its on.

In the evening bridge with Mairead at the Bridge Club in town. On my way back home, after a most pleasant evening's bridge, I suddenly hear some bumpy noises as I round a corner. I believe it must be a loose item in the back of my van, but suddenly the noise increases dramatically and I stop the car. As I look out of the window I see my left rear tyre racing past me into the bush, then out of sight.
On inspection it fortunately is not the whole tyre, just the outside rim of it. It is almost midnight and very dark, no way am I going to fix this myself. Fortunately I have my mobile phone with me so I ring the RAA and within 25 minutes a guy comes and quickly puts my spare on. It will cost me a new tyre of course, well I will think about that tomorrow morning.

Tuesday May 12, 2009 (diary)

My Michelin car tyre is an unusual type not in stock in Darwin. It has to come from Brisbane and will take a week to arrive. It is also $50-75 dearer than if I had purchased it at the Sunshine Coast. One of the few drawbacks of living in a remote area. The week's wait worries me somewhat, as I do a lot of driving here and without a spare tyre I will be totally stuck in case I get another flat. Andrew, as always, has a quick solution and points me to a second hand car tyre place, where I probably can pick up something suitable for the week costing perhaps only $20-30. Will check it out tomorrow.

It is painting class today. I have been quite looking forward to it. Today's project is painting something in "monochrome". This means I can only use one colour in 3 or 4 shades, plus black and white, and of course the colour of the paper itself.
I have been thinking of this all week, printed out several photos from my Blog and decided on one of the Mooloolaba Beach scenes. Selecting blue as my monochrome colour and sand coloured paper this should work out well. Most importantly the scene includes trees which I love doing because they are so easy.

Two more students have joined the class this week so we are quite a merry group. The two ladies working next to me have brought wine and finger food with a strong garlic smell which occasionally whiffs past my nose, not unpleasant. Most of the ladies are excellent at drawing, painting animals or flowers, copying them in great detail from photographs. Three others are like me doing a landscape and one guy a still life, quite bold. At the end of the evening I am fairly content with my effort. I used far too much pastel and painted not quite in the right sequence, but that will improve in due course I think. I have very much enjoyed myself and can see me getting more into this, provided I can find and develop my own "voice" in this medium. In this class I am certainly totally different to everyone else.

Back home I follow (on TV) the discussions and analysis of today's revealed Federal Budget. Although pensioners, including myself, will receive higher regular payments, I am rather worried. The country is sliding into a massive deficit which may take a generation or more to pay off. The fact that countries like the US, Europe and Japan are in a situation 5 to 10 times worse is a very poor and irrelevant excuse by the Government.

Later on I watch a repeat of yesterday's Four Corners program, a weekly investigative presentation on the ABC. This week they reveal the atrocious and rampant sexual misbehaviour of rugby players in Australia's NRL (National Rugby League) competition, leaving behind a trail of heavily traumatised sexually abused females, who's lives have been ruined forever. Frankly this is worse than animal behaviour. Culprits include high profile (supposed) role models and TV sport personalities on Commercial television.
The police does not (they say can not) prosecute and everybody else keeps their mouth shut. Some of the Clubs go through the motions of player education and curfews on their after the match behaviour. But they are (in my view) trying to contain the problem rather than solve it. It is a distasteful and disgraceful slur, I feel, on the entire Australian culture, and saddens me. In the end, I believe, it will spell the demise of the entire NRL football code, as sponsors are walking away in droves.

Wednesday May 13, 2009 (diary)

Mission accomplished. I went to the Secondhand Tyre place and after some search through their store room an old tyre of the right size, the only one they had, was found. "But don't drive 200 km on it" warned the girl at the counter. I certainly won't, but for just $30 it gives me some security for the week.
When next at the Sunshine Coast I will replace my front tyres and bring the old discarded one back to Darwin next year so that I will not be caught out again.

Seeing I am already halfway there I drive on to the Stokes Hill Wharf for lunch (a steak sandwich with chips this time) and after that do some laps in the Nightcliff pool.
On my way there I drop in at Jacksons Art and Drawing Supplies in Parap. I will probably buy some Rembrandt Art Pastels. They are top of the range, not cheap, but wonderful colours. I can't find the box I want and perhaps will buy them online.

The Four Corners program has had immediate results. Channel 9 Commercial TV was inundated with an avalanche of phone calls and emails from angry viewers and as a result Rugby League sports commentator Matthew John was "stood down" immediately. He was also sacked as assistant coach of the Melbourne Rugby Club. Matthew was the instigator (30 years old at the time in 2002) of the group sex six club members had with a single young naive girl in New Zealand, while several others, also in the room, were watching (and allegedly masturbating). The girl was clearly not regarded (let alone respected) as a human being, but simply treated as copulation fodder (my description). She has had three suicide attempts since the event.

So Matthew has been kicked out, made a scapegoat, but what about the other club members involved not mentioned by name in the Four Corners program ? They walk away unpunished ? The action is clearly forced by the viewers, not by the rugby officials, players and supporters themselves who must be well aware of what really has been going on. The culture (I believe) still lingers on and what has been revealed so far to the public is only the tip of the ice berg.

Thursday May 14, 2009 (diary)

I look around online and join the Smart Art Club operating from Victoria which provides art materials at considerable discount prices. I buy a box of 60 half size Rembrandt soft pastels in beautiful colours, bounded by kaolin clay which sticks easily to the paper resulting in minimum dust wastage.
Then off to the Lizard Bar in Darwin for lunch with Jeroen. We have lots to talk about and it is good to see him again.
After that I drive on to the Nightcliff Pool for doing my laps. The weather is beautiful and the water still at the agreeable temperature of 25.3°C.

In the evening I play bridge with Mairead in Palmerston. We do very well and probably clocked up a resounding win, although there is only a small turn up tonight of 7 pairs. Stephen Hughes has come up for the evening. I like him, and so does everyone else. He is an excellent player with exemplary (bridge) table manners. Steve teaches bridge at the Darwin Bridge Club and is also a great director. After the game we sit, as usual, together as a group in the Club lounge for a chat and glass of wine before heading back home.

The impact of the Four Corners program (titled "Code of Silence") still ripples through the entire Australian community. Outrage and strong condemnation are expressed in Parliament by all parties including the Prime Minister requesting that all Football codes "clean themselves up". Nevertheless the NRL officials still refuse to name the other culprits in the New Zealand scandal, keeping their "Code of Silence" intact.
But the Australian public's voice is loud and clear. Behaviour like this is no longer acceptable and officials can not hide behind judicial trivialities. The public is clearly signaling that our moral code must have preference over inadequate jurisdiction.

Friday May 15, 2009 (diary)

I have not cooked a meal for years and use only the microwave for heating frozen meals etc. But the kitchen in my cabin is equipped with a electric frying pan, grill, toaster and I have set them up and start using them now which I quite enjoy.
In my teens when returning late at night from Cafe Beuse I would make some toast and load them up with ham, cheese, fried eggs, gherkins and lots of pickles. I have started doing that now again when returning home late from bridge, it is delicious. Also started cooking spaghetti bolognese with poached eggs and will perhaps gradually venture out farther.

It is a beautiful day today, sun, a clear blue sky and a slight gentle breeze to keep the day pleasant. I do some shopping in Palmerston and have a seafood laksa (becoming my regular Friday treat now) and in the evening bridge in Darwin with Freda. We do quite well.
We had planned to play tomorrow in the NT pairs championships held over two Saturday afternoons, but Freda's step mother unfortunately suddenly died and Freda has to fly tomorrow morning to the funeral in Melbourne.

I may play with Dev Caple perhaps if he can make it at such short notice. After returning home, yes !!, fried eggs with cheese, ham, "bread and butter cucumber" plus sweet chilly, tomato sauce and pickles on toast.