Tuesday 23 May 2023

Full head of steam

It's been years since I've been incensed enough to step forward and give someone a good telling off.

And it happened when I was in a particularly good frame of mind, too, having just come from the cardiologist and been told my heart is in fine fettle.  So now after months of this test and that test, my brain has been verified as in good shape and there's nothing wrong with my heart, it's looking like it is definitely those little crystals that hang out in our ears that are causing my vertigo, benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV).  The young specialist was just lovely, I even paused as I was leaving to congratulate him on his interpersonal skills, told him he was top notch.  I wondered if I was a bit presumptuous but he seemed delighted to hear it. 

As I was leaving the hospital I was thinking about the many fine young people it has been my pleasure to meet lately.

Barely an hour later I was in a queue at the supermarket with an elderly man leaning on his trolley in front of me.  I noticed a young girl join the queue behind me and that she had only one item in her hand, so offered for her to go through ahead of me.  A thank you would have been nice.  Instead she asked the elderly man if she could go through in front of him, too and when he nodded OK, she signaled her two friends to join her.  They each had one item in their hand and put through each item separately, so there were three transactions.  That's when my hackles started to rise.  The girl at the checkout processed the transactions and pointed out to them there is an Express Checkout for a small number of items.  I hadn't heard what she said (she told me later) but I did hear the first girl say, "Shut up.  We have a movie to get to."  

That was my red flag.  I practically pushed the older man aside to get past him and let those bs cop a good blast.  How dare they? The gentleman and I had been kind to them and they behave like that?  Immediate apologies were demanded and when one of the girls started to do so I told her to wait, let's hear it from the one who's been doing all the talking first.  Gee, she didn't want to either but the supervisor had appeared by then and I think she felt outnumbered.  She most ungraciously apologised.  Oh, how I wanted to make her stand there and do it again but I didn't want to push my luck.  

The only person embarrassed by the incident was the young check out girl, she assured me it didn't matter, she was used to it.  Which really did upset me.

The elderly man invited me to go home with him and sort out his grandkids!

When I'd finished checking out, the supervisor stopped me to say thank you, said I was her shopper of the month.

But wait, there's more.  I got out to the car and realized I'd put my car keys down somewhere in the store.  I sheepishly returned, saw the supervisor and as I was talking to her a staff member walked up to her with some lost car keys.  I might not be very good at looking after myself but I'm happy that I can still jump to the defense of others. 

Thursday 18 May 2023

No, I didn't call

Friday of last week.  Around 4.30 pm.  There I was sitting quietly crocheting, no radio or TV on as I was concentrating on a new pattern.  I'd already repeated a few rows more than once as I'd get to the end of a row and not have the right number of stitches.  Isn't it so annoying when you know you've made a mistake somewhere, somehow but have no idea how or where it happened?

My door that faces the road was open but I hadn't heard a vehicle stop outside.  Lost in my own crocheting world I must have been.

There was a very loud knock on the door at the same time as a man's voice called out - very loudly - "Are you here, Pauline."  I called that yes I'm here.  Coming.  By the time I got to the kitchen there was a very large man, in a uniform, half way through the kitchen coming towards my voice.  Thinking back on it, the look on my face must have been comical.  Through the kitchen windown I saw an ambulance sitting outside the window.  This man I didn't know was calling me by name asking had I called?  I was thinking called what.  Oh, an ambulance.  No, I finally managed to reply, I had not.  

The ambulance officer then said my neighbour's name and I directed him to the right house.  As he was running back to the vehicle I noticed there was a driver in the vehicle also but the sun was shining on the windscreen and I couldn't see a face although I got the impression it was a young female.

My neighbour is now home again after a couple of nights in hospital getting him sorted.  He's fine.

But the mystery remains how did that ambulance officer know my name?  The only explanation is that the driver must have known me or at least have known my name and that I lived in this house.  Trouble is, I don't think I know anyone who is an ambulance officer. 

A friend reminded me that I'd met a lot of people in my work at the lodge, and in previous jobs and that I'd lived in this particular area for a long time and in the north for a very long time.  True, but not many of those people would know where I live.  It's a mystery.

Wonder if I'll ever find out.

For my own distraction, here's a little scene that took my eye when I was at the football on Saturday. I was quite a distance away but was taken by the way the older boys were interacting with the little girl.  I'm out of the habit of taking my camera with me.  I like to only take what can fit in my pockets as I (always seem to) need an umbrella and also have both hands free for applauding good play. 

Monday 15 May 2023

Lazy dog whistling

I must have been under a rock for quite a while I think.  More and more often I have no idea what they are talking about when I listen to the radio, even The News.

A month or so ago I had to ask Mr Google what a white cismale was.  It took a while because I thought the cis and male were separate words.  Once I found out what it meant I thought it was just some modern gobblygook the woke brigade had made up but no, the Latin prefix cis means “on the same side of.”  So cismale is a male who was born male and is still "on the same side" ie still identifies as male.  Really, we need a word for that??

From the lips of same woman who taught me that lesson about gender identity, comes lazy, dog whistling.  If you know all about it, don't read further. 

I heard it as lazy dog whistling as in lazy dog but no it was the dog whistling that was said to be lazy.  Do you know about this?

I think the best explanation was in the Urban Dictionary.  “A surreptitious inclusion of code words or phrases that will be heard by some of those listening, while not disturbing the other listeners, who may not appreciate the hidden message(s)." Like as a dog whistle is only heard by dogs.

I still don't understand why that woman applied that term to the situation she was talking about.  But then I'm not a politician and would not appreciate whatever the hidden message was meant to be.

Anyway, while I was down that rabbit hole reading about whistling (to dogs and otherwise) I came across something I'd never heard of before.  Maybe the politician who is fond of accusing others of dog whistling should remember this:

"Whistling at a funeral or formal event would be rude. Doing it while stacking hay bales or fixing a car probably isn't. However, no matter the context, whistling is always extremely annoying to anyone within hearing distance of the one who is doing it."   I'd say the same applies to dog whistling.

Tuesday 9 May 2023

I'm so glad this "weather event" we're experiencing today didn't come our way on Saturday.  There had been a heavy rain warning issued for later in the day but, unlike today's "event", that didn't eventuate.

Saturday was the opening morning of shooting season and that's the day the 'factory girls' gather.  They've been doing that since the mid-eighties so are hardly girls any longer.  Even the youngest of us is probably past 50.  

It started off when the girls who worked in the laboratory at a dairy factory in the mid 1980s decided they should have some fun while their boyfriends and husbands went off duck shooting and began to have champagne breakfasts on that morning. The invitation to attend was extended to all the females who worked at the factory.  I was one of them.  The tradition has continued although breakfast now happens at lunch time and duck shooters have left their maimais by the time we arrive.

I don't attend these gatherings every year, I always say I will but I let life get in the way.  I'm resolved to make them a priority in the future.  

Now some of our number are starting to experience serious health issues, a reminder that our numbers may dwindle sooner than we would like, to appreciate this connection we have developed over the years, to treasure this annual opportunity to rekindle our friendships.

Just a little aside.  I kept staring at one of the ladies, unable to put a name to her.  Every time I saw her, I kept telling myself I know those lovely blue eyes.  I tried to imagine how she might look with different hair.  I listened to hear anyone use her name.  Finally she came up to me and said hello in what I immediately knew to be her unique, gentle voice and I knew instantly who she was.  We worked out we hadn't seen each other since 1994.


 Thankfully someone remembered to call us together for a group photo.  There are a few missing, they must have still been talking.

Thursday 4 May 2023

Kingfisher

I can't get a photo of it, it is too fast, the slightest movement from me and it is gone.  It's a beautiful kingfisher, one of my favourite birds.  It's the first one I've seen since leaving the farm where they were regular visitors.

Kingfishers are symbolic of freedom, courage, adventure, and balance. 

I've read in other places that they represent abundance and love, in another place they say they are a symbol of peace.

I'd be happy for all (or any) of that to come my way.  I've been keeping a sharp eye on the fence post it visited but so far I haven't seen it return.  

For now, I'm happy to have the memory of its beauty.

Monday 1 May 2023

Another ferry

Around 25 years ago some of my siblings and offspring and I had a day out on the Noosa River on two craft I think could be best described as motorised pontoons.  There were too many of us to go on one vessel.  This year when most of us were all once again staying in Noosa, we talked about doing the same thing but ended up deciding to explore via the ferries. That may have been decided upon because I related to all who would listen how much I'd enjoyed the Brisbane River ferry rides.  I'm not sure how it was decided, there were quite often a few conversations happening at the same time. 

My brother, Peter and his English wife, Judy (PJ, Pommie Jude) had just sold their apartment at the Sebel in Noosa, and had rented a 3 bedroom apartment at Noosaville, right on the river.  A younger brother, Danny and his wife, Judy (AJ, Aussie Jude) were at their apartment in Little Cove.  Peter drew up a plan for who was to stay with whom on which nights with all of us sharing the evening meal.  The Brisbane and Bundaberg siblings came for a night or two, some for longer.  It was a good plan but the surprising thing is it worked to perfection.  No one messed with the plan.

Our apartment was opposite a ferry terminal (on the left of the pic below) so it was super easy to cross the road and board a ferry for a trip up the river to Tewantin.  This was my first encounter with payment by "card only", no cash accepted.  When I asked at a supermarket a couple of days later if I could pay by cash, the checkout guy looked puzzled and replied, "Of course" as if that was a strange question.  The electronic world has not quite taken over yet.


We caught the ferry going up river first, to Tewantin, one of the earliest settled towns in the region.

 

 An interesting looking boat moored beside the ferry terminal at Tewantin

The ferry boat captain was a one man band, guiding the ferry in and out of the river traffic, raising and lowering the ramp for passengers, giving an interesting commentary as well.  Most of the river traffic were craft of various sizes hired by tourists, fishing boats, putt putts, those pontoon things we had once hired, and yachts both large and small - and it was obvious most of them had no idea what they were doing.  I really felt for the captain.


We alighted in Noosa and my sister, Tricia and I went in search of a cool drink.  Pete and PJ wanted an icecream, Clare and John went in another direction.  Somehow someone found out the ferry wasn't going back our way for another hour and none of us felt like walking around the shops for that long (I have said we are all getting old, haven't I?) so we found the terminal for the free bus which we had been hearing stopping right outside our apartment.  Peter found a seat on the bus beside an Italian young man holding a guitar and talked him into singing a song or two.  Soon others on the bus were putting in requests and it was a most enjoyable bus ride home, with many on the bus singing along. The passengers were smiling and the entertainer enjoyed the applause.

Tricia and I did take a quick look at the beach but this is not the Noosa I want to remember.  Slip (into a long-sleeved shirt), slop (on sunscreen), slap (on a hat) has now been amended to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, Slide to reflect the importance of seeking shade and sliding on wraparound sunglasses to prevent sun damage.


 It just didn't seem right to me that I could barely see the surf.