Our Father, Who Art In Heaven...

The Marketing machine has been in full swing..  Another "day" approaches.. A day to celebrate the contribution the most likely most maligned of beings..

The father.

Society will tell you he is simple, stupid... And that really Mummy knows best.

Social workers will tell you he is absent, or abusive..

Religion will tell you he is the head of the household, where the buck ultimately must stop.

And the facts will tell you, that for some, like me.. He is in Heaven, having departed the earthly realm..

It is the same for many of the "days" through out the year.. A missing family member at any occasion transforms a day of celebration into a day of Remembrance tinged with sadness.. The years will clock by, the sting will sting a little less each year, but will always remain..

So Sunday presents that challenge, whether alive but absent, or departed, our house will celebrate what our fathers have brought to our lives.. My boys will surely concoct some awesome acknowledgement of the day under watchful eye of my wife, or at school under careful eye of the teacher..

But the day will always turn to thoughts of our father, who art in Heaven..

We the people.. Are to blame...

How did it come to this?  45% of people chose the current Australian government intentionally,  many through ignorance.

Yet I'd say 97% of us are going to pay for it.

The top 3% maybe have to have 1 jar of caviar for breakfast instead of two..

Two thoughts cross my mind,  the first is captured in the video -  if we sit silently by,  we are to blame.   If we ignore the impact this Government's choices have had on the general population,  we are to blame.

And then the second..  The only thing needed for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.

You must take arms against a sea of trouble,  and by opposing end them.

Do not go quietly into that good night.

I could fire a myriad of statements...

But it's time to do something.

Losing grip on the things we take for granted...

A year ago today I was not a pretty picture..

Retrospectively, I know I got away lightly, having encountered people whose journey through immune disorders was much, much more traumatic and long-lasting.

My last platelet count from a couple of days ago was 198. 

The worst is over for me, but for so many others that's not the case.

It's one of the many things we take for granted.

And it was just til I lost it that I discovered how much it was worth.

We're losing so many of the things we've taken for granted - health, education, fair opportunity and reward for effort..

Are we so willing to give them up in the face of a perceived crisis?

Is it really worth it, to recover from a 'debt' crisis created by the top end of town, where the penalties being worn by the lower socio-economic end of town?

Everyone is going to do the heavy lifting, apparently, but some are going to be doing more of it than others..

And those losing the least are sure going to be taking for granted what those losing the most do..

And I'm sure Abbott is taking for granted that he'll be re-elected.

I don't think so Tony..

If I got sick now, I'd be far more concerned than I was this time last year!

Uh, Australia.. We have a problem...

Australians all let us rejoice
For we are young and free
We've golden soil and wealth for toil,
Our home is girt by sea:
Our land abounds in nature's gifts
Of beauty rich and rare,
In history's page let every stage
Advance Australia fair,
In joyful strains then let us sing
Advance Australia fair.

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross,
We'll toil with hearts and hands,
To make this Commonwealth of ours
Renowned of all the lands,
For those who've come across the seas
We've boundless plains to share,
With courage let us all combine
To advance Australia fair.
In joyful strains then let us sing,
Advance Australia fair.

Australia. We have a problem.

We've lost our identity.

Forgotten who we are, who we were, and what we were destined to become.

High rates of depression, and the highest rate of suicide among young men.

We don't rejoice.

We might  be young, but we're by no means free.. Imprisoned by debt and rising costs to jobs if we're lucky enough to have them, but mostly even if we do, we're working to increase someone else's bank balance, more than our own.  And if not, we're watching welfare cuts being made left right and centre, all while tax breaks provide corporate welfare with the view that it trickles down... But does that ever happen?

The golden soil and wealth for toil? The wealth goes to those sitting in the offices, bank managers and executives get incredibly stupendous bonuses, while the workers have to strike to get an accurate cost of living increase for their hard work..

Our nature's gifts are exported out and sold back to us at increased cost..

And as for advancing Australia fair?  Not lately.. The race does not go to the swift... The honour to whom it's due.. But often to the one who the media tells us it should..

We're becoming renown through all the lands, alright, as the country that elected a PM who has nothing short of embarrassed us on the international stage and picked a fight with our nearest neighbour, attempting to make criminals of innocent, vulnerable individuals, and in the process breaking international agreements and likely law, violating the sovereign borders of another country.

All to stop those who've come across the seas to share our boundless plains.

What we need now is courage.   And unity.

It's all we have left of our national anthem.

Happy Australia Day, everyone..

Chances are..

1 in 8,145, 070.

Your chances of winning the lotto.

23, 357, 657.

The estimated population of Australia. 

So draw  the maths.. If everyone bought a ticket, 2.86 people would win.

Not even 3 people would win. 

Wouldn't it make far more sense to take a punt on people, knowing you're more likely to get a return?

Just a short thought..

The question is simple.. The answer is...

Just after having our newest little man and a bit before Christmas, we were given 90 days to vacate our current home.  After the year we'd had, whilst considering and wanting  to move,  we were certainly not in any position to move, but life has a way of forcing hands! 

And so we start to look..  Work out what we want, what we need, and where.. Simple list - 3 bedrooms at least, built ins in at least 2 (or priced low enough that we could buy cupboards), aircon, reasonable condition and priced pretty much equal to or less than where we are now..  I'd like to be closer to the beach, my wife would like a dishwasher, but they won't stop us from taking a house!

Further and further we get into the process... My wife and I spend a lot of time on the real estate websites, find places we like the look of, attend the opens, contact the agents, fill in the paperwork, attach all the necessary documentation... And wait.. And wait..

And consider.. Whilst we are aiming to not be too fussy, we're not going to live somewhere that we believe isn't worth the price being asked for.. In one week I attended 10 opens, and only applied for 2..  I'm finding that in some situations, real estate photographs are the new fast food menus..  The burger looks big, juicy and inviting on the menu, but then what comes out is often somewhat underwhelming!   When it comes to food, I'm more likely to compromise..  Not so much when it comes to a home!

We now down to 30 days left to find somewhere.. We had hoped to have it all sorted before school went back, and got close once, but unfortunately it hasn't happened, and most likely won't happen, with a week left!

Add to that, waiting for word on work.. I've had 2 interviews already this year, that I believe went okay.. But like housing, an answer would be nice!  Especially with so much riding on it.. When I first entered the workforce, you usually had the answer by the end of the day, now it's usually a couple of interviews and weeks...

Sometimes folks can't wait that long!

To the faithful, departed..

How was everyone's Christmas?  Mine was good.. Drove back to Mount Gambier Christmas Eve, first time since we moved to Adelaide, lots of family time... Good times, and a big public thanks to my little brother for putting up with the chaos that is having a family of 5 stay for a couple of days!

This year, the end of year had a few added significant moments... As I said in my previous post, my Dad passed away 5 years ago, and a few weeks ago we gathered as sons with our children to bury his ashes in the same garden that his Mum and Dad were buried.. A touching moment, followed by a lunch that I think would've made Dad proud, gathered at a nearby restaurant..

Part of the journey back to the Mount was to also select a location for the plaque to honour Dad.   That'll come soon enough, and a big thank you to my brother for his work in organising that.  I think Dad again would be happy with what has and will transpire there.

Being in a cemetery is always a moment for contemplation.. Amongst us, we knew too many people buried there.   Most young people, taken far too early, in different ways, but none any less tragic than the other.   People overwhelmed by life who took the only way out they could see.  Illnesses that struck down young, fit people.   A handful of vehicle accidents...   The last one strikes close to home - the first coffin I ever carried belonged to a 15 year old friend taken in a car accident..  I took the opportunity to visit her final resting place and take a moment..

So at this time, where I have been blessed to have time with my family, my thoughts turn to those who haven't been so fortunate.. Be it a loss experienced long ago, or the tragic passings that have occured recently...

We remember you.  May you find comfort in a difficult time.