2009

I'm off on holidays for two weeks tomorrow with no internet connection. Therefore I thought this would be a great time for a look back over the year and to wish all my readers and followers a very special Christmas and a prosperous new year!

2009 was a year of change for me. I finished up a 4 year contract at work and had to deal with finding work and enjoying not working for the first time in a long time. The "not working" bit was great. It gave me more time to do the "mum stuff" but the lack of money was often challenging.

It was also a time when my daughters changed dramatically - especially Miss 6. It seemed that overnight she went from being a little girl to being grown up! I was talking to a friend today (who hadn't seen her for a couple of months) and she commented on how much she had changed in this regard.

I actually think Miss 6 would make a wonderful copper - she has an uncanny ability for observation and the ability to get people to do exactly what she wants through the use of humour.

Miss 8 has continued to grow and develop and her reading skills have really taken off this year. It's nice to be able to hand her just about anything and ask her to read it and explain it (or do it).

We've had a busy year - trips "over East" and "up North" as a family. I've also had two additional hunting trips "up north". I never thought I would get into hunting at all, but I now find that I enjoy it especially as I understand the need for it.

Being involved with the gun club as a trainer has been great and I've learnt so much through working with the Chief Instructor.

I've also met and got to know a number of very interesting people this year. I don't really want to "name names" in this forum, but I've been lucky to meet some "personalities" and find common ground - especially in the shooting arena.

I'm not sure what 2010 will bring. But I am hoping that it will be basically "more of the same" as 2009 and my family, friends and myself will continue to enjoy good health and make the most of what we have.

So to all my readers and followers - thanks! Enjoy your Christmas time with your friends / family and may 2010 bring all that you wish for and more.

The Things Kids Say ...

Discussion between my 6y.o., 8y.o. and myself:

6y.o.: We've not have our pocket money this week.

Me: That's because it's Tuesday - I give you pocket money on Wednesdays.

6y.o.: But you only need to give us another $2 coin and a $1 coin.

8y.o.: Why did she say that you need to give us $3, pocket money is $5.

Me: I've just given you $2 each (they had just unwrapped their chrissy presents which included a piggy bank each).

8y.o.: She's too smart for her age.

Me: Yep! I dread when she gets to high school, I won't be able to help her with her homework. You'll have to.

8y.o.: hehehehe

For all of you who are "enjoying" the snow

this is a photo taken from my seat at lunch today ... it was around the 36degC (96degF) mark and a touch humid due to the cyclone up north. Luckily there was a bit of a breeze which kept it bearable.



And, yes thank you, it was a very pleasant lunch :)

Oh, forgot to mention, if you're ever in the area Hainault Vineyard does fantastic wines and lunches.

Isn't that the purpose of "Reality Shows"?

According to this article, the Australian Communication and Media Authority's new code will force networks to STOP exploiting and demeaning reality television contestants.

I thought that was the whole purpose of 'reality television' which is why I rarely watch it!

In addition, networks will have to

"PROVE sex scenes and nudity are relevant to plots if they receive complaints.

EXPLAIN how dirty jokes and references were necessary to the show.

MAKE apologies for errors in current affairs and news reports on air in a timely fashion."

I can see that every TV show will now have 3 minutes of disclaimers prior to each show!

I thought the current system of a screen showing "warnings" was enough for adults to make up their own minds whether or not they want to watch the program.

Oh, and of course there's a whole bunch of people who don't think this type of censorship goes far enough:

Family Council of Victoria spokesman Bill Muehlenberg said ...

Mr Muehlenberg said more needed to be done to get rid of sex and nudity on TV.

"I give them some credit for doing this but, essentially, if they make a show about sleazy strippers and there's nudity, they can just argue that the nudity is relevant because it's a show about strippers. I would prefer to see no shows like that in the first place," he said.

Focus on the Family spokeswoman Deb Sorensen agreed the new code did not go far enough to clean up television.

"There are still no clear boundaries or clear consequences, particularly when it comes to advertising these shows," she said.

"Shows with gratuitous sex and violence are being advertised earlier and earlier or during shows that kids are watching, like the AFL, which can run until 11pm."


IF A PARENT ALLOWS THEIR KIDS TO STAY UP TO 11PM WATCHING FOOTBALL THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT ELSE THE KIDS SEES DURING THIS TIME !!! Why should OTHER ADULTS have their choices affected because of the decision by some parents?

I'm wondering if this new "code" only applies to Australian made programs (the ones mentioned in the article are all Australian films) as it would seriously limit the number of films that could be shown from other countries without the same code.

And what shows will be left for SBS to run? (They had some interesting ones on last night - call "Erotic Tales").

How Effective are CCTV Cameras?

Apparently this is a question being asked in the UK.

Not surprisingly as there are now 59,753 cameras under the control of 418 local authorities, according to this article.

Oh, and the answer - well "A London Metropolitan Police study found only one crime is solved every year for every 1,000 CCTV cameras."

There's quite a lot of interesting information on the Big Brother Watch website.

Seeing a Theme Here ...

News bites from the front page of www.news.com.au today:







Click on each of the headlines for links to the full story.

It was only a matter of time ...

before we had an "green technology sex toy".

For pictures and more details check out the manufacturer's website.