Post 333 Time out

I spent the morning on my chair near the Eastern balcony, reading. It was pleasant weather - 23C maximum.

I read the whole book - the second in a detective series new to me. It is set in Wales, although the landscape is not integral. I really enjoyed it. The characters are well drawn and the team concept is particularly well developed - respectful.

Eventually I remembered I had intended to put on a load of washing. I hung it out around 2.30pm.  It was, fortunately, dry by 8pm.

The wall garden, on the opposite side of the balcony to the washing line, looks much brighter following yesterday's rain - quite perky.

I finished the last two of the ecru circles, then swapped the ecru ball for a pink one, worked an outside square on one ecru circle then began a series of pink circles. I think this scheme is going to work for me. 

Today is Australia Day, and a public holiday. The date is controversial, since it is the Anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Harbour and the planting of the British Flag - i.e. colonisation of a country that had been inhabited by indigenous communities for what we now know to have been 60,000 years. It has only been a national public holiday since 1994 although the name and date were recognised in all individual states from 1935. 

It is not a day that was of significance in my family as I was growing up. Although my proudly Australian mother, who came to Australia from England before her 4th birthday, knew and told us a lot of the history of colonial Sydney,  the day had no relevance. August 1st, Wattle Day, was what my mother had celebrated at school, and she stuck to it. 

In my working adult life Australia day was primarily the marker of the end of the long summer school holiday and last day to prepare for a new school year.  Jim occasionally attended and appreciate a citizenship ceremony as part of his job. In the early 2000s when one of our neighbours often marked it by a boozy, noisy barbecue I came to dread and dislike the day. 

Voices for either a change of date or a change of concept - or both- grow stronger year by year. I'm sure change will eventually come.  I hope so.

This helicopter made a lot of noise coming in to land in the city around 6pm tonight. It looked and sounded as if it were going to land very close - perhaps on the police headquarters two blocks away. I think, however, it went beyond that, probably to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.  

140 fire fighters today contained the Adelaide Hills fire. As I understand, it is still burning but within containment lines. Two houses, 19 outbuildings  and 2 cars have been lost - and unknown numbers of animals.  Yesterday's rain, 30mm in the city in the 24 hour period to 9am this morning, was the most that has fallen in a January day in 44 years.

I didn't do any work on my chair, or on the Nicola bird, both of which were on my plan for today. It was very good to take things easy.