Comfortable Shoes

I like wearing high heels.  I really do!  Partly it is because I'm so short, I like being a little taller!  Anyway, I went away for work and decided that I NEEDED to wear heels.  Except it was a bad idea because it was so hot, my feet were swelling and the shoes hadn't been worn for a while and so it wasn't good all around.  Ummmmmm......  So good to come home to comfortable shoes!

Birthdays

I love birthdays. I really enjoyed my birthday.  We had a short day because our Branch had a Christmas Party and we went barefoot bowling.  It was such great fun!  I don't even mind that I've got a higher number that is my age.  Sigh.  I'm grateful for fun birthdays...

View from a room

We really love our home's position.  It's in a very private position and the outlook is lovely!
Anyway, one of the girls has taken the photo below from our backyard (one of our 'rooms'!).  It's a great photo of the Murrumbidgee corridor.  So grateful for the positioning of this house!  (And on that note, I'm going to bed because it's already tomorrow!)

Extinction

Today I was reading an article about a little bad that was now extinct.  Apparently its one of the first Australian animals to become extinct in about 60 years - which is quite amazing, but also one of the points of the articles, because no animal should become extinct in a wealthy country like Australia.  I'm so grateful to people who spend their careers in order to save animals from extinction!

A few months ago Rachel did a report on another small animal that is in danger called the sandhill dunnart.  Gorgeous little thing!  So let's ensure we look after our environment as much as possible.  I don't want to read another story like the one I read today!

Gimme water!

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. 18^th Century English Proverb

A few years ago Canberra was in the middle of a pretty bad drought.  I remember going to pick up Natasha from pre-school and it had started raining and all of the kids in the class were clapping.  It's funny to think it now!  We are so reliant on water.  And it's so valuable.  I think that Canberra has almost forgotten how bad it got.  Anyway, we need to be grateful for the wonderful quality of water we have here and work towards ensuring that all people have access to fresh water.

One person, one vote

Look, I’m grateful that I have a vote.  But I’m about to gripe.  My vote, as a resident of the Australian Capital Territory, actually is worth less than most other Australian voters.  OK, so in the Senate we aren’t all that bad – but in many ways the Senate is designed to represent areas not population.  But it does cause a rather large anomaly.  In Tasmania there is one Senator for every 43,000 people – that number is 600,000 in NSW!  (ACT is in the middle of the list at 187,000 people per senator)  It’s in the House of Representatives that we are under-represented – and the House of Reps is more important!  We have two seats for a population of around 373,000.  So that’s about 187,000 people per seat.  As a general rule the number is around 150,000 for every other seat.  However, there are variances.  In Tasmania (maybe I should move), there are 102,000 people per seat – because of the ‘rule’ that each state will have a minimum of 5 seats.  It really annoys me.  Maybe I should just let it go…

Then again, one of my issues is that not only is my vote worth a little less, but our members have become slack and I'm not exactly sure what they are working for.  So it is statements like this that annoy me.  This being from our elected member:

"I campaigned as if Canberra was a marginal seat and since being elected I have worked as if it's a marginal seat,"

Grrrrrrrr............... (And I'm grateful that I can gripe!!!!!)

A (Half) marathon Walk

I went on a lovely walk through the Namadji National Park today.  It was absolutely beautiful.  The walk was part of a Marathon and Half-marathon bush run and I chose to enter the half marathon 'walk' option.  The track is extremely hilly.  Nearly 800 metres up and down - most of it over a three kilometre section.  Going down parts of the track I was quite literally scared, coming up I was exhausted!  My time was just over 10 minutes per kilometre.  I realised that I should have walked harder on the easier bits rather than trying to keep a steady pace.  Anyway, it was wonderful to walk without a backpack and to stop and grab a drink and lollies every few kilometres!  (Actually, now I know how the children feel!).  Plus, I even had some photos taken of me walking, which was an added bonus as I couldn't find the little camera and didn't want to carry the bigger camera!  As I said to Alan on our way home (he did run!) - if you are visiting Canberra you haven't really seen it until you get out of the city!  We are so fortunate to live in an area of natural beauty.  I'm so grateful for the beauty of the countryside and the accessibility!  If I can't run, I really do love walking...

Oh, I came first out of the women walkers and got a large Toblerone for my efforts!

Lunchtime truths

Today I had lunch with a friend from work.  We try to catch up every now and then.  I've been feeling a bit "sorry" for myself at work and she had a few sharp words to me about my attitude!  So it's time to start being proactive and regain the positive spirit that I SHOULD have!  (Grateful for the wise word my dear!)

White Line Fever

Earlier tonight the girls played a rather heated game of netball!  It was quite interesting to watch - this team had previously been undefeated (we've only played 3 games so far).  Some of the team members were women that are on the executive of the netball association and it was interesting to see how they reacted.  Very badly, in case you were wondering!  One in particular was appalling!  I'm wondering whether to say anything to her, but the time has probably passed.  I know that I used to suffer from White Live Fever - to the point where I didn't enjoy playing netball any more.  It was interesting to see it in other women.

One of life's lessons for team sport should be: 'it is only a game'.  Grateful that I learnt that one.  That being said, I was so glad that our girls won!

Alcohol sales to young people

I've been grateful to researchers before, and I'll be grateful to them again regarding alcohol and the effects on young brains.  I was doing a little bit of research into the age at which it became illegal to sell alcohol to miners.  I found this fantastic letter to the editor from Thursday 6 September 1928 regarding the issue.  The person wrote that amendments were needed to provide further reform in dealing with alcohol.  I was thinking what a sensible person he was until I got to point four and five of his wonderful plan.

Point 4 is to prohibit the sale of alcoholic liquor to women in any public bar.
Point 5 is essentially to ensure that women currently working in bars should be sacked.

I was staggered.  Why would such suggestions assist in alcohol reform?

So I'm grateful - a second time - that I live in slightly more enlightened times that generally treat women as equal to men.  It's funny because I agree with alcohol restrictions, but not at the expense of inequality!

Sigh...