POST PARTY WEEK
Had an email today from the CLARENCE and that’s an extract down below. We are planning to head down next week for the First of the MUSIC CAFES.
Hi everyone,
Due to popular demand the SOUTH GRAFTON MUSIC CAFE is
back.Look out for the last Thursday of each month starting 6.30pm.
Local muscians, dancers, singers and poets, in fact anyone that’s entertaining, is invited to perform at our relaxed and friendly South Grafton Emporium.
An entry fee of $3.00 (children under 18 free) includes a lucky door prize donated by the
Emporium.Not for profit organisations and groups are invited to raise money, help on the door and run a raffle or 2. The door takings will be donated to the charity or group of the night.
There’ll be the usual fantastic food from Peter’s Emporium Cafe plus the Music Cafe Night’s Special such as a curry night at no more than $10.00. B.Y.O. bring your own glasses (a surcharge if Emporium glasses are used)
Come and enjoy this great evening, bring a crowd, book your special table if you want on 6643 3524 (Emporium Cafe) or 6643 3525 (South Grafton Emporium).
This night will be fabulous with a great audience and our talented local performers.
See you on Thursday 30th April at 6pm at the South Grafton Emporium, 31 Skinner Street.
THE PARTY IS OVER AND IT WAS GOOD.
Despite the early appearance of what looked like a Mother Ship come to take him home, the celebrations went well. More Later.
ONE MORE DAY TILL IZZY’S 6Oth
The rains have cleared for now at least. Lawns are being mowed. Pool and Cabana are being prepared. Confirming guests are ringing and Social Phobics are presenting the expected excuses. Children begin arriving tomorrow night and the weekend is before us. The drive has been Gravelled and the Tennis Court has dried out. Hoping they all bring a plate as suggested on the Invites due to my being a perfectly inept food personage.
Now we are getting excited. The Music plans are in Izzy’s hands. I think the Pavlova is planned as THE cake. I need a few things such as a Card and Mebbe a sign on Teddy. Then Sunday the open Invite is to ILNAM ESTATE WINERY at CAROOL. For lunch and Music.
This Could be a very happy weekend.
ERIC BIBB AND BELLO
The Family made it to the ERIC BIBB concert and were very impressed. They bumped into him in the street early in the day and came away with an autograph given happily. The Concert and the whole night has left them all still talking. Raving, in fact. BRAVO, Eric.
Madame gives her seal of approval.
URUNGA AND THE FLOODS
As is usual, the news bulletins lasted the duration of the crisis and then took their cameras off to newer fresher disasters leaving the DAMAGED to take care of themselves. Via my sister, I have heard a little more. Difficult to imagine. One of the houses which has been condemned is nowhere near the sea or the river.
This was no ordinary flood in Urunga…….80 cars were flooded and heaps of homes. Nearly all the shops had water through them… the museum, preschool and under Tambar Ct …. all the flats in Orara St … the whole of Newry Island was evacuated and heaps of homes had water through them… Julie and Steve had 7 ft of water through their house and it came from across the road. They said it happened so fast they felt lucky to have got out….they lost their car and the house has been condemned….there are heaps of people the same.
From S.P.
Image from RTA of DORRIGO BELLINGEN ROAD.
Bit hard to take in. My thoughts are with the Urunga and Bellingen people and even with Coffs Harbour, our traditional “enemies”.
A VENTURE INTO THE GOLD COAST.
Took a day on the Gold Coast yesterday. Many 1000s of people love the Gold Coast. I am not one of the many 100os. When the New State is formed as per my Friend J.B.s vision, I am voting to exclude the Gold Coast. Let it become A Monaco or somesuch. I did however go there for the day yesterday to a convention and to see old friends. I don’t even have any images to show you and I am glad to be home again despite the still falling rain and sliding mud.
Back with the birds on the porch and the Mists in the Valley. Found an Image!
Check us out in the Foto above being GOLD COAST at a Wee Vietnamese Cafe with Sydney Friends.
ERIC BIBB TONIGHT IN BELLINGEN
And My Family will be there!
Crossing flooded creeks. Ducking falling boulders on the Waterfall Way. ERIC BIBB IN BELLO. April 9.
Jim Belshaw’s 7 DEADLY SINS
http://newenglandaustralia.blogspot.com/2009/04/belshaws-world-seven-deadly-sins-of.html
THE TREE.
Last week’s rains landed a branch of the big tree on our roof and yesterday was spent removing it. Life can be sweet.
DEPRESSING JIM BELSHAW
I had placed a pithy post here but decided to withdraw it. I am becoming wearied of my own Centrelink distress and in addition do not wish to distress Jim Belshaw any further. Somewhere in the Land Beyond the Boundaries is a Clarentzian Dream of Music, and Wallabies and Family nearby. Of the Big River and Good People on Solar Power. Even the pit toilet is a vast improvement on the Current Employment Training experiences. I wonder whether I would have ever needed a Disability Support Pension had I not become mauled within Social Welfare System. I had always accounted it to my misspent Youth.
The Pithy Post related to the latest of the Job Network encounters. In this incident, Peter has actually been given an interview to attend for a 2 day per week position with a College for International Students.
All looking well until the Trainer rings to suggest that he wear a collared shirt with tie and TUCK HIS PONY TAIL INTO HIS SHIRT.
I won’t say much more. For those of you who are not outraged at what I thought was a battle fought and won in the 1960s, there are no words to convince you. For those of you who DO understand – well !
Thanks to the CIVIL LIBERTIES ACTION GROUP for their response which came quickly and was literate and compassionate.
Herein is a section of that communication.
” Freedom of expression in Australia means you can dress as you like, provided its clean and tidy.
No-one tells women how long to wear their hair, why should people tell men what length to wear their hair, or how to wear it (fancy advising someone to ‘hide’ their hair).
The man is a stage and media performer, his hair is part of his identity:
Where is Australia headed if the job agency Centrelink and their sub-agency, the Salvation Army, can tell a man how to dress?
The requirement to job search sometimes takes away a job seeker’s dignity: this is one of those cases, where the Govt is belittling Australians who are out of work…or, studying, as here.”
______________________
DOES THE TALE OF SAMSON AND DELILAH have any significance here ?
DRESSING UP.
We don’t often dress up. Last month we did the wedding. That was before the rains came. Today we wear walking sandals and carry umbrellas and wonder about the Tree on the Roof of the Cottage. We are going out to get vegies today in case it Keeps raining and getting in and out becomes any more difficult. I have taken up FACEBOOK SCRABBLE which is a world of its own. My daughter is far better at it than I am and I haven’t even let my sister or brother-in-law know I am using it. I am not the most adept of my family at this.
MORE RAIN
AND a tree on the roof. The large branch of the large tree beside the Cottage has at some time in the last week split asunder and now lies ON the roof. The rain keeps falling and we live in primeval times. I am wondering why Councils still feel it necessary to limit residences on large properties to ONE. Or as is the case far down on the Southern Coast of NSW, to charge $20000 for an application for a son to live in the shed on his parents’ property. HOMELESSNESS seems to greatly be what Iz calls AN ARTIFICIAL CONSTRUCT.
FLOODS
If you are looking for photos of the Bellingen/Urunga/Coffs floods try FACEBOOK GROUPS. There are plenty of images there.
Brisbane Days. 2007.
I am a Sydney girl and knew very little of Brisbane till 2007. I grew to love it. I can do cities on foot and on public transport which is my preference. Kati B came to visit and we did the city centre and a cruelly long citycat ride on which she was sunburned and trapped.
I had a particular fondness for the Inner City and Southbank and for the River. We moved to a wee flat in Auchenflower which meant my taking the train to CENTRAL STATION to get to lunchtime meetings – here at the Church on Ann Street. My favourite place was the basement of that church. We are usually put in basements and this one was a good one.
THE RAIN KEEPS FALLING.
It is still raining today. Urunga was flooded and Coffs Harbour. In 1996, I was living in the AFrame on Urunga Lagoon when the Storm hit The winds caught under the Frame and the bed began to rattle and walk itself across the room.
I have been in some fine rains over the years and this is one of the major ones. It simply continues. Its not flooding here but it is becoming dreary and mould is in wardrobes and papers and clothes. I am not glad to back from Clarence. 
MARCH AND APRIL 09
IZZY IN THE BUNKHOUSE.
A week of flooding rains. We started up the driveway on Monday morning after a night’s rain and the Starwagon bogged before we reached the top. After a second attempt, we sat on the lounge on the Porch and sank into despair. Iz approached our DOS; and they tried a couple of bush remedies and ended with the tractor towing the Starwagon out and onto the top gravelled area. Then we were off down the Pacific Highway heading for the Clarence for an investigative few days. It rained all the way.
We are back now and very well pleased with the trip. We met and spent hours and hours speaking to Simon and Robin. Sat up till 1a.m. and slept in a solar powered house with our water heated by wood fire. Wallabies and possums were up near the residence and despite the rain – which led to major flooding a little further south in Coffs and Bellingen, the Clarence worked its usual seductive charm on us as well as adding two companions of the human variety who treated us like family members.
We were also introduced to the EMPORIUM in SKINNER STREET, SOUTH GRAFTON. The Cafe there has a bedouin tent and we ate curries and vegie bowls. Its open long hours and is planning to bring music in in the near future. The Emporium reminded me of the ANTIQUE SUPERMARKET in SURRY HILLS way back in the 70s but the Emporium is not restricted to antiques and has THE CLARENCE ENVIRONMENT CENTRE
tucked away at the back. The CEC as well as Environmental Issues is THE CHEAPEST OP SHOP in town and has masses of books and clothes , candles, incenses etc.
IMAGES OF MARCH AND APRIL 2009
MARCH AND APRIL 2009
I have just spent a few days on the Clarence. Before we went we did a BEECHMONT TRIP and Izzy did a gig there on the Saturday night.
It seems years since I slept in a house outside the electricity grid and it was a beautiful experience.
FLOODS UNLIMITED
Urunga and Bello are flooded and everywhere else drenched. I don’t have foto access because I am in Grafton’s SKINNER STREET EMPORIUM on paid internet in a net cafe. Been raining since Sunday night when DOS had to tow the van out of the driveway. Since then, the waters have hit and Kati B has been home flooded in for days. We see our new home in an unpromising light. Nevertheless, we say yes to it and begin to sort the details.
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