Persisting Down

We have had rain. More rain. Yet more rain. We are not complaining. Rain is good.

We are told, that the rain is landing in catchment areas, so we are hopeful of filling dams. This is largely in New South Wales. I dont believe the Victorians are having such beneficence from the skies.

I recently watched a programme on the dreaded TV about a Citrus Orchardist, who was cutting down, & uprooting his beautiful Orange groves. Because of the drought, they were not allowed enough water to maintain the trees. They could buy water, at an enormous cost, which was far too prohibitive to sustain, either their fruit trees or their livelihoods. I could have wept as I watched this proud man, destroy the work begun by his father, who planted the wonderful trees.

The price they could get at market was the same price they had been getting for 7 years. The markup at Coles, Woolworths etc, was 2000% ! Yes, two thousand percent markup on what they paid the grower.

Then there was all the produce they couldnt sell. It was not the 'desired size'. There were large oranges, smaller oranges, all delicious fruit. All perfect. But they did not fit the size mould, required by the Supermarkets.

Crikey! Think about that! There may be a day coming soon, to a venue near you, when you wont fit the size requirement! You may not fit the colour requirement either! You may be too tall, too short. Too thin, too fat. Too sweet, too sour. Too wrinkled, too smooth. Your navel may be the wrong shape!! Or, like some oranges, you may have none!

What the Hell is the world coming to, when imperfect is null. Nature does not make "perfect" very often. Nature has a place for imperfect. A place for all shapes, all colours, all sizes, all creatures. Nature, basically, is all about imperfect.

What are we teaching our children, when all they see is uniform fruit, vegetables, loaves of bread, buns, biscuits, cuts of meat. Neat fillets of fish. Eggs, all of a uniform weight. Turkeys, neatly sized to suit every gathering.

Is this society encouraging individual beings.. or shaping, in sinister ways, little monsters, who will be future huge monsters for convenience of 'law & order', a society of sheep who will conform, & obey, & bow down to Authority.

I could carry this post on & on. Suggest the fruit be bought for other uses. Suggest educating people to accept the slightly over/undersized. The 'wrong' colours.

Then again, if we can't accept peoples of the world in all these variations, I suppose that is the ranting of a fool. The dream of an idiot.

I cannot help but think, about times of war. People would give anything for fruit- of any shape or size.

I am sure there are better minds than mine, who ponder these matters. I am sure there are many, who could offer some reasons for all of this.

Who will offer any solutions... or is it too late?

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Perhaps the rain has turned my thoughts dark. Who knows.

I keep thinking of a friend who went off to some 'Exhibition' & came to visit me, on her return. She was all excited, & presented me with a gift she had got for me. She told me, "I saw this, & knew it would be perfect for you".
On opening the gift, I was speechless, & not in a good way.

Has that ever happened to you?

I looked at the item, buckled & bent as it was, from the packaging, a creation of twisted wire & 'gem stones'.

I stuttered, "I don't know what to say!" It was true. I was so touched that she had thought of me.

I was fond of her. We shared many things in common. I just could not understand why she would have chosen such an item for me.

I felt so awful I got tears in my eyes. I just could not understand what part of me, she thought she had seen in the item.

As I hugged her, & thanked her, I just felt wretched.

We lost touch with each other when she moved to another State. I still wonder why she chose that particular object. I still feel guilty when I think of how I viewed it.

Has this ever happened to you?

Has this turned into a "Frog & Toad are Friends" post??
(My daughter knows exactly how I feel about this. She felt the same.)


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All was not doom & gloom today. We got some bargain books!
10 books for $5!! Too cheap not to buy, as American friend used to say!
two books for me, as I still have not read Memoirs of a Geisha, nor God of Small Things. The others, I have a feeling I have read Patricia Cornwell, but I will try it, in case I have missed it. And I will read Good Morning Midnight, as I always enjoy Dalziel & Pascoe.

These 3 books made up the numbers. We had only 7 books so I decided to get these to add to my craft library. After all, a girl can never have too many quilt books, right?
Nor too many Knitting stitches, or Embroidery ideas!

Ahhh, I miss those cold Christchurch nights knitting by the fire. Or huddled by the heater during the day.

Neil Diamond, September Song.

I just flatly refuse to discuss politics today! heheh.