Yee har!

Yep, the country music has come to town......however it is fun, and some of the sights - oh, my goodness.  We know it's been hot (very hot indeed, actually; the severe heatwave conditions this week have been making life difficult) but perhaps not so much bare flesh hanging out would have been nice.

We have attended a couple of concerts and spent quite a bit of time sitting chatting with our musical guest, putting the world to rights.  He leaves tomorrow, and he has presented us with some tasty Stuff for drinking - Baileys for me, Irish whiskey for Kevin - to remember him by.

Our Tuesday night gig went off better than we hoped, but I still don't like playing outdoors.  Over the years I have had my share of music stands blowing over in the wind, music blowing off stands, insects buzzing around, rain storms forcing the event to be cancelled even while performing, the one and only electrical plug for all the sound gear being accidentally pulled out of the socket, freezing cold winds, you name it, I have played in it.  It was windy on Tuesday so I suppose we were lucky that our stands didn't blow over, I managed to grab mine a few times just before it fell.  Oh well, the audience liked us.  If we sign up for that gig again I will be investing in a heavy duty music stand; I have folding stands one of which is heavier than the others, I nearly took it.....of course 20 minutes out of town it was breezier than here at home so I should have done so.....we'll know better next time.

Very few stitches have been taken this week, and most of them were on Tuesday during my regular volunteer shift at a gallery.  It's always interesting at the gallery during country music time because we gat a lot of visitors from other parts of Australia (and occasionally even overseas), and this week there has been music.  I was lucky enough to be able to listen to a wonderful gallery concert by some local performers I hadn't heard before, although I had heard of them.

With nothing to show for the week, let's see what we can find in the picture vaults.

On Friday we celebrated Australia Day.  While many people like the idea of having a national day there are also people who feel that it marks a day when the land now called Australia was invaded by Europeans to the detriment of the indigenous population, so there is a growing cry every year to "change the date".  Well......yes, and no; changing to another date will not erase the fact that invasion and its consequences happened, which seems to be the thinking of many people.  "If we celebrate on another date it won't be celebrating an invasion" they seem to think.  Ah....no, I don't think it works like that.....

Regardless of which date is celebrated, Australia is the best country in the world - because we have wombats!  This little feller was the first in my collection, over 25 years ago.

I was visiting my mother here in the Small Smoke a couple of years before she died (25 years this August, which is how I know the wombat's age) when we stopped for a cuppa at a long-gone café/gift shop/plant nursery, and this wombat called to me.  I succumbed to the call, and so began an interesting - still ongoing - collection.

Taken on an autumn day when we were paused for roadworks, while travelling the Mid Western Highway between Cowra and Bathurst.  We were on our way home from Canberra.

So peaceful......

Very few stitches were made, but plinking and singing was done.  Words were read.  Many words were spoken and listened to, many cuppas consumed, with our musical friend.  Out we go for the hunting and gathering, and so passes another week.

However, I do have hopes to achieve something - anything! - this coming week.

Continuing with Etiquette of Public Places, Conduct in Church.  We will combine two, as both are short.

"It is courteous to see that visitors are provided with books, and if the service is strange to them, the places for the day's reading should be indicated.

It is perfectly proper to offer to share the prayer-book or hymn-book with a stranger if there is no separate book for his use."

Yes, indeed.  It is easy to lose one's place during the service when one is unfamiliar with its form.

Enjoy your days!

Jennifer