Cogito ergo….

Hypothesis

What would it look like if a number of DLP idealists infiltrated both the Liberal Party and the Australian Labor Party and eventually found themselves in positions of power in both parties.  I think it would look exactly like politics in Australia today looks.  Just saying.

Apparently..

I write like
Ursula K. Le Guin

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I’m a sucker for this sort of thing so when I was visiting Daisy, I just had to find out who I wrote like. I’m afraid I haven’t read any of Ursula’s books – not being a huge sci-fi fan.

I have just finished reading the Millenium trilogy by the late Stieg Larsson – a rollicking good read although there are some very disturbing themes.

The family get-together that my daughter organised was simply delightful.  My 2 sisters and 2 brothers and their partners were there together with 11 of our 13 children and their partners and our 8 grandchildren.  My mum would have been proud to see us all together.

Solace on the Solstice

Here in the southern hemisphere, today is the Winter Solstice.  I always look forward to this day each year because it provides a great psychological boost.  I can han handle the cold in winter but I really miss the sunlight.Today the sun rose close to 7:15am and set a few minutes before 5pm.  And for the next 6 months the sun will rise earlier and set later.

A few years ago I started my own little tradition on the day of the Winter Solstice – the making of Chicken & Leek pies; real comfort food.  Below is tonight’s effort.

And while we’re in the kitchen, here’s the cake we made for my eldest granddaughter’s 2nd birthday – last month.

This coming weekend, I’ll be travelling to Sydney for a family gathering.  Last year many of us got together to celebrate my sister’s 60th birthday and my eldest daughter thought it would be grand to have a mid-year family gathering each year.  So, on Saturday, beloved ex and I will drive to Sydney along with my 3 daughters (with partners) and my five grandkids (plus baby bump of grandchild #6 due in October). 🙂  There we will catch up with my brothers and sisters and their familes.

December

Early each December I feel as if I am hurtling towards Xmas.  There’s an unfamiliar busy-ness to life as social commitments sometimes feel overwhelming.  So many friends and relatives have birthdays around this time of year and add to that the Xmas parties and shopping in very crowded spaces.  And yet I LOVE Xmas.  It is a time for celebrating with family.

We had our traditional Canberra get-together with all the Canberra clan.  The three youngest grandkids are 18-22 months old and surprised me by their selfishness.  Perhaps it’s a necessary stage of development but they were not interested in sharing.  Beloved ex had once again organised a grand, traditional feast and it was good to have B (my children’s cousin) attend with his new partner, K, and new child, Q.  B has been living in Canada for the last few years and will be heading back in a few weeks.  All 7 of Grandma and Poppa H’s grandchildren were present as were all 11 great grandchildren.  Who forgot the photo opportunity??

On Xmas morning I went to my youngest daughter’s home for breakfast.  My son in law did a fine job preparing a full breakfast for all 16 of us who attended.  For some reason, 4 yo Kman is obsessed with Indiana Jones and was runnung around the house sounding the theme song from Raiders of the Lost Ark and cracking his whip.

I then drove to Sydney to spend the afternoon and evening with my siblings and their families.  The rain was appreciated although it meant the pool and tennis court went unused.

Returning to Canberra, I had arranged for a nephew to come over and do some gardening for me.  Armed with a chain-saw and a mulcher, we got rid of a great many shrubby weeds that had found their way into my garden and which I had allowed to grow out of control.  There is still much work to be done.

I then headed down to Jervis Bay to spend some time at my sister’s.  I’m afraid that I have never seen the Bay so crowded.  But we managed to find uncrowded beaches for our daily swims, went to the Art Gallery at the Lady Denman Museum to see the latest exhibition, caught up with friends.  And relaxed and read.  I’m currntly reading Richard Flanagan’s Wanting and he makes me chuckle at times.

New Year’s Eve was celebrated firstly at B & S’s home and then we moved on to H’s home for more festivities. B is recovering from a heart attack and so we left at around 9:30pm when he appeared to be getting really tired.  H was hosting a party for my sister’s gym group and their partners.

A pleasant end to a pleasant year.

There was more controversy in the glbti community during the month when a new contributor to the Bilerico Project decided he would use his first column to deny the existence of trans folk.  Some cis folk seem to have trouble with the concept of gender identity.  They assume that their gender identity is directly linked to what is between their legs.  They believe their gender identity is a consequence of what is between their legs.  Most people are very fortunate to have a gender identity that matches their genitalia. Those of us whose gender identity does not match the genitalia we were born with do not need privileged folk telling us our condition does not exist.