MANNERS AND OTHER MATTERS

The beach at Guilderton, Western Australia, February 2013 (photo LP ) I have spent a few days recently at my beachhouse studying my French lessons, but more specifically the “wonderful world” of French pronouns in all their various guises. Pronouns, both in English and French are fraught with difficulty and having an afternoon cooking yesterday, while simultaneously watching a cable cooking channel, I was annoyed by the number of presenters who used " we" when speaking to their television audience: "Now we take our eggs, break them into our bowl..."  We, the audience, are not there with the presenter; they are joined by a camera operator, lighting operator and others to assist in their presentation, none of whom are helping with the actual cooking process. By the time "We are now plating our meal..." was announced, I was so removed from the whole experience that irrespective of how delightful the menu appeared, I was distracted and uninter...

Mother and son... The Australian newspaper this morning ran a front page article about the Generation Y who are still residing at home.  It was complemented by an excellent article written by the demographer, Bernard Salt. We parents of KIPPERS (Kids in Parent’s Pockets Eroding Retirement Savings) are allowing this new phenomenon which, according to Salt ,“is one of the most powerful social forces to have shaped modern Australian households…” He is suggesting that it is not only the cost of housing which is the driving force, but the fact that many of us do not mind our children’s partners “staying over”.  In the late 1970’s when I left school, my friends and I also left home…to University college or to shared flats with friends, or overseas for a gap year which was spent well away from the prying eyes of our parents. It was a right of passage to get our driver’s licence at 17 and move out at 18 when we could legally vote…and drink alcohol in public p...

(C) Nouvelles Images S.A. Jean-Michel Labat et Florence Rouquette 2006 My daughter has become a mother for the first time in the past year and is having another baby at the end of the year. For any mother, or father, this is a time of happiness...and reflection  The changing nature of one's child's journey through life encourages thoughts of the past...of  a little girl growing up,  always organised and forward thinking..."Where is our next adventure Mumma?  What are we going to do in our next holiday break?  Mumma I'm going on Rotary Exchange to Japan for two months...Mumma  I ruptured my anterior cruciate ligament skiing in Japan, but I'm not coming home yet... Mumma I am going to go to East Timor as a volunteer with my University, just after the UN arrives,  to teach English at a remote school with the little children...Mumma I'm going to America on University Exchange...Mumma I bungee jumped into Acapulco Bay for my 21st birthday...Mumma...

Teresa in the island's beautiful church (photo LP) Yesterday I received the following letter from a young woman who lives on one of the most remote islands in the world, Pukapuka, in the Northern Cook Islands in the Pacific Ocean.  I was fortunate to meet her and stay in her house during the infamous voyage on  SV Discovery   through the Suwarrow National Marine Park and other islands in the region in May 2011. Teresa's letter Prior to our departure I asked Edwina (Teresa to us) what she would like me send her from Australia. The island is regularly short of what we would regard as ordinary staples like rice, sugar, flour and medical supplies. The island " supermarket" with empty shelves (photo LP) But what Teresa particularly wanted for her family were vegetable and fruit seeds.  The islanders are largely restricted in their choice and eat mainly taro, every islander has their own small patch of soil in which to grow it, and coconut. ...

I read an interesting article this morning in The West Australian newspaper about manners and the mobile phone. The journalist had canvassed a range of smartphone users, of all ages,  and asked for their comments about the use of their phones.  The article advised that "global studies have linked excessive mobile phone use to everything from depression and insomnia to loneliness and poor social skills."   The journalist suggested that for most people a mobile phone is "more than either a convenient gadget or a psychological disorder waiting to happen - it is a way of life". Later in the day a friend sent me an email which included all the photos in this post...the author and photographers are unknown.  They say that every picture tells a story... A visit to the Museum or Art Gallery I travel extensively and I have noticed that the use of mobile phones, in lieu of, and in situ with, face-to-face conversations has become more and more obviou...

Sydney Harbour 1 January 2013 (photo abc.net.au) I have decided this year to make New Year  'íntentions' rather than 'resolutions' and this quote by Albert Einstein, I think, says it all: Learn from yesterday Live for today Hope for tomorrow. I hope that 2013 for you will be filled with love, laughter, happiness, good health, opportunities...and good luck.

My phone/camera is always with me... Christmas is over, and New Year celebrations are pending. Like thousands of people, I have taken tens of photos over the Festive Season so far, some with my iPhone and others with my camera and quite a few have been uploaded to my Facebook page so that I can share them with friends, near and far. An uploaded photo to Facebook...to be shared only with "friends" I read a news report yesterday  in the West Australian newspaper, and quoting The Telegraph. about the sister of Facebook chief, Mark Zuckerberg,  Randi, being tripped up by the company’s privacy setting.  According to Associated Press, a picture that Randi posted on her personal Facebook profile was seen by a marketing director who then posted the picture to Twitter and her more than 40,000 followers. Randi then tweeted that the picture was meant for friends only and that posting the private picture on Twitter was “way uncool”:  The marketing director...