The back roads of Drysdale

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On Saturday Peceli and I drove along the roads and lanes between Wallington and Drysdale where there are many large trees and even a pine forest where Barwon Water have a catchment. Pine trees beat silver/white/grey cones any day! Then we had a rest at a little lake near Drysdale.  The Belllarine Peninsular is an interesting mix of landscapes, from pockets of wildness to the carefully landscaped vineyards and large gardens used for wedding receptions. 

Lights in Geelong

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Last night

about 10 p.m. we drove around the city to look at the lit-up City Hall exterior - it was static this time but in a video I saw there were kangaroos jumping, flowers falling, birds flying. Then we drove to Cunningham Pier to park and watch the lights on THAT TREE. There weren't thousands of people there this time. I've decided it's too late to complain about the cost of $1 million for the tree (for five years) and to accept that it is there, and it's a good conversation opener with strangers in a supermarket line!

Book club group at the Elephant and Castle

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The Elephant and Castle pub usually has youngish ragers and plenty of noise, but yesterday our quiet little book reading group had a Christmas breakup there at lunch-time.  We didn't talk much about books this time.  This hotel has two fine photographic exhibitions on at present - upstairs an exhibition of mainly black and white photos of the Beatles, and downstairs a selection of images of mainly people.  One of the owners of this hotel was once a papparazzi in English so many of his photos are on display. He's now the Geelong Mayor!

Farewell Monsignor Murray

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A fine leader from Geelong, Monsignor James Murray, has passed away and his funeral will be held today at St Mary's Basilica. We found him to be a gentle friend, a fine thinker with a passion for justice and inclusion. He was interested in people, knew your name, listened.

MURRAY, Monsignor James. The Members of Geelong Interfaith Network express our gratitude, our love and our esteem for Monsignor James Murray, our founding chairperson, who embodied the inclusive love which is at the heart of The Divine.

(in The Age) MURRAY Monsignor James
A priest whose ministry gave birth to new forms of life for his church in ecumenical and interchurch relations, a man of indefatigable zeal for the cause of justice, and a giant among pastors who laboured in the service of his flock until the day of his death at the age of 90. God grant rest now to this loyal and humble servant of the church. 
- The Leahy family  

For his story, go to http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/…/story-fnjuhovy-122713…

another Christmas idea for Geelong

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Note to the Geelong Mayor: Here is an idea for Christmas 2015 - Geelong bicycle paths given a make-over - start with a path through Eastern Park especially through the pine trees near the golf club.

Solar-Powered Glowing Bicycle Path In Netherlands Inspired By Van Gogh’s Starry Night

Dutch artist and designer Daan Roosegaarde has created a beautiful and innovative glowing bike path that, when illuminated at night by glowing pebbles...

BOREDPANDA.COM

Geelong's Bling Christmas Tree

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We drove along the Waterfront today on the way home and I took a few pictures of the local Mayor's bling Christmas tree which has many locals in a spin and some admirers. Tonight it will be lit up and hopefully beautiful. So far it is a white cone in the sky above Corio Bay.  However our Geelong waterfront area is nice and tidy and good for a stroll.

 And at night it looks pretty as the lights and colours are moving, but as some people say it is underwhelming after all the fuss.  Go the the following website for a video of the tree but switch off the pathetic music that goes with it.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-11-22/lights-on-for-geelong-million-dollar-christmas-tree/5911280

and Giddy-up of course!

From bark to rocks

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Yesterday, when returning from Altona Meadows I took a photo at the Avalon petrol and rest stop of a tree shedding bark and then made a few more images by mainly overlapping. The bark seemed to turn to rocks.

Exploring Clifton Springs

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Intending to find Coriyule, we were blocked by a road re-development so couldn't get there so instead we drove around the new developments of Clifton Springs with so many new houses on the go, parks and children's

playgrounds already in place and some Aboriginal design sculpture and art work.  But where are the jobs for all the new residents I wonder.  It's going to be a massive town - Drysdale/Clifton Springs though there are no real beaches, only cliffs which seem to be wearing away. On the way home we called in at the Moolap Tennis Courts where our boys were playing tennis.  I'm trying to find the history of these buildings - the one at the back is used now as a tennis club but years ago they used the headmaster's house of the nearby primary school.  Is the one in front an old Methodist Church perhaps?

Our self-promoting mayor

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A video depicting Geelong as a place of zombies with the colourful clown of a mayor riding into town to change things is just one more self-promotion for Darryn Lyons. The Geelong Advertiser writer certainly thinks so.  Geelong has many things going for it - empty shops do not tell the whole story. In the marketing video which cost nearly $40,000 there's no references to our tertiary institutions, our senior citizens, and that Geelong as a safe place to raise a family, and our many schools. Life is not the fluff that is depicted in the video  - mainly of young adults in restaurants and dancing. Go to http://www.geelongadvertiser.com.au/news/opinion/editorial-zombie-imagery-an-insult-to-us-all/story-fnjuhr1j-1227115152035  and http://www.geelongreinvented.com.au/

THE new tourism video will ignite a firestorm of debate.

With its images of the people of Geelong as zombies in “Sleepy Hollow” until the arrival of Mayor Darryn Lyons, many will be wondering “what was that all about’’.

Some will say this tourism video has “cut through’’, will be well watched and generate plenty of hits online, and that makes it a success.

Well, we disagree. Generating hits is not the measure of success for a tourism video.

Getting people to visit here will be the definition of its success.

And after seeing that video it is hard to see how it can be seen as anything but a vehicle to promote Mayor Darryn Lyons.

ZOMBIES APPEAR IN TOURISM VIDEO
But even more concerning is that this video portrays Geelong prior to the arrival of Mayor Lyons as a defeated, broken city where we, as citizens, were the living dead.

That is wrong. That is demeaning. That is an insult to every person in this city, to the 200,000 plus people who call this city home.

We are not zombies.

Not the Melbourne Cup

From a country garden in Greendale

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I took some photos at my brother's home in Greendale - we were there for his 70th birthday, and then played around with the images a bit.  The house is set in natural Australian bush, eucalypts mainly, but there are also Australian native flowering plants. My sister-in-law also decorates her home with seedpods, stones, and objects from nature which have lovely colours and textures.