I love a sunburnt country, A land of sweeping plains, Of rugged mountain ranges, Of droughts and flooding rains.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons ......

Australia has suffered its first death by "water rage" as the country confronts its seventh year of crippling drought. Although this info is now front page news in Sydney Australia, it will hardly affect the outcome of our problem. Like most families we are still able to shower once or twice per day, but it is the time spent under the shower which is most important, water saving shower heads to me are a waste of time, more than water saving, seems to me the restricted shower heads take more than twice as long to remove the suds and leave you with that incomplete feeling, whereas a strong jet of water cleans far quicker notably in less than half of the time the trickler uses plus it leaves one with a satisfying fresh feeling.

The grey water from our family washing machine is used to water the garden and lawns. Occasionly the final rinse water is saved for cleaning the cars and boat, although it is permissable to use the domestic water supply for this purpose, we may only use a unrestricted
number of buckets of water; not a hose. (Using the hose to effectively clean the car uses far less water than the bucket method,) but not so according to the Boneheads of the Water Board.
Strict water restrictions have already provoked countless neighbourhood feuds, but this is the first time someone has lost their life over the increasingly precious resource.
Ken Proctor, 66, was watering his lawn with a hose in a suburban Sydney street when a passer by, Todd Munter, 36, made a remark about him wasting water.
Mr Proctor then turned the hose on Munter, drenching him and provoking a fight.
The younger man attacked him, pushing him to the ground while kicking and punching him.
Mr Proctor suffered a massive heart attack and died in hospital.
Munter was tackled by two passers-by, including an off-duty policeman.
The incident happened around 5.30pm on Wednesday, meaning the retiree was well within his rights to be watering his lawn.
Under Sydney's tough water conservation regulations, using a hose is allowed on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10am and after 4pm.
Munter appeared in a Sydney court charged with murder.
He appeared distraught as he sat in the dock and faces a potential maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
He was denied bail and was remanded in custody until Nov 15.
Mr Proctor is "a real knockabout sort of bloke" who had recently become a grandfather.
The drought, the worst for at least a century, has left much of Australia a parched dust bowl.
More than three-quarters of New South Wales is in drought, while neighbouring Victoria has declared 100 per cent of its farmland to be affected.
The "big dry" has concentrated Australians' minds on global warming, making it a key issue among voters as the country heads for a federal election on November 24.

Restrictions on the use of water in Sydney
Hand-held hosing of lawns and gardens and drip irrigation is now allowed only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 am and after 4 pm No other watering systems or sprinklers are to be used at any time. A permit is required to fill pools bigger than 10,000 litres No hosing of hard surfaces including vehicles at any time No hoses or taps to be left running unattended, except when filling pools or containers Fire hoses must only be used for fire fighting purposes - not for cleaning.

So its tough going; well not really for my family. We were weaned on water restrictions over the period of more than two years when expats living in Hong Kong many years ago, when the water supply was turned on for three hours every four days. the average consumption was 9 imp Gals or 40 litres per person per day. (True no kidding)

"No worries mate, we all smelled the same".

Comments

Unknown said…
hmm.. interesting article.. this water problem.. will take a lot of time to be solved...
btw really nice blog..
Vest said…
Since writing this post it has done nothing else but rain, I threw several buckets of wash/mach water over the cars and the rain did the rest.
Anonymous said…
is it true u guys use only paper and no water?
Vest said…
As an after thought maybe you non strayan's might like a gander at this.

My Country. Ausralia.

The love of field and coppice
Of green and shaded lanes,
Of ordered woods and gardens
Is running in your veins.
Strong love of grey-blue distance,
Brown streams and soft, dim skies
I know, but cannot share it,
My love is otherwise.

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of rugged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror
The wide brown land for me!

The stark white ring-barked forests,
All tragic to the moon,
The sapphire-misted mountains,
The hot gold hush of noon,
Green tangle of the brushes
Where lithe lianas coil,
And orchids deck the tree-tops,
And ferns the warm dark soil.

Core of my heart, my country!
Her pitiless blue sky,
When, sick at heart, around us
We see the cattle die
But then the grey clouds gather,
And we can bless again
The drumming of an army,
The steady soaking rain.

Core of my heart, my country!
Land of the rainbow gold,
For flood and fire and famine
She pays us back threefold.
Over the thirsty paddocks,
Watch, after many days,
The filmy veil of greenness
That thickens as we gaze…

An opal-hearted country,
A wilful, lavish land
All you who have not loved her,
You will not understand
though Earth holds many splendours,
Wherever I may die,
I know to what brown country
My homing thoughts will fly.

Note.
This cherished timeless poem speaks to the core of the Australian heart with its line "I love a sunburnt country".

Leave a comment.
VEST.
Vest said…
Yes I know I left a 't' out of AUStRALIA "So what".
Vest said…
WALLY IQ-46 emailed me to indicate I misspelt Australia.
Wally must still have that candle burning in his head from halloween.
Vest said…
Shashi: thank you for calling and likewise the compliment. I have also replied on your blogsite.
Anonymous said…
Hmm I love the poem. Very true of Ozzie, where I once lived for several years. Feast or famine land. Shame someone has to go and lose their life over such a stupid argument ... esp as the rain comes back again! Very sad.
Anonymous said…
For a Pommie to express such endearing accolades for Australia his adopted country, brings my eyes a-watering. in North Sydney the rain kept up for 40 hours and now we have returned to clear blue skies. Mike.
Vest said…
LDL Mike: I live in such a way that I would not be ashamed to sell my parrot to the town gossip.

Aggie: Not only beautiful but a lover of poetry too.X. I haven't dabbled into poetry a great deal on the blog site. I have been intrigued for a long time over "Gray's elegy written in a country churchyard". Many places in England have laid claim to it being their churchyard. Written long after the English Civil War. It describes the location of the Yew trees and the brook running by the rear of the church. It also mentions the name Hampden in one verse.(John Hampden 1594-1643 cousin of Oliver Cromwell 1599-1658)It being the case that Hampden mortally wounded at the battle of 'Chalgrove Field', sought sanctuary in the 1,000 year old St Mary's Church, and died ten miles away at 'Thame' eight days later may be the proof of the pudding.
BTW, the name on my adopted parents house at Monument road in Chalgrove was 'Chalgrove Field". So it seems until we are able to establish an after death communication thingy, we will never know the truth.

Thanks everyone for calling.
Vest said…
Vest has left a new comment on your post "An Excerpt From a different part of our Strange Wo...":

Aiz: Thank you for your illuminating comment, it is rare for someone like yourself to take the time and trouble to expand my knowledge.
It is true when you say; westerners have preconceived notions in their approach to Eastern cultures, more is the pity that the reversal can be applied.
Apart from persons likened to yourself, the ratio of informed people in Eastern communities is much less than that of the west, meaning they have shortcomings within their education programs.
The problem lies with the propagators of slanderous untruths perpetuated by the myriad of unsubstantiated religious beliefs offered by the world faith industry in order to maintain order and bring succour to ignorant believers that the non idyllic life hereafter is indeed fact.

Please call again. It seems I have no access to your blog site.
Jim said…
Hi VEST

We need you
You are chosen to represent your country in our international blog
WUB (World United Bloggers)

The aim of this blog is to prove to the world that differences in language, religion,race and nationality do not make us hate each other and we can make this world better if we express our opinions with respect to others.

If you agree to join us please send e-mail with your nick name , age , country and your blog address to sabydasouza@yahoo.com

where you will be sent an activation mail which makes you entitled to contribute in WUB, your name as one of the contributor will automatically be updated.

Please read the rules before you start any posting in WUB where you will also find the aims of this WUB.
Thanks

saby
moderator of indian continent
www.worldub.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Vest said…
Thank you for the invitation to represent Australia at W U B.
I shall not write about what I am actually thinking of at this moment, apart from the fact my ego is bursting at the seams.
As you say. The aim of W U B is to prove to the world that, differences in Race, Religion or Nationality, do not make us hate each other and we can make this world better if we express our opinions with respect to others.

Well loosely speaking (If you get my drift) the Word 'Hate' is not a word common to me; I Never use it.
The 'Hate' word conjours up an image of the person using it being intolerant - unbending or simply put;. just plain dogmatic. a word slightly less harsh, but one which can be graduated to fit the clash of opinion is 'Dislike', particularly when a silly remark is offered in lieu of a practical suggestion by someone intent on being disruptive to the matter on hand. I hope you were able to follow that which I have explained.
The word hate or hatred should not be used, it is too permanent and it could come back to bite you.
Keshi said…
Im so careful with water now...I dun even make my 2nd coffee for the day hehe.

Keshi.
Vest said…
Keshi: You can pop in for a coffee any time,xxx.gorgeous person.
Jim said…
OK
so join now VEST

we need someone at WUB who is older (and wiser) than me

mail your acceptance to sabydasouza@yahoo.com

do it for me VEST
i get bonus points for roping u in

besides u r Sir VEST
more bonus points\

if u need more persuasion
the green eyed girl NOUSHY u fell for is VP of WUB
Anonymous said…
anon we do use paper and water sometimes and sometimes people like you

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