Forget any prejudices about Country and Western - I love this - hear it almost every morning about 5am on the radio - there is an Australian Movie with this in it called "Prime Movers" which I am trying to track down - have learnt something with age - not to be snobbish about music - if it makes you laugh, stirs you in any way what soever, be it Mozart, Lennon, Neil young, Melanie Safka, Mick Dagger, Johnny Cash or Louis Armstrong - if it touches you its good n matter what others may think - this makes me smile because believe it true love is like this full of negatives which if endured long enough become positives...thats what i think any way.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5axlwCBXC8

I loved this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIlQsRQNIqU&feature=related

and this one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRb1h989_jk&NR=1


Take it as just fun - made me smile for some reason..old hick that I am

A letter written about a week plus back trying to get some response from the new health minister - no luck - but a friend put to me the idea that if hospitals took as much responsibility in not covering up as the aviation industry does things might improve rather than get worse. A couple of horrific deaths in the weekend's news.

18/9/11
 Dear Editor,
 In 1995 statistics were reported that at least 18,000 Australians died as a result of medical error. None of these deaths would have occurred had there been no error. They were avoidable deaths. As well there were over 300,000 Australians injured, many permanently. It is estimated that in 2011 those sad statistics are much higher due to population increase and the general running down of the Australian public health system.

 Whatever the reasons for so many tragic and avoidable outcomes, whether it’s too long hours, short staffing, laziness, attitude, lack of hygiene or an unaccountable and expensive top heavy bureaucracy, almost without exception the authorities have to be dragged unwillingly to even begin investigation. Investigation is usually begun by grieving and traumatised relatives who have to, often at huge financial and emotional cost drive any investigation by bludgeoning the authorities with evidence they have gathered order to highlight the travesty of medical care which has injured or killed our loved one. Not one other death or injury in any other “system” inside Australia is treated this way.

Compare this to the Aviation Industry and Authorities. Every single incident reported; every accident and certainly every death is meticulously investigated by the authorities. The pilots and company involved will go to great lengths to find the cause, rectify it and ensure it is not repeated and if death or injury is caused then provide justice and compensation for those killed or injured. Imagine the outcry if over 18,000 people were killed per annum in plane crashes within Australia. Imagine that on top of this, over 300,000 people were severely injured, many permanently in these crashes.

 Please explain to me why the deaths caused by plane crashes - or even road accidents – are perceived as more traumatic to relatives than those caused because of the “health” system. The days and weeks of watching those we love brutalised till they are badly maimed or killed as in my husband Don’s case leaves loved ones scarred and traumatised.

Surely the Government, the Health Department, the Health Care Complaints Commission, the Australian Medical Association and the NSW Nurses Association would choose to be at least as responsible and caring as those investigating aviation issues causing death and injury and not act to cover up as they generally do. In 2008 Andrew Stoner, then in Opposition tabled my Petition in NSW Parliament. My Petition signed by 2000 local people asked that an Independent Inquiry be held into the death of my husband Don Mackay as a result of his treatment in a major Sydney Hospital.

In late July 2011 I wrote to Mrs Leslie Williams now MP for Port Macquarie asking for this Independent Investigation. Then in early August I wrote a letter to Ms Jillian Skinner the NSW Health Minister which I spoke about at the NSW Cabinet meeting here in early August in Port Macquarie asking for that investigation and also an investigation into Health Care Complaints Commission’s handling of my husband’s treatment and death. Ms Skinner responded to the Port Macquarie News that there would be no investigation. She told them she would write back to me within the month and respond.

 It is now September 18th and I have heard nothing. Nothing leads me to believe that any improvements have been made and that others have not been killed as my husband was, because nothing has changed from what I can see. The same attitudes prevail and that is the crux of the problem. Without honest investigation the death and injury rate can only climb, and the cost to those such as our family is immeasurable.

Happy Birthday Melissa!
Just back from Sydney and got to spend some time with my lovely eldest daughter. 
MMMM Pressies to open - looks a lot but we always wrap every single thing up separately and with much ribbon and sticky tape - maybe to annoy but makes it more fun.







1st uncork the Champagne.




























2nd Put the undies on your head your mother gave you??? 
































3rd Put the hat on your head that your mother gave you.




























4th have a bit of a top up - its your birthday




























Melissa and Chris




















Melissa and I - we didn't have a tripod for the camera so had it on books - hence heads at table level.


A happy day with good company and close to my daughter. It is our youngest's soon and will get to be with her on that day...broke but happy

Back home now - I spent some days with my daughter for her birthday. But have a look at these sunset photos I took just before I left. (click on them to see them better). The whole side of the sky was just drenched in gold - its not often you see something like this from your own back yard and it only lasted for the briefest moment - need to do a bit of a blog catch up which hopefully i will get to this afternoon - am helping a friend move out of her flat - having a van always comes in handy for moving things.

No Regrets.
I have no regrets in my life at all. There are no major decisions I have made, which if made differently would have affected my life to make it better. I was born under a big blazingly hot, bright blue sky to happily tolerant people. I was able to have time to be myself and loved for this, even my choice to run away from boarding school turned out for the better. I got to know my father in that last year before he was killed. A precious lifelong gift. 


 And there was the time when I sat above a cliff near Merewether at seventeen so depressed with what I thought was a broken heart that I determined to kill myself but didn’t and hey look at the wild ride that followed – that ride my life, my life with no regrets. I love my life. I love the happiness I feel not because of certain things but often in spite of them. The sun slithers up the curve of the horizon on the new day and despite any darkness the night time dreams may have bent my being down with, this day is new. I am on the right side of the grass. I have a life to live and it’s my duty to this Universe and the God who made it to turn my face towards that sun, walk out in the misty dawn and just be happy. 
(aged about 18 - the year Don and I met - glad I didn't jump off that cliff - the car was a Hillman Minx and we bought it for $142)
 I may and I do grieve for loss. I may yearn for my daughters to live closely. I may be angry at a useless unaccountable system we live under. I may wish for the light footedness of childhood but in my heart I am happy. I do not have the light-footedness of childhood but I have childhood’s light-heartedness and no regrets at all about the life I have lived up to date. 

The death of my own old man kangaroo.
A while back I posted some photos of a big old male Eastern grey Kangaroo who had taken up position in my home paddock. This kangaroo did not give way to anybody, neither truck nor car nor certainly not me walking about - and I sensed a bit of territorial aggression towards me from him - so was always cautious to not intrude nor go between he and the female kangaroos. Over the months I got used to him and I thin he accepted me although I didn't put this to the test - no matter how cute people think wildlife is it is wild and best left alone. Especially one with claws like this and a good six inches taller then me.

Then about two weeks ago I noticed he was eating grass while resting a lot on his front paws. He seemed to be moving closer and closer to the house and I could see his right paw looked broken. Another big male seemed to be often in the paddock with him - I never saw them fight but I think the old one lost his position. I called Fawna and they were ready to send someone around to put him down (shoot him) but he seemed to still want to eat and until he looked like he was suffering I decided to leave nature alone.

Then he seemed to improve and seemed to be upright more often. One day he was gone and I figured he had been chased away as the other big male was often seen lying exactly where he used to lay down.

On Wednesday late in the afternoon i had a call from the real Estate Agent = she was bringing people around the next morning to see the house - ok by me. I thought I had better have a look about in the sheds etc just to make sure no rats or anything had again invaded - just behind my house (close)  there are two lock up sheds and two lean to's. As I got near one of the lean to's that I hadn't needed to go into for a while - I smelt something bad - Inside the lean to was the corpse of my old kangaroo - just becoming rotten and blown up.

I could see he had spend a time in there as the dirt floor was tamped down and scratched - but at least he was out of the elements - I had no idea he would have come this close to a human dwelling - but he must have felt safe there.

Dilemma - what to do? This kangaroo weighed more than many adult human beings and was not in a nice condition - potential buyers coming in the morning!! Luckily a friend called in and offered to tie the poor thing to his tow bar and drive him over into the far corner of the adjacent paddock. I warned him how wet it was over there and likely to get bogged. The smell as he started to drive was incredible about the worst I have come across in my life.

Coming on dark - you guessed it he got bogged only feet away from the dead and smelly kangaroo - nothing we did could free the car - so called another friend with a 4WD and we got out - I was very grateful!

Early next morning I though I could still smell the dead kangaroo so thought I had better check the shed out. I was nearly sick! There underneath where he had been was an enormous pile of maggots, fur and other stuff - the prospective buyers only a short while away! So my garden rake flicked most of it away into the bushes - all the while I am fighting being sick. Still there was a very damp spot in the dirt which stank to high heaven - so all I could think to do was to get a wheelbarrow and fill it with dirt to cover the spot - then flick a few leaves so it looked "natural" and smelled sweet.

Who said women couldn't do stuff??? I admit that no matter how many washes and showers it seemed to take about 2 days before I didn't imagine I could smell it on my hands, in my hair - my face felt horrible - anyone who has dealt with supper smelly dead things will know what i mean.

And it appears that these potential buyers are interested - made all the better because Don liked the husband and used to trade jokey emails - he had been out here a few times. I took straight away to his wife and I hope and pray that this couple do take it up because they are suited to the place and are nice people -something I always hoped for.

And now that I have my yard back - I realise how much I miss his presence laying out under the Macadamia Nut tree, or sprawled near the Lili Pilli we planted over Thorn (the red kelpie). Sure I can actually walk about in the front bit but it was so nice to come out in the early morning and watch him through the sun strobed mist.