The Summer Calls

The aroma of slowly but surely ripening mangoes from Queensland permeates my house in summer.  Just as sure as the cool breezes from the ocean blow in after dinner time in Balgownie, these fruity sensations remind me of a childhood growing up in a tropical airy place, where seasonal fruits make up for the lack of changing climate seasons, and where the variety of such produce can also mean the fruits of long term labours.  It takes gestation periods, monsoonal changes and planning ahead to arrive at the grin on the faces of darkened fruit growers, their tan resulting from days walking on their orchards udner the intense equatorial sun.

Summer officially arrives on a Wednesday this year, but the last Saturday of November already gave a good show of what it can be. The sun was up too early, as expected, and I felt too excited for the day in chilling out and now feel so bad texting a mate so early. As I write this, there seems to be a synchronisation of temperatures up in the northern hemisphere - it is precisely minus one degree Celsius in Moscow, London and Toronto.  In contrast, the singlets, boardshorts and thin t-shirts of blokes and light fabric dresses of women underscore how fortunate and moderate Australian weather can be.  There can be the risk of bush fires flaring up, especially when one is not at home, and there was a strange smoky presence over Parramatta this afternoon - but otherwise it is a season of forgetting about schedules, laundry not drying or just about time itself.

End of year can also mean stocking up on favourite movies for the home or lazy afternnoons on trips away; waiting for cherries to reach just the right taste and maturity; re-affirming personally what it was that we were rushing at work for; pondering how electronic stuff for the lounge and kitchen seem to get cheaper, whilst petrol prices, gold and utilities get more costly; remembering to do the annual things like changing the water filter catridge; catching up with mates and relatives to show how much we appreciate them for their company, communciation and things they do for  the rest of the year; and throwing never used items to allow room for the new. It can offer a hiatus, but it can also be a time to look forward to the future.  Heck, it also means everyday one can feel the salt in  our faces and legs as the ocean winds cocoon us in a magical time.

Back to Parramatta for me and my mate today. There was a market day along Church Street Mall, with the ubiquitious stalls  offering almost the same things like in Windsor near the Blue Mountains last week. I could not resist the outlets with plants, and this time there was dear Gary with his bonsai-like creations of succulents and cacti on little lovingly made wooden holders. Okay I got three - a prayer plant, a bears foot and a miniature pine tree.  Okay, they are all names anyway - the miniature creations caught my eye.  I finally got to taste the curry laksa at Oriental Tucker along George Street - and they seem to have nice curries, snacks and desserts on offer as well. I got into summer mood and mode - do things unplanned, allow the delightful unexpected and after all, it already feels like what summer should be.

Oh yes, the mangoes.  They are R2E2 and not even related to the Star Wars trilogy. Such fruits are best eaten slurpy, with their nectar flowing easy and flesh melting in our mouths.  They complement the body heat from too much barbecue and keeping up with the sun.
Mangoes also reflect the essential spirit of summer - let it be, relish the juicy growth built up in the past year and enjoy the rewards.
We can let our hair down - and let the drool create a little mess.  We can take it easy with the clock, for sunset is late and tommorow is another day.  And make sure we create the postive childhood memories for the next generation - and our mates.

Forever Summer

Shellharbour Beach Dec 12, 2009

Motif on the walkway

Charlotte slice, Green Poppy Cafe, Addison Road, Shellharbour

Sitting on the edge of the bay, watching the tide come in

The Summer Gone By

As I write, it's two more weeks before the festive season here hits its crescendo, to be followed by endless hours of the annual chilling out sessions on beaches and barbecue pits all over the country. Annual report drafts are being written not only for the business, family and self, but also for profession, region, country and world. We spend so many hours devoting ourselves to business and work goals - have we achieved that? Are there things that are not durable - including relationships, consumables and those with a limited shelf life - that we have not already chucked out? Have we completed the more important items on our wish list? There is also the ritual of ensuring that annual tasks - be they renewals or reviews - have been worked through. As with the approach of major holidays in every country around the globe, the timeliness of services get delayed ("come back after January") or delivery of products not fulfilled. Whatever the hiccups in travel, commercial delivery or kpi attainment, the most satisfying fall-back option is to reflect on how the family has grown, how love has accumulated and how much nearer that we can be to reaching our dreams. And to be surrounded by friends and loved ones.

Sunday 9 December 2007 in Sydney and Wollongong was muggy, hot and overcast. That it was, until mid-afternoon, when the skies played havoc with the residents of the suburbs north-west of the cbd. Hailstones rained down in spectacular fashion across Castlehill, Baulkham Hills, Cherrybrook, Hornsby and Wahroonga, breaking car windscreens and making dents of every kind where they hit. In country NSW, around Lithgow, the New Years Eve fireworks came earlier than thought at Howard & Sons, where a supposedly unmanned set-off of the products destined for around Australia in January had produced a Saturday night show visible from 30km away, and which had the undesired effect of blowing out windows of nearby residential homes. Road rage copied in violent fashion on one of the Sydney main freeways, the M4, with an altercation involving around six men and the accompanying two women - one young man is in serious condition as we write. Unexpected developments came in the collapse of a wooden balcony in inner-city Surry Hills, resulting in five blokes injured, one badly. An Alsatian police dog named Carts was knifed by an 18 year old in an altercation in Corrimal, a suburb north of the Wollongong CBD - he was named after an honoured NSW police officer who was also killed in a crime incident. Finally, if you have some spare change, organisers are asking for AUD 830 for a night on Fort Denison under the stars and fireworks on New Year's Eve in Sydney Harbour - the price includes a four course meal, valet parking, champagne and open air ambiance.