Waffle and Writings!

Is a relaxing and rewarding activity,especially if the jam turns out well. I had just such an experience two days or more ago with apricots, BUT I have had a failure today with the fig jam that I was making. It failed dismally and a saucepan of stewed figs with about a 1/2 kilo of raw sugar will end up in the compost bin. Fat maggots, eh? This lady who visited me this afternoon, insists that the tree is sick and the fruit is rotten. I am not so sure. I would rather the opinion of an expert on a... Sign in to see full entry.

I have just read a few other blogs in the Spirituality and Religion section. Quite a scary exercise. I will not return to Soulbuilder aka Dave's Tips for Living which is probably a front for the National Front for Anti-Semites or the blog titled Shoot a Non Believer for JC. I am wondering if your subscription money goes to people's blogs if you don't comment - only read the page. There is a lot of hatred out there and it makes you wonder about the people writing such stuff. Why do people like to... Sign in to see full entry.

They strap on war equipment, Pick up weapons and ammunition, and Join friends since teenage years, Gather with their units. Another joyless reunion means, Many will return maimed, some draped in blue and white. But they will go out To defend their families, Still they will go out To defend their country, Against foes whose stony hearts fired by hatred and anger, Do not bleed for the cries of their own Children who are taught a creed of hate and a need for blood to flow; Whose eyes do not see... Sign in to see full entry.

We are all subject to bias or flawed judgements brought on by the influences that shaped us or impacted on our psyche through our dominant culture, family interactions and events during the earlier part of our lives. We either reject or take on values that are presented to us in our youth and this process continues throughout our life. Often we accept or modify values we earlier rejected or rebelled against because the situation calls for such acceptance or modification or we can see the... Sign in to see full entry.

What part does how we perceive ourselves and our ideal body image we carry around in our heads, have to play in self esteem? I had some interesting thoughts on the matter today. I was relaxing in the bath and thinking about how I perceived myself quite a few years ago - twenty to be exact. I remember that I always had a flat taut stomach and compared it to my now post child bearing belly that is quite rolly polly and flabby. I thought to myself that I should be disgusted at how I have let myself... Sign in to see full entry.

Please stop bashing Israel over the head over Aza. First the Palestinians must stop their bombings and rocket attacks on Israel. We are defending ourselves and for that we are being accused of all sorts of crimes. I abhor the signs calling this a holocaust. It is not. There is no comparison to the events in Europe more than sixty years ago. If you know your history, the Jewish populations in Poland, Germany, Austria and other European nations had contributed their knowledge and expertise in many... Sign in to see full entry.

Shavoua Tov or a Good Week to all. Here is the information on where I went for a week's holiday because of the goodness of a friend. I have included or tried to include some pictures of this very lovely town with its Federation architecture. Walhalla Walhalla Historic Township was one of Australia 's richest towns, and home to more than 4,000 people following the discovery of gold in the area in 1863. Ed Stringer first found gold in a fast-flowing creek, but it was the discovery of Cohen's Reef,... Sign in to see full entry.

Please take some time to reflect over the events of the past few weeks in the Middle East. Think about the position of Israel - a small nation of diverse people who have spent centuries preserving their religion and culture despite oppression and persecution. Sometimes we have lived peacefully side by side with other religions until the adherents of those religions have thought to make us assimilate and become 'like them' rather than retain our own unique character as a people. We do want peace... Sign in to see full entry.

While I was away, my two boarders, a 23 year old man and an older man of 57 years were left alone on the house. Nothing untoward happened as far as I could tell. However when I came downstairs last night just before midnight, there was a sickly sweet smell that assailed my nostrils as I came out of my door onto the landing of the stairs downstairs. It was smoke but more than cigarette smoke. There was a gaggle of people in the older man's room. I asked 'who has been smoking?' and the younger man... Sign in to see full entry.

Last Thursday I was rung by a friend who is more financial than I am and given the opportunity to go on a Jewish weekend retreat for seven nights and eight days in the Gippsland area of Victoria. Seeing as I have not had a decent holiday for two years plus, I jumped at the offer with gratitude undying in my heart. My last holiday was in August 2006 when I went up north to Qld to see my mother in Charleville. We drove in the morning for two and a half hours up to the town of Rawson near a place... Sign in to see full entry.