Driver Training

Alex and I completed the Driver Training and Recovery modules of the Toyota Land Cruiser Club over the weekend.
Rain, frost, fires, mud - it was a hoot.
If I get 10 spare mins I'll edit up some of the other picks and vids and but raw stuff is here

Stripper on the rock

To climb or not to climb.

I'm a geologist - I've made my living through understanding the very earth that makes this country, the past life, fossils, and earth shaping events that have changed it over billions of years.
Tho genetically I'm ultimately from the UK, my great great grandparents were born here. The atoms that make my body are from the wheat and sheep and other plants that grow and graze on this land.
I am made of Australia.
I am Australian.
Aboriginals are no more connected to the land than I and have no greater claim than I.
It is my rock too.

And I wish to climb it. For me it is a near spiritual experience - to look out over the vast desert it commands and be Australian.

This chick's behavior insults the grandeur of the place and is disrespectful to everyone. However, the argument that the rock should not be climbed is still not valid. The rock is symbolically important to European and all other Australians as well.

Whatever Aboriginal Australian's my wish we are here to stay now. We are 'sorry' but we can't apologise for being here - we to have sacred sites to which we make our pilgrimages in ways appropriate to our culture and identity.
Aboriginal Australia needs to come to terms with the fact that locking people out of picturesque and majestic places will not engender non-aboriginal people with a will to protect and conserve our fragile landscape.

Stuff white peopel like

So we recently joined a different $x$ club. Nothing against the old club, just that this new one is for people with bigger cars. The Toyota Land Cruser Club is the biggest in Oz, they do heaps of stuff and happen to own some great land not far out of Sydney. This should make it easier to get the kids used to camping without having to drive for-ev-ah to get out into the proper bush.

We joined a few months ago as provisional members but to become a full member you have to complete their driver training course. The theory section was last Monday and this weekend we head away for the practical. Two days of track driving and vehicle recovery.
I'm hoping too that we meet some like minded people. Memo too self - Don't be a know all kunt.

I just fitted an an awning to the alloy roof basket: the idea being to be able to quickly set up a rain or sun shelter for a brief stop or a big undercover area.

Overnight temps in Goulburn near to where we are going are dipping below freezing. Pack a warm jacket me thinks.

Irony

Shallow cut and past caz I'm shallow and tired and just don't give a shit tonight and have to go to a 5 year olds ballet concert tomorrow.



Attributed to Maddow Blog, via huffingtonpost

Guitjo

Guitar practice is going well, sort of. I have earned myself some calloused tips - I can manage Twinkle Twinkle and the first phrase or two of Classical Gass. I know where all the notes are, can read simple music wo thinking about it.

Right now aspirations far exceed talent.

How do you tell the difference between a 6 string banjo, a guitjo and a banjitar, and what is the tuning of said chimera?

Picks over the next few days

Divide by zero error

Someone in Guatemala tried to divide by zero on their calculator.

Picks from the Guatemalan Governments flickr.