$nail Mail and Australia Post

    Australia Post, you are killing me!  A 43% rate hike for domestic letters has been announced.  Not only is the price of a domestic letter rising from 70 cents to $1 but the letter will take two days longer to get delivered unless the customer pays a premium above that. International mail got slapped around several months ago when international postcard rates ($1.70) were abolished with all international mail stamped at the letter rate of $2.75. Delivery is assured in 3-10 days but lately it has been taking two weeks for anything I've sent. The post office still has their prepaid picture postcards-usually with a native animal or big city skyline on it-  I like sending aerograms (those handy sheets of paper that fold into a prepaid envelope shape) and Aus Post used to change its design frequently.  The current design of a purple iris (aerograms are traditionally blue onion skin) has been in place for three years. Boring.

    Australia Post wasn't always boring. They changed stamps monthly it seemed. And people didn't have to be dead to get their face on a stamp, either. Movie stars, captains of industry, notable natives have all been licked by the general public while they were still breathing.  And they don't limit their merchandise to strictly postal products.  Fun, yet still educational, toys and presents can be found in post offices. Calendars, cookbooks, cookie tins, mini personal DVD players, the occasional sewing machine (!), traditional Australian folk character toys like Snuggle Pot and Cuddle Pie, novelty USBs, art sets and my personal favorite: a build-it-yourself four-stroke engine that runs on batteries. Found only at Christmas time.  In fact, Kev has been known to do his Christmas shopping for the nieces and nephews-especially when they were younger.

    But the extra merchandizing is not enough to battle the loss of revenue from electronic communication the world now engages in.  Post offices everywhere are trying to figure out how to cut unnecessary costs while still providing essential services.  The USPS stopped selling aerograms ten years ago--and won't honor old ones without make up postage to current letter rates. We know this because Mom found a stash of old aerograms when her mother died and the post office required extra postage before mailing. Aus Post may get this nonbrilliant idea also.  For about a year, the USPS also had a surcharge of $9 for all packages being mailed into the U.S. to cover the cost of security checks- regardless of what the postage was. This was almost evil.  The surcharge was rescinded after about a year  but I don't know if that was because of all of the bellyaching customers did or because the USPS lost even more revenue from packages not being sent through their service.

   I like sending letters.  I like nice stationery. I like the feel of paper in my fingers. I like the potential promise every envelope brings into a mailbox. Therefore, I will not stop sending snail mail.  I'll just be a little smarter about it.

   **And we used to howl whenever the USPS announced a rate hike of two cents!**

 

Booze, Ice skates and Dandelions - Random Musings #5

   Every now and again I discover something interesting or noteworthy as I go about life in Perth. Sometimes it just not worth extravagant amounts of research for its own blog post. Others might be considered an addendum to posts already written. In either case, these bits and pieces bloat my 'topics to blog about' list and I'm getting them out of the way in another Random Musings list.

   Perth is the proud home to Infusion, the national champions in synchronized ice skating soon off to Canada for the international championships. Ice skating? In Perth (or anywhere else in OZ for that matter)? It's hard to imagine such a sport (which is also known as precision skating) gaining any traction here. But there is the odd ice rink in the big cities.  I live across town from the nearest one and have never been there. Along with so much else, I gave away my leather boot/steel blade skates when I moved here.  Somehow I am so uninspired to drive a distance to rent plastic boot/aluminum blade skates to whirl around the rink. Maybe some day. In the meantime, Go Infusion!

   A few months ago, I walked past a very familiar plant and was surprised. I don't believe I have ever seen a dandelion here in Perth.  It had a straggly "Australian bush" quality about it but it was definitely a dandelion. And it was about thigh high. What? Don't people realize that they have to pull these weeds or it will take over the lawn?  Of course they don't.  They've never seen one before. But now, they see many...

   There is no such thing as a Junior High or Middle School here.  A public elementary school will go to sixth grade and high school starts at seventh grade.  Private schools (which refer to themselves as "colleges") flex a bit but there is still no distinct transitional education atmosphere for this very transitional age group.
http://epostcardsfromoz.blogspot.com.au/2009/02/school-days-school-days-dear-old-golden.html

   There is a culture of alcohol here in Australia.  And it extends way beyond the youthful --and not so youthful--binge drinking.  And it always comes as a surprise to  people from other nations.  My previous employment had me occasionally visiting law firms for hearings or depositions. Invariably, the visiting attorney from North America would be gobsmacked to see in the corner of the lounge or boardroom a silver tray well stocked with brand name bottles of booze.  Jaws literally dropped at the sight.  This wide open bar is like what you see in old movies. Certainly not in today's more cautious business atmosphere where liability or whispers of anti-social behavior from booze-soaked employees keeps every office a model of temperance.  Parties or afterwork "sundowners" are frequently held at the workplace here in Australia.  But I've only seen such extravagant tipple set-ups in law offices.  Make your legal appointments near happy hour, folks.
epostcardsfromoz.blogspot.com/2009/07/culture-of-alcohol.html

PIAF 2015 The Writers Festival

   I have to admit that my favorite part of the Perth International Arts Festival is the Perth Writers Festival. I can't wait to dash over to the beautiful University of Western Australia campus in Crawley with its old buildings,  matured vegetation, wandering peacocks and view of the bay to hear the literati discuss interesting topics. It isn't just for writers. Readers come along for the ride and senior citizens show up in droves for the mental stimulation.  The brochure for the long-weekend  event is well put together for people to chose and chart their way through each day. Half of the one-hour sessions are free and the other half are a reasonable fee of $13.50.  My innate sense of thrift has me leading the blue hair charge to the freebies.

PWF 2015 mementos

   One of the festival days is designated as Family Day. I've learned not to fear attending on this day as there are so many exciting and well-supervised activities, kids do not have a chance to become bored (and thus unruly and bothersome to everyone else.)  A couple of special activities are available to everyone and I asserted my place in line for the free popcorn, the photo booth and to peek at the book made by school kids for the Giants exhibition the previous weekend. One of the offerings was The Future Postal Service (which boldly promised to connect "children and adults one delivery at a time.") whereby kids would write a sentence on a postcard and (under supervision) run to an adult to deliver it. A toothy boy gave me this card. I gave him a baby carrot as a tip. I'm not sure this was the hoped for "connection" but it was what it was.

     Some interesting topics came up: Medical fiction and storytelling (including psychiatry), literature and song lyrics (skipped it--mediocre acoustic guitar music gives me a rash), Kinfolk or slow-food dinner party trends (they are soooo behind my lead) and the emergence of magazines for home decorating. And there seems to be a general trend of has-beens, never-weres, and wannabes who seem to feel their lives are worth documenting in books or movies. Sorry, can't whip up much excitement peering into their delusions-of-grandeur windows.
    I really liked the session on women in the media. Popular local columnist Ros Thomas and national broadcaster Geraldine Doogue shared their experiences with a standing room only crowd.  Both gushed about the immediacy of radio (not a new concept) and the endurance they saw for it in the digital age. The older,  personable Doogue expressed surprise that women seemed to "argue for their limitations"  and that young women were most concerned about work-life balance. From my experience in the industry, these are essentially two fingers on the same hand. A vocation requires more personal investment than the job they may be looking for.  Ros Thomas was concerned about the quality of journalism in the digital information world. "The craft is truth telling," Thomas said, "not repeating whatever is on the web." Sadly, we're still talking about pay inequality.

    A few final observations:
        "Medicine is not a business of victory."
        "Short form (writing) doesn't have to solve everything."
        If the writing is too Australian, it is less international. (yes, some translation or alteration required)
        Writers aren't necessarily great speakers.  ('fraid so, maybe that's why they write)
        Young authors start every speech or reply with "Yeah."
        New venue option this year. It's no longer just the traditional lecture hall, large tent or performance grove created by mature trees.  Enter the very intimate caravan camper locale!

Intimate Writers Fest venue

PWF tent venue

PIAF 2015 The Giants

   The Perth International Arts Festival always likes to start off with a bang. You know, get that party started right with fireworks or a water show or confetti falling on the main drag.  But this year PIAF set their guns to 'stun' and indeed we were.
    The Incredible and Phenomenal Journey of The Giants , created by the French company
Royal de Luxe, was a spectacular  public art  exhibition that walked around the Central Business District for three days. Giant marionettes, Young Girl  and  Diver, were escorted through streets (aided by 70 handlers dressed in red velvet called Lilliputians) loosely enacting  a story that incorporated the Aboriginal peoples of Australia and the World War I ANZACS.  A rather long bow had to be drawn to connect the two but most onlookers weren't bothered by the stretch. They were enchanted by the duo.

Giant Young Girl.       courtesy T.Debski

Giant Diver.        courtesy The West Australian

        Young Girl, at six meters tall, had everyone wrapped around her little finger.  She bathed and dressed in the mornings. She would walk or ride her scooter or don a raincoat and go on a boat ride.  At rest, she would read a giant book made by local elementary schools  or snore while napping in a huge lawn chair.  At one point during her walk, unable to find a restroom, Young Girl crouched down, pulled her dress out a bit and peed on the road. The school kids must have howled with laughter.
  
   The Diver, at 11 meters tall, was far less active but no less captivating. He stretched out  to sleep just outside the train station downtown.  Not your average rummy or vagrant lying about, Diver gained rock star status with commuters in no time who held off their morning trot to the office long enough to get a really cool selfie with the big guy.  Diver's handlers had to be highly athletic as their swinging weight from ropes helped propel him along. I have to wonder  if physiotherapists weren't on hand to help those folks out during the breaks.  Click HERE to see some video that really brings the Giants to life.

Repelling down Diver

   Where was I? At a disadvantage for the big picture but a front row seat for the inner workings of working massive marionettes.  The Diver had a mobility issue his very first time out on the second day.  There is an elevated crosswalk at the train station that the Diver had to be craned over.  He landed right in front of me. Careless craning would have shortened my height considerably.  Once in position, the Lilliputians worked quickly to the Mission Impossible opening march (played by an accompanying live band) to reconnect the ropes, guy wires and hydraulics. They had to repel down, climb up and swing over to get this done and get him on his way.

Connecting the hydraulics.

Feet bigger than mine!

          
    Despite the fact that even Ebenezer Scrooge himself softened up to the Giants, they almost didn't happen.  The price tag  to bring this "free"  exhibition in totaled over $5 million. Corporate sponsors contributed the biggest part of that but the State contributed $2 million of taxpayers money to make it happen. Oh, the roar, the stink, the outrage and the chin-wagging that followed this announcement.  Was this how the state mishandled our tax dollars!!!?? was the hue and cry.  The verbiage changed as skeptics and the curious fell beneath the Giants spell. It has been estimated that 1.4 million people saw the Giants. This does include multiple visits as there are less than 2.5 million people in the whole state.  Someone did the math and determined that each taxpayer contributed 80 cents (or 27 cents per day) to the magic. Such a paltry sum people tutted.

    And the conquering of Perth by two giants was complete.

Australia Day 2015 in Victoria Park

    I've talked about Australia Day before [see  Australia Day in WA ] and wandered around to see much of this U.S. Independence Day type fun in the past.  But today the temperatures were forecasted to be 100F/37C and I just didn't fancy getting hot, sticky and irritable to watch people hang out in OZ flagwear by the river. I can see tonight's fireworks right from my balcony-- so why move a sweaty muscle? How grumpy can I get?
    Well, early mornings aren't too bad and this morning the Fremantle Doctor (cool breeze coming in off the Indian Ocean) was in.  So I went to a special 9 a.m. church service and on the way home in the little  memorial park next to the town hall was an Australia Day service in progress. New citizens were being sworn in five at time by the mayor Trevor Vaughn under the ancient giant fig tree.  The newly sworn were from all over the planet.  The dress code was quite obviously "your choice."  Some new citizens were wearing their Sunday best or designer chic.  A few showed up in  ethnic garb. And yet others adopted their new country's relaxed attitude and showed up well...relaxed. All posed for pictures with their very fancy citizenship certificate.  Big Day.
     Then we went on to the local Australian of the Year and local Australian Group of the Year. Oooh, Victoria Park is loaded with do-gooders. All sounded worthy. Certainly worthy of better flowers than the collection of weeds in cellophane they received.  Add a few politician speeches. And a few more. And a couple more for good measure. zzzzzzzzz    Done!     Now the nice little Vic Park Band played the entire Banjo Patterson catalog (this includes Waltzing Mathilda, soundtrack from Man From Snowy River, etc) and we all dashed up to the refreshment tables for wonderful finger sandwiches, mini-pastries and drinks. All seriously good stuff--Vic Park doesn't believe in scrimping on food at their parties.
     I bumped into Mayor Trevor Vaughn as I was leaving (and trying to hide the extra goodies I was sneaking home with) and he inquired about my turn under the old fig tree. "Well, as soon as I know more words of the national anthem than my Australian born husband does."   That occurred about two weeks after I arrived here.  But don't tell. 
    Well, I'm still not going out to wander in the heat and I am sure I am missing some really cool stuff happening on the river.  But I won't miss tonight's fireworks and I'm glad I didn't miss my little community's appreciation and induction ceremony. Happy Australia Day, everyone.

Vale 6RPH - Information Radio AM990

      On Monday, January 12, 2015, 6RPH ceased local operations. It was much like the death of any other media entity: quick, decisive and with no prior announcement.  Newspapers, radio stations, TV channels don't have prolonged going out of business sales the way retail stores do, they just stop the hemorrhaging  of money by shutting down right away. It works like this: everyone shows up to work as usual, the boss walks in and says "We're closing down because (insert three-word explanation here.)  The story you are writing is your last. Clean your desk out before you leave."  It's been played out rather famously in recent years including that Murdoch rag The World in London and my own elder brother's newspaper in Houston.
    6RPH, and its 17 surviving members of the RPH Australia Network, had a different mission from most radio stations. By charter, it catered to the print handicapped. Not just the vision impaired but those with a physical disability who found it difficult to handle printed matter. Many shows were dedicated to reading the daily and national newspapers, popular magazines and very subject specific printed matter. There was something for almost everyone including the commuters who would listen to the daily paper  while driving into work.  The audience was wide-ranging, it almost defied being put into a demographic pigeonhole--although officially they were categorized as female, 39+, household of four and approaching mid-middle class socioeconomically.
    My radio show, What's On Where, was heard on 6RPH on Thursdays at 6pm with an encore presentation Saturday at 5:15pm.       I miss my show.      It suited this cowboy quite well. Far from a rip-n-read,  WOW was your guide to what is happening in and around Perth that is fun and affordable. My first shows must have been dreadful until I refined the formula that worked: first segment were the Freebie things to do, second segment contained events that would cost a little bit of money but still tons of fun and the third segment was built upon a different theme each week (e.g. school holidays, Christmas, Perth International Arts Festival.) And WOW didn't just tell you where to go, we would send you there, too.  I had developed a rather robust promotion schedule that gave away tickets to the latest events to the rather obscure but worthy of attention in on-air contests. I developed solid relationships with many venues and marketing agencies who kept WOW in the know and me in the occasional media reviewer ticket.
    I MISS MY SHOW.       I have lost my voice.    It kept me connected to this area, its people and its exciting happenings every bit as much as my listeners. I managed the show well.  It hurts to lose it within a mismanaged entity. I have kept WOW social media up but it is just not the same.  I don't know when or where I or What's On Where will reappear on the airwaves but let me take this moment to thank WOW listeners and its wonderful sponsors for the last six+ years.
   Vale 6RPH.
  

Sunday Markets and Fairs

    Traditionally a day of rest, Sundays still remain a quieter day than the other six during the week. Many businesses either have no trading hours or greatly reduced times they will conduct commerce.  Except in Australia. The Energizer Bunny needs a full charge (done on the slow Saturday previous) to keep the pace with all the offerings on the 'day of rest.' Including church services, the following action was taken in on a single Sunday--with other options ignored.

Vic Park Mkts on Sunday

Holy Bagels!

    First, a stop to the Victoria Park Markets. Who doesn't love a local market?  The early morning vibe that's happy but not frenetic. Produce, baked goods, frozen meat/fish, hot food and coffee, entertainment, Girl Scouts selling cookies, cops showing off paddy wagons, etc., are all available.  I prefer my wholesale Canning Mkts on Saturday (much better bargains) but Vic Park Mkt is my next choice. My must-haves include: REAL bagels from The Holy Bagel Company! I despaired of ever finding a real bagel in OZ until these two guys showed up. Trained in New York, these genuine bagels are cured and boiled before baked. It's become a serious crutch and internal party starter for this gal. My standing order is for three salty and three everything bagels. They have other flavors but I can't be bothered changing the order or direction of my grin. I always wait until after church before biting into one.   Usually.

My lily arrangement

      Other customary purchases include yoghurt from a local yoghurt maker.  Certainly not the cheapest around and its a bit runnier than most commercial products, but I enjoy the product and the chat with the owner.  I don't have a budget that can really tolerate weekly flowers but Florescence (who ship Lillies In a Tube anywhere in OZ) comes way up from Albany with some of their overstocks.  I love the bucket of single stems--I pick a variety of colors of Asiatic lillies in the amount I want for $1 a piece. Sometimes I pick two or I pick five all depending on how many from the previous week are still hanging on. I do prefer the multiple bud stems, bang-for-the-buck and all. Unfortunately, other people have caught on to this fabulous offering and tend to buy the whole bucket. How greedy can they get?  This just forces me to go back to stealing rosemary from the neighbor...er, I mean, trimming the neighbor's rosemary bush...and pretending that's the bouquet.

Spiderchef @ Butchers Picnic

    Let's head downtown.  The Butcher's Picnic has moved from Russell Square to the much roomier CBD

location of Forrest Place.  It's part of the Eat Drink Perth month festivities.  I'm not the carnivore that Kev is but it is fun to watch the meat cooking, presentation competitions, try free samples of crocodile sausage (and everything else on offer), people watch, enter contests and generally soak up the atmosphere. Getting my picture taken with  Spiderchef was pretty cool also.
     Back at Russell Square,  India has moved in.  Or rather, a festival celebrating all things Indian.  I am not a fan of curries, vindaloos and other dubious delights but Kev adores it.  He breathes deeply as we pass the food stalls while I break out into a trot to fresher air. People are making themselves comfy in every corner. There are very old, very large banyan trees to offer shade, and a fountain surrounds a gazebo where little girls put on private dance shows for themselves.  At the main tent,

Miss Perth India  finalist

a Miss Perth India competition is going on.  Flowers and balloons are given to the finalists.  Not sure what all the duties are of this beauty pageant winner, but as a life long watcher of such pageants and a big fan of balloons, I am a captive audience member.

     OK, we're getting sunburned and some sporting event on TV is calling Kev's name. Can't spend all day wandering about...but we could.