What were you doing 25 years ago?

There has been a lot on the TV lately about Tiananmen Square and the events of 25 years ago. This has made me think about what I was doing then, which was travelling around the Middle East and reading about events in China in the Herald Tribune, which because we were rough camping and had no access to TV, was the only way we could keep up with world events and was usually the only English langauge newspaper we could find.

In March of 1989, I left my job and flew to Kathmandu to join several like-minded individuals and embark on a journey to London, camping or staying in rough hotels in India, Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Greece, Yugoslavia (as it still was), Austria, Germany, and Belgium. Some of our group got visas for Iran and travelled through just before the death of Ayatollah Khomeini. Those of us who did not get visas, did a little tour along the Black Sea coast of  Turkey before joining up with the others near Mt Ararat in eastern Turkey.

At about this time of the year 25 years ago, the group I was travelling with had just spent a couple of days in Jerusalem - such a rich history and so many religious sites/sights - it was almost overwhelming. From there we travelled to Syria - marvelling at architectural and archaeological wonders like Jerash and Palmyra, exploring crusader fortresses like Crac des Chevaliers,  and wandering around old Damascus with my fellow travellers. We were met with nothing but goodwill while travelling through Syria and I find it very sad to see what is happening to the country and more importantly the people.

This was my first big trip overseas and it gave me a taste for travel to slightly exotic destinations - the following year I went to northern Pakistan and into China to Kashgar. A couple of years later, it was Egypt and some Greek isles. Work got in the way for a few years, until I went on a family holiday to New Caledonia with some cousins, and then I did some trips in Australia - Perth, Lake Eyre, Kakadu.

Travel is a wonderful thing - whether you go overseas or travel in your own country - it gives you a chance to meet a wide variety of people, to see how others live, how they work and how they fill their leisure time. Sometimes it's not that pleasant, but the experience of it broadens your horizons and makes you a more rounded, knowledgeable person.

So that was what I was doing 25 years ago - travelling through what is now a war-torn country, enjoying the weather, the food and the hospitality. I'm glad that I was doing that, as I have good memories of Syria and don't just know it from the TV news.

Renovation TV

Are you a fan of all these TV shows about renovation or new builds? I am. Not that every show actually gives you a good look at the rooms and layout ... which is what I'm most interested in.

I've always been fascinated by house plans and I'm always drawing up plans to remodel the house I am currently living in, or designing a whole new house - trying to maximise the winter sun, minimise the summer heat and give me the optimal space for living and cunning storage for all my craft supplies and BOOKS (including of course, books about houses and design).

I love it when a new season of Grand Designs comes on the telly ... and not just because that means more Kevin McCloud! Even if the house being showcased is not your style or you think the people building it are nut cases, you will always see some new product that may make it into the mainstream or get some great idea you could use, and let's face it, the houses are always interesting even when they are a bit too disco or a bit too greenie.

Compared to the other shows on offer, Grand Designs concentrates on the building and design process and even when Kevin gets a bit critical, the show keeps my attention for the whole 50 minutes. The other shows wander about sidetracked by history, repeating the same scene over (and over) again, concentrating on dissension (between partners or teams) - the actual renovation/room reveal seems to be an afterthought sometimes.

To my mind, fans watch the shows because they are interested in renovation, building, design, even interior decoration - so to take up too much time on other things means that fans don't get what they want out of the show. I quite like the history aspect of Restoration Home, but it does get a bit laboured at times. I absolutely hate all the arguments and sometimes sheer nastiness on shows such as The Block and House Rules - so I just watch the room/house reveals. And as for Australia's Best Houses - well that's just one big advert and they only scratch the surface with showing the houses.

So thank god for Grand Designs which concentrates on the house - how it is designed and how it is built, with a little bit about the personalities involved, some information about new or innovative products used, sometimes a bit about the decoration - but overall the house design is king.

Thank-you Kevin and team.

Trove Tuesday - Same Old, Same Old

It's funny how local issues never really change all that much. The local newspapers of 1927 often have articles or letters about the state of Kananook Creek or the roads, and comment pieces on things like the possibility of a local hospital or even port facilities in Westernport.

With talk once again of a deep water port in Westernport Bay, here is an article from the issue of the Frankston & Somerville Standard, dated 25 March, 1927, talking about exactly the same thing. This article by a local councillor, also looks at what industries could be brought into the area as well.

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/74991134

Of course, in 1927 it was all about exports and helping the fruit growers; today it is all about imports and being able to unload more containers. Here is an article from the Age in 2010 explaining why we need a new deep water port now.

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/port-for-hastings-back-on-agenda-20101226-197y4.html

Almost ninety years later, Australia has changed considerably and Westernport is no longer the rural area it once was. The difference in attitudes is very obvious.