Nice to see a gracious banner in the street!
The Grand Final 2021 (2)
There was a lot of support for the Demons around here, as I’ve posted, 
and the burden of a 57 year drought probably meant they went into the Grand Final as sentimental favourites.
At the end of the first quarter, everything seemed to be going Melbourne’s way, but it was all different in the second quarter, with the Doggies in the lead at half time. Until midway in the third quarter, it could still have gone either way, but then a few quick goals and Melbourne got ahead and were well in the lead at three quarter time and continued on their way in the final quarter. In fact they kicked 16 of the last 17 goals of the match, to win by 74 points.
So, well done to the Demons!
Cruising
Over the years, we’ve been on two ocean cruises and a short river cruise (as part of a tour). These haven’t been “top of the range” cruises, but it has given us an insight into what’s involved with this form of travel.
Certainly the industry is conducting an email campaign to retain enthusiasm for cruising and to reassure the client base that it is taking the COVID-19 issues seriously.
Likewise, there have been lots of advertisements in the print media (such as the weekend “travel” pages), and there have been a few upbeat reports from industry sources about the enthusiasm for past cruisers to resume their travels.
I’m not sure how widespread this sentiment is, but I can imagine that within the “cruise demographic”, it may well have some currency. In fact, a friend has tentatively booked not one but two cruises for future years! Another friend is actively planning what they might do. I’m told that the deposits are relatively modest and are a good insurance against the possibility that the cost of cruising is likely to rise, given that post-virus, passenger and crew densities are likely to have to be lower, and there are likely to be additional operating costs. Just the same, although the mid-range cruise passenger is often looking for a “good deal” I suspect that if prices do generally increase across the board, then the cost of itself won’t be an issue for many of those that have been “regulars” in the past.
Earthquake
I was having my coffee when things started to rattle. Over the space of what seemed to be almost a minute, it built up and culminated in quite a shake before fading away. The TV news told us that an earthquake had occurred, with an epicentre near Mansfield and certainly stronger than the mild tremors that we very occasionally feel. I texted a colleague who happens to be at Mt Buller, who informed me that he had certainly felt it but had no damage. A (on the other side of Melbourne) rang to tell us that her power was off so she couldn’t make coffee. So far as we’re concerned, my first thought was the underpinning that we had done a couple of years ago; it had done its job and our house had no cracks or other ill effects. A couple of pictures on the wall were slightly dislocated, but that seems to have been all.
The Grand Final 2021
In the lead up to the Grand Final, there’s been a great deal of support for Melbourne in our area. Certainly, this has been the case in other years in relation to other teams, but this year’s displays have taken on a size and (in some cases) professionalism way beyond what I’ve seen before.
And there is a singles Doggies display nearby – but it’s homegrown and really outnumbered around here.
Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind (3)
The last chapters of Tom Holland’s book Dominion were the most interesting of all. This work, which traces the development of western thought through the ages, with particular emphasis on the contribution of Christian thinking, is often quite dense and can be a little selective. Towards the end, he ponders the roles of the Nazis, apartheid, Martin Luther King, the Beatles, Tolkien (Holland sees parallels between The Lord of the Rings and Christianity), Harvey Weinstein and the #MeToo movement and more.
Just before the end, he states, “Today, as the flood tide of Western power and influence ebbs, the illusions of European and American liberals risk left being stranded. Much that they have sought to cast as universal stands exposed as never having been anything of the kind …… That human beings have rights; that they are born equal; that they are owed sustenance, and shelter and refuge from persecution: these were never self-evident truths”.
Of course these are extremely commendable values, and the Western liberal democracies must stand up for them. But they are Western concepts, based on our Christian heritage (although this is frequently not acknowledged). But these values are not inherently accepted by many in the Muslim, Indian or Chinese traditions. Certainly these traditions, thankfully, usually don’t go to the extremes of ISIS or the Taliban, but the West, in its efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan ought not to be surprised that many in those countries did not enthusiastically respond to the values that the West attempted to bring with it. Dominion was published in 2019, well before the current events in Afghanistan, but these events have only reinforced Holland’s proposition.
On a different note, perhaps the Christian value that the liberals don’t seem to have adopted is that of forgiveness.
Birthday
A’s birthday happened to fall on the very day that the lockdown rules were relaxed just ever-so-slightly, so as to permit family picnics. Hence, we were able to meet up at Studley Park for a birthday cake and walk – as well as a takeaway coffee. Of course, there was a sense of déjà vu about all this! There were lots of people around, presumably similarly taking advantage of the modified rules. The sun even came out for a short time.
Travel Memories
Who knows when we’ll get back to overseas travel?
An article in a glossy magazine about Italy brought back nostalgic memories of the time when I participated in a walk in Tuscany. I even looked out the CD of the photos I’d taken! On looking at these, I was amazed that I still remembered so many details. Ahh, memories.
Haverbrack Av
We sometimes walk along Haverbrack Av. It’s been in the news a little lately, because the house that Robert Menzies once lived in (at number 2) has been demolished. Apart from the fact that Menzies lived in the house, it didn’t seem particularly memorable, as it was reasonably “modern”, like most of the other houses in the street which appear over the years to have replaced the large Edwardian houses which seemingly once would have lined the street. Number 5, however, remains, and has a heritage citation.
Cats (3)
I said that it may only be a matter of time before our local Council starts to think about more regulations for cats – and indeed, it may be coming to pass. The Council is working on a new “Domestic Animal Management Plan” and is “calling on our community to help us understand how we can improve our animal management.”
Of course, nothing has yet been decided, and there is to be “community consultation”, but I wonder what lies ahead!
Musings and Mutterings 