I have been activating

Last weekend I went activating at Lismore Car Boot Markets. I helped to collect money for the charity of the day, CSG Free Northern Rivers.We raised a record amount on Sunday, showing that people of this region DO care. I chatted to many people, young and old and they were all disgusted with what CSG would do do to our region.

CSG, for those of you who don't know is Coal Seam Gas mining mines gas in unstable soils, bringing saltwater to the surface and often creating lesions beneath the ground which allows gas to leach into the water supply. So effectively the water supply is poisoned and in many cases the gas escapes to the surface, which means even rain water is compromised....and they have put an exploration well a few miles up the road from me.

Tara Gasfield, QLD

What is gobsmacking, is that the well is metres from Terania Creek, which flows onto Lismore and Ballina. The Northern Rivers water supply is pumped from this water further down river at Boat Harbour. Plus the valley floods at least twice a year, which means that any waste in holding tanks would be washed downstream.

Keerrong Gas Squad

But it is not just all about moi, basically the mining companies have all the power. They can come onto your land and do this, and you have no rights, the only leverage the private landholder has is the dictation of terms. That is, they can demand that the gas companies pay $10,000 per minute to access their land. (you get the gist)
So ultimately (at the moment) it comes down to money, and what is your price.

Sorry Nick, I can no longer visit you in your lovely mudbrick house, with  your gorgeous vege patch and orchard....because I died of contaminated water ...as did alot of wildlife around the area. Infact, you haven't been feeling too hot lately have you? I know the chooks carked it a few months back, so it can't be the eggs...you haven't been... drinking the water!!!

But there were many disturbing stories on Saturday. One bloke out at Casino was checking his fences. His high tensile five strand barbed wire fence had weakened. (This type of fence is expensive) He found that a mining company, WITHOUT PERMISSION, had cut the fence, installed some gates and had slashed the grass as road access.

source
"I came here as a bride, this land is my life...now they said I had to sign it over to the mining companies.  I got  $1.50,  that can go towards a taxi  to the hospital... my arm is still hurting from all the twisting they did, though I think my knee caps will never recover."

Another bloke told me his 90 year old grandmother had been forced to sign a document by the mining company representatives. They told her she had no option and HAD to sign when they visited her in her house, scary the living daylights out of her.

On Saturday there is going to be a big rally in Lismore to protest CSG mining in the Northern Rivers. If you are  local, consider participating. It starts at 10.00am with a march through Lismore and ends at Riverside Park where there will be music and food. I will be wearing my Keerrong Gas Squad t-shirt, with DON"T FRACK WITH ME.

CSG hasn't got a good track record. The companies who have licenses in the Northern Rivers are Chinese subsidiaries of Shell, they don't care what poison they spread, they are only concerned with their profits. I historically have never been an activist, opting to change things in a different way...organics, self sufficiency, recycling, reusing, low impact on the environment etc. BUT now I am riled, and am ACTIVATING!

Cluck, cluck

The weather has been awful here lately, rainy and sodden, and all my girls have gone off the lay. I am demned if I will buy store bought eggs, even if they are free range, organic or what have you. So today I  picked up a couple of pullets from our rural supply store. They are young chooks on the point of lay.

I didn't get home 'til dusk and put them in the yard. The poor things were petrified! They wouldn't move. I think they thought I couldn't see them, and they played possum. So I picked them up and put them in the chook house. Look at the poor things. They look very miserable. Hopefully they will have made friends with the other girls by morning.

I'm a winner!

I don't win lots and lots of things, but I do win some stuff now and again. You after all have to be in it to win it...though that million dollar lottery haul seems to evade me!

The book Nomad, by Sibella Court,  was won from the girls at  Paper Runway. It is inspired by her travels (she travels alot) and is quite glorious.  I love her little ways of gathering collections and her use of paper in her stylings of her tableaux. It is very theatrical, a tool used to inspire creativity in your own home, rather than slavishly follow.  It is a reason why I am drawn to them...they are so damn fabulous and go beyond the practical.

ON TREND
Every now and again I get a little smug, when I discover little bits and pieces I have found around the traps are being featured in mags and books. My little piece of smugness today is the ink bottles I found in the RSPCA shop. (and paid nix for!) Similar vessels are featured in the new Inside Out.

And for Kylie, you darlin' can be smug, 'cos there is a donkey and cart featured in the Nomad book...I know you featured them yesterday.

These little bits of smugness mean I have a valid place in the universe and that I exist! (For those who don't know my sense of humour, I am being wry and ironic)

Too scary?

I have just finished a new bunting and had to upload a pic to my Made It  and Blue Caravan stores. In truth, all my photos are really boring, and take all of two minutes to photograph. I thought I would put a little more consideration into my new SHHH banner, make the effort....but I am so busy, and sooo tired! (and such a whinger!)

I quickly grabbed an old stool from the garage and my dear old teddy, as I have no other children's toys around the place. He hasn't got eyes anymore and his nose has basically disappeared, but I still love him.  Is he too freaky?

As I retrieved him from his cupboard, I automatically kissed him on the forehead, as you do for babies. Infact, every time I picked him up I kissed him. Some 'things' are just bursting with memories and emotion. Bought a tear to mine old eye.

There is another new 'hello' banner as well. I can't get the energy to stylise that one...just tie it on the old bench...it'll do.