Thinking twice – about everything

Any sensible person might think twice about travelling overseas at the moment, given that the US has been bombing Iran. However, I realised that there has never been a moment in living memory since the 1953 coup in Iran where the US hasn’t been bombing or invading someone, hasn’t recently bombed or invaded someone or isn’t planning to bomb or invade someone. Though, as one commentator pointed out, the last war they won was World War 2, and that was with the help of others. Maybe it’s best to treat it as situation normal, simply ignore it and get on with your life.

It would be nice to think that America was bombing the terrible Iranian regime to help rebelling Iranians, but I’m sure it’s only because of the oil. After all in 1953, Britain with the aid of America, overthrew a democratically-elected government there to keep control of the oil, thereby setting in train the long string of events that led to what’s happening today.

To our glorious dead - the collateral damage from an earlier war that was just as pointless. This monument is in the glorious historic port town of Oamaru on the East Coast of the New Zealand South Island. I was in one of the sandstone buildings that had been converted to an arts and craft centre when I realised that long after all the warehouses and wharves in these old towns have closed, there will always be the art centres and the breweries.

Cooling seasons and war in the air

The cool of the changing seasons is in the air and apples are on the table. For me the months of stone fruit are like Christmas – well they are Christmas, along with fruit mince tarts of course – but nothing lasts for ever. Luckily, though, it comes back again a year later. Right now what’s come back are apples. All the apples at the Farmers Market early this morning were new season. That’s good because war is in the air and we seem to be surrounded by things falling apart, so ongoing certainties are reassuring.

Apples are on the table – but not peace
I was reflecting the other day that the village I grew up in – and a village is unusual in Australia – is long gone, the chalet at it’s centre burned down and the rest merely a cluster of fishing huts just off the road from Lake St Clair. Those kind of changes are more gradual and accidental than in war-torn regions, even if disappointing, more able to be accommodated and accepted.

Apples are on the table – but not peace.

Rehabilitating casualties of war
It’s ironic that as the Gulf War drags on, we’ve joined the local Kieser gym. The Kieser method seems to be a broader version of Pilates, and I keep reflecting that Pilates was established in Germany after World War 1 to help rehabilitate the enormous numbers of war casualties, repurposing hospital beds to make gym equipment. I am impressed by its scientific, remedial approach, very useful for its ageing and decrepit market.

‘I wondered if we could make them an offer they can’t refuse – take on the throne here and have Australia become part of Scandinavia….If we can be part of Eurovision, we should be able to join the European Union!’

The physio there told me how physiotherapy itself was invented – for treatment of ballet dancers in Sweden. This impressed me because it wasn’t for football players, as you might expect, and it was a product of the Scandinavians, who have become my favourites after the French. I’m not surprised since dancers’ injuries can be serious ones, even though all we hear about are the football ones.