Making Friends With The Neighbours

One of the many things that to confuse me about the Australian Government, is their continuing refusal to recognise the relationships of same-sex couples and to allow them to get legally married. It defies logic. It denies human rights. It is small-minded and out-of-date, and sings to the increasingly small choir of voices that play on fear about the 'institution of marriage'. The issue isn't about whether or not same sex couples can get married in the eyes of various religions - that is something for those religions to sort out - the issue is about whether their relationships are recognised in terms of Australian law. Which they totally should be, because the current laws are outdated and discriminatory. So I was heartened when a couple of days ago the Aotearoa/New Zealand parliament passed a bill to change marriage laws there, thus becoming one of 14 countries in the world to do so.* And although I am not one prone to crying, this clip of the moment when the...

Cutest shit ever. Seriously, my housemate and I just sat on the couch cheering and cooing at this from beginning to end. (Also, this is pretty much  exactly  what learning to surf looks/feels like.) Thanks for the adorable find, Clif .

I have been completely obsessed with Max Richter's, 'Recomposed' versions of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. They're so beautiful. This version of Autumn sums up my day and, to be honest, the way I feel at the moment. Autumn is by far my favourite season. For me it is filled with welcome relief from the relentless summer heat and intensity. The temperature drops, the light softens and everything seems to slow down somehow. I know that makes me sound like a spoiled brat, but summer never really finds me at my best and I am much more at home in the in-between seasons. I love spring too, but the crisp coolness and colours of autumn really take pole position for me. I know it's followed by winter, and I know that means something, but autumn is like a last respite and rest and promise before we hurtle head-long into the cold (which, to be fair, is not exactly extreme nor even unpleasant here in Brisbane). Anyway, you should check out the other seasons as well. (This...

Despite all the amazing images of crew surfing epic waves, this is my absolute favourite photo from the Noosa Festival of Surfing last month. I couldn't make it up there to cheer on Brisbane Boardrider(er)s in the team challenge, but Huon, Tony and all the other guys made up for it! You guys are the best! (Photo by Neil Griffith over at Modyssey .)

Images by Keegan Gibbs , via el verano sin fin .

I'm pretty bogged down in work these days, so thank goodness for Facebook keeping me up to date with all those online treasures that I just can't manage to find on my own right now... And this one is a treasure. OUT in the line-up TEASER from Gay Surfers on Vimeo . Out in the Lineup is a film that talks about how homophobia is an implicit and seemingly accepted part of surfing culture. In surfing, some of the worst and most violent discrimination has been levelled towards surfers who aren't straight. And this has been in many ways. I mean, how often have you heard the word 'faggot', 'gay' or 'homo' used to insult someone for not being strong/brave/fast/good enough? A lot, right. The use of these words for this purpose just doesn't make any sense to me, because my friends who are bi or gay are some of the most resilient and brave people I know. When I have heard friends tell me that they gave up surfing early on because they felt uncomfo...

Until the past few years, I have never considered myself to be 'a writer'. I have always written - stories, poems, letters, emails - but I never thought of myself as having any kind of skill at it, nor that anyone (other than the recipients of those letters) would want to read my words. But with the encouragement of a few kind souls, I have found greater confidence in my own written words, and in the idea that other people take some kind of interest in reading them. Trust me though, its still a surprise! So I was equally shocked, proud and excited to have been invited to take part in the Newcastle Writers Festival , which is happening this weekend. You might remember that I developed a pretty affectionate relationship to Newy during the time I spent there as an Artist in Residence at the beginning of last year (If you look on the right hand side of this page, you'll see a category, 'Newcastle', that contains all my posts from that time), so you can imagine how e...

( Magpie teatowel, available via eBay ) I've been sitting on my deck all day; working, writing, editing. This afternoon I've been kept company by the warbling of magpies, which is one of my favourite sounds. There are a number of bird-songs in the track below, but the magpie's "liquid series of rippling notes" cuts across them all (via  Listening Earth , where you can find out more about this track).