Number One.

I love dates. The kind of numerical pattern that plays out beyond your control but seem portent of something. Yesterday was 10/01/10. Beautiful. At some point, though I missed it, it was 10:01 10/01/10. So many ones. So many new beginnings.

Time for a break

Christmas this week and it seems like the working world is shutting down for a much needed break. I am avoiding the consumer buzz of the shopping centres and am giving hand made gifts - pickles of course. My friend Sally was saying to me last night that she doesn't celebrate Christmas as it is a christian holiday and she is not a christian. I found her take refreshing. But Christmas to me is more about family than anything else, as an excuse or reason for the family to make the effort to gather together. And some compulsory quiet time that the whole world is in need of.

Sunny solar

Our new solar panels are now happily installed on our roof. And it is a glorious sunny day to celebrate the dawn of a new area of sustainable living for us. We won't get all our power needs met by these panels but it is a step in the right direction. Next step - solar hot water, using the $10,000 interest free loan the Green Home Assessment provides us. Joy.

Documentary Congress

It has been a big week or so, with preparation for the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers and then the Congress itself - which was a blast. I made some great new buddies and learnt more about who's who on the international doco scene and what they are looking for. Pitched some projects and got good feedback and some ideas on how to develop the projects further.The congress was well worth the time and money and I am sure to attend again some time in the future.

Writing with children

I have been contracted to work on a project called A Map of a Dream of the Future. I am being employed as a writer going to primary schools to run creative writing workshops for 10 - 12 year olds. In these workshops I am to help the students write up their ideas about climate change, resilience, and living in Tasmania, and vision what their lives will be like in another 40 years taking into account all of these elements. I am very interested to hear what the children have to say as I am sure it will really illuminate my understanding of the world.

I have been hunting some literature to read to help me come up with exciting, thought provoking workshops for the students. So far I have come across a little library of books about teaching using the Steiner method. Steiner specialises in helping children to free their imagination so I can way to get my teeth into reading these books. I sure it will be good soulfood for my imagination too.

Distractions from writing

Pickled Beetroot. Done.
Pickled Cucumber. Done.
Pickled Artichokes. Done.
Rhubarb Chutney. Done.
Distractions from writing. Done.

Forests at Copenhagen

Right now I am capturing footage for a video being made for the Copenhagen climate change conference starting on the 7th December. The video is an education tool to help people understand that forest management practices often have huge carbon emissions that are not being accounted for. In Tasmania each Autumn forestry initiates burn offs of the recently cut clear fells. These burn offs fill our gorgeous Autumn skies with massive mushroom clouds. The burn offs carbon emissions are not being accounted for. The ability of forest to absorb carbon is also not being accounted for. Tasmania's forests are an asset to a world trying to minimise its carbon consumption yet we still log and burn them. Hopefully this short sighted practice will be regulated against by the global community.