Sunday Musings

It is nearly 4pm, the official temperature at Katoomba (about 400 metres higher at 1,015 metres or 3,000 feet) is 1.4'C so probably about 4'C here. Snow forecast up there and down to 600 metres which is here but I will believe it when I see it. Have lived here nearly 27 years and only seen snow on ground twice, once, fairly heavy, on July 4, 1984, the other time there was just a patch remaining in the shade of the house when I arrived home.
We have just had a heavy shower of rain and yes the forums are saying there was snow up at Katoomba.(grrr) It has always frustrated me that it is nearly as cold here but I miss all the fun. One of the many reasons I am looking forward to moving to Dunedin, NZ is that it sometimes snows down to sea level and I am looking at homes about 250 metres asl. However the vicar of the local church has just blogged
It was a very cold day. The water left from yesterday's rain was frozen and Dunedin streets were treacherous. Given that going out this morning meant that bones were guaranteed to be chilled and risked being broken, many opted to stay home and watch the Olympics instead. We had 8 people in church at 8am and about 90 at 10 am, well down on our usual muster.

Our service at St James was the smallest number I can remember on a Sunday but the whole city was rather quiet except for near the front of the church where 70,000 were gathering for the annual city to surf (14km) run. It makes it almost impossible to drive to church due to road closures so that combined with the cold weather would have kept numbers down. Father John commented that while so many were running (walking) to the sea, the gospel was on Jesus walking on the sea.

I enjoyed listening to his sermon and coming home to read the sermons by Madpriest, Doorman-Priest and Sister Judith Schenck on The Three-Legged Stool (4 different countries). Each had a different slant. Isn't it wonderful that the Anglican church round the world has the same readings except for most churches here in Sydney which pay no heed to the Church lectionary. One lady told us yesterday at the AGM for Anglicans Together that she had to explain to her Rector (recent Moore College graduate) what Lent meant?????

I have made 2 train journeys down to the city this weekend as the AGM was held in our church hall. Luckily, as a Senior citizen, the government allows me to travel all over Sydney and surrounding areas (I am 80km away) for just $2.50 per day.
I was pleased to hear they will soon be updating the Anglicans Together website which has been static for 2 years. I was disappointed to hear the annual dinner will be on October 31, the day I fly to Dunedin (not permanently yet).

While waiting on the platform for the train home, I heard a crash and a yell. At first I thought someone had fallen down the stairs but when I went to look, a young man was lying on the ground obviously in an epileptic fit. What shocked me was that everyone (mainly young people) was just looking and I had to run past about 20 people to reach him. A man did come the other way and had his phone out so I asked him to call the ambulance which I think he was about to do. A lady arrived soon afterwards and then the station staff began to arrive although the first looked hopeless but another arrived and ran for medical kit when I pointed out he was bleeding although not badly. Railway police then arrived and so did my train so I left but it does shake one up a bit. As a retired teacher I have some idea what to do but my first aid certificate is well outdated now. I just could not stand and look while there was no-one trying to help.

It is our annual cleanup this weekend. (The local council collects any junk we put out)
I am a terrible hoarder and have a huge area under my house (enclosed) to store junk. I cannot take it to NZ so it must go.
It is amazing what scavengers will collect. My sister stored a set of suitcases which I think she used for her honeymoon in 1961. You know the type, so heavy and rigid, it would take up half one's air allowance by itself. The hinges were all rusty. She said to throw them and they were scavenged in 10 minutes. Two old record players also went.
I have hundreds of plastic pots from when I was developing my garden, always intending to propagate, out they must go.

Tomorrow is my weekly bush walk with seniors. They are starting in my local area so I will not have to even spend $2.50 for a train, although they will be finishing at the next town up the line so it will be a 3km walk back home making about 12km in all with some steep climbs. Perhaps if there has been a decent snow dump up the mountain I may change my plans.