SUPPORT FOR YOUR COUNTRY DURING SPORT'S MATCHES

I was watching the Sri Lanka versus Australia match the other night. This series is being played here in Australia. I was completely surprised at the large number of Sri Lankan supporters in attendance. They were mostly dressed in their national colours and waving the flag of Sri Lanka.
Whilst I think that this is a good thing I was also disappointed to note that there seemed to be very few if any Sri Lankans supporting Australia. Over the past years we have welcomed many Sri Lankan refugees into our country and many of them have done the right thing by becoming Australian citizens. So! My question is if they left Sri Lanka to find a better life here in Australia why are they not supporting the country that has taken them in and to which many of them have now pledged allegiance.

THE AUSTRALIAN FLAG

Every year at this time...Australia Day celebrations....we get a flood of ideas for a new Australian Flag. So far I have never seen one that I like better than our current flag.
To me our current flag embodies many essential concepts. Our heritage which is shown in the Union Jack. Our peaceful union from separate colonies into one country. Not very many countries can state that they came into existence due to a vote by the people. The southern cross which highlights our position on the globe.
Until someone can convince me that there is a major problem with our current flag I am very happy to stick with it.

COLD COUNTRY FLOWERS IN AUSTRALIA

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Rhododendrons Azaleas and Camellias all grow very well here in the high country in the state of New South Wales in Australia. Here in the beautiful Blue Mountains we even have a Rhododendron festival in November every year.
Where I live it is 1100 meters above sea level and we even get snow falls in winter. These pictures were taken in my garden in the Spring of 2012. I use very little fertilizer

but keep up the mulch around the plants roots. They also do not like long dry spells, of which we get a few up here in Summer, so it is important to keep the water up to them during these times.

Sometimes heavy rain during flowering can saturate the flowers and cause them to droop very quickly. With the Rhodos it is also important to note that some years you may get very little or no flowers. I asked my local nursery about this and they said that it is perfectly normal as sometimes the plants just need a rest.

AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TEAM....ROTATION POLICY

The Australian Cricket team Selectors have a policy where they routinely rotate players. This appears to have nothing to do with the form of the player or even if they genuinely need a rest. I believe that it is good to give young upcoming players a chance, but at what price. Players taken out of the game at the top of their form disrupts their momentum and impacts on the integrity of the team.
The recent losses by our national team could, according to some commentators, be partly as a result of this policy.
Whilst I fully support whatever team takes the field it would be nice to see that our very best are playing in every instance.

McDonalds NEW NAME IN AUSTRALIA

I believe that McDonalds in Australia are changing their name to MACCAS. OK. OK. Most Aussies already shorten their name to that.
The problem now becomes what do we shorten that to............MACS...MAS.  You see my problem.We cant just leave it at MACCAS.

A TYPICAL WEEK IN THE BEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD.....AUSTRALIA

The past week has been fairly typical for those of us lucky enough to live in the best, fairest, free and democratic country in the world. AUSTRALIA.
The week started out with bad bush fires in the state of Tasmania with over a hundred homes lost and much more property damage. There were soaring temperatures in the state but just a few days later it was snowing on some of the higher peaks.
Then there were temperatures of 42 to 43c in the suburbs of Sydney.
Queensland is now experiencing high temperatures in parts of the state and flooding rains elsewhere.
Here in our part of the Blue Mountains  it was just 11c yesterday morning with thick mist and fine rain and today it will reach nearly 35c
Off the northern coast of Western Australia a category 4 cyclone ( a hurricane for Americans) is bearing down on the coast.
It is all part of the fabric of this country that helps to make it so unique.

PEOPLE DELIBERATELY LIGHTING BUSHFIRES

Today here in the Blue Mountains the temperature is expected to reach 34c and a total fire ban has been declared. It makes me sick to the stomach when I see on the news reports that the police have been investigating at least three small fires only a few hundred metres from my house that they believe have been deliberately lit. There have also been a number of arrests over the past few days of high fire danger. Well over a hundred homes have been lost, thousands of hectares of farmland burnt out and families traumatised beyond belief and these cretins want to create more damage and possible lose of life.
Words cannot describe the contempt that I feel for them.
I just hope that our court system treats these people appropriately.