mudlark soliloquy...

 

modelling a black and white number

is easy

but modelling a black and white number well

is quite another matter

I believe I am of the latter category

I practise

and practise

perhaps even in my sleep

that demonstrates how utterly addicted I am

to perfection 

but

I have not mentioned yet

that I model in many moods

there is the graceful glide in the air

with elegant speed

there is the catwalk strut

and then there is the

'get off my land' flash

alive with angry beauty

attested to by my accompanying shriek

I enjoy making my mark on the world

and enjoy keeping it that way too

a status quo

my way

no wonder I am honoured with a batch of names

magpie-lark

mudlark

and even

peewit and 

peewee 

in short

I am the very model of

feathered models

Australians on Blue Sky?...

AUSTRALIANS HERE??? If there are any Australian writers, painters, photographers or adventurers here, I would love to follow you. Let me know in the comments.

[image or embed]

— Gemma Wiseman (@gemma77.bsky.social) 18 November 2024 at 08:50

Optus outage...

Cats are notorious for respecting (demanding?) routine... esp when it comes to food.... https://t.co/XT9iZkvaoG pic.twitter.com/mhL9GEiUL3

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) November 7, 2023

pole dancing with a difference...

This really is a daring, creative performance...
She won Australia's Got Talent in 2019...and then this...

LEAKED! Kristy Sellars Sexy Australian Pole Dancer Puts A Twist On Pole ... https://t.co/XxKGMryAsF via @YouTube

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) July 8, 2022

Anthony Albanese's victory speech...

Anthony Albanese's victory speech last night was moving. It was respectful to all voters.
But perhaps, for me, one statement was particularly unique... when Anthony tried to settle the loudly cheering crowd...
'I intend to run an orderly government and it starts here'. pic.twitter.com/yRxvNMO7Gv

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) May 21, 2022

And I hope there are families in public housing watching this tonight. Because I want every parent to be able to tell their child no matter where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all. 

And like every other Labor government, we'll just widen that door a bit more.

election night in Australia...

My soul feels, by 10:30pm on Election Night in Australia... pic.twitter.com/gW3gLKlQ1G

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) May 21, 2022

Caroline Jones...

Just woke up & lying in bed & reading yr tweet about the death of the brilliant Carolin Jones. An amazing woman who lived an extraordinary career. A great article about her by @MeganMackander Poise, grace, professionalism: Remembering Caroline Jones
https://t.co/ERn8a91Ws8

— Jeff Isles (@jrisles) May 20, 2022

Caroline Jones was the first public female figure on the radio/TV waves to inspire me... Great role model for shy younger me to toughen up and speak my truth...
I admired her then and still do...

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) May 20, 2022

pre-poll voting advantages...

Glad that I will be an armchair observer of Saturday's election.
Pre-poll voting has advantages...Go 1st day, early, (but after the first enthusiastic wave), + you may be lucky enough to be 3rd in the queue as I was...
Planning pays...
Now I'll watch the circus in comfort...

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) May 17, 2022

my experience with pre-poll voting last Saturday...

Last Saturday, pre-poll voting opened at 9:00am in Cootamundra Town Hall...

As I was staying in Cootamundra for the weekend, I decided that it would be a great time to get my messy voting done...Maybe not too many people around, as I could take some time...

(Little did I know just how much time)...

Found the Town Hall site with little problem...Thanks Google maps...

But I should not have been too hasty...

Barriers were around the footpath in front of the town hall except for one narrow area...

I walked it to the front entrance...

And the front door had a sign 'closed' till Monday...

Hmmm...

Not one to give up, I wandered round one side of the Town Hall precinct and found this lovely garden area (above) with a little fountain...

Nice...but no doorway...

Not one to give up completely, as the government website declared Cootamundra would host pre-poll today,

I wandered round the corner to the town main street side of the hall...

I found a side entrance...

Lo and behold...

I was presented with a 'How to vote Labor'...No sign of others...

I queued behind 3 people...

When approached, I said that I would need to vote absentee...I was directed to the appropriate table...

And now more fun begins...

ME: I have just arrived in NSW over the last few weeks from Dromana in Victoria...I thought I would get here early in case I may have a few time-consuming issues...

NICE, PATIENT LADY: No problem...Actually, you are lucky...You missed the 9:00am queue waiting for doors to open...There seems to be a lull now (9:45am) but I am sure it will get more busy again at 10am...That's a popular time for Saturday morning...Now, just fill out this form and use your driver's licence address...It's recorded on the electoral roll?...

ME: Yes...

NICE, PATIENT LADY: What is your address now?

ME: I don't actually live permanently here yet...I am living in my daughter's rental till her new house is completed...Then I am taking over the rental...So should I record my current address?...

NICE, PATIENT LADY: Ummm...So there is no actual record of your moving here?

ME: No...Just a Post Office record to redirect mail here...

NICE, PATIENT LADY: Well, we will just have to leave that section of the form blank...That indicates you are holidaying here for now...But you must change the electoral roll record as soon as your name is on the rental...(Lady begins to print off ballot papers for my Dromana electorate of Flinders)...Now finish that form, sign it and then go to a booth and tick the required boxes for the Flinders electorate...Then bring your ballot papers back to me folded...

So far so good...One big problem sorted...

Filled out ballot papers in the booth...But as I ticked boxes on the long white form, there were large wet blotches on it...???? Back to nice lady...She examined the white paper and ran with a few deep thoughts...

NICE, PATIENT LADY: I think it's best you did the white form again...No idea why the table area in the booth was wet...Maybe a roof leak? I will sign off this first wet paper and print you another...Go to that booth just there and tick boxes again...Bring the papers folded back to me...

Ballot papers ticked again...back to nice, patient lady...

ME: I hope all is OK now...

Nice, patient lady nods...Carefully puts folded papers in an envelope and seals it...Smiles at me...

NICE, PATIENT LADY: Now that wasn't so bad was it? I have dealt with far more complex problems than yours...But, I must admit, yours is the first wet ballot paper I have had to solve...Have a great day...

It is now 30 minutes since I first sighted Cootamundra Town Hall and begin the pre-poll journey...

Back to the town hall garden for another photo/s and then it's time to explore Cootamundra in autumn...

I MUST pre-poll...

PASSING THOUGHT: I'm feeling very strong+brave...keeping my promise not to join the political gripers+launch into a spill of political frustration...BUT I'm almost exploding...
PLUS I'm interstate+no fixed address yet...
Pre-polling's the only answer...
I MUST vote SM's Libs out!

— 🇺🇦🌻Gemma Wiseman-on Wiradjuri land (@AuraGem) May 9, 2022

NOTE: Currently, my mail is being re-directed from my old Victorian address...That means that a postal vote is not an option as mail is so slow and unreliable even without the need to re-direct...For example, recent Express Post mail direct to my new address took 14 days...

I'm living with my daughter till her house is built and I take over her rental...That means, for now, I cannot register my new address...Yes...I have curly problems that can only be answered by doing a pre-poll...