library with a view

From my previous posts regular readers at the trim of my sails would notice how much I like libraries! and I was so excited to discover the British Institute in Florence, Italy. Founded in 1917 to promote cultural exchange and understanding; today it offers language courses as well as a reading room with this excellent view of the River Arno (pictured above). E.M Foster fans will appreciate the proximity to the Lucy Honeychurch trail! and the serious bibliophile will marvel at the collection of rare books, periodicals and ephemera. Rain on the picture photo lens was applied for atmosphere and aesthetic.

Lets see the Jane Austen Today Blog beat that for romance and literary sensation?

burma conference

Trevor Wilson, co-covenor and the former Australian ambassador to Myanmar (not High Commissioner because Burma is no longer a member of the Commonwealth) sent me an e-mail about the 2-day Myanmar/Burma Update Conference on the 17-18 August 2009. I am not sure I can attend although I am making enquiries. I have just posted the details here for those interested because of its topical nature with the current trial of Daw Aung San Su Kyi. The venue is the Hedley Bull Lecture Theatre at the Australian National University. This is a cold time of year in Canberra so one needs to pack warm clothing. I have a draft copy of the program/agenda, which I can e-mail anyone who is keen to attend? The keynote speaker is Dr William Sabandar, Special Envoy of ASEAN, on Post Nargis Operations in Myanmar and I think if we are to see any political reform in Burma, ASEAN are an under-rated and under-used diplomatic influence.

Watch Point: Will the imprisonment of Su Kyi by Burma's Military Ruler's be a strategic mistake similar to the treatment of past freedom fighters such as Nelson Mandela and Xananna Gusmao?

next catch

farewell to rhyme
for the new word time
goodbye to the friendly
wave roll medley
trawl meaning verse
from nets cast first
and paragraph's anchor
lost to a drying candour

farewell and goodbye
of the fun for the novel
with beach cast doggerel
and reason made poor
through sonnet wreckage
and word splash spray
clean more deck catch
for where you will fish
the song without music
and the stanza no hiss

stamp collecting

Stamp collecting has been a life long hobby for me but I am not a fanatic! Mainly because it is so difficult to keep up with the volume of issues, which Nation-states now use to raise revenue and through historical commemoration as a method of promoting political nationalism. However I enjoy the motif's, images and themes on Malaysia and Singapore stamps. (also please check out my essay on how Australia defines the history of the Gallipoli battle through its postage stamps.)

I also find modern stamps of East Timor in comparison with its colonial past interesting because it is one chronicle of that political journey. But my main area of collection is the Australian Antarctic Territory because of its affordable one issue a year (smiles).

One frustrating part of stamp collecting is trying to remove the often found treasure, pictured above (I wonder where that came from?), from the envelope it is pasted too! Many countries use different adhesives and I once had some excellent Lao postage labels but because of their climate they use gum instead of glue on their stamps making them difficult to remove, through soaking in water, from the envelope.

Does anyone have an idea how I can remove the Korean stamps from the envelope in the picture above?

indoor plants

Indoor plants provide a great feel to one's home and office not just for their aesthetics but also for their ability to filter the "air." I have been a big advocate of indoor plants since I discovered Dr Wolverton's book and research for NASA, tilted: How to grow fresh air: 50 plants for the home or office. Most people are indoor plant killers because they either fuss over or neglect (smiles) their plants. Consistency is the key to indoor plants because their growth patterns adapt to the behaviour of their carers!

1. Regular watering, at the same time, once a week. Try not to over water plants because they recover more form under watering rather than flooding.

2. Use a "moisture meter" to gauge the moisture of the potting mix. Right down into the root-ball not justice at the surface or at finger depth.

3. The darker the leaf the less light it needs. The lighter the leaf the more light it needs.

4. Fertilise, spray for pests, wash (outside with a hose if your prefer) and prune leaves at the branch every 6 to 8 weeks.

5. Then leave them alone!! Don't fuss.

6. Re-pot once a year, preferably in autumn (fall).

That's it.

More information is available from Green Earth, Green Plants and under their "Shop" section they have a reasonably priced book called "Green Plant Care, Tips for Techs." Love your plant, it is keeping your home free of toxins such as benzene, acetone and formaldehyde.