I wouldn’t normally think of joining a car club, but I’ve recently come across one that suits me perfectly - the Junky Car Club. After reading what this club is about, I couldn’t not sign up.

According to their website:

“Junky Car Club members are learning to live with less so we can give more. We’re a bunch of happy drivers who are politely rebelling against consumerism by driving junky cars. We encourage our members to use their dough to support social justice causes instead of making fat car payments. We believe in environmental stewardship and hanging onto things a little longer. Junky Car Club members sponsor kids living in poverty through Compassion International.”

I love the thinking behind this - it seems so logical - but I related to it mainly because it describes what I’ve already been doing. I’m still driving the same car I bought nearly 22 years ago, and have been sponsoring children through Compassion Australia for much of that time.

While I’ve kept the same old car to save money in general, not specifically to sponsor children, the money I’ve saved by not upgrading to new cars has made the child sponsorship possible … and much more. I’ve not spent a cent on car purchases or repayments since I finished paying off mine in 1989. This has meant more money to spend on things like travel, paying off the mortgage earlier, and feeding and educating children in Ethiopia … all more worthy causes than banks, car manufacturers and car salesmen.

Speaking of sly vultures, most car salesmen will tell you that running an older car is uneconomical, but that isn’t always true. In my case it has proven cheaper to run in its old age than when it was young (I wrote about it here). My car does have some quirks and small defects, but nothing that can’t be lived with, or patched with duct tape. It ain’t fancy, but it’s got character!

Nothing lasts forever, even with duct tape, so eventually my beloved vehicle will wear out and need replacing. When that happens, I’ll hope to look after a new car well so that it also will last a long time, and become another old car. You see, I plan to be a Junky Car Club member for a long time.

Last October when Western Australia switched over to daylight saving, I refused to change my clocks, having decided to continue operating on standard time (see my blog post: In A Time Zone Of My Own). Now that daylight saving has ended for this summer, I can look back and review how practical it is to live in your own personal time zone. In a nutshell - it worked for me, but wouldn’t be practical for everyone.

I quickly became accustomed to adjusting the times in my head. For example, a 9:00am class began at 8:00am as far as I was concerned, and from my perspective the TV programs I watch began an hour early (mostly an advantage). The only time I got caught out was when I turned up at a shop 20 minutes before I thought it would close, to find it had closed 40 minutes earlier. Oh well, I was bound to forget at least once!

Most of the time, however, I was able to live by non-daylight-saving time without any problem. In fact, I became so used to it I still occasionally find myself looking at a clock and mentally noting what the time is for “normal people” - even though daylight saving has ended.

Whether this is feasible for others depends on how much one’s life interfaces with the outside world according to a schedule. For someone who lives by the clock, with many appointments, operating on a time different to everyone around you could be very confusing - and more trouble than it’s worth. But for those whose lifestyle is less regulated by the clock, living in your own individual time zone can indeed work smoothly, as I have discovered. If daylight saving becomes a regular occurrence in Western Australia, so will my boycotting of it.

Calling all Australians, including those of us in the west: you are invited to take part in an online survey about the cultural significance of snow and snowy environments in Australia in light of the effects of climate change.

Not a survey topic you would have seen before, I bet! Maybe the refreshing uniqueness is one reason I took part in the survey, which is being conducted by Dr Andrew Gorman-Murray at the University of Wollongong, down the coast from Sydney.

A Thredbo ski slope in
a very poor season.
In the future, this could
be as good as it gets!

Dr Gorman-Murray says that although we have plenty of scientific projections about the damage climate change will do to snow in Australia (and it’s not pretty), we have little data on cultural or personal responses to this. Information about people’s memories and experiences of snow in Australia, and what snow means to the Australian identity, is not well documented. Neither is the extent of people’s awareness of the history and geography of snow in Australia.

By completing the survey, you can contribute to the understanding of the cultural dimensions of climate change relating to snow. This is becoming more relevant as governments form climate change policies. Australians not living near snow are encouraged to contribute, to ensure there isn’t an south-eastern states bias.

If you found my website when searching for anything to do with West Australian snow, then you might well have some interest or feeling on the subject … and Dr Gorman-Murray would value your input.

The survey, and more information about it, can be found at:
www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=zU33zSv8O90j9xmzwNuS6w_3d_3d
Info about Dr Gorman-Murray:
www.uow.edu.au/science/eesc/eesgenstaff/UOW003012.html

My personal preference for hiking, and exercise in general, is “the colder, the better”. However, most people I know avoid outdoor activity when they feel it is too cold, and think it strange that anyone would want to go hiking in the middle of winter. So is there any truth in the belief that it can be too cold for exercise?

I found some enlightenment recently in a New York Times article titled “Too Cold to Exercise? Try Another Excuse“, in which some cold weather exercise myths are dispelled by experts. Some relevant points from the article are:

• Lungs are not damaged by cold - by the time cold air reaches your lungs, it is at body temperature
• Cold air does not induce asthma - airways narrow in response to the dryness of the air, not its temperature
• Our bodies do not need to acclimatize to cold, as they do to heat
• Unfitness is not an obstacle to coping with cold - the physically fit are no better at adaptating to cold than the sedentary
• More people are injured exercising in the heat than exercising in the cold

A little bit of snow, cold,
wind and poor visibility
didn’t stop this fellow
going out for a walk

The concensus among the doctors and exercise physiologists interviewed was that it is never too cold to exercise. Cold-weather risks like hypothermia and frostbite can be avoided with appropriate clothing and common sense. Ironically this includes not overdressing - sweat soaked clothes can lead to chilling. As children are taught in Sweden: “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing“.

My own experiences affirm this. The middle of winter is my favourite time for hiking the Bibbulmun Track, in shorts and T-shirt regardless of how cold it is (I just rug up at night). I’ve hiked happily in New Zealand’s south island in winter, been camping in -10 degrees in Australia, and enjoyed winter walks in the Canadian winter in temperatures below -20 (with wind). By dressing appropriately I’ve done all this in much greater comfort than any walk on a hot day.

Eskimos have lived safely with cold for millenia, and numerous explorers and researchers have survived outdoors in Antarctic winters. The temptation to avoid exercise on chilly days in more temperate climates probably has more to do with comfort, convenience and personal taste than safety. I’ll certainly be continuing my winter outdoor activities, reassured that it really is never too cold to exercise.

We’re often told that “winners never quit, and quitters never win”, and exhorted to perservere to the end. Winston Churchill famously advised “never, ever, give up”. While striving to succeed is a good thing, there are times when quitting may be wise, as I’ve discovered.

The reason I’m reflecting on this now is that today is the tenth anniversary of an incident which led me to give up skiing. Prior to then, snow skiing was a passion, and the only sport I was any good at. Living a few thousand kilometres from the nearest snow was an obstacle, but with some dedication I managed to become quite competant and ambitious.

Temptation to quit came while skiing at the delightful resort of Fernie, in the Canadian Rockies. A high speed crash saw me with a torn knee ligament (ACL), mild whiplash and numerous cuts and bruises. It was during the humbling journey off the slopes via stretcher and ambulance that I started wondering about the wisdom of continuing to ski.

Feb 1998: Pondering what can
go wrong when hurtling down
a hill strapped to two planks

Skiing is a sport where falling over is virtually unavoidable, and I’d suffered minor injuries before (concussion being the worst result). The better I got, the faster I went and the slopes I skiied became more challenging. Although I was falling over less, the potential for serious damage when I did fall became greater. Also I wasn’t as young and rubbery as I once was! Continuing to ski didn’t appear very compatible with my aim of living to a ripe old age without disabilities. I decided to retire from the sport before I did myself too much damage.

I sometimes miss the exhilaration of skiing, but I’ve found that most of what I enjoyed about it - the pristine alpine environments and wintry conditions - can still be enjoyed without flying down obstacle-strewn snowy hills at reckless speeds. The time and energy I devoted to skiing has been redirected into hiking, and a whole new world of recreation has opened up. Despite the negative things we are told about quitting, I have no regrets about pulling the pin on skiing. In fact, as I start to feel the wear and tear of ageing, I’m grateful for the injuries and pains I’ve almost certainly avoided by quitting when I did.

This is just one example of when quitting something can be good. Other examples could include quitting an ill-suited job or course of study in order to pursue something better. Have you quitted anything and, when later looking back on how things turned out, felt glad that you did?

Last June I wrote about how one of my toenails came off due to squashing on a bushwalk (see Goodbye Toenail). I’d read that a new nail takes about six months to regrow, and was hoping this was true.

Not everything you read on the internet is accurate (gasps of disbelief erupt from the audience), but I’m happy to report that in this case it was about right. My toenail took seven months to regrow to the point where it resembled a normal closely trimmed nail, and has just had it’s first trim (pictured). All is right with the world again!

This may not seem important, and it isn’t compared to people starving in Ethiopia. But in this era of technical marvels it’s all too easy to lose our sense of wonder at the seemingly small intricacies of the natural world. I think the automatic regrowing of any body part is an example of how cleverly and remarkably designed our human bodies are - right down to the details of our little toenails. This is something to be thankful for … I know I certainly am!

A week is a long time in politics, as the saying goes, and this week it has been illustrated by a dramatic transformation of personal character which is nothing short of miraculous.

It involves Troy Buswell, who last week was deputy leader of the Western Australian Liberal Party, currently serving a term in opposition. Along with speculation about his leadership ambitions, there were news stories about his unprofessional conduct. This included things like being drunk in parliament, undoing the bra strap of a female colleague, and making sexist and inappropriate comments to another female colleague.

His dramatic transformation is summed up as follows:

Jan 11th
Troy Buswell tells media he will not be challenging for the Liberal Party leadership, as he is not ready to lead the party due to lack of maturity and experience.

Jan 17th
Troy Buswell challenges for the Liberal Party leadership, and is elected as leader by its members who think he is worthy of becoming premier of Western Australia.

This means that in just six days, Mr Buswell has somehow gained all the previously-lacking maturity and experience needed to lead his party - which could see him leading the state of Western Australian if the Liberal Party wins the next election, due within a year. To become so mature and experienced almost overnight is a truly remarkable achievement, something which would take the rest of us mere mortals many years. After all, years of experience normally takes … years!

It’s laughable, but in a way it’s also sad. In a society where the miracles of the bible are ridiculed in the media, we are expected to believe the miraculous transformation of a politician as reported in the news. Sorry, Saint Troy of the Bra Strap, I don’t know if we voters have enough faith in a politician.

News stories:
Why Troy Buswell’s leadership dream is in tatters (Jan 12)
Buswell new WA Liberal leader (Jan 17)

Some time ago I began roasting raw coffee beans in a popcorn popper. It didn’t take long for the limitations of this method to become apparent, and so I’ve progressed to an improved method using a tripod-mounted heat gun, which I hereby reveal.

I blogged about my popcorn popper roasting setup (see Confessions Of A Coffee Snob), which gave reasonable results in cool weather. However, in warmer weather the roasting process happens too quickly to allow the full flavour of the beans to develop, and the popper’s heat can’t easily be adjusted. Another method was needed, which would allow slower roasts during the long hot Perth summer.

A lot of great information on home coffee roasting is available on the CoffeeSnobs website, and Sweet Maria’s has an inspiring illustrated collection of home-made roasting devices. With ideas from these, I built the tripod-mounted heat gun and bowl roaster shown in the photo.

It’s basically just a heat gun - normally used for drying or stripping paint - pointing into a stainless steel bowl, with the beans stirred by hand with a wooden spoon. A motorised stirrer could be added … but that’s another project. The tripod mount allows the heat gun to be positioned in just the right spot, which is how the temperature in the bowl is controlled (as measured using a multimeter). Also the setup is easily moved around, and dismantled for storage.

This is a manual, hands-on and low-tech method of roasting coffee beans, but the degree of control means much more of the bean’s potential can be realised. By adjusting the height of the gun to slow the rate of temperature increase, a roast can be extended to 15-18 minutes instead of the 5 or 6 minutes it would take in a popcorn popper on a warm day. The slower roasting leads to better flavour in the cup, not to mention the satisfaction (and money savings) of doing it yourself.

It makes me wonder what else can be achieved at low cost by tinkering with household bits and pieces.

For me 2007 was a bumper year for reading, with 44 books read. Ranking the best is a subjective thing, but “top five” lists are popular with blog writers, so here are the five books most significant for me in 2007 (in no particular order):

1 - What Color Is Your Parachute? : A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Bolles

This has been one of the best selling job-hunting and career-changing manuals for decades (updated every year), and for good reason. It’s practical and thorough, and I particularly appreciated the focus on finding meaningful work, with self-evaluation exercises to help identify what sort of work might be most suitable.

2 - It’s not carpal tunnel syndrome! : RSI theory and therapy for computer professionals by Suparna Damany

All about the often misunderstood range of conditions suffered by many who over-use computers - RSI, occupational overuse syndrome, or whatever the latest label may be. The writers have a great understanding of what is often mis-diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, having successfully treated many in their medical practice. They clearly explain the mechanical and physiological causes, the personality types who are more prone to it, and what can be done about it.

For anyone suffering aches and pains from working with computers too intensively, it is an enlightening read. Those not yet feeling symptoms, or RSI skeptics (as I once was), may benefit from an early understanding of the risks.

3 - Surviving the Extremes : A Doctor’s Journey to the Limits of Human Endurance by Dr Kenneth Kamler

A fascinating account of the human body’s amazing ability to survive in extreme environments. I blogged about this book previously - see “Extreme Survival - A Good Read“.

4 - A Walk In The Woods : Rediscovering America On The Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson

I’ve always enjoyed the humorous travel writings of Bill Bryson, and this book is a delightfully amusing account of his extensive hikes on the Appalachian Trail. It provided some of the motivation for my own much shorter hike on the Bibbulmun Track in june.

5 - Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett

Yes, I do also read fiction! I’ve been working my way through the novels of Ken Follett, who writes in genres varying from thriller to adventure and historical. In Hammer of Eden, the leader of a group of ageing hippies devises a method of triggering earthquakes to fight the threat of being evicted from their remote Californian commune. It’s a sort of crime thriller with a touch of science fiction and terrorism blended in. However you describe it, I found it an absorbing read, with many late nights the result of me being compelled to read “just one more chapter”.

Special mention also goes to the Holy Bible, which I finished reading in 2007 - for significance, it’s in a class of its own. I also read a number of course text books, but these certainly don’t deserve any special mention!

I’ve just finished reading the bible in its entirety, and I’m feeling pleased. Like eating an elephant, the bible is best consumed one small bite at a time, spread over a long period to aid digestion. For me this meant a three year plan of short daily readings.

I enjoyed it and learned a lot from it, although I confess to finding the meaning of some parts less clear than others. Anyone who says the bible is full of lists of things we shouldn’t do, or boring repetition (eg “Rupert begat Olga, and Fred begat Britney…”), clearly hasn’t read much of it. The action, drama, wisdom and positively encouraging bits far outweighed any seemingly mundane bits. It was also interesting to see what the bible doesn’t say - many assumptions about what the bible tells us don’t appear to be based on what is actually in it.

Here are some things I learned about the challenging but rewarding task of reading through the whole bible:

1. Some form of reading schedule is almost essential

Not many people have the self-discipline to read the whole bible by just reading bits whenever the motivation strikes, like reading a novel, and ticking off when each book is read. I tried that, but after 20 years had only managed 75% of it, in a very stop-start fashion. To get through the whole thing in a reasonable time, a reading plan with an end-date provides the necessary structure and motivation.

2. A daily reading habit is easier to stick to than one less regular

There are many bible reading plans on the internet - most involve reading every day, but some schedule readings for 6 days each week, or weekdays only, or you could set your own interval. For most people a reading habit is easier to form and maintain if it is repeated every day rather than on some days but not others. Of course there will always be days when it just doesn’t happen, but by making it part of a daily routine it’s less likely to be forgetten. Reading during breakfast worked well for me - I was a captive audience while eating, and breakfast is something I remember to do each day!

3. A three year plan may be more realistic than a one year plan for many people

Most bible reading plans are designed to be completed in one year. While it’s great to aim high, I’ve heard many stories of people starting a one year reading schedule, falling behind and failing to catch up, then giving up. The bible’s 1189 chapters mean an average of 3.25 chapters per day over one year - it may not sound like much, but if you miss a few days the backlog can quickly mount up. Also the bible is full of meaning and subtleties which deserve much more than a quick scan. Over three years, the average of about one chapter per day is easier to keep up with (or catch up with), and the more relaxed pace makes it easier to savour each bite.

Various reading plans can be found by typing “bible reading plan” into Google, perhaps adding “3 year” to the search if you want to follow the long but very achievable route. Some plans use a mixture of old and new testament readings each day (for variety), while others finish one part before starting another (like the one I’m using, here). Some take you through in chronological order (which differs from the printed sequence), while others follow different sequences for different purposes. If you don’t have a bible, you can read it online, or have daily readings e-mailed to you. The choices are many!

Like any good book, a repeat reading reveals things that were missed the first time, and so I’ll be starting all over again on January 1st with a different translation, read in a different order. It’s the time of year for making new resolutions, so why not join me?

Introducing the latest book in the popular Dummies series - “Lint Collecting For Dummies: How to pluck a Guinness world record out of your navel”.

Could this be my own instructional book describing how to achieve recognition for a navel lint collection, like I did?

No, it’s just a joke. The book cover shown is a fake one, produced at the Dummies Book Cover Maker website. Here, anyone can type in a name and subtitle, select a few options, and be presented with a realistic looking book cover based on what you type in.

If you ever wanted to see what “Genetic Modification for Dummies” might look like, or any other title, now you know where to go.

Anyone reading this blog recently may have noticed the header, footer, sidebar and navigation links had mysteriously disappeared - but just from the blog, not the rest of the site. This was related to my website host upgrading to a new version of PHP, which I use for the bits that went missing. I’ve done some reconfiguring and corrected it for most blog pages; further fixing will have to wait until the morning when I can think better.

Regular readers may also have noticed a lack of blog posts lately. The course I am studying is to blame, as assignments and exam study have diverted my attention. All of that is now finished for the year (very successfully, I’m glad to say), and I look forward to having more time to write.

Have you ever heard an amazing survival story, and wondered how some people are able to endure extreme environments? I have, and a book I’ve just read explains in absorbing detail how the human body can adapt to hostile conditions … and what goes wrong if it doesn’t.

The book is “Surviving the Extremes” by Dr Kenneth Kamler, an American surgeon, explorer and climber. This skill combination has led him to practise emergency medicine on expeditions to Mt Everest, the Amazon jungle, the depths of the ocean, and other places that must cause his family to worry about him.

In the book he describes the threats to life found in tropical jungles, deserts, the ocean’s surface and its depths, high mountains, and space. Such delights as extreme cold, heat stroke, starvation, dehydration, pain, inadequate oxygen, zero gravity, and radiation.

Many captivating accounts of survival - and failure to survive - are mingled with the author’s own adventures. His experiences of trying to save the lives of nearly-dead climbers near the summit of Mt Everest in a severe storm are related vividly and with feeling. I almost felt like I was there, while inwardly feeling very glad I wasn’t.

What made this book a stand-out for me was the fascinating insights into how the human body adapts to accomodate threatening circumstances. Using his medical knowledge, the author descripes in gory but compelling detail the effects that something like extreme cold or lack of water has on its victim, and how the body tries to minimise the effects. He explains how a boy in the jungle can slash through his arm with a machete and not feel much pain, how Sherpas can hike through snow in bare feet without getting frostbite, and other feats best not tried at home.

This sort of thing interests me because of my love of cold and mountainous places. I’ve often noticed how exposure to cold leads to reduced circulation in the arms and legs, an automatic response which helps retain warmth in the essential bits (I measured this in my “lunch in the fridge” experiment, blogged about here). The body’s built-in ability to adjust to cold impressed me, but that was nothing compared to all the adaptations Kenneth Kamler explains in his book. My appreciation of how well designed our bodies are took a great leap.

In cases where some have survived while others in similar peril haven’t, Dr Kamler highlights both physical preparation and the will to live as vital factors. Interestingly, he admits that other factors may exist which science and medicine may never adequately explain. Faith is one factor he hints at.

Of the forty or so book I’ve read so far this year, Surviving the Extremes is one of the best. Fascinating and enjoyable to read, even if it did make me think twice about my desire to climb Mt Kilimanjaro.

I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. My postal voting forms arrived today, and I just had to do some scanning and make a digital “enhancement” to one of the ballot papers. The result appears here.

The ballot paper is for the impending Australian federal election. Aussies have become very cynical and weary of our politicians, and I suspect many voters would love to see the last box on a ballot paper labelled “None of the above”, as my modified version does. This would provide a legitimate way of expressing dissatisfaction with the candidates on offer; better than writing rude words and thereby invalidating the vote, as some do.

If a ballot paper like this were to be real, the last box could even get the most votes. Perhaps someday we’ll see a candidate change their legal name to “None of the above” and appear last on the list, preferably without being linked to any political party. If not victory, it would at least guarantee a head start.

Frivolity aside, being able to vote in democratic elections is a privilege denied to many, and not to be despised. Even if many politicians deserve our cynicism, they could be a lot worse (as they are in some countries). I’ll be making my vote count … even if it might be a little tempting to add another choice to the ballot paper.

Australia’s summer time zones,
showing hours ahead of UT (GMT).
The unofficial red +8 zone only
applies to me and my home.

Is it possible for an individual to live according to standard time while everyone around him adopts daylight savings time? I’m not sure, but I’m going to find out.

Yesterday Western Australians put their clocks forward for the start of daylight saving. We don’t normally have it here in WA, but we are in the second year of a trial period before yet another referendum to see if daylight saving will be adopted permanently.

We’ve already had three trial periods followed by referendums, and have voted against daylight saving three times over three decades, but our politicians clearly don’t like the decisions of those they allegedly represent. Last year I blogged about it - see “Democracy in Western Australia?” for the full story.

If a majority of my fellow citizens had voted for daylight saving, I’d accept it and reluctantly conform. But they didn’t. I object to the undemocratic way the government is forcing the issue against the demonstrated wishes of its people, and I’m feeling a little recalcitrant.

Last year I adjusted my clocks (all 14 of them) but managed to remain in my standard-time routine. This year I’ve not changed any clocks at all. I’ve declared myself and my home “daylight saving free zones”, and continue to live according to Western Standard Time as far as possible.

Of course there willl need to be some adjustments where I interact with society around me. I’m a student, and my classes now start an hour earlier (by my watch). No problem - I won’t need to get up much earlier as I already allow spare time at the start of the day. The timetable changes caused by daylight saving will just rob me of that spare time in the coolest part of the day (making it daylight robbery, not daylight saving!). My life is relatively uncluttered by appointments, and I’m not currently working, so I don’t expect any great problems with being an hour behind everyone around me. Keeping the time that better suits me and the climate should offset any inconveniences.

How practical will it really be to operate in my own time zone? Will it make much difference to anything? I don’t know, but I’m giving it a go, and will blog about the outcome. It’s my own subtle protest against goverments who ask their citizens what they want then disregard their answers.

Update: After writing this, I saw a story in the West Australian newspaper (see “Protesters glad to be behind the times“) about a Murchison couple who are ignoring daylight saving, as they did last year too. It seems many others in rural WA are doing likewise, so I’m not alone.

I normally prefer to write about more positive things, but feel compelled to indulge in a brief whinge after the latest display of hypocrisy by Channel Seven’s current affairs program, Today Tonight.

I felt irritated a couple of weeks back, when Today Tonight aired a story about half the contestants in the finals of Australian Idol being Christians. They made a big deal of this, as if there was something sinister or wrong about it, and alleged that the pastor of Hillsong Church had encouraged its members to vote for some of the Christian singers competing on the show. The allegation was unsubstantiated, and denied by the church, but the truth apparently wasn’t important to the story.

Bill Muehlenberg wrote a witty response in his blog (see Danger! Danger! They Are Taking Over!), highlighting the anti-Christian bigotry often shown by Today Tonight. He points out that in a recent census 64% of Australians identify themselves as Christian. Also, Christians sing a lot in church, increasing the likelihood of developing their talent. The fact that some of those doing well in a singing contest are Christians is therefore a perfectly logical outcome, not a scandal.

And even if a church did encourage its members to vote for certain entrants, they wouldn’t be alone. Clubs, social groups and even businesses do exactly that. Last year an Australian Idol contestant from Albury-Wodonga had the local pub raise money to pay for phone votes, but Today Tonight didn’t run a story on that. Even Today Tonight has been known to promote individual contestants, as they did with the Perth couple competing in “My Restaurant Rules” a few years ago. The couple won, thanks in part to the free promotion Today Tonight gave them.

What pressed my button though was last night’s program. There was a story having a go at a group of Christians hoping to influence the approaching federal elections by expressing their opinions to politicians (how dare they use their democratic rights, like everyone else!). This was followed by another reference to churches “stacking votes” in the Australian Idol contest.

Immediately following this was a story about a Perth dancer doing well in the “Dancing With The Stars” TV show. Apart from being shameless cross-promotion of one of their own TV shows (which was to air later that evening, what a coincidence!), it stongly suggested that Perth viewers support (ie vote for) the celebrity paired up with the Perth dancer. So it’s okay for Today Tonight to solicit votes in talent contests, it’s okay for other groups to do it, but if they think a Christian group might be doing the same thing … it’s a scandal, worthy of a critical “news” story.

It is often said that churches are full of hypocrites, and they have their share. As a church member I can readily admit we’re not perfect. My observation, however, is that more hypocrisy can be seen outside churches than in them, and Today Tonight is a shining example (see this article for more details). They’ve lost one semi-regular viewer, and if Christians are anywhere near as numerous as the census suggests, they stand to lose a lot more.

Now that I’ve got this off my chest I can forgive Today Tonight’s hypocrisy and turn the other cheek … while turning to another channel.

You don’t often hear “good customer service” and “bank” mentioned in the same sentence. In Australia, banks are commonly viewed as greedy and heartless organisations which ruthlessly bleed their customers dry. Sometimes this sentiment is justified, and bank-bashing is popular. Today, however, I was pleasantly surprised to receive good service from my bank in spite of its public perception.

I was depositing a pile of coins, and only had to queue for about two minutes. Not content with just being prompt, the teller was observant enough to notice that my home loan interest rate seemed higher than she thought it could be. She asked if I’d like to talk to a lending officer to see if they could work out something better for me, and I agreed. Another very helpful and knowledgeable woman appeared within minutes, and she went to some lengths to understand my circumstances and see what the bank could do to make me better off.

Having previously compared banks and accounts, I’m familiar with assessing fine print, fees and charges, and am good enough with numbers to weigh up benefits with costs. That’s why I hadn’t already changed to a cheaper home loan - usually the savings are offset by disadvantages and higher costs in other areas, such as credit card and transaction accounts (these came fee-free as part of a package with my existing loan). The woman I saw today was able to sort out a combination of home loan and other accounts which really do work out cheaper for me. I felt she wasn’t merely doing a job; she appeared genuinely keen to do what was best for the customer.

Saving money obviously pleased me, but equally impressive was the way two bank employees took the time and effort to provide very good customer service … not what we are conditioned to expect from banks. Especially in a busy bank, on a friday.

It got me thinking about the negative image of banks, government departments, and other large organisations. Much dissatisfaction stems from procedures, policies and prices: things determined by management. Customer service problems often arise through lack of staff or training: something management is responsible for. The bulk of the employees, who do the work - the ones we deal with - are regular people trying to do as good a job as they can in their circumstances.

Today’s experience was a reminder not to let an organisation’s bad image prejudice our judgement of its staff. Good customer service does exist … yes, even in a bank!

(For the curious, the bank I refer to is the Dianella branch of BankWest)

Spring has arrived, and my regular walks around Perth’s Lake Monger are less comfortable. There’s more sweating, the pollen in the air requires hay fever medication and eye drops (for me at least), and the flies have begun their annoying return. It’s not all bad though, as the lake at this time of year has some treats.

One delightful sight is all the freshly hatched baby birds that start popping up at this time of year. Yesterday I found the duck in the photo taking her new chicks for a swim, which they seemed to be enjoying. The pitter patter of other tiny webbed and clawed feet should arrive soon, including the fuzzy brown balls that grow into black swans. It’s hard to imagine anyone not finding them cute.

Lake Monger in March 2007 (left) and October 2007 (right)

Another pleasant sight is the healthy rise in water levels. Back in March the lake was drier than it had been for many years, with large areas of mud, algae, and exposed lakebed. A winter of near-average rainfall, consistent enough to maintain good runoff, has filled the lake again. The surrounds are green and lush, and there’s a feeling of abundance that was hard to imagine just six months ago.

I may not enjoy the walking conditions as much in spring, but I can appreciate the lushness and baby birdlife. As the young ducks grow up during the coming dry months I’m sure they too will be grateful for the extra water in the lake this summer.

It was in the pipeline for a long time but has finally been completed - a redesign of my website and blog.

For those not familiar with how it looked before, here are two before and after screenshots of my navel fluff page. The left one shows how it looked before my redesign (click on it to open full-size in a new browser window).

With a few exceptions the content remains essentially the same - the changes mostly concern the organisation and structure, appearance, and some behind-the scenes coding improvements that benefit me but don’t affect the appearance. The changes can be summarised as follows:

• Revised the text of the Snow in WA section and split it into smaller and more manageable pages.
• Added a page about my collection of bakery bags.
• Added a header, consisting of a header image with title and tag-line superimposed, and navigation links.
• Centred the content (was previously left-aligned) to look better on a wide screen.
• Retained the white content background but added a pale non-white background to set the content apart from its surrounds.
• Changed the default font from Arial to Trebuchet. Nothing wrong with Arial, but I think Trebuchet looks a little more stylish while remaining readable. If complaints roll in, it’s easy to change back!
• Increased spacing between lines to improve readability.
• Divided the site into five sections (Blog, Snow in WA, Photography, Writing, Collections) to provide logical structure and better organisation of content.
• Added a contents page for each of the sections, accessed using the links in the header and footer.
• De-cluttered the navigation column on the left - instead of listing every page on the site, it now only contains links to the other pages within the section being viewed (except the Home page which still lists all).
• Improved page printing by adding a print style-sheet - now simply hitting Print button will print the content without the header, footer or left sidebar (check Print Preview to see what I mean). Previously it was necessary to find a “printer friendly” icon, click on it, then print the resulting odd-looking page, which didn’t always work.
• With minor exceptions, all page layout is now controlled using CSS instead of tables. That won’t concern anyone else, but it helps me because the page code is more up to date, standards-compliant, and easier to maintain.

Everything still seems to work, as far as my testing has shown. However if anyone comes across any page that doesn’t seem to display right, or has some other problem, I’d be grateful to hear about it.

It’s that time of year again. Spring has sprung, and Perth’s bushwalkers will be dusting off their boots and venturing outdoors again. Multitudes will soon start hiking the Bibbulmun Track, and I’ll be scratching my head, wondering why.

I love hiking the Bibbulmun Track too, but for me winter is the obvious season to do it. The weather is cool enough to do some serious walking without frying or drowning in sweat. Campsite rainwater tanks abound with fresh clean water. Little water needs to be carried because it is so readily available near much of the track. Venomous snakes are nowhere to be seen, mosquitoes are minimal, and flies … what flies?

With the track also bare of humans, the shelters along the track are never full, so the tent can be left at home. There is room to spread out, never a queue for the pit toilets, and no competition for space at the picnic tables. Then there’s the refreshing peace and quiet. Many find that the solitude of winter raises their enjoyment of the natural environment to a higher level - there’s nothing like having an entire national park all to yourself.

Why then do most people avoid hiking until spring? It might make sense in a cold climate, but we don’t have a cold climate. People speak of spring’s warmth, but that only increases sweating and the need to carry more water. It rains less, but with the influx of walkers that leads to water tanks running low, and the water becoming less than fresh. Snakes - all of them venomous - become active, mosquitoes worsen, and flies return to drive walkers mad. Wildflowers flourish - pretty, but no fun for hay fever and allergy sufferers. Crowds on the track diminish the sense of wilderness, and it becomes necessary to carry a tent in case the shelters are full. Even if they’re not, competition for space - and use of the toilet - can detract from the experience.

As I put away my hiking boots (figuratively speaking) until next winter, people who put their boots away for the winter are getting them out. It’s a sort of changing of the guard, like the winter shift going off duty as the spring shift clocks on.

It doesn’t make much sense to me, but it suits me just fine. The spring crowds are happy to hike in the warm weather, and I’m happy to let them, enjoying peace and quiet in the cool comfort of winter. It reminds me just how different we all are, and how well this can work out.