Monday, September 30, 2013

Meg Moves On

Meg flew to Vietnam; photos are from Laos. She has been a little sick.

Hello!


The flight was good. Ate a weird green cake. Tummy evacuated itself spectacularly so I took 3 tablets so I'll be right for a week now.

Vietnam is so crazy. 8 million people in Hanoi and 6 million scooters. We went out last night and it was insane.

Leaving the hotel this morning to spend today, tonight and part of tomorrow on a boat to Halong Bay and back.

By "we went out last night" I mean we walked to a restaurant and nearly died.



Yes. I nearly got run over by at least 40 scooters.








Thursday, September 26, 2013

More Meg

Meg is still in Laos. We had a quick chat today before she went elephant riding!  
























Monday, September 23, 2013

She's Alive!!!

After 4 days of not hearing from Meg it was good to have a quick facebook chat tonight. She is in Luang Prabang for 3 nights after cruising down the Mekong for two days. It's very, very, very hot but she's having a great time!


Snake whiskey.


The Story



In January 2014, resident Drew Gibbons is heading for Geneva, Switzerland to
take up an Internship with ERI - Edmund Rice International - visit website - at the
United Nations. This is part of Leo’s Outreach and UQ Advantage Award programs.
Drew tells his story:

In Year 12 I had a ten to fifteen year plan that would eventually lead me all the
way to working in the United Nations in Geneva. This plan involved a number of
overseas trips to third world countries to gauge what/who I believed to be the most
in need and direct me to a career focal point. Three years, four continents, and half
a degree in International Relations later, I was given the opportunity to apply for an
internship in Geneva with a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) called Edmund
Rice International (ERI).They are an organisation, recognised by the United Nations,
who promote the goals of the UN Charter andare committed towards working for children
and young people who are marginalised because of poverty, lack of access to education,
legal status, environmental degradation or involvement in armed conflict. ERI brings issues
and situations that affect the lives of the most vulnerable people on our planet to the
attention of the international community at the United Nations in both New York and
Geneva.
 
I have a particular interest in refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs)
in Sudan, South Sudan and more recently Syria.

As you are reading this, there are now over 2 million refugees who have fled Syria and
sought protection in neighbouring countries of Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. While this
is an atrocious statistic and a clear violation of human rights, it is only more motivation and
incentive for me to really immerse myself in the UN culture and learn as much as I can
while on my internship to further my own knowledge and personal development.

I also have an interest in genocidal research - what causes genocide, preventative
measures and case studies (Rwanda 1994). The opportunity to travel to Geneva and be
surrounded by like-minded people who all have varying degrees of human compassion
and empathy, and be able to undertake research and sit in on United Nation discussions
and conferences will be something that I can’t even begin to comprehend.

“Have your heart in your life's work, and be stout-hearted. Do something, act always,
and do it now. Don't be afraid. Many a man has been defeated by his doubts - lack of
confidence. Take your risks – you cannot eliminate them, you cannot escape them.
You can diminish them by dominating them.”   - Batten's Wedge

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Cricket and Turkeys

I baked on Friday night for the Cricket Club 50th Anniversary day on Saturday. I made choc chip muffins and a chocolate slice. G thought it was a fantastic day. I thought, "There's 5 hours I'll never get back".




Today I met my friend Kat and her daughter Mia at the market day in my local "village". Beautiful weather, lots of colourful stalls and good coffee.




Our first turkey poult was hatched today! Funny little fella he is.


I went walking for two hours this afternoon, around the boundary and across the paddocks and back down to check the pump. The forage is all shooting after the storm last Monday night. I found plenty of fox dens dug into the contour bank in  top paddock 2/3. I won't be saying anything though.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Geneva Bound

An excerpt from an email Drew received on Tuesday.

Tuesday 17 Sep 2013


Dear Drew,


Greetings from Geneva.


I am pleased to inform you that your application to undertake an internship with ERI has been formally approved and endorsed by the ERI Board. 


Whilst dates for the UPR sessions of the Human Rights Council are not yet finalised there will be a 2 week session in Jan/Feb. My suggestion therefore is that you aim to arrive in Geneva no later than mid-Jan and plan to leave by Feb 12th.......which will ensure you will be able to attend the UPR session. At least one of the treaty bodies will be meeting in Geneva during that time as well.


I look forward to welcoming you to Geneva in January.



So Drew is off to Geneva, to intern with an NGO attached to the United Nations. He can attend the UPR sessions and a Treaty Body meeting. What does all that mean? Read on.



What is the Universal Periodic Review?
The Universal Periodic Review (UPR) is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States. The UPR is a significant innovation of the Human Rights Council which is based on equal treatment for all countries. It provides an opportunity for all States to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights. The UPR also includes a sharing of best human rights practices around the globe. Currently, no other mechanism of this kind exists.http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/upr/pages/BasicFacts.aspx

Countries reporting in Jan 2014 are New Zealand, Afghanistan, Chile, Vietnam, Uruguay, Yemen, Vanuatu, Macedonia, Comoros and Slovakia.

Treaty-based bodies 
(http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/Pages/HumanRightsBodies.aspx)
There are currently ten human rights treaty bodies, which are committees of independent experts. Nine of these treaty bodies monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties while the tenth treaty body, the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, established under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, monitors places of detention in States parties to the Optional Protocol.

There are ten human rights treaty bodies that monitor implementation of the core international human rights treaties :


I still can't quite believe it. Drew had a Skype interview early last week; the guy suggested that he live in France and commute to Geneva because it's cheaper to live in France. Live in France and commute to the UN headquarters?? Holy Crap.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Home Again


We've just had 4 days in Brisbane at training and meetings; we had the regional meeting yesterday with G's managers. We had a couple of great meals out and this morning we visited the new head office and had a tour.

Yesterday afternoon Drew took a cube roll of 200day fed cow beef to a restaurant and they cooked it up for us to have last night. It was good but I've had better.

The entree was beef rib, pork belly and calamari.


The veges were fantastic - the carrots were cooked in balsamic vinegar and garlic, the potatoes were cooked in duck fat and the sweet potatoes were baked whole.




It was good to get home this afternoon; I'd had enough of the city. We took a drive to check the pig trap, water and dam level. 28mm of rain came while we were gone. There is a green tinge to everything and the grass is picking up. 

Meg Made It!!!

We talked to Meg when she had a three hour layover in Kuala Lumpur (we chat on Facebook; it's easy and it's free). She then flew to Bangkok, found her way to her hotel and went walking.


She had a day and a half until the tour started so she filled it in with a bit of shopping, sightseeing, a pampering massage, reading and catching up on sleep.

Last night she met her roommate and the rest of the tour members. Today they were doing a canal tour and a temple tour. The overnight train trip to Chang Mai was cancelled due to track problems so they had to catch a bus. She is loving everything so far.

Monday, September 16, 2013

This is getting Monotonous

Another airport farewell, a kid going on another overseas trip. We seem to be there a lot.

This time it's Meg heading off on another adventure - to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Lao. As usual there was fun and frivolity, laughter and excitement tinged with a little bit of sadness from me. I feel a bit lost when my babies aren't close by.








































There she goes...see you in a month Megey. Love you. Miss you. Mwah.


Sunday, September 15, 2013

The Week in Review

G was away Mon and Tues; Wed I turned 51 and was showered in pink gifts, especially my favourite scent related products (Mor Marshmallow). We met Meg for dinner at a pub half way between here and Tba. Fri G was away again on a day trip.

Hatching is in full swing and improving; this week's batch included my first OEG...


and number 3, 4 and 5 silkie.




The second shoots on the broccoli finally came.


The first cauliflower did too.


I went for a long walk and checked out the little dam along the way; it's low. This is the calving paddock and the dam is the only water source. Our plan to put a trough on the laneway edge may need to be brought forward.


I don't get to see the sun set (or rise) every day now; not like at the old house. Here, we're positioned quite differently and there's more trees and hills. In the mornings the sky gets light before we actually see the sun. In the evening the sun just disappears. Unless I'm outside and down the paddock a little way I miss this kind of splendour.


The turkey/duck and pig gates are swung and the stays welded on.




Quality inspector.






What I'm reading - the book that JK Rowling wrote under a pseudonym and tried to keep secret. It's ok so far. I want to keep reading it so that's a bonus.


Small harvest.


More baby quiches. We had some for tea. The others will be frozen for morning tea/lunch at work. They're really delicious.