[box] This column is normally reserved for comment on local issues, but occasionally it will also be used for short thoughts about every day life. This is one of those occasions.[/box]

SHORT THOUGHTS – Carol Altmann

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A5CECD;”] I [/dropcap]t has been a very tough week at Bluestone because we have lost two very important parts of our lives, and while these moments are normally kept private and hidden from readers, I want to share them with you, because you have been part of the journey.

You may remember that in October last year, Bluestone recognised the generosity of the Western Victoria Holden Car Club by naming them as our Quiet Heroes. We did this because the car club kindly organised to have several cars turn up for the 50th birthday of my older brother, Glenn, who had Down’s Syndrome.

Because of his condition, Glenn was expected to have a shorter life span than what most of us take for granted and so his 50th birthday celebration was an even more important milestone than usual. Even then, his body was not as strong and capable as it used to be – he needed to be lifted into the car – but that day was one of the happiest in his life.

Last Monday, April 7, Glenn passed away peacefully, with myself and three of his extraordinary carers by his bedside. Warrnambool has some of the most kind, capable and wonderful carers: people who do the things that I know I would be unable to do.

And they do it with love and laughter and a generosity of spirit that is increasingly hard to find in the world. Each one of them is a Quiet Hero.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A5CECD;”] J [/dropcap]ust two days after losing Glenn, we said goodbye to one of our Bluestone Magazine cocker spaniels, Peggy, who has been a part of our family for 13 years.

And just like Glenn, Peggy’s body was no longer strong and capable – each day that passed, she was getting smaller and smaller in the world.

It may seem odd to write about the loss of a beloved brother and the loss of a beloved pet in the same piece, but both Glenn and Peggy taught me so much and gave me so much, despite having so little to give – in terms of how we normally measure such things.

They reminded me of the value of time. Of non-judgmental love. Of caring for someone because of who they are, not for how they earn a living, or what they own.

Of appreciating the precious gift of good health and a body that moves freely, without pain.

Of not getting lost in the small troubles of life such as whether you have more ‘likes’ on Facebook this week, or what is ‘trending’ on Twitter.

To hug often.

These are the gifts they have given me and what I now cling to as we say goodbye.

I hope that I never forget these things, just as I will never forget them.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #8F9F59;”] I [/dropcap]f you are a regular reader of Bluestone, you will know that we love birds.

We are not alone, as one of most popular stories that we ran via our Facebook page was about our quest to save a hooded plover’s nest on the banks of the Hopkins River from being trampled. Our followers were glued to the progress reports on “Pip” and her two eggs. (You can catch up on that story here.)

This week’s Bookmarks selection from Warrnambool Books is sure to have bird lovers running for the binoculars as it selects 100 of the best birdwatching sites in Australia and, best of all, some of them are right here in South-West Victoria. Of course!

It also answers that nagging question that we know has kept people awake at night: where can you spot the Bar-tailed Godwit?

Michaelie Clark, from Warrnambool Books, explains more:

Best 100 Birdwatching Sites in Australia, by Sue Taylor, is the ultimate guide for avid twitchers.

Fully illustrated and featuring more than 700 birds, the book will direct you to the best locations for observing nesting Noddies, spotting Siberia-bound Bar-tailed Godwits, and hearing the high-pitched whistle of the male Musk Duck.

The chapters are divided by locations in Australia’s states, territories and islands, so birdwatchers can easily find the section relevant to the area they live in or are visiting. The guide features more than 20 locations throughout Victoria, including Port Fairy and Koroit.’

[box] You can keep up with new releases and classics from Warrnambool Books via their Facebook page.[/box]

 You might also enjoy…

Triathlete Lisa Logan: what I am reading

Second hand bookstore opens in Koroit

The Last Thursday Book Club (Port Fairy) reviews Elizabeth Gilbert’s new novel

What I am reading: conservation enthusiast Geoff Rollinson

What I am reading: O2 Media director Karen Foster

Biblio-Art prize launched at Blarney Books

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #ABCCAB;”] I [/dropcap]n times of great stress, there is a comfort that can be found in baking – the warmth of the oven, the methodical steps of a recipe – and it is this immersion in the process that has pulled Bridie West through her greatest challenges.

Since 2010, Bridie has been creating delicious French-inspired treats for her Port Fairy business, Bridie Claire Sucre Boulangere (or Bridie Claire Sugar Baker) and has developed a legion of loyal fans who make a bee-line for her stall each time she appears at the local farmers markets.

“I guess this is like my little shop and all of the locals know that they can find me here,” Bridie says as she sets up another platter of salted caramel macaroons beneath her canopy.

While French cooking is known for its attention to detail, fiddliness and downright difficulty, it is for these very reasons that Bridie embraced the French style, despite having no formal training as a pastry chef.

“My Nan was a brilliant cook: one of those CWA types who could bake anything. When I was growing up, I worked at Portofino’s (in Port Fairy), where I learnt a lot by watching, but that was the extent of my cooking experience,” Bridie explains.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #ABCCAB;”] I [/dropcap]ndeed Bridie was a young mother (to son, Jonty) and working at the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Service when her own mother was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.

As her mother was a single parent, Bridie left her work to become one of her carers, in what was to be the first of two significant challenges that turned Bridie’s life upside down.

“That was in 2007. In 2008, my husband (Michael) and I decided to have more children so that Mum might get to be a part of their lives,” she explains.

Much to their delight, the couple was soon expecting twins, but scans revealed that one of the twins, Greta, had abnormalities in the heart.

Greta and Eamon were born in 2008 and were just six weeks old when Bridie’s mother passed away. Greta, also, had multiple health issues as a result of her condition that required numerous operations and medical interventions.

“I began to study criminal jurisprudence and got back into paid work when the twins were 12 months old…but Greta’s seizures got much worse, so I had to leave the job that I had at that time at Fogarty’s lawyers,” Bridie says.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #ABCCAB;”] B [/dropcap]ridie is unashamed to say that she effectively had a breakdown from the built-up stress over two years and turned to counselling, where one of her tasks was to nut out what it was she really wanted to do – and that could fit around her changed circumstances.

She chose cooking. French pastry cooking.

“I actually really love the method behind it the most. I enjoy the difficulty, the different ways of creating textures and layers.”

The fact Bridie had a French-sounding name (Bridie and Claire are her given names)  gave her the perfect title for her small business that she operates from a semi-commercial kitchen at home. She also, like the French, insists on using only the best ingredients, such as couverture chocolate that costs $28/kg.

“When people think of French cooking, they think quality and that is what I am about. It is about honouring the ingredients,” she says.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #ABCCAB;”] W [/dropcap]hile Greta’s condition has stabilised, life is still taken one day at a time in the West household.

“One day, maybe, I would like to open a little shop – a hole in the wall somewhere in Port Fairy – but I am also very happy with where I am at now and to just sit and enjoy it.”

You can find Bridie at most Port Fairy farmer’s markets – just look for the steady queue – and also on Facebook here.

 You might also enjoy…

Life is sweet after a rocky road

Lana Campbell’s garden of eden

Buffalo cheese a Shaw thing

Small is beautiful at Newton’s Ridge

Mooove over cows, the goats are coming!

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] D [/dropcap]espite being less than 30km from Warrnambool, the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve has often seemed like a million miles away to many south-west Victorians who have never visited the area.

This week there is a significant opportunity to reverse that trend, when the reserve marks its 150th anniversary with an open invitation to visit the reserve and celebrate aboriginal culture as it exists today, and as it has done for the past 50,000 years.

The 150th anniversary will be celebrated with an all-day, free event on Saturday (April 12) from 10am to 6pm and include music by much-loved local musicians Archie Roach (who was born at Framlingham) and Shane Howard, plus performances by Kutcha Edwards, Lee Sonny Boy Morgan, Johnny Lovett and comedian Denise McGuinness among others.

The day will also feature historical talks and displays, plus a range of hands-on activities for kids and adults, including the tricky art of eel-trapping.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T [/dropcap]he Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve has a long, rich and complex history, beginning with its early days as an Anglican mission set up to “protect” the local Aboriginal people from the devastating impact of white settlement in the area in the 1830s.

At that time, about 1800ha of land was set aside, but was never actually owned by the indigenous people in the European sense of land ownership.

It wasn’t until the 1970s that the Framlingham community –  by then living on a much smaller area of land than was originally designated – was granted control of 237ha via the Aboriginal Lands Act. The community later campaigned to regain rights to the Framlingham Forest and, after a long and hard-fought battle, won control over a further 457ha in 1987.

Although the history of the Framlingham Aboriginal Reserve is one that is ultimately traced back to the devastating impact of white settlement on indigenous Australia, the anniversary celebrations are all about honouring a proud community that has, against all the odds, kept its culture alive.

[box] The Framlingham Aboriginal Community is 20 mins north of Warrnambool. Gates will open at 10am on Sat April 12, with an opening ceremony at 11am. Free entry.[/box]

 You might also enjoy…

Colliton chosen for first show at The Artery

Hunt on for ex-staff of the Lady Bay Hotel

Lost history finds loyal following: Lost Warrnambool

Helping to mend broken family ties: Jenny Fawcett

[box] This column is normally reserved for comment on local issues, but occasionally it will also be used for short thoughts about every day life. This is one of those occasions. [/box]

SHORT THOUGHTS

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #ABCCAB;”] T [/dropcap]he end of daylight saving caught me by surprise this year and when I learnt, after waking at 8am, that it was really only 7am, I realised that I had an hour of my life back.

And it felt delicious.

It was as if I had been given the most extraordinary gift, even though daylight saving is, of course, an entirely manufactured concept, as is the measuring of time itself.

While thinking about all of the ways I could spend my “extra” hour, I also thought about how ridiculously fast our lives have become. I did not meet one person this week, or last week, or even the week before that, who wasn’t “busy”, and that includes myself.

“How are you?”

“Ohhh, you know, so busy!”

All of the time-saving devices we now have that our parents (read: mothers) used to dream about have not freed up our lives at all: we just cram more in.

I can remember, and I laugh about it now, learning in first-year Sociology way back in 1983 how we would all have so much leisure time on our hands by the year 2000 that sociologists were worried about how we would keep ourselves busy.

[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #ABCCAB;”] W[/dropcap]ell here we are in 2014 – 14 years after we were all supposed to be sitting poolside – and there is not a minute, it seems, when we don’t have anything to do. Worse, the arrival of mobile technology has given us a 24-hour “on” button, together with an expectation that we are always available.

It is absolutely exhausting and makes us all feel frazzled.

So I began to ponder what it would be like if we didn’t just get an hour “back”, but a whole year. Imagine that. Even better, imagine if you got to choose which year you could have all over again.

I would choose a year when my faithful old dog was still young instead of in her last days – as she is now – and when my father was still alive and my older brother too, because even though they have both been gone a long time, I still miss them like it was yesterday.

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

They all seem to speed by. Except for today. Today the world, or at least our corner of it, slowed down by one exquisite hour.

How I wish I could make that happen every day.