I had such a good day today...

I got myself and the wee one dressed and organised early without any drama (preschool day).

Had a late breakfast meeting in Civic that seemed to go well.

Went to the theatre and saw a fabulous matinee performance.

Had lunch afterwards with theatre friend.

Bought a great handbag - on special.

Had a meeting with CYF that seemed somewhat positive(?).

Nice quiet evening with husband and wee one with no bath or bed angst.

#Suburbia #Grandparenting #Canberra

Neighborhood livestream is back. The pool leveling project has entered its sequel phase. Same yard, same shovels, same confidence, same laws of physics waiting patiently in the background. I’m just sitting here watching Season 2 of “This Should Have Been Measured First.”

#pool #neighbors #gravity #suburbia #weekend

[ FOLT.IN ] Pool Leveling Simulator: Round 2 https://folt.in/Blog_posts/Pool_leveling

Shopping Malls: https://www.aurianneor.org/the-shopping-mall/

#architecture #art #building #construction #corrugatedmetal #costs #customer #ecofriendly #ecology #economic #energy #environment #floors #marketing #metalsiding #nature #outskirts #city #parking #photomontage #politics #pollution #retailoutlets #retailers #sales #shopping #shoppingcenter #shoppingmall #shops #stores #suburbanareas #suburbia #suburbs #thermalinsulation #trafficjams #urbanplanning #visibility #warehouses

Grass of empire - Mowing the lawn: the colonial ghosts haunting our suburban ritual

"The lawn – the “telltale patchwork quilt of European settlement” – arrived in this country with the British. The ones established over here were intended to mimic and to elicit an emotional connection with the ones left behind."

"Like the introduction of other exotic flora and fauna, pastoral farming and parliamentary government, the laying down of the lawn was one of the ways in which colonisation marked this land."

"Perhaps not at the very beginning, when most new arrivals would have been busy felling trees, draining wetlands and burning bush. But once the footholds had been established and life had become a little less precarious, it was time to take up the challenge of civilising the new colonial spaces by reproducing the landscapes of Home. Time to impose order upon chaos and inscribe empire on the land. Time to cultivate the lawn."

"This is also the lexicon used by those who colonise to characterise what must be done to those who have been colonised. Indigenous people need to be kept in their place just as much as indigenous flora does, and for much the same reason: give them half a chance and they’ll get away on you."

"Of the knowledge that colonisation is not just about the movement of people and power across time and space. Ideas, too, are instruments of empire. As is grass and the land it grows on." >>
https://theconversation.com/mowing-the-lawn-the-colonial-ghosts-haunting-our-suburban-ritual-283270
#lawn #mowing #suburbia #SettlerSociety #ExoticGrass #FossilFuel #pollution #NoisePollution #colonisation #TheColonialProject #British #empire #ColonistGrass #flora #extinction

Image: The “telltale patchwork quilt of European settlement” at the Mid North Coast of NSW. The palms were in the way of the machinery and had to go. The leaves will soon be blown onto the road/drain by a leaf blower.

Crashes at Lavenders Bridge, North Bellingen

* Just a short time ago two women were killed and another seriously injured after a motorist 'lost control' near the notorious Lavender Bridge and smashed into two cars parked at the riverside swimming spot. >>
https://coffscoast.newsofthearea.com.au/a-woman-has-tragically-died-in-a-crash-at-bellingen-on-thursday-afternoon

* Today there was another serious incident involving two e-bikes. An ambulance was seen at the crash zone. An injured person was seen lying on the ground. (The ambulance is visible on the Kombu Flood Camera at 2026-05-24 11.26 ) >>
https://kombuwholefoods.com.au/floodcam/

* The long road to a bike-friendly Australia >>
https://mastodon.au/@Bellingen/116626357349183983

* In the design of the new 'Lavenders Bridge Replacement' bikes and foot traffic do not seem to be a feature. A lot of bitumen was smeared over the river banks to facilitate the convenience for cars (parking).

Image: North Bellingen, Lavender Bridge Black Spot by design

#MobilityDesign #LavendersBridge #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #BellingenShire #accidents #crash #pedestrians

The long road to a bike-friendly Australia
and the dehumanisation of cyclists

* "At the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably decades away. What’s taking so long?

"NSW wants to double active transport trips in 20 years...But at the rate Australian cities are building cycling networks, a cohesive system is probably another 50 years away, experts speaking to The Fifth Estate warned. Progress is slow. (One bike bridge was recently installed in Melbourne after 37 years of lobbying and discussion.)"

"A 2024 report by The Australia Institute points out that less than 1 per cent of federal road funding goes to active transport infrastructure."

"Richter was one of 49 bike riders who died on Australian roads last year, up on the average of around 38 deaths per year between 2012-23. (Thousands more were hospitalised with serious injuries during that period.)." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-24/active-transport-cycling-bikes-cities-safety/106710436

* Dehumanization of cyclists predicts self-reported aggressive behaviour toward them: A pilot study >>
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1369847818308593?dgcid=author

#MobilityDesign #cars #motorists #infrastructure #climate #ActiveTransport #footpaths #SharedStreet #cyclists #ProtectedBikeLanes #dehumanisation #sprawl #suburbia #traffic #aggression #RoadRage #RoadTrauma #CarDependency #FossilFuels #Australia

IMAGE: Children on scooters on a 'normal' Bellingen bitumen streetscape lacking a footpath or a cycle path. Nothing is protecting the flesh and blood from metal and steel.

Plans for today: husband and I will go for our first proper walk in about 3 weeks. Okay, so we're going to make it a smallish one because it's been quite a while. Only 2.5km each way to have lunch in an adjacent suburb. Between catching up with work, appointments, weather, and the wee one, we just haven't had the chance or inclination. And the weather looks perfect today!

#Suburbia #Canberra