Springtime is soon coming back to Melbourne

In a few weeks time springtime will be back in Melbourne. It is a very nice time of the year. It’s easy to see how people seem to become happier as soon as the first blossoms start to shoot up in the gardens. Of the four seasons only autumn rivals spring when it comes for me to choosing among them. Days become longer and longer, the sun shines almost every day; the environment starts to get full of color and the smell of flowers and native vegetation can be smelled almost everywhere.

We have had an unusually cold winter in Melbourne, which is good especially because our dams are getting more water and there is more snow on the mountains that will later also became more water for rivers and creeks that feed the dams. It’s a good feeling to know that there will be more water to be able to cope with the heat of summer.

Spring, however, can be an annoying time for people who suffer from hay fever. Sneezing, running noses and itchy eyes can be a big hassle. I used to suffer of hay fever, but luckily in the last few years it seemed to have stopped. This is a nice relief; I can enjoy the months of spring more fully and walk down the lovely tree lined Lygon Street in Carlton, without having to rush back home as soon as I finish my coffee at Café Universitá.

We are blessed in Melbourne as in the rest of Australia by the abundance of green and open spaces. Whether I choose to stay within the perimeters of the city or get away to somewhere in the country, there are an abundance of places to go and enjoy leisure time. In spring I like going the beautiful townships of the Mornington Peninsula. Having a seafood lunch at Sorrento then going for a walk on the rugged walking tracks on both sides of the bay is blissful!

When the days become longer and the temperature increases, it is nice to have a late breakfast at Ackland Street and then take a long walk along the Esplanade in Saint Kilda, catch the tram to South Melbourne Beach and from there walk to the historical  Station Pier in Port Melbourne . On the weekends I can also enjoy the gentle sun and fresh breeze by walking around the placid waters of Albert Park Lake.

Melbourne is a gorgeous city in spring. I’m looking forward to shed a few layers of clothes – and fat – by walking more around the many parks of this city by the Yarra.

On writing for blogs and pursuing a writing habit

Writing and publishing used to be a privilege enjoyed by very few people. The digital age has now given every person the possibility of not only to be motivated to write more often but also the ability to be published immediately after a written piece has been completed. What a difference this makes for those people who for one reason or other don’t want to wait or can’t be bother to find a publisher for their writings

Regardless of how many people end up reading something published on a blog, a writer like me is immediately rewarded just by seeing the fruit of their efforts available for any person that may care to read it. When the writer is satisfied with whatever has been written, the knowledge that there is a reading public for their material comes a as bonus.

The other thing is that what we write on blogs doesn’t necessarily have to be pieces intended to be fully researched. Individuals are free to express points of view on any subject. I think that an article is worthy because:

1. It is well written, is concise and has been written with the intention of fulfilling a perceived need.
2. Its contents may serve to awaken the interest of readers because it gives them reading pleasure.

Writing regularly on a blog has the potential to be the precursor for a writer to start a carrier as a professional author. I have gone through the costly experience of not being able to acquire a permanent writing habit due to my lack of daily commitment to this task. I remember that a  friend of mine used to tell me that if I wanted to become a an author I was going nowhere if I didn’t try to practice this skill on a daily basis. H e used to tell me that it wasn’t a matter of saying I can’t write today, but I’ll do it tomorrow. You just have to stick to it day in day out.

I know is hard. But of late I have been trying to persevere; I try to write even a few paragraphs every day. My goal is to get accustomed to do it regularly – writing at least three times a week in any of my blogs. Like with any other skill, the constant habit of writing something about anything that may attract my attention is in my opinion the key to succeed. And in order not to forget this and to keep me constant at it I have placed on my pc screensaver the old Latin saying: NULLA DIES SINE LINEA, not a day without a line.

Statues can also be offensive

Last week I read a news item in elmundo.es about a how a statue of Hernan Cortes the man who led the invasion of Mexico in 1519, had been vandalized.  The statue is located in the Spanish town of his birth. Red paint had been thrown at the statue.

The digital news item also contains a picture of the statue of Cortes showing what seems to be the head of an Aztec deity or warrior under one of his armored boots.

In the midst of the digital age, news items like this reach people in matter of seconds. The reaction of readers – including myself – is evident in the number of comments left in response.

Times have changed. What was thought to be culturally appropriate a hundred years ago or even ten years ago is now seen as utterly wrong when considered from the perspective of a world struggling to solve an immense quantity of economic, environmental and social issues. Minor issues as the one I’m talking about here only serve as an unwelcomed distraction.

On the other hand is really shameful that any society can tolerate that cultural stereotypes of the past can be allowed to continue to exist, defying current cultural and political values that try to encourage a more harmonious existence for everybody. The statue of Cortes in question is inappropriate because of this. It is not longer valid to hold views espousing cultural superiority of any kind. Statues or monuments depicting European invaders of the past as heroes are now seen as an anachronism. Their existence is interpreted as an insult by people from other regions of the world which were invaded or colonized by them.

Bearing in mind that the fifth centenary of the invasion of Mexico and Central America is quickly approaching, it may be good to see that as a reconciliation gesture to the native people of Mexico and Central America all the culturally inappropriate reminders of the past – such as the statue of Cortes – are quietly dismantled or hidden from public view.

Building cultural and social harmony is a task in which every citizen should play a part. We must not support anything that perpetuates oppression or promotes narrow views of humanity and the world.