Yesterday was another full-on day for the builders. They installed some extra joists and put in the steel battens for the ceiling.
Also we have a door to nowhere
With a 1 m drop down to the garage floor, it’s a bit of a safety hazard. That’s not a fireman’s pole, unfortunately.
We decided to pull out the last couple of metres of Gyprock to make life easier for the electricians when they come in on Monday. It will also allow these outside walls to be filled with insulation That will make quite a difference as they face west and do get hot in summer.
We will be in for a complete rewire of the house. That’s not unexpected, as some of the wires must be 60 years old. There are wires going in all kinds of directions that probably once made sense.
Big day for the sparkies on Monday, and probably Tuesday. Troy is starting the AC installation on Thursday. I guess after that we get the plasterers in, and painters then the kitchen gets installed.
Margaret ordered the kitchen appliances- stove top, oven, range hood and dishwasher. Apparently the range hood connects to the cook top and turns itself on when you start cooking. There’s probably an app so you can connect it to the internet and play music from your phone.
Following the asbestos removal on Tuesday, the inspector came and ticked the boxes mid-morning yesterday, so it was a bit of a rest day. The builders came in for a couple of hours after lunch.
Today was full on with half a dozen men in there demolishing the wall frames. They installed some beams, which turned out to be hard wood instead of steel.
The walls in the lounge room are completely gone, giving an idea of how open the new room will be.
The wall for the bedroom and the half wall for the kitchen are now in place.
It is all looking good. It is pleasing to see the rapid progress they are making.
We spent an hour today looking at kitchen appliances and dining room chairs. Such fun!
Today was one of those invisible days. It was all about the Big A… asbestos. That is removing not installing.
Our house was built in the 1960’s and there is a lot of asbestos. It is not a problem in the normal course of events but when you cut or drill it, it can release fibres. Like most things in our current culture, the dangers of asbestos compared to its benefits are seriously exaggerated. Of course, if you are the person who contracts a lung disease, you will not agree.
Anyway, we had to get in a suitably licensed remover and then have it inspected by the relevant authority. The inspection is slated for mid-morning tomorrow, and further action may or may not occur after that.
On the eve of the 76th anniversary of the proclamation of the state of Israel on 14 May 1948, Australia has betrayed the only democracy in the Middle East at the recent United Nations vote on Palestine.
On Israel’s Day of Independence or National Day, it will be asking if it has any allies in the world. Prime Minister Netanyahu has said he will go it alone if he has to so that more October 7s, promised by Hamas, will not occur and Israel can survive as a nation as it faces the existential threat from Iran and its proxies.
Egypt hails Australia’s recognition of Palestine.
Australia was the first country to vote in favour of the 1947 UN partition resolution, which led to the creation of Israel as a nation-state. Australia was the first country to recognise Israel, doing so in May 1949, and Dr Evatt of Australia presided over the vote that admitted Israel to the UN.
Arabs were given the opportunity to form their own state in the 1947 partition resolution, so Palestine could have been created then, but they rejected it, as they have every peace plan since.
Betrayal
Now our record is tarnished by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, supported by Prime Minister Albanese to recognise Palestine as a state at the UN. This is rewarding the terrorism, barbarism, murder, rape, torture and mutilation of children, women, and the elderly on October 7. It is rewarding hostage-taking, which is a war crime, as is the killing of civilians on October 7.
This is not surprising since Wong is the poster girl for Hamas and did not visit the areas where the slaughter occurred on October 7 when she visited Israel. Also, Albanese has been a supporter of Palestine since his university days.
The current Labor government has broken with years of bipartisan policy in Australia regarding Israel, put our relationship with Israel at risk and made Australia unsafe for Jewish people who have been good citizens.
The Australian government has failed to deal with the rising tide of antisemitism in Australia and allowed hate speech to prevail on our streets and in our universities.
Terrorists
Norman listening to families of those murdered and kidnapped on October 7 at Parliament House pro-Israel rally, 28 November 2023.
Palestine does not meet the preconditions of statehood, e.g. it does not meet the obligations of the UN Charter, is not a peaceful state, does not have internationally recognised borders, and it wants the same capital as Israel – Jerusalem. There needs to be a negotiated settlement with Israel, not a unilateral declaration.
The real problem is that Palestinians do not want a two-state solution. They want a one-state solution – all of Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, plus the territories they currently live in, and they will use terrorism to get it.
They are willing to turn their people into martyrs, using them as human shields, also a war crime, to win the propaganda war against Israel, falsely accusing it of genocide when they are the ones committing genocide. Nations are failing to call Hamas to account.
Listening to the news and the panic coming from our politicians and activists over the last few weeks, you would think that Australia is a very violent place and that women are being killed by the millions by out of control partners.
Official statistics from the Australian Institute of Criminology tell a different story.
Firstly the rate of murders in Australia per population is declining, and has been for many years.
Well maybe the rate of death in domestic violence cases is exploding. After all those feminists must be jumping up and down about something. While every death at the hand of a partner is tragic, there is no need for the kind of moral panic we have been seeing in the media and governments lately. Homicides by domestic partners or even by friends is on the decline.
What about women then? Are they more likely to be killed by toxic masculinity in the home?
It is the case, and probably always has been, that more men are murdered than women. Why are we not seeing the media jumping up and down about that?
Murder is evil. Domestic violence is evil. But when the stats are so obviously out of kilter with the hype you have to wonder what is going on.
On a podcast lately, I was taken by the description of modern marriage as a mirage. In other words, the speaker was saying that while modern ideas of marriage look like God’s institution of marriage, it is a fake, an optical illusion.
In Genesis 2:24, we read “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
In God’s design for marriage we note that
it is for a man and a woman
it is for two people
they become one flesh, that is marriage is a life long union.
In our modern individualistic world, marriage has morphed into something very different. This transformation started in the 1960’s with the contraceptive pill separating sex from commitment. In the 1970’s we had the imposition of “no fault” divorce. In the 1990’s we had an explosion of cohabiting couples, de facto relationship being given the same legal status as marriage and so on. Then along came same sex “marriage” and the destruction of marriage was all but complete.
It is only a matter of time before pressure starts to pile on for recognition of so-called polyamorous marriage. After all if any two people can get married, why should it be limited to just two people?
God’s plan for marriage is simple. A man and woman pledge themselves in a holy covenant to be with each other for the rest of their lives. It is simple, but not easy!
Marriage, it seems, can bring out the worst in people. That is a feature, not a bug. When we see what s really in our hearts we can repent and change.
Marriage brings true security for a husband and wife. They can build a partnership in the knowledge that they are both committed to the relationship. They can raise children knowing that the family will stick together and provide a good environment to raise a new generation.
In the west, we are reaping a tragic harvest.
Children not knowing their fathers
Fathers being separated from kids they love
Women having multiple children from multiple men
A rapidly declining birth rate
Children being abused by mum’s boyfriend
And much much more
What is called marriage in our society truly is a mirage of what God intended.
Real marriage can be hard work, but the rewards are worth it.
It has been a bad summer, apparently, for people drowning, particularly at the beaches along our coastline. People have been taking risks such as swimming at unpatrolled beaches, entering water that was dangerously rough and so on. In a couple of cases, people have died in the process of rescuing somebody else who was in trouble.
We add to those people dying in the water to those who lost their lives on the roads, and it is clear that it has been a dangerous summer for many people.
When I was young, I used to love the water. Waves were fun, and the beach was a place that seemed almost magical in many ways. There were a few times when I could have been one of those who was swept out in a rip or suffered an injury from a dumper.
The phrase, “but for the grace of God” springs to mind when I think of those situations.
We are used to thinking about our lives stretching on for ever, with no thought that it might end one day. None of us knows when that time will come. For any of us it could be much sooner than we ever thought possible.
The Bible tells us that “each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgement,” (Hebrews 9:27). There is no replay or second chance. We all get one shot at life.
The Good News is that Jesus, in His death on the cross, paid the price for us. All who put their trust in Jesus can be sure that everything is forgiven and the slate is wiped clean.
Taking a risk in the surf or on the road can be fatal. Taking a risk with God has eternal consequences.
The elites hate this country. Woolworths refuses to promote Australia. But one farmer showed us how to make a statement even when corporate Australia wants to shut us down.
This absolute legend of an Aussie farmer used his tractor 🚜 to recreate the Australian country outline with the flag in the middle!
On January 26th 1788, an uninspiring bunch of convicts and guards landed at Botany Bay. Today we celebrate the amazing nation that was born from such inauspicious beginnings.
Snacking is the one habit that undermines my health goals.
We always have a cornucopia of food on hand, much of it the glorious sweet variety. I love chocolate. We have a special drawer in our fridge called “The Chocolate Drawer.”
What snack would I eat right now? All of them!
What snack will I eat right now? A crunchy apple, a flavoursome peach or a handful of nuts.
You see, I am training my habits to include healthier options.
New Life Narrabri 