Sunday Selections # 447

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme.  I mentioned last week that I am a creature of habit.  Which is very true.  Each year my city celebrates Spring with a flower festival - Floriade, and each year we go to it.

Which is where I am taking you this week.  Ordinarily as well as many, many flowers and multitudes of shops there is also a wide range of art.  The art was sadly missing this year, but I am going to show you some of the beauty and quirkiness of the area.

It was a beautiful day, and we wandered through Commonwealth Park to the festival.  The first shot shows our 'new' Parliament House on the hill. Old Parliament House (which we are supposed to now call the Museum of Democracy) is the low white building in front of its newer replacement - though they are not as close as the photo makes them look.  The second photo is our National Library.

This chessboard has been in place for as long as I can remember and I believe on weekends it sees a lot of action.

This fort is a childrens' play area.

The bird sculptures have been here for a very long time - and I take a photo of them (or several photos) each time I go past.

Another old one.

I cannot decide whether this one reminds me more of a lobster or a scorpion.  It appeared for Floriade a few years ago and never left.

 The paddle boats (which cannot be ridden on) are new this year.

The kangaroo and joey are old friends.

I would guess that the dome is illuminated for Nightfest which runs on selected weekends during Floriade.

In years gone by there were viewing platforms to see the patterns in the bulb beds.  That is now a thing of the past - it is the Ferris wheel or nothing.  So up we went.

Even by my standards this is a photo heavy post so I will stop here.  There will be at least one more Floriade post (with flowers and my usual giveaway) and next week we hope to go to Tulip Top Gardens - which I think leaves Floriade for dead.

 

Sunday Selections #446

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.

Huge thanks to Cie who gave me this wonderful Sunday Selections image.
  
The meme was then continued by River at Drifting through life.  Sadly she has now stepped aside (though she will join us some weeks), and I have accepted the mantle.
 
The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to me. Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen. 
 
I usually run with a theme.  I have mentioned before that I am a creature of habit (some good, some less so).  After the Out of The Shadows walk I had two options open to me.  I could go to the scheduled breakfast, talk with some of the other participants and almost certainly get a lift into town (a couple of miles away) or I could walk some more.

No prizes for guessing that I walked.  Food is a bit of an issue at the moment (new medication means I spend a lot of time feeling unwell) AND I was all peopled out and needed time alone in my head to process the morning.

So again, come walk with me.

I really liked seeing the Eastern (on the left) and the Crimson Rosellas side by side.

The Balcony Angels made me smile too.

It is a hotel now, but I suspect it was previously a home for a wealthy family.

It

This house is a bit run-down - but retains a lot of charm.

 The Buddha on the garage roof was at this Bed and Breakfast.  The rosemary bush smelt lovely too.

A stylish gate.

 I was nearly at the city when I spotted this quite modest church.  I think that it had also been a family home once.

Lots of work in the city, as always.  I suspect that the finished product will look  'all the same', though they aren't 'little' boxes. 

On bus the first, heading over the bridge.  The row of blossom trees are Manchurian Pears - and they look lovely in Autumn too.

This construction site is at the interchange where I changed buses.  Not the most obvious spot for a luxury hotel.

More walking.  Close to home, which is just as well as the uphillness (which should be a word if it isn't) was getting a bit much.

Some of the daffodils the vandal birds have left us - though they shredded all the anemones in this bed.

   I was greeted by the king parrots and my dressing gown clad partner at the front door.  It was still early, but I had romped in my 10000 steps for the day.  I was glad to be home too.

Out of the Shadows 2019

Today, September 10th, is World Sucide Prevention Day, and the start of World Suicide Prevention Week.  I spend time in the dark places myself and know both how fast and easy the plummet to the bottom can be and how very hard it is to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel much less climb out again. 

Most of you know I do voluntary work with Lifeline Australia, a telephone crisis line.  Almost everyone who rings those lines with thoughts of suicide has at least a degree of ambivalence.  I, and all the other volunteers, will work on that ambivalence to keep the caller safe for the moment/the day and to help them see and consider other options.   Lifeline believes that suicide is often preventable and that the start of the journey to safety can be only a phone call away.  It is often a long and painful journey but should never ever be one that people feel condemned to walk alone.

Here in Australia suicide is still the leading cause of death for people aged under 44.  More people die from suicide each year than are killed on the roads.  Sadly the numbers of people we lose to suicide are rising again.  Which, given that I suspect suicide is under reported, is scary.

Not only does suicide take its toll on our young, there are other groups who are over-represented in its tragic ranks including (but not limited to) our indigenous population, the LGBTQI community, people with mental health issues, farmers, tradesmen, the unemployed, and the military.  While we still lose more men to suicide than women, the numbers of women who die to suicide is climbing (an equality I don't want). 

Our suicide rate isn't the highest in the world but the rate in Australia is above the World Health Organisation's (WHO) global average.

In 2011 Lifeline began  national suicide prevention walks - 'Out of the Shadows and into the Light'. The walks begin before dawn and continue into the growing light.  It remembers those lost and those bereaved by suicide, with an additional focus on raising awareness.  The symbolism of starting the walk in the dark and progressing into the light of a new day means a lot to me.  Some centres start their walk later (ten or eleven) to attract more people and publicity.  I can see why, but am glad that our walks start in the dark.

I don't think that all suicide is wrong, particularly given our euthanasia laws.  However, it is such a final decision that I hope it is not the first option considered or tried.  And, as a solution to a temporary problem, I do think it is wrong.  Right or wrong it is always a tragedy.  A tragedy for the person who had, or believed they had, no other options and a tragedy for those they leave behind.  And the ripples from that tragedy encompass a lot of people.  Research shows that each time someone suicides, there are up to 135 people affected.  In addition there is strong evidence that if someone close to you dies by suicide your own chances of taking that path are dramatically increased.  

I couldn't attend the first walk, but have gone on all the subsequent walks. Which saw me heading off again before dawn this morning.  The dread disease (teemed with bursitis? of the hip) slows me down, ensures my gait is uneven and is painful.  The issue is much more important than I am.    So I walked.  Slowly just as I do every year.  Stopping to take photos.

There were brief speeches.  Some of the names and ages of those lost were read out - which I find moving.  No longer nameless, but identified and missed...  This morning the ages ranged from 16 to 84.  Most of the names with an age attached were teenagers.  There was also an acknowledgement that there are names we do not know, which doesn't diminish their loss.

Come walk with me, through the cool dawn, into the hopeful light of a new day.

The empty chairs from other years have been replaced with candles to symbolise the light(s) lost.  Some people carried a candle with them as they walked.

Today I walked with a woman whose only daughter had died by suicide.  At the end of the walk she said that there was a comfort in sharing the walk with people who had felt similar pain, and in being able to talk about it.

RU OK day (September 14) is also celebrated in World Suicide Prevention Week.  A  simple question we should be asking family, friends and colleagues every day.

Some services and links which may be useful for Australian readers include:

Lifeline 1311 14

Beyond Blue

Suicide Call Back Service