Most days that I go in to town to do a shift with 2RPH, I make a point of dropping into the church at Haymarket, St Peter Julian. It is one of those lovely oases of silence in a sea of urban noise. On the footpath at the front door, crowds ply their way up and down George Street. There is a light rail station less than 5 metres away, with trams every few minutes. One of the busiest spots in the CBD!

But inside is dark, save only for the gorgeous stained glass windows behind the altar, dim lights from the ceiling, and the shimmer of candles from an adjacent Marian chapel. Unlike St Finbars, this church has the old pull-down kneelers (which I love). It is hard for me to sit in a church when I could be kneeling. That is just how I am and my prayers seem much more powerful. I know some prefer to stand and that's okay too.

My Features Forum shift yesterday was quite different. My regular readers were away, so I hosted and read the articles with another kind soul who volunteered to help. Doing the shift by myself (reading news items for 90 minutes whilst handling all the other bells and whistles) is very difficult - not beyond me - but a heavy lift. 

I need to remind myself constantly that this job is about others - others who are often disadvantaged by poor vision, loneliness or lack of resources. We are a window for them. It is all too easy to get caught up in ego, which is the enemy of service.

 Much as I love the Apollo missions, if I had to nominate a NASA program that is my favourite, I would not hesitate to say the Voyagers 1 and 2. Launched in 1977 to coincide with an historic alignment of the four gas giants in our solar system, these intrepid and extraordinary craft not only achieved their primary goals of visiting said giants, but have gone on to possibly even greater things by flying further from Earth than any space probe before or since.

The rare  alignment of Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter meant that both craft could get a fuel-free boost (gravity assist) from each of the planets to fling it onto its next task. The mission would not have been possible if not for this assistance.

Not only was some great science done (for example, we found out that Jupiter's  Io was an active moon with observable vulcanism) but both probes have now breached the heliosphere, the region surrounding our star, the Sun, beyond which interstellar space begins. Just stop and think for a minute what a remarkable thing that is!

I have posted a representation of the heliosphere breach before, but here is another, courtesy of NASA.

The passing of Pope Francis has generated a huge amount of media coverage. I may be wrong, but I can't recall this level of TV and news reporting for any previous pontiff. Local news here in Australia had his death as the lead item for several nights and the funeral was covered live by every network. It was extraordinary.

Doubtless Francis was a much loved man. But something else is at play here. At the heart is the very modern tendency to wring every last drop (and then some) from any noteworthy event, especially one that is a perfect match for cameras. As a Catholic Christian myself, I obviously have an interest in this and what happens next, but please excuse me if I take a more sober view of a journalism that is one moment lauding the church and then putting a knife in its back a week later.

Father John's homily last night touched on the Pope Francis's encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti. which advocated for a 'an advancing of the ethics of fellowship and friendship, goodwill and dialogue to dispel the dark clouds over a closed world.' I think it (the letter) is certainly worth a read for indeed, the world is darkening and people need to push back against the gloom.

Rest in Peace, Pope Francis.

 Ann and I had a rare day out together yesterday. It being Anzac Day, the city was swarming with servicemen and women, mostly outside venues that dispensed both beer and two-up.

We walked down past the Cenotaph in Martin Place which was rich with floral tributes, then through the Domain and thence onto the Botanical Gardens. The latter is the site of the first walk I did with Ann when we met (by a fountain in Hyde Park). It  formed a gorgeous backdrop to a then eventful day. I confess that I am a lucky man so that day reverberates with me.

Lunch was had at an authentic Thai cafe in Ultimo. Being the only farang in the establishment was an added joy, rather like a garnish to a delicious repast.

I suppose that I shouldn't enjoy myself on such a day of remembrance. I have written about Anzac Day in the past, it's solemnity and significance. Yesterday I looked at it through a slightly different lens and I am none the poorer for having done so.

Lest We Forget. 

 Attempts to find peaceful solutions to hot wars in both the Ukraine and Palestine have proved largely fruitless. It's hard to say whether a competent and sane administration in Washington would have done much better, given the intransigence of the combatants, though surely it could have done little worse.

Before the election of Trump last year, Putin was being squeezed from all sides. But having a man in Washington who is happy to parrot the Russian lines about how to settle has let Russia off the hook. Why make peace when you can continue grinding away, making more and more small gains? Why negotiate sincerely when your opponent is happy to show all his cards?

Did someone, who was a Republican President, once say, 'Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall.'? Was that a dream?

When I first moved to Hazelbrook in the early nineties of last century, I had a wonderful lemon tree in the top end of the garden. It remained healthy and fruitful for a good decade, but then went into decline and died, largely due to some nasty sucking insects. I had kept them at bay for a long time, but time spent in Japan and tenants meant it didn't get properly looked after.

I planted a hybrid lemon a few years ago and it has looked sickly ever since, despite being in the same sunny spot. Today I potted it again in a moveable pot so I can create better climate control. I have to say that it does not look well and will struggle to survive the move, I think. Here's hoping!

Some spectacular weather for April, with warm to very warm days and cool nights. I don't know, though I suspect, that we are beating the averages for this time of year. Most deciduous trees have shed their leaves in my garden, though a few, like the maple at the front of the garden, have yet to turn. A couple, like a pear and plum, are holding desperately to  an errant leaf or two. They will do so in vain.

There is another autumn that has taken hold of this household, making ordinary life, for me at least, impossible. I feel like I have been putting out fires for years now, though very few of my own making. It is the hard chore for a parent and I would dearly love it if there was a respite.

With the help of God, that may well happen. I pray and pray, and believe.

 A front-page report in today's Sydney Morning Herald confirms what has long been suspected - there is a lot of shoddy building work being done in NSW. Reports of leaking apartments and townhouses, cracking basements and carparks, collapsing balconies and much else besides, all in new or recently constructed buildings, have been in the news for a number of years now.

I cannot imagine being in the situation where many of these poor residents are. Having poured life-savings, or invested in large mortgages, to put a decent roof over their heads, they find themselves sometimes in unliveable dwellings. Redress is difficult, costly and slow, with some builders 'going bankrupt' and others tardy in responding to repair orders.

This is one issue that government needs to crack the whip on. Housing is a fundamental right of all people and making sure that folks get what they paid for - at the most basic level - behoves a special vigilance. Fail at this and everything else is at best, secondary in importance.

My heart goes out to these people. Frankly, it is a scandal that requires a prompt response.

 Untitled autumn #1

I will rise and make the tea,

And unlatch the garden door.

I'll hear the earnest autumn winds

Strip the shedding maple tree

To retrofit an auburn floor.

I'll walk the yard, with wellies on,

The dew still thick upon the grass,

And every bird I light upon,

And every trembling leaf I pass,

Lays testament to what has gone,

The lean is here and summer done.