Coal Seam Gas (CSG)

(images from Stop CSG Illawarra website)

On Sunday I went to a Stop Coal Seam Gas Illawarra meeting in Thirroul (Wollongong). I went along to see what it was all about, to see what kind of people are running this organisation and to learn anything I can about coal seam gas exploration/mining.

I've been researching CSG for a while now for something I'm writing. The more I researched about it, the more concerned I became. Extracting CSG is a dirty, invasive, intrusive, potential environmental disaster. 

"There are five big drinking water catchments managed and protected by the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA). All are covered or encroached on by current CSG exploration licences. The catchments supply drinking water to two thirds of people in NSW.

These licences are titles granted by the government that define an area for oil or gas exploration and require that exploration activity take place.

Development consent for CSG wells — approval to drill and run them — has been granted in NSW drinking water catchments. This includes the approval of wells in SCA Special Areas, buffer zones established to protect drinking water quality. Unauthorised or illegal access to these areas attracts fines of up to $44,000.". (Stop CSG Illawarra website) 

The question here is: how can CSG mining be permitted to go ahead in catchment areas for drinking water when there is a lack of research to determine the exact effects of CSG mining? It is illegal to access Sydney Catchment areas but permits are granted to sink exploration wells.
 

www.frackfreedorset.org

 You may have heard on the news, or read in the papers lately about the process of hydraulic fracturing or "fracking". Basically fracking is a process which uses the high pressure injection of large volumes of water, sand and chemicals into the ground to fracture coal seams which sit relatively close to the surface. Fracking expands cracks in the coal seams, allowing gas to flow faster from a wider area. This brings contaminated water and geological disruption close to water catchments and aquifers as well as the above ground natural and built environment.

Fracking has been directly linked to a considerable number of serious environmental incidents including water contamination, earthquakes and fire. The process is already banned in France and other countries, including parts of the USA. (Lock the Gate Alliance website)

  
The Stop CSG Illawarra community group is not politically aligned, is purely community organised and run and is not for profit. The people in running the group are well organised, dedicated and passionate "every day" people and I'm proud to be part of this amazing group that is working tirelessly towards common goals.

"Concern about these risks (of CSG mining in the Illawarra) is why Stop CSG Illawarra calls for:

• A Royal Commission into all aspects of coal seam gas mining;
• A moratorium on coal seam gas mining pending the outcome of the Royal Commission; and
• A ban on fracking and similar coal bed ‘stimulation’ technologies and techniques." (Illawarra SCG website)

I have to go now, I have 500 Stop Illawarra CSG pamplets to deliver in my neighbourhood. Its a lot of walking and I'm hoping, from a purely selfish point of view, that along with the brochurs, I will drop a kilo or two of the body beautiful while I'm at it.

I don't know where to look

Things are happening in my garden and I don't know where to look! 

I have a large eucalyptus tree growing next to my fence. 

It overhangs my little courtyard and upstairs balcony and most of the time its beautiful. It provides shade, it smells fabulous and a large variety of critters and birds use it for feeding and resting etc.

It has been flowering prolifically for about a month, soft white, sweet smelling flowers which have drawn a swarm of green and yellow-tinged soldier beetles. 

They love the flowers, and that's fine, but they also love each other. They are mating, not one on one, but three and four, piggy-backing each other around, jumping on and off as though it was a train station and attaching themselves to the next carriage when they are done with one, and another crawls by. There are millions of them and they've been at it for weeks. It is amazing. 

They are a native beetle so I haven't been spraying them with chemicals, I've just been avoiding them but its hard when I go out to hang out my washing and there is the biggest orgy happening on my washing line. Do I brush them off or do I let them be and set up another line somewhere out of their way?

My dog goes outside to deposit product and comes back inside covered in the things. She's happy because she gets lots of stroking and patting while I gently pick them off and put them back where they belong...outside. Inside the house is my area, no insects allowed. Outside is theirs, them's the rules. 

Writing in Fiji

In March of this year, I came across a notice in the South Coast Writers Centre newsletter. It was talking about a writer's retreat in Fiji. I guess it was an advertisement for the course but it didn't feel like an ad. 

The retreat was called "Breakthrough Writing with Jan Cornall" and was aimed at writers who were having difficulties with their writing, if they were stuck somewhere with a piece of writing, if they didn't know where or how to start writing, or even if they didn't know how to finish their writing. I thought, "this has been aimed at me!". I had been working on a novel for a couple of years but kept getting stuck. I kept starting and stopping and was absolutely full of self doubt about my writing. I was procrastinating so much that I wasn't able to write at all. Who would want to read my writing anyway. (Sound familiar?) So, I followed the link, trawled around the website, fell in love with the whole idea and signed up straight away.

The course was run by an amazing woman called Jan Cornall. Here is Jan (on the right) with prize winning author Margo Lanagan who was also part of the Fiji Breakthrough Writing group (lucky us!)

Go to Jan's website and read about this talented, generous woman and then keep an eye out for her courses. She can help. If I won Lotto tomorrow, I would spend the next couple of years just traveling around the world doing Jan's courses. Another procrastination project but hey!

So, I went to Fiji, where I had never been before, and met 12 fellow writers that I had never met before and had the best time! The other participants ranged from beautiful young 20 something women to an amazing gentleman in his 80s. All were talented, generous, kind and giving of themselves, their words, their feelings and support for each other. I didn't want to leave. But, at the same time, I was excited to come home so that I could write, write and write some more. It really was a life changing week. Jan guided us every day, she pushed us every day and she encouraged us every day. 

One of the women in Fiji, Caroline Reid, has been blogging about the course and her blog is well worth reading. In fact, Caroline describes each day so well, that I don't have to go into detail here. Click on the link to her blog "Caroline Reid Writes"; she's one of the talented young women that were so generous towards us, especially me and I just love the way she writes.

Fiji is a beautiful country, 
 














the people are happy, friendly and I will be going back someday.


  

The First Day of My Blogging Life

Thank you for visiting my blog. I hope you will be a regular visitor.

I've thought about blogging, off and on, for ages. I love reading blogs and am enough of a narcissist to think maybe someone would like to read mine....

So, I'll tell you a bit about myself and what kinds of things I'll be sharing with you here (and hoping you will share with me) & you can decide if you want to come back:

I'm a mature-bodied, single, un-childed woman. I live with a small ball of doggy fluff called Stellar and we enjoy the wonderfully beautiful Illawarra of NSW. I live very close to the sea and go to sleep to the sounds of the ocean at night.

I have a casual job at the uni of Wollongong Library, which I enjoy most of the time.

I love writing fiction but have been on the procrastination bus for a while. I'll blog about that from time to time also.

I spin fibres on spinning wheels, dye my own fibres and knit, though the spinning and knitting has been in the shadows since a moving here; it's just not cold enough, or maybe I'm not acclimatised yet?

I'm being treated for long term anxiety and depression and am an ex smoker of weeds both legal and illegal and to top it off , I'm also an ex drinker of alcohol. It's not as bad as it sounds, I actually love my life now! All I have to do now is learn how to enjoy it.