Bowral’s tulip festival is in full swing. The locals have free entry, yet foreigners from outside the Shire have to pay an entre fee of $10.-. It seems odd, seeing the venue of the tulips is in a local public park. However, having gone through a legal tussle with our Body Corporate’s management and Strata, I am loath to pick up another fight.
Inside this little park, one can, apart from admiring the swaying of the tulips, also go and have a tasty sausage roll, a coffee, and if the sun gets too much, buy a hat or a nice leather belt in case of sagging trousers. Which reminds me, that at Australian airports , belts don’t have to be taken off trousers anymore, together with a more lenient attitude to having to take off shoes. So, all you intending air travellers, relax and enjoy the trip! Our Border Protection Patrols have declared the terrorists are in retreat and Syria is being bombed into safety.
Yesterday Vivaldi’s Spring was being rotated around on the public mike. They used to have a Peruvian group playing rather mournful music on pan flutes. The Shire must have thought Vivaldi was more in tune with tulips. One just never know what is behind the decisions that aldermen make. I suppose they have meetings and discuss how to make the tulip festival even better. The aldermen made huge mistake some many years ago planting cherry trees throughout the Shire. They are beautiful but also spread out so wide that pedestrian are forced to give up walking on the foot-path or nature strip and actually now share the roads with cars. Counsel now are asking for input by the locals on how to re-claim the footpath once more. I suggested the lanky birch-tree and for next year Sibelius music at the tulip festival.
The Strata has come to a good rest. All has to be done through an EGM as yet to be dated, and any shortfall in costs to be raised by a special levy. All owners to be give the opportunity to reflect on the issue and allowed to vote on the issue, at the AGM following the EGM.
So, all in all, a worthwhile effort rewarded by common sense. Thank you Mr NSW, Department of Fair Trading.
Tags: Birch tree, Fair Trading, Sibelius, Syria, Tulips, Vivaldi
Oosterman Treats Blog 
September 15, 2015 at 11:33 pm |
FT could scarcely have ruled otherwise, Gerard – the laws exist. Just a shame that that shit’s behaviour forced the effort.
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September 15, 2015 at 11:34 pm |
GJeez, that was quick M-R. Are you wearing speedos?
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September 15, 2015 at 11:50 pm |
It’s good to hear that the Dept. of Fair Trading functions well!
I was expecting to see a photo of tulips, rather than a muddy river!
Good luck with your suggestion for the change of music. I thought cherry trees could be pruned so that one can walk under them…
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September 16, 2015 at 12:21 am |
The cherry trees spread out quickly and don’t seem to lend themselves to growing upright. This river of mud picture was taken after a good downpour during the drought while we were still living on the farm which had a frontage to the Wollondilly river, ‘Wollondilly- ‘flowing over rocks’ in aboriginal language.
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September 16, 2015 at 12:05 am |
A tulip festival–I bet it’s gorgeous. Would love to see it. And I know my hubs would take advantage of that sausage roll…
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September 16, 2015 at 12:28 am |
I told the sausage seller, you and hubs are coming and reserved half a dozen. Tom. sauce?
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September 16, 2015 at 12:43 am
Absolutely! I can smell both the flowers and the meat now. 🙂
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September 16, 2015 at 12:19 am |
Power to the people, eh?
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September 16, 2015 at 12:29 am |
Yes, I reckon. They, the body corporate, tried to come the raw prawn.
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September 16, 2015 at 3:42 am |
Well Done Gerard, who do those people think they are, and more importantly what do they think you are.
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September 16, 2015 at 4:17 am |
Yes, Dorothy.
Success with the Body Corp!
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September 16, 2015 at 4:57 pm |
First thought was it was strange to see tulips at this time of the year. And then I remembered (call me a bit slow but I’ve been away), aha, Gerard lives Down Under. Of course spring is just around the corner. Vivaldi is good for tulips, or most anything, but so is Andean music. As for cherry trees, a little radical pruning (like George Washington, cut down some of them) would seem to solve the problem. And… you could enjoy the fruit of your labors. –Curt
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September 16, 2015 at 10:56 pm |
Those cherry trees are now very old. Besides council’s finances are stretched with comparatively few house on large blocks of land not bringing in enough in rates to be able to maintain miles of suburban nature strips and footpaths.
I like Andean music too but perhaps our own indigenous music could be played as well. The tulips would like that.
Long time no see Curt! Is all well?
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September 17, 2015 at 1:52 pm
It’s great Gerard. I was just out on a walk-about. 🙂 –Curt
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September 16, 2015 at 10:28 pm |
I was surprised at the tulips! Did you bring them Gerard? I vote for Vivaldi. How do you “come the raw prawn?”
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September 16, 2015 at 10:49 pm |
Thanks Kayti, but no I did not bring tulips, some farsighted Dutchman of a previous generation started growing tulips here in this area in the late forties.
‘Coming the raw prawn’ is a quintessential Australian expression difficult to explain but it might relate to having given uncooked prawns well past their prime, to an enemy, who , after becoming severely ill, said to his adversary ‘Don’t come the raw prawn to me, matey!’
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September 16, 2015 at 10:58 pm |
It was a great spring day yesterday. Coffee wit friends and meeting Milo was a bonus and the tulips at Moss Vale came without a $10 price tag.
http://auntyuta.com/2015/09/16/utas-september2015-diary/
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September 16, 2015 at 11:09 pm |
Yes, it was a good day yesterday and we enjoyed the tulips in advance. Milo was happy to see you both. He can tell good friends.
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September 16, 2015 at 11:41 pm |
i am glad that proper governance has been restored
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September 30, 2015 at 6:04 am |
Thank goodness common sense is still alive and there is a chance to change the decision. Tulips are beautiful. Lucky you…. not a chance of growing them up this way….
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September 30, 2015 at 6:33 am |
We won the case against spending over $ 40.000,- with no one having been informed. Oddly, we lost most of the complex owners support. They all thought it alright for future owners to carry the debt as there is only about $19.000,- in the kitty. ( and that took 11 years to save up for).
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September 30, 2015 at 6:40 am
Terrible morals to leave it to future owners! What a trap to be aware of, if one is contemplating going into such a complex. I think I will look for a smaller plot of my own, in retirement. Glad you won the battle, Gerard.
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