The Roving Frog

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-153865022011-04-22T10:52:56.563+10:00The Roving FrogHi, my nickname is Frog and I've done a lot of travelling. Right now I'm living in outback Queensland, north-eastern Australia. Hope you'll join me on this interesting journey they call life.Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-22170732372743859142008-10-09T08:08:00.002+10:002008-10-09T08:15:17.723+10:00Juvenile Propaganda

As a Mum of a young toddler, I am constantly exposed to adult-created propaganda which aims to teach children about appropriate behaviour - you know in children's books, cartoons and tv shows. Often I just take it in my stride and think to myself, "Yes it would be nice if Cassie can learn to be generous and caring like the character in this book" but yesterday I found myself ODing. We were

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-60177968494386684902008-10-05T11:59:00.002+10:002008-10-05T12:07:44.438+10:00Exploiting Children for Art - Part 2

Earlier I posted a blog about furore caused in Australia over an artist who publicly displayed naked pictures of a 12 year old. The furore erupted when the police closed his exhibition and considered laying charges. Many prominent figures in the art and entertainment communities were horrified that he wasn't being extended "artistic licence". Well, it turns out that the artist in question

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-38817669424933777922008-09-26T19:51:00.003+10:002008-09-27T19:39:00.011+10:00A Parent's Love

This week we bought tickets to see the Wiggles when we are in Perth in December. I'm really excited - not because the Wiggles is my live show of choice, nor because I'm a rare parent who is not driven crazy by daily repetitions of their music (I am - driven crazy that is) but because I know that my daughter is going to love it. Like any parent I get a real kick out of seeing her joy and

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-7201574216644091282008-09-22T07:26:00.002+10:002008-09-22T07:30:19.058+10:00It has been too long....!

My first post since June! I have lots of thoughts in my head but obviously I haven't made time to put them down. Mostly it's because of a 90cm, 12kg bundle of energy who likes interaction with Mum much more than amusing herself. I find that with playgroup and other such activities, shopping (mostly for groceries), housework & cooking and then playing with Cassie I don't get a lot of spare

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-39451063344322067622008-06-10T20:41:00.003+10:002008-06-10T20:56:29.800+10:00Book Review - Belly Dancing for Beginners by Liz Byrski

"Belly Dancing for Beginners" by Liz Byrski focuses on the lives of 3 women in their 50's and 60's, all in very different circumstances, who become close friends when they tour Western Australia on an educational belly dancing tour. The tour symbolises the journeys they each take in their lives and the issues they resolve along the way. The story also involves the lives of their families and

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-86212091013376909162008-05-28T08:00:00.004+10:002008-05-28T11:24:14.996+10:00Exploiting Children for Art

An Australian artist is at risk of being prosecuted over photographic works depicting children as young as 12 - 13 in semi-nude poses. His exhibition no sooner opened recently than the Australian Federal Police closed it down, seized his works and commenced an investigation of the situation with a view to charging him.What I find interesting is that a number of prominent Australian figures have

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-48723189765918849332008-05-25T18:42:00.000+10:002008-05-25T18:57:52.433+10:00Saving the World

Having a young child is taxing of time, energy and creativity. That's no startling new information but lately I've been wondering how I can be a bit more outward focused rather than being totally consumed by motherhood. Admittedly, I do have to fight a belief that I should be trying single-handedly to save the world, but even so I felt I could be doing a bit more than I currently am with my

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-77415379986023309062008-05-25T12:40:00.001+10:002008-05-25T18:42:21.218+10:00It's been a while

Wow, it's a while since I last posted anything. Since then we have moved back to Australia from Malawi. Hang on a minute, since then I've become a mother AND moved back to Australia from Malawi. Not to Perth, where our "home" is, but to north-eastern Australia; to a remote mining town called Mount Isa. It's very different from living in Malawi - the power works, the phone works, the internet

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1144327178507435072006-04-06T22:36:00.000+10:002006-04-06T22:39:38.506+10:00Update

We've had significant problems with online communication over the past few weeks, largely associated with theft of phone line cable. Now we're back up and running for hopefully a good while.I've posted a number of my newsletters today so the site is now up to date. These are newsletters I send to friends and family to enlighten them about life in Malawi. There are some deeply serious issues

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1144326963059318022006-04-06T22:35:00.000+10:002006-04-06T22:36:03.066+10:00Malawi Memo 22 March 2006

If I were to describe to you a day in my life in Malawi, today was quite a good day to choose. As usual breakfast was served to us by the ever reliable and efficient Mary. Before this, however, we held discussions with the very newly separated Arnold. He announced yesterday that Catherine was leaving him and would be around sometime that day to collect her things. And collect her things she

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1144326920697548792006-04-06T22:34:00.000+10:002006-04-06T22:35:20.700+10:00Malawi Memo 3 March 2006

I last wrote just before we were expecting our colleagues from Perth. We had a very busy week with them but the meetings we attended were largely very positive and when we reached the end of the week we felt confident that our timescales are not impossible and that there is enough will within the various government departments for the project to go ahead. We are not counting our chickens yet (

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1144326867616006432006-04-06T22:33:00.000+10:002006-04-06T22:34:27.620+10:00Malawi Memo 10 February 2006

I had no idea that when I came to Malawi I’d be embarking on a study of toilet paper but did you know that there are different types of 2-ply? Let me assure you that there are. We were actually onto a good brand of 2-ply and I should have stuck to it but ever the explorer, I have just brought a different kind – 9 rolls of it – and it’s just not the same! It’s to do with the thickness of each

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1144326815119965832006-04-06T22:31:00.000+10:002006-04-06T22:33:35.140+10:00Happy New Year

Hello Everyone, and happy new year! For us 2006 slid in softly rather than with loud celebration but nevertheless we are filled with anticipation of another year full of adventure, things to celebrate and things to wonder about.There is good news to report from Malawi:1. The rains have started. Leading up to about the middle of December the weather became increasingly hot and sticky, as it

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1134330362308354242005-12-12T05:41:00.000+10:002005-12-12T05:46:02.323+10:00Christmas ya bwino ku Malawi

Hello friends!Christmas ya bwino ku Malawi….well it’s not too hard to translate: Happy Christmas from Malawi. The “bwino” is from the Portuguese which is spoken in Mozambique, one of Malawi’s neighbours. Chichewa, the national Malawian language, seems to be a bit of a mixture of a number of different local languages. The tiny bit of Spanish I know which is close enough to some words in

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1131390590195719282005-11-08T05:05:00.000+10:002005-11-08T05:09:50.203+10:00A Powerful Choice

Tonight on the news there was a story about a Palestinian boy who was killed in the seemingly never-ending skirmishes between the Israelis and Palestinians.Rather than perpetuate the hatred and violence, the parents chose to donate their son’s organs so that 3 Israeli children could live. I wanted to spread their story because it says more than anything else could possibly say about the power of

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1130606004712780342005-10-30T03:10:00.000+10:002005-10-30T03:13:24.730+10:00Malawi News 27.10.05

The past month has been a combination of day to day routine and some exciting (and not so exciting) challenges. As usual, the highlight of our time here is meeting Malawians, a number of whom could teach all of us how to find reasons to be thankful despite adverse circumstances. It is rare not to get a smile or a laugh from a Malawian.The challenge of fluctuating water supply has fallen from

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1128792446811027912005-10-09T03:18:00.000+10:002005-10-09T03:27:26.816+10:00The Story of Faggie

Faggie is in her early 20’s and works as a public telephone operator. In Malawi, public telephones are attended and the operator dials the number and works out how much to charge you. Faggie completed high school and has greater aspirations but jobs are hard to come by. She will stay at this job until something better comes along and the MK2,000 per month she earns helps her family make ends meet

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1128440124877446892005-10-05T01:22:00.000+10:002005-10-05T01:35:24.883+10:00The Story of Agness

Agness is the lady who opens the gate for us when we drive into or out of our housing estate. She works with a man named Rafael Lucius (one on each gate) and they always greet us with smart attire and a warm smile.Agness is about 25 years old. She was married but her husband decided that he preferred another woman, leaving Agness to care for their young son alone. Agness now lives with her

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1128439213012032592005-10-05T01:16:00.000+10:002005-10-05T01:20:13.020+10:00Racism

Racism has always been an issue that disturbed me, not least the fact that my own heart often leans towards segregation and superiority. Happily, much has been done to fight this ugliness and the world has moved on considerably from the popularly held views of the 19th century and before. Yet, I suspect that as long as the human race lingers, racism will be alive and well somewhere.The more I

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1128169492363367342005-10-01T22:10:00.000+10:002005-10-01T22:24:52.373+10:00Life in Malawi as at 22.09.05

The past month has been eventful in various ways, momentous in fact, when you think that after 18 YEARS of world domination the Aussies went and lost the Ashes. At least they waited till I was out of the UK but there are still plenty of British people in Malawi and they have not been reserved about their jubilation! I think the only other Australian I know in this country at the moment is in fact

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1126102303635274612005-09-08T00:05:00.000+10:002005-10-01T22:09:49.580+10:00Clueless Crosswords/ Codebreakers

I don't know about you, but I love clueless crosswords (aka codebreakers). The International Express has one every week but I can't seem to find a free source on the internet. So I've decided to start making my own for anyone else out there who likes to do them. Here's the first. The solution can be emailed upon request.

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1125752784862317662005-09-03T22:56:00.000+10:002005-09-07T00:54:15.546+10:00Complaining

I have a particular talent for complaining. In fact I reckon I could get a PhD in it. There is always a reason to complain about something in an imperfect world. I am sure you agree.When I was preparing to move to Africa I was conscious that I would be challenged about my propensity to complain. I was right. Malawi is indeed an imperfect world for many, many people. However, something I have

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1124813775461413042005-08-24T02:14:00.000+10:002005-08-24T02:16:15.463+10:00Getting to Heaven

Getting to HeavenI’ve heard so many people tell me they think that “good people” will all go to heaven. I wish that were the case but how can anyone think themselves as “good”? For a start, my own assessment of whether or not I am “good” will definitely depend on a comparison with other people. Okay, so I’m no Mother Theresa, but I’m better than ……So where does the cut off for good or not good

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1124813668486335452005-08-24T02:12:00.000+10:002005-08-24T02:14:28.493+10:00Life in Malawi as at 23 August 2005

I’m still getting over the end of a cold which has been more notable because of its length than its intensity. Martin is a cold & flu tablets convert so I tried them and they do reduce the symptoms which at the time was a blessing. For him they work in every dimension but for me I think they end up elongating the length of the cold. I seem to remember having tried them before with the same

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1124289528849876112005-08-17T23:52:00.000+10:002005-08-18T00:38:48.856+10:00Whose is the Earth?

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it….” Psalm 24:1Now I know there’s a deep and longstanding debate about how the universe came to be but I think it’s true to say that all participants in this debate acknowledge that one of the possible explanations is that all life was created by a Powerful Spiritual Source.Of those who accept this explanation as being true or most likely, I acknowledge

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1124193373320270082005-08-16T21:47:00.000+10:002005-08-16T21:56:13.323+10:00Feeling Stupid

Today I put diesel in a car that only takes petrol. Does that make you feel stupid or what?! I mean it wasn't as if I didn't think carefully about it first. I even conferred with 2 other people. And then I went ahead and did it. What I didn't do was to call the guy who lent me the car. Now, that would have been thinking.I hate feeling stupid. I'm blonde and I'm a woman and when you do

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1123924113483812972005-08-13T19:05:00.000+10:002005-08-13T20:21:32.156+10:00Poverty in Malawi

I moved to Malawi in June this year because my husband, Martin, and I have work here. I am now approaching the 2 month mark which is quite amazing. In some ways it feels like I’ve been here much longer because I can now find my way around Lilongwe without getting lost (well most of the time) and because I don’t feel quite so weird about being white and standing out like chalk on a blackboard! I

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15386502.post-1123923162440357572005-08-13T18:49:00.000+10:002005-08-14T00:01:29.153+10:00My Debut

Well hello. This is my debut Frog Blog, so to speak. The world of blogs is so far a mystery to me, somewhat like how I imagine it would be to dive to the bottom of the ocean for the first time. You see all kinds of things you never knew existed!I hope you will share some thoughts with me and we can journey together to interesting places.The Roving Frog

Traveler Froghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07605648792709042938noreply@blogger.com0