Thank you

I would like to say a big thank you to the people who have signed the petition at change.org in regard to stopping a McDonalds development site in my home town/suburb of Tecoma.

This is what was written on the No Maccas in Tecoma facebook page today.

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  "The following media advisory note has just been sent to all media contacts. It is also being distributed via Change.org media channels

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  TECOMA COMMUNITY TO TAKE STORE FIGHT TO MCDONALD’S HEADQUARTERS

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Local mum and five-year old daughter will attempt to deliver 55,000-strong petition to McDonald’s Australia CEO Catriona Noble at her Sydney office; petition is one of the largest in change.org’s history in Australia.

  
  

  A Tecoma mum and her five-year old daughter will tomorrow (Wednesday 31 July) take their community’s fight against a McDonald’s store to the very top - Maccas HQ in Sydney.

  
  

  Erin Downie and her daughter, Mirakye, will attempt to deliver a 55,000 strong change.org petition to McDonalds Australia boss Catriona Noble.

  
  

  The change.org petition has become a lightning rod for community anger over the plans to build a McDonalds store in the idyllic Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne.

  
  

  
  

  With more than 55,000 signatures, the petition is one of the top ten largest in change.org’s history in Australia.

  
  

  
  

  Details:

  
  

  
  

  When: 9.30am, Wednesday, 31 July, 2013

  
  

  Where: McDonalds HQ, 21 Central Avenue, Thornleigh, NSW.

  
  

  What: Delivery of a 55,000-strong change.org petition to McDonalds CEO Catriona Noble

  
  

  Who: Tecoma mum Erin Downie and her five-year old daughter, Mirakye."

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  In particular I wanted to draw your attention to the statement that "the petition is one of the top ten largest in change.org's history in Australia"  Thank you for contributing.

  
  

  Anne  xx

My weekend

Last week when I was out and about I passed a lovely fruit and vege shop that also sold flowers.  I couldn't resist buying a couple of bunches of daffodils to brighten up the living room.  They are an unusual yellow, almost with lime green tinges.

Progress has been made out in our back yard in preparation for our new project.  The dwarf Pink Lady apple tree and plumbago have been dug up and transplanted.  The potting shed is in it's new position and completely reassembled by my clever hubby.

There's a bit of a slope here so we'll have to terrace the ground inside.

This afternoon I planted some double polyanthus, did some weeding and pruned a hydrangea bush.  There are a few more to do but they will keep for another day.  I was rather tired by the end of the day as yesterday was spent digging out the apple tree and plumbago with hubby's help.  I then went on a long walk with Sophie on a new route which included some very steep hills.  I've a few muscles aching as a result.

 

I had another long walk today about midday to participate in a protest march against the McDonalds development in Tecoma.  There were a huge number of people participating, at least several thousand. I'm so proud of our community, not just Tecoma but people from Belgrave, Belgrave Heights, Belgrave South, Upwey, Selby, Kallista, Sassafras and many others from surrounding areas and down the hill.

Hubby took some photos and I'll share just a few so as not to bore you all to tears with our local issues.

The march started in Belgrave

Proceeding along Burwood highway.

  

And finishing in Tecoma

Wishing you all an enjoyable week,

Anne xx

Tecoma's community protest against the McDonalds development

 Today I took Sophie for a walk as I do most days.  My walk usually takes me up to Burwood Highway and along the way I enjoy this scenes like this.  Just beautiful don't you think?  A beautiful environment is what the Dandenong Ranges is all about.  The adjoining suburbs to Tecoma of Upwey, Belgrave, Belgrave Heights, Belgrave South, Selby, Kallista and Sassafrass are just as lovely.  We live on the edge of the Sherbrooke Forest in the Dandenong Ranges
an area that we wish to keep protected and be able to enjoy for many years to come.

Almost in the centre of this photo you can see the lights of the intersection of Burwood right in the middle of Tecoma.

As I approached the highway, my moments of peace and serenity were interrupted when I saw a man with a placard protesting about the McDonalds development.  He has been banned from protesting close to the McDonalds site as he was involved in a blockade on the day McDonalds started work on site.

 Standing next to the protesting man below is an elderly lady, a grandmother who lives in a unit adjacent to where the McDonalds car park will be, her kitchen window looks onto the car park area.

This is her unit below.  She is so scared as people already come hooning in this car park at night in their cars and with the addition of a 24/7 McDonalds there will most certainly be an increase in these incidents.

You can see from these plans below just how close the development will be to these residential units and how chaotic traffic will be with a drive though facility.

Apparently Tecoma doesn't have any traffic congestion or problems of any sort!  The photos below were taken at 3.00pm just before school pickup time.

Pedestrian and traffic lights at the intersection of Sandals Road and Burwood Highway used heavily at school drop off and pick up time.

The local kindergarten and primary school are diagonally opposite the development site.  Pedestrian traffic assistants are there morning and afternoons to assist with children crossing Sandals Road and Burwood Highway.  Who is going to be assisting children crossing the drive through entry and exit roads at McDonalds?

 

Walls have been barricaded around the development site so we can't see what they are doing.  I climbed on top of a fallen log to take this photo.  Previous to these barriers being put up, there were metal and wire fences to protect the general public from any danger.  Now we can't see what is going on.  There were plovers seen mating in this grassy area recently and many people believe they are/were intending to nest here.  Now we can't see what is going on.  Take a look at this link to learn more, the plovers have their own Facebook page.

Two security guards having a smoke.

Protestors messages written in chalk.

Even Santa doesn't want McDonalds.  This sign is displayed in the property of a house which is opposite the development site.

Two more security guards employed by McDonalds.

Protesters holding placards.  Those people who support the protesters toot their horns as they drive past which is very encouraging to all those holding placards.

Will this view be improved by a big bright garish yellow M?  I think not.

If anyone would like to support our cause to try and stop this development even at this late stage, please visit change.org and sign the petition.

Thank you so much.

Anne  xx

McDonalds is not welcome in Tecoma!

McDonalds of the fast food chain wants to build a resturant (sorry, I can't even think of McDonalds qualifying as a restaurant) in our small community in the beautiful Dandenong Ranges east of Melbourne.  People come up here to enjoy the forest, the wildlife, visit beautiful gardens and picnic grounds, get married in one of the many wonderful wedding venues, take a ride on Puffing Billy and if they want refreshments, there are many wonderful cafes and restaurants to cater for their every need.  It is a totally inappropriate development for the area and what the Dandenong Ranges represents.

The local council voted no to the McDonalds planning application after the community was consulted and voted no to such a development.  The site is opposite a kindergarten, primary school and not far from a local high school.  The site is also adjacent to a two lane main highway which currently has  huge traffic issues as a result of four lanes converging into two about 200 metres from the site.  Of course McDonalds wants a drive through facility.  Can you imagine evening peak hour, four lanes converging into two, people wanting to go into drive through resulting in even a greater back up of traffic?

After McDonalds found out their planning application had been rejected by council (a democratically made decision), they went to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal - VCAT and had council decision overturned which is why our community is outraged.  There is a lot more I could say about the many reasons why McDonalds is not needed or wanted here in our beautiful community but rather than that, if you are interested in our plight, the following links give information about our very real problem.  I would ask if you would consider signing the petition at www.change.org/burgeroff opposing the McDonalds development and visiting www.burgeroff.org and https://www.facebook.com/pages/NO-McDonalds-in-The-Dandenong-Ranges/220419864641673?hc_location=stream to understand the full story.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and take an interest in the right of a community to stop a development we believe will have a detrimental impact on our beautiful part of the world.

Anne

In the garden

It may be winter but there are a few things happening in my garden.

Fuchsias

Polyanthus

Hellerbores

Teeny tiny fuchsias

Hydrangea head hanging in there from autumn.

More hellebores

Tree cineraria about to flower.

Periwinkle

Poor man's rhododendron

Jonquils

Cyclamen

Chinese lantern

This magpie has been very busy in our back yard collecting dog hair from Sophie's kennel and coconut fibre from these hanging planters for its nest.  That's one very organised bird and some lucky baby magpies are going to have a very comfy home.

The potting shed has been repositioned with only part of the roof, wall and door to be added.

One very special thing I've done in the last week is to find a frame for this photo of my Dad.  It was taken last year in August when I was visiting the farm.  I love the photo sitting amongst some of my special things in our main living area and every time I walk past I see him and remember.  Such lovely, lovely memories.

Anne  xx

Changes of the most delightful kind

You know life has changed when your oldest daughter invites you to the movies and she pays.  You  know your oldest daughter is even more of an amazing person when she sees her mother in need of cheering up and takes her to see The Lone Ranger.

Google images

 I loved this movie which is full of drama, action, very silly impossible moments, fun and Johhny Depp.  My Dad would have loved it with all the action and impossible scenarios that were so entertaining.


 A little shopping, coffee, lunch and a movie, a wonderful way to spend a Sunday with my big girl.  Thank you darling.

Anne  xx

Bits and pieces

Hello everyone.  I apologise for being absent from my blog as I've been taking a little time out to try and find some equilibrium.  Not quite there yet.  In the meantime I have a few things to share. 

The best news is that my brother's farm has had RAIN, 23mm in fact.  It's SOOOO exciting so thank you to everyone who has sent good vibes his way.  He will need followup rains to keep grass growing once it greens up.

Never leave a washing basket lying around with clean clothes in it, makes the perfect bed for a feline wanting a cat nap.

Stripey in the basket with Bungee keeping watch.

 Apparently Bungee prefers sleeping under the basket which was sitting on top of his bed in the laundry.

Look at my magnificent ironing pile on the right.  Doesn't quite reach the ceiling yet!  :)

 It's not safe to have the odd body lying around either it would seem.  Stripey is making good use of me as a place for a cat nap while I was having a cat nap.

I've seen a few of these little Eastern Spinebills around in the last week looking for nectar in the fuchias.  You can see a blossom in the lower right of the photo.  The fuschias really need a prune now but I'm loathe to cut them back and take away one of the sources of food for these little birds in winter.

Something is happening in our back yard.  This was once a cubby house for the girls and when they outgrew it, it became a potting shed.  All my talented hubby's work.  He built it so it could be taken apart and rebuilt if ever the need arose.

Looks like the potting shed is being taken apart, a need has arisen.

A spot up in the north/west corner of the sloping backyard is being leveled a little.

Something is happening up in that back corner.

The repositioning of the potting shed in progress.  So what is happening to the space where the potting shed use to be.  Stay tuned.  It's very exciting.

A couple of weeks ago I found this little trinket owl which is so cute.  The little butterfly clip on the neckline opens so you can pop your special things inside.

Early last week a good friend bought me this gorgeous posy of flowers to cheer me up.  They were in a glass vase but as the stems got old I cut them shorter and put them in this op shop jug.  I love the colour combination of the yellow and aqua blue.

Wishing you all a good weekend.

Anne  xx

P.S.  The magpie has returned to raid the hessian from Sophie's dog bed in her kennel.  Obviously the building of nests is in progress.  This is the fourth year the magpie has returned, the hessian bed in Sophie's kennel is new too.