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[geronimo_appleby]

morning, aussies.

where's the old faces?

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Well the end of the month so that means only one quarter to go to the end of the year, then it'll be Christmas shopping again. I predict we get to see Christmas stuff in the shops by Oct. Have to make way for the footy finals first. A no footy weekend, what will we do with ourselves.

Not sure if Q&A earlier in the week was interesting or disturbing, was waiting for someone to play the theme from Deliverance. Got to give the ABC credit for trying to host a civil discussion with that bag of nut jobs. The main issues were crocs and FNQ having it's own state. Apparently Brisbane is too much like Sydney. Not sure the residents of the North Shore of Sydney will like that. Their house prices might drop.

I reckon the Special Envoy for Aboriginal Affairs needs an office in the top end to be closer to his constituents. If only we had people in the country that could champion the cause for Aboriginal people...oh wait we did but they were dismissed as not needed, so send in the whitefella what could possibly go wrong.

Has been bloody cold in Melbourne town this week. Any thought of being out in the garden was killed off as an idea. Even had to wear a coat yesterday when driving the car the short distance to the shops, and I hardly ever wear coats. Way too cold to be sitting at home without the heater on during the day.

Saw this morning on the news that some farmers are calling for the govt to step in for the OS hay sales to be redirect to local farmers. Not sure that will solve the problem, plus would mean penalty clauses in contracts to be enacted.

Hope your weekend is good for you. Apparently will be a wet one in Melbourne but I don't think anyone will complain considering we need more. Don't even need to wash the car.

 

[missswannie]

Afternoon all,

Well the end of the month so that means only one quarter to go to the end of the year, then it'll be Christmas shopping again. I predict we get to see Christmas stuff in the shops by Oct. Have to make way for the footy finals first. A no footy weekend, what will we do with ourselves.

Not sure if Q&A earlier in the week was interesting or disturbing, was waiting for someone to play the theme from Deliverance. Got to give the ABC credit for trying to host a civil discussion with that bag of nut jobs. The main issues were crocs and FNQ having it's own state. Apparently Brisbane is too much like Sydney. Not sure the residents of the North Shore of Sydney will like that. Their house prices might drop.

I reckon the Special Envoy for Aboriginal Affairs needs an office in the top end to be closer to his constituents. If only we had people in the country that could champion the cause for Aboriginal people...oh wait we did but they were dismissed as not needed, so send in the whitefella what could possibly go wrong.

Has been bloody cold in Melbourne town this week. Any thought of being out in the garden was killed off as an idea. Even had to wear a coat yesterday when driving the car the short distance to the shops, and I hardly ever wear coats. Way too cold to be sitting at home without the heater on during the day.

Saw this morning on the news that some farmers are calling for the govt to step in for the OS hay sales to be redirect to local farmers. Not sure that will solve the problem, plus would mean penalty clauses in contracts to be enacted.

Hope your weekend is good for you. Apparently will be a wet one in Melbourne but I don't think anyone will complain considering we need more. Don't even need to wash the car.

Spring, blue skies, maybe warm in the sun. A week of rain after this but hey, we are getting there. I have to escape to Japan and China for few weeks but hopefully it is full on by the time I am back.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Well Spring is officially here, but feels like last week so no real change except that there are more flowers blooming in the front garden and the early signs of new foliage on the non-native trees so you know that the warmer temps aren't that far away. Will wait to see if Spring will be a normal one, chilly mornings and sunny warm afternoons.

Saw a news story this morning about fake honey being found in Australia involving Capilano honey which was surprising given that it is a large brand. Seems silly that they would engage in this practice and endanger their brand. Just by coincidence I purchased Beechworth honey on my last shopping trip, but would normally buy Capilano. Beechworth for those not from Vic, is a town about 3hrs drive east of Melbourne, a touristy town these days and has a nice bakery.

So who knew Dutton has a thing for au pairs. A secret fetish perhaps. Hey J. Edgar Hoover used to wear a dress in private so we shouldn't judge. Someone in the Libs is out to make Dutton look foolish, then again he does a good job of that all by himself, he doesn't need anymore help.

Hope your week is good for you.

 

[darkelf9]

Spring, blue skies, maybe warm in the sun. A week of rain after this but hey, we are getting there. I have to escape to Japan and China for few weeks but hopefully it is full on by the time I am back.

I heard that China just banned the ABC which is like banning your granny from visiting.

 

[CharlieB4]

Dark Elf: “Saw this morning on the news that some farmers are calling for the govt to step in for the OS hay sales to be redirect to local farmers. Not sure that will solve the problem, plus would mean penalty clauses in contracts to be enacted.”

Complete dickheads. Calling for the government to interfere in the market to cover their own bad decisions.

The hay exporters could make a motza selling on the domestic market but are taking the long term view of protecting their existing markets. It doesn’t just help them but the farmers who produce the hay each year under contract.

 

[Rollinbones]

Dark Elf: “Saw this morning on the news that some farmers are calling for the govt to step in for the OS hay sales to be redirect to local farmers. Not sure that will solve the problem, plus would mean penalty clauses in contracts to be enacted.”

Complete dickheads. Calling for the government to interfere in the market to cover their own bad decisions.

The hay exporters could make a motza selling on the domestic market but are taking the long term view of protecting their existing markets. It doesn’t just help them but the farmers who produce the hay each year under contract.

Very emotive times re hay at the moment. It's something that urban folk think solves drought problems. "Just send them all hay." Ultimately it's just a band-aid and buys a few weeks in the hope it rains. I know one hay producer locally that is turning people away because he needs to keep his regulars supplied. He's being offered ridiculous prices to undermine his pledged sales as well. But that's not how you sell hay if you want to do it long term.

He was telling me about one customer in central queensland who buys enough hay off him in good years to fill a 100m x 40m hay shed to keep on hand for poor seasons so he can fatten stock before de-stocking if required.

Drought and flood are facts of life in farming. Hard times will change eventually.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Another clear cold morning in Melbourne town. Whilst there is some sun not much if any warmth in it although the day time temps are slowly rising. Got a survey on the situation with the new construction projects in Melbourne, so I let them know I was so pissed off with the amount of construction happening in the city these days. If they didn't want to know they shouldn't of asked.

Saw that Wagga is having a show so probably not the best idea to hold a by-election at the same time. A state election here in Vic in a few months, but our show happens later this month. Might go this year, just have to psych myself up to deal with lots of screaming kids.

So the Libs have scrapped the plans to change the pension age to 70. I also noticed that they have changed the time limit for the increase to 67 as the minimum age. It was going to be by 2020 now it's 2023 on an incremental scale depending on when you were born. I was rather annoyed to discover that by definition I was baby boomer, but I haven't had any of those advantages. Ripped off!

Seems the mutual admiration society of the new PM and his deputy are now giving themselves their own nicknames. WTF! I want the pollies to govern the country not become celebrities. So no to ScoJo.

There is a cat show here in Melbourne town this weekend. Could be a recruiting drive for a new bunch of crazy cat women. Then again could be a chance to stroke a few pussies...and cats

So the footy finals are on and we don't appear to have quarter finals anymore, straight to semi's. The Tigers seem to be the team to beat so I'm going to suggest they will make the Grand Final. Geelong has fallen a long way by losing to Melbourne. As for the other games, well my picks are the Swans over GWS and the Eagles over the Maggies.

Hope your weekend is good for you.

 

[missswannie]

Afternoon all,

Another clear cold morning in Melbourne town. Whilst there is some sun not much if any warmth in it although the day time temps are slowly rising. Got a survey on the situation with the new construction projects in Melbourne, so I let them know I was so pissed off with the amount of construction happening in the city these days. If they didn't want to know they shouldn't of asked.

Saw that Wagga is having a show so probably not the best idea to hold a by-election at the same time. A state election here in Vic in a few months, but our show happens later this month. Might go this year, just have to psych myself up to deal with lots of screaming kids.

So the Libs have scrapped the plans to change the pension age to 70. I also noticed that they have changed the time limit for the increase to 67 as the minimum age. It was going to be by 2020 now it's 2023 on an incremental scale depending on when you were born. I was rather annoyed to discover that by definition I was baby boomer, but I haven't had any of those advantages. Ripped off!

Seems the mutual admiration society of the new PM and his deputy are now giving themselves their own nicknames. WTF! I want the pollies to govern the country not become celebrities. So no to ScoJo.

There is a cat show here in Melbourne town this weekend. Could be a recruiting drive for a new bunch of crazy cat women. Then again could be a chance to stroke a few pussies...and cats

So the footy finals are on and we don't appear to have quarter finals anymore, straight to semi's. The Tigers seem to be the team to beat so I'm going to suggest they will make the Grand Final. Geelong has fallen a long way by losing to Melbourne. As for the other games, well my picks are the Swans over GWS and the Eagles over the Maggies.

Hope your weekend is good for you.

Don't laugh about cat shows. We have a friend who after finding himself single and getting his confidence back, worked out different places to meet people that he would not normally come across in his day job.
He rates cat shows very highly and says alpaca breeders are on the adventurous side as couples.

 

[darkelf9]

Don't laugh about cat shows. We have a friend who after finding himself single and getting his confidence back, worked out different places to meet people that he would not normally come across in his day job.
He rates cat shows very highly and says alpaca breeders are on the adventurous side as couples.

Yep I've heard the crazy ones are good in bed. Now an alpaca cat... well that would be a pussy that could pay for itself. Not sure how you would shear it though without getting scratched.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Well all that talk of rain here in Melbourne town turned to nothing just a lot of wind but it was warm though so I guess that's a positive, didn't even need to use the heater last night.

So according to the latest book on Rump states he can't stop telling lies about everything and has the political knowledge of a kid in primary school which is surely an insult to kids. And just like here in Aussie land the incumbent govt is going to get an arse kicking at the next election.

The fallout from Serena's dummy spit just keeps going. Given the rolling info on social media, a story is lucky to stay current for longer than a day. She just needs to apologize for the outburst and move on. In any sport if you call the umpire a thief and verbally abuse him/her after you've broken the rules you will get a sanction. Her coach admitted to coaching during the match and she smashed a racket on court so the umpire was left with no choice. If the gender's were reversed and a male player verbally abused a female umpire social media would be on the side of the umpire. Next they'll be calling for only female umpires to umpire women's tennis which is when you know things have got to the silly stage.

Hope the rest of your week is peaceful.

 

[Rollinbones]

Finally started restoring my Buell. I bought it for myself in 2009 as a retirement present and when i went through some rough financial times i took it off the road as i couldn't afford the third rego.

Sitting and gathering dust was really bad for it. Developed some nasty earthing problems and fried the fuel pump and fucked up the computer. So have been saving up and finally bought the parts i need. New fuel pump assembly $525 arrived this week and a new battery $120. Not a lot of money for many but when on a pension its a lot to spend on a toy.

Really enjoyed a little zen and the art of motorcycle mechanics time this week fitting parts and skinning knuckles. Turned the key on it today and away she went. Plugged it in to the computer and tuned it up and its making all the right noises now.

Still lots of tidying up to do. Paint the exhaust, new tyres, recover the seat etc but it was nice to hear it clear its throat again.

I guess the only moral of this waffle which may be relevant on lit, is 'keep your toys well used'.

 

[Bitesback]

I guess the only moral of this waffle which may be relevant on lit, is 'keep your toys well used'.

And batteries charged.

Glad you found some zen in the work. Good luck with the bike.

 

[Rollinbones]

And batteries charged.

Glad you found some zen in the work. Good luck with the bike.

Thanks Love. All part of my present philosophy. "The pursuit of little joys." I figure that lots of small triumphs over time are the easiest way to stay happy.

 

[Bitesback]

Thanks Love. All part of my present philosophy. "The pursuit of little joys." I figure that lots of small triumphs over time are the easiest way to stay happy.

Sounds like a good way to approach life.

And do stay happy.

 

[milkmepls]

Finals time in Melbourne & a glorious Friday sun blue skies & no wind beautiful 23 degrees. Saturday windy rain & possible hail top of 13.

So based on that the out side gardening & spring preparations for the veggie patch can wait it will be an open fire a book and snuggles in bed. I’m open to offers if anyone wants to stay warm with me ;-)

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Happy Camel Day...what never of heard of Camel Day...why hump day of course, geez.

Well the Tesselaar Tulip Festival is on again in the Dandenong Ranges. It's one of those place that your parents take you to as a kid in Melbourne. Can be muddy then again what else do you expect wandering around a field just after Winter.

Finals footy and the Royal Melbourne Show this weekend and kids going nuts everywhere. Was always fun going thru the list of show bags in the newspaper and circling the ones your parents would allow you to get. Now I can buy what ever I want.

Saw my first fly after Winter yesterday. Signs that things are going to get warmer soon. Just purchased a new chair for the study since the hard rubbish week is getting closer. Time to get rid of the old chair.

Had an interesting chat with the GP yesterday regarding the My Health Record. Seems opinion is divided amongst doctors as to whether it's a good thing or not. If you're retired with medical issues then it's possibly a good thing. If you're in your 20's or 30's possibly not a good thing given we don't know who can access your records.

Saw the shocking scenes on Four Corners this week of what amounts to elder abuse in some nursing homes. The one story of a blind deaf elderly lady left in isolation with no water or cooling during Summer. Not even the humanity of cleaning out her toilet. That fucking made me angry. Elderly people asking to die cause they can't stand living in those places anymore. Australia the lucky country...not if you're old. Most of us are going to get that old one day and that could easily happen to us.

As for the footy well I reckon the Tigers over the Maggies and I'm hoping the Demons will overcome the Eagles but wouldn't be surprised if the Eagles win in a close one. The Tigers and the Demons in a Grand Final would capture more media attention.

Hope the rest of your week goes well.

 

[missswannie]

Nice to be back in Oz again. Japan and a taiphoon, then China and a battle of wits between my VPN and the great internet wall, white spirit toasts, and then Hong Kong and another great taiphoon. Nice temps here so am going to get my gear off and lay on the beach for the next few days to decompress.

I'm not sure how the AFL finals will shape up. I tend to support a Perth side and anyone playing against Collingwood, but in the great game of outlast and out muscle, a lazy bet on a Melbourne v Collingwood grand final might not be out of place.

An interesting documentary on Qantas last night. Something about super sperm donors that travel all over the UK on a private basis and their own dime. There might be a call for them after Brexit as most of Europe's sperm supply comes from Denmark as a protected export and the clinics in the UK might be caught short. Probably on BBC. They highlighted a few guys and then some of the nut cases that are predators. I only know one guy over here who has agreed to be the donor for three of his friends, otherwise it's a bit of a grey zone with our legal system. Probably best left to exist in whatever form it is and no questions asked.

Keep well all, spring is here.

 

[FortybutNice]

G’day antipodean folks! I hope you’re having a good one!

 

[Polarity]

Nice to be back in Oz again. Japan and a taiphoon, then China and a battle of wits between my VPN and the great internet wall, white spirit toasts, and then Hong Kong and another great taiphoon. Nice temps here so am going to get my gear off and lay on the beach for the next few days to decompress.

I'm not sure how the AFL finals will shape up. I tend to support a Perth side and anyone playing against Collingwood, but in the great game of outlast and out muscle, a lazy bet on a Melbourne v Collingwood grand final might not be out of place.

An interesting documentary on Qantas last night. Something about super sperm donors that travel all over the UK on a private basis and their own dime. There might be a call for them after Brexit as most of Europe's sperm supply comes from Denmark as a protected export and the clinics in the UK might be caught short. Probably on BBC. They highlighted a few guys and then some of the nut cases that are predators. I only know one guy over here who has agreed to be the donor for three of his friends, otherwise it's a bit of a grey zone with our legal system. Probably best left to exist in whatever form it is and no questions asked.

Keep well all, spring is here.

Friend of mine has gone the donor route to have children. Apparently in Australia donors are limited to five couples, perhaps only five donations? Might only be WA? This stops the genes meeting again later in life it seems. Hard to know how much demand there is for sperm donors.
Possibly significantly more than most think?

 

[missswannie]

Friend of mine has gone the donor route to have children. Apparently in Australia donors are limited to five couples, perhaps only five donations? Might only be WA? This stops the genes meeting again later in life it seems. Hard to know how much demand there is for sperm donors.
Possibly significantly more than most think?

I don't know, I'll ask some legal friends what the story is, just out of interest. Kids are a joy in my life so anything that helps people become families is good in my books. I suspect there is a bigger need to have a relook at all of this stuff in Australia than most think, including foster and adoption procedures. Workplace and financial pressures on couples and families are huge which really need a good hard look at, if only in this context of fertility and fecundity rate

 

[PertPerth]

Friend of mine has gone the donor route to have children. Apparently in Australia donors are limited to five couples, perhaps only five donations? Might only be WA? This stops the genes meeting again later in life it seems. Hard to know how much demand there is for sperm donors.
Possibly significantly more than most think?

My son is donor conceived though a local WA donor. Yes, WA has a 5 family limit for our local donors (through clinics) and in the Eastern states it's a 10 family limit.
It gets a bit more grey when it's an international donor as that can potentially be "unlimited".

HUGE HUGE HUGE demand for donors. Both egg, sperm and embryo. I waited over a year for a local sperm donor (back in 2011) and I believe the wait list is even longer now.

Speaking of which...I've had my last IVF cycle and am rather gutted. Another negative. Although, to be fair, negative is better than a miscarriage! 13 cycles, 6 miscarriages...I'm done. I've booked a holiday and we're off for 10 days (Singapore and Malaysia) leaving on Friday.

And I've managed to keep my job...so I suppose that is a good thing...?

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the weather warming up!

 

[missswannie]

Wow, that something. Glad you are on the positive attitude and that you kept your job.
Warming up in Perth so grab some beach time and ease into summer.

 

[Polarity]

My son is donor conceived though a local WA donor. Yes, WA has a 5 family limit for our local donors (through clinics) and in the Eastern states it's a 10 family limit.
It gets a bit more grey when it's an international donor as that can potentially be "unlimited".

HUGE HUGE HUGE demand for donors. Both egg, sperm and embryo. I waited over a year for a local sperm donor (back in 2011) and I believe the wait list is even longer now.

Speaking of which...I've had my last IVF cycle and am rather gutted. Another negative. Although, to be fair, negative is better than a miscarriage! 13 cycles, 6 miscarriages...I'm done. I've booked a holiday and we're off for 10 days (Singapore and Malaysia) leaving on Friday.

And I've managed to keep my job...so I suppose that is a good thing...?

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the weather warming up!

Would/could donate but not sure there is a huge demand for mixed race males?

 

[Polarity]

My son is donor conceived though a local WA donor. Yes, WA has a 5 family limit for our local donors (through clinics) and in the Eastern states it's a 10 family limit.
It gets a bit more grey when it's an international donor as that can potentially be "unlimited".

HUGE HUGE HUGE demand for donors. Both egg, sperm and embryo. I waited over a year for a local sperm donor (back in 2011) and I believe the wait list is even longer now.

Speaking of which...I've had my last IVF cycle and am rather gutted. Another negative. Although, to be fair, negative is better than a miscarriage! 13 cycles, 6 miscarriages...I'm done. I've booked a holiday and we're off for 10 days (Singapore and Malaysia) leaving on Friday.

And I've managed to keep my job...so I suppose that is a good thing...?

I hope everyone is well and enjoying the weather warming up!

Sorry to hear about the IVF, was never really aware of the massive demand for the service and the relative abundance of people struggling to conceive. Only became aware of it when a friend struggled with it.
Something that I am grateful we never had to deal with but that I also wholeheartedly support for those who struggle with conception.
As a man I certainly can't appreciate the toll it takes both physically and mentally to go through it.
Hope you are doing well, enjoy the warmth while you're away