Aussies! Check in here!

[warrior queen]

I am slightly distressed to see that some here are resorting to insults.
This is supposed to be a nice space for people of similar interests to connect..... and if people can't keep it civil, they should move away from those who do want to be nice.... and go play on the general board

There's enough places on the internet to be horrid to eachother and enough shite and stress going on everywhere else, that we should keep this space as it was intended.

 

[CharlieB4]

I sit here in my over priced house, drinking my rather expensive scotch, watching people run towards a cliff. I've posted signs but it seems they are moving too quick to read them and are determined to jump.

The meek might inherit the earth but there is no cure for stupidity.

Arrr, no wonder lockdown isn’t a problem for you, it’s just an extension of your normal life. Hope you continue your amazing contribution to Australia.

 

[CharlieB4]

I am slightly distressed to see that some here are resorting to insults.
This is supposed to be a nice space for people of similar interests to connect..... and if people can't keep it civil, they should move away from those who do want to be nice.... and go play on the general board

There's enough places on the internet to be horrid to eachother and enough shite and stress going on everywhere else, that we should keep this space as it was intended.

Don’t worry WQ, normal services will now be resumed, cheerio.

 

[missswannie]

Anyway....

Not a bad speech this morning by the PM. Pretty honest. It depends on where you sit of course, some areas have different levels than others so never going to be a one size fits all solution. As he said, there will be outbreaks here and there still as we open up, but we know now that we can deal with them swiftly and mop them up, without killing the economy.
Interesting to see the UK Govt trialing essentially the same app ahead of a nationwide roll out. It seems to be a common point now. HK had it slightly different in that you had to wear a bluetooth enabled wrist band if you were under isolation orders which reported to your phone and phone home. Israel just says don't worry we have been tracking you all anyway... Israel has done pretty well and are almost lockstep with us.
Next issue for us is that a lot of people are running phones that the app won't work on, especially Android. I spent an age trying to put it onto my mum's phone at her request only to find out that it was Android 5.1 and not compatible. Still a good functioning phone so she is unlikely to replace it yet. Something to think about in terms of roll out. The phone connects perfectly well with her car so they can go and work it out.

Anyway (again)....
We go from storms over here to blue sky again. Lost a fence during the first night and fished the pool cover and winder from the bottom of the pool. A small battle with insurance who inexplicably wanted to replace 43 meters out of 47 meters of fence because 4m was still standing, despite it was going to be a different type of fence. 20 deg for the weekend then back up to 27-29 for the following week, so some more beach time.

 

[Rollinbones]

Anyway....
We go from storms over here to blue sky again. Lost a fence during the first night and fished the pool cover and winder from the bottom of the pool. A small battle with insurance who inexplicably wanted to replace 43 meters out of 47 meters of fence because 4m was still standing, despite it was going to be a different type of fence. 20 deg for the weekend then back up to 27-29 for the following week, so some more beach time.

Dad reversed his ute one day and a post in the back of it went through Mum's rear window. Both insured with the same company. It took forever because the company took itself to court because it didn't want to pay on Dad's behalf for some technical reason... Fucking numpties.

I love the power and fury of a good storm and especially the morning after when it smells so damn good and you get to survey the damage and think, "Lived through another one." This whole covid thing is a bit like that. Got to remember to be human to each other and that it too will pass.

Off to buy the big kiddo a car today. Her current velocipede is a death trap courtesy of several err... mishaps she's encountered whilst learning to drive. so off to the Capitol to buy a bucket of bolts. I fucking hate Brisbane. So many people. So much traffic. So many fucked memories from when i worked as a cop.

Whatev's... Life's good. Stay Lit wierdos.

 

[missswannie]

In more Lit-worthy news, traffic in certain suburbs in Perth is getting slowed down by emus in breeding season. The amorous males are getting low and doing their sexy dance with good looking cars in their eyes. Volvo's and BMW's apparently have that sexy eye that says lets go big boy.
https://twitter.com/belltowertimes/status/1258348961133256704?s=21

 

[darkelf9]

Arrr, no wonder lockdown isn’t a problem for you, it’s just an extension of your normal life. Hope you continue your amazing contribution to Australia.

Why thank you. Good to know all my years of service in keeping this country safe is finally being recognised.

 

[darkelf9]

Anyway....

Not a bad speech this morning by the PM. Pretty honest. It depends on where you sit of course, some areas have different levels than others so never going to be a one size fits all solution. As he said, there will be outbreaks here and there still as we open up, but we know now that we can deal with them swiftly and mop them up, without killing the economy.
Interesting to see the UK Govt trialing essentially the same app ahead of a nationwide roll out. It seems to be a common point now. HK had it slightly different in that you had to wear a bluetooth enabled wrist band if you were under isolation orders which reported to your phone and phone home. Israel just says don't worry we have been tracking you all anyway... Israel has done pretty well and are almost lockstep with us.
Next issue for us is that a lot of people are running phones that the app won't work on, especially Android. I spent an age trying to put it onto my mum's phone at her request only to find out that it was Android 5.1 and not compatible. Still a good functioning phone so she is unlikely to replace it yet. Something to think about in terms of roll out. The phone connects perfectly well with her car so they can go and work it out.

Anyway (again)....
We go from storms over here to blue sky again. Lost a fence during the first night and fished the pool cover and winder from the bottom of the pool. A small battle with insurance who inexplicably wanted to replace 43 meters out of 47 meters of fence because 4m was still standing, despite it was going to be a different type of fence. 20 deg for the weekend then back up to 27-29 for the following week, so some more beach time.

Sorry to hear about the storm damage. Went thru something similar nearly 15 yrs ago now with the insurance and I still clearly remember what happened and the noise. Lost the roof and the skylight was found in the neighbours pool. If I was in the backyard at the time I'd be dead since the roof lodged up against the back fence after ripping apart a tree. Have a lot of praise for the local SES. Spent two weeks under tarps till I made an angry phone call to the insurance company. Needless to say I'm not with them anymore. Hope things are resolved soon.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Hope everyone is staying safe. No emus to deal with but lots of people were out on Friday shopping for Mother's Day even though we still had lockdown rules in place. Didn't see much social distancing. One group of people decided to have a chat on the footpath of the shopping strip which just sent everyone else in to chaos trying to get around them and still doing the social distancing thing.

Thinking of buying a new car once the restrictions ease up a bit more here in Melbourne. Doing my bit to stimulate the economy then again buying more scotch could also help. A win win situation.

So things are set to ease a bit in VIC from Wednesday. Will see how that works out. Won't be going to any public spaces for another few months. Even with the easing of restrictions, not sure if small business will find it viable to open since they rely on volume to make a profit. Been supporting my local foodie places with the takeaway option. Had a chat to one of them and he is seriously thinking of just closing down till later in the year due to the lack of customers.

Have had a few cold chilly days here in Melbourne town. Had to resort to using the heater just to take the chill off. Hasn't got down to normal Winter temps yet. Expecting more rain here this week.

Hope the week is good for you.

 

[Zach_lost_in_Aus]

Off to buy the big kiddo a car today. Her current velocipede is a death trap courtesy of several err... mishaps she's encountered whilst learning to drive. so off to the Capitol to buy a bucket of bolts. I fucking hate Brisbane. So many people. So much traffic. So many fucked memories from when i worked as a cop.

Whatev's... Life's good. Stay Lit wierdos.

You should have come a month ago! You’d have loved it, the place was empty... starting to fill again as more people head back to work etc. I think, I’m based at home for the time being, so only see the city by bicycle.
Brisbane’s only a small town really anyway

Good luck!

 

[Rollinbones]

You should have come a month ago! You’d have loved it, the place was empty... starting to fill again as more people head back to work etc. I think, I’m based at home for the time being, so only see the city by bicycle.
Brisbane’s only a small town really anyway

Good luck!

Came into town down Gympie road and traffic was like twenty years ago. It only got thick around Chermside through to just over the bridge. Didn't take the rat hole, don't know where they go. Left town via Ipswich road and it was deserted. Young lady is very happy with a nice little Peugeot 407.

My son is not looking forward to going back to school in the coming weeks. He asks why kids have to stop isolating but adults keep going? I think he just wants to keep playing minecraft instead of doing schoolwork.

Local member used the covid to send out some political self aggrandisement on the same day that all the electricity bills went out. I lolled as i rubber banded them all together imagining locals going, "Fuck... Fucking electricity. And this cunt again!"

Ultimately, i believe our geography has been our greatest grace with the bug. But anyway, i am also kind of sick of thinking and talking about the bloody thing. Every time i open facey some day drinking karen is memeing her tits off about the virus. Surely the royal family deserves a mention or something karen.

The ride to work each morning is getting quite cool now. Thinking of purchasing some wet suit shorts to prevent the lumps that are forming in my neck most mornings.

Ranty rant rant... Off to work. Stay safe.

 

[darkelf9]

Came into town down Gympie road and traffic was like twenty years ago. It only got thick around Chermside through to just over the bridge. Didn't take the rat hole, don't know where they go. Left town via Ipswich road and it was deserted. Young lady is very happy with a nice little Peugeot 407.

My son is not looking forward to going back to school in the coming weeks. He asks why kids have to stop isolating but adults keep going? I think he just wants to keep playing minecraft instead of doing schoolwork.

Local member used the covid to send out some political self aggrandisement on the same day that all the electricity bills went out. I lolled as i rubber banded them all together imagining locals going, "Fuck... Fucking electricity. And this cunt again!"

Ultimately, i believe our geography has been our greatest grace with the bug. But anyway, i am also kind of sick of thinking and talking about the bloody thing. Every time i open facey some day drinking karen is memeing her tits off about the virus. Surely the royal family deserves a mention or something karen.

The ride to work each morning is getting quite cool now. Thinking of purchasing some wet suit shorts to prevent the lumps that are forming in my neck most mornings.

Ranty rant rant... Off to work. Stay safe.

That's it Rollin get all those toxins out. I used to come home after work and punch walls, then I discovered video games where I could vent my frustrations by killing some bad guys. Helped to calm me down.

I remember going down thru Gympie many years ago. Also learned about the Gympie Gympie bush...the plant not the other thing.

 

[darkelf9]

Evening all,

Just passing thru doing other stuff on the PC.

Had to make a booze run today to buy more red wine. Didn't think of it yesterday when I was out shopping. My local Woollies is doing a reno so the BWS was shut.
Has been a nice sunny day in Melbourne but not warm. If you stood still long enough you might of got some warmth, but these days you stand still too long the cops might pick you up.

With all this COVID stuff was wondering if my plan to build a moat around my place might get approved by council since it will keep me COVIDSafe. The other issue of course is keeping the crocs warm during our Winter here in the south. Wonder if they sell jumpers for crocodiles? Then the other issue of course is trying to get a jumper on a croc and avoiding the jaws at the same time. Might need a distraction...."here Barnaby come here boy".

So was looking at car insurance the other day and discovered that if you are between 50-70 yrs old you are in the sweet spot for insurance premiums. If you live in a country town it's cheaper. No doubt some smart rich person has worked out if their beach shack is shown as their main residence, they pay less for car insurance. Kinda like having your company based in Bermuda that's just a letter box. No tax.

Hope the weekend is good for you. Down to single digit temps overnight here in the south. Winter, she is coming.

 

[missswannie]

Don't knock a good Bermuda holding company and $2000 fee to not report earnings. Qantas planes should really have a Bermuda flag on them...

Having a nice run of 24-26 deg days here, so hopefully it will hold out for a little. We have transitioned to IOD negative now after the record positive that caused the heatwaves last year. The reports say a wetter than average winter so that should make the cockies happy, so long as we sort out who is going to buy the grain, milk and beef now.
The warm current is in at the beach. I got nibbled by little fish while swimming so the fishing folks will be out in force this weekend for the Skippy and the like that will chase the baitfish into shore.
A bit of a laugh with the AFL at present. Vic clubs play each other, Non-Vic clubs play each other in Brisbane and Gold Coast, lets see what happens afterwards. Quite rightly the WA govt refused to pay $30mil to have it over here if WA people couldn't go to the games. No taxpayer benefit and can be better spent trying to keep local businesses going at present. All WA and SA games to be played in a row at the end of the season when potentially some sort of audience might be possible (well not sure really, but a true statement to say a higher chance then than the zero chance now). Gold Coast on the other hand could do with the spending there, and its nice and warm, so probably a good choice, although I would have loved to see a NT dry season competition for the atmosphere.

 

[darkelf9]

Don't knock a good Bermuda holding company and $2000 fee to not report earnings. Qantas planes should really have a Bermuda flag on them...

Having a nice run of 24-26 deg days here, so hopefully it will hold out for a little. We have transitioned to IOD negative now after the record positive that caused the heatwaves last year. The reports say a wetter than average winter so that should make the cockies happy, so long as we sort out who is going to buy the grain, milk and beef now.
The warm current is in at the beach. I got nibbled by little fish while swimming so the fishing folks will be out in force this weekend for the Skippy and the like that will chase the baitfish into shore.
A bit of a laugh with the AFL at present. Vic clubs play each other, Non-Vic clubs play each other in Brisbane and Gold Coast, lets see what happens afterwards. Quite rightly the WA govt refused to pay $30mil to have it over here if WA people couldn't go to the games. No taxpayer benefit and can be better spent trying to keep local businesses going at present. All WA and SA games to be played in a row at the end of the season when potentially some sort of audience might be possible (well not sure really, but a true statement to say a higher chance then than the zero chance now). Gold Coast on the other hand could do with the spending there, and its nice and warm, so probably a good choice, although I would have loved to see a NT dry season competition for the atmosphere.

Yep the AFL is going to be interesting. Not sure how the teams from the other states are going to stay match fit given the limited opposition. Here in Melbourne much easier for our teams to get a variety of opposition. Frankly can't understand why the social distancing applies during training but obviously can't happen during a game. Will only take one positive to shut the game down again. If one team can't play then all teams will have to stop. Think it's too early for any sport. Probably best for a sudden death finals series later in the year.

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Was up rather early this morning, not sure why, was raining heavier in the early hours. Most of the rain this week in Melbourne has been during the night. The northern suburbs get the worst of the storms since there is a storm corridor in that part of Melbourne. So if you live in those suburbs you need good house insurance.

Saw the other week that Pauline was speaking from the scenic rim. Had no idea Pauline's rim was scenic. She might have a spot for Alan since his mic has been taken away from him.

Gladys is obviously getting pressure from her Fed LNP party to push for opening the borders. Fair enough for the other premiers to tell her to bugger off. Considering NSW has had the highest number of virus cases in the country, it should be the last state to open up. Sydney has had double the number of cases we have had in Melbourne yet our population isn't that far off Sydney's. Good to see that other parts of the country are virus free. Also saw some reports that the VIC govt was asking for the QLD borders to reopen. That's not true. Somebody in the LNP trying to spread rumors no doubt.

Back to playing Skyrim with all the add-ons which makes for one massive game. Haven't played it in a few years so still getting back to remember where I was up to and also getting a handle on the controls. Which buttons do what. Waiting a while longer before I go shopping for a new game.

Not sure the Chinese middle class will be happy with it's govt if it can't get it's prime beef and wine from Aussie land. Not a smart play from the Chinese govt, but does show it is a bully. But like all bullies eventually they get shutdown. Then again we have been silly to make China such a large part of our exports because they are willing to pay the higher price for our exports. Fighting the world is not a smart play for any country.

Was talking to some of my school teacher friends in other states and they feel very much like the canaries in the coal mine. Don't understand why the NSW govt is trying to make out the teachers association as the enemy. Not speaking to them is childish. All teachers want to teach but also want to do it safely.

Happy for all the people who want to dine out in VIC and NSW to go for it. See if it's safe for others. I certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for hospitalising other people because I wanted to eat out. People who stated lockdown was like being in prison didn't have a clue. I'm sure people in prison would happily swap with those people.

Came up with two new COVIDSafe options:
a. A COVIDSafe cattle prod with the words 'COVIDSafe' written in texta along the handle.
b. A T-Shirt with the words 'Fuckoff to 1.5" with a skull. The colour of the T-Shirt is obviously black to fit in with the govt mugs. Note: The 1.5 is only relevant in Aussie land. If it was in the UK it would be 2 and in the US it would be 6ft. Same virus but apparently it knows the difference in distance and can tell the difference between metres and feet. Fucking smart virus.

Hope the rest of the week is good for you. Stay safe and stay healthy.

 

[missswannie]

Yes, in-pocket LNP journos and commentators running the line this week on opening the state borders. I don't know where other states are on the electoral cycle, but WA is less than a year away, and the current guy is a shoo-in with even Liberal supporters saying they will back him based on performance. Only way you are going to tempt election campaign funds in that scenario is to try and force some sort of business community division. They need to force a stuff-up to provoke debate and donations, but stuff-ups cost real lives. The debate about it all being about getting time to get ventilators and ICU capacity up before allowing a second wave, all depends on whether you have small pockets of community transmission or have none. Elimination was not on the game plan, but achieved in certain areas against the odds of it, so the expected strategy changed.
On the flip side, there are gains to come out of it. The cohort of NSW and NZ FIFO workers that fly into WA, do their 10 days to 2 week stints on the mines then fly home (because they work for less even with the air transport) can be pressured to move to WA or give the work to WA workers. There are poverty and abandoned towns on the outskirts of mines because the only game in town is fly-in, not local commute 50km down the road. Maybe that needs to be pressured to change with the regional boundaries and state boundaries. The WA govt also has its eyes on the sales and marketing hubs of the big miners which moved from Perth to Singapore 10 years ago. The skim off and even general support employment is better served circulating in Australia.
A few important gains to squeeze out before Sydney hotels and corporate HQ's get looked at.
Is the centralised HQ a reality anymore? In Japan this morning, a large survey of employees said that they now realised telecommuting and working from remote locations was effective, so 27% said they would prefer to leave expensive Tokyo and the metropolises and move to a regional city or town to do the same work. Sydney has a lot as the equity funds from the US over the years find it easy to fly in to Sydney and have a pile of companies based there. We used to joke about cube farms but the abomination of hot desking open plan has probably been killed now. Cheaper regional centres are not an unreasonable future. Large and flat beats trying to invent law circumvention for elevators. If a conversation level exhalation of particles can be airborne for 9-12 minutes, does saying a lift journey is less than the 15 minute minimum being proximity tracked so can be exempt from spacing laws in order to maintain the viability of inner city buildings tell you anything. It is not entirely a bad outcome (unless you own large inner city buildings - political donors?) to do a once in 30 year sweep and change the culture and direction. Oh yes, those leveraged buyouts and company debt levels getting in the way of that? Oops.

Stay safe all. Enjoy autumn if thats where its at. Looks like we are going to have a May-June cyclone or tropical low. They get a bit unpredictable if they combine with a south west front. I might delay getting the new fence installed by a week or two. They say that with an IOD negative the winter will be wetter than normal but a cyclone strength downpour might be something else. A farmer was musing that if his just planted barley crop could just get washed away he would still have time to seed a less risky wheat crop in instead...!

 

[missswannie]

Absolute cracker of a bomb low/ tropical cyclone. It came down that trough like it was on rails. More wind that rain, which limited the number of trees and roofs down here. Further south is copping it and it will be interesting if it gets a bit of a boost when it makes it around the corner into the Bight.
$60 billion over a clerical error. Well, at least thats $60 billion not spent, not a reason to go find something to spend it on quickly. There will be plenty of things that will need a boost along the way without needing to just find any old project right now. No elections to win.
How's the form of asking the poms whether we could have an exemption from their 2 week quarantine. Pretty sure giving them a reciprocal exemption coming in here is not on the cards any time soon. The latest detachment of US Marines heading into Darwin to train at their Not-A-US-Base is doing 2 weeks quarantine in Okinawa and then another 2 weeks when they get here to satisfy us and Japan. At present, quite appropriate.
I think Japan has the blueprint right. They will reopen the borders on a three phased approach. First will be business visitors, followed by international students, and general tourism last. I would think thats a sensible approach when it is our turn to test the waters as to what is going to work.

 

[darkelf9]

Yes, in-pocket LNP journos and commentators running the line this week on opening the state borders. I don't know where other states are on the electoral cycle, but WA is less than a year away, and the current guy is a shoo-in with even Liberal supporters saying they will back him based on performance. Only way you are going to tempt election campaign funds in that scenario is to try and force some sort of business community division. They need to force a stuff-up to provoke debate and donations, but stuff-ups cost real lives. The debate about it all being about getting time to get ventilators and ICU capacity up before allowing a second wave, all depends on whether you have small pockets of community transmission or have none. Elimination was not on the game plan, but achieved in certain areas against the odds of it, so the expected strategy changed.
On the flip side, there are gains to come out of it. The cohort of NSW and NZ FIFO workers that fly into WA, do their 10 days to 2 week stints on the mines then fly home (because they work for less even with the air transport) can be pressured to move to WA or give the work to WA workers. There are poverty and abandoned towns on the outskirts of mines because the only game in town is fly-in, not local commute 50km down the road. Maybe that needs to be pressured to change with the regional boundaries and state boundaries. The WA govt also has its eyes on the sales and marketing hubs of the big miners which moved from Perth to Singapore 10 years ago. The skim off and even general support employment is better served circulating in Australia.
A few important gains to squeeze out before Sydney hotels and corporate HQ's get looked at.
Is the centralised HQ a reality anymore? In Japan this morning, a large survey of employees said that they now realised telecommuting and working from remote locations was effective, so 27% said they would prefer to leave expensive Tokyo and the metropolises and move to a regional city or town to do the same work. Sydney has a lot as the equity funds from the US over the years find it easy to fly in to Sydney and have a pile of companies based there. We used to joke about cube farms but the abomination of hot desking open plan has probably been killed now. Cheaper regional centres are not an unreasonable future. Large and flat beats trying to invent law circumvention for elevators. If a conversation level exhalation of particles can be airborne for 9-12 minutes, does saying a lift journey is less than the 15 minute minimum being proximity tracked so can be exempt from spacing laws in order to maintain the viability of inner city buildings tell you anything. It is not entirely a bad outcome (unless you own large inner city buildings - political donors?) to do a once in 30 year sweep and change the culture and direction. Oh yes, those leveraged buyouts and company debt levels getting in the way of that? Oops.

Stay safe all. Enjoy autumn if thats where its at. Looks like we are going to have a May-June cyclone or tropical low. They get a bit unpredictable if they combine with a south west front. I might delay getting the new fence installed by a week or two. They say that with an IOD negative the winter will be wetter than normal but a cyclone strength downpour might be something else. A farmer was musing that if his just planted barley crop could just get washed away he would still have time to seed a less risky wheat crop in instead...!

Yep Sydney was the main place to set up business HQ's mainly because all international flights on the east coast went thru Sydney. I remember having to go thru Sydney when I first went OS in the '80's and then after a long OS flight having to change plans to get a domestic flight back to Melbourne. Thankfully all that changed in the '90's.

I was surprised to learn a number of years ago when I was still working, that Brissy had become a base for OS IT companies. Cheap office space was one reason but mainly because they could get an international flight from Brisbane. Melbourne is fated to be the largest city in the country in less than 10 yrs which is why our infrastructure projects had a life span of 5 yrs which has had a major impact on how we get thru the city these days. The migration south from NSW and QLD has been going on for a number of years and doesn't look like slowing down. Housing for now is slightly cheaper than Sydney but that isn't going to last long. Plus our house plots are larger so you get more land. Was talking to someone from QLD and he was still getting used to the change of seasons considering they only get two up north. Had to laugh at that.

The only way for a decentralised corporate HQ's is if our IT infrastructure improves. So unless we go full fibre optic and the govt of the day spends the cash, then the capability for us to work remotely for any business is not likely. Also companies will need to invest in better security to work remotely which means they have to spend money which they will not want to do. It all comes down to spending dollars on infrastructure which business always looks to the govt for dollars. The only group that can move the economy forward is the govt and we have a govt that doesn't want to spend money because it is against their basic philosophy and what they believe separates them from other political parties and what is their mantra at every election. Although given the latest accounting error you would have to question their ability to manage money.

Hope all that bad weather didn't impact you too much.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Chilly morning here in Melbourne town. The morning temps are more typical Winter like than the day time temps. Not doing much around the house till the afternoon. Was supposed to get more rain last week than we did. Not much on the forecast this week. All that rain that has hit the west will be going south and north of VIC so we'll only get a few showers if that.

Noticed last week that there were less cars parked in the nearby streets so some people have gone back to their normal work places. Still seeing lots of people walking around. Normally it's the retired and the young mums.

Will see what happens next month when I'm due to go for my dentist appointment. Not sure if they are back to doing checkups. Now carrying around my small bottle of hand sanitiser when out in public. Normally just keep it in the car and have had it for ages. Had to buy another bottle the other week.

I guess we will see if NSW went too early. Time will tell.

Hope you all are managing to stay healthy.

 

[Bitesback]

Hello all,
There's certainly been more cars on the road when I've headed out in the past few weeks. I went for a dental check up two weeks ago that had been booked in November. They've always been careful with infection control, new plastic covers over instrument handles, facial masks etc, the only difference this time was the additional of plastic face shields worn by the hygienist and the dentist, re-booking done in the consult room and staggered one in one out appointment times.

I was more concerned about hygiene in the bulk food store where I had to wash my hands before heading to the bins with scoops, but they'd only provided a roll of paper towel on a hanger which had to be held to tear the sheets, so the sheet above was then wet. Not well thought through. And they were out of linseed.

Yes, I've been baking sour dough bread.

 

[Rollinbones]

Yes, I've been baking sour dough bread.

My starter went rank mid summer. Bit cool now but mouth is watering at the remembered toast. Thanks for inspiring a Saturday project when i should be doing other things. Definitely not typing on here and thinking about sour dough. Those house stumps aren't going to replace themselves...

First lamb of the season dropped today. A little black and white one. Haven't been close enough to work out if it a ewe or chops. They're really cute while they try to work out how their legs work.

Things that made me happy this week included my new block splitter. I've been cutting fire wood with an axe and while the aerobics is good for me, it's been bloody hard work. The new splitter is one of those with a nice sharp edge and then flares to split rather than the old fashioned wedge shaped things. Half the effort and twice the production.

Also, our Covid inspired garden restoration. Fresh beans coming off every day now, chinese cabbages for a weekly salad, bok choy which i don't really like but has a cool name, carrots almost ready to hervest, basil and parsley to play with and silverbeet which is nice in some things. It's amazing how the simplicity of putting things in dirt and watching nature do its whole thing can be so wonderfully relaxing and enjoyable.

Things that made me not so happy sort of fall away when i marvel at the science of soil nutrients, ph balances, moisture and microbes and the total complexity of things that go together to make it all look so simple. I guess that's life though.

One could bog down in the nitty gritty and try and control it all or just relax and let it be organic.

Stay lit you freaks.

 

[missswannie]

Public holiday Monday here. Finally looking at a fine week ahead. Relaxation of intra-state borders this weekend so everyone on the roads south and north. Only the biosecurity areas in the Kimberley and desert communities remaining now. Most of the restaurants and pubs getting ready to open with the 100 person rule x 3 areas/ 2sqm rule. I might go to a restaurant but probably not in a hurry to go to a pub, even it is seated service only. Breakfast catch ups are more my thing these days.
I rather feel like heading north and spending a bit of time at Coral Bay, Exmouth and Broome. I'm not in the mood to put the bikinis away this year.
Rottnest reopens to the public again from next weekend. The bloke will be keen to park the boat there overnight and throw a line in to restock the freezer. Lots of fish running after the storms and changing currents.
Japan is keen to get bilateral flights happening again after they reopened this week. It wouldn't be a bad thing to recapture that market, if they can't go elsewhere either. At least give all of our tourism industries a chance to have a go at survival at least.

 

[darkelf9]

Aternoon all,

Well a few days of the wet day timetable here in Melbourne town although it kinda depends on where you are. Not all suburbs are getting the wet stuff.

Seems my observation of less cars parked in the nearby streets was not a one off. People seem to be going back to work even though here in VIC the govt is still encouraging people to work from home. When I went to a couple of stores last week the people numbers in the stores was back to the normal day time numbers. Didn't have to line up for anything, even managed to buy a couple of videos without waiting.

Just finished the last couple of seasons of Game of Thrones. Not the ending I thought and happened rather quick compared to the slow start to the series. Also not many episodes in the last two seasons so that wasn't good value for money. Looked a bit like they ran out of money to do a proper end. Anyway now that I've seen the entire series, my opinion hasn't changed in that I wouldn't of persisted if I only purchased the first season. Now if they made a series of Skyrim that would be worth watching. Dragons appear from the first cut scene and right thru the game.

Getting a dry end to the working week which is good since I have travel across the city at the end of the week. More of the wet stuff on the weekend. Still having issues getting some things at the chemist. Not sure if it is COVID related or not. Now it's just annoying. Apparently some suppliers are having issues getting their raw materials and supplies from OS.

Lots of comment about what is happening in the US about the protests. When you think things in the US couldn't get worse they do. But they voted for the Rump now they are seeing the true price for that decision. Then again we voted in a climate change do nothing govt so we have nobody to blame but those who voted in this group of cluster fucks. Given the economic downturn we now have, voting with your wallet doesn't make much sense. Getting franking credits, tax cuts and negative gearing rorts means nothing when you can't use it.

The LNP wanting to engage with industrial relations. Yep sure they do. No really I believe them. I mean just look at their track record. The Onion Eater must be on holidays.

Hope the remainder of the week is good for you. Stay safe and stay away from crowds. Yes you can have a mass debate but at a distance.

 

[missswannie]

The warm weather run came to an end. 25 or better is not a bad way to start winter. Yesterday a curious cyclonic system formed off the coast which prompted some alerts. The rain is almost tropical in warmth. It's been so long since a Indian Ocean negative season that we have forgotten what it is. Some of the new home builds are suffering though. Alternate ideas to wall construction, roof pitch, etc to the usual is proving expensive for some in the new build areas. Some of the flood plain housing developments might regret it soon too, the Swan River has broken its banks 3 times in the last few weeks with rain and high tides. As the property guy said on tv, if you are in the business of flipping a house every few years then you don't worry about 1 in 10, 1 in 20, 1 in 50 year event scenarios. Someone else's problem in all likelihood. The Reno shows are a bit of a mystery to us. When your internal walls are single and double brick like the outside ones, ripping out a room and putting new plumbing is major surgery. Just try drilling a picture hanging hole into a 1930's red brick internal wall. Serious drills and bits need only apply.
Now that the regional borders have been lifted in WA I am at least able to head north and visit a few sites. Two days in by 4wd from Broome to get to the latest rare earths and lithium prospect to see stuff coming out of the ground. Investors like to see evidence of stuff out of the ground rather than the odd report of drill holes, so traveling in to "witness" stuff is a big part of it all. I don't mind a bit of outback time at all for a few photos, samples, and chats with the operators. The big boys are in a spot of bother with blowing stuff up. 2013 legal permissions to do so doesn't always equate with morally able to do so. They are about the only thing exporting at the moment so the mining oil and gas guys are not too worried about being held up.
I may just stay over in Broome or Exmouth on the way back for a few days on the beach and spend some money with the local businesses there.