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[Zach_lost_in_Aus]

Good evening, all.

I have way too much time on my hands all of a sudden, so here I am!

Hope you're all well.

Ari

All well in the ghost capital of Qld. Strange times. Good to see you around!

 

[darkelf9]

Well, WA has sealed the border now. Even the two week quarantine period for people wanting to come in has been abolished in favour of noone. Dumb arses came in and created cases in the Kimberleys amongst some of the most health challenged indigenous communities, so now the Kimberleys have been divided into 4 zones with no travel between.
I suppose it is time for the West to think again about secession. All the other states have to vote for us to leave as well, so a pretty hard one to muster. We'll just toodle off and keep the iron ore and gas. The McGowan/Wyatt/Cook/Tindle combo is keeping a hard line response. Maybe a WA/NT, Other Australia, NZ trio of nation states could do a UK style national alliance in the economic aftermath and realign the wasteful spending by states.

None the less, time to talk about other things on tv now otherwise we will all go into oversaturation. The number of cars on the road in the UK is on the rise now, so the message of staying home has reached its half life there. Quick stick something interesting on the tv again.

I thought you guys were partially succeeded already. When it comes to elections your votes don't count since the east coast determines who takes power. I don't think WA could hold out too long considering all the money and financial stuff is managed between VIC and NSW also most of the booze . CUB is here in Melbourne so no beer for you guys except for the local stuff. Besides to stop people coming into WA there is a natural border, namely the Nullarbor desert. Stop the traffic and the only way for people to get there is on foot. Let the desert take care of them. Similar to the natural barrier up north with the crocs. All we have is penguins. Somehow I don't think an angry penguin is going to deter anyone.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Got back from shopping a couple of hours ago. Hasn't that just turned into a circus. New rule in the supermarkets of packing your own bags, which makes no sense. What they should introduce is what some countries in Europe have been using even before the virus crisis. Which is scanners attached to shopping trolleys. You scan each item as you put it in your cart (and into your bag), give the scanner to the checkout person and pay for your groceries. It's actually faster to just put everything back into your cart after it has been scanned then pack your bags when you get to the car. Better still is just put the esky in the back of the car with the bags, when you get back to the car dump all the cold stuff in the esky, fill the bags and bugger off. There is no point in taking your bags in to the supermarket if you went there by car.

I have watched some old dears trying to pack their own bags and struggling to do that and pay for their items and scan their rewards card. Meanwhile fit healthy people are just standing around watching the old person struggle because of the social distancing rules.

It just takes so long now to get thru a checkout. The longer this goes I wouldn't be surprised if supermarkets remove most of their maned checkouts in favour of self-serve purely for "safety purposes" of course. Since more people are not going to work there are more people in supermarkets these days. There are a lot of people shopping multiple times a week just to get out of the house. For the first time in about a month I've seen toilet paper on the shelves. Although only the smaller packs with a limit of one. Have to hunt around to get the larger packs. Depends on where you live.

Had to drive across town yesterday to help my mum with her grocery shopping since they have stopped home delivery. So that was a frustrating experience mainly because she wanted multiples of various items which have been restricted. Plus had to go to multiple chemists to get what she wanted due to those items being in short supply or sold out. Took over 90 mins to get most of the times some of which I couldn't get. Previously when I've gone shopping for her on the odd occasion it only took about half an hour. It kinda defeats the purpose of limiting your time out of your house if you have to shop at multiple supermarkets just to get the items you need.

The saturation point for all this panic buying has to come soon. People must be running out of space in their houses to put stuff. Speaking of house space, I bet those people who wanted open plan living with a smaller backyard, are now regretting their decision. Also those who split their property in half and built another house to get extra income are now having a rethink. I find it hilarious that people are complaining about having to spend time with their own family members. Just remember you made those choices, no take backs. Good to be single in a three bedroom house all to myself .

Well exporting seafood seems to be more important than getting Aussies back home. Which is interesting and shows what the govt values more. Although they could use that option to get people home since most seafood goes out on passenger flights. So export seafood, import Aussies stuck OS. Keeps aircrew in a job for the short term and puts money into the pockets of the commercial carriers.

Just had my phone consultation with one of my specialists and frankly I didn't see the point to it. Talked about the latest blood test results then had a general chat about non-medical stuff then made another appointment. So I don't get it. Could of just put off the consultation for another 6 months. On the positive side, it was covered by Medicare so that was surprising.

Dentists are the latest to shut up shop so I guess my next dental appointment in a couple of months might get cancelled. I usually go to the chocolate shop across the road after the appointment. So I guess it's off to the chocolate shop

I heard that the home delivery option being offered by supermarkets for the elderly is not very good and the items are limited. If possible I'd suggest doing the shopping for them even it's a neighbour.

Expecting more rain later today and for the rest of the weekend here in Melbourne town. Hope you all stay safe.

 

[curiousmark66]

wanker

let me say this mans opinion is no way that of a normal Aussie , he loves self-isolation

 

[darkelf9]

let me say this mans opinion is no way that of a normal Aussie , he loves self-isolation

No man is safe in his man cave these days...it's full of toilet paper the mrs keeps buying and you'll get a longer list of stuff that needs fixing.

Yeah when self-isolation is the norm, not really isolating more like just vegging out on the couch.

I hear booze sales are up, even with no footy to watch.

 

[darkelf9]

Good evening, all.

I have way too much time on my hands all of a sudden, so here I am!

Hope you're all well.

Ari

Personally I don't wear a watch anymore.

Idle hands make boobies sad

 

[missswannie]

I thought you guys were partially succeeded already. When it comes to elections your votes don't count since the east coast determines who takes power. I don't think WA could hold out too long considering all the money and financial stuff is managed between VIC and NSW also most of the booze . CUB is here in Melbourne so no beer for you guys except for the local stuff. Besides to stop people coming into WA there is a natural border, namely the Nullarbor desert. Stop the traffic and the only way for people to get there is on foot. Let the desert take care of them. Similar to the natural barrier up north with the crocs. All we have is penguins. Somehow I don't think an angry penguin is going to deter anyone.

He he he, we will succeed when we get our GST back. Electorally, I thought we were all determined by Queensland and Northern NSW conservatives. Tassie seems to punch above its weight for influence too. Vic and WA are too predictable to count anymore regrettably. Finance I think we are run out of Singapore as the great clearing house aren't we, so we had better ask their opinion? Actually it is Japanese and Asian life insurance companies that own most of our corporate and mortgage bonds so best go ask them as well. I'd miss James Squire more than CUB, but Lion and CUB are owned by the Japanese Brewers so we can always beg them for a nice drop. Our local boutique stuff is pretty good on the whole though. Bush Chook doesn't count. CUB were useful last year doing price promotion. $6 pints were a nice relief from the usual no change out of $50 for a round of three in the pub.
Don't discount those penguins. There has to be something killer about them and Antarctica, you wouldn't build your subs and keep your anti-sub planes in Adelaide facing south for no reason would you? Nullabor is quite civilised these days, it's the crossings in the middle on the gravel that have you questioning your sensibilities. The top end is wonderful but in all seriousness, don't go through there just yet. The annual flu season and the grey nomad migration creates medical issues enough every year up there in the communities, so this one would be devastating. Enough to force some hard borders anyway.
We have been enjoying the new police drones. Flashing lights and loud speakers on them. They have been swooping in on people in parks and streets not behaving. All over East Perth yesterday, it turns out the police chopper and its infra red cameras were directing them in on a few brothels that had continued to operate stupidly. A couple are being trialled with LED sign boards that can flash direction messages ahead of traffic jams and accidents so they might get operationally up to speed before a return to business. I'm not opposed, but if they are also inspecting high rises for gatherings there might be a couple of issues on privacy of the videos obtained in doing so.
On the question of brothels, sex workers and other activities that are quasi legal quasi illegal in depending on the state: Is it not time to just legalize it all and then make sure these people are also supported during a mandatory shutdown of their business activity? I know a lot of the cheapy places are staffed with illegal workers and cash payments, they arrested a couple that were running them all, but legit people in the trade are certainly without income or trade at the moment, whatever your opinion is on the activity.

 

[darkelf9]

He he he, we will succeed when we get our GST back. Electorally, I thought we were all determined by Queensland and Northern NSW conservatives. Tassie seems to punch above its weight for influence too. Vic and WA are too predictable to count anymore regrettably. Finance I think we are run out of Singapore as the great clearing house aren't we, so we had better ask their opinion? Actually it is Japanese and Asian life insurance companies that own most of our corporate and mortgage bonds so best go ask them as well. I'd miss James Squire more than CUB, but Lion and CUB are owned by the Japanese Brewers so we can always beg them for a nice drop. Our local boutique stuff is pretty good on the whole though. Bush Chook doesn't count. CUB were useful last year doing price promotion. $6 pints were a nice relief from the usual no change out of $50 for a round of three in the pub.
Don't discount those penguins. There has to be something killer about them and Antarctica, you wouldn't build your subs and keep your anti-sub planes in Adelaide facing south for no reason would you? Nullabor is quite civilised these days, it's the crossings in the middle on the gravel that have you questioning your sensibilities. The top end is wonderful but in all seriousness, don't go through there just yet. The annual flu season and the grey nomad migration creates medical issues enough every year up there in the communities, so this one would be devastating. Enough to force some hard borders anyway.
We have been enjoying the new police drones. Flashing lights and loud speakers on them. They have been swooping in on people in parks and streets not behaving. All over East Perth yesterday, it turns out the police chopper and its infra red cameras were directing them in on a few brothels that had continued to operate stupidly. A couple are being trialled with LED sign boards that can flash direction messages ahead of traffic jams and accidents so they might get operationally up to speed before a return to business. I'm not opposed, but if they are also inspecting high rises for gatherings there might be a couple of issues on privacy of the videos obtained in doing so.
On the question of brothels, sex workers and other activities that are quasi legal quasi illegal in depending on the state: Is it not time to just legalize it all and then make sure these people are also supported during a mandatory shutdown of their business activity? I know a lot of the cheapy places are staffed with illegal workers and cash payments, they arrested a couple that were running them all, but legit people in the trade are certainly without income or trade at the moment, whatever your opinion is on the activity.

Yep we have given away a lot of our stuff just to get the dollars which now seems rather silly given we are further in debt and have forgotten the value of local industry. This virus might wake people up but I don't think so. Making huge profits with low wages is here to stay which means jobs will remain off shore. Is interesting that the govt is using the virus to make changes it wanted to do previously. Since people are desperate and distracted don't be surprised if workers rights are further reduced. OS owners are not silly. Screwing around with a brand is not smart business. You would think China will pay a price for them being the origin of the virus. Since they can't seem to stop these diseases from happening. Given they were also the epicentre for SARS and Bird Flu and have rampant swine fever. China is also the cause of species going extinct like Rhino and Tigers. At some point that has to be linked with their ability to trade with other countries. Their low rate of pay for their workers remains the main draw card for China. Everyone is aware they steal IP but that is tolerated because companies keep making big profits. Money before people will always win out in the society we now live in.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Happy that daylight savings is over. What did I do with that extra hour...I slept thru it. Not sure why people keep asking that question. What do you expect to do with the extra hour..... solve world peace.

Seems the LNP is tinkering around the edges of workers rights and other reforms they wanted to do a while ago such as people using their Super to buy houses, now it's to pay for rents and paying bills. The big problem with doing that is that by the time you retire you will get a lot less pension and you will have to work for anywhere from 5-10 yrs more to make up the difference. If you do take out your Super now your final pension won't be low enough that you can get any money from Centrelink as a pensioner but it won't be enough to have a comfortable retirement. The trick with Centrelink is not any part pension you might get, it is getting the pension card which is money in your pocket since you get discounts on everything. I didn't get the relevance of Super when I was in my 20's however the closer I got to my retirement years I was grateful I didn't act rashly when I was younger. Those early decisions allowed me to retire early and become financially sure.

Heard the AG this morning giving reasons why changes for the Fair Work Act are needed but then uses the definitions from the same act to restrict casual workers access to the Job Keeper Allowance, can't have it both ways. So what is going to happen is that some employers will make people work their normal hours and pay them less and there is nothing they can do about it if these changes to the Fair Work Act are made. And don't think these changes will be reversed because people will forget. Once employers get an edge they won't give it back.

Supermarkets don't have specials anymore. Then again why would they since they are making good profits. They don't need specials to move stock so those people who rely on these weekly specials to make ends meet will miss out. I remember when I didn't have an income (because I chose not to) I looked for those specials to save some dollars. Given what I've seen over the past two weeks, there are too many people shopping since there are more people not going to work. Also given it is Easter at the end of the week the supermarkets are going to be even busier. I don't fancy the prospect of lining up outside a supermarket waiting my turn to shop. Will be going shopping earlier in the week but if I see a line going into the carpark, I'm out of there. I've got stuff at home that can stretch thru Easter if needed.

There was one person on the telly who mentioned Just In Time processes being part of the problem with the lack of items being on the shelf or in stores. In simple terms that means that product output is tuned to what the storage area/warehouse can handle. Warehouses used to be larger, but with Just In Time methods warehouses are smaller. This is all about saving money. The biggest issue with Just In Time processes is that if one link in that chain fails the entire thing fails since there is very little fat to fill the gap which leads to shortfalls to customers. Which is why for example there is a lack of hand sanitiser and toilet paper. It's a case of the manufacture being tuned to what is needed to comply with the Just In Time methods since manufacturers don't get paid for oversupply.

Good to see that small business are getting involved with producing medical items, however that will take a while since most of these businesses would need new tooling and time to get the quality control right. No point producing lots of gear if 50% of it is not up to standard. So don't expect a quick fix to getting medical grade stuff. Don't wear a mask unless you are sick and definitely not a cloth one, that will only attract stuff. Personally if we have to wear masks in the near future, I want a Darth Vader one .

Had lots of rain in Melbourne town since late Friday. Hopefully it has helped to fill up the dams. Given that people are being asked to wash their hands for 20 secs, that's going to cost more water which is interesting since we have been told to save water for a number of years now.

The lack of home delivery for grocery shopping is supposed to get back to normal after Easter. Will see if that actually happens otherwise I'll be back over the other side of the city doing more shopping for my mum.

Hope the week is good for you and stay home unless you really need to go out and no, walking your gold fish or hamster does not fall under the definition of walking your pet.

Off to do some home maintenance. Trying to avoid going to Bunnings due to crowds but if I can't get things fixed then I'll have little choice.

 

[missswannie]

Almost the Easter break (thats a laugh almost, a break from what at present). A quick reminder to look about the place and see how people are doing. With all the changes to legislation and payments not starting for some until May, there are some cracks appearing out there. It's pretty bleak for small business owners too who have support with JobKeeper for their staff but still have to find end of march and End of April salaries to pay their staff first. There are a lot of long faces around in that end of town, which doesn't come with any safety net, nor sympathetic banks I can tell you.
The governments have assured us that the Easter Bunny and Tooth fairy are exempt from travel bans. The easter bunny might still have to get caught up at the border and not come for some kids, so be compassionate where you can see anything unfolding in the neighbourhood. Pride is a killer, but sometimes you just have to leave something there, no comments no questions.
The growing demand of business to only accept cards is having a problem. People who find themselves with only cash and maxed out cards are having trouble purchasing groceries/fuel. I was at the supermarket last night and approached a young woman who looked a bit distressed. She had money but would need someone to purchase what she needed for her family's dinner with a card as the supermarket no longer touched cash. We got her sorted out. The big cash and valuables movement companies have laid off their casual and contract armed guards as the ATM machines and cash pick ups are not being utilised, so they are all off to CentreLink as well but not as Keepers.

Do what you can to help people out as some of these wrinkles emerge. A lot of them will sort themselves out a bit next month but there are some newly vulnerable people that need a kind eye scanning the horizon for the next while.

 

[Sh75]

Almost the Easter break (thats a laugh almost, a break from what at present). A quick reminder to look about the place and see how people are doing. With all the changes to legislation and payments not starting for some until May, there are some cracks appearing out there. It's pretty bleak for small business owners too who have support with JobKeeper for their staff but still have to find end of march and End of April salaries to pay their staff first. There are a lot of long faces around in that end of town, which doesn't come with any safety net, nor sympathetic banks I can tell you.
The governments have assured us that the Easter Bunny and Tooth fairy are exempt from travel bans. The easter bunny might still have to get caught up at the border and not come for some kids, so be compassionate where you can see anything unfolding in the neighbourhood. Pride is a killer, but sometimes you just have to leave something there, no comments no questions.
The growing demand of business to only accept cards is having a problem. People who find themselves with only cash and maxed out cards are having trouble purchasing groceries/fuel. I was at the supermarket last night and approached a young woman who looked a bit distressed. She had money but would need someone to purchase what she needed for her family's dinner with a card as the supermarket no longer touched cash. We got her sorted out. The big cash and valuables movement companies have laid off their casual and contract armed guards as the ATM machines and cash pick ups are not being utilised, so they are all off to CentreLink as well but not as Keepers.

Do what you can to help people out as some of these wrinkles emerge. A lot of them will sort themselves out a bit next month but there are some newly vulnerable people that need a kind eye scanning the horizon for the next while.

A very thoughtful and timely reminder Missswannie, we need to be mindful of the things that aren't just affecting ourselves but what others are going through. Just that acknowledgement from someone else of your struggle can make the world of difference.
Happy Easter to you and keep safe.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

Hope all is well with you.

Took the advice to shop earlier this week to avoid any possible crowds for Easter shopping. More changes at my local supermarket, now one way in and out which is annoying if you parked your car in the wrong spot. No external signage till you try to go in the wrong door. There is very little point staff inside yelling at people to use the other door if there isn't anyone outside directing people.

Have been getting weekly emails from supermarkets but nothing on this new change. Given the fact you now have to pack your own bags, I've stopped taking my bags into a supermarket mainly because it takes longer to get out of the checkout plus it holds up the line so I pack everything when I get back to the car.

Went out to the bank today and was surprised that there wasn't the normal crowd the day before Good Friday. Even managed to get a car park without too much trouble.

Had the heater serviced yesterday and had to pay with the credit card so was annoyed that the bank surcharge was added. Given that they are urging people to pay by card, it's annoying that banks are forcing people to still pay those charges.

The NBN failed two days in a row this week. Either the NBN isn't coping or they are having to make changes to cope with higher usage due to people working from home. If this continues then when schools go back, homeschooling won't work. No point giving kids laptops if the internet keeps failing due to an inadequate network.

This week's episode of Q+A was very informative especially the doctor describing how the virus progresses in a person. That bit should be mandatory viewing for everyone, especially those people who are still acting like dicks. There are still people holding parties, the fuckwits. These aren't uni students these are people who are parents. Fuckwits. Which just goes to show you don't need to be smart to be a parent, any fool can become one.

It's outrageous that Chinese Aussies are being vilified. What the Chinese govt does or doesn't do, has nothing to do with Aussies of Chinese heritage. Even the Chinese people have been the victims of the actions of the Chinese govt. If people want to get angry then direct it towards the OS govt not our fellow citizens. It's not on.

Hope you all have a safe Easter by staying home. Better to call people at this time than go and visit. I'm sure that the cops will be on the lookout for people gathering. Lots of cars around a respective residence is a certain give away.

 

[darkelf9]

Almost the Easter break (thats a laugh almost, a break from what at present). A quick reminder to look about the place and see how people are doing. With all the changes to legislation and payments not starting for some until May, there are some cracks appearing out there. It's pretty bleak for small business owners too who have support with JobKeeper for their staff but still have to find end of march and End of April salaries to pay their staff first. There are a lot of long faces around in that end of town, which doesn't come with any safety net, nor sympathetic banks I can tell you.
The governments have assured us that the Easter Bunny and Tooth fairy are exempt from travel bans. The easter bunny might still have to get caught up at the border and not come for some kids, so be compassionate where you can see anything unfolding in the neighbourhood. Pride is a killer, but sometimes you just have to leave something there, no comments no questions.
The growing demand of business to only accept cards is having a problem. People who find themselves with only cash and maxed out cards are having trouble purchasing groceries/fuel. I was at the supermarket last night and approached a young woman who looked a bit distressed. She had money but would need someone to purchase what she needed for her family's dinner with a card as the supermarket no longer touched cash. We got her sorted out. The big cash and valuables movement companies have laid off their casual and contract armed guards as the ATM machines and cash pick ups are not being utilised, so they are all off to CentreLink as well but not as Keepers.

Do what you can to help people out as some of these wrinkles emerge. A lot of them will sort themselves out a bit next month but there are some newly vulnerable people that need a kind eye scanning the horizon for the next while.

Yep some people will find this time hard and the govt doesn't really care. I keep asking if places still take cash. I haven't been refused yet even in supermarkets. I'm only using the card if there is no other option. So I'm surprised that a supermarket is refusing cash if the person has nothing else. Would be interesting to test that out if it is a personal preference rather than a company policy. I've noted that not all post offices are playing by the same rules. Had to drive to another post office since I was out earlier yesterday and it wasn't open. And by earlier I mean 10 am.

 

[Rollinbones]

Yep some people will find this time hard and the govt doesn't really care. I keep asking if places still take cash. I haven't been refused yet even in supermarkets. I'm only using the card if there is no other option. So I'm surprised that a supermarket is refusing cash if the person has nothing else. Would be interesting to test that out if it is a personal preference rather than a company policy. I've noted that not all post offices are playing by the same rules. Had to drive to another post office since I was out earlier yesterday and it wasn't open. And by earlier I mean 10 am.

I'm seeing the very old and the very young struggling the most intellectually with the lack of social contact primarily and secondarily with the new etiquette of interaction imposed. Every day i see kids run out to greet me and have to give them a stop signal and in that moment on their faces is the same confusion that's written on the oldies faces when i take a step back as they step forward to shake my hand and have chat.

The inbetweeners already have established digital communities and communication and are used to feeding their social needs that way almost to the detriment of their social health. They seem to be coping well. I watch my own family during this time and while i'm greatful for our little farm and its many distractions, they seem content and mostly business as usual. Oh, except the big girl who's got the shitty's cause she can't travel to visit her boyfriend for... uh... reasons...

I truly think the test of this time is whether we can sustain our own humanity towards each other. I watched in the supermarket the other day as people behaved openly rudely toward each other and shamed an old man because he didn't quite understand.

Anyway... Weeds. Fucking weeds. Parthenium to be precise. We started off with two little plants of it beside the feed shed one year. By the time i identified them, they'd flowered. I killed them.

The following year, we had a patch of it about ten metres square. I poisoned it.

The next year, it was bloody well everywhere. I had to get help from council and start using some proper ag chemicals on it.

So this easter yet again, i'm sitting on my little tractor spraying metsulfuron on the three acres of our block closest to the house where this shitty weed has set it. Elsewhere i just spot spray anything that gets through the grass. Turns out going around in decreasing circles and having a compulsory ale turns me philosophical.

Someone asked me once when we had an acre of vegies growing, "What grows best in your soil?"

My answer then was, "Whatever i water."

See, life is like a garden. What you nurture, thrives. You need to weed out the things that are not useful and sometimes harmful. You only harvest what you sow and every now and then, you need to liberally spread some bullshit.

Look after your gardens in this tough time. Plant some little kindness flowers here and there as you go about your life. Don't let fear rob us of human beauty.

Stay groovy lit peoples.

 

[Arianthe]

I'm seeing the very old and the very young struggling the most intellectually with the lack of social contact primarily and secondarily with the new etiquette of interaction imposed. Every day i see kids run out to greet me and have to give them a stop signal and in that moment on their faces is the same confusion that's written on the oldies faces when i take a step back as they step forward to shake my hand and have chat.

The inbetweeners already have established digital communities and communication and are used to feeding their social needs that way almost to the detriment of their social health. They seem to be coping well. I watch my own family during this time and while i'm greatful for our little farm and its many distractions, they seem content and mostly business as usual. Oh, except the big girl who's got the shitty's cause she can't travel to visit her boyfriend for... uh... reasons...

I truly think the test of this time is whether we can sustain our own humanity towards each other. I watched in the supermarket the other day as people behaved openly rudely toward each other and shamed an old man because he didn't quite understand.

Anyway... Weeds. Fucking weeds. Parthenium to be precise. We started off with two little plants of it beside the feed shed one year. By the time i identified them, they'd flowered. I killed them.

The following year, we had a patch of it about ten metres square. I poisoned it.

The next year, it was bloody well everywhere. I had to get help from council and start using some proper ag chemicals on it.

So this easter yet again, i'm sitting on my little tractor spraying metsulfuron on the three acres of our block closest to the house where this shitty weed has set it. Elsewhere i just spot spray anything that gets through the grass. Turns out going around in decreasing circles and having a compulsory ale turns me philosophical.

Someone asked me once when we had an acre of vegies growing, "What grows best in your soil?"

My answer then was, "Whatever i water."

See, life is like a garden. What you nurture, thrives. You need to weed out the things that are not useful and sometimes harmful. You only harvest what you sow and every now and then, you need to liberally spread some bullshit.

Look after your gardens in this tough time. Plant some little kindness flowers here and there as you go about your life. Don't let fear rob us of human beauty.

Stay groovy lit peoples.

 

[warrior queen]

Hi aussies

So, here I am in a semi-lockdown again.
Came out of travel isolation just long enough to be urged to stay home over Easter.... and then Guttwein announced a lockdown for the entire North West coast of Tassie due to the hospital outbreak in Burnie.
By the time I actually get out, it will have been over 5 weeks.
Not really complaining, because this is keeping me safe (I have an autoimmune illness, so I am very vulnerable if I contract covid-19) More a bit of a bitch because I haven't seen my kids and grandkids since mid-January

This has also put a hold on my housemate moving in - which isn't helping my financial situation. Plus, I am running out of things to stay occupied... everything is shut here now, so I can't even go to the tip if I continue gardening. Might have to set fire to the huge pile of clippings that has accumulated - all the fire restrictions have been lifted so no permit required, but I am pretty sure my neighbours will throw a hissyfit if I light it up! Might have to do it just to inject a bit of excitement into the area

Lucky I have an IGA here..... I signed up for priority delivery from woollies while in isolation, and have heard deafening silence. Rang IGA when I began to run out of stuff and they took my order over the phone and delivered an hour later.
Woollies has lost a customer now. Very bad if they haven't responded to other people too - there are now 1200 plus people just in this locale (hospital workers and their families!) who are likely going to need groceries delivered while they are in enforced isolation!

From what I understand, under our current laws, no retailer can actually refuse cash. They can say they PREFER card payments, but if you want to use cash it is still legal tender and therefore cannot be refused.

I hope everyone is waaaaay less bored than I am, and keeping well

 

[darkelf9]

I'm seeing the very old and the very young struggling the most intellectually with the lack of social contact primarily and secondarily with the new etiquette of interaction imposed. Every day i see kids run out to greet me and have to give them a stop signal and in that moment on their faces is the same confusion that's written on the oldies faces when i take a step back as they step forward to shake my hand and have chat.

The inbetweeners already have established digital communities and communication and are used to feeding their social needs that way almost to the detriment of their social health. They seem to be coping well. I watch my own family during this time and while i'm greatful for our little farm and its many distractions, they seem content and mostly business as usual. Oh, except the big girl who's got the shitty's cause she can't travel to visit her boyfriend for... uh... reasons...

I truly think the test of this time is whether we can sustain our own humanity towards each other. I watched in the supermarket the other day as people behaved openly rudely toward each other and shamed an old man because he didn't quite understand.

Anyway... Weeds. Fucking weeds. Parthenium to be precise. We started off with two little plants of it beside the feed shed one year. By the time i identified them, they'd flowered. I killed them.

The following year, we had a patch of it about ten metres square. I poisoned it.

The next year, it was bloody well everywhere. I had to get help from council and start using some proper ag chemicals on it.

So this easter yet again, i'm sitting on my little tractor spraying metsulfuron on the three acres of our block closest to the house where this shitty weed has set it. Elsewhere i just spot spray anything that gets through the grass. Turns out going around in decreasing circles and having a compulsory ale turns me philosophical.

Someone asked me once when we had an acre of vegies growing, "What grows best in your soil?"

My answer then was, "Whatever i water."

See, life is like a garden. What you nurture, thrives. You need to weed out the things that are not useful and sometimes harmful. You only harvest what you sow and every now and then, you need to liberally spread some bullshit.

Look after your gardens in this tough time. Plant some little kindness flowers here and there as you go about your life. Don't let fear rob us of human beauty.

Stay groovy lit peoples.

Hey Rollin,

I've seen some elderly struggle with the new rules. Especially when their local supermarket keeps changing their methods. Two weeks ago in my local I saw several staff with hand sanitiser and wipes which was good. Last week I went and there was nothing and they had introduced the one way traffic method which totally confused everyone that showed up. I saw a lot of elderly folk totally confused and had to walk all the way around to get into the place plus there weren't enough trolleys at the so called new entry, so you had to walk around trying to find trolley. Total chaos. The whole "pack your own bags" thing is also a joke. I've seen elderly folk struggle to pack their bags while fit healthy staff just stand around watching them struggle. Not their fault. I tried to help one old gal but was told to stand behind the line. I'm not sure what would happen if one elderly person was to fall or collapse in these times.

I think you need to embrace your weeds. They will endure. I've given up trying to pull out every single one. So now I just let them grow then pull them out by the roots. However they still come back every year. I also don't water anything nor feed anything and stuff just keeps growing every year. I have several different types of roses and they just keep blooming every year. In fact if I don't hack stuff on a regular bases the plants just take over. The birds love it.

 

[darkelf9]

Afternoon all,

So the world lost another member of the old guard in the form of a member of the Goodies to the coronavirus. Wasn't a big fan but I do remember watching the shows as a kid even though the shows were aimed at adults. Monty Python was more my thing.

Thought about me being charged the credit card surcharge the other week given I didn't have another choice of payment. Decided to log a complaint with the bank. Not expecting any positive outcome. I just think it's annoying that the bank surcharges are still happening given the only option in some instances is to pay by card. Not a fan of eftpos. However it does raise the issue of testing the govt policy on using cash for transactions in these times and can a business refuse cash if the customer doesn't have any other option since not everyone can qualify for credit cards with high limits. A lot of folk only have limits of $1-2K on their cards.

Put all my paints away today even though we are having some nice weather in the low 20's which is a contrast to last week where it was more like Winter. Next task is to pack away all the fans and the portable air con and tidy up the area I was using for holding all the paint stuff. Don't have kids so I can keep all that stuff inside the house without the worry of anything spilling everywhere or complaints from the mrs that I'm taking up space. Also when I put something in a spot I know it's not going to get shifted somewhere else.

Good to see that the message of staying at home is working to reduce the spread of the virus. However we are still in phase one in that we still have people coming back from OS so until everyone is back we still should be doing what we are doing now. The NRL seems to of made their own decision without talking to anyone else including the TV network or the health authorities. Purely money driven of course. Sport is not that important compared to the lives of people. A footy match is only a footy match, not life or death unlike virus which is literally life or death. The NSW Premier needs to kill off the NRL decision if she believes their actions will cause more harm. The AFL is not going early. Shows which code is stronger.

Even with all the lockdown stuff around the country, hope everyone found some enjoyment during Easter. There will be other years to celebrate properly.

Good news on the environment improving. Especially the air quality in some of those more polluted cities. If anyone was a skeptic that we humans are impacting the earth's environment then this should be evidence if we change our ways the environment can bounce back and also how resilient it is if we give it a chance. More electric vehicles is the go. Just see how much the air quality has improved by getting petrol vehicles of the road.

Hope the week is a good one for you. School term restarts here in VIC this week, so that should be interesting. Will be watching Q+A tonight to get some sanity and facts in these times of stupid being in power in some countries. Rump is killing his own people and doesn't give a fuck. Thank goodness we live in Aussie land.

 

[missswannie]

We are having a giggle over in this end of the world. The gold mining side of the state is having a good push at WAxit and have enlisted their trusty media friends to carry it on, but have been taken over by the fun side of it. The gold industry always gets a bit antsy when the Feds screw us over on GST. A bit of a reneg on previous promises and we will get to keep 43% of our GST 2020-21. Now this is better than the previous 29%, but enough for the gold boys to fear that we might up the royalty rate and make them pay tax.... Wait for the LNG guys to start sweating it on paying tax. Twiggy is already flying in hundreds of millions worth of medical supplies for us here, so no need to go taxing iron ore....
So Waxit. The People's Glorious Republic of Westralia. The flag will have to have a Union Jack on it regrettably until we can go the technicality of a Republic vote. The Dig the Trench brigade have resubmitted plans. The trench gets Great Whites swimming up from the south, and Saltwater crocs coming down from the north. The battle when they meet should ensure film royalties galore when David Attenborough gives up all hope of the Great Barrier Reef and sets up permanent camp to film that. But as a deal sweetener, the Trench brigade have come up with a cunning plan to use the dirt and rock and build a causeway bridge from Broome to Bali. So we will have to annex Bali. We quite like the NT as well, good people live there, so maybe we should have a crack at that while we are annexing things. The poll just done said that based on finances and big flotilla (reconfigure all the cheap abandoned cruise liners) we should have a crack at a few armies and places. On the list was the NT and Bali of course, but it was pointed out that if you wanted Emu Export to keep pouring at mine sites you would have to do a beach head in Adelaide and take the South End Brewery. Tasmania might be a nice addition, and then perhaps the Kiwis wouldn't defend the South Island too much and we could buy that.
It started getting a bit serious after that. For some reason Mawson Station popped up on the list, presumably for the penguin army, so I'm not quite sure if that was meant to come before Tasmania and South Island or not. The Falklands was on the target list then. Sheep and apparently massive reserves of gas and oil. the South Island sheep might convince them to flip. South Africa and Madagascar fell onto the list next. SA is going cheap, and it was pointed out that between South Island and SA we might just be able to get a decent rugby team together. The cricket would be competitive too.
Iran for some crazy reason featured next on the list. I worry about some of the folks out in the goldfields and Pilbara. Somehow they thought they could have a tilt at them and put a peg in that corner of the Indian Ocean. It all got a bit silly after that (well, a bit silly quite a while before that, but if Kal people can't hitch the boat up and drive down to Esperance for the long weekend the world does tend to go a bit crazy).

Now of course if the AG Mr Porter (a West Aussie by the way) doesn't want to have a headache with all of the legalities of all of this stuff, he might alternatively appease the mob by releasing the redacted section of the Royal Commission findings on George Pell that had to be blacked out in case it influenced future juries in his cases. Then we can shelve WAxit and occupy our minds with another target.

 

[Rollinbones]

So Waxit. The People's Glorious Republic of Westralia. The flag will have to have a Union Jack on it...

WAxit... Conceptually the theme is very marketable. It rivals the CUintheNT stuff. I envision flags emblazoned with bald vulvas flown high and proud. Bottomless street marches where the proud citizens display their waxed nethers in joy and republican pride.

You could even have you're own waxed president!



I'm contemplating emancipation from the Nanny state of Queensland which is presently an embarassing husk of it's former wild frontier self. Once wild men and women of Queensland frightened southerners with their north of the wall behaviour. Now most of them huddle in a single cess pit in the closest part of the state to NSW as you can get and run the rest of the state from there with there sheer majority.

There have been over the last twenty years and longer some quite strong suggestions to split our state so that we can adequately finance those communities and infrastructures that exist outside Bristopia.

I think we'd end up with Briscoastia and the Badlands.

 

[missswannie]

WAxit... Conceptually the theme is very marketable. It rivals the CUintheNT stuff. I envision flags emblazoned with bald vulvas flown high and proud. Bottomless street marches where the proud citizens display their waxed nethers in joy and republican pride.

You could even have you're own waxed president!



I'm contemplating emancipation from the Nanny state of Queensland which is presently an embarassing husk of it's former wild frontier self. Once wild men and women of Queensland frightened southerners with their north of the wall behaviour. Now most of them huddle in a single cess pit in the closest part of the state to NSW as you can get and run the rest of the state from there with there sheer majority.

There have been over the last twenty years and longer some quite strong suggestions to split our state so that we can adequately finance those communities and infrastructures that exist outside Bristopia.

I think we'd end up with Briscoastia and the Badlands.

President for Life Marko would probably take one for the team. He's from Rockingham, so probably already ahead of the game. A quick look on the beach says WAxit already in favour by a strong majority. His AUSLAN signer who has appeared night and day next to him has a higher approval rating than the opposition leader, so she could be VP.

A bottomless march down St Georges Tce, or better still the AC/DC Highway to Hell event when it is able to happen again would be well in order. Togs off in solidarity.

I did the Perth - Brisbane - Emerald run for a number of years so the FNQ concept well discussed. Only thing is you have to up the speed limit on the highways. 100 is a pain in the butt, and the big Emerald Highway Patrol officer and his Kiwi offsider is a 101 and your done bloke.

 

[darkelf9]

We are having a giggle over in this end of the world. The gold mining side of the state is having a good push at WAxit and have enlisted their trusty media friends to carry it on, but have been taken over by the fun side of it. The gold industry always gets a bit antsy when the Feds screw us over on GST. A bit of a reneg on previous promises and we will get to keep 43% of our GST 2020-21. Now this is better than the previous 29%, but enough for the gold boys to fear that we might up the royalty rate and make them pay tax.... Wait for the LNG guys to start sweating it on paying tax. Twiggy is already flying in hundreds of millions worth of medical supplies for us here, so no need to go taxing iron ore....
So Waxit. The People's Glorious Republic of Westralia. The flag will have to have a Union Jack on it regrettably until we can go the technicality of a Republic vote. The Dig the Trench brigade have resubmitted plans. The trench gets Great Whites swimming up from the south, and Saltwater crocs coming down from the north. The battle when they meet should ensure film royalties galore when David Attenborough gives up all hope of the Great Barrier Reef and sets up permanent camp to film that. But as a deal sweetener, the Trench brigade have come up with a cunning plan to use the dirt and rock and build a causeway bridge from Broome to Bali. So we will have to annex Bali. We quite like the NT as well, good people live there, so maybe we should have a crack at that while we are annexing things. The poll just done said that based on finances and big flotilla (reconfigure all the cheap abandoned cruise liners) we should have a crack at a few armies and places. On the list was the NT and Bali of course, but it was pointed out that if you wanted Emu Export to keep pouring at mine sites you would have to do a beach head in Adelaide and take the South End Brewery. Tasmania might be a nice addition, and then perhaps the Kiwis wouldn't defend the South Island too much and we could buy that.
It started getting a bit serious after that. For some reason Mawson Station popped up on the list, presumably for the penguin army, so I'm not quite sure if that was meant to come before Tasmania and South Island or not. The Falklands was on the target list then. Sheep and apparently massive reserves of gas and oil. the South Island sheep might convince them to flip. South Africa and Madagascar fell onto the list next. SA is going cheap, and it was pointed out that between South Island and SA we might just be able to get a decent rugby team together. The cricket would be competitive too.
Iran for some crazy reason featured next on the list. I worry about some of the folks out in the goldfields and Pilbara. Somehow they thought they could have a tilt at them and put a peg in that corner of the Indian Ocean. It all got a bit silly after that (well, a bit silly quite a while before that, but if Kal people can't hitch the boat up and drive down to Esperance for the long weekend the world does tend to go a bit crazy).

Now of course if the AG Mr Porter (a West Aussie by the way) doesn't want to have a headache with all of the legalities of all of this stuff, he might alternatively appease the mob by releasing the redacted section of the Royal Commission findings on George Pell that had to be blacked out in case it influenced future juries in his cases. Then we can shelve WAxit and occupy our minds with another target.

First world problems...oy vey !

I just hear banjos..."Them revenuers are coming for the moonshine Pa"..."Well stop playing your cousin's tits and get your gun son"

 

[darkelf9]

Morning all,

Finally got some junk email that was worth reading. Dan Murphy is having another members offer sale which features the scotch I now drink so I'm off for a booze run shortly as it is essential shopping. If driving down and back to their local coffee is under the guise of "essential shopping", well then I can go booze shopping. I can claim it's part of my mental health regime since just about anything these days falls into that category, much to the annoyance of people who are struggling with their mental health at this time.

The environment is really appreciating the fact that us humans are staying at home. Shows how resilient nature is. Also shows that electric vehicles are the way to go if you want cleaner air in cities. They can even see the stars in Beijing.

Things look like they are improving so lets not fuck it up by going too early. Steady as it goes. I can't believe that there are still people holding get togethers whilst hundreds of people are dying in other countries. Wankers! May be certain parts of society could do with having less. They might appreciate life more.


Did my weekly grocery shopping yesterday and as I thought yet more changes at the local supermarket. Now they have reverted to allowing customers to enter through either main doors. Lots more stuff on the shelves. The toilet paper thing has really calmed down to the point I saw the shelves overflowing. Still hard to find the bulk packs. Have now stopped taking my bags into the supermarket. I just put everything back in the trolley and pack everything when I get back to the car. Had a chat to one of the checkout people and she mentioned that she can't keep up with all the changes happening from week to week. Must be just as confusing for the staff as for the customers.

Hope everyone is managing to stay safe and sane. I found a couple of DVD's in the cupboard for another TV series so will be watching those in the coming weeks. Trying to avoid retail at the moment especially if I have to line up outside. Not a fan of standing in lines these days.

 

[Rollinbones]

Riding my silly bike around empty streets, delivering mail and feeling like i'm stuck in that Don Hendley song from back when, "Boys of summer". Was that 1979? Jesus i'm old...

And happy.

Butterfly's everywhere today. Little fluttery fuckers floating around like tinsel or confetti. You're all fucked with this virus, yay, have some glittery pretty things... Mother nature is a vindictive bitch. I love her.

One spider web has about twenty butterflies in it all flapping and fluttering and feeling like the rest of us but spiders don't particularly like the taste of them so it's left them up there like an animated advertisement for self isolation...

Kids. Bloody kids. Poor buggers. They still run out to grab the mail like it's a present from santa and i just cant stop them. They need the interaction and i feel like fucking typhoid mary everytime i wait and put it on the mail box instead of in there hands and remind them to 'wash your hands'.

Old. Feeling like i'm looking at a world i don't recognise. I grew up through the 80's cold war when we lived like tomorrow the bomb would drop and these days, the bomb is like a sneaky thing that we didn't see coming. Still hasn't killed as many people this year as road accidents... Why don't we take cars more seriously. Probably just my ptsd and all the old pictures making me rant on that one.

Stay safe you bunch of twisted fucks.

 

[darkelf9]

Riding my silly bike around empty streets, delivering mail and feeling like i'm stuck in that Don Hendley song from back when, "Boys of summer". Was that 1979? Jesus i'm old...

And happy.

Butterfly's everywhere today. Little fluttery fuckers floating around like tinsel or confetti. You're all fucked with this virus, yay, have some glittery pretty things... Mother nature is a vindictive bitch. I love her.

One spider web has about twenty butterflies in it all flapping and fluttering and feeling like the rest of us but spiders don't particularly like the taste of them so it's left them up there like an animated advertisement for self isolation...

Kids. Bloody kids. Poor buggers. They still run out to grab the mail like it's a present from santa and i just cant stop them. They need the interaction and i feel like fucking typhoid mary everytime i wait and put it on the mail box instead of in there hands and remind them to 'wash your hands'.

Old. Feeling like i'm looking at a world i don't recognise. I grew up through the 80's cold war when we lived like tomorrow the bomb would drop and these days, the bomb is like a sneaky thing that we didn't see coming. Still hasn't killed as many people this year as road accidents... Why don't we take cars more seriously. Probably just my ptsd and all the old pictures making me rant on that one.

Stay safe you bunch of twisted fucks.

Hey Rollin,

Just think of the vital service you're providing. The kids would probably of never seen the postie since they would of been in school so it's a novelty for them.

You can think of yourself as a postie during the great wars when people only had the radio to keep them up to date with the news. Letters were like gold back then. I've noticed the level of spam emails has increased. Getting emails from retailers I've never shopped at. They can't even target the right gender. I don't remember buying anything from a women's wear retailer. I live in Melbourne not Sydney .

Yes it is good to see the environment come back with less human traffic around the place. Thank goodness I played those video games about the world going to shit and it's you against the elements. Those decaf soy latte drinkers are so fucked.