UP AND DOWN

What can you do?

Looks like I am over blogging or the lack of motivation for doing it. A fair comment would help, like as in, "yep". But the stats say otherwise, so I have to rack my brain... But for this blog, really?

Well, I had put together a new PC, and add W8 to it, and not unhappy or happy- it is working but I am not using it as the office workhorse, the old W7pro machine is struggling, and with Office10 too, and so be it, it loves to freeze up, thus the new machine. But dislike the keyboard- until right then -when I noticed I had changed it out today... [it's dusty. Why?] Conventional Home-End etc at last- boy that previous KB annoyed me. I wondered tonight why it was bloddy dusty- remembered I actually swapped 2nd son's unused KB over, "so there- be happy Tone". Marvined meself...

I told some one the other day I was "slow", the usual reply- then thought, No, actually, I  am not!

I swap from okay to upset and back- and that is not because of the hardware here. Slow means even-ness to me. I am not.

One is the government wants to cut the carer's [my] pension, so it looks like I really will have to leave the kids alone with their big sib and their aunt for days or weeks at a time, so to make ends meet, by flying off to find oilpatch jobbies for a few grand a week rather than a few hundred a week.

Another is the MS medical treatment regime- self administered shots- "Choose a different place for each day of the week"- really? Really. The spots still hurt a little a few days later- I thought it would be a little like a blood test prick on the thumb- Oh No....

The list goes on- But I am happy to say I am still waking up and walking and talking- probably too much shite tho. Health wise: At least my left eye has a bit more going right- nearly back to what it was- I cannot look sunwards anymore- I was thinking "only need one sun-glass lens", that was how bad it was!

The kids are growing up, and the gels like to see how fast I am shrinking... The 2nSon wants to best me at drinking games- "Oh No we don't!". The eldest child lives a shadowy life beyond my reach [and control?] but touches base now and then- I am told not to worry- he is fine- I wish he had gelfren to bring home to show off to us [hint, wink?]

That's the other thing- Fails. I failed to tighten a wheel on a trailer the other month after getting the tyre repaired. The owner was a bit pissed off to see the wheel going past them down the highway. No one hurt. Me- Still alive, but now doubting meself. I tried to adjust the their pool lighting too, and managed to turn AUTO on and not able to put MANUAL back on- bludee heck, gotta leave those poor people alone!

After losing the second pair of reading glasses in two months, the worry may be increasing- I definitely had them today in a safe place so I could do the garden... The kids can't find them either.

The car is pissing me off- had the front wheel bearings replaced the other week, thinking- "Bearings- twenty bucks each and time a bit extra?"
 NO.
NEARLY "FOUR HUNDRED BUCKAROONIES MATEY". THANKS! Sticker shock, glad I did not try to do it myself after all as: Bugger me!Two times a new spindle-hub-bearing [and removal of old hub by a machine] and then and then- STOP, I am complaining- it's a safety thing, and it's only money... Sounds quiter as there was an exhaust tie missing- but today I though it sounded like a HOLEY MUFFER- by gott I am gettin' wound up now.. shshhsshsssshhsh...

I think I am getting ahead, and then it's BILL time again. AND BLUDIE Chrissy too! Power and gas and water and shire[county] taxes are not going up normally with inflation, I reckon anyway. But MORE. Maybe the sickening spiral of costs begetting costs has occurred!

Nevah feken endz!

Waiting to get on an oil;patch wellsite job after two applications put in by a recruitment company.
Nothing- unless some one else wants Chrissy off and then I might get a look see in.  I bbought a new laptop just for the new career- it's getting dusty.

The kids are doing well with minimal parental supervision or bitching or what ever, the withdrawal room should be padded up by this time next year though.

Three teeners... Oh, now they want to play any old vinyl records I may have- Oh boy. "You got any PinK Floyd we can take away and play" and then what? Actually, only Dark side of The Moon, on CD t'ank fek.

The Portable backyard Potted Vineyard is looking okay, but Not especially fruitful this year- about 40 shiraz pots now, so I should be happy. I think I've mentioned the lawn mower needed a new motor... Plus the new window glass... Plus Shite goes on forever. A nice bottle-brush native shrub had decided to grow over and then start falling on my orange tree in the back corner of the block- well- it went through the mulcher today [where I may have lost my reading glasses] after i cut it down last week. Tarn would have been mortified at the Extreme Pruning, but dear- you can't help.

I went with the kids on a Long Weekend for the point of being on a beach, nearly, with them. The hired holiday house was just a dune away from the ocean. Shared with my little bro and his family  and two or three other couples. Nice weekend. And it was near my favourite flat water sailing place too, a perk I thought. they had a boogie board and two surfboards, I had three wind-surfers- a beginners for the kids on quiet days, and two slalom/wave boards for me on the --wind---? on the win---, THERE was NO wind for three bloody days, and the boards were too small according to the resident expert... The new family tent for 6 from Aldi fitted Three Comfortably, apart from the HARD GROUND.

See. Don't like it.

Up and Down.

back in the saddle or what

back in a saddle anyway

Just spent six and a bit days working as the wellsite geologist on a coring job in west Gippsland.

After ten years, to turn up and smell that diesel exhaust wafting past me... takes me back to my first jobs, many years ago now of course.

I think the job went well, apart from it being the weirdest shortest job and EWR ever, and then did not fill out one page on a meter by meter description of---- SAND, CLAYS, and LIGNITE, cos I did not think to ask what else is needed. But next time... I will have to get a BETTER job description [RTFM]. But they paid up quick and expenses too, so an outlay for a large screen lappy is good for the next job I can get at least. But will charge going rate rather than beginners rate- lost out heaps, can see why they let me do it this time. Live and learn.
If you ever get a delivery van---- excellent choice I think for an onsite office..
And only one and a half bottle of red for four nights, reckoned I dried out!

Setting it up

The Rig

Drilling and Geology Office

View from Office

Lil ol bit

Lignite

I think I got it

I think I got it

gaffer tape or duct tape- gotta love it

the kids [and me] kept closing the fridge without closing a drawer...
and overloading the little shelves too...

diy glow plugs left me glowing

diy glow plugs left me glowing

Battery?

The last few months, avid followers would know I changed the work/windsurf transport van battery because the bloody thing was slow to turn over and start chugging. Well, the last week it has been like that again, and I blamed the cold. One hint was to use 'Aerostart'  in the air intake to make it start. Another relative said DO NOT DO THAT, it's the glow plugs! Marvined again! Should have RTFM, at least!

Whoops.

Glow Plugs?

Well, a call two days later to a service centre suggested that the glow plugs were buggered or the relay to heat them was gone if white smoke was erupting from the anus of the bloody van. Bloody vehicles.

Hmph! well, to replace the plugs looking like sixty dollars a piece for Mercedes recommended types, forty for another type. And probably four hundred for a new relay or only two hundred for a substitute.

Ouch! $775! And service charge too? Oh no thank you! 

Pulled the pin plugs out, what a hassle! And the relay was removed too. An hour or so of time...

Expert advice.

Three places were visited. The service guy I have used before said I could probably DIY. Mmm. Went to merceded service centre- new quote- still the same. The cheapo relay was available though if I needed it... Next store could get the plugs for about twenty bucks, two days to wait. Great. The next place was only fifteen, two days to wait also. 

I could wait! Good old Repco! They said replace the lot even if one was okay...

Went to the auto electrician with the relay- and with a hand lens he could say nothing was wrong with the board [as an aside, you might have a diesel too, but with a nuclear explosions EMP- you will be buggered too, like I say, an aside..], so there was all that money saved... if the new glow plugs he recommended to get worked okay... 

He also showed me how to quick test- grab some jumper start cables, spit on a suspicious glow plug end, connect it to the battery and if no steam- buggered! Do not put a good one into your pocket right away...

Two days wait.

Went to the wrong store. 

Embarrassing as the last time with the new tyres!  

Had to drive away, and park 50 yards down the opposite side of the road!!! 

Picked five plugs up for seventy five dollars thank you very much! 

Home for the last DIY stretch

And swore and banged knuckles for an hour or so putting the bastards back in the engine. Dropping shit on wet ground, argh! Lucky it was only cool, and not freezing! Plastic tarp was spread after the first dropsy! And a fencing wire kludge to pry the fallen thingos from tight spots in the engine bay the next time. I do like my tool collection this week, no new purchases required!

Happy at last

Fingers crossed. key in and turn for-

First start, brmm !

Ha life, bloody hahaha, a winner today! nyah nyah nyah

diy glow plugs left me glowing

Another Bad Hair Rant

Should I avoid another bad hair day by..?

Hmmph. Dunno. This week has not panned out as a balance of good v bad.

Helping

I have been trying to help out a friend, and by their absence and lack of telepathy, I have on one hand been not exactly clear in my communications, which left me feeling an idiot at not getting a good Idea of what is required because what ever I have done, it's not quite right or clear and I am confusing people. I know I like to think I am smart, but at the moment... I think I am on the right track now, but also think that a third party might be better employed at the [or for the] required expertise. I hate that, I like to help out and excel in that endeavour, or any for that matter. Kludging not a good trait notwithstanding that I can do that too. Should I have another bad hair rant at my friend- nah, I believe I have to see from their point of view that they really would like to do the chore themselves, but circumstances... Marvined.

Work

The low paying jobby I have has not been exactly heart warming or well paid for the amount of time and effort needed for that either. I really feel like with a brain the size of a planet, and my expectations, the world could be left turning the wrong way. Marvined. And the environmental factors left me seething when the co-workers supplying me with work, did not get things right and I had to walk a few extra meters and get them to get their act together so I could achieve more with less effort myself...

This does not sound good I know, but these days time is money, efficaciousness is not highly rewarded  but enormously necessary and mental state [happy now?] not regarded as required. It appears.

Close, relatively

Then on the family front this month: My dear brother and family are off skiing in a better place and cheaper too. My sister is nearly too busy to go visit, her time is like mine- busy [family, work], and/but/or with the the added twist of a four o'clock start in a week [here you should be able to hear the Simpson's catch-cry of "Ah ha!" or Muttley-like]. Ah well...  My dad and another brother have gone and bought a little yacht to do up, be nice to live that much closer so I can join them on Port Phillip Bay more than maybe the once a year I see happening. Then the youngest brother is off accross the continent to look after his boys racing their Karts in a national championship. And my baby sister is cooling her heels, waiting for the fiance to get home from the rails... And #1Son is visiting NY and the nearby N.Falls for his birthday next week.

Thursday... The washing machine, another bad hair day there! 

The power switch thingo panel in the hall [with the short circuit detector or earth leakage trip detector] tripped Mid Spin of the washing cycle... Last spin anyway. Marvined.

 I spent half an hour or more traipsing about the house going backwards turning off wall switches in each room to track the infidel, and forwards flipping the detector switch back on. I did not want it to be the refridgerator, but at the same time hoped not the bloody clothes washer either. Cannot afford new ones this month of either after the last six months. Bloody Consumer Society, love it and hate it. The thought of a major electrical problem in the house wiring had me edgy too- what about the TV shows I like? See, I am as shallow as... Ended up being the washing machine.

I can sometimes repair stuff around the house, but RTFM was not going to help me out here.

Not happy Jan. It maybe one of the last things in Tarn's "dowry", but I would like to be able to keep things a long time, especially the washing machine. [The drier is out side awaiting its destruction. Or recycling...] The poor old washing machine, a trusted brand, maybe on its last legs too. The repairer will "be straight on to it".When he has time.  Marvined again. I may have to borrow my sis-in-laws machine this weegen? At least the winter holiday break means no school clothes needed for a few weeks, as long as we have enough socks and underwear to last until Buckies verdict on the machine...

Weegen for the boy

I see that as I get older, the care and avoidance factors conflict when it comes to supervising young adults and their Friday Nights Out. A small party turns out not to be, the backyard late night weather turns cold and loud [unfortunately not  rainy- bugger]. I end up having to say to the 2am laggards that don't/can't/won't go to the shady nightclubs- if they really want to be able to come back here at least another time, then they better go home now, and they were smart enough to scat in ten minutes.

The detritus got up late... with bad hair, Ah Ha.

Called de Gasman

marvined again

but killed two birds with one gas man...

walking in to the yard, noticed cover on gas water heater looking worse than ever

pulled it off to see how bad the rust was. 

the cover fell OFF. 

not funny dude.

some DIY?

wired it up, but the wind blew the gas out at the same time

OH OH

tried to relight the bastard.

no go- FAIL

3 kids and me and NO SHOWER

buttons stuck or broken?

 no leaking gas tho

bugger- WORK time

later- call a gas man- immediate response!

around less than 5 minutes

CANNOT buy a new cover for less than half the price of NEW UNIT?

wow, hmm, the credit card maxed already...

can we relight it?

no

call de boss- 

"use more effort with pliers, swing OFF IT!"

relit

Ahhch, Bach, es goot

can fold a cover up too? be back in 15? 

OK!

Oh, and while u r back here

look at the stove top inside...?

Yep!

All goot, tankuse.

except...

Waiting for the bill...

Oh DEAR, fencing wire no help this time

Noice cover Marv!

out with the old

in with the new, after 12 months on the bench...

Marvini Oh Marvino My Van

Short as life is- Score for life this week
Zilch. Yeah, Nah, whatever...

Last fortnight I won a mark on the scratching post- fixed the laundry machine. Yay me. Won some money on a lotto ticket. How much you ask? Enough. For another ticket. Other good news? My nieces and nephews all had a good year. Looks like the latest ones to have finished high school are all off to university. That makes six! Out of Six at uni this year. And not counting the eldest that has finished her course and is starting in the circus of life this week at a Big Smoke Hospital!

But. My narcissistic and hubrisisckity life has become a little flat.
Haha- nobody loves me, I want to feed the worms... I am feeling mortality creeping up, as the kids are growing up so fast, with one one out of the house sort of, and the next one on the threshold of leaving high-school to be a chef, and the gels just starting high-school next month. And the MS effects are back, I see colours when I look down at night, and the left lower leg feels spongey when I get up... Dunno man.

But, see, well.. I have started the week off wrong though.

Last week I thought I had got a tire-shop to fix a punctured tire of my friends ride on mower- "wire in the tire"? Turns out--- twice! I went to check on it at the NuHoose a week later, and the bastard was flat. Again! Went back to the repair shop and said- OI U! Lookat at thart- eets FLART mate! They fixed it again, but we will see next time I'm oot thar...

This week I see on the social network that a cousin had gone past our town to a surf spot up the coast for The New Year. And got home safely too- or there would be no mention or pics.
Forgot I lived nearby? I would have dropped everything for a cuppa coffee with them, offered a bed etc.
Now I won't--- feel too bad, but it's the little things that get ya... Easter with the  extended family seems too much effort for me now. Eldest cousin in the clan, and well - snubbed?

A birthday gift- I have a hot air balloon flight to look forward to. Soonish.
But there was a bad hot air balloon accident in the NZ the other week, so I am a little bit hesitant about taking up the birthday present now...

My internet use was used up by the eldest child the other week by 25% of the monthly use in a few days!
I thought he was back from the Big Smoke to party!
He thought we had UNLIMITED data access... nah mate, after 2am, you can go for broke nearly.
So for the last week, Slow Days At Holiday Time For The Kids...
But surprisingly, they seem to work with that. I am not. Once over the plan limit, back to 25Kbs...
The worst thing, I could upgrade for 20 bucks and then downgrade back to the old rate, FOR THIRTY more bucks!
No data blocks to get! Sucks man, really sucks.
No blogging, just the mail mame.
He got a letter  today for jury duty next month.
Karma?

What else. While I am in the crappiest mood for weeks...

My niece's anniversary passed by, another one. Unbelievable.
Not many get what she got (Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD)), an envitable sad time each year for us. Savvy would have been 13 this year.

The vines have been attacked by mildew or mould, and so the whole gallon of shiraz I wanted to make, won't be. Spraying the Portable Vineyard every other week with store chemicals and a homebrew mixture the other. Might get a liter of Pinot. wow...

Worst day of teh week,

The work vee-hee-cal has developed a whining screaming annoying sound lately, at low revs, and the aircon is shite.
I bought a new fanbelt for it.
Before looking to see of I could do it myself, and, well, I can't replace it mahself!
Went to a auto repair shop this morning- he said it's "dry". Interesting. But if it was gunna get worse, better pull the pulleys out. Right.

The second boy went to the surf today- tonight he looks like a lobster. Again. "Sunscreen wore off " my fat ass! Lazy butt head, hope he learns this time.

As the kids were all off with friends today, I thought I would drag out the old 12m yacht- I mean the radio controlled 3 foot thing, cos it looked to be nice after work to be on the lake with it.
The first hour was just fine.
Then the wind swung around and VOILA, the poor beastie was heaving and splashing in the huge 2 inch ripples like a rat in a bath with a cat.
And then the electrics inside it got wet, so it sailed sailed off BY ITSELF to the middle of the lake.
Well I was a bit p'd off!
In a huff I left it to fend for itself in the sticks and weeds in the deep end, if it did not sink first.
I sped off in the van to grab a kayak from home. Ten minutes later, the poor beastie was being hammered by the ripples and it had lost some gear overboard- the boom came out. I paddled out and brought it back.
I took off for home to the screaming kids, fighting cats and the ghosts, and stalled the bastard van at the roundabout...
Thongs and a manual with the seat in the wrong position don't work...

As I started off, there was a NEW sound! A horrible rumbling sound as if one of the pulleys mentioned before, really had stuffed up...

Dollars.........

10 minutes, a small fortune

I hope a test aint a waste
and the speed ticket was not fun either

I had to take A DAY OFF WORK TO do a special eye and brain test in the Big Smoke, and took some speed-sailing gear in case I was out early. I thought it was test three, the BAER, on the handout as the specialist seemed interested me in lying down for a few hours while technicians attached wires to me. Or a VEP or/and BAER.

No. Not that one, or the other one either. It was a VEP test. Not even a ten minute test. At their lab. In the city, well, nearly inner suburban.

Five minutes to hook two electrodes with thick glue to my scalp, stare at the monitor steadily with one eye, then stand up and read a poster a few yards away, [right eye - poor - two bottom lines hazy].

And That Was That. Out by 10:20am.

But that's not the only story.

That morning I arose earlier than usual, took off by 6:30am to get there by 9:30am. Yeah,  to drive through the frantic city bound traffic at the PEAK HOUR.

First, a petrol stop, [yeah, lack of planning there!] then off.

Bypass the land-slipped town and did not watch the hundreds of speed limit signs on the curvy country road... I was not watching the signs...

Pinged twice as a bluey followed me over the limit.  No idea he was there- how long was he there for, at least a minute or two at least, but long enough, and dang it if a lady driver had'nt flashed headlights at me a few minutes earlier...

The LAST time I went this way, a few months ago, I would have been fine.
Since the landslip, the road I wanted to use has been tagged and re-signed, with a big reduction...

I then noticed him, and he put the flashing lights on. Pulled over and got the licence ready. Bugger. "Why were you over the limit?" I was pregnant? Enjoying a country road? Did not realise that the limits were changed? As he went back to process my licence and registration, I was red from embarrassment and fury.

He came back and was almost laughing I think. He was so polite.
"Well, you were over twice and guess what else? The car registration was due last weekend..."

Silence.

"That could be a 655 bucks fine, but if you keep off the tollways and try to use your smartphone to pay as soon as possible, you will be okay..."

See? Nice, polite and so good.Maybe just a warning?

"But I will have to give you this one [a pink slip] though, so you only have this to pay- the speed fine"
"Uh. Um, well thanks", sort of... RRHGFRGH and %^#@ )(!*

As there was a child minder at home I called him to get the bill off the refrigerator and could he afford pay it for me ASAP? No explanation for why I remembered it...
"Yes, no worries."
"Thanks, see you as soon as I get back!" I said, fingering the spare cash I could have left at home for it.

So I cool off and REALLY WATCH the GPS- [speed limit data not updated of course- too cheap for that!] and get into the city traffic about an hour later.

The ABC radio traffic update warned me off the freeway- I knew that spot of trouble well, so took off on a different route.

Still late, not believing the GPS as I was looking for the wrong road just minutes away from My Destination... Lost me a few minutes as it insisted I was headed the wrong way in its muffled mode [woman, Irish, nice, but still a know all GPS thingo].
She was right as in Muttley like.
I turned the car around.

Got to reception after parking the wagon on the 2nd parking level [out of 5- so lucky], explained I was finally here late due to traffic problems, and told by a beautiful young woman, "Don't worry, it's okay..." Ahhh. Alright then!

Sat down to read for the indubitably long wait, read half a page of my Asimov mag and "Mr Marvin?"
Bugger- "Hi".

Off to the test, as above, a short test. Out by 10:20am and minus another hundred bucks for the test.

Oh well.
$9 for 37 minutes parking...

Oh well.

Took off. Time for Me Time after all.
Some speed-sailing at Sandy Point, if I could get there WITHOUT speeding!

GPS informs me, 1pm ETA, good.
On the way, avoiding traffic, through an industrial estate, mainly small to medium garage like shops, I spied a HOBBY shop! Squealing of tires NOT- "Just a quick look" and spent 5 minutes there, yum, and spied a model my uncle might want.

Got back on the road with all my money safe. Stopped for a Cornish Pastie, with sauce, that was not there in the end- did not squeeze the bloody bottle HARD enough, and arrived at Sandy Point. 1pm.

The tide was IN. Lack of planning. Severely!
Stuff it, I needed a bathroom quickly, and plowed through the small pools between me and relief...

Set up a sail, spoke to another sailor- "Not great".
Oh well.

From the files, but example- tide---  IN

Buggered around with the sail and mast rghrgh and got on the water, and planed fast enough down the course.
Up the course, there was only enough to slog back to shore...
Unpack and take off by 2:45pm.
Get back to town home, pay Son#2's dental bill, lucky for him and me they could see him at such short notice (Thanks) then off and reclaim the medical bill, go home and the gels get dropped off, with a pizza, and they kindly let me have two pieces...

What a bloody day!
Four hundred bucks for a 10 minute test. A ticket. A very short sail. And Is the optic nerve on its way out?
I better "fail" it... Or pass. Whatever.

lightspeed and galaxies

Time travel
again a new experience


Looking at NASA space pictures, like the ones from the Hubble can be humiliating.


My desktop display has a few at this time, and one has a few billion galaxies dotted around in it.
Not a few, billyans!


When you think about it,  Andromeda Galaxy, the closest galaxy to The Milky Way, is only two million light years away, and it is calculated by some people both are to collide at some time down the track well after we are history. Lightyear- how far does a photon travels in one year Marvin? About ten Trillion kilometers... Oh.
The one measurement New York bankers might prick the ears up at... gotta be a percentage in that somehow !


I hated thinking of/about infinity when I was very young. Like also thinking that [a] God has you, and you, and you as well as me on his mind 24/7 and is all around us and knows what is going  to happen etc etc - both ideas are plain creepy and scary. Then and now.


Recent reports are of some starlight that is {another} calculated to be as old as the universe! That calculation is supposed to be close to 12 or 14 billion years old. What's a few billyan tween friends?


But really, it's colossal.


Driving a car to the moon, [yeah, try it Bill Gates] is a bit of a trip too. The average Earth-Moon distance is about 385,000 km, so allowing for drink and bathroom stops every two or three hours, a sleepover some where, it would take the Griswold Family about [tap tap click tap lose page, get it back] about forever. Even, say, at 60mph without a stop could take more than a few months...


Back to the galaxy thing, and time travel. Swiveling your eyes over the picture the galaxies don't look far apart, but it has to be several millions of lightyears between them.


Even looking around the night sky, there is all those photons coming at ya from a long long time ago. And if there are Others on Another Planet around the Milky Way a bit, and they can see the same thing as we do, that is a LOT of photons being spread around since time started.


Maybe that is what dark matter really is, all those freaking photons....

Headless Chook Syndrome

Whatever... 


The To Do List is decreasing or evening out 


Or, A weeks "Diary extractions"... 

The front lawn and garden has been deshevelled for three weeks. Finally, it is less so. Some leaves, twigs, branches and logs are now out of sight, once spring kicks in...

The front veranda post has been lifted back, the bearers been reinforced with an eye out for a builder to maybe do a better job. There is a bit of creaking when one walks past... Some wrought iron pieces need to be re-assembled at some stage too.

The painting of gel#2's room is about to start as soon as I think the walls are puttied up enough and clean and smooth. That has been the weekend project, and I think the gels think I am putting off the painting for another week the process has been so slow.

The back yard feature has been fixed and tweaked. The rotten end of the upright has been cut off and an extension bodgied together for ten bucks rather than a new post for ninety... And the cross piece that could not be kludged together to make a longer one was replaced. It was used instead to bodgey up the extension to the post... There is more light in the kitchen now the evil looking overgrowing vine-like weedy bloody plants have met with my friends bonfire.

The trails of tyre/tire marks through the lawns has been sort of fixed.

The weeks washing put away.

A new Portable Vineyard and Alcoholery Blog started.

A Dan Brown book finally finished.

Some suspect moles on upper chest and lower back CUT out at the unearthly time of 9am Saturday Morning! The evidence to be sent off and examined- I suspect there will be a positive outcome. But these days in SEOz, you cannot be too careful if you know you spent the first few years of life naked in the sun, then dutifully tried to look healthily suntanned from mid teens to mid thirties...

And I just boiled the kettle before I started this.... ANOTHER COLD COFFEE- 2 in 24 hours, sheesh!

I know it was wet, see?

It rained and the ground was wet. 
Boggy, in fact. 

Yep, I knew that, but still...

There is a tree lopper making his way along the street, tidying up low branches of the nature strip trees. He has been doing it for a while now. I thought, at last, he is up to my place. I dutifully moved the family car further into the backyard yesterday so I could park the van after it. But, no, it was raining and no workmen doing the trees at my place

In case you don't keep tabs on it, the backyard here received another 35mm or 145points, or 1.45 inches of rain up to 9am today...

After dropping off the gels and their friends this morning, I drove right in again, and left the van out of the way too after the next grocery delivery run.

Well, not really...

I had swerved in to the front parking area a little too fast and moved sideways a little into the drain at the front gate.
And got bogged to the hubcap.
Freaking hell!
Spent 10 minutes rocking forward and back, throwing in dead foliage under the wheel, some flat wood pieces, a log, and then went away.

Tried to get the car out of the back yard to tow out the van.

BOGGED the wagon in the backyard too!

A bit of gravel, some gentle too-ing and fro-ing and swearing, and IT MOVED. T'anks a lot Marvin!

So then I moved the car to the van, looked for a towing rope [I had one somewhere] but made use of a new length of nylon rope I only just bought. A nice yellow one. Inserted tow ball into van tow bar, wrapped rope around it and the wagon's tow ball eight times, and tried to pull the van free. Very gently.

Ah. Nah. No way José. Too wet, bugger it, the wagon slipped--- so STOP!
Another driver may have helped at this stage!

Sucked it in, swallowed my pride, and asked the tree guy for help.

Yep- no worries! Just had to fetch his Ford F250 ute* from the garage across town... 10 minutes...

Yep! it pulled the van out no worries! Gave him a bottle of my best homemade red wine.

The van and the wagon left big tracks in the lawns, bugger it.

That was my hour lunch break- getting out of a bog of my own causing!
Yeah, the ground was soft, so I really did not think clearly about it, and shit happens.  Wet dirty shit...

Djya Know wo Oi H8?

I hate not a lot.
But Dislikes- wow.

I could go on and on and on

Pruning trees, over head, and one cutting slips down and nearly stabs you in the eye even though you are wearing glasses. How does that work?

Doing the right thing on the road and indicating changing lanes but the dickhead waiting in front thinks I want to to a U-turn where he is, and he does one RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!

Doing the right thing and being a good guardian, and getting told doing a bad job! By non-experts too.

Go to spit out the window, but the window is shut.


Told I am lazy. Slack, not lazy. Clumsy, not lazy. Forgetful, not lazy.

Kids told over and over and over...to clean crap up.

Cleaning kids rooms...

Leaky iron roof...

Car display system playing up, or CD player crapping out.

Windy days when I would rather be at Maui...

Paying the utility bills, and not see any improvement in the wattage, heat and cleanliness...

Paying a grand for a Sony 30" and the bastard's colours fade away...

The cat leaving messages. Anwhere. But expecially on my cream carpet. Where it can remain hidden for days and drive you MAD looking for it around the house, on shoes....

More shoes for growing kids- can't we get stretchy things that last more than the semester?

Paying a tradesman too much for a ten minute job. If it is that easy, should have been for free!

Mowing lawns. Gardening in general?

Finishing a great book. hate that sometimes

Redoing a DIY repair job cos I forgot one step.

Going back to the hardware store to buy MORE stuff cos I cut the wood shorter than required...

Tidying up the garage/shed........   a nightmare to come

Forgetting any appointment cos sooo busy doin other crap.

The pain in the butt for forgetting the appointment.

Also I dislike really overly opinionated and so obviously BIASED persons in front of me, or on the radio and TV and or in the newspaper. Oxygen wasters and mega-wankers!

Going to work and there is nothing to do- a wasted bloody trip. Shut up Muttley!

Depression.

Dislike the lack of an opportunity to geologise in any way locally for a profit.

Helicopter Underwater  Escape Training.
In England.
In Winter.
Or anytime really.

Long helicopter trips across water.
When there are tropical thunderstorms all around.
In the evening.

Sore back and knees- so I dislike getting older then.

Gaining
experience and
pains
must
go together.

Bugger.

Stupid (Adult?) Drivers

Sorry, I was ranting some where else

Dig a hole

If you want something done, dig it yourself?
A hole lot of scanning...


So after spending a year in the spare room, the slide scanner that my mother let me borrow along with twelve 120-slide-per-reels of the family's history from my baby hood to brother's marriage on celluloid- 28 years...was dug out. And so I was into digging a deep hole for myself one way and another.

12 reels- roughly one thousand four hundred and forty slides to remove and place in a holder three at a time, scan, and put back. Then transfer to the hard drive 12 at a time, trying to label them with at least a Year and a Month, and maybe a commentary...

Unfortunately, I do not have the state of the art slide projector and when replacing the slides in the reel, are they going in properly? The first few I pulled out were this way or that, labels facing different directions. The Agfa slides have some wording, "Look through from this side, Dummy". I had to find a landmark or a car so that the usual way of mounting the bastards was the same for all the different companies, like Kodak and Acme... Lucky for me, some landmarks and the driver's side has not changed in fifty years...

Are they supposed to go in upside down? Facing back or forward?
I know that projecting images on celluloid is a tricky game, and I believe I may have to go back over four reels and re-position the damn things. It is hard to believe, but loving mum did not reveal what I should do- "obviously?"

I may have to pay more attention (again?!) to the next reel I pull out and judge, and go back to the others...

Serves me right

Jones'ed or Marvined?


This weeks stories anyway, part 1


After a bit of research on-line for office goods needed and some insurance policy changes, I thought I found some bargains! It was half the main street price! A whole utility bill cost saved!  Bargain. I was so excited, I spent the next few days pinching myself, and getting three quotes on the so called bargains.

Insurance Story
'Cos I have done fifty years penance, I transferred policies on various things to an older persons rate, thereby saving $400 a year! Wow.


So I rang up the old company (under the same umbrella as the new one, go figure) and wanted to cancel out of one, and the fella on the other end said "Well, you will be charged..." "WHAT THE HELL!?! Charged again, but I am CANCELLING!!!!"
"Wait on,  have not Finished, Sir!"
"Oh."
"Cancel out before that date, or you will be into the next billing cycle..."
"Oh, well thank you! You better check the other policy I just cancelled then too. Please?"
"Okay"
Done. I went into a meltdown, but he managed to utter the right words and ALI KAPOOF! it was fixed.

THEN updated the new place, bringing forward the dates. Bloody hell, different :"customer-"
Fisrt, "Oh, it's more if you have not got that security, you know?"
What the? "Not mentioned in the origianl quote- I said no that, this!"
"Hang on please"
"Oh well, we'll leave it then, but... Now the other policy... Personal use only, tick.."
"No- it's a DELIVERY VAN for my part time business!"
"What? Ah, well, we cannot cover you or that!"
Bloody hell, "Well, who do you suggest then?" I asked icily.
"Try these numbers?" and "Will we do ahead with the other matter then, sir?"
ARGH, "Yes. Goodbye"

Three calls later, end up having a convoluted conversation re the situation.
"Ah, then the business policy, and the van policy is under that policy, but the public policy..."
ARGH! What did it all mean?
I was not covered properly in the first place by two companies, and now will have to get a new quote from various brokers...

It may mean the end of self employment if the insurance policies are too much.

Oh the joys of life, what a dumb ass.

Marvined...

halfway

Big milestone over the weegen.
Halfway to a century old!


This is the Marvining site, where lifes' tribulations, some times tributes, are turned over, examined minutely and completely disregarded by me and the [other?] smart alecs*people. Well, I hope not. Lets KISS.



*Special note at this point. Looks like I hit the wrong key somewhere at this point in time and put published unfinished business out to air, another point to the post in any case, like how fast is the Alzymars catching me. And I was caught out in seconds by a friend!!!! LOL or what! Refer to FB entry of 5Jun11@10pm!


To continue... A. Ahem.


The Marvin highlights of the weekend. 
BEFORE the Weegen Away For Me. A Fiftieth Celebration


I was to get the old sailing dinghy out and tidied to take to dad's place. He wants to fix it up. I am not interested in it anymore. The kids were terrified of the open water and tipping over and It Was Not Fast Enough For Me... A lot of Marvin situations. So I pulled it out into the yard, hung the sails out to dry and let my attention walk away. Until Friday of course. On Friday, Work, then I washed it down, & tossed out any shite. Off to Work again. Back and cleaned more, and out to work again. Start of a comedy of errors.


Waited for the kids to get home from school, packed my crap, showered, coffee-ed up and got the kids to pack their crap in the wagon. 


Hitched the dinghy trailer to said wagon and tried the lights on the back of the boat. 
Nah. No working mistah! But it did six months ago!?
@$%^&& ! WD40 sprayed and nails and scratching and swearing and banging and then the second son seconded to watch duty as I tried desperately to get the shitful NEW light system going! 


"Brake, Left flasher, Right flasher, lights?" nah, yeah, maybe, nah, yeah. @#%$%^ !!
Gee-zars Iscariot, was I cross with me! Timetable was shot to shite!
"Ah, nearly all, forget about the left flasher, lets check the tires".......
Hmmm. Flattish. "BIKE PUMP?!" Hmmmm. Nah.


To the petrol station!


By this time the kids had been waiting for an hour, patiently mind you!
At the air filler. 8lb..15lb beep 10lb...16lb beep. Took ten minutes as the "SPECIALLY designed" digitally enhanced air compressor kept telling me THERE IS NO AIR in the tire, Fill, beep, off, on , fill,  beep.... To Son#2- "Whats the pressure needed?", "Wha?" "I have not got my glasses on me, what's the proper operating pressure?" "Um, 44?" Nah, I don think so, but stuff it, it felt hard to hit with a fist, and spent another ten bloody minutes doing the same thing to the other one, and then the car tires.


Finally-- LETS GOOOOO!!!!!!!!! But I did not check the spares.... Took off in a pall of sound and smoke. Not.


So I missed out on going to see a football match with Son#1, Son#2 and my second brother(Bro#2). By an hour. The whole point of going to the Big Smoke for the night! But if ya miss the first bounce, why the feck bother going at all! Boy I was pissed off. With me. Had a week! Ah well. Mind the size of a planet and the power is off, or, no-one home...


NEXT day-Travelling to Bro#1 place for a light luncheon and plenty of grog....


Early enough start.Two thirds of the way there, nearly breaking the speed of light up a huge fecking hill and passing everybody else chugging away CTYTY CHT TAGR GRTS BANG CHTHER!!!!!!! SCREETCH KAK KAK a KAKAAKA  WHAT now? Look behind and the Boat and Trailer are sitting behind me, sitting pretty on the road, not like a missing wheel situation, and no one flashing lights or banging a horn away at me, so What The? I better stop.


Pull over and open the door into the oncoming traffic, feck em, and walk back and see that the adjustable leg stand had fallen down to the road, and lost it's foot.... Thankfully, that was all. I had not put the fencing wire pin in properly, and it had taken four hours travelling at 100kmh [plus] to work loose and let the stand down. Boy. Retrieved leg. Stomped back to the wheel and screamed off again.


My boys were on a promise to ride with my brother that day outta town. After the broken leg and  missing foot of the trailer, time to swap pillion passengers at the next off ramp. Swap done. Then took off mad as a bat thru green fields and down country roads away from the freakin freeway [and did not turn left as directed...] 


But we got to where we were goin'. Bro#1s' place. Luncheon. So excellent. 


After lunch and a nap, and just before dark, my old boy, Tezza, was going to take the boat home, but no one had a cross-over for the trailer lights... He had a round 7pin plug and a round 7pin-to-5pin cross-over round type, and I only had a 7pin-flat to round... MARVINED!!!!! I could hear Muttley in my head... trailer departure another time, driver and place...


So a fine day of Wine and dine and wine and dine til nine[?] with three videos and then bed and at 6am- acid burps, fecking shite! 
Sunday, travel to see Bro#3 and my sis-in-law. The gps tomtom sent us the back way... MARVINED again, but what the hell it was a different way there from last time!
And. This time we only left a cheapo windcheater behind.


BUT. We all got home safe and sound.
And had a good weegen overall!!

The week that was...

Interesting as it were.
Hobbies enjoyed.


Speedboating
The new RC boats are trying to Marvin me- like a try to upgrade two steps means really, ONE step. And the home made wine labels need a bit of differentiation too.

Aside from that, spent a few hours chasing swans and geese and other water fowl on the nearby lake with the speed boat, or impressing the passing elderly walkers with my absolute lunatic aspirations of traveling the globe on my new yacht. Not.


Spent more time trying to rejuvenate the bloody batteries! Charging them. Discharging them. Zapping them. And getting between 4 and 6 minutes out of each on the water. Yeah man. About 5 minutes. Lucky I have five of the bastards. Then the cooling system stuffed up- the water intake snapped off... Found a bit of copper tubing and now that is jury rigged with new larger tubing, and it works fine. But I am afraid the new system may be too heavy, she did not want to scare the wildlife yesterday morning... Back to the drawing board/Net...


 Yachting
The yacht is a fine thing. And Finer. Now. Been busy this week, wanting to upgrade it.

Tried to get into the RC unit to replace the batteries and could not! Searched the Net again for ideas. Manufacturer no good. Finally cracked it! Easier than what I was thinking- a sealed power source that lasted for a while then chuck the whole lot out? No.



I upgraded the rigging after searching the net for ideas. I found out the special I got on the price was NOT special. Of course. Anyway, always wanted one, and now I do. The stupid string rigging that came with it has
been torn away and replaced with 60lb plastic coated braided fishing wire. Ooh-la-la, ver' nahce, even if Ah do say so mah self! An it was cheap at the supermarket! Some other stringy things were replaced too, not sure that the main and jib sheets should be just yet.

Yesterday I went to the lake with the new shrouds and stays rigged up and had to find a spot away from the MADDENING CROWD of shoolies trying to keep dry in kayaks. First spot, very weedy, nearly had to walk in to retrieve the bloody thing. On the other side is a jetty, so off we chuffed, van, yacht an' me. Plunked her in and off we went, nice stiff breeze, but WET! Had to empty the bilges by hand. After about 45 minutes, thought I better get up from laying down on the jetty (easier to retrieve the bugger to empty the bilges) and get home to  greet the kidniks and cook dinner.

Today, replaced some chain-plates and fore-stay plates with customised aluminium bits scavenged years ago (thanks for that tip dad, save anything that could be used again). Then noticed jittery goings on with the RC and the servos! ARHG! Net search- wet thingamajigs? Yep, so out with the hair drier. All good now. Just have to waterproof the hatch and cover properly... And find the fine wood bit I just bought for the drills.

Grapevines and Wine
Pruned the Portable Vineyard shiraz back, selecting canes suitable for cuttings propagation. Marvined by rotted posts in a couple of pots, and bunches of weeds- yech!

Had half a bottle of Longford Fitzroy Shiraz the other night without realising it! I thought it was interesting enough, but noticed the next day it was the blend, and the last half was good that night too. Marvined by the label, thought it was the 100% Longford! I think it is a great little drop.

Checked the 2011 Fitzroy vintage while in the Alcoholery doing the Chandlery stuff. OCH WHAT? White scum in top of the barrel- she-yet! Taste test- NOT OFF! Good. Quickly cleaned up new "barrel" and racked it all off, topping the smaller container up with 2010 Longford Fitzroy, and now finishing that bottle off too. Noice Joyce!

Life's good.

RC Yacht and Speed Boat

Once

Dad had a flying “dope” powered plane on cables that he built from a balsa kit. You stood on the ground with a two cable-control line and turned in circles as it flew up and down around you. The fuel smelt weird, and we were not old enough to fly it. The engine was a bastard to turn over to start. It got dusty pretty quick…

Read on From another post

renew a weather monitoring tool

As mentioned somewhere, the original rainfall collector just weathered badly since 1998.

Being plastic (from Nylex as well?!) it got brittle. Getting up on a shaky homemade stool... I had dropped it twice over the years, and repaired twice with super glue, the last time with some freezer bags too... Cracked it then actually broken the second time actually. Tape and plastic bags do not do a great job
, but better than vinegar and brown paper! It did not help that I had it mounted well over my head, on the roof, top corner, of the former Alcoholery (now plain Shed to some & Vacant as Son#1 is at Uni, and #2 Son wants to move in So Bad...), but the backyard, I thought, was not clear enough of low plant life to mount the collector by itself, just near the ground.  Pictured above and at right

Once back together again, it was okay, as I did have the digital recorder, the 'backup'.
But I think it also a) leaked in  or b) absorbed moisture, because there was always something to measure, even over a dry week...

Meanwhile...
There was a special a while ago at the hardware store for a cheap replacement- missed out.

Last week, after a little spending spree elsewhere, I thought, bugger it, let's get a new collector.

Ta da! Twenty bucks man! Oh yeah, measure up to 250mm rain- just what I need if the climate changes so much more differently than anyone expected in the next fourteen years!

A label on another box, the Rolls Royce model naturally, said where it should be mounted.

This time it is just over my head.
And so clean...
On the clothes line instead.




*End of Autumn Downunder- Son#2 is "booked" to do the lawns sometime soon....

Dishwasher 2011 Episode II

Three mornings ago
Arrgh....Kids.

Three mornings ago there was some water on the kitchen floor as we got up.
Kids!

Two mornings ago
Hmm? 


The same. They would not have done it emptying the dishwasher? Nah.



Two nights ago
Flashing. RTFM.


The dishwasher would not go past what sounded like the draining stage, and a light was lit.
And Flashing.
Oh no.
Where's TFM! Was it a possible DIY repair?

Read the manual again.
"CALL A SERVICE PERSON"
Thanks. A lot...

Yesterday
Find the service people Tone, Repair Time...


Did so, and they said;
"See you tomorrow!"
Bugger! I thought I could get away with not opening the wallet for at least a week...
"Sure!"

Muttley-like* thoughts going through my head- $#%^^ %^& etc etc. A new dishwasher? Argh.

Just spent 60 bucks on some tray rollers!

Today.
Make sure machine out of niche. Bargain?


Door bell rings right on time.
Race from late morning bathroom obligatorys...

Teenager with toolbox at door...[WTF! Fuck off!]
"Hi there. Um, where's the other guy?"
"Brett gives me the shit work."
"Right, come on in then."

Preceed him to the kitchen, trying to be positive in my head.
He gets stuck into it, asking some questions.
After he pokes around the outside at the pipes and wires, undoes a panel or two:
"Have you got a towel please?"
"Yep".

I fetch the oldest towel in case a MESS spurts out all over the place.

"I do remember a small puddle there the other day. Does that help" How could That Help? Ah well.
No answer.

"There" he says. "Will just see that it cycles through."

Da da!
Bloody hell.
And he shows me where a problem could occur if too much detergent or rinse aid could overflow into a tray and cause a float to rise and turn on the draining cycle if there is too much foam in the system!

Plan B was to visit Aldi for a 300 buck 5-cycle dishwasher.
Comment on that from repair guy- "...cheap shit..."

$66 visit/check/"fix".
Instead of a new washer.

Bargain.

*From a cartoon out of the sixties[correct me?]