So the old person has had this dental appointment he has been waiting weeks for. He chipped his tooth at the beginning of February, and instead of going to the dental hospital and getting it seen to immediately, opted to go to a clinic in Ingleburn about 10 kms away by car. So they say he can have an appointment. They would write and let him know. So after three weeks his letter duly arrived and gave him today as the date. He was like "WTF" why so long? Because it is a government free clinic. Still this is the old person, isn't it?
So the big day dawns and I am not going with him! (him: WTF not?)
So he gets back in less than an hour, face all drooping, a grotty sponge hanging from his mouth. They pulled it out. They had actually offered to fix it, because it is near the front of his mouth, but he is convinced a filling will fall out. So he has this huge hole in his gum. Yuk. Oh, yes, I have to look at it, he insists. Cuts up one of the new hankies I bought him just in case it bleeds.
Luckily he slept most of the afternoon and did not moan and groan about it - which is unusual enough. But he had to get up sooner or later. He can't have anything too hot or too cold, paracetamol and not asprin because asprin thins the blood (maybe that is what is wrong with him - an OD of asprin at some time in his life - lol).
Then it turns out that he has more dental work booked because they want to fix some other teeth. I guess at his age if they can keep him going with his own teeth he will be alot better off. But they are also talking about giving him a plate for other missing teeth. So he is quite excited about all of this.
I almost feel sorry for him in his pain. The problem with people like the old person is that they moan so much and feel so sorry for themselves that there is no point in anyone else feeling sorry for them, they have enough of their own.
Anyhoooo ...
Parcel came in the mail today. It was a CD of Benny Goodman. 1930's Jazz. For me and the Boys from the great grandpa. (Okay, he is my dad, but he is GG to the boys). So we are going to have some real jazz to listen too and appreciate.
I have done quite a few pages of scrapbooking these last few days. There has been what might be termed a back log of UFO's and new pages to get on with so once I have finished I will take photos and post them. The main problem now seems to be what journalling I will include.
hasta la vista ...
15 April, 2008
14 April, 2008
Talk fest ....
So they are having a Talk fest to determine the way they want Australia to look in 2020. Some of the people there are, shall we say, not very nice people. Whatever they determine is going to be alot of self interest for alot of big wigs and us "smaller" people, those of us "in the street" are going to be forking for alot of conflict of interest. I wish my taxpaying days were over.
I am a Capitalist supporter, whether I have capital or not. It is a better system and a fairer one. You earn what you are worth and you don't have to worry about the sponge down the street getting your hard earneds. But when the sponges get together, they want to fleece you for everything they can and call it "Social Democracy". Crap, a rose by any other name, it is Communism, pure and simple. At least a rose, even by any other name, smells good.
So we will have socialised water supply - great, socialised food - nah, the farmers would never go for that one, so it will have the sh!t regulated out of it - same difference. Socialised electrickery? NSW wants to sell off its electrickery plants for the money into state coffers so it has more grease money to pay developers to develop the next rubbish tip and pristine beach. If the money was going into hospitals and schools, you would think it would be okay. Let's not kid each other here. But before anything is sold off by a Labor government it has to be regulated to death. That way supply is guaranteed to their mates. Socialised climate? No plastic grocery bags. This is going to make such a difference to the climate.
And what if you don't jump on the climate bandwagon? You are a member of the forces of Darkness. Read my lips:
proud, card carrying member of the Forces of Darkness
you freaks. But I digress.
So these sort of topics are going to be discussed. They were talking to a group of children, alas I didn't get their ages. They had their own 2020 talkfest, and some are going to be at the adult one. One thing I have learnt over the years of involving children in these sorts of things is that the kids are patronised by the adults and generally ignored. Children do not vote. Children do not "understand", children work against vested interest - and that is just not on.
At least to the supporters of this sort of thing I can say "you will get what you deserve, and don't come whingeing to me after it all goes pear shaped".
I am a Capitalist supporter, whether I have capital or not. It is a better system and a fairer one. You earn what you are worth and you don't have to worry about the sponge down the street getting your hard earneds. But when the sponges get together, they want to fleece you for everything they can and call it "Social Democracy". Crap, a rose by any other name, it is Communism, pure and simple. At least a rose, even by any other name, smells good.
So we will have socialised water supply - great, socialised food - nah, the farmers would never go for that one, so it will have the sh!t regulated out of it - same difference. Socialised electrickery? NSW wants to sell off its electrickery plants for the money into state coffers so it has more grease money to pay developers to develop the next rubbish tip and pristine beach. If the money was going into hospitals and schools, you would think it would be okay. Let's not kid each other here. But before anything is sold off by a Labor government it has to be regulated to death. That way supply is guaranteed to their mates. Socialised climate? No plastic grocery bags. This is going to make such a difference to the climate.
And what if you don't jump on the climate bandwagon? You are a member of the forces of Darkness. Read my lips:
proud, card carrying member of the Forces of Darkness
you freaks. But I digress.
So these sort of topics are going to be discussed. They were talking to a group of children, alas I didn't get their ages. They had their own 2020 talkfest, and some are going to be at the adult one. One thing I have learnt over the years of involving children in these sorts of things is that the kids are patronised by the adults and generally ignored. Children do not vote. Children do not "understand", children work against vested interest - and that is just not on.
At least to the supporters of this sort of thing I can say "you will get what you deserve, and don't come whingeing to me after it all goes pear shaped".
07 April, 2008
Sitting around ...
The old person is sitting watching the original "High Noon" movie. Full blast, no matter how much he get's yelled at to turn it down. He refuses to believe he is going deaf. I refuse to bash my head on a brick wall.
This morning when I went to feed Her Ladyship her brekky, I grabbed her food bucket only to discover it was slimey. I looked and there was slime all around the rim of it, and the inside of the handles as well. I knew snails were mindless, but sheesh. So I washed it all off, fed her brekky (with warm water). Then just now when I went to give her her hay, the bag I carry it to her in, had two snails on it. Yuk.
Snails are one of those pests that aren't really pests, unless they are eating your plants. So I am reluctant to squish them just for the crime of climbing on the bag. So I just drop them and they go on their merry way rejoicing. My preference would be to keep ducks, but they would probably have less hesitation than the horse does to come into the house. And then snails would probably never be quite the same tucker to them. Aaargh!
Still, we only get snails when it rains, so it is a hard call, really. The only way to deter them from plants is to stack salt or ash around the base of the plant. But when it rains these wash away very quickly. Hence the desire for ducks. Snails have eclectic taste, as well. They eat food you or I would eat, but not flowers or herbs. They don't eat weeds either. I could make a good case for them if they ate weeds. Picky, picky, picky.
The cockies have moved to Padstow. I haven't seen more than one or two lately, but just past Padstow station are several trees that have bits of branches and twigs strewn all around their bases. And the dreadful squarking noise the cockies make. Still, better it is driving them mad, than me.
am I raving ....
05 April, 2008
Ladies Day at Canterbury ...
Let me start off by saying this: the old person couldn't find his bum with both hands behind his back and a road map (Prachett). I ended up finding the free ticket in the console of the car, after he had assured me he had looked everywhere. So, unfortunately I was obligated to go. But then I left the camera at home. We were in an extreme hurry in case when we got there I missed being one of the only 1,000 people who would get one.
Canterbury is not all that far from us, about 30kms as the crow flies. Alas, roads do not follow the crows (and I don't know if that is good or not). We have to take some expressway, where after about 20kms you have to pay money if you want to go any further. Mind you, if you don't want to, there is nowhere you can turn around and go back. So basically you have no choice. About two km after that is the off ramp to get to Canterbury road off King George Road. Why we couldn't go the way that doesn't cost money and is probably a bit faster, but I feel it has something to do with someone having forgotten where to go and totally refuses to use a road directory.
Canterbury Park Racecourse is a nice smallish track in the middle of a very old area, probably the oldest next to Randwick. They no longer keep horses there for training, although I gather it is a quarantine area. It wasn't in use during the EI outbreak, so I might be wrong. But the boxes are lined with wood, so if a horse kicks out it isn't in so much risk of shattering its leg. The stalls are bigger than anywhere else and just seem nicer too.
I have been about 10 times to Canterbury since I first started to go to the races back in 1997. I have never seen so many people there. It seems to have been enlarged and opened up more, but it was in the shade all afternoon so must face directly south. The track and inner field looked lovely and green.
There was group (grade) and stakes racing so the horses were very well presented. There was good racing, as you would expect on a group racing day, although not all of the favourites won. In fact there were a couple of upsets. JB Cummings is a grand old master and since he started his filly in a minor group race, you knew it wasn't going to win, he is just keeping her fit. Sure enough she just toddled along, not last, but no where near the winner. Wait a few weeks till the BMW, or the Coolmore and suddenly she will grow and extra leg. You mark my words. (Oh, oh sorry, Mimi Lebrok). Anyhow, the horse that won the race also had won the day I went to Rosehill last month, and she just toys with them, and spurts on just at the end.
I could go on about some of the horses and their breeding, but that isn't relevant to this blog.
So being ladies day at the races, all the ladies had dressed up. Such a wide variety of dresses and suits, and those of us who are dags and always will be. Dagginess is just so comfortable. Well, I wasn't totally a dag. So many Paris Hilton look alikes, wannabes and a few Angelina Jolies and a few who actually stood out. Like one woman I saw who had this dress that had been designed from the 1940's. It was just beautiful, and full kudos to her for wearing it. Some of the hats were nice, but seriously some clowns do better hat wise. Even blokes wear hats to the races, mostly the older guys. Although the old person wouldn't be caught dead in one.
I thought it was a bit rude that some girls had taken alot of time and effort to dress up and look nice and their bloke partners had not. I saw a few daggy guys I would have kneed if they had turned up for me looking like that after I had gone to so much trouble. It is a guy thing, however. 'Nough said.
The little coupons that were given out as we went through the tunnel were for goodie bags from Nivea. The old person grabbed an extra one so I was able to get the daughter one. I had invited her along, but she didn't want to drag the boys along. It would have been very boring for them. Well, with all those ladies, maybe not for grandson1.
Races always attract some unusual people. Gambling problems come in all shapes and sizes, from pokies, lotteries, casinos and racing. And racing does attract its fair share. I could write an entire blog on some of the people I have seen over the years. I am not game enough to take photos of people without their permission and some of them would probably stalk me and kill me if I did. However, they would make a really interesting photo montages and I would win a Pulitzer or whatever it is. Maybe if I ever get a phonecam I'll get game.
I don't know what else to tell you. Which I know is unusual. Maybe I am tired - lol.
cheers ...
Canterbury is not all that far from us, about 30kms as the crow flies. Alas, roads do not follow the crows (and I don't know if that is good or not). We have to take some expressway, where after about 20kms you have to pay money if you want to go any further. Mind you, if you don't want to, there is nowhere you can turn around and go back. So basically you have no choice. About two km after that is the off ramp to get to Canterbury road off King George Road. Why we couldn't go the way that doesn't cost money and is probably a bit faster, but I feel it has something to do with someone having forgotten where to go and totally refuses to use a road directory.
Canterbury Park Racecourse is a nice smallish track in the middle of a very old area, probably the oldest next to Randwick. They no longer keep horses there for training, although I gather it is a quarantine area. It wasn't in use during the EI outbreak, so I might be wrong. But the boxes are lined with wood, so if a horse kicks out it isn't in so much risk of shattering its leg. The stalls are bigger than anywhere else and just seem nicer too.
I have been about 10 times to Canterbury since I first started to go to the races back in 1997. I have never seen so many people there. It seems to have been enlarged and opened up more, but it was in the shade all afternoon so must face directly south. The track and inner field looked lovely and green.
There was group (grade) and stakes racing so the horses were very well presented. There was good racing, as you would expect on a group racing day, although not all of the favourites won. In fact there were a couple of upsets. JB Cummings is a grand old master and since he started his filly in a minor group race, you knew it wasn't going to win, he is just keeping her fit. Sure enough she just toddled along, not last, but no where near the winner. Wait a few weeks till the BMW, or the Coolmore and suddenly she will grow and extra leg. You mark my words. (Oh, oh sorry, Mimi Lebrok). Anyhow, the horse that won the race also had won the day I went to Rosehill last month, and she just toys with them, and spurts on just at the end.
I could go on about some of the horses and their breeding, but that isn't relevant to this blog.
So being ladies day at the races, all the ladies had dressed up. Such a wide variety of dresses and suits, and those of us who are dags and always will be. Dagginess is just so comfortable. Well, I wasn't totally a dag. So many Paris Hilton look alikes, wannabes and a few Angelina Jolies and a few who actually stood out. Like one woman I saw who had this dress that had been designed from the 1940's. It was just beautiful, and full kudos to her for wearing it. Some of the hats were nice, but seriously some clowns do better hat wise. Even blokes wear hats to the races, mostly the older guys. Although the old person wouldn't be caught dead in one.
I thought it was a bit rude that some girls had taken alot of time and effort to dress up and look nice and their bloke partners had not. I saw a few daggy guys I would have kneed if they had turned up for me looking like that after I had gone to so much trouble. It is a guy thing, however. 'Nough said.
The little coupons that were given out as we went through the tunnel were for goodie bags from Nivea. The old person grabbed an extra one so I was able to get the daughter one. I had invited her along, but she didn't want to drag the boys along. It would have been very boring for them. Well, with all those ladies, maybe not for grandson1.
Races always attract some unusual people. Gambling problems come in all shapes and sizes, from pokies, lotteries, casinos and racing. And racing does attract its fair share. I could write an entire blog on some of the people I have seen over the years. I am not game enough to take photos of people without their permission and some of them would probably stalk me and kill me if I did. However, they would make a really interesting photo montages and I would win a Pulitzer or whatever it is. Maybe if I ever get a phonecam I'll get game.
I don't know what else to tell you. Which I know is unusual. Maybe I am tired - lol.
cheers ...
Funny words ....
Grandson1 was a naughty boy last week, allegedly, and was suspended for two days earlier this week. As the daughter has to attend TAFE, I told her I would look after him rather than taking him with her. He enjoys going to her classes, so I saw it as rewarding him, whereas being bored at home with Granma was not so much. But he just sat and read and watched TV and pottered as though it was a weekend without his brother. He never asked for anything (his brother does that for him) and ate what I fed him at lunchtime without protest.
Overall, he is a nice boy. A real "ladies' man". (You do not call your Granma "Babe"). He is bright enough, probably could apply himself further at school, but he is not lagging behind. He does have a bit of a temper but very rarely. But it is the occassional temper that gets him into most trouble. Instead of stepping back he just lashes out. It has taken me a bit of a while to realise he does this (and yes I do know why) and now I know what to do about it.
Then yesterday he went on the class excursion to Canberra. He told me the entire trip was totally "sick". (Okay, you are going "say what?"). "Sick" is the modern day word for something that is so fantastic, it is beyond description. I am used to him saying this, so I knew he had a good time. He had left at 7.00am yesterday morning and returned at 7.00pm last night. He was talking so fast I could barely understand him, and his eyes were shining so I know he really did have a very "sick" time.
In times not so long ago, when we found something that was good we said it was "wicked". It goes along with words like "cool" as modern remeaning of our language.
Older people know a menu is a list of meals in a restaurant, whereas our kids think a menu is something that drops down on their computer screen. A mouse is a tiny animal cats eat, but now it is also a computer device for using on a graphics screen. Normal words take on new meanings with common acceptance and usage. And although our dictionaries lag behind, eventually they do catch up.
But I think "sick" is the funniest of them all.
I am easily amused ...
Overall, he is a nice boy. A real "ladies' man". (You do not call your Granma "Babe"). He is bright enough, probably could apply himself further at school, but he is not lagging behind. He does have a bit of a temper but very rarely. But it is the occassional temper that gets him into most trouble. Instead of stepping back he just lashes out. It has taken me a bit of a while to realise he does this (and yes I do know why) and now I know what to do about it.
Then yesterday he went on the class excursion to Canberra. He told me the entire trip was totally "sick". (Okay, you are going "say what?"). "Sick" is the modern day word for something that is so fantastic, it is beyond description. I am used to him saying this, so I knew he had a good time. He had left at 7.00am yesterday morning and returned at 7.00pm last night. He was talking so fast I could barely understand him, and his eyes were shining so I know he really did have a very "sick" time.
In times not so long ago, when we found something that was good we said it was "wicked". It goes along with words like "cool" as modern remeaning of our language.
Older people know a menu is a list of meals in a restaurant, whereas our kids think a menu is something that drops down on their computer screen. A mouse is a tiny animal cats eat, but now it is also a computer device for using on a graphics screen. Normal words take on new meanings with common acceptance and usage. And although our dictionaries lag behind, eventually they do catch up.
But I think "sick" is the funniest of them all.
I am easily amused ...
04 April, 2008
Well ...
it has been a fairly nice few days at work. The Boss asked me to do stuff, they gave me other stuff to do and this afternoon we had film reviews, today's star being Kevin Costner. It was more like a civil gathering of mature women rather than, well, some of the raunchier stuff that has been commented on, on other occassions. It started with the Supervisor saying she watched Postman over the weekend. I watched it about two or three years ago, and it was a good movie. I think with his movie Dances with Wolves they were his best two. Then we chuckled about what a disaster Waterworld was and compared it disfavourably with Mad Max and then got a synopsis of the Postman movie. Knock me down with a feather.
My class last night was just revision. Revision consisted of being given a copy of the full time students test from a few weeks ago. There were spaces to fill in answers. I tested some of my answers in MySQL and when I got them to work, asked about another question and left about sevenish. It was super getting away early. My sleep has been sporadic to say the least. I can't live on strong coffee much and all as I would like to.
I have an RSS feed, through Google. I never really appreciated Google much before, but since having this blog and the RSS feed and knowing a few other things are in the pipelineI have gained alot of respect for them. Anyhow, I am debating (with myself, of course) whether to have the RSS feed appear on my front page or not. I think I might split it up among my blogs, if I can. It would be a real test of my webbing abilities doing that.
Oh, and I found out about this piece of code that you can add to blogs and websites that will immediately take you to that person's page when you click on their name. The only thing is, I don't know whether Blogger supports it or not. Admittedly if I want to link to someone at the moment, I just click the link button and type in the web addy, but this is something a bit different that comes up everytime you put that person's name in. To tell you the truth, I think the only reason why I am excited about it, is because I actually understand it, but not sufficiently to explain it. Oh, that sounds just like, me. lol.
The old person had a free admission to the races at Canterbury for me tomorrow, but rather cleverly, he has misplaced it. If he can't find it, I wont go, because it costs a fortune to go to the races, but if he finds it and I go, I will take my faithful camera. I keep promising stuff, don't I?
I will get there.
Still miss the koala, too.
adieu ...
My class last night was just revision. Revision consisted of being given a copy of the full time students test from a few weeks ago. There were spaces to fill in answers. I tested some of my answers in MySQL and when I got them to work, asked about another question and left about sevenish. It was super getting away early. My sleep has been sporadic to say the least. I can't live on strong coffee much and all as I would like to.
I have an RSS feed, through Google. I never really appreciated Google much before, but since having this blog and the RSS feed and knowing a few other things are in the pipelineI have gained alot of respect for them. Anyhow, I am debating (with myself, of course) whether to have the RSS feed appear on my front page or not. I think I might split it up among my blogs, if I can. It would be a real test of my webbing abilities doing that.
Oh, and I found out about this piece of code that you can add to blogs and websites that will immediately take you to that person's page when you click on their name. The only thing is, I don't know whether Blogger supports it or not. Admittedly if I want to link to someone at the moment, I just click the link button and type in the web addy, but this is something a bit different that comes up everytime you put that person's name in. To tell you the truth, I think the only reason why I am excited about it, is because I actually understand it, but not sufficiently to explain it. Oh, that sounds just like, me. lol.
The old person had a free admission to the races at Canterbury for me tomorrow, but rather cleverly, he has misplaced it. If he can't find it, I wont go, because it costs a fortune to go to the races, but if he finds it and I go, I will take my faithful camera. I keep promising stuff, don't I?
I will get there.
Still miss the koala, too.
adieu ...
30 March, 2008
Bruce the koala ...
Has left his tree. He has been gone since Saturday last weekend (not yesterday) and we have checked every day. We are a bit sad, although we knew it would happen sooner or later. In some respects it is good, because it means he is not afraid of whatever was in the bushes before that drove him so close to us. The motorbikes haven't been there for most of the summer. Well the rain resurrected the old creek and there is no bridge. The growth in the bushes itself has been phenomenal, so I guess it might be a bit difficult.
We were disappointed with the responses of the groups that we contacted to find out more about him, and to perhaps do something about the plight of the koalas. So they better not ask me for money any time soon. I will be leaving comments on their websites and blogs.
The other lovely thing about Bruce is to know that there are still koalas about and that there will be others through here. The tree is still a koala food tree and I can see five others close by.
We were disappointed with the responses of the groups that we contacted to find out more about him, and to perhaps do something about the plight of the koalas. So they better not ask me for money any time soon. I will be leaving comments on their websites and blogs.
The other lovely thing about Bruce is to know that there are still koalas about and that there will be others through here. The tree is still a koala food tree and I can see five others close by.
Bye Bruce, thanks for the good time ...
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