Saturday, September 27, 2014

What's in a name 2

I have just watched the AFL (Australian Football League) final on TV.   I am not a big sports fan, but I think there is not another code that is as tough as AFL football.  No padding or helmets; just hard  ‘at it’  for 15 - 20 minutes a quarter.

The two teams playing out the finals were, before this game, pretty well equal, but one team, Hawthorn, was a clear winner.  I surprise myself that I enjoy the game.

One of the players has a name of Jarrad Roughhead.   Strangely he doesn’t look too ugly.  He is a big man and must have had to fend off jibes about his name in school.
Another name which springs to name is Teresa van Lieshout who is a failed career election candidate.  At present she is a contestant in a bi-election in a seat in the Western Australian Parliament.  I see her name as Teresa van Lie Shout, which she does do.
But a recently released serial rapist has the most apt name of  Patrick Comeagain.


Nuff said.

Thursday, September 25, 2014

Changing GP

I have filled out an information form for a new GP.  I don’t who I will get as it is a group bulk-billing practice with a number of GPs working there.    One of the questions asks how many standard drinks of alcohol do I have in a week.  Eek!   Do I tell a porky or the truth?
In fact I have gone down the middle on that question giving a figure that is more along the lines of an easy week. 

The reason I am changing GPs is that this Practice is close to my home and my regular GP doesn’t bulk-bill (read free).  The regular GP also only gives me three repeats on scripts (the original and three repeats)whereas this practice gives the full five repeats.   Seems like a bit of overservicing on the part of my previous GP.   I haven’t abandoned him, but will see how the new person(s) works out.


Tomorrow, daughter Helen's Pre-Primary class is performing their small act for the entire school.  The kids and their parents are very keen and Helen hopes there are no slip-ups.   All the kids think the boat I made and the costumes for the fish and the crayfish are great.  School holidays for two weeks commence tomorrow.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

A good pickup

I had a win this morning.  I went to a small recycling depot to dump some recyclables.  Whilst there I looked over the large container of computer gear.  I grabbed a HP all-in-one hoping that it may just need new cartridges.   When I matched a power-pack from the dozens I have in my workshop, I discovered that one of the cartridges had not been inserted correctly and was causing a jam of the carriage on the plastic surrounds.  I managed to slip a knife through a slot at the front of the printer and reseat the cartridge.   When the carriage was able to move into its home position I noticed that the cartridges were the same as two I had previously ordered from China.  They have been sitting around, with me wondering what I had bought them for, so I inserted the new carts and now have a good printer/copier/scanner for another donee.

Brother Graham has a pet dog named Dougy.  Doesn’t have fleas; doesn’t need food and doesn’t defecate on his lawn.  He even nods his head affectionately when one gives him a kick.
During the week just past, I had occasion to pass a new housing estate.  It is large and there are some large dwellings there.  There are however, some quite small houses with barely enough room for a rat to run between them.  They must be inexpensive?

In today’s paper there is a photo of a woman named Teresa van Lieshout posing on a beach in a Bikini.  She is a candidate in a bi-election for the seat of Vasse in this state’s south-west.  Teresa has had a couple of unsuccessful attempts at getting into Federal Parliament and now she is trying to get into State Parliament as an independent.  She was recruited to run with Clive Palmer’s party, but was dumped by Palmer the day he met her.  She then joined The Australian Protectionist Party, a right wing outfit.
The seat of Vasse is vacant because of the resignation of the incumbent, Troy Buswell.  Troy got himself into a bit of strife after crashing his government car into a few parked cars whilst driving home from a wedding.  Come back Troy...all is forgiven.

Check her out on You Tube and Facebook unless you have a delicate stomach.  For a devout Christian, she has a bad mouth and if you are not exactly on her side 'you will go to hell'.  Posing in a Bikini is a cheap shot.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Unexpected thanks

A couple of days ago I received a thank-you card from three young ladies.  They work for a welfare agency and make regular visits with clients to collect computers and printers from me.   The card contained a gift voucher for a Garden Centre valued at $100.00.
Click to enlarge
With all the 500+ Macs I have distributed over the past 14 years, this is the first time I have received a follow-up thanks.   I get pleasure out of seeing a satisfied ‘customer’, and never expect such generosity of anyone.   I work with as much Altruism as I can and expect no reward.

I now have to decide what sort of plant to buy with the voucher.  If I buy a fruit tree will I be around to see it bear fruit?
I sincerely thank you, wonderful ladies. 


This morning Dennis and I drove up into the Perth hills to collect 16 older Macs from a primary school.  They were pensioned off  years ago and the computer lab runs nice new iMacs.   
Ready for a cleanup and test.
                         
These eMacs are a bit slow, but there again, so am I.   They will go to people who want to do regular browsing, email, word processing and printing.  I have other machines which are good for more advanced work.

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Kids' stuff

Our daughter Helen’s Pre-Primary class is to present a small act for the rest of the school.  Based on a reading book, there will be grandpa and his grand daughter going fishing and catching ‘one pot of mussels, two big crayfish and three fat snapper.’


I got the job of constructing a cardboard boat, Helen is making the mussels, one of the parents is making the fish outfit and Helen’s friend Maria is making the crayfish suits.

Maria's worksheet
Under construction

Monday, September 8, 2014

Internet advertising

The internet is host to lots of weak advertising such as for  ‘the doctors hate her’ magical skin rejuvenating creams.

A few here.....




Yesterday was Fathers’ Day.  Our daughter Helen and husband James had me and my brother Graham around for a late lunch which went on until after dark.  Great food and company.  



Photo of Helen with my late wife Joan on a wire bridge near the Wosera Papua New Guinea, circa 1971.

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Helping the budget deficit

The state government is in a bit of a financial bind.  So yesterday I thought I would make a donation to help out with Western Australia’s budget stress.


I have been a good boy for many years and being caught for speeding is a bit silly.   I have a sophisticated GPS with a woman somewhere in there telling me when I exceed the speed limit.  Must remember to turn it on even when I don’t need directions.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Spring is here

It is officially spring here in Western Australia.  Birds are mating, flowers are flowering and I have planted my broad beans (a bit late...but?)

A few pics of stuff in my garden.....Click to enlarge the images

It looks as though I know my plants well, but that is not so.  I had to ask my friends Marg and Joy to tell me what I was looking at.  I did figure out the lemons though.  The red spikey flower is a Bromeliad; the 'Bird of Paradise' is a Strelitzia and the yellow flowers are on a Aeonium.  The red flowers/fruit? are on a broad leafed unknown.

My lemon tree has dense foliage and is producing extra large lemons.   In the years we have been living here I have not seen lemons as large.  I have looked at my neighbours’ lemon trees and they seem to produce lemons of  regular size.  Don’t know what is happening here.


This week sometime I have to drive up in the hills above the city to collect 15 computers from a Primary School.    They are oldies, but goodies and well suited to the people I give them to.  I was going to have to make two trips to collect them as I can’t fit all 15 in my car, but my son-in-law, James has a large ute (pickup truck) and volunteered to drive me there to get them in one trip.  Thanks James.