Thursday, February 25, 2016

Joan Lock

Today marks five years since my Joan died.    We had 46 wonderful years together.  Miss her every day.

A few pics of our time together. Click to enlarge
1965
1973
1990
?
From Bridgetown, Yogyakarta, Agde (France),Bali and Penang

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Honour among thieves?

A friend, Joy, had her purse stolen from a shopping trolley in a store at a large shopping centre.  She only realised it was gone when she fronted up to the cash register to pay for her purchases.
She immediately cancelled her bank cards and tried to remember what other details one does keep in a purse or wallet.  I don’t offhand know all the cards etc I have in my wallet. 
Yesterday she received a parcel from Australia Post’s Returned Mail Office containing her purse, minus the cash, her bank cards and drivers licence.  She enquired with Australia Post as to how her purse became returned mail.  It seems that opportunistic theft of purses and wallets is mainly to get cash and credit cards.  The rest is often dropped into an Australia Post mailbox and when sorted is dispatched to any address on ID in the purse.

Joy has already sourced a new driver’s licence card and her bank cards will take a few days to arrive.

Monday, February 22, 2016

Edison Amberola Phonograph

Apart from computers, I am working on refurbishment of an Edison Phonograph I have owned since building it from bits I found under a house in 1965.  It needs a touch up of the box and I have readjusted the needle height and drive.  The phonograph was manufactured in 1917.   It runs well after all those years, but I thought I would pretty it up before I fall off the perch.   I have 110 cylinder records in excellent condition.  Click on pics to enlarge them.

Edison Amberola...batteries not supplied.

 'When the Corn is Waving'
by the Knickerbocker Quartet

Edison visited the Eiffel Tower and met Eiffel in his apartment at the top of the tower. When my wife and I visited France we looked in on the mannequins of Eiffel meeting Edison

This article is well worth reading. Copy and paste in your search engine.

http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gustav-eiffel-s-secret-apartment

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Astronauts

click to enlarge

Saturday, February 13, 2016

The visit

Yesterday I had a visit from two sisters, Kris and Danielle I ‘taught’ at Willetton SHS some 18 years ago.  It was a wonderful morning with reminiscences about teachers and students and the school itself.  These two gals made my day.


Kris, who took this snap on her phone explains the shedding of 40 years off my life, telling that it was taken using the Meryl Streep filter.   I am going to contract her to take all my photos from now on.

click to enlarge

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Hiri Motu

Some 18 years ago when I was still teaching, I was rounding up 13 years at Willetton SHS in Western Australia.  I had occasion to be in the front office when a family came to enrol their son.  I could see and hear that they were Motuans from the Central District of Papua.  I had learned a pidgin version of their language called Hiri Motu and in the crowded office I said loudly.  Umui be daika...Lau be Kerema tauna.  (who are you..I am a man from Kerema).  The family looked around for a dark skinned male but couldn’t see one.  I introduced myself and met the lad who was enrolling, Hane Nou.    I retired and Hane finished high school.    His father was in W.A. doing a PHD at a local university.  When he finished his PHD they all, except Hane, went back to Papua New Guinea.

I taught Hane in my last years at WSHS.  Hane is still here in W.A. and we are to catch up next month.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Walter Mitty


Walter Mitty is a fictional character in James Thurber's short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"  I have just watched the remake of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  Wonderful; confusing, somewhat unsatisfying, but  stimulating to the point that I must re-watch it again.  I can remember the saying ‘A Walter Mitty character’ when I was a youngster describing a person who was a bit of a dreamer and quite unbelievable. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Post war ramblings

My father was a skilled carpenter/builder and just after WW2 finished, my parents bought a housing block in the suburb of Bicton for £30.0.0.  Dad went on to build our family house, finishing in 1947.  Building materials were scarce after the war and parts of the house and Dad’s workshop were completed as materials became available again.


A few days ago I was looking through family memorabilia in a bit of a nostalgic trip and found an old newspaper advert for kitchen cupboards.   I recognised the cupboards as being the same as the ones in our family home.  Dad had copied the arrangement and built his own.  I remember helping him with the glueing of the frames.  The glue back then was animal glue and I was the glue boy who had to be very quick at poking glue in the dowel holes as Dad clamped them together.  Animal glue had to be used hot and fluid.  I do not recall any of the glue joints failing even up to the time we sold the house circa 1998.
Click image to enlarge