School Hours

Coming home from the shop to day at 3 p.m along
Commerical Rd between the state school and the
catholic school. The signs says that between
2.30 p.m. and 4 p.m. the speed limit is 40 kms.

A white Madza6 XDF159, was behind me as we went
around the state school roundabout but by the
time we got to the catholic school he had overtaken
me as I was doing the 40 kms speed limit he must
have been doing 60 at some point.

One of these days the police will be there and book
all the speeding motorists as every time I drive
along there I am the only one doing the 40 kms.
I'm sure they forget the catholic school is there!

Fences

For years I have trying to get a fence between
myself and the neighbours at NO:29, finally the
new owner has done something about it.

But the fence guy says that he has to charge me
an extra $500 to remove the top 6 inches of soil
on my side of the fence as it is highter than
her side!

I have never heard such rubbish in my life.

This is the second fence I will have put in on
that side. Back in 1978, the ground was built up
and there seemed to be no problem with it.
The fence really needed replacing about 2000,
so it did well for 22 years! Built up soil or not!

I believe this is just another way of getting
money out of me.

I told the bloke I would not have the soil removed.
He said that he himself would personaly come out
and look at it and let me know. I told him I was on
New Start Allowance and thus could only pay him the
$1,100 for my share of the fence in $100 fortnightly
payments. I have not heard a word since from him!

But the neighbour sent me a registered letter with
the details, which still includes the removal of
"vegetation' for $500 to me. This is what I
inquired about with the fence guy, as there are no
bushes or trees interfering with the fence line, and
he said it was the built up soil!

So now this is just another problem I have to deal with!

Here We Go Again!

Now Tony Abbott is making an ass out of himself by
suggesting that no one under the age of the 30
receive the New Start Allowance. Instead they
should be sent to the mines in W.A. (What about girls?)

Next they will be bring back in National Service
for the unemployed! (Which to me has more merit that
his suggestion.) After all the government pays the
National Service men while private industry pays
the miners.

Did he really think this through or did he just
spurt off?

What man of that age wants to leave a girlfriend,
friends and family to go off to a lonely mining area.
At this time the mines are paying good wages, but
if this idea comes to fruitation then you can bet
the wages will drop!

It is bad enough that many young men of this age are
still living at home even when they have a job, but
it would mean that if they have no job then the PARENTS
will have to work to support them! Many parents in this
age group (50 to 60) are planning their retirement, in
5 to 20 years, not contemplating staying in the work
force to support adult children.

What happens if a young man is married? My son in law
is 27 and my daughter is 29 and neither were working
till two months ago (When he got a job). They have 4
children, who is expected to support them? When even
I don't have a job? His parents both work, but would
not even give them $500, when their car broke down and
needed urgent repairs. (His mother drives around in a
2 year old BMW that she bought new. My car is 18 years
old this year I bought it new in Oct, 1992!)

Perhaps if he had said 21, he would have more support,
but maybe what he wanted was debate and not support,
perhaps he did not want this scheme at all but wanted
it shoot down?

If young people don't get the New Start Allowance before
21 then it might encourage them to stay at school, TAFE
or university.

But stop burdening the Baby Boomers! Bad enough that the
pension age keeps going up, but now this! We are at an
age when we have to support our parents in their 80's and
now we are asked to suppoprt our adult children!
When will it stop??

Back to the Future and Beyond 2

Finally watched the last episode of "Back to the
Future."

Of course the major mistake here has always been
the fact that it was impossible for Doc Brown to
make a working flux capacity in the year 1885.

In 1955 there was no plutonium and thus there
would be none in 1885. So even if he had the
materials to make the flux capacity, he does not
have the means to make IT WORK! I mean it is not
as if he knows ahead of time when a lightening bolt
will strike (as he did in episode 2)Doc Brown had
Mr. Fusion installed in 2015, but once again the
materials to make this unit were unavailable in
1885.

A minor note, Marty and the Doc are standing on
the edge of the ravine and Marty says they can't
wait around 18 months for the bridge to be
finished. He says this on Friday 4th Sept 1885.
According to the notice board at the ravine the
bridge is due for completion in the Summer of 1886.
Even giving Summer it's full 3 months, that means
that the bridge would be completed by the end of
August 1886, less than a year away!

Beryl was often texting during the films and arrived
up to 15 minutes late for the start but said that
'overall they weren't bad'.

My o My

I decided that for an little extra money that I
would join some of these on line panals, that send
you surveys to answer.

One of the biggest ones is Rewards Central. I have
been a member now for about 15 months and I would
say that I spend about one hour a week reading emails
and looking at the web site and answering questions
there. That equals about 65 hours work. To-day I
checked the redeeming program and found that 1,100
points equals $10 (approx) as 3,300 points gets you
a $30 cheque. I have 2669 points so have earned about
$20.43 for that 65 hours work. So it works out that
I am being paid at the rate of a little over 31 cents
an hour. I think that is pathetic.

I thought it was about $2-3 dollars an hour!!! No
wonder they just increased the rate to read an email
from five points to ten points. At the rate they are
paying it should be at least it should be about 100
points to read an email!

Important News

A week later and the main topic on T.V. is still
about Christine Nixon going to dinner on Black
Saturday!!

Apparently there are no murders, rapes or other
crimes that need reporting.

No natural disasters e.g. storm damage, volcanoes
blowing up, earthquakes and people being killed
that rank higher than a woman going to dinner!

Now the media even have victims and other people
from the fire services saying that she 'should
have been at her post'. Does this mean that when
there is a fire, she has to be in a certian building?

Can't she put into place the plans that have been
worked out for different fires and situations by
phone? Does her presence in a certain spot mean that
much? Does she have to beat her breast? wail and
cry in agony? tear her clothes in sympathy?

For god's sake GET OVER IT!!!

There is an old saying "there's no use crying over
spilled milk" I think it is about time the media
took note of this!

Back To The Future (and Beyond)

I couldn't believe that beryl had never seen the
"Back to the Future films."

Two weeks ago we watched the first one and then last
saturday we watched the second. It must be about
the fifth or sixth time I have seen it. But I was
looking at it more critically and was surprised by
the number of mistakes that were in it.

Firstly Doc Brown puts Jennifer to sleep using a
'Alpha Rhythm Generator' the waves put her to
sleep without any side effects. Marty asks how long
she should be out and the Doc says about an hour.
But later when Marty (Snr) says his son turned up
at the cafe,the Doc says " I was afraid of that, by
using the sleeping potion on Jennifer there was not
enough to knock your son out for an hour."

The Ford that Biff was driving was said in the movie
to be a 1946 model, but the registration read
"California 1951".

The 1985 edition of the paper that Marty is holding
changes when he burns the "Grey's Sports Almanac"
from "Nixon to seek fifth term" to "Reagan seeks
second term"

Christine Nixon

I can't believe that the papers have nothing better to
write about than the fact that Christine Nixon went to
dinner on Black Saturday. I'm sure a lot of people
went to dinner.

After all she is contactable by mobile phone and it is
not as if she is on the front line, like a firefighter.
I'm sure these plans were made in advance and after all
the poor woman had to eat. I know that I woke up at 7
p.m. went outside took lots of photos and then came
inside and ATE tea.

Surely it is the people who lit the fires we should be
trying to 'hang' and not the staff put in place to help
firefighters the fires!!

A Mix Up

Afer my perm I went to the shop and had lunch with
Audrey. Meg couldn't met us. We talked about the
time she would to get to the airport and worked out
she had to leave no later than 11 a.m.

So on Wednesday morning I turned up at the shop at
10.10 a.m. to have a goodbye cup of coffee with her,
only to find that she had left at 9 a.m. with Richard
and Anita as they wanted to have lunch with her before
she left.

No-one had rung me to tell me that there had been a
change of plans and I was not the only one, as Keith
turned up at 10.30 a.m. to say goodbye as well.

College Cuts

As part of the Easter prize that I won from Yallourn
North Primary School was a voucher for a FREE perm,
but I had to pay for the hair cut.

It was from College Cuts which opened last October
in George St Morwell.

I had to use it by the 9th of April, so I booked in
to have it done on Tuesday morning for Donald's
birthday dinner on Tuesday night.

Easter Egg Hunt

As Cliff and Audrey were at the Sunday market, Kath
decided that she would have the Easter egg Hunt for
all the kids at her house at about 2 p.m. when they
could get there.

Kirsten and I arrived at about 1.30 p.m. Aunty Meg
wasn't coming as she was at lakes with the new boy
friend Brad and his kids.

Donald arrived about ten minutes after us and Cliff
and Audrey were there about 1.55 p.m.

The hunt was in the front yard.

From the momemnt Kirten came home both Nathan and
Kath were yelling at her, so by the time of the
hunt she didn't want to do it. Talhia was also
having her temper tantrums, (that she always has
to spoil the fun for everyone else.) (She did it
on Jasmine's birthday, Xmas and now the Easter
Egg Hunt.) And Cliff and Audrey think she is so
wonderful!!!

Any way, we decided that all the kids would look
for eggs and when they found them they were to
give them to Donald who put them into a bag and
when the hunt was over we all went inside and
the eggs were divided out equally to the kids,
so that there would be no complaints.

I took photos and in the end everyone seemed
happy. Cliff had things to do and he and Audrey
left about 2.45 p.m. and I was only ten minutes
behind them as Cliff wanted to drop some things
off for my freezer.

Thursday 1st April, 2010.

As Friday was Good Friday, the Traralgon R.S.L. had
their member's draw and their raffle night on Thursday
instead.

I had booked for for eight, but Anita and Richard did
not come and after the quarrel that Keith and Audrey
had, he did not come either. So there was just Cliff,
Kirsten, Ross, Audrey and myself.

I was up at the counter with Kirsten ordering tea, when
I heard the raffle bloke call out Ross's name. I thought
he might have left his wallet when buying raffle tickets,
so I called out he's at the table at the back.

So the guy calls out "Ross Thornton is at a back table
and has won the $900 member's draw."

So when I got back to the table I said "Well I guess
you'll be paying for tea tonight." His reply "No way."
The tea came to $56!! He didn't even shout us a drink!

Well as far as I'm concerned that does it for me. Why
should I put myself out for such an ungrateful little
bugger.

Happy Birthday Donald.

Well today was Donald's 36th birthday. Cliff could
not come because it was the last night that Audrey
was here, and the family wanted to have a meal together.

I had invited them to come to the top pub, but she
wanted a quiet night at home.

Kath said she could not go as she and Nathan could not
afford it. But how hard it is to save $30 and a shop
a docket over the year?

Brad was suppose to come but at the last moment he
was 'sick'.

Then of course Meg continued to carry on like a two
year old having a temper tantrum because I had added
Kath's name to the in memory announcement.

She said that the reason she had not put Kath's name
in was because last year Kath had ONLY put in a notice
from her Nathan and the children.

I said that was as it should be but this year it was JUST
his children so her name should have been on the notice.

In the end I paid her the total amount of the ad, $31:50
as she was making the night miserable for Donald as well
as myself. I told both of them that I did not want them
doing such rubbish for me when I am gone. I said "If you
can't show me by your actions that you love me, when I'm
alive, then it's a bit late after I'm gone to be putting
notices in the paper. All that does is make you feel
less guilty and you're hoping people will see it and think
what great kids you are. It's a load of bullshit."

The meal was quite good, but Donald was quite low and his
spirits did not seem to lift. It had nothing to do with
his getting older, but everything to do with not having
a girlfriend nor the security of a full time job, plus
the connection with his father's death and that is always
going to be there tainting his birthday.

Audrey Arrives

At first Cliff was like a headless chook rounding around
trying to find someone to pick up Audrey from Melbourne
airport. It seems my idea of his going and my doing the
shop was one of the sillier ideas I've had. He answered
when I suggested it "But it's going to be busy, Easter
week is my busiest week after Christmas."

Then as Ross still has not got his licence, he said
Keith could go but Audrey said "That there was no way
she would be in a car driven by Keith."

Richard and his mum go to Melbourne on Wednesdays, so Cliff
asked them to pick her up. But she wanted Cliff to, so
in the long run he was the one to drive down and get her!