Just to add... I am on the train and the guy sitting opposite me has a VR headset on and appears to be having a whale of a time!
And on the cold mentioned above...it was colder in south-west and close-enough-to-central Queensland than at my home! I had thought it may have been warmer up north, but no.
That sounds a great holiday @Climacus, a lot of driving but if that's not a burden, then well worth the effort!!
I'm very glad to hear your first day of study has gone well. Your new field is definitely one of need and hopefully rewarding for self as well.
@WormInTheGrass I've always thought about attending those concerts, but always worry about crowds (not a fan of those). It sounds great.
Today looks like a slow day thank goodness as a present it's a bit pea soupey outside. Quie often that means a beautiful sunny day later on, so I'm hoping it might be the case in a couple of hours time!
Your college campus sounds so restful, @Climacus. It reminds me that I went to one of the most beautiful universities in the world at University of Cape Town on the slopes of Devil's Peak and looking right across the Cape Flats to mountain ranges glittering with snow in winter. May your studies and change in direction work well for you.
This Friday, the retirement complex kitchen staff are holding a village cake sale to raise funds for repairs to an old pre-WWII building. Everyone very excited about baked apple strudels, custard slices, chocolate cupcakes, peppermint crisp cheesecake and lemon meringue tarts, with so many 'tasters' and residents lined up to 'help out', I'll be surprised if there's any cake left over for the sale.
Yes, @Cheery Gardener the pea souper is beginning to lift here. Hopefully we will have a nice afternoon. Concert was about 60% full in the recital room of the Music Centre at Wesley, so not too crowded. It’s the only one I’ve been to for a long time, so I can’t tell whether that’s what is fairly typical or not. Off to aquarobics this afternoon.
Hope your study continues to go well, @Climacus.
Your college campus sounds so restful, @Climacus. It reminds me that I went to one of the most beautiful universities in the world at University of Cape Town on the slopes of Devil's Peak and looking right across the Cape Flats to mountain ranges glittering with snow in winter. May your studies and change in direction work well for you.
My son completed his university degree on the same campus as Climacus and greatly enjoyed his time there. The one drawback was that it is in one of the wettest areas of the NSW Central Coast and is easily isolated when the local streams come up. In high winds there are the perils of falling branches and complete trees from the large eucalypts onsite. He came back one day to find the motorcycle beside his little Fiesta completely crushed in half - a lucky escape!
Enjoy your training course @Climacus. I and many of my colleagues would not have survived without the valued support of teacher's aides [or whatever long-winded title has been imposed since I retired]. There is much joy and satisfaction to be had.
It's 4.5C with a "feels like" of 2C, but the forecast maximum of 15C today. I might finally start to thaw out. I had been wondering if I would ever feel warm again. Tomorrow's forecast maximum is also 15C so it will feel like Christchurch is turning into a tropical paradise - for two days at least.
The highlight of today is a friend coming over with his trailer so we can take stuff to the dump. I'm getting an early start on spring cleaning. Actually winter cleaning makes more sense to me because in spring I want to be out in the garden, rather than cleaning the house.
Good to hear a bit more warmth has made it your way @Huia and I hope you are nicely thawed!
Oh the joy of taking stuff away to rubbish, recycling or whatever. Just to get rid of that stuff, it's like a burden lifts and I know that I feel lighter when it's done. Like you I prefer the garden in spring and autumn too, we often do our clean ups either pre-Christmas, or between Christmas and New Year when Cheery husband has to be on leave due to workplace shutdown. Oh Joy, the jobs I plan for him and he generally has some lined up for himself as well.
I am overjoyed to have been to the GP this week for a couple of reasons, firstly the actual unbelievability of getting a same day appointment, script updated, sore toes looked at and just the relief of a Dr who was happy with what I'd done pre-visit and also so happy that I brought samples to show them and that they could send to pathology. They are returning to work now their children are older and I could tell that they were really happy to be back in the groove and doing their thing. I think I might have found someone I can work with. It was a drive across town to see them, but well worth the effort. It was so unexpected that it gave me the lift I needed this week.
Sick friend appears to be on the mend and catch up with other friend went well via phone. My sister, who has been unwell, was able to phone me yesterday and that was fun, catching up about family, podcasts and tv that we both like and discussion of overseas politics, always a good way to spend an hour or so. I knew she'd appreciate the excitement of the GP I saw and we both had a good time discussing that too.
Today some anonymous men with a ute and signs have told me that they are doing nbn pre=upgrade work. It made me a bit suspicious, so I might do a bit of poking around to see what I can find out about that.
@Climacus I can't tell you how grateful I am for the people who worked with our son, over his school life. The system is totally flawed, but the people themselves are absolute gold! I was very pleased to see that this year in my jurisdiction there was an Audit Office report released which indicated the system we experienced needed a total overhaul. I had wondered whether that process had been initiated by the recent Disability Royal Commission because when I discussed my issues with RC staff, they indicated to me that it was a commonly mentioned problem. I feel that both students and teachers are let down by processes to allocate assistance, but the people who work in the area are everything that could be desired. I hope the course covers all types of disability, because our area - chronic illness seemed to be the least well catered for.
Heavy fog this morning, but cleared early and the sky is beautifully blue and the sunshine, ah, the best. I feel a walk coming on.
Today some anonymous men with a ute and signs have told me that they are doing nbn pre=upgrade work. It made me a bit suspicious, so I might do a bit of poking around to see what I can find out about that.
Heavy fog this morning, but cleared early and the sky is beautifully blue and the sunshine, ah, the best. I feel a walk coming on.
I think you're right to be suspicious - make a note of the signs and see if your consumer affairs people or the local council know anything of them. You need to be sure, especially if they ask for access to the house as well as your garden. They're probably ok, but you want certainty about that.
Thanks @Gee D , I had a conversation with Cheery husband and he and I will look into it further when he gets in from work. I suspect that they had anticipated that no one would notice or query their work as many people are out during the day. Our area is very quiet, so I notice anything out of the ordinary.
Oh, @MaryLouise, that cake stall sounds like the best. I do miss eating cake and desserts!!
Hi @Cheery Gardener, also I seem to remember that there was an article in the Canberra Times in the last week or so about some north side Canberra suburbs getting an NBN upgrade to fibre-to-the-premises. Good about the doctor, my current GP is good but less than 10 years younger than me.
Thanks for that info @WormInTheGrass, that is helpful. I suppose it's due to a lot of work being done by sub-contractors that people just turn up in unmarked vehicles, don't offer any ID to prove their reason for appearing and don't door-knock to say who they are. I didn't notice if they continued down our street to other properties. I was trying to make my neighbourhood watch unobtrusive. Not very satisfactory to my way of thinking. Even a card in the letterbox could be helpful. Forgot to say earlier, thanks also for the update re the Wesley music concerts, I'll keep that in mind.
Looking forward to today being slow and without obligations. I have 2 new books to start and haven't gotten to them yet, other than reading the blurb on the back. Today might be the day!!
I hope you made an opportunity to read more than the blurb today @Cheery Gardener
I am having trouble with technology - again or maybe that should be "till" Tomorrow I will visit the helpful people at One (Vodaphone) to check out whether I need to replace it - which wouldn't be a problem except I just bought a new tablet which means that both my budget and my capacity to absorb technical info will be rather s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d. I have a theory the gadgets confer with each other to choose the most inconvenient time to cease working.
Yesterday and today's temperatures here reached a sunny 15C and tomorrow is forecast to be the same. Then winter resumes, still mornings are getting lighter earlier which definitely has a bearing on my mood. Unfortunately it also means Aroha thinks 5a.m would be a good time for breakfast, but it's so cold then I can usually persuade her to snuggle instead.
Our dawns earlier too and leucojems (our equivalent of snowdrops) coming up in pots and front gardens. I may try to bake my version of pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) in a large strange kitchen later today, to be sold for the fund raiser.
@Huia, thanks for your kind thought, alas no reading yesterday. Not busy, just very tired - am on antibiotics and have been waking in the middle of the night to take those, not very successfully and even though a nap yesterday afternoon, I slept very deeply last night.
I am glad Aroha will snuggle with you, we have a VERY demanding cat, who screams at me the minute my feet hit the floor. I do try to sneak around silently but am not always very successful!!
@Sojourner I am curious, does your home in Sinny have a heater? I had a friend who lived in Coogee many years ago and I was shocked to hear that she had no built-in heating at all. I think she was relying on an oil filled portable at the time. I have had to open windows the last couple of day, to let the warm out in the middle of the day. Our heater works off-peak and as our windows are all north facing, it gets very warm on a sunny winter day. Very good for getting the washing dry though!!
@MaryLouise those tarts sound yum! I have a pot of snowdrops that sis and I divided from Mum and Dad's place, I love them!!! I am sure they are very cheering. Mine are not shooting yet, but it won't be long now.
I have a single electric radiator in the living room which will be unplugged and put away come September. It is usually on for a few hours in the evening when I get in from work and from about 6 on on non work days. It was 22C max yesterday and 13 when I got up at 6 today. It is now 19 and will see how I go when I get in at 6 or so. As for the rest, decent bedcovers and woollens. I should add kitchen gets warm if cooking so that helps!
My parents lived in Canberra for many years; their 1954 brick veneer job did not have(oil) heating until 1971. They did have a briquette-fuelled slow combustion heater in the living room and my sister & I were allowed a strip heater in our (very cold) front bedroom which received no sun. That was par for the course for everyone I knew!
@Sojourner I remember coming to Canberra to visit my Aunt in the 1970's, she was in a share house in Watson. I remember ditching the camp bed I was sleeping on, to go and lie on the floor in front of the oil heater, the house being so cold overnight. I think if must have been the May school holidays at the time. Brrr Even homes built in the 1970s were not much better due to poor insulation at the time the houses were built.
Gosh, @Huia you are going to have to dig out t=shirts if the maximum gets much higher!
As for poor insulation in Canberra: the monocrete houses were the worst of the worst: not only cold but damp. Lots of them in inner north and inner south Canberra: I suspect all demolished now and replaced by McMansions- in Yarralumla especially!!
@Sojourner I am curious, does your home in Sinny have a heater? I had a friend who lived in Coogee many years ago and I was shocked to hear that she had no built-in heating at all. I think she was relying on an oil filled portable at the time.
I'd say, without the benefit of proper statistics, that the majority of houses/units etc in Sydney did not have built-in heating.
Certainly not built-in heating meant to warm the whole house, although most 19th and early twentieth century houses had at least one fireplace.
Our 1950s built house has quite a substantial fireplace, although it no longer has an external chimney. We put insulation in the roof when we moved in and then ducted gas heating. We are gradually replacing all windows with double glazing.
More pleasant day here today, and we had coffee outside at Fyshwick Markets.
@Sojourner I am curious, does your home in Sinny have a heater? I had a friend who lived in Coogee many years ago and I was shocked to hear that she had no built-in heating at all. I think she was relying on an oil filled portable at the time.
I'd say, without the benefit of proper statistics, that the majority of houses/units etc in Sydney did not have built-in heating.
@Sojourner I am curious, does your home in Sinny have a heater? I had a friend who lived in Coogee many years ago and I was shocked to hear that she had no built-in heating at all. I think she was relying on an oil filled portable at the time.
I'd say, without the benefit of proper statistics, that the majority of houses/units etc in Sydney did not have built-in heating.
Agreed; at least until the 1990s.
I'd put it until the new century, and that rather than heating now being installed, it's more often air-conditioning.
In this neck of the woods, yes. This (terrace) house can get bloody hot upstairs in summer and cold as in winter but the backyard is a good suntrap in cold but sunny weather. Out west ( 20-60 km out of the Sydney CBD) temperatures are more extreme so I can see why reverse-cycle aircon is so popular ( witness the solar panels on so many suburban roofs). Interesting that double-glazing is still relatively uncommon.
In this neck of the woods, yes. This (terrace) house can get bloody hot upstairs in summer and cold as in winter but the backyard is a good suntrap in cold but sunny weather. Out west ( 20-60 km out of the Sydney CBD) temperatures are more extreme so I can see why reverse-cycle aircon is so popular ( witness the solar panels on so many suburban roofs). Interesting that double-glazing is still relatively uncommon.
We lose out on the moderating effect of the Harbour and beaches as do those western areas. The initial developments out there worked on the inaccurate premise that Sydney had a mild climate - well, that may be true of the harbour-side areas, but get away from them and you get the greater extremes of heat in summer and cold in winter.
WormintheGrass - most, if not all houses built in Sydney until 25-30 years ago would have had fireplaces installed. Many were more decorative than usable and effective. I was talking of proper systems.
I've recently learnt that double glazing is mandatory in new houses in NZ. My 1954 house had two open fireplaces, the chimneys of which had to be demolished during the quakes. A friend and I demo;ished the first one as we could see daylight through it. Unfortunately doing so exacerbated my asthma and I asked a local firm to do the other.
The Earthquake Commission provided a heat pump to replace one of the fireplaces.
On a smaller, and in the Olympics at least, a less successful scale, I think the same could be said of New Zealand. As someone who has little interest in sport I sometimes feel I was born in the wrong place.
@Huia I'm glad to hear about the double glazing idea, it is catching on here but very slowly. Our home was built post 2000 and doesn't have double glazing and it was one thing that made me hesitate about whether this was a good purchase.
I've enjoyed reading everyone's replies about heating and fireplaces. Over the 30+ years we've been together we've had a real mixture in homes we've owned and rented. Gas in first rented place. First purchased home took out wood heater and replaced with flued gas heater. A couple of rental places with electric in wall heaters (possibly good, but no insulation in houses, so fighting a losing battle). Bought a house with ducted gas just because we were tired of freezing and having kids needed them to be warm, this ran on a timer, so not on at all when we were out during the day. The home we are now in has in-slab heating and really is toasty. Not the type of heating for a cold snap as takes a bit to get going, but we have been happy with it. I think it costs the same as running our gas heater, but we get some bill offset from solar.
@Cameron, I'm not really the person to comment on your pondering about Australia's sporting prowess as I spent years being bullied for the lack of my own, but will have a go. Husband only just stopped playing sport at the age of 52 . I suspect in rural areas people played sport as part of social life, in rural communities there potentially wasn't much else to do in the 1940's-70's. Some towns seemed to be known for producing particularly good players of particular sports, I'm thinking hockey here as that's what the husband played. I assume that to some extent compulsory sport as part of the school curriculum identified some kids as being more skilled than average and thus extra encouragement/resources for them if families could afford it.
I note one of my former school friends bemoaning that their kids were both good at soccer, but they didn't have the financial resources to invest in them getting to a professional level. They were committed to the kids participation and took them all over the place to play in rep teams, but they just couldn't push them up to the next level. I suppose as in other areas of life the bank of Mum and Dad plays a huge part in how that pans out. My kids never played sport, the husband was too busy doing his own to encourage them (and I thought they should have been his priority). I was not due to my own experiences, putting them into sport myself, however, the whole knowing how to be part of a team is important in my view and I encouraged our kids to be part of school performances and musicals to develop that aspect of themselves. They are both creative and so loved being part of that, developing new skills and discovering what they could achieve. I suspect team sport was not a good fit for them, however they can both ride a bike and had swimming lessons for safety reasons.
Thank you @Cheery Gardener for those really interesting insights.
Team sport was no joy for me as a kid either - unfit, no coordination and bullies too. I quit school sports lesson as soon as it they were not compulsory (after age 14 you could drop them at my school) - and took up art, at which I was just as bad, but at least it was harmless 🤣
@Huia dropping in to say that I read both books I'd ordered about a month ago. I've posted a review of one on the books thread and if I'm feeling energetic, will do one about the other in a day or so. Both by authors I'd previously enjoyed.
@Cameron we had to do sport up until the Year 10 certificate. It was offered in Years 11 and 12 but as an elective subject, which many opted out of. I often wonder if there is any thought or reflection as to why people drop out of some subjects. I am sure it's explained away as focusing on Academic subjects needed for Uni, but that's only part of the story, I think!! I wonder if there was a survey on school bullying by subject area, how well PE would do!!??
@MaryLouise has your bake sale happened now? I hope it has done well.
@Sojourner I did agree with your view on sport as well! My kids learned about State of Origin footie from Bluey and having to explain all the different types of football gave me a headache! Obviously a bad parent here!
I remain unsure whether Orange, NSW, or my current town on the shores of the Z is colder. I'm frozen.
On a happier note I received a text today from a young woman who was part of my faith community here when I came back a year ago. She left to head off on a hippie trail of self-discovery. It seems she found a deeper faith instead, and is to be baptised in Takaka this Sunday.
Having spent a fair bit of time helping her journey through some sticky, maybe thorny issues, I am deeply thrilled.
Thank you @Cheery Gardener for those really interesting insights.
Team sport was no joy for me as a kid either - unfit, no coordination and bullies too. I quit school sports lesson as soon as it they were not compulsory (after age 14 you could drop them at my school) - and took up art, at which I was just as bad, but at least it was harmless 🤣
Perhaps while dropping in I should mention that I was part of a sports team that won the nationals back in the day. It was quite a moment (and quite a team - we still meet up occasionally).
Thank you @Cheery Gardener for those really interesting insights.
Team sport was no joy for me as a kid either - unfit, no coordination and bullies too. I quit school sports lesson as soon as it they were not compulsory (after age 14 you could drop them at my school) - and took up art, at which I was just as bad, but at least it was harmless 🤣
Perhaps while dropping in I should mention that I was part of a sports team that won the nationals back in the day. It was quite a moment (and quite a team - we still meet up occasionally).
But modesty forbids. I shall remain schtumm.
Congratulations on your achievement, and your modesty 😉
Good to see you here @Zappa and glad to read you could succeed in your chosen area of endeavour. The ideal situation would be that everyone could succeed in the area of their talent. Sadly, I have yet to be selected in the Sleeping for Australia team or the one for fastest readers!
Today is cool but clear so far. I have a cat on one side prompting me to give more pats and I am trying to ignore them! If I'm lucky and the breeze is at a minimum and I can find a sunny spot, hopefully some weeding will be on the agenda.
Yesterday I received a surprise email from a friend inviting me to lunch or coffee on Friday. I am looking forward to that very much!
Oh, I'd show you an action photo, but the Ship (fortunately) has no such facility. Still, it's sad when your glory days are 47 years in the past.
I rathwer relate to NZ women's football gold medalist today who said she intends to spend the remainder of her life "Lounging on the couch, eating Maccas and KFC and popping out babies" ... except I don't eat those delicacies, and I gues it wasn't me that did the "popping out."
Ah well, as far as “popping out babies” is concerned, the gold medallist’s capacity for popping does have a use-by date. She can however stuff her face with Maccas/KFC which will only lead to obesity and pregnancy complications.
Well done on your sporting triumphs, @Zappa. My stand-out moment of sporting ignominy was cracking the school coach across the ankles with a hockey stick. After swearing the air blue, she said she had never seen such poor hand-eye co-ordination in any girl, ever.
@Cheery Gardener, the cake sale was a great success. especially the koeksisters and melktert (deep-fried doughnuts and custard tart). I decided against attempting any pastry baking quite yet.
It's cold! Today's high was 7C, tomorrow's is 6C. I'm putting 2 hot water bottles in my bed and hope to be joined by a snugglepuss.
Tomorrow I'm planning to stay home and make chicken soup. I had though of going to a craft group that I have just discovered meets a couple of kilometres away, but I will wait for a day when there's not a howling easterly coming off the sea. Besides which most public halls can be a bit draughty.
I can see how melkert is a custard tart, but have trouble with koeksisters. Any clues?
A real winter day here. There's been a strong and icy wind all day. We had had plans to go to the Blue Mountains, but the wind said that it was even worse up there. Too cold to garden, so we just kept a good low fire going.
Definitely not a day for travel to Blue Mountains! Cold and windy in both Eastern Suburbs and Inner West ( workplace in Camperdown). Caught bus to Newtown & Missenden Rd was a veritable wind tunnel.
When I woke up at around 7 am, the weather app on my mobile was saying it was 4°, with a "real-feel" of 7°. I think it may have been telling porkies - it felt a good bit warmer than that by the time I left the house at about 8:30.
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And on the cold mentioned above...it was colder in south-west and close-enough-to-central Queensland than at my home! I had thought it may have been warmer up north, but no.
I'm very glad to hear your first day of study has gone well. Your new field is definitely one of need and hopefully rewarding for self as well.
@WormInTheGrass I've always thought about attending those concerts, but always worry about crowds (not a fan of those). It sounds great.
Today looks like a slow day thank goodness as a present it's a bit pea soupey outside. Quie often that means a beautiful sunny day later on, so I'm hoping it might be the case in a couple of hours time!
This Friday, the retirement complex kitchen staff are holding a village cake sale to raise funds for repairs to an old pre-WWII building. Everyone very excited about baked apple strudels, custard slices, chocolate cupcakes, peppermint crisp cheesecake and lemon meringue tarts, with so many 'tasters' and residents lined up to 'help out', I'll be surprised if there's any cake left over for the sale.
Hope your study continues to go well, @Climacus.
My son completed his university degree on the same campus as Climacus and greatly enjoyed his time there. The one drawback was that it is in one of the wettest areas of the NSW Central Coast and is easily isolated when the local streams come up. In high winds there are the perils of falling branches and complete trees from the large eucalypts onsite. He came back one day to find the motorcycle beside his little Fiesta completely crushed in half - a lucky escape!
Enjoy your training course @Climacus. I and many of my colleagues would not have survived without the valued support of teacher's aides [or whatever long-winded title has been imposed since I retired]. There is much joy and satisfaction to be had.
The highlight of today is a friend coming over with his trailer so we can take stuff to the dump. I'm getting an early start on spring cleaning. Actually winter cleaning makes more sense to me because in spring I want to be out in the garden, rather than cleaning the house.
Oh the joy of taking stuff away to rubbish, recycling or whatever. Just to get rid of that stuff, it's like a burden lifts and I know that I feel lighter when it's done. Like you I prefer the garden in spring and autumn too, we often do our clean ups either pre-Christmas, or between Christmas and New Year when Cheery husband has to be on leave due to workplace shutdown. Oh Joy, the jobs I plan for him and he generally has some lined up for himself as well.
I am overjoyed to have been to the GP this week for a couple of reasons, firstly the actual unbelievability of getting a same day appointment, script updated, sore toes looked at and just the relief of a Dr who was happy with what I'd done pre-visit and also so happy that I brought samples to show them and that they could send to pathology. They are returning to work now their children are older and I could tell that they were really happy to be back in the groove and doing their thing. I think I might have found someone I can work with. It was a drive across town to see them, but well worth the effort. It was so unexpected that it gave me the lift I needed this week.
Sick friend appears to be on the mend and catch up with other friend went well via phone. My sister, who has been unwell, was able to phone me yesterday and that was fun, catching up about family, podcasts and tv that we both like and discussion of overseas politics, always a good way to spend an hour or so. I knew she'd appreciate the excitement of the GP I saw and we both had a good time discussing that too.
Today some anonymous men with a ute and signs have told me that they are doing nbn pre=upgrade work. It made me a bit suspicious, so I might do a bit of poking around to see what I can find out about that.
@Climacus I can't tell you how grateful I am for the people who worked with our son, over his school life. The system is totally flawed, but the people themselves are absolute gold! I was very pleased to see that this year in my jurisdiction there was an Audit Office report released which indicated the system we experienced needed a total overhaul. I had wondered whether that process had been initiated by the recent Disability Royal Commission because when I discussed my issues with RC staff, they indicated to me that it was a commonly mentioned problem. I feel that both students and teachers are let down by processes to allocate assistance, but the people who work in the area are everything that could be desired. I hope the course covers all types of disability, because our area - chronic illness seemed to be the least well catered for.
Heavy fog this morning, but cleared early and the sky is beautifully blue and the sunshine, ah, the best. I feel a walk coming on.
I think you're right to be suspicious - make a note of the signs and see if your consumer affairs people or the local council know anything of them. You need to be sure, especially if they ask for access to the house as well as your garden. They're probably ok, but you want certainty about that.
Oh, @MaryLouise, that cake stall sounds like the best. I do miss eating cake and desserts!!
Looking forward to today being slow and without obligations. I have 2 new books to start and haven't gotten to them yet, other than reading the blurb on the back. Today might be the day!!
I am having trouble with technology - again or maybe that should be "till" Tomorrow I will visit the helpful people at One (Vodaphone) to check out whether I need to replace it - which wouldn't be a problem except I just bought a new tablet which means that both my budget and my capacity to absorb technical info will be rather s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d. I have a theory the gadgets confer with each other to choose the most inconvenient time to cease working.
Yesterday and today's temperatures here reached a sunny 15C and tomorrow is forecast to be the same. Then winter resumes, still mornings are getting lighter earlier which definitely has a bearing on my mood. Unfortunately it also means Aroha thinks 5a.m would be a good time for breakfast, but it's so cold then I can usually persuade her to snuggle instead.
I am glad Aroha will snuggle with you, we have a VERY demanding cat, who screams at me the minute my feet hit the floor. I do try to sneak around silently but am not always very successful!!
@Sojourner I am curious, does your home in Sinny have a heater? I had a friend who lived in Coogee many years ago and I was shocked to hear that she had no built-in heating at all. I think she was relying on an oil filled portable at the time. I have had to open windows the last couple of day, to let the warm out in the middle of the day. Our heater works off-peak and as our windows are all north facing, it gets very warm on a sunny winter day. Very good for getting the washing dry though!!
@MaryLouise those tarts sound yum! I have a pot of snowdrops that sis and I divided from Mum and Dad's place, I love them!!! I am sure they are very cheering. Mine are not shooting yet, but it won't be long now.
Tomorrow we are forecast to have the third sunny day in a row. with a maximum temperature of 17c.
Gosh, @Huia you are going to have to dig out t=shirts if the maximum gets much higher!
I'd say, without the benefit of proper statistics, that the majority of houses/units etc in Sydney did not have built-in heating.
Our 1950s built house has quite a substantial fireplace, although it no longer has an external chimney. We put insulation in the roof when we moved in and then ducted gas heating. We are gradually replacing all windows with double glazing.
More pleasant day here today, and we had coffee outside at Fyshwick Markets.
Agreed; at least until the 1990s.
I'd put it until the new century, and that rather than heating now being installed, it's more often air-conditioning.
We lose out on the moderating effect of the Harbour and beaches as do those western areas. The initial developments out there worked on the inaccurate premise that Sydney had a mild climate - well, that may be true of the harbour-side areas, but get away from them and you get the greater extremes of heat in summer and cold in winter.
WormintheGrass - most, if not all houses built in Sydney until 25-30 years ago would have had fireplaces installed. Many were more decorative than usable and effective. I was talking of proper systems.
The Earthquake Commission provided a heat pump to replace one of the fireplaces.
What is it that makes Australia such a successful nation at so many kinds of sport?
I've enjoyed reading everyone's replies about heating and fireplaces. Over the 30+ years we've been together we've had a real mixture in homes we've owned and rented. Gas in first rented place. First purchased home took out wood heater and replaced with flued gas heater. A couple of rental places with electric in wall heaters (possibly good, but no insulation in houses, so fighting a losing battle). Bought a house with ducted gas just because we were tired of freezing and having kids needed them to be warm, this ran on a timer, so not on at all when we were out during the day. The home we are now in has in-slab heating and really is toasty. Not the type of heating for a cold snap as takes a bit to get going, but we have been happy with it. I think it costs the same as running our gas heater, but we get some bill offset from solar.
@Cameron, I'm not really the person to comment on your pondering about Australia's sporting prowess as I spent years being bullied for the lack of my own, but will have a go. Husband only just stopped playing sport at the age of 52 . I suspect in rural areas people played sport as part of social life, in rural communities there potentially wasn't much else to do in the 1940's-70's. Some towns seemed to be known for producing particularly good players of particular sports, I'm thinking hockey here as that's what the husband played. I assume that to some extent compulsory sport as part of the school curriculum identified some kids as being more skilled than average and thus extra encouragement/resources for them if families could afford it.
I note one of my former school friends bemoaning that their kids were both good at soccer, but they didn't have the financial resources to invest in them getting to a professional level. They were committed to the kids participation and took them all over the place to play in rep teams, but they just couldn't push them up to the next level. I suppose as in other areas of life the bank of Mum and Dad plays a huge part in how that pans out. My kids never played sport, the husband was too busy doing his own to encourage them (and I thought they should have been his priority). I was not due to my own experiences, putting them into sport myself, however, the whole knowing how to be part of a team is important in my view and I encouraged our kids to be part of school performances and musicals to develop that aspect of themselves. They are both creative and so loved being part of that, developing new skills and discovering what they could achieve. I suspect team sport was not a good fit for them, however they can both ride a bike and had swimming lessons for safety reasons.
Team sport was no joy for me as a kid either - unfit, no coordination and bullies too. I quit school sports lesson as soon as it they were not compulsory (after age 14 you could drop them at my school) - and took up art, at which I was just as bad, but at least it was harmless 🤣
@Cameron we had to do sport up until the Year 10 certificate. It was offered in Years 11 and 12 but as an elective subject, which many opted out of. I often wonder if there is any thought or reflection as to why people drop out of some subjects. I am sure it's explained away as focusing on Academic subjects needed for Uni, but that's only part of the story, I think!! I wonder if there was a survey on school bullying by subject area, how well PE would do!!??
@MaryLouise has your bake sale happened now? I hope it has done well.
@Sojourner I did agree with your view on sport as well! My kids learned about State of Origin footie from Bluey and having to explain all the different types of football gave me a headache! Obviously a bad parent here!
On a happier note I received a text today from a young woman who was part of my faith community here when I came back a year ago. She left to head off on a hippie trail of self-discovery. It seems she found a deeper faith instead, and is to be baptised in Takaka this Sunday.
Having spent a fair bit of time helping her journey through some sticky, maybe thorny issues, I am deeply thrilled.
Perhaps while dropping in I should mention that I was part of a sports team that won the nationals back in the day. It was quite a moment (and quite a team - we still meet up occasionally).
But modesty forbids. I shall remain schtumm.
Congratulations on your achievement, and your modesty 😉
Go on then… what was the sport?
Today is cool but clear so far. I have a cat on one side prompting me to give more pats and I am trying to ignore them! If I'm lucky and the breeze is at a minimum and I can find a sunny spot, hopefully some weeding will be on the agenda.
Yesterday I received a surprise email from a friend inviting me to lunch or coffee on Friday. I am looking forward to that very much!
Of course, and we totally understand.
I rathwer relate to NZ women's football gold medalist today who said she intends to spend the remainder of her life "Lounging on the couch, eating Maccas and KFC and popping out babies" ... except I don't eat those delicacies, and I gues it wasn't me that did the "popping out."
Hi of 4 today, @Piglet
Hope she’s joking.
@Cheery Gardener, the cake sale was a great success. especially the koeksisters and melktert (deep-fried doughnuts and custard tart). I decided against attempting any pastry baking quite yet.
Tomorrow I'm planning to stay home and make chicken soup. I had though of going to a craft group that I have just discovered meets a couple of kilometres away, but I will wait for a day when there's not a howling easterly coming off the sea. Besides which most public halls can be a bit draughty.
A real winter day here. There's been a strong and icy wind all day. We had had plans to go to the Blue Mountains, but the wind said that it was even worse up there. Too cold to garden, so we just kept a good low fire going.
What @Firenze said. Often plaited or twisted like a pretzel. See here.
That is a bit brrrrr!
When I woke up at around 7 am, the weather app on my mobile was saying it was 4°, with a "real-feel" of 7°. I think it may have been telling porkies - it felt a good bit warmer than that by the time I left the house at about 8:30.
Currently 18° and pleasant.
Thanks, but I was thinking more of the name