Between the Equator and the South Pole

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  • FirenzeFirenze Shipmate, Host Emeritus
    My official retirement date was my birthday which falls in mid January. But my manager wanted to re-organise the office post Christmas break, so my last two weeks were spent 'working from home' notionally.

    As the man said, it's great to have the freedom to do anything, and the greater freedom to do nothing.
  • Congratulations, @Zappa. Although I believe you may be taking up a certain amount of chauffeuring? Enjoy, anyway.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    Enjoy your retirement.
  • SarasaSarasa All Saints Host
    Congratulations Zappa. I hope you have lots of lovely things planned.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Congratulations, Zappa - wishing you a long, healthy and happy retirement! :)
  • jedijudyjedijudy Heaven Host
    Congratulations, @Zappa! I do hope your retirement is full of wonderful things, and wonderful rest!
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    edited July 1
    Congratulations Zappa! Enjoy your retirement!

    11°C here currently...but feels like 4 according to the app. I've left Armidale back to the Terrace; seems just as chilly today!
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Congratulations Zappa - enjoy your holiday in warmer climes.
  • How are those further north coping with the rain and wind overnight and today?

    We've had a couple of little gusts that I've noticed, but I am not happy with the amount of rain that has not come - at least not to my place. Just grey and no action, very cross making.
    I've been giving Cheery husband the car each day, I think he is getting cross about paying for parking and I am cross because I don't have the car. I suppose I could drive him, but am not a fan of morning traffic.
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    Hope the car situation resolves nicely.

    Wet and windy up here but I think it's worse near the coast or south of where I am. Some properties near The Entrance by the ocean were evacuated yesterday and I've seen reports of tree branches falling on trains. Two suburbs in my council were without power...not sure if it's been restored.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    There are weather warnings for some parts of the North Island and for the north of the South Island in the next few days as that weather system moves our way. Fortunately for me the worst of it is not forecast to hit Christchurch. for which I am very grateful.
  • SojournerSojourner Shipmate
    Sun is trying to come out here after 36 hrs of heavy rain. Sydney metro has luckily been spared flash flooding but both Central/ Mid-North and Wollongong/ South Coast not so fortunate. Still blowing a gale in these parts but luckily no trees down around here. Train services to Central Coast and Blue Mountains have been disrupted by trees blown onto tracks and surf conditions still dangerous. Now to step ( reluctantly) out the front door…
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Just returned from two days in Disaster Recovery Centre near Kempsey to find that there is a power outage where we live from the high winds, plus a request for availability for next week at a different centre.

    Fortunately we can run on batteries so we will still be having a hot meal this evening.

    To anyone from Taree or Newcastle to the Victorian border, keep yourselves safe.
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    Thank you for your work. Hope the power has been restored.

    English muffins as a comfort lunch today. They and crumpets are my go-to comfort food.
  • Gee DGee D Shipmate
    We had no idea of the extent of the troubles until we came to the posts above. We're ok apart from a bit of rain here and there. Prayers and best wishes for all those affected.
  • Weather fine up here, it's our one week per year of winter. Overnight as cold as 11°, daytime as high as 26°, cloudless blue sky, just enough wind to dry clothes on the line.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    I still can't get my head around a place where 26° counts as "winter"! :mrgreen:
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Nor me Piglet. Christchurch temperatures may reach 26C during a few days at the height of summer but winter is meant to be cold to give me an excuse to snuggle in bed with my cat.

    Is anyone on our largest off-shore island willing to picket the vegemite factory for me? I couldn't find the low salt version on the shelves when I was supermarket shopping yesterday and was told that the makers had deleted it from their range. :cry: It is one of my favourite spreads, along with NZ made Fix and Fogg's Everything Butter which has peanut, almond, hemp, pumpkin, chia, sesame, sunflower, and flaxseed.

    The butter is amazing and is also used in a modified form to feed American astronauts and, with added poison, to bait traps for predatory animals such as rats and possums. It has made a significant contribution to conservation efforts here.

  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    Gosh, that butter sounds interesting.

    I could never get used to the taste of Vegemite. Yes, I'm one of those.
  • Huia wrote: »
    Is anyone on our largest off-shore island willing to picket the vegemite factory for me? I couldn't find the low salt version on the shelves when I was supermarket shopping yesterday and was told that the makers had deleted it from their range. :cry:

    Website still shows it available, in Aus at least. But it contains Vit B6 which is now known to be a baddie, so perhaps it's been withdrawn from shelves. Marmite has a low salt offering, but the brand name has been stolen in NZ by an American Adventist cult. You'll need to look on International aisles in New World, FourSquare, whatever, for MyMate which is pukka Marmite.

  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Piglet wrote: »
    I still can't get my head around a place where 26° counts as "winter"! :mrgreen:

    Where I live we are moving from the cold season to the windy season.
    https://www.ecosia.org/images?q=bundjalung seasonal calendar&addon=opensearch&_sp=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000#id=8EA470B0CB9275AC19DB557087F40B6118B3EE07
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Where I grew up in Orkney, every season was the windy season! :mrgreen:
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Thanks FD. I was aware of Sanitarium being Seventh Day Adventist. They have what I consider an unfair advantage here as religious bodies, even those running commercial businesses, get tax breaks that commercial ones don't.

    I wasn't aware of vitamin B6 being a baddie, so thank you. I will investigate further.


    Piglet it sounds like Wellington, the capital city of NZ.

    Until I moved to Christchurch I'd never experienced a wind that wasn't cold, but here in Christchurch we get a hot Nor'Wester in summer that dries clothes in on the line record time. We also get what an elderly relation called "the beasterly easterly" which comes off the sea and is both cold and wet.
  • I spent the teenage years in a windy town and every time I think I'd like to move back in retirement, the memory of that puts me right off! One pleasant advantage was getting sea breezes of a summer evening and I'm not sure whether that still happens, but it was certainly anticipated on a hot summer day and on the days that it didn't come, there was much grumbling.

    I'm glad to hear that people haven't been badly impacted by the heavy recent rain, however I've been thinking about you in the disaster recovery centre @LatchKeyKid. For most of us the suffering there is out of sight and mind, but not so for you and I'm grateful for the work you are putting in there.

    I'm not a fan of any day that gets over about 26 degrees, so even though the winter days FD mentions sound wonderful, I don't think I could cope with summers further north, humidity really wipes me out too! My In laws always used to have about a 6 week visit over winter visiting family members in Qld. It worked out well for them, not having to run their heating in an overly large home over the coldest months and they got to see their grandchildren even if it was only for a few weeks each year. I know those kids loved their visits and looked forward to them.

    I'm glad to report some nice steady rain yesterday and overnight, hope @Sicut Cervus and @WormInTheGrass have lovely fresh gardens this morning as well.

    Given that it's a damp underfoot day, I'm not planning anything much re housework or gardening and having a slow day is very much on the agenda, streaming reading, a bit of both, haven't decided yet!!

  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Thanks @Cheery Gardener .
    I am at Macksville this week. I am being accommodated in an "executive" motel apartment which has separate bedroom, lounge/kitchen, and even has a private verandah. Much plusher than the cheapskate rooms we book for ourselves. I surmise that it is the only room available for the five night stay,
    A Naidoc week procession has just gone down the street outside the recovery centre.
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    edited 1:45AM
    All the best for your work at Macksville, LatchKeyKid. Enjoy the executive room!

    Enjoy your streaming or reading Cheery Gardener.

    Had my first interview for a teacher's aide position today at a Catholic primary school. Managed to answer every question so it went as well as I could hope. Now to wait to hear back... Not confident, given how green I am, but happy to have had an interview.

    Beautiful sunny day here. Had a pre-interview corn fritters and cappuccino at the bay to pass the time.
  • SojournerSojourner Shipmate
    Best of luck, Climacus
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Hoping for a good result @Climacus .
  • Good luck @Climacus.
  • ZappaZappa Shipmate
    Climacus wrote: »
    All the best for your work at Macksville, LatchKeyKid. Enjoy the executive room!

    Do I recall correctly that they eventually fixed the dreadful traffic snarl in Macksville?
  • LatchKeyKidLatchKeyKid Shipmate
    Zappa wrote: »
    Climacus wrote: »
    All the best for your work at Macksville, LatchKeyKid. Enjoy the executive room!

    Do I recall correctly that they eventually fixed the dreadful traffic snarl in Macksville?

    Maybe. I haven't seen one in the two days I've been here.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Good luck, @Climacus! :)
  • ClimacusClimacus Shipmate
    Thank you all.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Fingers and toes crossed Climacus.
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