Happy Birthday Mrs Curly! Sounds like a great event.
Stay warm you eastern and mountain residents...I've been following the Big Chill news on the ABC. It also had some newspaper clippings, drawings and photos from previous snow events in the capital cities and in regional areas which were interesting to read.
I took today off to do some work on my Master's assignments. 13:36 and I think a grand total of 30 minutes have been spent. Oh well...the rest of the afternoon may prove more productive.
It’s always cold and snowy your way, Rowen. We do not need to have you share it. Tremendous gales all yesterday and since. All bearing cold from snow at Mt Hotham and other places.
Stay warm. Soups and slow cooked casseroles and scones for morning tea.
That's more like it, getting a bit further along the path to full and frank disclosure. Are you going to tell us about the various spirits consumed also?
I read they changed the bus service with an aim to improving it. All the responses I read said it definitely did not do that in any way, shape or form.
Glad you're back home, and that the local cat welcomed you home.
In local NSW police news, they posted an update one paragraph of which I had to share with you all:
The man got out of the car, and was directed by police to cover his exposed genitals. He then threw an item under the vehicle, and attempted to swallow a balloon.
Up in the Northern Rivers. Had many a summer holiday there. Never recall seeing anything like that.
Ian the Lower Hutt bus service was better when my now 60 year old brother was born. When I was a child all the drivers lived locally and were known in the community. Mr Lines was the best. He once re-routed a bus slightly to drop us off at home when we had too much shopping, two sleepy toddlers and two cranky school aged kids.
Mum was really grateful and probably made a thank you cake.
Another personally delivered my lost wallet on his way home. He told Mum he knew me as "the girl who was always running for the bus,"
Huia, the bus runs from local station to shops near us. Sons and DIL all complain that it does not wait for train if it is late at night. Last night it did, so son thanked new driver when he got off at stop near our place. Driver was horrified at the lack of waiting and said,” You mean to say my drivers won’t wait? We’ll see about that.” He then said he would not expect driver to wait if train was very late as it can be. There are often disruptions. However he said they should wait a few minutes, especially on winter nights when it is dark early and cold.
In local NSW police news, they posted an update one paragraph of which I had to share with you all:
The man got out of the car, and was directed by police to cover his exposed genitals. He then threw an item under the vehicle, and attempted to swallow a balloon.
Up in the Northern Rivers. Had many a summer holiday there. Never recall seeing anything like that.
Wouldn't have happened in my days there (rolls eyes)
Having reached the 3 month mark after my cardiac arrest and hospitalisation, I am now moving ahead with rehabilitation. Twice a week at the local hospital, I walk almost a kilometre, pedal a recumbent exercise bike the equivalent of about 1200 metres and do weight and other upperbody exercises. I am seeing the increase in my stamina at home, as I can work around the house and in the garden for hours at a time, rather than the short periods prior to my attack.
Not feeling quite myself having popped into hospital with what turned out to be a cellulitis infection. Obviously. not life-threatening; they kept me in two nights and sent me home with antibiotics and instructions to keep my leg up, at which I am not very successful. Friends and neighbours kept arriving with gifts and offers to help and best of all Son, in Belarus with his New Zealand team of young scientists for an International contest, arrived back the day I was discharged, in time to bring me home before jet-lag set in.
The NZ team won gold medals, just ahead of the Swiss this time. (Last year in Tbilisi the Swiss beat us). Croatia came next. Sponsored by the Royal Society, but organised by some Russian scientist I think. The year before last they met in China.
A lovely day here. Rain, gentle but steady. A month of soaking rain would be lovely.
Everyone else is out. And both cats seem to be hibernating so I have been quiet. Last night I unpacked some books and found Swallowdale the second book in Swallows and Amazons series. So this morning I had a poke around in Kindle books and downloaded the first book. Just the thing for a damp, quiet day. Problem is, I have finished it.
There are heaps of books in the series though, I ended up ditching Amazon because it was too easy to keep down loading series and blowing my budget. The library has heaps of e-books, but the downside is that some other annoying person is usually reading the ones I want. That won't happen when I rule the world.
On a sadder note I see that Ray Henwood has died. I enjoyed his acting both in theatre and on TV. I particularly remember him in "Waiting For Godot" and a local comedy called "Mothers and Fathers" at Downstage. He had the kind of voice that was pleasant to listen to. Apparently he has a son, Dai who is a comedian.
I used to think of Ray as the Professional Welshman.
I see Dai regularly on TV, especially on Friday night on Seven Days (one of the few programmes I stay up a bit later for). And of course Ray's wife is a High Court judge. We had her as a guest at a Matariki event we put on in Wadestown one year, part of which was 'telling your stories'.
Rain!!! How lovely. May it continue for days, widespread too. Then a break, and then some more. Highway here is closed from Leura to Bathurst because of snow and there are pictures of quite thick snow at Lithgow. Certainly colder than the last few days, but the rain is so welcome.
This house is very quiet, solid, well built double brick and extra ceiling insulation. I have been enjoying listening to the rain.
Our 2000 litre rainwater tank, used for gardens, overflowed today, as we had strong wind and heavy rain overnight. Level 1 water restrictions had been imposed across the region for the first time in 25 years on Monday. We were the first water authority in the country to implement user-pays for water, as opposed to the previous unmetered system. It reduced consumption dramatically at first, but I think some of that has been unlearnt, along with population pressures contributing to a rise in overall usage.
An absolute corker of a fog this morning. When I got up at 7:00 am, there was not a glimmer of a headlight on the road, I could see perhaps two metres from the edge of the front verandah. Pool and cabana were invisible from kitchen window.
A friend drove me across the Southern Alps to Hokitika, my favourite small town. On the way the weather changed from warm sunshine to driving snow, sleet, hail fog and rain. Of course the worse of the snow waited until Arthur's Pass, where we had a toilet stop. As we drove down towards the sea on the Western side we saw trucks equipped with grader blades to clear the road of snow. There were also road works with some "rockfall mitigation" being undertaken by a couple of workers abseiling down the rockface. (I ticked off yet another job that I would not want to do - good thing I'm retired, the list is quite long. )
Coming home it was much colder and darker -though only 4p.m and most of the workers had gone home.
Hokitika is the closest town to the Arahura River where a lot of the pounamu (greenstone - a nephrite jade) is found. I was also interested to see that one of the shops had a black stone labelled "Australian Black Jade". I had never come across it before and wondered how common it is.
Thanks Barnabas_Aus, that's both interesting and helpful. In NZ all pounamu is owned by Ngai Tahu, the main Iwi (tribe) of Te Wai Pounamu, which is the official name in Maori for the South Island. In Aotearoa/NZ some places have official names in both Maori and English.
I was wanting something light to read tonight. Have exhausted book shelves for now although there are more books to sort.
I remembered Don Camillo from many years ago and downloaded one book. Am looking forward to it. I remembered the general tone, if not the actual short chapters and incidents.
Big tree down at other end of our road this afternoon. Fortunately no cars or people were in the way. Police rescue van as well as fire rescue screamed down in front of our place. RFS also attended.
Saturday is the first anniversary of the opening of Turanga, the Central library in Christchurch. It has had over a million visitors in that year.
The city population in August 2019 was 396,882.
I would probably have been counted over 100 times.
Until I retired from local government I was one of the leaders of a campaign to increase funding from the state government for public libraries within our state. This year my successors in the peak body were successful in obtaining commitments from both sides of politics to double the contribution over the next four years to ultimately reach $60million pa, which was enacted in the state budget following this year's election. Local councils still do much heavy lifting but this was a significant victory backed up by huge community support.
So much of the former village green component of society now resides in our libraries, along with the social supports for many of our most disadvantaged citizens which other entities have discontinued or neglected.
Barnabas, you are a star. I think libraries are essential for the wellbeing of a community.
After the Mosque attacks here the libraries responded with condolence books that could be signed or illustrated and with displays of books about the various countries migrants come from, as well as books about Islam.
Oh how wonderful! What a response!
My daughter takes her little boys (4 years and 1 year) there often on Sunday arvo to the toy floor. She'd get the bus just outside the house and it was a "kneeling bus" so easy with the stroller as well and it dropped them right by Turanga
My three loved the local library when young. A good place to spend heatwave day too. All are readers even now so childhood habits hang on. Their primary school produced a musical each year and they were in cast. Teacher responsible for tracking script and characters in a classroom could not find my sons. They were out of the mayhem, under a table reading. Each of them.
33 deg here the other day, 10 yesterday after hitting 11 and going down. This morning it is 9 here. But lovely rain. Lots yesterday and more overnight.
Wehave been planting. After months of tradies and home improvements we have turned to garden. Lots of annuals and herbs and a pile more to plant. Several magnolias of varying sizes and colours, five silver birches. A couple of old fashioned roses. The rain will settle them in well and be good for all the other shrubs and trees here.
Niece from Maroota has several hundred acres at Gulgong and has some cattle on it. She has two sprinf fed dams and another. They had 32 mm yesterday, wonderful for spring growth.
Our last sleep n the Highlands for this trip. After breakfast, we'll be packing up, then driving to Inverness. Train from there to Edinburgh, and flying home from there. We enjoyed it, damp and chilly as we had both expected and wanted. Not much travelling around but we now have a pretty good idea of Fort William shopping - it will be good to get home and gave decent coffee!
The teenager was enthusiastic this afternoon and got brushcutter out to do edges of back lawn and the mowed it with motor mower. I hope the enthusiasm lasts till tomorrow and he does enormous front yard with ride on mower. Some rain and some heat and it is in need of a tidy up.
Comments
Happy Birthday Mrs Curly! Sounds like a great event.
Stay warm you eastern and mountain residents...I've been following the Big Chill news on the ABC. It also had some newspaper clippings, drawings and photos from previous snow events in the capital cities and in regional areas which were interesting to read.
I took today off to do some work on my Master's assignments. 13:36 and I think a grand total of 30 minutes have been spent. Oh well...the rest of the afternoon may prove more productive.
That is all.
Very,
Stay warm. Soups and slow cooked casseroles and scones for morning tea.
Thus, averages can deceive. There was also the unmulled red wine, the beer, cider, the white wine and the bubbles.
mr curly
Meanwhile I overnighted at The Southernest City. It was cold. I returned (via icy roads) to Souther than 45. It is cold.
Darwin, come back. All is forgiven.
Spooky, the cat from down the road formed a welcoming Committee of one. I will pick Aroha up from the cattery tomorrow morning.
Glad you're back home, and that the local cat welcomed you home.
Ian the Lower Hutt bus service was better when my now 60 year old brother was born. When I was a child all the drivers lived locally and were known in the community. Mr Lines was the best. He once re-routed a bus slightly to drop us off at home when we had too much shopping, two sleepy toddlers and two cranky school aged kids.
Mum was really grateful and probably made a thank you cake.
Another personally delivered my lost wallet on his way home. He told Mum he knew me as "the girl who was always running for the bus,"
These days I try to time it better.
I see in the news that not content with once having a giant parrot NZ was also home to a penguin the size of a person!
Wouldn't have happened in my days there (rolls eyes)
Meanwhile I'm off to our Third Island™ for a couple of days.
Zappa - I'm jealous.
The NZ team won gold medals, just ahead of the Swiss this time. (Last year in Tbilisi the Swiss beat us). Croatia came next. Sponsored by the Royal Society, but organised by some Russian scientist I think. The year before last they met in China.
Everyone else is out. And both cats seem to be hibernating so I have been quiet. Last night I unpacked some books and found Swallowdale the second book in Swallows and Amazons series. So this morning I had a poke around in Kindle books and downloaded the first book. Just the thing for a damp, quiet day. Problem is, I have finished it.
On a sadder note I see that Ray Henwood has died. I enjoyed his acting both in theatre and on TV. I particularly remember him in "Waiting For Godot" and a local comedy called "Mothers and Fathers" at Downstage. He had the kind of voice that was pleasant to listen to. Apparently he has a son, Dai who is a comedian.
I see Dai regularly on TV, especially on Friday night on Seven Days (one of the few programmes I stay up a bit later for). And of course Ray's wife is a High Court judge. We had her as a guest at a Matariki event we put on in Wadestown one year, part of which was 'telling your stories'.
This house is very quiet, solid, well built double brick and extra ceiling insulation. I have been enjoying listening to the rain.
Coming home it was much colder and darker -though only 4p.m and most of the workers had gone home.
Hokitika is the closest town to the Arahura River where a lot of the pounamu (greenstone - a nephrite jade) is found. I was also interested to see that one of the shops had a black stone labelled "Australian Black Jade". I had never come across it before and wondered how common it is.
I remembered Don Camillo from many years ago and downloaded one book. Am looking forward to it. I remembered the general tone, if not the actual short chapters and incidents.
(Isn't it funny how "grown up" and "adult" in this context mean two different things?).
The city population in August 2019 was 396,882.
I would probably have been counted over 100 times.
So much of the former village green component of society now resides in our libraries, along with the social supports for many of our most disadvantaged citizens which other entities have discontinued or neglected.
After the Mosque attacks here the libraries responded with condolence books that could be signed or illustrated and with displays of books about the various countries migrants come from, as well as books about Islam.
My daughter takes her little boys (4 years and 1 year) there often on Sunday arvo to the toy floor. She'd get the bus just outside the house and it was a "kneeling bus" so easy with the stroller as well and it dropped them right by Turanga
Wehave been planting. After months of tradies and home improvements we have turned to garden. Lots of annuals and herbs and a pile more to plant. Several magnolias of varying sizes and colours, five silver birches. A couple of old fashioned roses. The rain will settle them in well and be good for all the other shrubs and trees here.
Niece from Maroota has several hundred acres at Gulgong and has some cattle on it. She has two sprinf fed dams and another. They had 32 mm yesterday, wonderful for spring growth.