Good trades people worth every cent

While I remain hors de combat and unable to drive a manual vehicle, Rhonda took the truck to work a couple of times last week - it's a manually geared vehicle, so I am not allowed to drive it for another 4 weeks (at least). Its a 1.5 tonne Holden Rodeo LT, 5 speed manual gearbox and a 3.5 litre turbocharged Isuzu truck petrol engine - a real "beast"

I was surprised 'cos for the past four years we've had it she has never attempted to drive it as its size intimidates her - but she is a very capable driver. We usually use it for towing the small caravan or on our trips 'up-country' which are frequently on bush tracks.

This image was taken last year in June when we were fossicking in the Canowindra region where there are a lot of Devonian Period fossils. Unique to the Canowindra area is a massive 'fish kill' incident that occurred 350 million years ago and were covered by sediment until the chance discovery by roadworkers in 1955.

http://www.ageoffishes.org.au/index.html  - Age of Fishes Museum, Canowindra, NSW

Anyway - that's another story.

On the two times Rhonda took the truck to work we had severe fogs and she discovered the fog lights were not working. Fortunately she had her headlights and the clear driving lights mounted in the bullbar.  Anyhow, I arranged for it to go up to the auto electricians today to be remedied. Our local auto electrician does all the electrics on the truck from secondary battery system to run out fridge freezer when touring, to electric brakes for towing and the rear video cameras. He's very possessive of the truck, so much so that when we came to pick it up he said in a gruff voice - "Who's been doing work on the truck?"

When we told him no-one and that he was the only one that had worked on it and we were able to nominate the most recent time when he had fitted a new battery late last year. His demeanour changed immediately as he grinned and said:

"Well!  That's alright than!  I must be losing it! The wire connecting the foglights to the relay was disconnected at the battery.  I must've done that!"

Of course there was no charge! It's great to have trades people who are honest about their own work and who also value their customers!

Weather and immediate planning

Such a cold and dreary time of the year on the Highlands of NSW just below the snowline, -5C yesterday and -2C this morning - top around 10C for about an hour during the day.

We are currently into our shortest week of the year (shortest day last Saturday, I believe) and following this we have about a month of cold, damp, frosty grey days before the days start to lengthen out, 'tho some days the sun is out, the sky is so clear and azure blue that from inside it is deceptive and gives a false sense of warmness.

Yesterday I made my first distance drive - 120klm return trip to Belconnen in the ACT (a really unattractive area of Canberra imho) - but once we drove out of the fog it was so pleasant motoring along in a warm car with the sun shining brightly all around.

I think I'm on track for a return to Wyangala in about 2 weeks time when Rhonda has her RDO. It will be a quiet trip, no 'bush bashing' as we were given a small Rinnai gas heater so I want to 'tee up' the gasfitter to extend our gas heating inside the camp unit by running a bayonet connector of the main bottle line to the lounge area.

If the weather conditions and the light are right there are two derelict hardwood slab and iron homesteads that I want to photograph before they completely collapse.

Happy 21 ....

On the 27th of May, at my Pre-operation assessment, I weighed 120.9 kg!

Today, on the 27th June, I weighed (and re-weighed on separate scales) and I weighed 99.8 - a total loss of 21 kg! That is very close to 3.5 stone under the old weight system

I know a lot of this is due to appetite suppressant effect of the narcotic analgesics but it is making both my knees feel better and I feel good about it as well!

Julia Gillard 1st Australian female Prime Minister

It's taken 109 years since Australian Federation, however, today Australia's very first female Prime Minister was sworn in by (female) Australian Governor General, Quentin Bryce.

Julia Eileen Gillard (born 29 September 1961) is an Australian politician who is currently the Prime Minister of Australia. She was sworn in as Australia's 27th, and very first female, Prime Minister on 24 June 2010 after a leadership ballot confirmed she had the support of the Australian Labor Party to ascend to the party leadership and become Prime Minister.


Gillard was born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales in 1961. Her father was a coal miner in Wales, and she has a sister, Alison, who is three years older; Nye Bevan remains one of her political heroes.

After Julia suffered from bronchopneumonia as a child, her parents were advised it would aid her recovery to live in a warmer climate. The family chose to migrate to Australia in 1966, settling in Adelaide.

Her father trained as a psychiatric nurse, while her mother worked at the local Salvation Army Old People's Home.

Gillard and her sister attended Mitcham Demonstration School, and then graduated from Unley High School in 1978. She then attended the University of Adelaide, and on graduation moved to Melbourne to work with the Australian Union of Students (AUS). In 1987 she graduated from the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Laws degree and with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1990.

In 1987 she joined left-leaning law firm Slater & Gordon at Werribee, working in the area of industrial law. In 1990 at the age of 29, she was admitted as one of their first female partners.

In this writer's humble opinion, having a Welsh mother and a deep feelings for my ancestral roots, it is really great to not only finally have a female who deserves and has earnt the post of this nation's leader but to also know that she has a strong Welsh background herself!

Caiff yn ffaglu 'n goch gwallt a chwedleua cara bupur botio. Mai Celi llywia 'i balf!

Mouse Gornnnn!

Up early this morning - Rhonda on a 'training day', so our usual routine all out of kilter - and went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea.  "Denny-the-Dog" followed me in to the kitchen and made a bee-line for the corner of the cupboards and stood there looking intently upwards with his tail wagging - unusual for him as the first thing he wants to do is to head outside!

Had a look and found one dead grey field mouse in one of the traps in the little 'runway' they were following between the stove and the bread bins.

Oh well!  Feel sorry for the poor little thing 'cos it was only trying to survive the cold of winter - but - should not have tried to make my kitchen its home!

Will set the traps again tonight in case there are any others around!

Some good news at last.

After more than 12 months since daughter Kat fled from an unpleasant marital situation to Hobart in Tasmania she has finally manage to secure a decent job. QBE have offered her a full-time position as a claims officer. Nothing huge but its a start and a leg-up back into insurance (which is a pretty tight shop in Tasmania!)

We are so delighted at this 'cos she was just 'treading water' as a part-time shop assistant and wasting her talents. More to the point is that she was at her wits end and believed that this application (one of the dozens she has submitted for various jobs) was probably her last chance to get back into work she does so well. All her previous applications and interviews were ending up - "Good, but we prefer someone from within the organisation!" Towards the end she was starting to get some referrals from interviews towards other jobs that she was qualified for but kept hitting that 'closed shop' attitude from other employers.

I think I'm becoming a Grumpy Old Man!

Rhonda has an unexpected day off today - to many staff rostered on her shift - so she elected to swap one of her days off and have the Saturday off!

Fine, What a lovely idea (when she told me yesterday!)

Today, and after nearly a week of coping 'home alone' each day, developing my routine and rituals, everything gets thrown on its head. Like, I wasn't planning on showering today as I did so yesterday and I'm house-bound at present (and its a wet and cold day) but .... No! She wouldn't have it and even re-arranged her clothes washing timing so that the washing machine would not drain off the hot water from the shower. Then there's the washing up from last night .... I usually do it after noon .... but today it had to be done after breakfast.  Breakfast - now there was another issue .... no lounging around in my P.J's, dressing gown and comfy slippers - get showered, have breakfast and then wash up!

Oh dear!  It is so nice to have her around during the day as it does get rather monotonous with just myself and Denny-the-Dog but I do wish I could just do my own thing!

Well, at least she found my lost rubber exercise band for my knee stretches!  Now how did that end up in the bottom of the bed clothes?

G.O.M.? I hope not! LOL!

PS - Found friend mouses' hidey hole behind the microwave. His/her calling cards cleaned up and a neat little trap set. I think it was after Denny-the-Dog's' "Carob Treats" which usually reside adjacent.