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Snakes

I didn't hear all the news item, but the gist of it is thus. A young couple were driving along, don't know if it was town or country, and the girl was driving. She ran over a King Brown snake. Her boyfriend got out of the car, got a stick and tried to get it off the road. The snake,(feeling decidedly snakey after the trauma, Sorry folks) climbed rapidly up the stick and bit him twice on the finger! He did not seek medical advice, but went home and not surprisingly, collapsed. Somehow, he was conveyed to ER and is in a critical condition in hospital. Now, call me cynical if you like, but I would have thought most people would know we have some of the deadliest snakes in the world, and therefore, would not have, a.gotten out of the car, but kept driving,b. would not under any circumstances have approached the thing. I guess the fact I grew up on a farm where we had frequent visits in summer from these animals, taught me to have a healthy respect for them and to keep my distance. My chronic lack of eyesight has also been a factor in my not getting close to them. I am utterly phobic about all reptiles, except Tortoises and Turtles. I would still keep my distance from their jaws. There is most definately a difference in country and city folk. They are different breeds!

Phones. The next threat to our health.

It is widly known that, medical boffins etc, have been saying for some time, that mobile phones are dangerous to our health, because it is suspected they cause benign brain tumors. Now they are saying that people who use digital cordless phones are at risk of the same thing happening to them. I use a cordless digital home phone, and will continue to do so untill or unless it can be proven unequivically, that it is harmful. I have an analogue moblie too, which is said to be more likely to cause these tumours. I have been using it for three years now. I wonder how much one has to use them for them to cause a problem? I don't use my phones very much , unlike some people, who always seem to have them' glued' to their ear.

Leaving his mark

It has been reported in the Advertiser today, that Mark Latham has had charges of assault malicious damage and theft, brought against him, for his angry outburst toward a camerman last month. He was angry because he felt that his privacy was being invaded, when he had taken his children to a fast food outlet for a meal. The journalist/cameraman in question was trying to do a piece about him on the first anniversary of his resignation from the Labor party. Now, some might say that it was a legitimate action by the journo. But was it? Was it an invasion of his privacy, due to the fact he is no longer in the public arena? Are there enough people out there who give a tinker's what this man is doing now? I think he should be left alone to get on with his life. Mr Latham threw a punch, and missed, then grabbed the $12,000.00 camera and took it away and smashed it to smitherines and then it was taken to the local police station.
Interestingly, it was not the paper or the journo who preferred charges, it was the police.
I think Mr. Latham needs to get some anger management counselling, as well as a life.

Tradesman, or as in our case, no tradesman

Yesterday at 3am, hubby got up to go to the loo, and put the passage light on and woke me. I asked him why, and he said the hot water service was leaking. I got up and discovered there was indeed a large pool of water on the floor. He turned the valve off, and I put news paper on the pool to soak it up, meaning to see to it later. When we arose later in the AM, it was still leaking. This is on top of the pressure pump breaking down because ants had eaten out part of the mechanism, looking for water. They have caused it to not function many times, but this time they really mucked it up. Neville eventually fixed the pump. It would pump but not switch off when the tap was turned off. Today, he wants to go to a nearby farm and continue splitting firewood, so he can load it on a semi, so we can sell it soon. He had hoped to be gone by 8 o'clock, but has made two trips to try to buy parts to fix the hot water srevice. He said he might have to empty the tank to be able to fix it. Thankfully , that has not been necessary, as it would have meant the loss of sixty gallons of rain water. He was able to buy a sealed gate valve from Faull's( plumber/tankmaker) for $5.50. Bargain! He has just done his usual joke routine, and said, 'What a bugger!' I had to ask. "What's the matter?" He said, "Bloody thing won't leak." I wish I could read his mind sometimes, then I would not get 'caught'

Being believed or not, as the case may be.

Last Saterday morning, at about 5 am, I rolled over in bed and promtly fell out and caught my eye socket on the corner of the bedside cupboard. I have nearly done this many times in the past. The problem is, I have a very painful back, and even a very slight bend causes me excruciating pain. Therefore, making the bed is not something I relish. About a year ago, I had a 6inch foam mattress but on top of the ensemble to try to aleviate some of the agony. Unfortuneately, it does not help much. This foam mattress is about 4-6 inches wider and much softer. I am a very restless sleeper, which is the reason I was so close to the edge. I developed a black eye as a result of the fall. Now, No-one outside of the family has asked me how I got the 'shiner' which makes things easier to explain, as I know they will believe my account of events. What I find hard to deal with is, other people who do not know you or your husband, will automatically assume the worst and look' knowingly' at you and think they know how you REALLY got the black eye. I find that mindset deeply insulting and offensive as my husband has never been that kind of person. Unfortunately, it is the 'norm' in so many homes. As a result of the fall, I have not been able to sleep soundly as I am still worried it will happen again.

Dangling carrots?

It has been reported in the local press,(city) that one of the prime power companys had dangled the 'carrot' of an offer of an extra $300.00, over and above the double time paymant they were aready entitled to, for any power techie, if they would work on Sunday and get the power supply reconnected as quickly as possible. It was also reported in the Press this morning, that many of the techies rang in to say they were available , but were not called in. While this, some would say is commendable as it was above 40c, I cannot see that they should have been offered extra money to do their job. Most of the Australian work force is made up of people who don;t give any consideration to incentives, but just want to do their job and make sure the service is running properly. I therefore, find it mildy demeaning of the bosses, to think it was necessary to offer the extra money at all. I know there are those who only do the bare minimum to hold onto their pay packet, but I hope they are in the minority. I wouldn't blame anybody for being reluctant to work in such heat. I know I could not. The power companies seem quite happy to charge the consumers exorbitant fees for their services, but are very reluctant to put any of their profits in to the infrastructure, to keep it running smoothly. So much for the privatisation of utility services!

Great Day in the Morning!

I have been reviewing some of my old Blogs, and came across one for 16/2/05 in which i lamented the lack of courtesy and acknowledement of me, and my status as a wife. Well, I am happy to report there is at least one gentleman in the world of business. I answered the phone last Friday, and was greeted thus. 'Hullo, Mrs Ham, how sre you today? Richard Harvey speaking." " Is Neville about?" I said I was very well thank you. Then it hit me. I said, "I am going to give you a prize." He was, no doubt, somewhat nonplussed at such a rejoinder, as I have only met him once. He asked me what I meant, and I told him he was to first person to acknowledge my status as Neville's wife. I said I would probably 'lose my rag' with the next person who didn't He asked how they addressed me, and I said they usually grunted,'Is Neville there?' He assured me he would never do that. I said I would probably ask them, 'what am I, Scotch mist?' He said I should tell them Neville had died and I was the boss now. I don't think so. Not my style. Richard is our stock agent and a very nice man.

Rodeos!

One of the things that I abhor in the human nature,is cruelty to animals. I think rodeos are one of the cruelest activities that some of the human race, so called, participate in. I have only been to about two, in my entire life, and I was very young, but they left me cold. Tonight on the news, I witnessed one of the worst acts of cruelty I have EVER seen. A bull broke his back, and had to drag himself off into the enclosure, and it was several hours before a vet was brought in, to put him out of his misery. In the meantime, the 'cowboys' were inflicting more pain and distress to the poor animal, by kicking it and trying to make it stand up, when 'blind Freddy' could see it was in agony! I left the room in great distres and in tears. Why do people, who are supposed to be of higher intelligence, persist in such barbaric practises? I think rodeos should be outlawed, and the sooner the better. Let these 'heros' find something else to do, to satisfy their ego mania.

Won't go there again!

Neville and I went to Naracoorte today, to do the grocery shopping, and a few other errands. As it will be his birthday on Sunday, I shouted him lunch at our usual watering hole. We have frequented this pub for years, as the food was good and inexpensive, and the service good, also. They have introduced a new specials board, with choices at $10.00. The usual specials are $7.50. I ordered pork schnitzel with parmegiana sauce, Neville had the $7.50 fish. While we we waiting to give our orders, he said to me in an aside, "Don't have any of the salads." I thought he may be referring to the fact they are laced with capsicum, which I hate, but when I asked him why, he said there was a huge blowfly landing all over them. Yuk!! We waited for nearly half an hour for our meal, which is longer than usual. There was a large crowd, as there were many elderly patrons today. Suddenly, one of the waitresses came and said. "Excuse me, we have 'lost' some of our meals. Could you tell me what you ordered,please?" It was all I could do not to crack up laughing. I managed to restrain myself, and told her what she needed to know. The meals were duly served about 5 mins later.
I was, to say the least, very disappointed to see the 'chef' had melted elcheapo tasty cheese on my schnitzel. It looked and tasted like yellow rubber! The veges were no better. THe cauliflower was nearly raw, the mixed veg, namely,broccoli, carrots & beans and sweet corn were likewise, raw in the centre and overcooked on the outside. The 'roast' potatos were like bullets. There was a dish of what looked like chook food, which I passed on. Neville had some, and said it was dry and tasteless. I have since discovered the pub has changed hands. I am seriously thinking about writing a letter of complaint.

Banking troubles.
Yesterday, I received a letter from a company who do Christmas hampers. Now, I have been happily receiving hampers from a rival company, but thought I would try this one, for some extra items. The cost spread over a year is not prohibitive, and is taken out by direct debit. I placed my order before Christmas, and was told how much per fortnight would be debited, once I had done the necessary paper work authouising them to do so. This was duly done several weeks ago. Since then, I have had numerous letters, saying they cannot access my account, because they did not have my details.
I had rung them last week, and the girl told me that when another girl had proccessed my details, she had not clicked or pressed the right button/key, and
she had rectified the problem.Therefore, I was most purprised to receive the letter yesterday. When I rang, the girl asked me, once she had ascertained she could not gain access, if I would get in touch with my bank and find out what information was need to start payments. I said I was going to Naracoorte the next day, and would do just that. Then I had a brain wave, or so I thought. I would ring the other hamper company, and find out what account number I had given them! After verifying my identity, I was asked how she could assist me. I made my request, but was told, "I am sorry, we can't give out that information."
I was stunned! While I applaud their vegilance in protecting my details and privacy, I thought it ludicrous she was unable to tell me, what I wanted to know, as it is my account. When I got to my credit union this morning, Rochelle rang them for me, to ask what account number they had/needed and was told the same thing. She got around it by saying, "I will tell you a number, and you say yes or no." She told her the membership number, and the girl confirmed that was the one she had. Rochelle then told her the account number, and suggested she try thet. Rochelle was flabagasted that they were having trouble, as that is the method they always advise customers to use, and they have never had any problems before.I was astonished to find not one, but two, further letters from said company in the mail today!! It would have to be me that hits a snag, wouldn't it? If, after next week, they are still having trouble, I have another idea up my sleeve. If that fails, I will just cancel it. Bah, humbug!

Not an auspicous start to the new year.

It sems a bit hollow to wish everyone a Happy New Year with the carnage on our roads, but nevertheless, it is sincerely meant. In the daily paper this morning, there is a photo of the latest crash debris, and it is shocking. The RAA is blaming the state of the roads. I say, if there were no humans in the mix, we didn't drive cars, and we didn't need great juganaughts of trucks to transport food, stock and other commodities, then we wouldn't have the problem, as we would only need walking trails and pack horses! But, of course, that is not being realistic. Neither is the attitude of road users, who steadfastly refuse to drive responsibly,ie:- when they are not tired, drunk or under the influence of other substances. Too many of them are driving without a licence or while disqualified. There is the case of the 16 year old girl who was driving a car, and was killed last week. Everyone thought she was in her thirties. Perhaps it was a case of mistaken identity in that they thought an older woman was driving. Until people change the attitude of 'I'm alright Jack, it won't happen to me,' we are not going to see any change in the statistics. The roads are not often the cause of the crashes. It is the tupidity and speed etc that are the main causes.

Another year shot to hell!

Well, that's that for another year. Neville and I had a very quiet Christmas Day. It was spent making salads and cooking meat for the next day. Our daughter and her family did not grace us with their presence this year, on 'the' day, as they went to the coast to do some fishing. It was a very unpleasant day, as it was blowing a gale, and would have been quite chilly down at Kingston. They did not catch any fish. Peter's mother, Margaret, is staying with them for a week, from Queensland. She will be returning in Feb. to live permenantly. I am not sure if that is dependant on whether she gets a job at the abatoir or not.
They all came here for tea last evening. Deb made a Coleslaw for me when she arrived. The boys opened their Christmas prezzies before tea. They only stayed a couple of hours, as Pete was not feeling well. Neither was Deb. It is typical though. He never wants to stay long.
The other day, after I had done the grocery shop, Neville got a block of Coon cheese out of the fridge. I asked him where it came from, and he said it was in the fridge. I said I had wanted to buy Coon, but it was too dear, so had bought Bega, instead. I couldn't work it out. Yesterday, Deb said she had left her Coon cheese here on Thursday. I said,"So, that is where it came from"
"I am sorry, but we have been eating it. you will have to take the Bega!" For someone who was not feeling well, Pete still put away a goodly ammount of food, including trifle and strawberries and cream!

Out of the mouths of babes.

Deb and Riley and I went on our fortnightly shopping jaunt today. On the way, I had scratched a sore on my arm, and made it bleed. It is Excema, and it itches, so I scratch. Riley asked me why I had a sore on my arm. I explained it was itchy and I had made it bleed. "Why have you got a sore on your arm, Nan?' I said I must have got a bite. Quick as a flash he said,'Did Pop bite you?' Deb and I cracked up laughing.

Can't complain about the service, coz there isn't any!

Last Friday, my husband and I went to our capital city, Adelaide, to do some shopping and deliver Christmas presents to my mother and some friends. After we had driven around the far flung burbs,for several hours, we called in at a shopping centre so I could get myself some lunch. It was 1.30 pm by this time, and I had been up since 4.30 am, and was ravenous. I went into a Subway fast food outlet and asked the girl for a Chicken Parmegiana with Marinashi sauce on a wheat roll. She got a white bread roll out and proceeded to slice it. I told her I asked for Wheat, not white, and I wanted the afore said chicken roll. She then got another white roll with cheese on top, and started to slice that. I stopped her again and asked wht she was doing.She said I had asked for a Parmgiana roll. I said I did not, and pointed to the huge poster in the window advertising the roll I had asked for. She tossed her head, and said something uninteligable, in a very rude manner, and slammed the roll on the counter. By this time there was a long queue, and I pobably should have just walked out, but I was hungry. I finally got what I asked for, and went to pay for it. I was told it was $8.00 something, and handed the girl a $20.00 note. She gave me the change for $10.00. I said, "Excuse me, but I gave you $20.00." "Did you?" she said. "Yes I did." says I."Oh, OK." says she and gave me the correct change. I will never go back there. I was bitterly disappointed with my roll, as it looked nothing like the ad on TV, and tasted foul! As my dad used to say, 'All that for nothing, how much for sixpence?'

Tatiara. (Aboriginal for The Good Country.)

This afternoon, my friend Sue called, and asked if I would like to go and check out the Treats of the Tatiara. This is an annual display of local crafts and one lot of home made wine. My aunt and her husband are friends with the chap, and gave my mother a bottle of his wine for Christmas one year. Mum said it was undrinkable, and would have taken the barnacles off the keel of a ship! Sue had a sample of it this afternoon, and heartily agreed with me.
There were not a great lot of crafts on display this year, which is a pity, as there are some very talented people here.It does not take long for the novelty to wear off, unfortunately.
I met a woman that had been my 'best' friend, 36 years ago, when we were married. Haven't heard a word from her since. She recently moved back to the district, and is making soaps and paper, etc. She was unable to avoid speaking to me today. Don't think I will lose any sleep over it, if that is the last I hear from her.
I 'shouted Sue and myself some pancakes and a cup of tea. Two small pancakes with strawberries and cream were $5.00, cup of tea, $2.00 . Rather expensive afternoon tea. The local cafe doesn't charge like that!