I'm not opinionated, but...

Petrol prices: Without doubt petrol companies are profiteering during this world wide oil problems, solely caused by #47. The 'outrageous prices' of the Biden era don't seem so outrageous now. The retailers and the supplying companies are making a bomb, and no one is talking about that.

Lachie Neale: Creepy Australian football player who on camera punched another player in the guts. He was suspended for one match, but it was the Grand Final match, so naturally a way was found to let him play. For mine, he should have been charged with assault by the police.

A US AI company attacked an Australian medical system to seek information. Another AI company took that as being an ok thing to do, so it attacked too. Bring back the old days when there was only Google and Wikipedia. Matters of the tech have never scared me, but they are starting to now. 

'Ave a good one', (day). Suddenly English as a second language supermarket staff are using such slang as you thank them after paying. I don't mind it, but is clearly coming from management, with the hope that they are seen as dinky di Australians. 

Data centres: Massive buildings that from within consume huge amounts of electricity and water. Every year before summer we are warned by doomsayers that there will be electricity blackouts over summer because there won't be enough electricity to power our cooling. I think it did happen once in the teen years, but that was I think due to coal power station failures. One data centre can use as much power as a town with 127,000 residents. This is a huge issue to be addressed. And so is the water consumption, when in times of drought and water restrictions for households. There will be a huge pile on against the data centres and governments if the use of resources is not addressed and ensured they are renewable.

Electricity supply for data centres: Nah, we're not paying for underground cables. We'll, just put enormously tall high voltage power poles down your quiet and leafy suburban street. They did in one street and after another street saw that happen, they blockaded their own street by parking cars to stop the works. Already dug holes have been filled in. Who knows what Plan B will be.

A terrorist plot in England foiled by a farmer returning home after being at a party? Well done that girl, but was it? Much to the dissatisfaction of #47 and his bitch boi Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, the accused have been released on bail. I would assume the English authorities know what they are doing and such a decision wasn't taken lightly, and they don't need interference from across the Atlantic. 

Miss Manners in public: No one wants to hear your phone videos playing on public transport (young people), and no one wants to hear your phone on loudspeaker with what should be a private conversation (old people). 

The weekend visit to Daylesford 2

Mount Franklin is a popular brand of bottled water in Australia, well Victoria at least. Apparently the real Mount Franklin does supply some spring water to the bottlers, probably owned by the giant Coca Cola Amatil. 

"Andrew, do we have the time to visit Mount Franklin?" "If you don't muck around, yes. We do have a train to catch." I had ordered the motel breakfast for $10, consisting of cereal, inadequate light milk and toast with butter and spreads, with me toasting the bread to make the toast. I had brought some chopped fruit and psyllium husks to add to the cereal. 

It was a lovely twenty minute drive to Mount Franklin, with such pretty scenery. There was nothing to see there that I know of but it is a popular camping ground. Camping?? Quell Horreur. 

We descended down to the carpark shared by those travelling on the vintage train and those attending the adjacent Sunday market. It took a little time to find a parking space but I thought we were there in plenty of time, fifteen minutes before departure. This three wheeler was parked as we walked to the station.

How did the station staff know my name? Now I surmise because I was the last person who had booked and arrived. The train was almost full and the seats weren't reserved.

 

Oh, what a beauty. A Walker Rail Motor, mostly used on country branch lines, since closed after the Beeching Report rationalisation of Victorian railways in the sixties and seventies. The Walker is two passenger carriages, in this case one first class and one second class, with another centre non passenger carriage where the two diesel motors and associated workings are located. There was little intrusion into the passenger carriages by engine noise as we climbed from an elevation of 616 metres to Bullarto at 735 metres, a quite steep rise of 1 in 50. Bullarto is the highest operating railway station in the state. 

A travel poster at the Bullarto Station. 

With a ten minute turn around at Bullarto, it was back to Daylesford, making it a perfect one hour trip. We only had two seats for three people, so Phyllis sat on Kosov's legs for the whole trip. 

We found some food at the Sunday market to fortify ourselves for the journey home, with Kosov driving to the motorway and then Phyllis for the rest to home. Some more luscious scenery along the way.

Remembering Sue

It is one year since the treasure of the blog world Sue, aka Elephant's Child, went to her big kangaroo and cockatoo ground in the sky. I still miss her muchly, and you know she was a very early riser, and when I chose a time to set for my blog posts, I scheduled them for 5am eastern Australian time, so that she could see them hot off the press.

She was a step above being a decent and kind person. 

I won't go on about it, and you can read what I wrote a year ago here and you can check out her last post here, when the love flowed once we learnt of her demise.

Dearest Sue, you are so missed.

Monday Mural

With Sami and others, Monday Mural.

A little piece of Paris in a Melbourne lane.

Another sad memory post will be published in half an hour.

Where is she?

I am concerned about disappearance of Janice of Jabblog. It would have been nice if she could have posted 'Back soon folks', and we wouldn't be thinking she's been in a terrible accident or had a serious and unexpected medical issue. 

Of course you owe you blog family nothing, but personally, if I don't post for more than a couple of days and I haven't mentioned anything about being away on my last post, you can think the worst. 

The weekend visit to Daylesford 1

Phyllis had nails on for his weekend away. I knew he had painted himself with some brush on gold. It isn't showing in the original photo but seems to be here.  For the 90 minute trip Kesav with his L plates displayed drove to our first stop, for lunch at a service centre Hungry Jacks, Burger King in other countries I think.

 

An Indian family was leaving their car next to where we parked. Phyllis got back into the car and drove to the petrol pumps to pump some liquid gold into Perl, while Kosov and I went in and ordered food. Kosov ordered by touch screen, I went to the counter and ordered. Haha, my food was ready first.

There was a side area to sit, and I could hear some loudish children there. I noticed the aforementioned Indian family sat in the other space near the front. Look, I would have sat in that area regardless but I did engineer things a little for my own amusement by deliberately sitting at the table next to the Indian family. Phyliss returned from topping up Perl's tank and none of the family took any notice of Phyllis at his girliest best except for one, the granny. She stared at Phyllis with malevolent eyes. My mission achieved.

I drove up the big hills to see how my new car performed. With cruise control set, it kept perfect speed at 110/70 and she used the gears sparingly. I turned on the self steering for a brief time, and while it does work well, I really don't like it. Once off the motorway, I let Phyllis drive the potholed country road to Daylesford.

Looking down on the township.

King of the castle, who looks so much better with short hair.

No idea what the car brand is, but it is rather cute. 

We ascended this lookout tower, only to stare into tree branches and leaves. Phyllis and Kosov at the base looking for the fingernail Phyllis dropped from the top of the tower.

The lads suggested this place for dinner and it was fine. 

There are many gay people living in Daylesford, and perhaps this place is owned by gay women. 

Time for the loo, but which door? I guessed wrongly of course. Eventually I did find the very secretive gender sign. 

This cistern is a bit flash, with clear writing on which button to use, instead of symbols that often can't be instantly worked out. But isn't half normally on the left?

At our digs this camellia was blooming. We had missed the best of the flowering spring trees by a week or so. 

I think this is a Prunus Elvins across the road. What is its normal name? Flowering plum, I think.

Almost next to the house where the tree is, was a house up for sale. It looked nice. I investigated later.

Very nice indeed. I'll do a bit of a Bob here, but without his style. I looked up the house and here is a link. Remember I mentioned a lot of gay people live in the area? When the gays move in and make an area lively, it becomes a desirable place to live and property prices rise, as does accommodation I might add. Daylesford had an annual gay pride festival called Chill Out although the website says it is much more than that. The price of this three bedroom home with only one bathroom is AU$1,125 million, US$790,000, UK£600,000, €693.000. That's a lot for a country property, over 90 minutes from Melbourne and doesn't have a train service.

If you click on the earlier link and then the first photo you see, it will take you to full sized photos plus a video and a floor plan. It just an old man's ten minute walk to the shops, but the road is quite busy, used by some trucks.  

Some original features have been retained but it is all very white and looks rather 'done up' for sale. Nowadays, the lack of an ensuite for the master bedroom is big drawback, so it wouldn't be for me, but still, it's quite a nice house with lots of street appeal. 

Strandbeast

2012, Federation Square, Melbourne, Australia. More at the creators website.