The personal

I had new venetian blinds installed in the lounge room last Friday. The old ones had a couple of bent slats at the door, one when Mother went out to smoke on the balcony and closed the door on the blinds, and on the other side of the blinds, where I stood up from the lounge chair and fainted and fell against the blinds. I had them cleaned about 18 months ago, and the man said they would not stand up to another sonic clean. They are 28 years old, so they've done ok. An internal part on one important blind broke, which pushed me to get them replaced.

Sadly for the money spent, no one will notice the new blinds, six of them, but I see them and I did it for myself, and for Ray, who would also be pleased. 

I had a nice afternoon tea with my friend Bunyip to celebrate her birthday, the afternoon after the blinds were fitted in the morning.

Phyliss and Kosov were out both days at the weekend, socialising with female friends. Sunday I wanted to visit the shops at Port Melbourne, so I took the car, and stopped off at the big green shed hammer shop for a charity barbeque sausage in a slice of bread with fried onions. I did't even go inside the shed. Then for coffee at the Port Melbourne shops and I bought a couple of things.

Car parking at the South Melbourne Central Aldi car park has become difficult on Thursdays, often being full by 10am. It never used to be but it is now. I needed a plan B to reduce my parking stress. Let me try Tuesday. South Melbourne is not open either day, so I thought Tuesday would be quieter. It wasn't. Phyllis and Kosov came, well Phyllis drove and we were just lucky and found a space quickly. Soon after the red car park full sign illuminated, instead of showing in green the number of spaces available. I need a plan C. 

The barista where I have been buying coffee for quite some time, the one who winked at me a while ago, has left after seven years, wanting to get out of hospitality. I'll miss him and his attractive Italian accent.   

I blame Ballarat because about ten days after visiting, my car displayed a map of all four wheels with tyre pressures and one was low on air, 27 whatever. It should be 34. Phyllis and Kosov were with me and I showed them how to pump up a tyre at a service station, a servo as it is called here. Two weeks later it had lost air again and Phyllis pumped it up this time at the servo. Yesterday I took it for repair and I waited an hour for the repair in a nice air conditioned waiting room while it was 34/93 outside, with free coffee and cold drinks. A small piece of steel was pulled from the tyre and I guess the hole was then plugged. How much did this cost? No charge. When I need new tyres, that is where I will go. Nice work Bob Jane T-Marts in Port Melbourne.

How do my old lounge chairs look? Ok for a struggling person? They are a bit saggy in the seats, but still look reasonable. There are swing out footrests and the backs recline. Phyllis put them on FB Market Place, for free. I called a charity shop and they weren't interested, even though they welcome furniture. I put them on my FB for free. No one wants them. Phyllis and Kosov said they could carry them, and picked them up to check.

So they will go in the hard rubbish collection when the next happens. This Friday, the new lounge chairs will be delivered. There is space for the old ones to stay until the rubbish collection. I've spent so much on my home over the last year or so, and much of it not really visible, but the new chair assembly will be noticeable, I hope in a good way. 

I haven't checked this post, so it is just raw.

Monday Mural

Sami and others participate in Monday Mural. This is a mural I snapped while Marcellous drove me around inner western Sydney last October under brilliant blue skies. Only later when looking at maps did I work our where we had been. 

Views

My apartment has good views, slightly north east, majorly to the east, to the south east and south, even the south west.

But my neighbour HH on the other side of the building, has fantastic views. There are advantages and disadvantages to both apartments. My apartment balcony gets blasted by cold and gusty southerly winds, while HH gets blasted by hot northerly winds.

I took a few photos of the views from her balcony. The first looks more like a view from my balcony...maybe.

City views, with the war memorial, Shrine of Remembrance, in The (King's) Domain in the foreground. 

The most prestigious boys school in Melbourne, The Church of England's Melbourne Boys' Grammar School. Some of the boys will go on to great careers, and perhaps some will become politicians. It is not unknown for some them to become very well spoken drug users and/or homeless. 

HH still has the easterly views I have. 

And she can see down St Kilda Road.

Ten years ago

Almost ten years ago, that is.

These were quite interesting clips, the first in Alaska, the second in Minnesota and the third in Toronto. The post may be a little slow to load. 

https://web.archive.org/web/20160219012656/http://highriser.blogspot.com/

And, happy Valentine's Day. Luv youse all. 

Friday Funny

Kitty Flanagan is a great actor and she is very good at stand up comedy too. In these clips she talks about tech and how non digital natives have adapted to the world of phones and tablets. And let's face it, if it isn't us, we will have all seen it happen.

Could I learn to text with my thumbs? I doubt it, and I text as I write here. It takes me longer to insert BRB and an emoji than it does for me to type it in full.

OMG, I am not suspicious but it is Friday the 13th today. TTFN.

The Brethren Cult

There are so many wrongs in the world and there always have been. We'll just ignore # 47, as the world is learning to do. Sadly the despot can't be ignored in his own country as the actions of a crazy man continue, and sadly his actions are affecting the world. 

Each day I wake to listen to the radio news with dread at #47 news and it just keeps coming, such as portraying the Obamas as apes. If he didn't do it himself, he employs people who have such an astonishing mindset. that they would even think such a thought. I am not keen on insulting women by calling them bitches, but that is clearly what his press secretary is, one Karoline Leavitt, and a stupid bitch for that matter. If it was a man, I'd call him a bastard.

I'd better get to the point, that's the Plymouth Brethren cult, as our right honourable Prime Minister has called it. But he has done nothing about removing the cult's faux status as a religion, and hence it is able to receive tax exemptions for its various large income streams.

You can do your own research about the evils of this 'church', but let me assure you, I've followed the reporting about this cult for many years in great detail, and it is a baddun. 

The members of the cult were called to arms to support the conservative party at the last election, whereby they aggressively harassed people at polling booths, as I experienced myself when I voted. Normally the interaction between opposing party supporters who hand out how to vote cards is friendly banter. It was not so this time. Tension sat over the queue of those lining up to vote. 

So, you get what the Brethren is about, and don't underestimate its power. 

But hey, it has charity arm, the Rapid Relief Team, that turns up at national disasters to help, in what manner I am not sure that is not already done by locals, governments and fantastic Sikhs who just feed people, and yes perhaps attempting to ingratiate themselves into Australian society. They are going the right way about it. 

From The Age:

The Exclusive Brethren’s Australian-based charity, the Rapid Relief Team, is suing a former member who escaped the church aged 17 after what she says was years of childhood sexual abuse.

has complained to police in her home town in Canada that she was sexually abused between the ages of about three and 12 by an elder of what’s now known as the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church.

produced a podcast on YouTube called Get a Life: Ex-Cult Conversations. The podcast focuses on what they say is widespread abuse and mistreatment within the church, which is run out of Sydney by so-called “Man of God” Bruce Hales.

Now the Rapid Relief Team (RRT), the church’s public-facing charity, alleges Bawtinheimer infringed its copyright in some of those videos. The Brethren charity is demanding a jury trial in California, unspecified financial damages, and that a number of Bawtinheimer’s videos be taken down.

Jass at play

 

Jass' hiding spaces since she arrived:

Under my doona/duvet.

In my wardrobe, after she learnt to slide the door open. Ditton the spare room wardrobe door.

Under the spare bedroom bed.

The linen press, after she learnt to put her paw under the doors to pull them open.

But now her firm place is under the lounge room chairs, where she runs to when she sees Phyllis, or even hears him moving around in his bedroom. This will  change in a week or so after the new lounge room chairs arrive, well, after the old ones are disposed of.

Jass did not take to me initially but to Phyllis and Kosov. But my quiet daily presence when they were at work won her over. I don't spoil her, rarely giving her treats, but I do feed her most of her meals. I am now a bit harder on her when I think it is necessary. 

I think she grew to dislike Phyllis because he is loud and full on. Kosov it gentler with her, sits with her on the floor and talks to her, strokes her cheeks and lets her sniff his fingers. I'm sure she'll get over her hate on Phyllis in time. She doesn't hate him when he feeds her treats. We should be grateful she isn't as bad as John Gray of Wales cat, Weaver, but even he is making progress with his enemy.