Teaching the kiddies to drive

He did it. While I wasn't in the car, Phyllis passed his test, and received compliments from the tester, and a couple of words of  advice. She made him reverse parallel park with a twist, on top of a spend hump.

I didn't quite understand what Kosov was telling me, as I don't think he did himself, but Phyllis couldn't take the test driving my car because of its electronic brakes! What? The car is four years old. Many cars have electronic brakes. Staff in the centre told him he had two minutes to find a driving instructor among the people there to in the testing centre to take him in the instructor's car. He did and kaching, an extra $180 to pay. 

Kosov and I stayed in my car while Phyllis underwent the test. Eventually I worked out that it was the electric hand brake that was the problem. I searched the VicRoads website and found the answer. If using your own car, it must have a centre mounted conventional brake handle for use by the tester or instructor in case of emergencies. That is, they can reach to the centre and grab the handbrake.

However, certainly at low speeds, my handbrake comes on if I lift the button and it is within reach of the passenger. I can't imagine it would not work at higher speeds. Phyllis passed, but he was annoyed by the extra cost, especially as he said the car he was tested in had the same electric handbrake as mine. Yes Phyllis, but the instructor in his car has a brake pedal on his side as well. I do think it should be made clearer to drivers who about to sit their licence test. They are already nervous enough without the extra botheration. At the end of the day, he would have had to pay regardless. 

I have a question for those of you who have taught their children to drive a motor car.

As learner drivers, you constantly correct them as you teach them driving skills. At what point do you stop correcting their driving and keep your mouth shut?

I think I will struggle to stop correcting Phyllis' driving now, even now he is a probationary qualified driver and allowed to drive on his own. 

Nevertheless, I am rather proud of him for passing his driving licence test. And just a bit of tiny pride in myself for getting him there in about six months when initially he didn't know which way to turn a steering wheel.

Next year it will probably be Kosov who I will teach, but he has a better idea of driving than Phyllis did, and he has often been in the car while Phyllis was learning. 

Well, I will be away for a few days, taking the lads to the countryside, that is Kosov's belated birthday present. When I say taking, Phyllis will be driving, and over the (treacherous?) Black Spur to a place where my maternal grandparents used to stay at a holiday guesthouse.  

Tata. 

Superfluous bags

I had a bit of a clean out of plastic bags. I still have plenty of old plastic supermarket bags. They are remarkably durable, a very good reason for them to be banned. Phyllis is embarrassed by my use of old plastic bags. 

I think this may have been handed out Melbourne's Midsumma Carnival. Interestingly, the website about STDs is still there and full of good information for gay men. 

I've never understood The Telegraph and The Daily Telegraph. I think they are both English and both of a conservative bent. Again who knows where that came from.

I will guess this came from my friend in Launceston. I've certainly never been in the Launceston Lighting Centre. The business is still operating. I wonder if Margaret ever bought a 40W frosted light bulb there?

Maggie Beer is a much lauded Australian cook, not a chef. Tv. radio, books, her own shop, instrumental in improving food in nursing homes. She is fabulous. But we never had contact with her, so where did the bag come from?

There has been a Dali exhibition in Melbourne, and we went, but we didn't buy anything. Again I've no idea where this came from.

I think this was to promote a sex lubricant, again possibly from a Midsumma Carnival. This doesn't seem to be available now.

I assume this is South Asian writing, a Phyllis bag,

In English, again a Phyllis contribution. 

After the arrival of Phyllis and Kosov, the Swedish Death Cleaning moves two steps forward and one step back. 

Ain't nothing like a dame

Sir and dame titles were removed from our honours in 1986, however they were briefly restored in 2014. 

Superior titled people is an anathema to most Australians. Nevertheless from my unextensive research, we still have 25 sirs in Australia, and 7 dames.

Dame Marie Bashir, once a Governor of the State of New South Wales and Dame Quentin Bryce, once Governor General of Australia, were given their honours in 2014.  

But just because Australia no longer has the processes of making sirs and dames, that does not mean we don't still award them, and do so at the request of what I assume are limited to Commonwealth countries. Of the remaining women for example, three were on the recommendation of the UK government, one on the recommendation of the Papua New Guinea and one on the recommendation of New Zealand.

It is similar for males, a couple in the 2014 period by Australia, but mostly requests by the UK government, one by the Queen (Sir William Hesseltine, for my UK readers), a couple by Papua New Guinea and a couple by Solomon Islands. 

Perhaps this is not of great interest to many of you, and it has shattered my hopes of outliving all sirs and dames in Australia. The last was appointed in 2022, and the youngest born is 65.

Dame Quentin Bryce being invested in 2014, after her term as Governor General 2008 - 2014.

 Me? I don't bend me knee to no one, comrade.

Monday Mural

With Sami and others, here is my less controversial mural for this week. 

A kookaburra on the right but what is on the left? A camel? A llama? An alpaca?