Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Perl is out and about

Last week Phyllis asked if he could take Perl to a party in Box Hill. He hasn't asked to use the car for over a week aside from one trip to Aldi to buy bulk cat food and cat litter, so cautiously I said yes, where are going and what time will you return.

They met up with friends in South Yarra for a meal, returned here (I quickly turned on the full living area lamps to impress, but not the overhead lights), and they were here for an hour. The friends are a couple, she of Indian heritage and he of Asian heritage. Translating for English people, she is Asian and he is Chinese, except he isn't from China.

From my computer chair, I at times chipped in with a witty remark, as best as 68 year old can do with twenty year old's. 

They piled into Perl and off they went. I am pleased I have the front and rear dashcam. I looked at it today to watch what happened when my car went into for new car service, one month later after purchase. Jeez, all the motor mechanic staff are Indian. When you think about restricting immigration, be very careful what you wish for. Didn't we learn that post Covid when there were no staff for cafes, shops and other businesses? 

I don't like Perl being out late at night, and I've warned Phyllis and Kosov that if there is incident and they are under threat from a road rager, to not put the car into Park whereby the doors will unlock, but into Neutral and apply the electric handbrake.

The next time I drove Perl, all floors were covered in sand. Phyllis or Kosov, or both, will take the Dyson V7 Tiger with its short attachment to vacuum the car floors. I wonder where they went that was so sandy? Not my business. 

Later: Phyllis worked today, Tuesday all day at one job and asked if he could take Perl. It is a decent walk from the train station, and it was wet, so I said yes. Later he messaged me to say he was going to work at his other job, so the car is out for ages today, 10am to midnight. 

I am lunching with HH later today after she returned from New Zealand, and she may want to go somewhere that is easiest by car, so I checked and yes, the sand has been vacuumed out. 

35 comments:

  1. You’re very kind Andrew. Just wondering if you’ve got an Apple AirTag in the car, or does the car have tracking. I had my Mazda stolen two years ago and not returned, hence bought a new car and now have an AirTag in the boot. Marie, Cheltenham

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    1. Marie, it does have tracking via the dash cam, but I haven't investigated that yet. I am not an Apple or 'i' person, but Android offers similar, and you've pushed me to look at them.

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  2. You are definitely very kind, Andrew! I wish you all the best.

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    1. I am Linda, but when I am really old, I hope they are there for me.

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    2. Woah! That's moved along pretty quickly!

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    3. For overseas students, they do very well living here and they don't want to go anywhere. In a couple of months, Phyllis will have been here two years.

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  3. I wouldn't give my brand new, precious car to anyone, not even the prime minister. But if the money was available I would certainly help buy your friend a cheap, safe old car as long as he had a licence and insurance.

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    1. Hels, I did consider this but with tandem parking, it would be a bother. While between them, they could afford a car, I prefer that they are my car with all its 2026 safety features. I also prefer that they pay off there Indian student loans over spending money on a car. You have no idea, maybe you do actually, of the costs to overseas students. The government and intuitions get at them every which way. Phyllis is now a quite competent driver and on the whole I trust him, but as Marie alluded to above, the car parked out at night in the 'burbs, is at great risk of theft.

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  4. I am glad you told the boys about not putting the car in park thus unlocking the doors and I am also glad that modern cars have these features.

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    1. River, you can adjust the locking to only locking once the are reaches a certain speed and some other. I must check the other locking options.

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  5. Sounds like they went to a beach party.

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    1. It does Kirk, but they were as far away from the beach as they could be, and still remain in Greater Melbourne.

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  6. You are very kind to lend your Perl, Andrew. Sound they went to the beach but at least Perl didn't come to any harm as I'm sure the humans didn't!

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    1. I can't imagine that Margaret. The party was in the opposite direction.

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  7. Gosh the anxieties of fatherhood, the boys have taken your precious car to a party! I would have said no but you kindly said yes and then worried about Peri being out after 12 ;)

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    1. Haha, Thelma. I am a sucker, but a controlled one. They do the right things by me, quid pro quo.

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  8. Perl seems to have become more than just a car

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    1. Roentare, an identity larger than any other car. Perhaps because rather than the old car, this one was my choice and my decision alone.

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  9. Immigrants, insurance and safety regulations require us to have lifeguards at our community pools. In the summer when the outdoor pools are open, we can't staff them without immigrant workers. This summer we have three guys from Slovakia, and a young woman from Jamaica. I understand the service that employs them has six international lifeguards living in a two bedroom apartment in building 1 for the summer.

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    1. TP, they would be legal immigrants, or temporary workers with a valid visa? Many of our foreign workers live like that, including overseas students. Six male European male lifeguards in a two bedroom flat would be perfectly ok, but does send my mind drifting.

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  10. A little sand ... not so bad!

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  11. We were talking about attitudes to immigration today, too. All the men bar one working on our roof are Indian. The non-Indian is Romanian or Polish, I think. They work so hard and are so polite. Without them, we'd have to wait ages for the work to be done.

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    1. JB, it is more difficult in your country with the overseas refugees continuing to flow through your porous seashores.

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  12. You are very generous with Perl, Andrew.

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    1. I know Pat, and I will not be surprised if I hear 'I told you so', one day.

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  13. Now, isn't Perl YOUR car? It's great you're being so generous but I must admit, I feel more like Hels on this one!

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    1. Steve, I did drive it today for weekly shopping. I think a week before I drove a short distance to a place to change over with Kosov to learn to drive.

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  14. I hope there are no wrecks with Perl. They sound very responsible and reasonable. They sound like family now.

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    1. Strayer, they are both, and while I don't have illusions about the future, we do consider ourselves a family.

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  15. I think Strayer expressed my feelings best. Best wishes!

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  16. It is nice having some young people in your life. I have a couple.
    The "old" people in my life tend to make me tired with all their complaints
    about everything. They are miserable!

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    Replies
    1. Smiling often, laughing often. Rather different to my old life, Jackie.

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  17. You have raised up some conscientious kids.

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