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? 

Cat hunting and catching a train

Phyllis went out sometime around midnight last night to 'escort' Kosov home. I was in bed at 11 and I didn't hear him leave. He said the bus didn't turn up, I expect he was late and missed it, so came back home, to Jass created havoc. He told me this morning she had knocked down a sword from their bedroom window ledge and a plate on the lounge room shelves, and when he returned she was sitting on top of  the fridge, which I've never see her do. 

What I noticed when I got up, were small clumps of her fur all over the place, evidence that she had been running around, and her being nervous. It wasn't a little fur, it was a lot. 

I do remember that when I got up in the morning, the balcony door was slightly open, not enough for her to get out. It is too heavy for her to move, but my guess is an insect or more than one came in and she had being in pursuit, and she had been very excited. She hid for most of the day under the lounge chair. 

The new mayor of New York City is very pro public transport, yet flew to meet #47 in Washington DC, when the train trip is only three hours, zooming along at 255/160. How disappointing. What could have a been a positive media story for him, was not. 

Later: My guess was correct. Jass had been chasing a bug. I don't know why he didn't tell me in the first place. There was an insect wing sticking out of her poo the next morning. 

Sydney Summary

I enjoyed my visit to Sydney, but of course I was pleased to get home. Sydney is quite some city and it should be all tourists' prime destination. Many Sydney visitors won't be used to using public transport, but it is truly the best way to get around the city. I didn't need a cab or an Uber once. As a card carrying Senior, the daily cap of $2.50 to use trains, trams, buses and ferries is a bargain. For full fare payers, the daily cap is $20 Monday to Thursday and $10, Friday to Sunday (AI generated, check yourself). 

But, was it a good idea to visit a city I know so well, stay in the same place and do much the same as what Ray and I used to do? I don't really think it was. Cathy picked up on something I must have said, and yes, since I returned, I've felt somewhat fragile and emotional. At times I feel overwhelmed with sadness, but it is brief and I just get on with my life. Forty five years is a long time to spend with someone, and then they are suddenly no longer there. In a way, it was like a reason for being was taken away. I suddenly had no obligations or responsibilities beyond my own needs. 

Here is some advice for helping people who are grieving. Yes, by all means be there for them in the immediate period afterwards, but 3 months later, 6 months later, 1 year later, 2 years later, ask them how they are doing with a direct reference to whoever has died. I would have liked that, but no one has done so with me.

Some of you have been through this already, and could add to what I've written, and some of you will go through this. You will have a lot of administration to do, and just get on with it. Getting angry with idiotic bureaucratic processes passes the time. Socialise as best you can. But most of all let your eyes water. It your party and you can cry if you want to. Crying and deep sobbing is nature's way of dealing with grief. 

When you post nearly daily, you select a time to post, and my blog posts are normally scheduled at 5.00am EAST, a time I judged to suit the early rising late Sue. 

A scandalous building disaster

I remember when this building was constructed and I didn't like it much. The developer breached the height limit by over one metre above what was shown in the plans and was fined a small amount with the appropriate government minister Robert McClelland quite untroubled. He was a  shocker of old school arrogant conservative politician. Shame on him, and he is still alive at the age of 91.This was at the time when evil Victorian Premier Kennet in the 1990s had privatised building inspectors roles, and it was signed off as ok, even though it clearly wasn't.

It is in a very dominant location at the corner of Commercial Road and Punt Road, South Yarra, and is called South Yarra Square.

I don't know of any other similar building in greater Melbourne being as bad as this. I feel so bad for the innocent and naive who may have bought into this building, and the original buyers. The apartments are clearly unsaleable, with them being only good for tenants, if tenants don't mind the fire risk and the risk of building collapse. The next time you hear anything about deregulation of  building inspections, be afraid.

From the blog of Rohan Storey.

My photos, taken very quickly between trams.