I was chatting to a carpenter bloke about various things around the house, which helped solidify some of the ideas I’d been pondering for some time now. After years of inaction, I’m finally starting to move on them. I’ve had the Attic Ladders people come in for a quote, and they’re now booked-in to install ... [More]
In 2008 I started a project I wish I’d started earlier: Every few months we get out the tripod, switch the camera to auto, and take a photo of ourselves in front of the house. I got the idea from a newspaper article. Some of them are taken just as we leave on a weekday ... [More]
So, the new Samsung TV is a couple of months old now. (The purchase / First impressions). I’m still liking it. The picture really is excellent, though occasionally when it’s windy it seems like the old antenna isn’t handling the digital picture well, so the odd digital glitch occurs. Might look at an antenna upgrade. ... [More]
This feline visitor was in the back garden yesterday evening, waiting, watching. I’ve seen this particular cat around a fair bit in the last week or two. I wonder who got a cat for Christmas? Ah well, if it keeps an eye on the mice, I’ll be happy. Hopefully it’s kept indoors at night so ... [More]
Trip home last night in the pouring rain was interesting. Train was very slow going between Hawksburn and Malvern, as much of the rail line in the cutting was underwater. As the train departed Ormond, we saw the subway was flooded. On arriving at Bentleigh we waited about 20 minutes for the rain to subside. ... [More]
We got the trampoline six years ago. Problem is it’s been used less and less over the years, so yesterday we donated it to Emma and Nick and Zoe. I’m relieved someone wanted it, actually. The fashion these days is the trampolines with the netting around the sides, which this old thing doesn’t have. After ... [More]
An unusual sight: this visitor on the back door this morning. Not sure where he thought he was going, but hope he got there okay.
Oh great. The other day while opening the dishwasher, a “sproing” sound was heard, and now the door’s springy thing doesn’t work — that is, once open, it just drops down to horizontal with gravity, rather than a gentle drop or springing back towards closed like it was before. And it triggered an F1 alarm, ... [More]
This letter arrived in the mail. It’s going back Return To Sender. But note the rather ominous text on the envelope. Debt collectors? Overdue medical test? What could it be? (No cheating/Googling now.)
Letter the other week in The Age: Not worth the cost AM I the only person having trouble with expensive ”green globes” alleged to last 10,000 hours? Used eight hours a day, a globe should last more than three years. I have replaced the globe in one lamp four times already this year. I want ... [More]
Why are hawkers and chugger surprised that I don’t want them to waste my time?
And now for something completely different. Glasses. I’ve got a few different types of glasses in my kitchen, many of them remnants from previous collections. From left to right: (1) These used to come as IXL jam jars. You’d use up the jam, dispose of the label and the lid, and get to keep the ... [More]
Often when I listen to Radio National, I’ll learn something I didn’t know before. In this case, I was listening to Saturday Extra last week. Cutting power consumption? One item talking about electricity efficiency noted that enormous amounts of money are being invested in distribution networks, instead of being spent on measures to cut consumption ... [More]
My latest water bill arrived, and I’m feeling pretty smug about it because without even trying, my water consumption has dropped by about 20% compared to a year ago. A few years ago household use had been around 250 litres per day. A switch to a water-efficient showerhead in 2007 saw it drop by about ... [More]
I’m sure most men wish they could flick a switch to stop their facial hair growing. Yesterday, for the first time in well over a decade, I tried blade shaving. I had been pondering switching back from electric, since my Phillishave shaver’s rechargable battery is wearing out, and it needs a new blade and filter ... [More]
Star Trek TNG — We started watching them all about a year ago, and are so far up to season 6. I wonder if in remastering for DVD, they changed the framing of some shots — it’s surprising how often we spot a boom mike in shot. (Reminds me: Must watch the “Car Pool” interview ... [More]