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I always like (need) to have positive things to look forward to. Next week, Mrs Octave and I are headed off to NZ. This is nothing new, every year we do some kind of tour through and end up staying with our son, or we go on a road trip with our son. We are planning to do this later in the year or early next year; however, we have justified to ourselves an extra trip. My son and partner are having a new house built for them. They are painting the place themselves, and the builder has a quite detailed build schedule that they are adhering to strictly. My son and partner have 2 weeks to fully paint the interior, so we have (generously) offered to go over and help paint. We are really looking forward to inspecting the house because it is a little more high-tech than anything we have built or lived in. This house is a SIP build (structural insulated panel). The insulation rating is amazingly good. Another feature is that the house is amazingly airtight. The average Australian home is rated at 15.4; my son's house is 0.38. My initial question was, "Would not this mean that the air quickly became stale?" There is actually a ventilation system called an HRV (heat recovery ventilator), sometimes referred to as an ERV (energy recovery ventilator) Air is constantly pumped in. The air pumped out goes through a heat exchanger and scavenges the heat in the air going out. This place is so thermally efficient that they did calculations for the heat produced by their 2 desktop PCs (a plus in winter and a negative in summer). This house is being built on a jointly owned block that my son owns with is business partner and wife. They have lived in a huge house that is actually 2 houses in one for many years. The business partner couple already have a large house on this block. They are going to tie together their solar batteries and solar panels, which will equal an enormous 45Kw system. From this, they are planning to be at least partially energy independent. Charging 3 EVs has been factored in. Here is the site. The big house in the background has a bottom floor full of workshops for their joint projects. The engineering gear they have is mind- blowing. My son's partner Amazing double-glazed window facing the winter sun ( expensive, I imagine) Ventilation heat exchanger bits and pieces. This was the day they pressure-tested the house.

Can't work my wife out. First she says "Sure! Get yourself a tattoo." Now she's whining about the bagpipers in the garden.

We have a fat white goldfish with a red cap which we've named Trump. Bit insulting to the fish, but they share the same hairstyle, IQ, and belly to height ratio. Also, they both open their mouth constantly but nothing intelligible comes out.

Just pointing out something many may not have known.

I was on my way to work this morning and thought stuff it, I'm getting a coffee and going to have it at the beach before I start. My daughter told me on the phone it was -4c in tamworth, and here I get to wake up to 9c and this view. It was 14c by the time I got to the beach. I'm starting to catch on life is too short to let this stuff pass us by and work is not everything.

Have been visiting the extended family. Well at least those around SEQ. Really enjoying catching up with all. Especially the younger ones. Last night we booked in to a Gold Coast hotel for a rest. In spite of my general dislike for this part of the world, it is nice to wake up to the sound of surf on a beach.

Nah, he just edited out all his keyboard errors.

From the Guardian...

My Dad had one also, it was his first rangefinder camera after trying to use an old clapped out bakelite camera that someone must have given him. He took lots of family photos with the Neoca during the 1950s. In his latter years he gave me all the negatives which I still have, stored safely. He developed them himself and they look pretty good. Unfortunately Dad's Neoca was stolen, so, for nostalgia, I bought one as part of my collection, and also as a bit of family memorabilia.

In a post near the beginning of this thread I mentioned that I became interested in photography when a workmate of my father gave me a 35mm camera. Neoca 35mm - my first camera I later purchased a twin lens reflex camera which took a 2+1//4" film negative. I never got into film processing, taking my negatives and transparency films to a chemist or camera shop for processing. Twin lens reflex Then I went digital so I could do post processing on the computer. I bought a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 camera which had a 12x zoom lens, great for airport photos. Unfortunately I lost it at an Avalon Air Show. It was a particularly hot day, and at the end of the show I was heading to the exit, suffering from a bit of heat exhaustion. A staff person on a golf buggy offered me a lift to the first aid room. I placed all my goods, chair, esky, camera, etc. on the back seat. When we got to the first aid room the camera was missing. I was pretty devistated. I assumed it had fallen off when we bumped over a gutter. My wife found a secondhand Lumix FZ40 which had a 24x zoom lens in the Trading Post for much less than I paid for the FZ20. It had belonged to the late father of the advertiser. That is the camera I use today in addition to my phone cameras. Lumix FZ40 I have an old iPhone 6 whichhas been decommossioned as a phone, it has no sim card. However it takes good photos, is small and light and fits in a tee shirt pocket, and is very easy to transfer images to the computer. My actual phone, a Samsung Galaxy, takes probably slightly better photos than the iPhone, but is large, heavy, like a brick to carry, and is a nightmare to transfer photos.

Nuclear puts out a lot of heat and needs water, cost heaps to build reflected in the Price Private enterprise wants to do it. Nuclear test site will remain dangerous forever, effectively.Can't be used for quick response either, like Batteries or Hydro. Todays demand fluctuates wildly. Nev

As I was creeping into bed, she asked, "You are drunk again, aren't you!". "What makes you think that?", I asked defensively. "You live nest door."

The only permanent Nuclear waste facility I know of is Finlands Onkalo, meaning "cave" in Finnish, the facility is carved 430 meters (1,411 feet) below the surface in 1.9-billion-year-old stable bedrock near the Olkiluoto nuclear power plant. It securely stores spent nuclear fuel using a unique multi-barrier system. It took over 20 years to build & can store 6500 tonnes of spent uranium. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onkalo_spent_nuclear_fuel_repository About 400,000 tones of high level waste exists globally with about 12,000 tonnes added each year. Meanwhile there are scores of decommissioned Nuclear submarines in storage awaiting the waste from their reactors to be removed and stored. The UK has 23, The US & Russia have not disclosed numbers or where the waste is stored. Is there a plan to dispose of the waste from the Aukus nuclear subs?

I think this might be a little optimistic. Global stockpiles of highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel exceed 320,000 tonnes currently in storage, with another 120,000+ tonnes having been reprocessed. The vast majority of this material sits in temporary wet pools or dry casks near power plants, awaiting permanent deep geological disposal. [1, 2] he International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) tracks the global spent nuclear fuel inventory across power reactors worldwide. When including all classifications (Low-Level and Intermediate-Level Waste), the global inventory totals tens of millions of cubic meters, although the highest-level, most radioactive materials make up a very small percentage of that total volume. [1, 2, 3] Here is a video about how waste disposal works. This is not hysterical scare mongering, but I believe an accurate description of the process. The thing that strikes me is it is quite complex and thus far not much has been actually permanently disposed of.

Siso...You don't mention quick response considerations or storage. That's the game changer. You can easily research the real cost of these things IF you want to . Australia has a relatively small Population over a large area. A grid for any system here will be costly and damage Prone. Long distance equals transmission losses and higher power costs. Tidal and battery could be stand alone for some areas like Broome.. Really, what's Planting trees got to do with nuclear?? Some Countries are almost standing room only, and there's plenty of places where a big tree is a big problem. Nuclear Needs cooling and LOTS of water. Australia is one of the driest continents in the world but we have Wind and sunlight in abundance. Horses for Courses they say. Look at the condition of some test sites like the Marshal Islands. Nev

Very true, and this applies to all forms of power generation. I am not philosophically opposed to nuclear; however, I have not seen convincing economic modelling. If we were to go down the nuclear road, we would be looking at significant costs. Recent projects in Europe, the UK and the US have experienced substantial cost overruns and delays A question I would have is: Who would build them? Australia has world-class engineering and construction capability, but it currently lacks experience in several areas unique to commercial nuclear power, including: nuclear-qualified pressure vessel manufacturing reactor vessel forging steam generator manufacturing nuclear fuel fabrication a nuclear regulatory workforce for commercial power reactors Those capabilities would need to be developed over time or sourced internationally. Whilst transmission upgrades required may be less than for renewables, they are still substantial. Nuclear does have an enormous upfront cost and is only viable over many decades. In the meantime, storage technology gets cheaper and better. Storage technology continues to improve and fall in cost, whether lithium-ion, sodium-ion or other emerging technologies. Given the long lead time between deciding to build a nuclear power station and generating the first power, storage technology will continue to advance. I think some time ago you mentioned that you have a historically fantasic feed in tariff from your retailer, so I imagine you are doing alright. My power bills have gone up; however, the solar keeps it cheap compared to other bills I have. For my household, investing further in rooftop solar and storage is likely to reduce my electricity costs far sooner than waiting for a fleet of nuclear stations to be built. Ultimately, I'm less interested in whether a technology is labelled "renewable" or "nuclear" than whether it can deliver reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible electricity for Australians. At this stage, I haven't seen convincing evidence that a nuclear pathway would provide a better overall outcome, particularly given the costs and construction timeframes involved.

Sam was a great actor and an all round fine human being. A genuine nice guy. I loved his book "Did I ever tell you this" a series of his memoirs he put together after finding out about his cancer diagnosis. Sir Sam Neill I will miss you

How much BLOOD does Trump Have on his Hands, NOW? Nev

Finally had my Cochlear Assessment testing done today. The residual hearing in my left ear is so degraded, I would benefit from an implant in that ear. My right ear has more residual hearing than the implant would replace,so they would only implant one. Many people pair an implant with a normal amplifying aid. The young lady conducting the test was amazing. She sat one side of the desk and I was on the other. She placed a page of typed notes on the desk so I could read them, and wrote comments/notes UPSIDE DOWN perfectly clearly, as if she wrote that way all the time, ie., writing right to left and inverted. The report will be forwarded to the Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) specialist who will take things from there. It was a 70km round trip.

Bonnie Tyler has died aged 75. Had some hits in the 70s and 80s, most notably "Total eclipse of the heart".

Trump was sitting with Zelensky during the NATO meeting and talking with the press. Someone asked Trump about whether he thought Putin and Zelensky could resolve the war. After waffling a bit he turned to Zelensky and asked if he would travel to Moscow to talk with Putin. Zelensky didn’t take the bait but just said, “Well, that’s a bit difficult. There are lots of Ukrainian drones over there.” The press laughed but Trump wasn’t amused.

Welcome back Jerry!

There's just two things I hate.... 1. The way things are 2. Change

I wish someone would tip a barrowload of sand on each of those Trevago guys.

Randomly, this might explain our significance in world politics.... To the global cats we are but a ball of twine

Maybe He wanted an Apostrophe but got a catastrophe? Nev

See how easily a well intentioned comment can lead to an international crisis! To misquote a well known (ex) president.... "The bombing will begin after lunchtime"

A 4:1 win is great result for Belgium. They must have been fired up for the match. Maybe Trump did them a favour in hindsight.

I think this article says more about Sam Neill than most I've seen. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/14/sam-neill-new-zealand-remembers-local-star

A feed-in tariff reduces an individual household's bill, but it is not evidence that the overall electricity system is cheaper. In a personal sense for those with solar a feed-in tariff has a great deal to do with a "reduction in power bills" In terms of the cartoon that reawakened this conversation. India is building NP but it is also aggressively building renewables: India aims for 500 GW of non-fossil fuel energy capacity by 2030, a central part of its goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2070. This is divided into aggressive renewable energy (solar, wind, and hydro) and nuclear power targets, coupled with specific green hydrogen and emissions goals. [1, 2, 3] Renewable Energy Targets 500 GW Non-Fossil Capacity by 2030: This is India's primary stated goal to shift its power generation mix. [1] Green Hydrogen: Under the National Green Hydrogen Mission, India aims to produce 5 million metric tonnes (MT) of green hydrogen annually by 2030, which will require an additional 125 GW of associated renewable energy capacity. [1] Emissions Intensity: India aims to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33% to 35% from 2005 levels by 2030 and increase non-fossil capacity to 50% of the total installed base. [1, 2, 3] Nuclear Energy Targets 100 GW by 2047: To support the path to net-zero, India has set a long-term target to scale nuclear capacity from roughly 8.8 GW up to 100 GW by 2047. [1] Regulatory Expansion: Recent legislative milestones, including the SHANTI Act and amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, allow greater private-sector participation and foreign investment to accelerate these builds. [1, 2] If we go nuclear or not, optimistically, we need at the very least 10 to 15 years of other means of power generation. If Australia stopped building renewables today and waited for nuclear, it would still need replacement capacity because coal plants are retiring. Option 1: Extend coal Possible, but: old plants become less reliable, maintenance costs rise, unplanned outages increase, emissions remain high. Option 2: Build more gas Gas turbines are excellent for firming, but: gas prices are volatile, fuel supply is limited, emissions are significant. Option 3: Build renewables and storage now This is essentially the current pathway: replace retiring coal with wind and solar, add batteries, pumped hydro and transmission, potentially add firm generation later. The advantage is that these assets can be built relatively quickly and reduce exposure to fossil fuel prices.

Sams parents were NZers & his father was in the military & stayed on in the UK after WW2. They eventually decided to return to NZ.

Oh, none at all. A good mafia boss outsources their violence.

The other thing that is becoming a pain is having to do everything on your phone. So many aps drain the battery quickly, and if you are stuck with a flat battery, or the network fails as has haapened with Telstra and Optus, you are stuffed.

And that's one reason we like to visit the sunshine state at this time of the year. Tee shirts n shorts!

US senator Lindsay Graham died suddenly on Saturday night their time.

Sounds very Interesting. Nev

So we have a written quote which states $1500 plus $150 GST. The company is licensed. It is perfectly legal to pay in cash. So here is the source of my displeasure. When I asked when we would get the bill he said, "it is cash only" The quote says this: Materials used to conform to current AS/NZS codes. • All material used are BHP Quality steel. • This quotation is firm for Thirty days. • All work completed is guaranteed for a period of 7 years. • 50% payment on commencement. • 25% during scope of works. • Full payment on completion. No money has been paid or asked for thus far, although we are not aware of what the neighbour has done. When I asked them, they said $1500 cash My and I stress "minor" annoyance is this. If they only accept cash, then tell me up front (this may have been complicated by sharing the tradie with the neighbour.) This company earlier in the week was fixing the roof of the local Bunnings. I would bet they don't ask Bunnings to pay in cash. So they seem to be a reputable company and they have done good work but demanding cash makes them look less than professional. I suspect they do a lot of commercial work and pad it ouit with a few off the books jobs. The other issue is will they offer a receipt (I will insist). My wider annoyance is tax avoidance (as opposed to tax minimisation, which is fine) The problem is if I pay $1650 will the $150 GST ever make it to the tax office? Back when I owner built there was a scheme you had to adhere to called the Prescribed Payments System. Every payment to a contractor had to be reported to ATO and you had to deduct tax from the payment. This scheme ended in 2000, and now it seems that for private builders, there are no obligations. The onus lies fully with the tradies.

I was in exactly this position. it was 9 years ago now so I don't remember the fine detail, but I did my own valuation and, from memory, I cut my CGT down to about $1500. I think I was creative but just on the right side of legal. I used to worry that I would be audited, but 9 years later, I think I am good.

I've built one owner built house and at the time a lot of contractors offered a cash under the table deal, with the selling point being you save yourself 10% GST. One problem with that is that when you eventually go to sell it, you've outlayed a lot of money and don't have any receipts for future CGT expense write-offs.

No, there's a full stop there if you look carefully. It's one of Jerry's shorter posts, but brief and to the point.

Trump never admits defeat in anything he is involved with. He will have some comment and blame everyone except himself and then state that if he'd been able to do x y or z they would have won so really even though it was a loss they won anyway (Just like the 2020 election).

My eldest son is 18 today. Couldn't be prouder of the fine young man he's become. 😊

I can relate to this. I mostly have 1 bottle a week, but these days Mrs Octave doesn't drink much at all so I end up drinking most of it. Whilst I am pretty moderate (mostly) if there is an open bottle, I will finish it. We are just experimenting with going out to a wine bar and having just one nice glass rather than a whole moderately priced bottle. Four times a year Mrs Octave is away for a week, so I tend to overdo it. When visiting my son in NZ I do fall into a bit of a trap. His household is pretty nerdy. They brew beer which is stored under the house and is piped into the kitchen. There are 3 taps with 3 different delicious home brews. A new addition is gin, which they distil themselves. There are bottles in a rack with a dispenser. This is a little problematic when I am cooking. Chop some onions, fill glass, saute onions fill glass, etc.

It sounds sad, but today marks 3 months a good mate has not visited at all. He actually stopped visiting in mid Jan, but popped in in mid Feb when another mate visited. And again, very quickly met up with me when I met an old work colleague in Mid March - but it was just a very quick visit that time - only one glass of wine. Of course, that mate is Wolfie (and his cohorts). Funny thing is, I haven't missed it. I got my partner a bottle of Plantagnet Chardy (a personal favourite for what you can get here these days), which she duly appreciated. I did sneak a sip and say to her, "This is a good wine, right" to which she was quite agreeable. I didn't like it at all! The most tempting time to have a drink was when I was in Frankfurt a couple of weeks ago. It was lovely weather and we were treated to dinner at a tavern, where the beers looked so tempting. Even when I was at the cricket with some Aussie and English mates last week - in the social club so with nice sit down meal and a flowing bar - I wasn't tempted. I feel I have lost a friend - and it is, in this case, cause for a celebration (Now I have to ditch the confectionery)

That story reminds me a bit of my grandfather. He lived alone for a lot of years. My grandmother died in 1958 and my great uncle who lived with them died in a car accident in 1963, then the grandfather in 1972, so nine years on his own. A neighbour rang him one day and noticed he sounded a bit odd on the phone so went around to check on him. He found my grandad with a broken nose and a badly swollen face after pranging his '38 Oldsmobile into a tree stump hidden in the long grass in a paddock. He'd been that way for about a week. That set things in motion where he didn't really bounce back at 88 years of age and eventually pneumonia got him. My dad was the same. Rolled the quad bike and broke the bottom of his leg bone and just kept working on the farm for a week like that until my sister visited and saw him with a foot half the size of a football. I'm glad I didn't inherit that trait; I'm not shy about going to the doctor if I think it's needed.

Windows stairs toxic nerve poisons and jails. Maybe He HAS NO Military hardware operational? ( I hope I can say this) But his Buddy, Trump Might give him some. Nev

Maybe he didn't want any military hardware at the WW2 victory parade because he feared some of it could be turned on him.😍

Well they have reportedly lost a million men & a lot of them were in military equipment. The cost in human resource doesn't concern Putin, it is the economic cost and opposition is ramping up possibly due to relatives of a million men talking to others, access to foreign media through underground processes, high inflation getting worse & disgruntled lackeys. He hasn't been seen publicly for ages so he must be pretty concerned.