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Believe it or not, I haven't had an alcoholic drink! New laptop I bought at Geelong Officeworks - new Keyboard and small screen - that is what I am blaming 😉

It's easy to upset someone in a Pub if you aren't a regular, or read the BAD DRUNK signs quickly enough. . It only takes ONE. nev

I'm more worried about him flapping the guns in a pub.

Only a couple of letters out. Maybe it's some sort of test, or he's worried about being followed. There's a heap of surveillance cameras in London. Malborn is not like that. Nev

Where/what is Melnoiurne?

So when my son and partner picked us up from the airport they were planning to go to their sea shanty at the pub club. They asked if we would like to come? We had a brilliant time drinking beer and singing shanties. Many obscure shanties. They also make up the verses for the crowd to join in at the chorus. They have written shanties about public transport and current political issues. The crowd varies in age from 10 to very old. Most people seem to be in their 20s or 30s They sang this shanty bellow in honour token Australian. We had an absolute ball and intend to find a club like this near us.

Friday evening was a night flapping the guns with my mate, who is about 40, single, and lives in teh CBD. He works for an Aussie Bank. We were at the Harp and Hound, which used to be the Sports Tapp or some such establishment. It wasn't a bad pub; He was in Guinness and I was on lemon, lime and bitters I took the train in form East Camberwell to Flinders St, via the City Loop. The trains are a little bland, but quite nice and clean. And while the city is abound with graffiti, there wasn't much or any that I noticed - on the way in or out. Flinders Street has had an upgrade or two, but still, as it has always been IMHO, a bit of a crap station - the facade excepted. The toilets were a pit - much worse than anything I saw in London.. I am getting used to the trough style of urinals - in the UK, they are mainly individual tear-dropped porcelain urinals... But I don't mind either.. But the state of them i terms of cleanliness was bordering on unattended old footy ground dunnies.. I wallked down Elizabeth street to Collins Street; up Collins Street to Queen Street and then a right towards Bourke Street where the pub more or less is. I followed the same route back to Flinders Street for the train home. I passed a couple of night clubs t about 11:30pm, of which for some, queues were forming. There was not much to report - younger set mostly with smiles on their faces and talking seemed enjoying themselves. All seemed very well behaved - but it was early. The Flinders street end of that part ofthe world is still a bit grotty.. On the train at about 10 to midnight and it went via the loop. Again a lot of the younger set and very well behaved - many going home for their shift of partying or drinks after work. It was a pleasant atmosphere to be honest. Although for some reason, my prostate decided it would grow and I had an urgent urge to go to the loo, so I had to decamp at Richmond, praying they had toilets and they were open. They did, and they were, and they were a pleasant experience compared to Flinders Street. There were people coming and going through the station - the drum of a night club nearby was providing a steady stream of foot fall. But, the rail dunnies being open on what seemed an unattended inner suburban station at that time of night was a dream. Then I realised, I could have got a train home from Richmond at up to close to 1am.. This is about an hour and h half later than one from London (Tubes run a little later). So, Melbourne does cater much better for its revellers than London. Back to the pub they had an Irish folk band who were reasonable. My mate wanted to know what my impressions of Melnoiurne were on the basis he may now be acclimatised. I explained that it is a 20 year gap, because although I have been here a few times since, up until this one, they were all mercy dashes for a couple of days to handle th mercy. This mercy dash I decided to allow myself enough time to take some time out. He was particularly interested in whether or not I thought Melburnians seemed happy. I can't answer that without some sort of polling, but I mentioned they seemed more content wherever I have gone. There is an air of people who walk around with almost smiles on their faces and the pace is more relaxed. He mentioned that at his job, the work life balance is excellent and gave reasons why.. so much different to London, yet we work in much the same area. In the UK, people walk around with an almost grimace on their face and in London, everything is head-down, rushed, and almost elbows out. So Melbourne (and I guess, Australia), wins on that one.

He also played for South Australia in the early 60s and he helped them with the Sheffield Shield.

In Australia, as in its other plants, Cadbury's changed the recipe for milk chocolate by reducing the expensive cocoa butter content and replacing it with palm oil. That ruined the flavour. Australians, and New Zealnder protested by withdrawing purchases. Cadbury's had to return to the original recipe at its Australian plant. However, it did not do the same in its other plants. Jerry, you should stock up on Cadbury's before you go back to the Old Dart. You could make a fortune selling the real thing.

When I was a kid my Dad raised a few pigs as a side hustle. He used to buy 44 gallon drums of chocolates from Cadbury's - deformed, had fallen on the floor, etc. Pigs loved them. Us kids did too 😄 Not sure how much they cost but he was a tight arse so it would have been cheap.

He doesn't respect a free and fair vote anywhere IF a Socialist Government is elected. They supported Pinochet (mass murderer of his own People) in Chile even well before Trumps time. I don't think USA has Antitrust Laws any more. Making MONEY is ALL that Counts. No matter how many have to die. Winners are Grinners. Their Pentecostal (charismatic religion is designed for the greedy and ruthless. DOG wants you to be rich. (Like Hell, he/she/it does.) Nev

The Republicans wish he'd stop going on about the 2020 election because it's not helping their chances, but at the same time he's doing everything he can to rig the November election beforehand and scheming to disrupt the results if the Democrats look like winning. He's trying every trick in the book to assert his control over the States' ability to run their elections, but fortunately a large number of State governors, both Democrat and Republican are determined to keep him out of it and ensure their elections are run fairly. It's amazing how in Trump's world, elections are only free and fair when he and the Republicans win but rigged beyond recovery when they lose.

When Cadburys was sold to Mondelez the quality & taste went through the floor and they introduced horrible American flavours. I know in NZ people complained & stopped buying Cadburys which prompted an eventual reversal & return of original flavours though the chocolate quality is still not as good as it was & most likely has more sugar in it. Mondelez also closed the NZ factory & the only site left in Oceania is in Tassie. Hopefully they won't close that & get stuff made in China like everyone else.

Trumps address to the nation is the latest example of his desperation. He now says there is evidence China stole the data of 220 million voters and that they meddled in the 2020 election he lost but really won despite multiple investigations and lawsuits all finding him 100% wrong. The problem is that a lot of his MAGA nutters believe him and this is the first step towards declaring a national emergency to prevent the mid term elections from being held. https://www.stuff.co.nz/world-news/361007861/trump-lays-groundwork-emergency-declaration-ahead-midterms

Australia The Good.... Good to see you are enjoying your visit. We are enjoying the great outdoors in Warambungles. A but chilly under canvas but it's one of those places I wanted to since .....

My friend Tony told me not to say his name backwards. I said, "Y not?"

That may well have been the case but if he had won he would have been hell bent on pushing for a constitutional amendment to allow him a 3rd term & if that happened the US may have already been at war with multiple states or more likely with itself. That is almost happening now. In a recent Yougov poll 28% of voters believe the 2020 election was rigged and 2/3 of MGAG voters alreay believed the 2020 vote was rigged even before Trumps address. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-07-17/donald-trump-national-address-ominous-sign-for-midterm-elections/106928662