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It's a beautiful day. I'm going for a ride shortly. Thinking Bothwell way.

For a while now, finding the Money for essentials when living on the OA Pension is a big challenge and the Boss and I have a few Medical challenges. She had open Heart surgery about 8 years ago and I have a very thorough Neuro person who is always Making me do tests and imaging. Yesterday we were in Bayside St Kilda and a low flying formation Led by a DC3 flew above and out over the Bay at about 1500 feet with magnificent noises coming from it's radial Motors. That Plane would be well over 80 Years old and Pt Phillip Bay was like a Millpond. Other Places in the World are Being bombed daily by R soles. Nev

I'm doing a lot of thinking about the Hereafter. I go to a cupboard and think, "What am I here after?"

Wille, you have just described my worst fears. Although I am not alone, that path of losses and degraded quality of life is my worst dread of all. And not just for myself. I feel badly for my wife having to go through that on her own if I lose my marbles. But for now, we take each day - one at a time - and find something positive to offset the gripes - of - the - day. Last night we went out to the local historic theatre (run by volunteers fighting the boredom of ageing). Watched an engaging but forgotten old movie. Today is the first sunny day for weeks. And I have good reason to get out of bed; It's my turn to put croissants in the oven for breakfast.

The scary part about getting older is seeing the younger set going ga-ga over some historic, vintage footage, from ancient times, about 50 or 60 years ago - then you look at it, and realise you were there as an adult, and everything is very familiar! I can also recall when middle nephew (about 10) came home from school and asked his Mum (SIL) if she had any old photos for a school project. When his Mum said, "How old?", he replied, "Oh, from about 60 years ago, when you were little!" His Mum was 30 at the time! 😄

SWMBO is good at booking us into shows such as rock tribute bands or classical guitarists (she loves classical guitar), so we get out and about, and dress up and socialise. It's very necessary to keep up a social life as you age, or you just become an old stay-at-home grump. That's the reason I have my block in the wheatbelt, and all my restoration projects and shed-building plans and construction. I get out into the country around 3 times a week, that in itself is invigorating. I get a change of pace, and I get mental stimulation repairing equipment, buying (and selling) parts and components, and I get to meet new people in that country town regularly. My wheatbelt block neighbour is a fencer, and has an excavator, tip truck and a Dingo, and he's always coming in looking for a BS session, help with something, or even giving me surplus fencing materials and steel he doesn't need. He can't weld for sh**, so he always gets me to do little welding jobs for him. Life is good. We're off to see the Lightscape show in Kings Park soon, we went last year, but it was July 17th, and it was absolutely pouring with rain! You can't pick your day, you get tickets for a set day and time, and that's it - you take your chances with the weather. The lightscape show last year was absolutely spectacular. I took a swag of photos, then lost them when my Motorola phone crapped itself completely. https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=LSPTOURS26&utm_source=ovation&utm_medium=pmax&utm_campaign=LSPTOURS26&utm_content=conversion&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23841141822&gbraid=0AAAAADpZSCT_kspIAeL1Pye-3H_K2rlTo&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrZTRBhDSARIsAHidYfcriQwFvXDUHdq0eIP10u5K_mfUlQsVSlUoudQ4XtUW5aLccL7Dou4aAr1oEALw_wcB

We see a lot of normal cars and bikes with historic rego. Yeah, it makes me feel old. Worse still my bike, a model which I recall lusting after back when first seen in showrooms, is now on historic rego, same as it's owner. Not 'collectable' like OME's though. I cannot understand the logic behind spending maybe $20k and a thousand hours 'restoring' an old car that was never desirable even when new. But it seems many do. Nostalgia is an expensive thing to keep in the garage.

You know you are old when you see the first model Commodore or an XD Falcon with historic plates.

I think this about cars. I had a 1927 Chev in 1977 and it was ancient. I felt very brave when I drove it from Ballarat to Broken Hill and back for a rally. Equivalent now would be a 1976 Kingswood, which would still suit me as a daily driver.

The big problem with corrugations is that sometimes you have no choice but to put up with them if you want to get where you have to go. Depending on the vehicle, sometimes it's better to travel a bit faster rather than real slow, or as Nev pointed out, drive on the other side where the wave shape is more in your favour. Which ever way you tackle it, eventually some part of the vehicle will complain.

Did that include the $57.45 worth of stock in the stores?

That was great. I went past New Norfolk as far as Gretna, fantastic road. Almost tempted to keep going. I was going to go through to Elderslie then back to the highway, but the cross road was gravel so I turned around and came back the same way. Very enjoyable.

The Price skyrocketed after the Photo of Tony Abbot was taken standing outside the front of it. Nev

Well there's a job that won't be stolen by A.I.

My first job out of high school was as a car detailer at a country Ford dealership when the XK Falcon was first released. Left after about 3 months to join the bank.

I drove this way on my recent trip to Myrtleford, and I would say there is definitely some hyperbole here. I did not see cars with broken axles or tyres lined up on the side of the road. There were probably more potholes than the last time I drove this way; however, I think we probably encountered 6 or 8 potholes, mostly on the edge of the road. We are quite aware of potholes because we use Waze, which is a phone GPS that includes hazards like potholes, cars stopped on the shoulder and other hazards (dead animals on the road). Every pothole we came across, we had 500 meters warning and a countdown. We always report hazards to Waze. Very useful.

It's been a long, long time since I could wake up on saturday morning and wonder idly, 'I wonder what I'll do today?'.

That watchdog report revealed that more than half of the publicly identified donors coincidentally got big contracts....... Sixteen of those 27 donors have watched their federal enforcement actions get dropped, scaled back, or suspended...... At the very least, I'd say 'suspicious coincidence'. But nobody is looking closely anyway.

Over the past 10 years the old bike market has changed greatly. The most sought after bikes for actual use and still able to handle daily duties and modern traffic are the big euro bikes. The BMW twins and K series fours are popping everywhere with full restorations, original recomissioned and retro modded. They are highly prized, easy to work on and suit today's heavy policing regime. Plus parts are available new from factory.

HD ute wasn't to bad 4/5 on the floor would make it better and better seats. Have a Look at the Malloo Utes. HSV did some good work here. Nev

I remember the HD being called the Holden Disaster, and the HR the Holden Revenge.

As long as it's not Roger More. Nev

Ramseet??? I thought you meant Ramjet. I wanted o post this video as a bit of a joke, but as I listened to the song, I realised how American kids of the Boomer generation were being subjected to jingoistic propaganda.

A lot of owners considered the HR to be the Worst. Next door to My Cousin was a GM employee at Fishermens Bend, who bought one cheap(er) but had to NOT sell it for a specified Period. A year I think. He Had so Much go wrong with it, some of it quite dangerous so he stopped driving it and sold it after specified time had Elapsed. The Person who Bought it was Killed in it by some fault or other. I think it was the first Model to get Curved side windows and the body ended up a bit wider but the track wasn't. Ralph Nader was VERY condemning of GM products in Australia quality control and Lack of sophistication. Using old(er) less efficient design. The 202 wasn't a great Motor. Stroked to the Limit and a lot of Core shift in the block.. . Also inclined to strip the Fibre timing gear that drives the Camshaft which will bring you to a complete stop without much other damage. That can happen throughout the range and even Chevs had them. Nev

IF you tow things you'll wear them faster. The trouble with a lot of drum brakes they FADE when they get hot.. The discs can get Hard spots and wear unevenly and then shudder at higher speeds. Worn too thin and you can really Be in trouble. Nev

My dad was a Chev man in his day. His first vehicle was a Chev Maple Leaf truck he bought when he came back from the war. As well as doing farm work with it, he drove it to all the local dances and used it for personal transport. Then he got married and bought a Chev sedan which lasted until he changed to an FC, then a FB, then the rust prone HD, and his last Holden was a HT. He had an FJ ute on the farm as well. I had a few in my day. First car was an FE, others were EK, EJ, EH, HD, HQ, HJ and the current Rodeo which is as much Isuzu as Holden. The only one I miss is my dad's Canadian Chev truck. He traded it and an old Dodge truck we had on a AA-160 International. He still had the AA-160 when he passed at 89.

Bit of a coincidence we're discussing brakes. I've just got back from picking the ute up from the mechanics. New rotors and pads on the front, front wheel bearings serviced, new clutch master cylinder and a flush and fluid change for clutch and brakes. I brought the old rotors and pads home, they look a bit scary. One of the pads was down to about 1 mm. The rotors were well below legal.

Ramsets are Lethal. Nev

Naturally, as a Mechanic I worked on a Lot of Holdens but never got around to Buying one. Fairly straight forward to work on. I used to like Chevs but you couldn't afford them. Nev

TV is just rubbish, haven't watched it for years. Rubbishy news and rubbishy, mind-numbing "entertainment", mostly American crap. SWMBO likes the game shows, and things such as "Would I lie to You?" As a coppers daughter, she's big on sorting out the lies! I can't hear the voices on TV, so that's a blessing in disguise.

Don't watch Much TV. It will do your Brain in. Nev

Brakes are the worst thing on older cars - especially GM brands brakes. Not for nothing were Holden drum brakes known as "go-faster" brakes. And they pulled like buggery, either right or left, depending on the road surface, and you never knew which way they'd pull. The brother and I bought a new HR Holden sedan in 1967 and we ordered it with disc brakes, the first time disc brakes were available as an option on Holdens. We were staggered at the difference in braking as compared to our near-new EH ute. We did put a PBR VH40 brake booster on the EH, and it did make a considerable difference to its braking. Old VH40 or VH44 boosters are in great demand for reconditioning and installing on older models of drum-braked vehicles.

I used to Have to watch out for the Timber trucks in Taswegia when on the two wheelers, plus any kind of weather between New Norfolk and Queenstown.. IF one side has bad weather usually the other side is OK. Nev

Modern cars do it SO well, and you don't have to work on them all the time.. Your Pride and joy can get scrunched anytime also. Things like Morgans are full of wood. Truly a lot of this stuff wasn't much when it was NEW. Triumph Stags for Instance and the Mayflower at the other end of the scale... Some Lotus Models would be collectable, "D' Type Jaguar Ford GT40, any Shelby. Late 20's Bentley and Vauxhalls.. Motorbikes are easier to store, and transport and you can see all the Mechanicals but a lot more delicate and subject to Monstering by Butchers. Read' Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance'. It's a textbook in some psychology Classes. Nev

He has already stated HE won't be Bound by Her Policies If the electorate feels differently. Instability is what PHON faces if the Past is any Indication. Putting together Policies that can be scrutinised. So far she's getting a dead easy Run, and is well ahead of Herself when there's Only One Legitimately elected Person in the Lower house at this stage. Mutiny and Scrutiny threaten. Maybe she can be overturned from within. I'm prepared to bet NO Labor Person will jump ship. The Nats and Libs are LOST. Nev

The thing that concerns me about old cars on the open road is that lack of a collapsible steering column. It's like driving around with a crowbar aimed at your chest.

A lot of it is not nice at Highway speeds has no Power steering or Air conditioning and dangerous in a Prang and drum brakes that Overheat. If you get a 69 Mustang you can get everything for it, New. It's a classic design. Nev

It's interesting seeing what comes up on marketplace around the district. All the desirable stuff gets snapped up fairly qiuckly. In that category is old Holdens, Falcons, Chevs and Fords. F trucks always sell quick for high prices. They are the sort of vehicles most people in the market for classics want. On the other side of the coin are old cars that are going for bargain prices but the sellers have trouble moving them. In that category I'd put things like Wolseleys. I can see someone like the Two Ronnies wanting one, but that's about it. As far as the rough stuff goes, anything American is highly desirable for the ratrod market, but the old pommie stuff is stuck in a narrow, less flexible niche.

Like Arte Johnson as the letch and Ruth Buzzi as the frump in Rowan and MArtin's Laugh In. The letch sidles up to the frump and asks "Do you believe in the Hereafter? Then you know what I'm here after."

Side tracking but related. The Monaco Grand Prix in the late stages was halted because the bitumen on the track started to break up and cause a pot hole early this morning.

A big AI company wants to create data centres in Australia that will require more electricity than we are capable of generating. Data centres' demand for energy will increase more than sixfold from 2024–25 to 2040, surging from 2 to 13 per cent of the country's total energy use. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-27/ai-data-centres-pressuring-energy-transition-greenpeace-says/106722390

Meanwhile, at the site of Kushner's mediterannean island elite mega resort, bulldozers have appeared and are reportedly clearing land. Nobody seems to know who owns them and no plans are known.

The first time I ever went out to the far SW Qld. country was in the early 80's and some of the roads were horrible back then. I flew out to Durham Downs so didn't get to experience the roads until later that night when a mate conned me into sharing the driving to take an empty float down to the NSW border to pick up a D7G. The trip from Durham to Noccundra literally took hours; we hardly got out of second gear. Not so much corrugations, more just rough with bulldust holes and silcrete rocks sticking out of the road surface. We had a couple of hours sleep at Noccundra and headed south from there at first light. In some places there was no imported road surface, just the natural ground surface that had chopped up to bulldust. I remember one area where the road was about 200 metres wide consisting of bulldust tracks where vehicles had been driving out wider and wider to find a hard surface. When we got to the border, there on the NSW side was the clay topped, formed up and wide Silver City Highway that you could have landed a plane on. There wasn't many tourists in those days. The roads are much better now due a lot to the grey nomads contributing so much to local economies. Councils now do a lot more road maintenance and a lot of those roads on the Queensland side are now formed up proper roads. The other contribution to better roads is the development of the oil and gas industry out there. When I was first there in 1982, the Jackson oil field wasn't even a thing. My brother and I did a job there camped by a creek bed like swaggies, living on tinned food; there was nothing there execpt us and the dingos. 18 months later there was bitumen, an airport, all the usual oilfield facilities, contractor's yards and donkey pumps all over the place.

Isn't that where your wife writes it for you?

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but.... The very first task that AI should complete successfully is to redesign itself to use far less electricity and no water. If it can't solve that problem, why should we trust it to do anything else?

I'm writing a book. It's all about things I should do. It's called 'Oughtobiography'

I've figured out some positives. Life is good. We've had twenty seven inches of rain so far this year and the country is looking great. It's finally stopped raining and the beautiful clear and cool weather is here. I have a debt free roof over my head, lots of food, a motor car that works, I can walk, talk, breathe, hear and see and have plenty of fun stuff to do. The first photo is the front yard, the second is the back yard, and the third photo is my best mate outside the kitchen window trying to shame me into giving him some dog biscuits. I've known him since he was born, so he's known me his entire life. There's nowhere I'd rather be.