Litespeed

Good Karma finally comes for a late Christmas. December was a bit rough last year. Firstly some bastard decided they wanted my tinny and motor, I tied up on dock at the passage at 6 pm, returned at 9pm to discover it disappeared. 3 days later Maritime called to say they found it 3kms away dumped in mangroves. Completely stripped, I lost the motor 8hp Johnson in perfect condition, two tanks, tools, oars and even the fuckin bailing bucket. The boat was left as it's well known and has rego/him plated. Naturally I was pissed off. Then on the 23rd, my 56 year old brother died of long COVID, sudden and tragic. December really sucked. Alas Karma shines eventually.. Last Monday I was chatting to a salty sailor working on his tinny motor and been frustrated, he needs 100% reliability, he has a lovely 48ft catamaran and is going North. He will use his off shore. He was prepared to dump it and buy new. A quick negotiation and bingo. He bought a new Tohatsu 9.9hp four-stroke that's injected and I got his 9.9hp Johnson two-stroke. Its a old school Aussie made machine and he is the original owner since new in 1990. Came with heaps of spares, a new spare prop, spare carby, tank, oil and 30 litres new fuel. A bonus is a 100-1 oil mix so not smokey and half the oil cost. Even has the original manual. A absolute bargain at cost of two shitty VB cases of beer. I love the old Johnson's, solid not plastic and easy to keep reliable. I find they are the best old motor you can get. I have suffered cheap Chinese crap Parsun machines and the are almost disposable quality wise. An added bonus is converting to 15hp is just a bigger carb. Most require new electrics and the carb so very happy. Parts are easy to get, even new stock and plenty of old motors to salvage. This is important as the bloody Parsun distributor doesn't carry spares. Even a broken starter is pot luck to replace, assuming the box doesn't break beforehand. No more shit motors for me. You can bet no Parsun will be going 35 years later like a Johnson. I had been using oars and then a little 3.5hp single, it will be great having grunt again. Amazingly the little 3.5hp uses more fuel than the 8hp did, I expect the same from the 10hp. The single is just full throttle most of the time. I am about to throw in some crab pots to catch some blue swimmers or muddies. I will eat them and drink to my brother, he loved 🎣. This time I will hide a locator tag in the motor to track the thieves if needed. I have a spear gun- they are warned..

The designers son must have stopped dad stealing the wheels off his Tonka truck.

It's that a Peel? Looks like what Jeremy Clarkson drove into the BBC's studios office.

Maybe the Teals? A grouping not a party. Ah, Jacqui Lambie sounds likely. Always happy to vent about defence.

The French should remind them the Statue of Liberty was a gift from France to celebrate the open democracy that welcomes the migrant. As that is no longer the case they should demand it back or demolish it.

I would think the Greens would have that policy. Meanwhile Canada has leapfrogged the USA and ordered our world best radar system for $5 billion- the Jindalee over horizon radar system (JORN). America wants one on its west coast - tell they can pay now and have it in 2045 if we can be bothered.

Esp if you have a tool but not the knowledge or skill to use it. I was thinking more of proper maintenance and carrying a appropriate tool kit to fix any issue bar disaster. Many years of bike touring and I found the bikes with a quality kit ie BMW, never disappoint. The boy scout method, be prepared. Ps. I was never a scout- too many rules

It's telling that when bombing Yemen, he wasn't in the Whitehouse situation room. No, he strolled off the golf course to claim he "Won" the Trump international. Then walked in to his clubhouse in golf attire and bombed a country. It would make great satire but horrifically it's true life.

We make our own luck. If you have appropriate tools - you rarely need them.

As a proud Roman/ German/Irish/Scott, I concur. And we invented the orgy.

I am sure we can send GON to his spiritual home in the USA. I can get all expenses paid for a one way trip to sunny Guantanamo bay, where he enjoy the best of 5 star accommodation.

His sister is qualified and she agrees. A sociopath with narcissistic personality disorder.

True, But all people with severe mental illness are banned from driving. Would you feel safe with him behind the wheel? Wouldn't let him near a kids Tonka truck.

Very true Nev. GON is completely isolated from reality

Earth calling the Doctor.. We need you Doctor.. Now

Politics? Dutton accused Albo of politics and to call a election soon would be betrayal. What the fuck? Dutton left Qld yesterday to attend fundraisers in Sydney with billionaires. Had others booked for today including Macquarie bank and Pharmacy guild. The cretin throws mud them scampers off to get money from the rich as his electorate gets slammed. And the hide about calling a election crap! Albo will let the cyclone emergency be managed first as any real leader would do. The fact that by law the election has to be called within weeks is not Albos fault but blatant opportunistic politics by Temu Trump.

All the 'money' for aid to Ukraine is actually spent here in Oz to build the weapons we send. That's Aussie jobs, taxes etc additionally we send old gear to them and build new ones to keep the production going. The vast majority of money stays local and Ukraine gets world class gear. Do you really think the defence budget gets spent on roads? Wake up

GON, Anyone to the left of Attila the Hun can see it's a huge problem.

True but if you act like you will, life is more fun.

Well done Peter. Here to another 33 years

Careful, Next you will vote Goebells as worlds greatest communicator.

I suggest a wood chipper, then we get useful fertilizer.

Seems extremely strange.. Keep in mind we are getting limited info and that will change with time. I am going on fast changing reports from the media. Yes, we have a old 95 year old and 60's wife and pills about. But it seems incongruous how they were found. Both appear to have fallen, with no indication of violence and pills are about. The front door is closed/locked supposedly but doggie door is open and only one of the three dogs has died, but is locked up near the body of the wife in a cupboard apparently. The other two dogs have free roam from out/inside. The bodies appear to be semi mummified and weeks old. At first glance it could seem either a murder/suicide or wife suicides after discovering elderly husband dead after a medical event. Alternatively they have both created a suicide pact due to his health and her great love for him. Other possibilities include something deadly toxic in their immediate environment either accident/negligence or by intention of other parties. But the inconsistent details just seem wrong to support the initial suicide or possible accident. The position of the bodies indicates a sudden fall and incapacity/death is sudden. No feeling bad and finding a seat or slumping to the ground. No opportunity to seek help or a comfortable spot. The sudden death does not seem correct for poisoning/ overdose by medication for either body. Meds that kill instantly and bottled are extremely rare and not normally available as a script. It's possible some heart meds for perfectly well individuals can cause a quick death but unusual to be instant. Even finding the wife on the floor and surrounded by pills does not gel. If you wish to overdose, you would take all the pills, not take just a few and suddenly fall dead and spill the pills. In general any pills take time, they are not instantaneous. If as a couple, so in love you can't live without each other, wouldn't you wish to die holding your loved one? You would not be found in a different area of the house but next to them. If you wished them dead, you would find a comfy spot to end your life, one last drink etc. The dog is dead but the other two are roaming about via doggie door. If you suicide and take your partner and one dog, why not the other two? Did the dog eat some pills and die? Maybe, but it's locked up, who locked it up and why? If you loved the dog and wanted to relieve it's suffering in your suicide, as it's old/sick, why is it locked up, not by your side as you end it all. How does the dog get the pills? Why is it necessary to lock up the 🐕 it can't stop you from taking pills and no injuries indicate a vicious dog that must be detained? If one dog is a problem to be left alive, why not the other two? A gas leak has been speculated but has been tested and so far ruled out. Gas or CO2/CO could explain the sudden deaths. Gene falls dead and wife is feeling unwell and takes her medication in the bathroom, falls unconscious and spills her pills. Plausible but what of the pooch and why has equipment tests excluded gas leakage as cause. It's possible a so far unidentified gas leakage caused their deaths or some other toxic agent that causes sudden incapacity and death. Postmortem results should help but may be complicated by the time since death and the fact some causes of death are far from obvious. It all seems very strange indeed . I am pleased the local police have gone past the suicide assumption and opened a serious suspicious death investigation. My completely untrained sleuth brain says the poor dog is key to the puzzle. So far no indication of robbery is apparent, thus any evidence/motive for malicious intent is yet to be discovered/released. It may all be a simple explanation of unfortunate circumstances and clouded by poor information in the media or it could be a arse covering for a leak etc or malicious intent by other parties. Sounds like a great mystery of a famous actors death, and certain to generate many a theory filled by pod casts and some Netflix doco/ movie. Yes, my fertile mind has been thinking tangentially but an inquisitive brain keeps mental fitness and is fun. A 95 year-old movie star and his 30 year younger wife dying like this is gold to a writer and media. Sadly, even if an accident, I expect the life and death of Gene and Betsy will be exploited for profit and truth will come second to opportunity and money. Hopefully the investigation will be able to satisfy the curious.

6 cylinder Cortina.. Aka the lead tipped arrow. Chronic understeer was built in.

Penfolds 707..accept no substitutes. Great for the lucky or super rich. I would buy by the case if I could ever afford it.