Celebrating Positives (offset of the Gripes Thread)

[Litespeed]

And the Beer is cold.

[spacesailor]

A positive,  I thought the big wind, had blown away my

' mower airfilter ' . Lost forever.

Then  found  down the carbi throat. It wouldn't run with the carbi blockage .

As soon as it was replace in the right place it works .

spacesailor

[nomadpete]

11 hours ago, Litespeed said:

Today was beautiful sunshine, blue skies and calm water.

 

 

 

The fish were jumping and Dolphins cruising the passage.

 

Some young kids caught a 2 ft baby Bullshark - returned to water, on the dock. I hope they gave it a kiss, so it remembers not to eat them in puberty.

 

 

 

Sat at my friend's cafe- water views, and read a book with a group of Lorikeets 2 ft away.

 

 

 

Did my enforced exercise of rowing the 12ft tinny 500 m each way to dock. Only possible if timed with the tides.

 

 

 

The shitty Parsun 9.8 outboard is DOA. New carb and coils, prop, starter unit, service.

Or replace with a  15-30hp on a newer tinny?  A fishing platform and bimmini would be nice.

 

The tinnytanic had a hole open up from a previous owners excursion at speed into rocks. 

A trip to the local Aerospace hardware provided salt grade Kneadit expoxy and fixed in 20 minutes. 

The old Savage is unsinkable with 4 floatation seats built in, each day I thought shit it must have rained heavy last night. Then have to bail for ever. 

 

Amazing how easy it is to row after scrapping the growth off and fixing a huge leak.

 

 

 

 

Until it's repaired or replaced, I am at  natures whim getting ashore.

 

On a day like today it's magic.

 

 

 

Tuesday night however, was a rocking 10knot current with the tide running, fortunately the way I wanted to go. The bugger is like landing a glider, you either be precise and land the ship as you fly past or your fucked and over

shoot.

 

No second chance.

 

 

 

Stop it stop it!

 

You make me jealous.

 

And jealousy is a curse.

 

Will I ever pluck up the courage to cross the strait and hop my way up the coast?

[Litespeed]

Today was horrible...

 

Calm water, blue skies,, fish and birds everywhere..

 

But I saw a tourist enjoy their day

 

No more- ban tourists, they might tell others and come.

[old man emu]

I went into a flat spin today. I couldn't get any sound from videos on YouTube. Since I don't have a TV installed, I get my entertainment via the 'Net. My first thought was that my sound card had given up the ghost. So I resigned myself to only being able to watch videos with no commentary. I thought that would soon get boring, so I decided to find something else to do during the evening. I've got a stash of scale model aircraft and things, so I spent some time organising a space to work on them.

 

I had shut down the computer and taken the speakers away, but I can't go too long without being on this site. So I booted up and I noticed that the speaker icon at the bottom right of my screen had a big X on it. So I shut down the computer again and reinstalled the speakers then booted up. The X was still over the icon, but when I clicked on it I found that the sound control was on "mute". I was able to unmute it, and now, after posting this entry, I'm going to fo look at videos on Youtube for the rest of the evening.

[red750]

The kids gave me a set of bluetooth headphones for Fathers Day. I have it paired to my computer so I can listen to Youtube and other videos without interrupting or annoying them. I bought a bluetooth TV transmitter but when you plug it in the headphone socket it cuts out the speaker so the others can't hear the TV. It only cost $9 on eBay, so no big deal. I have an expensive bluetooth transmitter which operates with my hearing aids, so I can hear the TV and not require the subtitles, and the kids can still hear the TV. In fact I don't need the TV so loud which is good for them also. The headphones are also paired to my iPhone.

 

When my son works from home (3 days a week), his computer is next to the TV in the family room. I can mute the TV and listen through hearing aids/bluetooth without interfering with his calls.

 

 

 

[Litespeed]

Awful day..

 

The sun was shining, dolphins swimming and the birds were in full larakin mode

 

Had a young friend drop in for a fish from mates houseboat.

1 1/2 hrs, 5 Jewel fish, I flathead, I bream.

 

Bloody hardwork drinking beer and chatting. 

 

None were big enough to keep bar one who whilst undersized, swallowed the lure, so will die anyway. 

 

Jew fish fillets for dinner tomorrow.

 

Life is hard somedays... apparently.

[nomadpete]

Oooh you poor buggah!

[nomadpete]

Hooray!

 

Good news!

 

The mobile phone and internet are working again!

[old man emu]

Men's Shed.

 

I've been thinking about going back to my local Men's Shed. I stopped going after I made an absolute ass of myself through a social gaff. Luckily, since then I have been doing some self-analysis and have identified what changes I must make in myself to be socially acceptable. However I am still a bit reticent about going back.

 

The other day I bumped into the president of the Men's Shed. He came straight out and asked me when I was coming back. I had heard on the grapevine a while ago that he had told my BIL that I was welcome back. I told the president that I would see about dropping in next week. I was still uncertain if I would.

 

Then on Friday I was visiting Mum at the aged care place where she lives.and stopped to talk to a male resident. He's a Vietnam vet. As we were talking he mentioned that blokes he had been talking to at the Services Club reckoned he ought to go to the Men's Shed. Getting there would be a problem for him. As we spoke I got the idea that it would make it easier for me to make an entrance if I had a companion. I could also help him by introducing him around. So we decided that we would go for a reconnoitre next Wednesday.

[spacesailor]

Good luck with your new companion .

spacesailor 

[red750]

Former  members and new members are always welcome.

[Jerry_Atrick]

6 hours ago, old man emu said:

I made an absolute ass of myself through a social gaff.

We all make arses of ourselves every so often.. It's pretty rare people hold grudges (unless it's really bad). I would suggest from the president's reactionn, you have probably read more into it than was there.

 

Enioy your return to the shed.  And what better way to do the community a service than to bring along the Vietnam vet?

 

 

Edited September 14 by Jerry_Atrick

[nomadpete]

OME....

Just do it.

Brush away your embarrassment and go. There is not a man there who hasn't at some time felt the same. Few would be so unkind as to make an issue of it, whatever it was.

[old man emu]

POSITIVE No 1:

I picked up my mate from the aged care place and took him to the Mens' Shed, where I introduced him around. Then I backed off and let him do his thing. I just remained in the background, not saying much. At smoko I joined most of the other blokes in the meal room and spoke to a fellow who used to live in Gil, but now lives in Dubbo. He came out to Gil at the behest of his wife in order to improve her spatial preference.

 

My mate button-holed the Secretary and asked a lot of questions about how the Shed works. The result is that he wants to attend every Wednesday. It felt really good to see how the visit to the Shed brightened him up, and looks like giving him something to look forward to each week.

 

POSITIVE No 2:

My grandkids turn 1 year old next month and I have I have been racking my brain to think of a gift that will have staying power. Toys are out of contention, as are clothes. I was thinking of a some small ornaments - a wren for the girl, whose middle name is Wren, and a fox for the boy, for the are reason. I couldn't find anything suitable. I thought of books, but, again, nothing suitable.

 

When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I see is a picture of my wife which stands on my chest of drawers. Now I'm not sure if our loved ones still interact with us from the Other Side, but one of the next things that caught my attention as I moved through the house was a pair of TV character dolls that I bought for my wife when we were in England in 2012. They are Bill and Ben, the Flowerpot  Men. I normally don't look in their direction, but this morning ....

 

I suppose Spacey would be the only one who remembers them as they were English children's TV characters from the 1950's. They held fond memories for my wife. I bought them because I knew that she would love them. We weren't rich enough to possess expensive things that could become heirlooms of great monetary value, but to me they are heirlooms of great sentimental value. I hope that my daughter will tell them that they are a gift from the Grandma who never knew them, but would have loved them to the moon and back.

[pmccarthy]

Bill and Ben were on Australian TV too. I don’t remember whether they were in my childhood or that of my own kids, but I remember watching them.

[spacesailor]

Don't forget " weed " .

I do remember them .

Also " PC 49 " .

spacesailor

[Jerry_Atrick]

Sometimes, you realise you're in the wrong job. I joined this company after laws made being independent in what I do here untenable (i.e. the country is broke, let's to a tax grab).

 

I joined relatively junior and in three years have risen through the ranksfairly quickly. to where I was before I joined the firm. And, to be honest, I spend more of my day reviewing and approving invoicces than actually delivering stuff. I went in 6 months from loving my job, to waking up in the morning with a groan thinking about the day ahead. When on Monday morning, you are waiting for Friday, it is not a good sign. Today, in a video meeting, with my manager and the camera, I purposely started yawning, looking around the room and totally disengaging. And over the last few months, I have been having what I call "career limiting discussions"; making shore a spade is called a spade ans making known we are now largely shovelling ship.

 

So today, my new manager, who although I think could do her job a lot better, I like and could work for said, "we are creating a new set of roles. As you know we can't promote, but I want you to apply for this role." Obviosuly, the role was a step up from where I am now. And, yes, iot would look great on the CV. If you asked me even 10 years ago if I would think I could hit that level, you would have had to cart be off to hospital as my sides would have burst laughing.

 

I responded politely, "Well, thank you." She asked if I was going to apply for it. "No - I doubt very much I will apply for it." She was flabbergasted.. I explained that the work I do now was not what I signed up for. It finally sunk in that I am now well and truly a flight risk and is offloading a lot of stuff I do to others already. A great weight has been lifted from my shoulders.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 06:35 PM by Jerry_Atrick

[nomadpete]

That's great, Jerry. So tell us.....

Have you booked your tickets yet? I'll need a bit of notice to arrange the welcome home party.

[spacesailor]

Are you having a " smoking ceremony " .

' burning bridges '. LoL

spacesailor

[red750]

I have a hedge between my place and the neighbour's which hadn't been trimmed at the top in a couple of years, and had reached up and surrounded the electrical supply line from the street to the property. I could trim the facia of the hedge, but the top was too high and I'm too old to be climbing ladders. 

 

 

I came home from shopping at about 5:30 last night and the neighbour had a tree service cutting some stuff in his yard. I asked the guy for a quote to cut the hedge and a couple of other plants, which he gave me. I asked about just doing the hedge and ha said "I've got my staff and equipment here, do you want it done now?" I thought why not, so gave him the go ahead. Within 3/4 of an hour, he had it done and all the waste disposed of in his mulcher. All done, no hiring a trailer, no broken neck, and the power line unfettered.

 

 

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Good thinking 99 .   Nev

[red750]

It's amazing how things can turn around. I was searching for something in the forums and came across a post I made in March of 2023 in the thread The End written by Yenn.

 

Yenn had discussed the return of his cancer and he only had a short time to live. I had said I knew how he felt as I was having annual checkups following my cancer, how I needed a stick for walking, hadn't driven for some time, etc, and how I felt my time could come at any time.

 

18 months later, I've had another oncology check-up all clear, have been driving 3 or 4 days a week for over 12 months, and haven't used the stick, which lies on the floor in the back of the car, for almost 18 months.  Although I've had a couple of episodes and visits to hospital in the last year, generally I am feeling in good health. I try to walk about 2,000 steps per day, usually around the shopping mall pushing a shopping trolley even if there is nothing in it. I hope I'm not putting a mozz on myself.