GRIPES

[onetrack]

We had cloud on the Eastern horizon, but it didn't extend too high. The moon burst up from the cloud about an hour later than we would've expected with a clear horizon - about 19:10.

Moonrise here was listed at 18:18 WST, which is still bright twilight this time of year. Civil twilight end is 19:14, and Nautical twilight end is 19:46.

 

The eclipse would have been still occurring at moonrise, but we didn't see it. When the moon finally appeared just after 19:00, it was hard to see because its colour blended in with the gloomy sky.

Maximum totality was at 18:59 here, so it was still in full eclipse when we first spotted it.

It was a great show - as time went on, the clarity improved, and then we watched as the shadow departed. I had an extended look through my 10x50 binoculars, this brings the moon right up.

[old man emu]

Out my way I'm noticing that the skies are clear until mid-morning, then the clouds start to form until by mid-afternoon you can see thunder storm cells coming together. This pattern is very tropical.

[Old Koreelah]

We had mosquitoes, so i saw only a few minutes of blood moon.

[pmccarthy]

The more mossies, the more blood.

[old man emu]

Be careful if you pop outside to water the. horses. Those mozzies will swoop on any exposed flesh.

[spacesailor]

red750

My apologies for my last  comment ,

I shut the tablet off to go to see the moon  ! ,  In all it,s glory. 

I tried to photograph it but the skywas too dark !, both for this Old ' galaxy ' tab , AND my brand new 50 mp phone .

It looked very spectacular  , in between those clouds.

spacesailor

 

[Old Koreelah]

10 hours ago, old man emu said:

Be careful if you pop outside to water the. horses...

No horse- I planted a small grove of citrus trees outside my workshop. They get watered several times per day. They especially like it when one old mate visits: he clambers out of his old truck saying “quick, I’ve been reamed out!”

They produce masses of fruit.

[spacesailor]

That ' urea ' is supposed to make the fruit sweeter as well .

My ' orange bush ' is a good hight for standing under , but the ' lemon ' is for Squatters only . LoL

NOW how to get rid of ' stink bugs ' ,I spray & pray relentlessly . Even taken to them with a

' gas soldering' flame ' they fall like ," Icarus " .

spacesailor

[facthunter]

That's a hellish end for one of God's little creatures. Space.  Nev

[spacesailor]

But they DO stink !. And their spray stings your eyes. 

Very nasty creatures. 

Think a little of the defenceless citrus trees . With their beautiful gifts !.

spacesailor

 

[willedoo]

On 09/11/2022 at 8:53 PM, Old Koreelah said:

No horse- I planted a small grove of citrus trees outside my workshop. They get watered several times per day. They especially like it when one old mate visits: he clambers out of his old truck saying “quick, I’ve been reamed out!”

They produce masses of fruit.

Some citrus can be too pithy.

[Jerry_Atrick]

11 hours ago, facthunter said:

That's a hellish end for one of God's little creatures. Space.  Nev

Obviuosly, the boucners weren't keeping out the riff-raff at the Noah's Ark club.

 

[red750]

The bastards are at it again.Four phone calls yesterday and eight...yes, eight, today pushing those "free" LED lights or power monitors. They will not take NO for an answer. They come on the house phone so we can't trace the caller number. Not that that would do any good, they use fake numbers.

 

[spacesailor]

Get a little gadget to play a ' waiting ' theme for the phone !, they soon hang up & stop calling that number .

Any one that needs to talk will wait a few moments,  while those foreign callers can't wait ten seconds .

Or just lift then replacce your ' hand-set ' .

spacesailor

[nomadpete]

Way, way back in the dark ages when mobile phones were science fiction, I worked for a telco. Well, it was THE telco. We had a device which we loaned to lady telephone customers who were getting obscene phone calls. This little gadget could be quickly slipped over the mouthpiece, and at the push of a button it emitted a very loud acoustic screech. Back in those days there was no limitation on the volume limits on the system and consequently the caller was at risk of damaged hearing.

 

Aaaah, the good old days........

[old man emu]

$16 at your local BCF store:

 

[Marty_d]

Not sure it'll work with digital phones, wouldn't the sound at the other end be limited to the volume they have it set at?

 

Plus you run the risk of blasting someone who's not a scammer, and ending up with a lawsuit on your hands.  Just hang up.

 

[octave]

I just don't answer calls from unknown numbers.   If people need to talk to me they leave a message and I get straight back to them.  I don't have a fixed line anymore and in these days of mobile phones it has become accepted that you cant always answer straight away.  If enough people do this the model of cold calling will become less attractive.    

[red750]

5 hours ago, octave said:

I just don't answer calls from unknown numbers. 

That's fine if your phone displays the incoming number. On our house phones, the little LCD screens are stuffed. You only get part of the number, if any.

 

There is a website, https://www.reverseau.com/, where you can enter the number (if you have it) and it will show if it has been reported for scamming or telemarketing.

[octave]

1 hour ago, red750 said:

There is a website, https://www.reverseau.com/, where you can enter the number (if you have it) and it will show if it has been reported for scamming or telemarketing.

 

I do use this sometimes, it an be quite useful.   

 

You can also buy a caller ID unit for your fixed line with a large display. Some of these units have the ability to block numbers as well.     When I did have a fixed line phone I had an answering machine.    When a call came in I could hear the caller as they left a message and could then pick up the receiver and talk to them.

 

It does feel empowering to take control of these problems.

 

I think these days given the almost universal use of mobiles legitimate callers know that you may not be in a position to answer straight away and they are used to leaving a message.   My elderly mother who lives interstate relies a lot on us. We are helping her so that she can say in her own home for as long as she can.   We will often get several calls from her every day with some problem (real or more usually perceived).    She is quite aware that we don't always answer straight away but she will leave a message perhaps saying "I need a problem sorted immediately" or "it can wait."  

 

If someone really wants to talk to me they will leave a message.  If the call is of a more urgent nature they will also leave a message.  Even if my policy was to answer every call that came to my phone the odds are that half the time I would be driving or riding my bike or otherwise occupied.  I think people don't necessarily expect a phone to be answered these days, especially with the option of text

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

1 hour ago, octave said:

 I think people don't necessarily expect a phone to be answered these days, especially with the option of text

Well that explains it! I’d love a dollar for each message I’ve left which has never been answered. Local government is the worst.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Don't they consider every caller a nuisance caller?

[facthunter]

No Your call is important to US . You are 98th  in  line. (and nothing better to do to sit there and listen to the Promo).  Nev

[old man emu]

I've been at a forum today that was organised by the Sydney Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences. The forum was opened by a "Welcome to Country" bit. I accepted that because the Museum is a government-sponsored organisation. What got on my goat was that every time a new person began their presentation, they went through that "acknowledgement" spiel.  Why the F..k did that have to be repeated over and over? Didn't the "elders, past; present, and future" get the message the first time? And not only was it referring to the "country on which we are meeting", but also the "country on which we work and live", and peopel came from all over the State.

 

Ans another thing - the forum was suposed to be to help people with their local museums. But every speaker made a point of referring to First Nations people and the need to preserve their cultures. I'm OK with that, with some reserevations, but the museum I represent is wholly and soley about European activity in the 20th Century. No First Nations persons were killed by the subject of the museum, nor the airline he established. Since the museum has nothing to do  relating to First Nations culture, does that mean that we will fail in obtaining the financial grants that the next town's historical society will get?

[onetrack]

OME - Call it the "First Nations Air Transport Museum of Tooraweenah-Arthur Butler" and the grants will roll in. New Toyotas for everyone, free hangars for all, a complete airstrip upgrade at no cost to anyone in your Museum group, all new ablutions, a new fuel dispensing outlet, and new accommodation for everyone that might need to "visit country".

 

I'm sure with your wordsmithing ability, you could get very creative and make out the whole deal is of total benefit to all the local First Nations peoples, and you now also identify as one, having found something in your ancestry search, whereby your great-great-great-grandfather rescued and entertained a First Nations lady in 1789 at Tooraweenah, and was given Elder status accordingly.

 

You won't even have to buy a tin of Nugget shoe polish, you can be as pale skinned and red-haired as you like today, and still identify as a First Nations descendant.