Born Monday 9th April 2012 to my daughter Tania and her partner Darryl, my grandson Lachlan, oh what a little charmer.
The latest rent hike kicked off this week, the agents decidede they were worth a 26% rent rise, pretty damned rude when you consider they’ve done precious little to the premises over the last 20 years.
Which gets me ranting, constantly all those poor and starving employers cry about having to keep wages in line with the cost of living yet are keen to squeeze very last drop out of their investment properties. At some point soon I hope things blow up in their faces with regulations capping allowable rental increases and appropriate penalties. The current legislation allows rental increases to be set by current market value allowing an absolute free for all in spiralling rents. An aside would be more affordable housing as the investor/speculator side of the property market would be looking elsewhere to find their cash cows to milk.
Melbourne has developed its parallel movement to the Occupy Wall Street which started as a caring as peaceful event. Occupy Melbourne began at Melbourne City Square, as part of the global anti big boss protest.
There was a library and a soup kitchen, feeding anyone who turned up with a growling tummy and run by Melbourne citizens of mixed age groups and socio-economic backgrounds.
Current Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Robert Doyle. in future to be referred to as the boil decided that an otherwise unused piece of council property was being invaded by social undesirables and was in need of being returned to the forces of the free market place trends and consumerism. It would also appear that this group of peaceful protestors had breeched a certain by law pertaining to camping in the city square, a most odious deed one would assume when one sees how said breech was bealt with.
Normally by law offences are dealt with by the issuing of infringement notices, served by By Law Officers with an appearance in the Magistrates Court at a later date. In this instance rottweiler handling dog squad members and the riot squad would dispense rough justice and deliver the gratuitous thump to the head as well as rides in the paddy wagon.
As a witness to this event I’d have to say the bulk of the police did themselves proud, moved the demonstrators on, had looks of we do not like this, but there were those who did take a certain malicious glee in an excuse to commit GBH. As for the boil, well I’m sure he’ll be lanced in the not too distant future.
What this space……….
Oh I do get sick of spam bots trying to post here. It seems a format for the bots is to be sychophantics, comments like you hit the nail on the head and similarly obsequeous comments lead one to realise spammers are trying for clearance. Any real human would be arguing with me if they weren’t wanting a back door for posting porn links.
Myself and the silver crested one have been off on travels in the Micra.
The Easter break saw us meandering our way to Robe SA via Portland and Nelson. While there we explored the area and the homeward with stop overs at Port Fairy and Apollo Bay. Pics are in the April section.
A couple of week later we were off again, first destination Naracoorte and exploring Bool Lagoon. From Naracoorte we headed for a stop over at Mildura travelling through the Little Desert which was looking rather undesert like. On to Silverton for a night, back to Mildura, quick peek in at the Hannah Kulkyne National Park where we added the Major Mitchell cockatoo and yellow rosella to our finally got pics of the fellas bird pics. Off to Echuca for a night then home. Heading home we discovered a little pie shop by the name of Molly Mae’s and their pies were yummo. They are located in Heathcote towards Melbourne in what was once a service station and roadhouse.
The following week and we are off again, this time eastwards following the coast.
After a quik stop at Waratah Bay we head for an overnighter at Welshpool. The pub has none too brilliant motel rooms but the meals in the bistro are great compensation for that.
The following day we are Metung bound, stopping at the Tara Bulga National Park where we manage some none too brilliant lyrebird pics. A soggy night at Metung, the local pub has reasonably ok food.
Off to Eden via Malacoota where we manage pics of a sooty oyster catcher as well as pelicans that like to sit on top of lamp posts, strange birds.
While staying at Eden, in a none too shabby motel I might add, we investigate the whalers museum and the Ben Boyd National Park.
Lakes Entrance is our next destination, investigating a rain forest walk just outside of Cann River. BTW, there is no fuel available at Bemm River. Dinners was at a rather pleasant floating restaurant.
Homeward bound and we kind of hug the Great Divide, lunch stop Heyfield, more yummy munchies. Our route back takes us through the misty rain forests around Noojee and into the Yarra Valley, slower but a hell of a lot more pleasant then using the more direct Princes Highway route.
All in all a thoroughly enjoyable batch of getaways. Highpoint on the bird pics front was getting a chance to botch pics of the Major Mitchell cockatoo.
High point food front was Seasons Restaurant in Mildure closely followed by Molly Mae pies, sorry Shorty’s pies of Cann River, while decent enough pies you have a seriously tough act to follow.
Pics are in the May 2011 section of the website.
The job finally wound up, unceremoniuosly handed my marching orders in an evelope, that was mid April. We went for travels and for now I’m doing an asbestos removal course. I’ll get serious about finding a job when the course is finished.
Today’s new arrival was a Leica Telyt 560 f6.8. It comes in 2 pieces. I’m waiting on a Leica to Pentax adapter before I can put it through its paces. The focus is done using a slide instead of the traditional helicoil used by most lenses, a very different arrangement that will probably take some getting used to. Watch this space for further comments.
Pictures of the beast.
Conversion to Pentax mount is not all that straight forward. There are cams that don’t seem to be easily removed that interfere with the Leitax adapter so modifications will need to be done to the adapter.
A lovely Sunday, Jane at the wheel of her Micra and we popped by Trentham, a daft little town. Lens used there was the Distagon 18mm. Also popped into the lower part of Lerderderg Gorge but didn’t hang around for long as it was kind of very busy with picnicers.
Been on this school job for the last 16 months but it doesn’t seem to want to finish. The most recent delays were courtesy of the plumbers who just don’t seem to like turning up to do things. It doesn’t help that they were given 6 schools to do and ended up slightly over loaded with work. They also look to be on very shaky ground financially and may cease trading in the not too distant future.
