Dark Times in Bentleigh East

  Sunday 20 November 2022 Just grabbing a few moments in my busy schedule update the blog and bring a little bit of joy and amusement into your daily lives. As you know I have been working as an Electoral Officer (EO) for the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) in an Early Voting Centre (EVC).  Last week I worked five days for a minimum of five hours per day, and at the end of each day I was knackered, nearly so tired I struggled to make my Vodka & Tonic (V&T).  How on earth did I work 8 - 10 hours per day 5 days and often 6 days a week when I was working in a proper job. So far I have actually enjoyed the VEC work, the people I am working with are in the main good to work with a couple of exceptions, but I won't dwell on that here, suffice to say that I am glad that I am not trying to manage a couple of the staff. I had an interesting experience the other day.  It was about 7.50am and myself and another EO were waiting outside the office door as it was lock...

  Sunday 13  November 2022 Some of my more observant readers may have realized that I didn't post a blog on Wednesday.  Due to the confluence of a number of matters last week I was extraordinarily busy, hence the delay in producing the weekly blog. First up as Friday was Remembrance Day I had a number of commitments to attend to at the Shrine.  Fortunately on Remembrance Day all went smoothly with the rain holding off until near the end of the service, some of the anti vaxxers, anti everything, pro red ensign folk tried to cause a little bit of trouble but were swiftly and efficiently dealt with, unfortunately the police weren't required to let loose the dogs of war or deploy the rubber bullets, but still we can't have everything. When I said that everything went smoothly that wasn't quite correct as the Union Jack was flown upside down for the entire service.  This is a serious mistake and could cause a diplomatic rift between us the Poms.  I didn't notice...

   Wednesday 02 November 2022 As some of you may be aware Victoria is shortly to experience a state election.  Voting day is Saturday 26 November with the early voting centres opening on 14 November. I registered with the VEC some time ago to work on the forthcoming election.  With nothing heard from the VEC since registering I have been wondering if they have by some gigantic error overlooked offering me a position.  Well, with a little over three weeks to go to the election yesterday I received an email advising me of the electoral positions available and asking me to confirm my availability. The VEC seem to be cutting this all a bit fine.  If I get offered a position in an early voting centre I will be required to start work on 14 November, which to my mind doesn't leave a lot of time for recruitment and training. Talking about elections, the Liberal Party opposition led by Mathew Guy seem to have done a Harry Houdini act and disappeared.  The premi...

  Wednesday 26 October 2022 After reading the blog of some friends of mine who are currently travelling overseas I realize that I have been seriously deficient in the photo department in my own blog. A couple of weeks ago I had a very pleasant lunch with some friends at a restaurant at East Beach in Geelong. It was a beautiful warm spring day in Geelong and the locals were out in force, even some of the younger and bolder having a swim in what I think would have been the chilly waters of Port Phillip. Who would have thought that dear old Geelong would have had such a pleasant location. It may be of some interest to my many Tasmanian readers that the Bass Straight ferries are now coming into port in Geelong instead of Port Melbourne.  It will be interesting to see how that works out. I recall a few years ago a ferry service was started from Georgetown in Tasmania to Port Welshpool in Gippsland in Victoria.  This service didn't last very long for a number of ...

  Wednesday 19 October 2022 As my many erudite and loyal readers would know I am a keen observer of current trends and fads.  My role as an influencer is often enhanced as a result of these observations.  I have recently noticed that alternative uses for the following words and phrases seem to have crept into our lexicon. I have noticed that new movies or TV shows are no longer released but they are " dropped".  Where has this come from?  To me being dropped is a bad thing, as in being dropped from the footy team. In movie and TV reviews the reviewer often refers to a " showrunner", what the heck is a showrunner?   Anybody else notice that a fashion model no longer models for a designer but they now "walk" for   that particular fashion house. We no longer have the beginning of a program or a sports event or the like, we have the "top of the program" or "top of the hour".   Why not just say "at the start of the hour" etc. This ...

  Wednesday 12 October 2022 Alert, Alert, Alert - Rain bomb & catastrophic weather event approaching! Has anybody else noticed that we don't have storms or a bit of nasty weather anymore, everything seems to be over dramatized and exaggerated.  Victoria is forecast to experience some heavy rain over the next 48 hours and as the water storages are already full minor flooding is being forecast. We are being instructed to have 72 hours of supplies on hand in case we are cut off from the shops, oh no, how am I going to get my soy milk, warm latte.  Luckily for me I still have my emergency covid pandemic lockdown supplies purchased in April 2020 including the still remaining unused box of 144 rolls of toilet paper.  I wonder if my tins of Croation Hungarian Goulash are still edible, if they ever were.  My Spam will be fine given it has a use by date sometime next century. Remember when the "sky is falling" panic merchants of the global warming, sorry climate...