Blog Day 8: Tuesday 31 March 2020 I have just discovered a irritating quirk with this this blog site, a certain combination of key strokes deletes all of the previous input and then saves a blank page over it. So far this has happened three times and I am not very happy, but luckily I have plenty of time. If like me you have plenty of time you may wish to take some courses in self improvement or just to improve your knowledge and fill in some time. A site I have used is called Future Learn and they run courses provided by various universities and institutions around the world including our own Monash (my almer mater by the way), RMIT and Deakin amongst others. The courses are usually free unless you want assessment and certification where a fee applies. Most of the coursed run for around 10 weeks however there are some 3 to 4 week courses available. The address is https://www.futurelearn.com. Happy learning! I have just returned from...
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Blog day 7: Monday 30 March 2020 Last evening I spent a very convivial virtual happy hour with Roger and Penny in Cairns and Jo in Hawthorn via the good graces of Zoom. Once we got the technical aspects and the lighting worked out it worked remarkably well, with both voice and picture coming in loud and clear from all parties. As an aside Jo appeared to be drinking her wine out of the largest wine glass in existence but she insisted it was an optical illusion caused by the angle of the camera lens or some such. Yes of course Jo we all believe you. Hot cross buns for morning tea this morning, I don't care if it is not Easter, this is a national emergency! One of my many readers has requested some technical assistance. She has asked is it possible to post a photo in the comments section of the blog. Please let us know if you know how to do this or have any suggestions. Thanks for all the entries in the "What's in the pantry" competition, of course it...
Blog day 6: Sunday 29 March 2020 I feel very sorry for the people who recently took over one of the cafes in Centre Road. They took possession a couple of months ago and then closed for 2 - 3 weeks for renovations and a new fit out, then they were only open for a couple of weeks and have now closed due to this virus thing. This café was one of my regular Saturday morning breakfast spots so hopefully they can reopen in due course. Now this is a serious question, in this time of heightened hygiene requirements how often should one be washing ones doona cover?? I have decided to include a new occasional piece called "What's in the pantry Graeme"? this will include photos if items from my pantry which I think are of interest or possibly amusing. Today's contribution is: Tell me what I might make with these ingredients and what might be the missing main ingredient. Clair, I received an email from the Hotel des Grand Balcones, tellin...
Blog day 5: Saturday 28 March 20120 Now a little about my daily routine. I have introduced an exercise regime which involves me pumping iron. I have bought some 5kg dumbells and each morning I do a series of self designed exercises using said dumbells. It must be doing some good as yesterday I ripped the top off a vacuum sealed pickle jar as if it wasn't there. I will let you all in on a secret, I do said exercises wearing only my Jockey brand Y fronts, what's that I hear? Ladies swooning all over the country maybe! Requests for photos will not be entertained, unless asked nicely. I am also catching up on my reading, I have just finished two books that I have been working my way through for a little while. I have just finished "Ring of Steel - Germany and Austria-Hungary at War, 1914-1918" by Alexander Watson. Watson is a British academic and historian and this book presents TGW (The Great War) from the point of view of the Central Powers...
Blog day 4: Friday 27 March 2020 At last some good news, I think that I have developed a corona virus vaccine and only using common household goods, that is if you have a ready supply of battery acid. Anyway the ingredients are currently top secret until I get the patents in place. It seems to work as I have been taking it for 5 days and so far I haven't caught the virus. The only downfall is that it is currently taken in the form of a suppository and it is rather large so it tends to bring a tear to the eye although as time goes by it is getting easier (and almost enjoyable) to take ones medicine, so to speak. Further updates to come. But now for some real good news, I learnt yesterday that a young couple who are friends of mine are due to have their second child in September, so congratulations and well done them. This morning I went to the local Woolies supermarket and much to my surprise the car park was half empty and there was toilet paper...
Blog day 3: Thursday 26 March 2020 Its funny to think that this time last year I was a couple of days away from heading off to Europe for 5 weeks, my how things have changed. On that trip the only medical issues I needed to concern myself with was twisting an ankle on a cobblestone or recovering from a hangover, wouldn't want to be there now. I am wondering where the extinction rebellion people have got to, they seem to gone very quiet, maybe they are lining up in the Centrelink queues to take money from a government they despise from a society for which they have no respect. Haven't been for a walk today apart from up and down the driveway to collect the newspaper and check the letterbox. I even excitedly opened the letter from the bank enclosing my credit card bill. Keeping in touch with people by email, SMS and phone, Leanne even suggested today that I join Facebook. Maybe...….when hell freezes over! Catching up on my reading, and looking at inspiration...
Blog day 2: Wednesday 25 March 2020 I think that I forgot to mention yesterday that the usual blog rules will apply in that there will be no food photos, unless I take a photo of my last tin of baked beans sometime in the distant future. Further compulsory closures and limitations on public gatherings announced by the PM last night and by the Premier this morning. They are calling it stage 2 limitations. I don't think stage 3 is far away. I am maintaining my daily routine with really only two rules, no television before 5.00pm and no alcohol before 5.00pm. So as you can imagine, on the dot of 5.00 the telly is on and the vodka is poured. Just got back from my walk, I think that I am still allowed to do that, I didn't touch anything or anybody. The strip shops in Centre Road in Bentleigh East looks like what these streets used to look like on a Sunday afternoon before 24/7 trading. Most of the retail shops are closed, the cafes are open for take...
Dark Times in Bentleigh East Blog day 1: Tuesday 24 March 2020 Given the troubled times we are living in I have decided to make a record of the trials and tribulations being experienced due to the corona virus pandemic. I might also use this as a platform to vent my spleen, occasionally! Although it is day 1 of the blog it is the 78th day of the pandemic worldwide. Currently Victoria has 411 confirmed case of coronavirus with an increase with 64 new cases confirmed on Monday. Australia currently has 1,895 confirmed cases and worldwide there are 377,926 cases and 16,488 deaths. As an update it would appear that the Olympic games have been cancelled, for this year at least, although the AOC are still fluffing around with this and haven't confirmed anything as yet. The local supermarket is reasonably well stocked apart from toilet paper and paper towel, you know the usual things that you would panic buy in a crisis. Luckily still plenty of vodka around...