First, the catchup post

 Hard to believe it's been a couple of months already since I first moved into my new house. When I read back on my previous posts, they are all about the laundry room and the dishwasher. Ah the past. 

So, a bit of a catchup on the resolution of those items...

The laundry issue pretty much got sorted by the replacement of the washing machine. Once I figured out that there was a little filter plug in the main water inlet line and pulled that out, the washer worked fine. The room looks better now with a washer and dryer that are suited to the size of the room. The terra cotta colored tiles on the floor still needs a bit of a scrub to clean the grout, but otherwise I think it's pretty nice.

The room has a airy, spacious feel to it, that I really like. It used to be part of the back porch (veranda) that one of the previous owners turned into a mudroom/laundry. 

After I moved in I realized that other than a smattering of really crappy leftover tools like the odd crescent wrench and some screwdrivers that I really have little ability skillwise to fix things, nor the tools to do it.

Tools had been the domain of the men in my life, and although most have been somewhat unwilling to do many repairs, any that were undertaken were conducted under the attitude of "this is men's business, so go back to the kitchen and cook something". Insert Eyeroll. I have since come to find out that a lot of  that posturing was due to the fact that the man in  question didn't know how to do the "man task" himself, and didn't want me watching his stumbling steps in home repair. Understandable I guess, but just being honest would have been more helpful.

So, now I realized that I would need to learn how to do all the things myself. After a bit of googling and youtubing, I realized that I would need to buy a basic set of tools (whatever those might be) and learn to use them. The next questions were what to buy and how to store them?

The property does have a shed, but it has a riding lawn mower stuffed in there, so not much room to store tools (more on this in a later post). The next likely spot is in the laundry room which does have a bit of space. I purchased a wrench set, dug out my screwdriver set which is mostly intact, power drill, and bought a few other small power tools that I thought I might have some hope in learning how to use.

But how to store them? I found out quickly that upright tool chests are REALLY expensive (try $800 or more). And fishing things out of a smaller tool box is annoying. Out of the idea of "use what you got already" I repurposed a plastic trolley that I had previuosly used to store extra junk at my old much smaller place.

So, stepladder (for changing lightbulbs and painting if I ever get around to it) and then the tools trolley. Doesn't look too bad, and I can see what's on each section and don't have to keep opening drawers. :)

However, to the right is a bit of a mess, I need to hang up the brooms, mops, etc. That is a job for future me.

The Devil's in the Details

Things are starting to come together at the house.

New Term of the Day: Sullage hose

I'm nearly out of the old duplex, thanks to some help with Connor and Shelley. Connor has come over two Saturday's in a row to help me pack things up and throw things out. My knee has been very painful for the last month or so, which is a really convenient time for it to decide to protest things.

Saturday will be Grand Central Station over at the rental with Connor and I  there getting another load (kitchen dishes and bathroom still to pack), rental agent coming over with a prospective tenant (second one in a week), and the bond cleaner coming over to give me a quote. 

Meanwhile, in my new house, with the old washing machine leaking all over the floor, I decided to buy a new washer which was delivered and installed a few days ago. I had a look out in the back yard to see what the problem was with the black sullage hose. This was the hose that seemed to have a clog and backed up the laundry sink (and tub). I have since come to learn that "sullage" is any domestic water coming from the house that is not from the toilet. Good to know.

As it turned out the hose was full of water and had somehow kinked itself up in several places. Once the kinks were undone the water flowed out fine. Problem solved.

So, once the washer was in place and had been installed by the delivery guys, I tried to do a load of washing. I must admit to some trepidation as I waited for some issue to crop up. I watched for a few minutes, but there was no dramatic spurting of water on the floor, so I felt safe enough to go back to the kitchen and do some more stuff.

Suddenly, I heard a bing, bing, bing from the laundry room. Sigh. I hate being right. 

Error message E10 was flashing in time with the chiming of the machine. Quickly I searched for the instruction book and flipped to the error messages at the back. E10 had 5 possible causes, all around the idea that the machine is not filling with water. 

I checked that the faucet was turned on. Not as easy as it sounds. With the water hose firmly (and I do mean FIRMLY) attached by the delivery man there was no way easily see if it was getting water. Where's a wrench?...who knows what box those were in and whether they are here or still at the other place. Ah, they did give me a wrench type thing for adjusting the feet of the washer.

Gave it a bit of a turn, and yes, it works. Uh oh, water is coming out. That must mean the water is still on. Great deduction Sherlock (as my brother would say -- actually this is the cleaned up version of what he would say). 

Tried  the machine again. Nope, still same error. OK, book says there is a filter in the nozzle that must be turned on. Right.

I got the aluminum bowl still in the sink from the last washing machine fiasco, put it under the tap, twisted the knob the other way, and got the hose off. You know, it's a bit harder than it sounds to twist the wrench and hold the bowl under the tap at the same time, and get the hose off. Glad I'm not a plumber!

With the hose unplugged from the tap I can see an itty bitty little plastic piece that will turn. Hoping I've turned it the right way, I reconnected the hose to the tap and restarted the machine. No error. OK, fine. 

After a few minutes I realized that yep, it's all good. Whew!

I realized that all the above really made me nervous. I guess deep-down I still have some worries that I can do all the things needed to have a house of my own without someone knowledgeable around. But, there's always the instruction manual, and google. And if those don't work I can hire someone.

And I still remember that having a guy around is not always proof that something will get fixed. My dad was the perennial ignorer of things he didn't feel like fixing. One time, the lights went out in a certain room of the house. Mom told Dad, and as their distribution of knowledge went,  this was clearly a Man Of The House thing.

Dad ignored it. After three days of waiting, Mom called the electric company, sent a repairman out to their place, inserted a new fuse to replace the old one, and gave Dad a hefty call-out bill along with a dirty look for wasting his time. 

We all get the things done, in whatever way we can.

Adventures with water-based appliances

Well, I've been moved in about a half a week and I've started to slowly unpack things.

One really cool thing that the previous owners left for me was a dishwasher! I was really excited about this because I haven't had a dishwasher for probably 6 years or so. So, I bought some dish washing tablets and decided to try it out  this evening.

Before I go any further, lets play a game called "What's wrong with this picture"?

Yes, the cutlery basket is missing. Luckily, a quick google tells me  they are easily replaceable for under $20, so no big deal.

Yesterday I had a bit more of an emergency with my washing machine. So, I hired a removalist (furniture mover) to move my stuff from across  town to my lovely new place. They even hooked up the washing machine for me.

I decided to try out the washer with a small load of clothes. Everything seemed to be going fine until the spin cycle when the washer disperses the dirty water into the laundry sink. I noticed the water was really gray and mucky. And it didn't seem to be going down. I waited until it got perilously close to the top of the sink before I realized that no, it wasn't going to magically sort itself out.

So, I stopped the washer and decided that it was time to bail it out. The bathroom is nearby, so I decided to use an aluminum mixing bowl (since I didn't have a bucket) to bail the water and dump it down the sink in the bathroom. I made two or three trips sloshing water as I went. On the fourth trip my feet flew out from under me, and I landed with a crashing thump on my posterior.

After ascertaining that all parts were still in working order I climbed to my feet and said "well, that was a bad idea". I happened to look in the tub, and the water from the washer was backing up into it. Not good, or so it seemed to me. Being basically clueless in the ways of plumbing.

Meanwhile in the laundry room I still had 3/4 of a sink of mucky water and some drowning clothes in the washer. I found the key to the back porch, got that unlocked and then proceeded, carefully this time, to empty the water out of the laundry sink and pour it off the veranda onto the ground.

Eventually, the laundry sink was as empty as I could get it, but still stopped up. I figured that I could get the water spun out so that I could at least dry my clothes and then I'd deal with the mess. The spin cycle worked, and it only filled the sink half-way. Perhaps things were looking up.

I got the clothes transferred to the dryer, and went to have a sit down and a bit of a think. I called a girl friend and she said "sounds like you have a clog". I thought to myself, of course I've got a clog, I know that!

She then proceeded to tell me all the other things it could be. The most entertaining but scary one was that the grey water outlet that puts the water from the washer and other drains out into the yard could be plugged up with frogs who like to crawl in the drain pipes and then get scalded to death from  the hot water. Poor froggies.

Do plumbers even deal with stuff like that?

Finally I ended my call and went back out to the laundry room, and miraculously the water had drained from both the laundry sink and bathroom tub.

Maybe it was just excess water and gunk from the house sitting unoccupied for two months. I can only hope. Otherwise it's off to call the plumber and hope it's not frogs.

Have you seen my house?

I finally bought a house!

It's hard to believe, but I finally got the country cottage that I've been wanting for years. It's a four bedroom little place on an acre and a half just on the outskirts of town. It's still close to work and all the things, but it is quiet!

There are two porches, one on the front, and one on the back. I've already got an old comfy sofa on the back porch for sitting and pondering.

I'm still in the process of moving the last of my things in, and I'm pretty much living out of boxes. I bought a few emergency items like soap, shampoo, etc because I still haven't packed the bathroom at the old place.

Turns out I bought two bottles of conditioner rather than one  of shampoo. Hello washing hair with a bar of soap. It was rose scented at least!

I had my first "country" adventure today. I went to run out to the shops after work, and when I came back it was pitch black. There are very few street lights and all the houses are set back a ways from the road. I drove past my house, and then had to turn around and drive back slowly before I could find it.

I guess I better buy some solar lights and put them on either side of the gate!

It's not like I can stop at a neighbor's and say "Excuse me, I've misplaced my house. :)

Living in the Land of the Virus

Friendly co-workers offer help :)

Australia is finally starting to feel the effects of the COVID-19 virus that the rest of the world has been going on about since late January.

As of today, Australia has 870 cases (184 in Queensland). Townsville has about 6 at this point, but numbers are very vague because doctors aren't testing people unless they fall very ill and have to go to the hospital. So, it's possible the numbers are higher.

JCU has cancelled all face-to-face teaching and sent us lecturers home to explore the brave new world of online teaching. I've been making my teaching materials available online for some time, so it's not that new to me. However, due to the students not having strong internet connections (an issue in Australia generally), we are recording our classes and having the students turn in their assignments via an online system rather than teaching live and having the classes over the internet.

The biggest issue I've run into so far is people hoarding toilet paper of all things. For the last two weeks I've tried various shops and they are comletely out. After speaking to shopkeepers, they get the supplies on the shelf and within an hour they are sold out.

Other items have started to disappear as well like rice, dried pasta, hand sanitiser, paper towels, long-life milk, sugar, flour, yeast  just to name a few. Shops have placed a limit on how many of an item one person can buy.

The PM has cancelled all indoor meetings of over 100, and we are supposed to do "social distancing" meaning if we are around someone, we should stand two meters away from them (approximately 6 feet).

The toilet paper shortage has already caused issues with the plumbing as people are putting wet wipes, tissues and paper towels down the toilet and they are clogging up the sewers and septic tanks.

The PM has also closed the borders to entry by any non-Australian (not holding permanent residency or citizenship). So, we're here for the duration. Qantas has grounded 2/3 of their fleet, and is trying to get jobs for their mostly casual staff (not long-term employment) in Woolies and Coles as shelf stackers.

Interesting times!

Me and the PM x 2

Politically, I am pretty middle of the road. These days it seems like it's social suicide to declare for one side of the other. Myself, I'm for small government, but one that looks after people.

Most evenings you'll find me listening to a talk show called Paul Murray Live on the Sky News Channel. It is starting to have a certain resemblance to Fox News, but they do have a few token lefties on the panel each evening to keep things lively. Sky News is reckoned to be wholly and utterly right wing by many Aussies.

In the morning, while I'm getting ready for work, I listen to the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Company, similar to the BBC in England). Many Aussies depending on their political bent consider the ABC to be either mid-stream or wholy and utterly to the left and nearly communists (and barking mad).

One evening recently as I was doing my household chores in the evening and watching the conservative news I heard the announcer say "If you're in Townsville next Wednesday night, join us for a chat with the Prime Minister Scott Morrison. You can ask him anything you like. Just send an email to <insert email here>.

I thought, why not. I wouldn't want to ask a  question, but no doubt it would be educational and entertaining.

So, the following week, I received my invitation to the event, and was surprised to see that it was a) held in a nice pub, and b) that there were only about 50 or so people there. No reporters, just a couple of microphones and a set of chairs set around. It was nearly the most low-key thing I've ever seen in a political setting.

A half hour before the PM was to arrive we were given a few quick instructions by Paul Murray (our host). Ask whatever you want, but keep it respectful and clean.

The host said "You all know I like to swear, but we can't because this is live tv.  And you know how that Q & A show goes?"   We all said yeah.  Q&A being a highly scripted and edited show on the ABC.

He said "Well, this ain't f-ing Q&A." To which the entire audience whooped and hollered.

I found myself a seat next to two older men and made chit chat until the host announced, "And here is our Prime Minister Scott Morrison!" And there he was, striding down the pub towards a couple of chairs set at the front of the room while everyone clapped. No one stood up. There was no "Hail to the Chief" or other patriotic song playing. No flashing of cameras, other than those held by audience members (mostly smart phones).  There were no secret service guys in dark suits, although there were a couple of guys with ear pieces, casual shirts and long trousers. No thongs. Guess you gotta draw the line somewhere.

The host got the PM to say a few quick things, and then the questioning started. Mostly about local worries such as funding for the drought-stricken farmers, extra funding needed for drug addicted people, and was Australia going to pull out of the Paris Accord (dealing with man-made climate change).

From where I sat, the PM seemed to handle it pretty well. His answers seemed reasonable and  thoughtful. After a hour of questions, the PM made himself available to the people to have their picture taken with him.

I couldn't pass that up, so here is me with the PM, and the second picture is with Paul Murray the tv host.

I was going to post the picture of me and the PM on Facebook, but because politics is so polarized these days I didn't.

So I decided to post it on here instead. I imagine though I would get a similar response in the states if I posted a picture of myself with Trump. Although as my brother Eric said "It's not like I'm going to be rubbing elbows with Trump anytime soon".

Random clumsiness or a plot?

I had a pretty busy week, with teaching, helping students with assignments that are due, and planning for our Design Sprint. I'll talk about the sprint in a bit, but first some randomness.

So, did you know that Avocado Hand is a thing? I didn't, but now I have it. Apparently due to the increasing popularity of avocados, people are injuring themselves by trying to get the pit out. And sure enough, I did it myself a few days ago.

I was trying to open an avocado, jammed a steak knife in the stone to flick it out. Of course it slipped on the gooey avocado-ness and impaled my hand. I stopped the bleeding (wasn't too bad), but it did hurt.

The next morning my finger was very swollen and somewhat painful. I'm hoping it will go down because of all the things that could make me go to the Dr., avocados aren't supposed to be one of them.

Evidence below:

Talk to the hand -- about avocados. :)

OK, next random bit. While I was a work a colleague that I was meeting for the first time said that she had a few minutes available to chat about a work task. She said that she'd meet me in front of the aquarium at work. I hopped in my car, and in an effort to get there quickly, I somehow straddled a curb. My car was hung up, unable to go forward or backwards. After a bit of burning rubber to no effect, I asked to people working nearby to help.

A very kind young woman offered to try and drive my car and get it off the curb, but no luck. So she suggested to me "You get in, gun it, and I'll push".  With some luck, and a bit more burnt rubber, I managed to get the car unstuck and took off across the paddock. Whew! Thank you random person!

A third sort of randomness that shows me that clumsy may indeed be my middle name happened when I went to a macrame class. The teacher was able to show everyone else how to do a particular knot, but even after multiple tries I couldn't get it. Eventually, I saw enough other people doing it that I was able to sort it out. I'm not sure if it was being left-handed or whatever, but learning new things sometimes takes a while, but once I've got it, it stays locked in.

I persevered, and made the wall hanging below. The stick is from an iron bark tree (native to Australia). The glass float I bought in Tasmania, but I think they look good together.

Don't mind the puzzle, that's coming along.

I just realized that with the addition of the glass ball this grouping looks slightly like a space alien.

Take me to your leader!

Where has the time gone?

I had a look at the last entry on here, and it was about 5 years ago. Wow! What a long time. To be fair, lots has happened since then...my marriage ended, got made a permanent employee at the uni, the kids have grown up.

I've been on trips, learned things, tried new hobbies, tried old hobbies. Gained weight. Lost weight. Gained it again, lol.

Blogs for the purpose of just sharing your life are not really the thing anymore. It's FaceBook, Pinterest, Instagram. But unlike a lot of people, I've been never wanted to be famous. Well to do maybe, or a least comfortably well off, but not famous.

So, I think what I'll be doing with this blog is to document some of my memorable experiences. I've never been a reliable letter writer (ask my Mom). But I have seen a few things worth noting I believe.

I do a lot of writing for work, emails, grant applications, academic papers, but writing about my experiences is not exactly that sort of thing.

Here's hoping that I can get this going again. I have tried in the last few years, but the trouble is, day to day life is not all that interesting. I think that's why FaceBook has gained so much traction (or Twitter, but I don't tweet). It's short form, here's what I did today. Just post a picture or a link to an article and bob's your uncle, you're done.

Blogs require a bit more thought and effort. But, I am happy with my earlier blog posts, and it does document my life and the kids in a way that I really like.

This blog will be a combination of time machine, and current snapshot of what's going on now. Hope you'll enjoy the ride. Because I'm making it up as I go along, just as we all are. :)

Love ya'll.

Australia Day = No internet!!

The weir at Riverside Gardens

Earlier in the week we were invited to go camping over the long Australia Day weekend. The holiday always falls on the 26th, but since that is a Saturday this year, we get Monday off as well.

However, a cyclone had started its way down the coast, and by Wednesday and Thursday we had torrential rain. The cyclone was out at sea, so we just caught the edge of the rain as it passed.  As it migrated its way down  the coast the cyclone turned westward as it neared Brisbane.

The rains caused flooding and power outages in Rockhampton and Brisbane.

We gave a brief thought to those people who were dealing with floods and then went about our normal life. Late Sunday afternoon I noticed that our internet seemed to be playing up, but I ignored it and read a book instead.

Monday morning we decided to take the kids on a long walk around town. We stopped about half way and decided to buy a drink at a convenience store. Bad news...all Telstra services (i.e. the main phone company) were out from Brisbane north to Cairns. Townsville is in the middle of that length, so no phone service.

But what was the most annoying is that all electronic banking services were out as well. So, no using a debit card, credit card, just good old fashioned cash. Both Dave and I didn't have any money on us, so Chloe and Connor footed the bill for the drinks.

Also, the ATM services were down and early on someone went the rounds of the area and drained $3000 from the ATM machines. It was their money, but its considered bad form to take so much money that no one else can get any.

So this taught me that we need to make sure and have some cash on hand for when these things occur.

It also brings to mind how fragile our infrastructure is in north Queensland. Every year we get flooding rains, and every year the roads and electricity get cut, sometimes for days. We have a generator at the house, but it is noisy and expensive to run.

De-christmasing the house

Now that the tree is put away, along with the other Christmas ornaments, the living room was looking a little worse for wear with the post-holiday smudgies. So, a quick tidy up, and we're ready for the New Year.

Dave's new globe takes pride of place next to the sofa. He reckons it makes the place look more "educated". :)

A nice thing about the globe is that it is also a lamp.