Cold Snap Continues

The rain continues to bucket down here but some respite is in sight.  There was another 82mls in the gauge this morning as the photo shows.  Click on the photo for a larger view, then click on the X in the top right hand corner to return to this page.

That gives us a total rainfall figure of around 2325mls for the first 7 months of the year where the annual average for 12 months is over 1600mls.  2325mls+ means around 93" of rain in the old scale. So far we have had 12" in June where the usual average is 4".

The cloud is expected to clear later today and chilly but sunny conditions should return over the weekend.  So we will be back to frosty mornings and sunny clear days just in time for when Kate Arj and the grandkids arrive late on Monday.

The pool will require a bag of salt as well I guess, it is too wet (and cool) to check the level now.

I have dug out an old heavy jumper hidden away in the cupboard from our days down south.  As long as I have the jumper on it still isn't necessary to use heating during the day.  We run the heater (air/con) for an hour or two at 20 degrees around 5 pm to warm the place up.

I also have a greater appreciation of why home brewing is not suited to places down south.  I washed bottles a couple of days ago and despite the en suite episode they still remain slightly wet inside 48 hours later.

Yesterday was busy with my helping a computer club member setup her laptop.  It had been a display model which means it had been put through its initial setup process.

As usual the biggest problem was setting up email.  There was a mix up on her email address and password for her ISP's email account.  Once sorted it proceeded smoothly.  I was able to import her email contacts but had no luck with her older emails.

We are looking at having toilet cisterns and two hand basin tap sets updated.  A plumber friend who is into movies and media players will do the work for me at no charge if I buy the parts.  I will then setup a media player system and wireless network at his place in a week or two.  Again he buys the parts.

The plumber does a lot of work for a a local group called St Andrews Care who are a part of the Federal Government's funded HACC (Home and Community Care) scheme.  If you are a pensioner (as I now am) the scheme pays the first $100 labor for a plumber. electrician etc around your home.  You give St Andrew's Care (who run the program in this area) a call and they provide the plumber who does the work.  Later you have to pay for any materials and excess labor over and above the $100.

The plumber mate will do the cisterns under the scheme and replace the two sets of hand basin taps in lieu of me setting up his media player etc.

Extreme Conditions, Extreme Measures!

Our weather continues cold, overcast and drizzly.  It seemed wet all day yesterday but this morning there was only 1ml in the rain gauge.  That was topped off with a top temp yesterday of 17, the same is expected for today but with rain increasing.  At least it isn't cold overnight.

My trip to the cardiologist yesterday could not have been better.  A small problem with some narrowing of an artery but nothing which requires any major treatment.

As with many people my age I am now on an aspirin a day and I am having my cholesterol tablet dosage increased.  Right now my cholesterol is good, 5.1, bad 2.8.  By increasing my dosage the aim is to get the readings to under 4 and around 2.  I go back to see him in three months.

I put a brew on last Friday so I needed to do a bottle washing.  I do need dry sunny weather to dry the bottles.  With our 'extreme' weather I have embarked upon this 'extreme' measure.  The bottles, the towels from this morning's shower and the bottle tops are locked away in the en suite and the oil heater is on.  It will be like a small steam room in there!

Click on the photo for a larger view.

I am due to bottle around Friday.

Trish had some disappointing news about her sewing machine this morning.  It was playing up a bit so she contacted a guy who services them in his home. He charges around half the price the shops do.  Trish was expecting him to say it really needed replacing so she could get a new one.  Unfortunately the machine has now been serviced and is running perfectly again.

She reckons if I am getting a new TV, she would get a new sewing machine.  There may be some negotiating we could do.

Still Cold And Wet

Just a short post today. 

We haven't seen the sun for almost 2 days now.  We continue to have a high cover of cloud.  It seems the further north you go the worse the weather is.  Therefore the Gold Coast which is around 160k's south of us has patches of sunshine and a top around 20, and we have heavy cloud and top of 17.  Places like Mackay around 700k's to our north are also expecting a top of  around 17.

This is about as cold as it gets here where we live.

The weather isn't expected to improve until later in the week when we return to clear skies, sunny days and chilly mornings.

Kate Arj and family are due here in a week's time so we are hoping the sunshine has returned by then.

Cool And Overcast

We have had very cool and overcast weather here for two days now.  This is our small backyard around 10:30 am this morning.  The pool does not look inviting.

Click on the photo(s) for a larger view.

We now know 'who did it' in the TV Series "The Killing".  What we did like was that the series actually came to an 'end' and didn't leave you hanging with some small detail untold.  There won't be any more series of this show, with this case at least.  It was great TV Show, one we have enjoyed very much.  Currently we are working our way through the British TV Courtroom Series 2 of "Silk".  Aussie TV isn't too far behind on this series with episode 2 of the latest series showing just recently on the ABC.  We will get through a few more episodes after the football tonight.

We enjoyed a very good lunch at the local Tavern on Thursday with friends Ian and Kerrie.  The three or four schooners which went with it were OK too.  The Tavern is rapidly building a reputation for cheap and great food around Caloundra.  The great thing about the Tavern is we can easily walk there.  We all got together for Friday drinks as well which was great.

I have completed my BeCA duties regarding the Newsletter, I delivered 120 or so of them Friday morning.  It was actually warm walking around under beautiful blue skies doing the deliveries.

I have also discovered another 8 DVD's of Mrs Brown's Boys, the hit UK sit com about to show on Australian TV.  It will be a late night show because of the content.  The writers had previously created a series of 90 minute specials in Ireland and the DVDs follow that early series.  This means I have been busy downloading and organising screen sheets.

Our taps are all powdered coated white and are now ten years old with some of the paint chipping off them.  They look tired and need replacing.  We have checked replacements and we have decided to go with chrome.  Eventually we will swap all the taps over.  I checked out how to change them over and I decided I could probably do it but it won't be good for my back.

One guy who I meet on my bike ride is a semi retired plumber who I have previously helped out with movies and computer stuff.  He popped in the other day, saw the way I organise my media player and would like a similar system.  So it all works out OK, he swaps my couple of taps over, along with a couple of cisterns while I set up his wireless network and media player for him.

Computer club was busy again yesterday morning and I have a Computer Club member bringing her new laptop around on Wednesday.  The lady wants help on setting it up.

I have the cardiologist for an appointment tomorrow.

Cold This Morning But Bright Blue Sky

The wind has swung around to the south west giving us cold, clear but dry weather.  Though it is after 8:30 am it is still only around 11 degrees outside but we have a fine sunny day ahead of us.  As I edited into the post below, it seems a phone problem for everyone in our street has now been rectified and everyone is back on line.

On Sunday a couple of members of the Community Association were invited to a 'Thankyou Evening' for our retiring Councillor.  Two couples went along representing our group.  It was conducted in an upmarket local restaurant.  The meal was provided and we paid for our own drinks.  The drinks weren't cheap!

Everyone who was anyone was there.  We had the Irwins Terri, Bindi and Bob as well as Bruce and Denise Morcombe.  The Irwins require no introduction but the Morcombes are the parents of Daniel, the young 11 year old boy who was abducted from a local bus stop.  His remains were later found in a nearby swamp in a forest.  The Morecombe Foundation has grown from this incident and is aimed at child protection.

The photo was taken with my phone and in poor light.

Yesterday (Monday) I was around to a Computer Club member's home to help him install and setup a local wireless network.  We had to purchase a wireless modem router and then install it.  What should have been plain sailing was disrupted by a faulty modem/router.  It was returned and exchanged.  The second unit installed quickly and perfectly in a few moments.

It was then time to add the three computers they had to the network.  Finally we installed his new 'wireless' printer.  Though time consuming the installation seemed to go OK.  Finally I had to set up email on one of the laptops so the lady of the house could easily get her Hotmail and ISP provided email services.  The biggest hassle was getting the contacts off the old PC onto the laptop.

Each contact needed to be edited to get it to show properly.

All in all it took around 6 hours to do.  But they are just amazed at the versatility that a wireless network can provide for them.  They can now easily swap files between computers and anyone can print to the new wireless printer.  Previously one had to email the document to the PC attached to the printer and have it printed that way.

Now they can sit in the lounge room with a laptop and print to the printer situated in a different room. I must admit I was exhausted when I had finished but they are happy with the way it all works.

The final episodes of The Killing Series 2 and The Borgias Series 2 went to air in the U.S. over the weekend.  As a result Trish and I loved watching the first 5 episodes of The Killing Series 2 last night.  We will continue the series tonight and finish it off on Wednesday evening!

Everything Has Magically Returned

Around 5pm yesterday afternoon I was in the 'office' and noticed the modem/router was all working fine, we had the voip up and connected and the dial tone had switched to the familiar single tone of a successful connection with MyNetFone.

Take a few seconds and compare this photo with the one in yesterday's post.

The internet connection remained rock solid overnight and everything seems fine this morning.

I guess either Telstra did a reset somewhere on our line and one by one the services gradually resumed. Or it is just down to the vagaries of connecting to the internet.

(Late Update)  After asking around this morning it appears it was a problem with the phone service for our section of the estate and everyone lost dial tone, phone connection and internet.  Everyone is back online now though.

A couple of less than enticing AFL games were on TV yesterday but both turned out to be exciting.  This made for a more pleasant Saturday afternoon.

I have previously described the weather as glorious.  Today is even better than glorious.  We are expecting a top of 23 degrees but it will feel much warmer out of the sun sitting quietly in the back corner.

I had a stroll for a couple of kilometres this morning enjoying the lakes, the parks and the weather.  I am again back on my bike tomorrow morning.  Later tomorrow I am off to help set up a home network and install a network printer.  He has three computers, an older Vista Laptop, and new Windows 7 laptop and an old PC running XP.  The two laptops should be easy, the older PC running XP will be a bit more of a challenge.

Trish and I along with another couple are off to a 'farewell' for a retiring Sunshine Coast Councillor this evening.  We are going along as representatives of the Bellvista Community Association.  The venue is known to have great food so we are both looking forward to the evening very much.

Landline Phone Problems Return

I am a little lucky to be able to make this post late this afternoon.  Last evening the modem/router was blinking away trying to connect to the internet.  Apparently there wasn't any phone connection as well.  I was forced to contact Telstra in the Philippines to report a "Line Fault" first thing this morning.  After getting home from Computer Club around midday I noted we had dial tone again.

I was able to connect to the internet as well but the connection dropped out several times during the afternoon.

In the photo you can see two lights to the right of the modem, a blank spot and then another light.  This is not what it should be, there should be three lights on in a row.  So despite being on the internet there is still something not right.  The missing light should indicate the Voip internet phone service we use has connected but as you can see it hasn't.

I will wait till early in the week until I get back to them as there isn't much happening over the weekend.

Last night we headed out to the local Indian restaurant for tea with friends Kerrie and Ian.  It was heaps of fun but made for a very long Saturday for me.  Ian called in 'sick' this morning and not in any condition to go to Computer Club.  I wasn't far behind him!

I managed to muddle through several problems for members this morning but it was a long session.  I eventually tried a quiet ale around 4 pm.  It seemed a bit lumpy compared to what I remembered.

Trish is working at the Tourist Information Centre this afternoon and I am not sure I will see much of the footy on TV tonight.

(Added Sunday Morning).  By 5pm last night (Saturday) everything appears to have returned to normal with all services back up and running.  Don't know why!

Glorious Weather

It is lovely and warm in the backyard right now.  The temp gauge may be saying it is 21 degrees at 11 am but in the sun out of the wind it is glorious.  It would have been a great morning for a ride but my bike riding has been put on hold until Monday morning.  Today is the reason so many southerners hitch their vans to their 4 wheel drives and head north.

Isn't it a coincidence how the weather looks so wonderful and my angiogram turned out so successfully?  I am sure that one goes with the other.

Yesterday was spent quietly, recovering before a short shopping trip later in the afternoon.  Our corner tall lamp went 'bang' the other night.  I fixed it, I cut it into three pieces with the hack saw and put it in the rubbish bin.  We therefore needed a new lamp which we went and bought yesterday.

From there it was to the Good Guys to see what sort of a price a guy would give me on the TV I had my eye on.  Recently it was on special at Dick Smith's for $1399 while everywhere else was much dearer.  The model I am after is a Panasonic P50ST50A and they are difficult to find right now as new stock is still to arrive from overseas.

I had an online quote for $1303.50 'delivered' and used this as a bargaining tool.  I paid a deposit on one substantially cheaper than that but I have to pick it up (another $50 saving).  I know several people who have small utilities so that isn't a problem.

The downside is I have to wait until 'early July" for it to arrive at the store.  You can see more about it here.

I have encouraged quite a few people to purchase a WDTV Live Streaming Media Player.  They sell for around $130 and act as a interface between a hard disk drive and a TV.  This means it is great for watching movies and TV shows downloaded from the internet.

There is one TV series in particular which once people see then demand that I help them sort out a media player.  The series is "Mrs Brown's Boys".  I hear it is coming to Channel 7 shortly.

Everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) who sees the show just rolls around the floor in fits of laughter.  The series has just won the British TV (BAFTA) Best Sit Com award.  The language is a bit crude but it doesn't seem to offend. Put it on your "Must See" list.

Check out this film clip for a preview.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA0iLtT46fY

We are heading out for a meal tonight with friends.  We have our eye on the Indian place about 3k's from here.  Makes the driving part easier for everyone.

All Is Clear!

I arrived home Wednesday night after my procedure with the excellent news that no blockage has been detected in any artery in my heart.  To say this is a bit of a relief is an understatement.

I now sport a 'bikini' wax type area around my groin where I was shaved to ensure the surgeon could get entry into my blood system and insert the dye.

I have to take it easy for the next few days to allow the groin incision to heal.  I will be doing that today.

Both Trish and I are relieved that everything is OK.

The weather is back to the Sunshine Coast's best.  We have a week of sunny weather with tops in the low 20's.  If you can find a spot out of any wind it will feel even warmer.  Today we are looking at an official top of 22 degrees but this may in fact be around 24 in our backyard.

Needless to say Monday and Tuesday saw me fairly subdued.  I received many calls from friends with best wishes for Wednesday.  I had all my Hospital Admission Forms completed.  We had considered going out for a quiet meal but in the finish preferred to sit quietly at home and watch some of the stuff on the Media Player.  Wet weather on Monday stopped me riding and come Tuesday I just didn't feel like it.

To keep busy I vacuumed the pool and did a couple of small chores around the house.  However my heart just wasn't in it as I had a few things on my mind.  I did jump in the car and took an hour or two checking out new TV's and a possible replacement amplifier.  Arj is prepared to take my old one.

Now I can't wait until Monday of next week when I am back on my bike again.

More Wet Weather

As expected the rain has arrived again this morning.  I drove to Brisbane earlier today to collect friends Ian and Kerrie upon their return from a trip overseas.  They left 5 weeks ago with 2 suitcases and returned today with 4 of them.  It was dark and wet with persistent rain falling on the way down and again on the way back.

On Friday Alan arrived with both laptops, the new and the old and we managed to get the new one running as he wanted.

Computer Club on Saturday was very busy.  I did the "Presentation" (see below) but had a list of 6 or more people waiting for my help throughout much of the morning.  I managed to solve most problems for people. Trish is busy with the Arts Centre Association's Winter Fair.  She is enjoying the involvement and the other ladies there.  It really is just an excuse to have a chat!  It is an all weekend affair with her being involved both days of the weekend.

After two busy days for her, and then me with a 4:30 start this morning we should both sleep pretty well tonight.

There was the best of part of 2" of rain is in the rain gauge this morning and right now the temperature is hovering around 15 degrees which is about as cool as it gets here.  There is hardly any footy on today as several teams have a mid year 'bye'.  I might take in a movie I think.  After all I have heaps there to watch.

Several of the TV Shows we watched last year are now making their way to regular TV here in Australia, especially on the ABC.

Death In Paradise is a great series so try and check it out, you won't be disappointed.  The "Body Farm" is a follow up series to "Waking The Dead".  It isn't as good as the original though.  You can also grab the latest series of 'Silent Witness' as well but general opinion is that this series is on the slide.

I have finally got all the bottles from a bottle washing a couple of days ago dry!  It has been that cool and there hasn't been any sunshine to dry them.

Shopping & The Internet

You can download your own copy of this presentation as a pdf from HERE

Paypal:  https://www.paypal-australia.com.au/personal

The internet can be of great assistance when looking for items to purchase.  It can help you find items, read reviews on items, get the 'best' price, or even purchase the item itself.

Many of these websites have extra charges for "Delivery".  You must check and take into account any delivery charges.  And be aware there may be some time between purchase and receipt of the item which you should take into account.

1. Beware of "Carpark Sales" and 30% off! Recently Joyce Mayne had a "30% off Carpark Sale".

2.  Shopbot:  http://www.shopbot.com.au/

3.  What about "Refills".  http://www.refillsnow.com.au/   Reply came back with prices but recommended I consider "Brother" brand printer.

 4.  Check the Brother website for RRP Prices and models to consider:  http://www.brother.com.au/products/multi-function_centres/colour_inkjet_mfc.aspx

5.  Now check other "Online Prices" for Brother Multifunction Printers, JB HiFi, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, Good Guys. 

Harvey Norman: http://www.harveynorman.com.au/computers/printing-networking/printers-scanners

Good Guys: http://www.thegoodguys.com.au/kawana_waters/Printers_&_Faxes/Multifunction

 6.  What about replacement ink cartridges?  Google "Buy LC73"
(Genuine Brother Ink Cartridges large sized black at $40, large sized colors, CYM $73 for a set of 3)

7. eBay for LC73 Cartridges:  http://www.ebay.com.au/

Other "Everyday" Sales Sites:

Catch Of The Day:  https://www.catchoftheday.com.au/index.php?

Zazz:  http://www.zazz.com.au/

OO:  http://www.oo.com.au/

OzBargain:  http://www.ozbargain.com.au/deals

eSold:  http://www.esold.com.au/default.php

DealEzy (S/C):  http://www.dealezy.com.au/Region/QLD-Sunshine%20Coast

Spreets Brisbane:  https://spreets.com.au/home/Brisbane

GrabOne (S/C)  http://www.grabone.com.au/home#sunshine-coast

Shopping Square:  http://www.shoppingsquare.com.au/

And others  Daily Deals, Deals Direct, etc.

Allow yourself to receive email 'specials' from Dick Smith, Kogan etc by subscribing to them.

A Couple Of Online Stores:

Umart (Sunshine Coast):  http://www.umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=6

DealExtreme (China):  http://www.dealextreme.com/

Big Brown Box (TV's etc):  http://www.bigbrownbox.com.au/

Selby (cables):  http://www.selby.com.au/storefrontprofiles/default.aspx?sfid=74520

A Damp Friday Morning

There isn't much in the gauge this morning but the roads and pathways are wet because of a light shower which went through earlier.  So I passed on a bike ride.  I took Trish to the Tourist Info Centre yesterday which gave me the car for the morning.  I quickly checked out a product I was interested in at Aldi and went on to a mate's place to help him sort out a couple of phone and computer issues.

I then spent a little time checking out TV's.  Our old Samsung is 7 years old and it might even last longer than me.  There are so many exciting developments with technology right now with my recent health scare I thought I might just lash out. I have my eye on a Panasonic 50" Plasma model number 50ST50A.  There is little difference nowadays between Plasma and LED.  I find that nowadays you get more bang for your buck with plasma.

I picked up Trish at 1pm and after her stint at the Tourist Info Centre and we enjoyed a lunch at the local Bellvista Tavern.  They now have a reasonable $10 lunch which makes it attractive.

I have bottle washed this morning. I used warm water for the bottle washing this morning as getting them all bone dry is a bit of a challenge since the cooler weather has arrived. I didn't go for my ride so it was a good chance to get this job done early in the day.

I am now waiting for a friend from the Computer Club to arrive with his both his old and new laptops.  He wants to set everything up on the new laptop and it is easier to do it here than at the Computer Club on Saturday.

Chilly Breeze But Plenty Of Sun

Funny but I seem to be getting a little more breathless nowadays, especially after my recent cardiologist's visit.  I seem to notice it more when I am bike riding.  Whether it is just from exertion, or whether I am more conscious of it, or if there really is a problem, I just don't know.  However as I become breathless the tickle of a cough returns.

It isn't a major problem but everything will be clearer after next Wednesday.

What joy it is to have such good friends.  If things don't work out for me then these wonderful friends have all volunteered and drink my home brew supply for me.  Aren't they thoughtful?  Eddie wants Trish to get a notice in the paper as early as possible because he doesn't get the paper on Saturdays down there in Melbourne.

And just to be extra confident of next Wednesday I put another brew on yesterday (Tuesday).  When I was telling someone the remark came back to ensure I bottle it before I head into hospital!

With the cooler weather I have the heat pad back out again and wrap the brew in an old track suit top to try to retain the heat. 

Despite being clear and sunny there is a lazy wind out there this morning, one that goes straight through you rather than around!  It is quite cool with a top expected of around 20 degrees.  I did my bike ride and got another 12 or so kilometres in.  I felt extremely comfortable when I had finished the ride.

5" Rain Overnight Into Sunday

The forecast was spot on!  Heavy rain hit into Saturday evening and when it eased Sunday morning we had 126 mls in the gauge. However today Monday was bright and sunny with a top around 23 degrees.  Sitting in our sheltered back corner would have been wonderful but things have been a little busy today.

I took this photo (above left) this morning on my 12k bike ride.  Click on the photo for a larger view.

With another 5" of rain the pool was well down on salt.  Another bag went in this morning and now the pool is pumping out all the chlorine it needs.  I reckon I have put in around 4 or 5 bags of salt since Christmas when usually I would have added only one bag.  Such is the rain we have had this year.

I updated the rainfall link to the right this morning and when converted shows we have had over 80" of rain already in 2012.  The annual average is around 64 inches.

I am to have an 'angiogram' on Wednesday of next week.  The "Cardiologist' stress test last week showed a possible indication of an abnormality in my heart.  Some people would be surprised to believe the cardiologist even found I had a heart!  To check it out one way or the other I am to have an angiogram on Weds 13th.  If necessary and at this stage there is no certainty one way or the other I will have a stent inserted to ensure any possible artery blockage is kept open.  It is all a little scary but this procedure will sort things out if any possible concern is detected.

Earlier today I got my repaired hearing aid back so now I am hearing on all channels.

Footy was great over the weekend with what seemed like some very ordinary and uninteresting matches being cliff hangers with surprise wins all over the place.  Both Trish and my teams had easy wins.

Later in the week you will see a 'strange' post here on the blog.  I am doing another presentation at Computer Club on Saturday about using the internet to help you with shopping.  I have already prepared it but it is still in 'draft' form and saved here at the blog site.  When I publish it later in the week it will be available for everyone to see.

Last night Trish and I watched the first of three episodes of "Hatfields and McCoys" which received bumper audiences and reviews when shown in the US last week.  I have a BeCA Meeting tonight and we will watch Episode 2 after I get home.

Wet Weekend

From what we can see online it looks like all of the east coast is in for some rain this weekend.  We had almost 40mls overnight Thursday but only a couple of mls were in the gauge this morning.  The forecast says something like showers turning to periods of rain.

Despite damp roads this morning I managed to get a bike ride in.  It isn't really pleasant with dampness all around but I had been holed up inside for too long.

Trish and I did get to the Dicky Beach Surf Club yesterday to pay our membership, $8 for 3 years 'pensioner' special.  Then we bought a $10 lunch each but as we have "Pensioner" written on our new cards we got another 20% discount.  I don't think I would order the same meal again next time.  From the Surf Club we drove to Aldi, (what else do oldies do?) where we bought a smaller deep fryer. 

This one takes less oil yet is big enough for just the two of us.

My 10 ink refills for $24 delivered for the new printer arrived this morning as well.  I still can't believe how inexpensive they were.  I usually pass on movies and TV shows to Brian over the road.  He loves them.  They bought one new black Canon refill and a black 'refilled' cartridge off me for $20.  I was almost ready to toss them out but he was more than happy with the deal.

Trish is at Quilters this morning.

I head back to the cardiologist on Monday afternoon for a summary of all the tests I have been doing.  Trish has had some feedback that there may be some news for me, nothing serious I believe.  I also get my hearing aid back from repair on Monday morning.