General Chat

Poor Karen - sent me two PMs but I was too busy answering her on the board to open them. First one was an apology and explanation, second one was that she was in tears "please contact me". Hope I have put it right now and I have asked her to pass on my condolences to Rona.

I was amazed at just how many people saw it in such a short time!

Allan,
Have you really not had rain for 75 days - I didn't realise that. I'm sure you were glad to see it. But not thepower cut.

Tec

Berona, I'm pleased that it has been sorted out now. It must have come as a shock

Tec we have had a bit of rain over that time but not enough to register in the gauge.

A bit of heavy rain last night and a very fine drizzle this morning when I went for my walk. It hardly wet me and now the roads are dry and the sun is coming out. I'll wit for the forecast on TV tonight to see what the official figure is.

The Official Weather Sation for this area is based in Bunbury and even though it is only a few kilometres way, the weather can be totally different. It can be raining in Bunbury but here in Australind it can be perfectly fine!

Allan

I have lived in this same area for 48 years - 45 of them only a few streets away from where I am now.

It was only this week when I noticed my cat seemingly asking me to do something about the rain, that I realised she doesn't understand because she's only 9 years old! It made me think back to when we had torrential rain sometimes lasting for one to two weeks. I have memories of when my sons played soccer and their competition was 'washed out' for seven weeks in succession (1974).

We have had nothing like that in the last nine years or more! If we get a downpour, it only lasts for minutes, then stops and when it does get reasonably 'continuous', it is only a drizzle. In summertime, high temps of 32+ were much rarer than they are now - and never anything like that before January. This year we had high temps (often) in September!
Our weather is definitely different from what it was twenty years ago!

Allan,
We also get that kind of strange weather here. It can be beautiful here all day, while a town 12 miles away can have torrential rain for hours. I think it has to do with the mountains just inland.

Well I don't know what has happened to Diane and Pat, but hopethey're ok.

I must be off to bed now,
so Enjoy your day everyone Down Under,
and sleep well Up Top.

Goodnight

Tec

Berona, it is the same here in the SW of WA December and January were the hottest in over 35 years.

When I started working at Dardanup in 1990, you could always guarantee consistently heavy rainfall in the winter, with some top up in Summer, but not now.

Also, for the last couple of years I have neither had to get rugged up for my morning walks nor needed any wet weather clothing.

Allan

Good night Tec, sleep well

Allan

Good night Tec. Say good night to the duchess for me. Sleep well.

Yes, Allan. I got out my extra blanket this last winter, but never put it on once. Winter sheets are a thing of the past, too. (and that was BB! - 'before batts"). Clothing too - I don't think I rugged-up so much over the past few years, as I did before. I thought it was because I had put on extra weight, and it could be that - but maybe it was temperature too.

Well, I'm off to do some transcribing for a while. Just to let them know I'm still doing it!

Looks like everyone has abandoned us again! I'll look in this afternoon - usually catch Carole and Perse and sometimes Janet, then. (sometimes Diane too, with the hours she keeps!).

Have a nice day, Allan. Don't work too hard in the garden - it'll still be there tomorrow.

Thanks Berona

Take care and have a nice day

Regards

Allan

I deleted: double posting :0))

Allan

I think this must be one of the few threads that when people delete something they explain why.

We have been hearing all about Sydney's thunderstorms here where it is still sticky -hot.

Where are you Diane?

Persey

The thunderstorms have been happening, Perse, but not to the extent that we have been warned about - and certainly not where I am. We have had forecasts for storms all week and had only one quick one on Friday evening. To-days forecast is for no sun and rain all day. We had a drizzle earlier, and the sun is now out - and the ground has dried!

"Flooding" occurs in Sydney when we go a long time without rain, and no maintenance is done on pipes and drains - but in the country areas, it is usually because of poor drainage facilities. In many country areas, the area is vast and the population is low, causing little money to be coming in to the Councils for proper drainage to be effected.

In the city, it is plain laziness. Thankfully, most people are considerate, but there are those who find it easier to sweep their gutters and grass clippings into the street drains, as well as other rubbish. Nobody knows about it until the drains become blocked and cause the flooding.

We have a few like that around here - they also fill their recycling bins & rubbish bins to such an extent the lid won't stay down. Then plastic bottles, aluminium cans and other debri litters the street. Which reminds me I think I will tell the people across the road that when they put their plastic containers in the recycling to squeeze the air out of them - then screw the lid back on - fit more in that way. Now where was I - oh yes if someone doesn't pick them up and put them in their bin they float down the gutter and block the drains at the bottom of the street and then we have a large waterway to negotiate in the car until it is unblocked.
We have enough signs around saying be a tidy Kiwi.

Persey grrhhh

We have local newspapers which are delivered to each home free. Apparently, there are people who undertake to deliver these, for which they get paid - then give them to their kids to deliver for pocket-money. When I lived on a corner block, I saw from my kitchen window - a boy with a big load of newspapers in a basket on his bike, stuffing them down the street stormwater drain.
Another time, when there was a flood at the intersection behind my house, a neighbour went out in the rain and dragged out a full box of newspapers - box and all - and suddenly the flood disappeared!

I have seen similar things happening but at least the kid dumped them in the street side litter bin down the road - it was all these advertising circulars that they get paid to deliver.
My daughter did that sort of delivery for awhile - what a performance putting all the circulars together to form one package for each household -and guess who would do the other side of the street.

Perse

Junk mail is another story. I never had a problem before because I had a large mailbox with a special place for large items - even if there were times when large items were stuffed into the box! Where I am now, we have a very small set of mailboxes (14) in two rows of 7. Our current postie is OK with that and puts business envelopes in end-on, then twists them so that they drop side-on. However, the previous postie would shove mail in end-on, on top of a bundle of junk mail - then if it rained, the end sticking out would get wet and drop out onto the wet grass.
I have written "Mail Only - No Junk" on mine and most of the time those who deliver, respect that - but I realise that people of varying intelligence do this kind of work, but I have a pretty good success rate. What amuses me, it that nothing will be hanging out, then I find 'small stuff' hiding inside! Do they think I won't mind if it's not hanging out?

Yes we have no junk mail/circulars. Real Estate people don't think it applies to them.
In fact some of the Real Estate people are very cheeky - they will actually send us newsletters via the mail and use our christian names as in Dear Norma & himself etc like we are old friends. We got really sick of one guy who laid it on with a trowel - and sent them back to him.
One of the tricks (not done my me) here is to then, not only send that to the offender but to send a bundle of other circulars as well to them in said envelope.

Persey

A friend of mine does that. He gathers up all his junk mail and puts it in a new envelope; addresses it to the most annoying vendor, then posts it without postage - so that they have to pay the postage on it!

Must go. Son is on his way here to visit me. Nice having this talk all on our own. I wonder how many people will see it? I was surprised at that 'mistaken identity' thread earlier. It all happened in a matter of minutes, yet I was amazed at the amount of people on this thread and from the posts and pm's I got - I wonder how many read it that I don't know about? Poor Karen was so upset. It didn't worry me really. Just a bit belated, that's all (19 years!) I suggested she delete the thread and start again. I'm so glad I looked in on it - otherwise I might have had pages and pages of condolences to read!! However, it was still nice of those who did post. Talk again later. Enjoy your evening.