I’ve got the definitive book title finally. Anyone who looks at the header in here will see it.
I spent a frantic hour this morning trying to find one of my hearing aids, the left one which gives me nearly 90% hearing. I have suspicions one of the pet rats has taken umbrage at my removing any food items from the benchtop, making sure the cupboard doors are securely shut, and putting more poison out for them, by removing one of my hearing aids. To say I am annoyed is possibly a bit mild. I’ve got 60% / 80% hearing in my right ear with hearing aids, depending on background noise, without the left one I have huge problems understanding anyone. Plus it affects my balance as well for some reason, it could be from the different noise levels I hear, or whatever. So I’m back to 40% hearing for a while. The neighbours will have to get used to LOUD music coming from my place for a while.
Emailed Steve to see if the insurance will cover it, once he stopped laughing he said it should do, unless I was deliberately feeding the rats with them because I’d run out of other food.
Then later in the day, adjusting the throttle cable on one of the grasscutters, I dropped my glasses case, no worry, I had my reading glasses on to see what I was doing, then once finished I stepped back to look for the case and promptly stood on my normal glasses that had fallen out of the case. The frames are not too badly bent, but the screws holding them together had popped out, in amongst the grass and leaf litter. Did I mention that I was already a bit annoyed? I managed to find some screws at home tonight, one of the things I had actually stocked up on prior to coming, so I have distance/driving glasses again.
Thank whoever tomorrow is Friday, another day like today would be a bit too much.
Did I mention my usual disagreement with Solomon Telekom and their version of Broadband? And how the local gateway and DNS keep failing? And how it takes 30 – 90 minutes to open hotmail? White pages appearing with DONE in the bottom corner?
I’m not in a pleasant mood at the moment. You have to laugh at it all, if I ever took any of this seriously I’d be a prime candidate for those jackets with the buckles and sleeves that do up at the back.
Rose is talking of putting Mum into a care home for a week, from what she said I gather Mum isn’t all that happy about it, which is understandable. It isn’t as if Mum is senile or helpless. She’s in the last stages of cancer, can’t eat, is losing strength all the time rapidly, but I think she’d rather die in her own home, than anywhere else. The Hospice still have people calling in, it’s one of those situations where Rose is right there, I’m a long way away, so I can’t say what is right or wrong about it. If it was me, I’d be fighting tooth and nail to stay home, so what if I fell, died or whatever, in the same situation as Mum, where I’d be dying anyway, I’d rather it was where I felt comfortable, not somewhere different.
I finally found Andrew this morning, he has another week to go before he sees the surgeon again. The bone in his thumb has started to knit, but only at the bottom. There are still the 2 stainless wires holding it together, but there is no infection and his thumb apparently looks normal on the outside. It is still heavily bandaged. He has had his head shaved, so he looks about 10 years old now, or younger, I’ll get a photo next time. He is coming into work next week to go over the nursery plans with me, so he will understand what and why we are doing when we start building.
I’ve just spent an hour going through the house trying to find my hearing aid, all I’ve found so far is a rat nest in the bottom of the stove, another in the bottom of the fridge, both of which I had cleaned out when I got back from New Zealand. And still can’t find any entry points for the bloody things. I know there is still one at least in here, but I haven’t found it yet tonight. I haven’t found any more pieces of the missing aid yet, I may have to pull the 2 nests apart and check.
I was talking to Tiff about my pets today, and said they are similar to the Kiorie in New Zealand, and she mentioned that was the old name for them on Bellona, which is understandable given that Rennel/Bellona were settled by Polynesians several hundred years ago. They still speak Polynesian there, almost the same dialect as the Cook Islands, and Maori, a group from New Zealand that came here a couple of years ago looking for ancestors were able to be understood fairly easily. There are some words that have become altered with Melanesian over time, but it is still predominately Polynesian language. We have some strange conversations at times, over a wide range of subjects. Even the myths and legends on Bellona are the same as Cook Island and Maori, up to Maui, they have similar fire stealing stories, there are enough volcanoes here to work out where they come from, the migration stories, and they know the general direction of Hawaiikii from the arrival legends when they came here.
I couldn’t wait. Found some gloves and pulled one of the nests apart, from under the stove, and found the battery from the hearing aid, and the soft plastic insert, which has been chewed. No sign of the rest of it though. I have no idea what a rat would want with a hearing aid, unless it was partially deaf?
The little truck. I really shouldn’t mention it anymore, it has gone past the ludicrous stage and is reaching total farce now. Having spent nearly 12 months now being more in the garage than out of it, it still won’t start in the morning, despite having new glow plugs, a new alternator, a new battery, new fuel filters, a reconditioned fuel pump, reconditioned injectors. And the brakes still don’t, even with new shoes, new slave cylinders, new master cylinder, reconditioned power cylinder. I’m beginning to have doubts about the mechanic.
It’s due for a road worthy certificate next month, which is why we took it in originally last year. After 12 months it still isn’t road worthy. Did I mention I am having doubts about the mechanic?
All the irrigation system will be on its way shortly, the payment should be going through tomorrow, to make the May container coming up from Brisbane. Then it will be all go for a while setting everything up, another reason to have Andrew with me, even if he can’t do anything for a while. I’m going to mark out the area on Monday with him, so he can get an idea of the scale and size, and where everything will be fitting in. Our other stuff is only a week away, the planter bags, propagation trays and tubes, weedmat, but it will be the irrigation lines we need initially. It’s just taken a while to get it all sourced and sent.
I still have a few things to pick up in New Zealand that I haven’t found in Australia, well, not easily available from the people I’ve been dealing with. Tying gun and tape, elastrator handpiece for clipping the plant stakes together, all small stuff that I know where to obtain in New Zealand.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wednesday 12th May
I’ve confirmed the truck from Japan, RamaDBK Ltd, the money gets transferred up tomorrow, then we have a couple of months wait for it to be shipped down to here. Wet Earth in Melbourne have been excellent to deal with, I’ve changed the specs for the Nursery twice on them now, plus we had it expanded, and they haven’t got visibly upset with me yet, or at least not in the emails anyway. I have no doubt that there have been comments in their office, but they have been unfailingly helpful and great to deal with.
Their price is good, and hopefully that will get paid tomorrow as well, in time to make the next container from Brisbane at the end of May.
Only 2 of the outgoing MPs have handed their cars back into Govt Services so far, they were all meant to be handed back by last Friday. If they intend purchasing them that opens another can of worms, it is meant to go through the Government Tender Board for pricing, and the cars are meant to be handed back until paid for. Which I gather never happens anyway, unless the car is involved in an accident, or written off. It’s a crazy system, totally dysfunctional, the Solomon Star is having a field day with everything now. From the RCDF, the Cattle Fund, the EU Millenium Fund, various other funding agencies. And despite all the money thrown around, there is still nothing to show for it that reflects the amounts. Oh, apart from the bloody rugby stadium at Town Ground for a country that has about 60 rugby players, all on Rennel/Bellona. If you think I’m a bit jaundiced over the stadium you are right. Total waste of money, total misuse of the last bit of public open ground in Honiara.
Our new aircon is struggling to cope, it does make a difference though, just not enough. By midday I’m resorting to shutting the laptop off because it is overheating. It costs us $120 a day for electricity, to last Friday, Tiff bought another $1000 yesterday to top the meter up and I’m curious to see how long that will last us with the new aircon going. I may have to put some poles up and shade cloth over the container to break the heat buildup.
We haven’t heard from Planning, the Board meeting was scheduled for today, Tiff is going to phone her uncle in the Planning Dept to find out tomorrow. I need to know before we can start anything. Even clearing the ground is on hold till we find out.
I went into SIWA on Tuesday, my pijin can’t be too bad now, whenever I use it, the girl behind the counter understood me anyway. The main water problem is that the pumps are old, and constantly breaking down, no replacements are ordered, the lines have hundreds of illegal connections made into them, and people constantly climb the fence and turn the main line taps off so the water only goes to their area. Living here is always a lesson in self reliance, and how far we have to go to catch up with the rest of the world. Steve sent me a fwd email as well, Ba’Hai Centre had been on to SIWA as well.
The upshot was that my area has water allocated on alternate days starting from Tuesday, between 6pm and 6am, unless there is a breakdown, or lack of water, or any one of the other 548 reasons, in which case it will be from 6pm to perhaps midnight. Or not at all. But we have the Water Engineers phone number to call if it doesn’t happen. Poor sod, I feel sorry for him, being dropped in it like that. I’d be turning the phone off, and blaming Telekom for the failure. I had 2 hours of water Tuesday night, from about 8pm till 10pm, it is surprising how much you can get done in 2 hours. I had 2 loads of washing done, had a shower, cleaned the dishes, washed the bench and sink out, just put the last bit of washing on and the water went off. I’ve got water again tonight, I don’t know why or how, but I’m not going to worry about it. It might be from the tank though, the first few minutes of it were full of mosquito larvae, I’m well past the fussy stage with them, just wait till they stop coming out, or just strain the water. Ok, I do boil it before drinking, or cooking, but I figure I must be used to it by now.
Andrew must be feeling ok, he has been extremely hard to catch up with this week. No bad news that we have heard, so that is one good thing, I’d still like to find him and get him to come into work and help with the nursery plans so he understands where everything is going. Next thing on the list to do, once I know what the Planning decision is, is to go back to SI Quarantine and get approval for a shipment of plant stock from New Zealand. Allowing a couple of months for approval and shipping, plus a month in SI Quarantine, gives me till the end of August to have the Nursery set up, beds, shade cloth etc, so we can start to look like a real nursery finally. Then the classroom and office block completion about September and we’re away.
Mum continues to battle on against cancer, but is slowly losing the battle. My sister is bearing the brunt of it all, I’m 2 days away in the Solomons, she’s right there. Mum still manages to get out into the garden weeding and planting bulbs, and looking after herself reasonably well, with home help from the Hospice as well 3 or 4 days a week. But she can’t swallow now, and even liquids are a lot of trouble to get down. I think I’ll be back there soon, for the last time to be with Mum.
The current el nino is still stationary in the Central Pacific, pulling heat out of the ocean and stopping the trade winds reaching us. Ocean temperatures have dropped 1*C this year, for March/April, which is a big drop for the equatorial and tropical regions. It needs a lot more heat going in now to create the rain clouds, which aren’t forming at all here. Or at least, not as regularly as normal. It could be a long cold few years to come if the 30/60 year cycle enters the down turn part of the cycle. Which it looks like it is at present.
I’m totally convinced Willis Eschenbach is correct with his hypothesis about the natural thermostat effect of tropical thunderstorms, cloud formation and heat transfer. Google “Willis Eschenbach + The Thermostat Hypothesis”, it makes a simple and convincing explanation, without needing computer models, fudging data, or making things up. I thoroughly recommend www.wattsupwiththat.com for reading, Anthony has excellent articles posted on a continuing basis, and the comments are in some instances more in depth than the articles.
The Russian weather data, which hasn’t been altered, fudged, or lost, unlike the IPCC, CRU and GISS, is predicting a long cold period peaking about 2042, similar to the Dalton Minimum of the 17th/18th Century, it will be interesting to see which is correct, the political agenda of the IPCC, or actual meteorologists. Or however it is spelt. I’m more on the side of the Russians, they haven’t bought the doom laden CO2 is poison philosophies that Greenpeace, the WWF and the IPCC keep espousing all the time. As well as the fact that practically every doom laden announcement gets shot down almost as soon as it is published.
I don’t know where that will leave all the people in New Zealand that have put vineyards, or dairy farms further south than ever before. Any return to the 1950’s weather pattern in New Zealand will see them wiped out. But it will make the glaciers grow again. Which keeps the tourists happy.
Their price is good, and hopefully that will get paid tomorrow as well, in time to make the next container from Brisbane at the end of May.
Only 2 of the outgoing MPs have handed their cars back into Govt Services so far, they were all meant to be handed back by last Friday. If they intend purchasing them that opens another can of worms, it is meant to go through the Government Tender Board for pricing, and the cars are meant to be handed back until paid for. Which I gather never happens anyway, unless the car is involved in an accident, or written off. It’s a crazy system, totally dysfunctional, the Solomon Star is having a field day with everything now. From the RCDF, the Cattle Fund, the EU Millenium Fund, various other funding agencies. And despite all the money thrown around, there is still nothing to show for it that reflects the amounts. Oh, apart from the bloody rugby stadium at Town Ground for a country that has about 60 rugby players, all on Rennel/Bellona. If you think I’m a bit jaundiced over the stadium you are right. Total waste of money, total misuse of the last bit of public open ground in Honiara.
Our new aircon is struggling to cope, it does make a difference though, just not enough. By midday I’m resorting to shutting the laptop off because it is overheating. It costs us $120 a day for electricity, to last Friday, Tiff bought another $1000 yesterday to top the meter up and I’m curious to see how long that will last us with the new aircon going. I may have to put some poles up and shade cloth over the container to break the heat buildup.
We haven’t heard from Planning, the Board meeting was scheduled for today, Tiff is going to phone her uncle in the Planning Dept to find out tomorrow. I need to know before we can start anything. Even clearing the ground is on hold till we find out.
I went into SIWA on Tuesday, my pijin can’t be too bad now, whenever I use it, the girl behind the counter understood me anyway. The main water problem is that the pumps are old, and constantly breaking down, no replacements are ordered, the lines have hundreds of illegal connections made into them, and people constantly climb the fence and turn the main line taps off so the water only goes to their area. Living here is always a lesson in self reliance, and how far we have to go to catch up with the rest of the world. Steve sent me a fwd email as well, Ba’Hai Centre had been on to SIWA as well.
The upshot was that my area has water allocated on alternate days starting from Tuesday, between 6pm and 6am, unless there is a breakdown, or lack of water, or any one of the other 548 reasons, in which case it will be from 6pm to perhaps midnight. Or not at all. But we have the Water Engineers phone number to call if it doesn’t happen. Poor sod, I feel sorry for him, being dropped in it like that. I’d be turning the phone off, and blaming Telekom for the failure. I had 2 hours of water Tuesday night, from about 8pm till 10pm, it is surprising how much you can get done in 2 hours. I had 2 loads of washing done, had a shower, cleaned the dishes, washed the bench and sink out, just put the last bit of washing on and the water went off. I’ve got water again tonight, I don’t know why or how, but I’m not going to worry about it. It might be from the tank though, the first few minutes of it were full of mosquito larvae, I’m well past the fussy stage with them, just wait till they stop coming out, or just strain the water. Ok, I do boil it before drinking, or cooking, but I figure I must be used to it by now.
Andrew must be feeling ok, he has been extremely hard to catch up with this week. No bad news that we have heard, so that is one good thing, I’d still like to find him and get him to come into work and help with the nursery plans so he understands where everything is going. Next thing on the list to do, once I know what the Planning decision is, is to go back to SI Quarantine and get approval for a shipment of plant stock from New Zealand. Allowing a couple of months for approval and shipping, plus a month in SI Quarantine, gives me till the end of August to have the Nursery set up, beds, shade cloth etc, so we can start to look like a real nursery finally. Then the classroom and office block completion about September and we’re away.
Mum continues to battle on against cancer, but is slowly losing the battle. My sister is bearing the brunt of it all, I’m 2 days away in the Solomons, she’s right there. Mum still manages to get out into the garden weeding and planting bulbs, and looking after herself reasonably well, with home help from the Hospice as well 3 or 4 days a week. But she can’t swallow now, and even liquids are a lot of trouble to get down. I think I’ll be back there soon, for the last time to be with Mum.
The current el nino is still stationary in the Central Pacific, pulling heat out of the ocean and stopping the trade winds reaching us. Ocean temperatures have dropped 1*C this year, for March/April, which is a big drop for the equatorial and tropical regions. It needs a lot more heat going in now to create the rain clouds, which aren’t forming at all here. Or at least, not as regularly as normal. It could be a long cold few years to come if the 30/60 year cycle enters the down turn part of the cycle. Which it looks like it is at present.
I’m totally convinced Willis Eschenbach is correct with his hypothesis about the natural thermostat effect of tropical thunderstorms, cloud formation and heat transfer. Google “Willis Eschenbach + The Thermostat Hypothesis”, it makes a simple and convincing explanation, without needing computer models, fudging data, or making things up. I thoroughly recommend www.wattsupwiththat.com for reading, Anthony has excellent articles posted on a continuing basis, and the comments are in some instances more in depth than the articles.
The Russian weather data, which hasn’t been altered, fudged, or lost, unlike the IPCC, CRU and GISS, is predicting a long cold period peaking about 2042, similar to the Dalton Minimum of the 17th/18th Century, it will be interesting to see which is correct, the political agenda of the IPCC, or actual meteorologists. Or however it is spelt. I’m more on the side of the Russians, they haven’t bought the doom laden CO2 is poison philosophies that Greenpeace, the WWF and the IPCC keep espousing all the time. As well as the fact that practically every doom laden announcement gets shot down almost as soon as it is published.
I don’t know where that will leave all the people in New Zealand that have put vineyards, or dairy farms further south than ever before. Any return to the 1950’s weather pattern in New Zealand will see them wiped out. But it will make the glaciers grow again. Which keeps the tourists happy.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Monday 10th May
You may recall a post I did here late last year about the E-coli count on fish at Central market, somewhere in the region of 2,500+ E-coli count, and the problems the Health Dept and the Council had in trying to stop the fish sellers from selling contaminated fish. That is still ongoing, the fish is still being sold, and we now have an added problem with the salt fish that some of the vendors are selling. It is the damaged fish from the fishing boats, that is salted down on the boats, and during the time on the boats becomes contaminated with E-coli, Salmonella, and other strange and exotic bacillus. The Council banned the sale of it some time back, which had zero effect, I recall a young man a little while back being rushed to #9 after eating some, I’ll try and find the reference tomorrow. The Police and Council Staff went through Central Market late last week, and tried to stop the vendors selling it once more. After a rather noisy and angry meeting, the Police and Council left, and the fish is still being sold, on the grounds that the vendors have no other source of income.
There was a small article in todays Solomon Star about it, emphasising the health issues, but I can’t see it being stopped without a lot of education and police enforcement. Do I eat fish here? Not likely. Even in the restaurants. Especially in the restaurants.
2 days to go till the Planning meeting, everything depends now on getting building permission, if we don’t get it, I may as well go home. It will be a political decision, not one based on benefits to the locals unfortunately. So getting refused this time will mean that any future application will also fail.
The current el nino persists in the central Pacific, we’ve lost 50% of our plants in the nursery now, there is insufficient water from SIWA to allow us to hand water, and the rains haven’t been coming. I intended to put 2 x 5,000 gallon tanks in, I may up that to 4 tanks, so we do collect as much rainwater as possible whenever it does rain. Wet Earth in Victoria have sent the quote for the irrigation system, I’m very pleased with it. Sprinklers, pipework, solenoid valves, ball valves, 7 stage controller expandable to 32, wiring, comes to AUD$3,800, SBD$26,600, well within our budget for it. I still have shade cloth, windbreak and the leaf house propagation house to build from the budget, but on the figures we have more than enough to go ahead with everything.
I priced a truck to be imported from Japan, 1996 Mitsubishi 3 tonne, with a 3 tonne crane mounted, delivered to Honiara freight included for US$23,700, SBD$187,000, slightly over our budget, but we can arrange for some transfers of funds to cover the difference. All done by email, till today when the agent in Tokyo phoned to confirm. We needed the mileage reading to check, it’s done 88,000 km, on a 7.5 litre diesel engine, barely run in hopefully. I have to get back to the agent tomorrow to confirm once a few other people have had a say in it as well. We need it as soon as possible, there are several tubs in town that need replacing, and some large poles etc to install in the nursery that the crane will come in handy for.
We have finally got a new air con for the container, they were still installing it when I left this afternoon, so tomorrow will hopefully be the test day. I’ve had to shut the laptop off between 10 and 3 due to the heat inside, and even then starting up again later in the day still isn’t the best thing to do. I’ve got shade cloth draped over the container, I may have to be out there painting it white next. Another 3 months is all hopefully.
I had a bit of a dvd weekend, 6 dvds in 2 days. Mash, again for the umpteenth time, I can watch it frequently and still enjoy it, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher in the best performances of their careers, Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, another frequently watched and never bored with movie, Casablanca, I don’t play it often, but when I do it is still one of the greats, and one I’ve had for a while and never watched, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, George Clooney, which turned out to be the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time, Peter Sellers excepted. I’ve still got a few more to go for another time, 4 of Peter Sellers, I had To Kill a Mocking Bird the other weekend, and The 39 Steps, which I remember seeing a long long time ago, and not remembering most of. Frankenstein and Dracula I still have for a really boring weekend. A lot I got from the Sunday papers in Ireland as free giveaways as well, still not as good as books though. I’m not a person that can sit and watch a tv screen without something else as well, usually a book for when as is inevitable, there is a boring passage in a film.
I’m at the stage where I think I could quote page number, chapter and verse out of Hartman Kester Davies Plant Propagation Manual, the Yates Gardening Book has had a severe going through, all my course notes, folders have been re-read and edited so often they are in danger of becoming so complicated even I will have trouble understanding them.
My pet rat colony appears to have died out finally, I haven’t caught anymore since Saturday night. Tony suggested using wire wool scrub pads around the pipe entry holes to stop them coming back in. The damaged screen has been repaired, now if SIWA ever get around to letting me have some water one weekend, I may go through and wash all the louvre windows again.
Tiff gave up working in the container this afternoon, here is her outdoor office.
There was a small article in todays Solomon Star about it, emphasising the health issues, but I can’t see it being stopped without a lot of education and police enforcement. Do I eat fish here? Not likely. Even in the restaurants. Especially in the restaurants.
2 days to go till the Planning meeting, everything depends now on getting building permission, if we don’t get it, I may as well go home. It will be a political decision, not one based on benefits to the locals unfortunately. So getting refused this time will mean that any future application will also fail.
The current el nino persists in the central Pacific, we’ve lost 50% of our plants in the nursery now, there is insufficient water from SIWA to allow us to hand water, and the rains haven’t been coming. I intended to put 2 x 5,000 gallon tanks in, I may up that to 4 tanks, so we do collect as much rainwater as possible whenever it does rain. Wet Earth in Victoria have sent the quote for the irrigation system, I’m very pleased with it. Sprinklers, pipework, solenoid valves, ball valves, 7 stage controller expandable to 32, wiring, comes to AUD$3,800, SBD$26,600, well within our budget for it. I still have shade cloth, windbreak and the leaf house propagation house to build from the budget, but on the figures we have more than enough to go ahead with everything.
I priced a truck to be imported from Japan, 1996 Mitsubishi 3 tonne, with a 3 tonne crane mounted, delivered to Honiara freight included for US$23,700, SBD$187,000, slightly over our budget, but we can arrange for some transfers of funds to cover the difference. All done by email, till today when the agent in Tokyo phoned to confirm. We needed the mileage reading to check, it’s done 88,000 km, on a 7.5 litre diesel engine, barely run in hopefully. I have to get back to the agent tomorrow to confirm once a few other people have had a say in it as well. We need it as soon as possible, there are several tubs in town that need replacing, and some large poles etc to install in the nursery that the crane will come in handy for.
We have finally got a new air con for the container, they were still installing it when I left this afternoon, so tomorrow will hopefully be the test day. I’ve had to shut the laptop off between 10 and 3 due to the heat inside, and even then starting up again later in the day still isn’t the best thing to do. I’ve got shade cloth draped over the container, I may have to be out there painting it white next. Another 3 months is all hopefully.
I had a bit of a dvd weekend, 6 dvds in 2 days. Mash, again for the umpteenth time, I can watch it frequently and still enjoy it, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Jack Nicholson and Louise Fletcher in the best performances of their careers, Cool Hand Luke, Paul Newman, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, another frequently watched and never bored with movie, Casablanca, I don’t play it often, but when I do it is still one of the greats, and one I’ve had for a while and never watched, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, George Clooney, which turned out to be the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time, Peter Sellers excepted. I’ve still got a few more to go for another time, 4 of Peter Sellers, I had To Kill a Mocking Bird the other weekend, and The 39 Steps, which I remember seeing a long long time ago, and not remembering most of. Frankenstein and Dracula I still have for a really boring weekend. A lot I got from the Sunday papers in Ireland as free giveaways as well, still not as good as books though. I’m not a person that can sit and watch a tv screen without something else as well, usually a book for when as is inevitable, there is a boring passage in a film.
I’m at the stage where I think I could quote page number, chapter and verse out of Hartman Kester Davies Plant Propagation Manual, the Yates Gardening Book has had a severe going through, all my course notes, folders have been re-read and edited so often they are in danger of becoming so complicated even I will have trouble understanding them.
My pet rat colony appears to have died out finally, I haven’t caught anymore since Saturday night. Tony suggested using wire wool scrub pads around the pipe entry holes to stop them coming back in. The damaged screen has been repaired, now if SIWA ever get around to letting me have some water one weekend, I may go through and wash all the louvre windows again.
Tiff gave up working in the container this afternoon, here is her outdoor office.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Sunday 9th May
Happy Mothers Day Mum. The phone lines here aren’t the best as we found out when you called. Good to hear from you though.
We’ve had a couple of nights of rain, not a great deal, last night was the most, a bit of thunder back in the hills, and a fair bit of rain for an hour or so throughout the night. Still no water to the house, I’m going back to SIWA tomorrow to have a few “words” again about it. So far it’s been 14 months with sporadic water supply, an almost none since December. Using buckets all the time has gone past the “how quaint” to the “bloody annoying” stage now. If I was out in the provinces or the rural areas I could put up with it, there is nothing else there, but in a city? And especially when SIWA are still charging us for the lines. If it rains again tonight I’m going outside to stand in it for a while.
The Bulk Shop finally had bread improver, and bakers flour, so I’m back to the usual weekend baking. A couple of plain loaves and some rolls to get me through the week. Everything has been in short supply lately, Adrian was complaining about the lack of Watties Baked Beans in Wings, he almost had a fit when I suggested he buy the Black and Gold branded ones. Watties are $28 a 425gm tin (about 1lb) Black and Gold are $15, and I can’t taste the difference whenever I have a splurge and buy a tin. Ok, I add garlic, chilli, onions to it, I still can’t see the point in paying another $13 just for a brand.
It has been hot sticky and humid the last few weeks, I’m drinking 3 – 4 litres of liquid a day, and 99% isn’t making it through the system. Looking back at the entries for last year, I’m about the same. They have finally got Coke Zero here, no calories, no sugar, no fats, but the taste is still the same. The cans are $6 - $7, depending on where, the 2 litre imported Australian bottles are $29. Which works out better, but knowing me, I’d drink a 2 litre bottle a day, and having just written that, I remember I’m drinking 4 – 5 cans a day anyway, so the bottle still works out better value. I may stock up next weekend at Wings, although I just spent $539 there yesterday stocking up on bits and pieces, soap, shampoo, coffee, 2 tins baked beans. No wonder I go a bit crazy in New Zealand when I see the prices there.
We find out this week on Wednesday if we have Planning Permission, for the Nursery. If it gets knocked back again I think I’ll just go out to the airport and catch the first flight out. Nearly 18 months of frustration, plans, meetings.
I’ve got my Nursery staff picked, we’ll start having discussion meeting this week to go over the things I expect them to learn and do, having them with us while we build it is good, they’ll know where everything fits, how to repair it, what to do. Once Andrew finds out about his thumb for certain, I’ll bring him back to work so he can see what we’re doing, until he is able to start actual work again. It’ll be a couple of months till he will be bale to use his hand, so he may as well be with us studying as sitting at home in a hammock under the trees.
We’ve had a couple of nights of rain, not a great deal, last night was the most, a bit of thunder back in the hills, and a fair bit of rain for an hour or so throughout the night. Still no water to the house, I’m going back to SIWA tomorrow to have a few “words” again about it. So far it’s been 14 months with sporadic water supply, an almost none since December. Using buckets all the time has gone past the “how quaint” to the “bloody annoying” stage now. If I was out in the provinces or the rural areas I could put up with it, there is nothing else there, but in a city? And especially when SIWA are still charging us for the lines. If it rains again tonight I’m going outside to stand in it for a while.
The Bulk Shop finally had bread improver, and bakers flour, so I’m back to the usual weekend baking. A couple of plain loaves and some rolls to get me through the week. Everything has been in short supply lately, Adrian was complaining about the lack of Watties Baked Beans in Wings, he almost had a fit when I suggested he buy the Black and Gold branded ones. Watties are $28 a 425gm tin (about 1lb) Black and Gold are $15, and I can’t taste the difference whenever I have a splurge and buy a tin. Ok, I add garlic, chilli, onions to it, I still can’t see the point in paying another $13 just for a brand.
It has been hot sticky and humid the last few weeks, I’m drinking 3 – 4 litres of liquid a day, and 99% isn’t making it through the system. Looking back at the entries for last year, I’m about the same. They have finally got Coke Zero here, no calories, no sugar, no fats, but the taste is still the same. The cans are $6 - $7, depending on where, the 2 litre imported Australian bottles are $29. Which works out better, but knowing me, I’d drink a 2 litre bottle a day, and having just written that, I remember I’m drinking 4 – 5 cans a day anyway, so the bottle still works out better value. I may stock up next weekend at Wings, although I just spent $539 there yesterday stocking up on bits and pieces, soap, shampoo, coffee, 2 tins baked beans. No wonder I go a bit crazy in New Zealand when I see the prices there.
We find out this week on Wednesday if we have Planning Permission, for the Nursery. If it gets knocked back again I think I’ll just go out to the airport and catch the first flight out. Nearly 18 months of frustration, plans, meetings.
I’ve got my Nursery staff picked, we’ll start having discussion meeting this week to go over the things I expect them to learn and do, having them with us while we build it is good, they’ll know where everything fits, how to repair it, what to do. Once Andrew finds out about his thumb for certain, I’ll bring him back to work so he can see what we’re doing, until he is able to start actual work again. It’ll be a couple of months till he will be bale to use his hand, so he may as well be with us studying as sitting at home in a hammock under the trees.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday 6th May
I’m almost looking forward to the weekend. The little aircon unit we have in the container has just about died, we’ve been promised another bigger unit, the talk was having it installed yesterday, but I think that got mixed up with “Tomorrow” and “soon”. I’ve got a bet with Tiff about when it will be in place, so far I am well ahead and looking safe for late next week. The problem happens with the laptops and computers, they really don’t like running in 35*C temperatures, we’ve been shutting them off between 11 and 3 lately, to try and stop the overheating problems till we get the aircon sorted out.
Vincents Mother died last night, over on Malaita. He’s pulled his holidays early so he can get home on the ferry tomorrow to be with his wantok. Which leaves us considerably short of workcrew at the moment. Jepthah left last week, and has a job at GPOL, the palm oil farm. Imelda is in New Zealand, Andrew is sitting in the hammock at home with his thumb all bandaged up, we could do with another 5 staff immediately.
I keep looking at the sky lately wishing for rain, but all we get is a lot of clouds that never reach peak height or capacity and they fade away as the evening progresses. We had a fair bit of rain the other night, more would be good. The el nino is showing some signs of weakening, but not fast enough to let the trade winds through with the rain.
Tiff and I met up with Hendry at the timber yard behind us, and he is happy for us to use their driveway for access to our plot, so that is another almost problem dealt with. I’ll put a 5 metre double gateway in to allow the truck with the chipper attached room to swing in.
We’ve got 4 crew without workboots now, all “borrowed” by their wantok. We charge them now for replacements that go missing, I’m not intending to supply every village in the Solomons with work boots for everyone. It’s a constant problem though, their wantok don’t realise that the money coming in will stop if the guys don’t have workboots, we send them home till they come with them now. And they lose the days pay etc.
I’ve still got one rat somewhere in the house, Tony sent the repair guys out today to fix the broken screen, so hopefully that stops anymore getting in, all I have to do now is catch the last one that is still in here somewhere. It isn’t as if the house is big, 3 rooms plus bathroom, and not a great deal of cupboards. I suspect it hides behind the stove, and hangs on when I shake it up and down, or behind the fridge. I’ve turned all the clothes over on the shelves, gone through the chair cushions, and not a trace of it, till the morning when I find the droppings on the bench, or stove top. I’m going through a bottle of bleach a week lately, cleaning everything all the time. Plus disinfectant.
I had water last night, I’d got to the stage of getting all my washing out and just about to start scrubbing, when the water went off again. I’ll be outside at the weekend again I think, hand scrubbing shirts sheets etc. And I’m putting in for an extension to my contract??? I must be mad. Although there aren’t many alternatives, at least I feel as though I’m achieving something here, as frustrating as it can be at times.
Vincents Mother died last night, over on Malaita. He’s pulled his holidays early so he can get home on the ferry tomorrow to be with his wantok. Which leaves us considerably short of workcrew at the moment. Jepthah left last week, and has a job at GPOL, the palm oil farm. Imelda is in New Zealand, Andrew is sitting in the hammock at home with his thumb all bandaged up, we could do with another 5 staff immediately.
I keep looking at the sky lately wishing for rain, but all we get is a lot of clouds that never reach peak height or capacity and they fade away as the evening progresses. We had a fair bit of rain the other night, more would be good. The el nino is showing some signs of weakening, but not fast enough to let the trade winds through with the rain.
Tiff and I met up with Hendry at the timber yard behind us, and he is happy for us to use their driveway for access to our plot, so that is another almost problem dealt with. I’ll put a 5 metre double gateway in to allow the truck with the chipper attached room to swing in.
We’ve got 4 crew without workboots now, all “borrowed” by their wantok. We charge them now for replacements that go missing, I’m not intending to supply every village in the Solomons with work boots for everyone. It’s a constant problem though, their wantok don’t realise that the money coming in will stop if the guys don’t have workboots, we send them home till they come with them now. And they lose the days pay etc.
I’ve still got one rat somewhere in the house, Tony sent the repair guys out today to fix the broken screen, so hopefully that stops anymore getting in, all I have to do now is catch the last one that is still in here somewhere. It isn’t as if the house is big, 3 rooms plus bathroom, and not a great deal of cupboards. I suspect it hides behind the stove, and hangs on when I shake it up and down, or behind the fridge. I’ve turned all the clothes over on the shelves, gone through the chair cushions, and not a trace of it, till the morning when I find the droppings on the bench, or stove top. I’m going through a bottle of bleach a week lately, cleaning everything all the time. Plus disinfectant.
I had water last night, I’d got to the stage of getting all my washing out and just about to start scrubbing, when the water went off again. I’ll be outside at the weekend again I think, hand scrubbing shirts sheets etc. And I’m putting in for an extension to my contract??? I must be mad. Although there aren’t many alternatives, at least I feel as though I’m achieving something here, as frustrating as it can be at times.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday 5th May
You would think any car salesman worth his while would be helpful when someone phones and says “ I have $180,000 to spend, we want a truck with a Hiab or crane, 2 ½ tonne, what have you got available?” I’ve been trying to get the local car/truck importers interested for the past 3 months. I spend more time chasing him than he has contacted us. I gave up tonight and went to the Toyota Dealer and asked what they could come up with. I’ll have whatever they can find by Monday at the latest. If they can find something within our budget that is suitable, I’ll be ringing the original person and telling them they missed out.
It’s been the same with all the Nursery equipment, I’ve been waiting for a quote from Island Enterprises since October, despite several emails, phone calls, it is always, “soon”. So we’ve ordered everything from Brisbane and IE have missed out on several thousand dollars worth of sales. I’ve not seen Phil, I am tempted to let him know, but I doubt it would change anything.
I’m applying for an extension to my contract, for an extra 2 years, very optimistic, I may get an extra year, but I’m going for 2 on the basis that I’ve wasted last year due to the political conflict with us at the Botanic Gardens, then this year will be gone just setting up the Nursery before we can be were I was meant to be at the start. Plus with the EU Funding, I have a lot more to set up and have established, again, none of it can start till the Nursery is established, so I’ll be one year into the EU Proposal before it even starts. I’d like to leave here knowing everything was finished to the walk away stage, I’ve been so frustrated by everything so far.
I had 2 journalism students over today from King George IV School, they are doing an assignment about the Childrens Park and the problems associated with it. I think I gave them enough for a series of articles about Honiara and attitudes, changing perceptions, environmental issues, anyway, they’ve promised to send me a copy of their assignment when they get it written.
Finally caught up with Andrew, he still has his thumb attached, but it is still a bit problematic. They took one of the stainless wires out, and left 2 still wound around the bone. He goes back on the 11th for another x-ray, and tests. He’s a lot happier knowing his job is secure, well for as long as SEB is operating anyway. I’ve got him, Jennifer, Rose earmarked for the Nursery, if Imelda comes back from New Zealand I’ll take her into the Nursery as well. We’re still trying to find a small motors course for Andrew to go on. I want him permanently in the Nursery as general staff, and to be the maintenance person for the equipment and repairs. If he is back to work in a month or so he’ll be able to see how everything fits together, where the pipes, wires run, and I can be showing him where the problems will arise, and how to fix them when they do.
We had rain finally last night, I’m hoping for another burst tonight, but it seems to have blown over. It’s been a really dry period lately, the el nino has been central over the Pacific for the past few months, and it is stopping the usual monsoonal rains reaching the Solomons. But when it does rain, it makes up for the dry spells in a hurry, as the washed out bridges and roads of February and March testify.
My hobby site, 419Eater.com has a few people winding me up as usual, about mixing Islay Malt with coca cola and other mixes. Heathens they all are. Similar to the people that take a perfectly well seasoned coffee pot and scrub it out, or give my 15 year old cast iron frypan a wash with soap or detergent, or cleaning powder, then wonder why everything sticks to it. There should be a Hell reserved for people like that. I have some thoughts, but not bad enough yet.
The little truck is back, with the back brake shoes adjusted so they actually touch the brake drums. I’m not holding my breath over it. Still no pedal pressure, just straight to the floor then the brakes hit, but at least it isn’t nose diving again. They still haven’t found our original battery. I’ll have to send another email about it I think.
Rose said Mum is fading noticeably now, she is down to jigsaws, and is sleeping a lot more, and has no energy for much. I’m at the most 4 days away from there, depending on when I need to go. I can get direct flights Tuesdays or Thursdays, the other days depend on transfer flights, and nothing on weekends.
My cousin John took his Dad (mums younger brother) to see her on his 82nd birthday, and got some really nice photos of Mum and Des, thanks John. One of the good things about Facebook. I hate Farmville. I have to block people off my list that fill the pages with Farmville. Given the crap internet connection we have here, I’d rather catch up with people than wade through page after page of junk games on facebook.
It’s been the same with all the Nursery equipment, I’ve been waiting for a quote from Island Enterprises since October, despite several emails, phone calls, it is always, “soon”. So we’ve ordered everything from Brisbane and IE have missed out on several thousand dollars worth of sales. I’ve not seen Phil, I am tempted to let him know, but I doubt it would change anything.
I’m applying for an extension to my contract, for an extra 2 years, very optimistic, I may get an extra year, but I’m going for 2 on the basis that I’ve wasted last year due to the political conflict with us at the Botanic Gardens, then this year will be gone just setting up the Nursery before we can be were I was meant to be at the start. Plus with the EU Funding, I have a lot more to set up and have established, again, none of it can start till the Nursery is established, so I’ll be one year into the EU Proposal before it even starts. I’d like to leave here knowing everything was finished to the walk away stage, I’ve been so frustrated by everything so far.
I had 2 journalism students over today from King George IV School, they are doing an assignment about the Childrens Park and the problems associated with it. I think I gave them enough for a series of articles about Honiara and attitudes, changing perceptions, environmental issues, anyway, they’ve promised to send me a copy of their assignment when they get it written.
Finally caught up with Andrew, he still has his thumb attached, but it is still a bit problematic. They took one of the stainless wires out, and left 2 still wound around the bone. He goes back on the 11th for another x-ray, and tests. He’s a lot happier knowing his job is secure, well for as long as SEB is operating anyway. I’ve got him, Jennifer, Rose earmarked for the Nursery, if Imelda comes back from New Zealand I’ll take her into the Nursery as well. We’re still trying to find a small motors course for Andrew to go on. I want him permanently in the Nursery as general staff, and to be the maintenance person for the equipment and repairs. If he is back to work in a month or so he’ll be able to see how everything fits together, where the pipes, wires run, and I can be showing him where the problems will arise, and how to fix them when they do.
We had rain finally last night, I’m hoping for another burst tonight, but it seems to have blown over. It’s been a really dry period lately, the el nino has been central over the Pacific for the past few months, and it is stopping the usual monsoonal rains reaching the Solomons. But when it does rain, it makes up for the dry spells in a hurry, as the washed out bridges and roads of February and March testify.
My hobby site, 419Eater.com has a few people winding me up as usual, about mixing Islay Malt with coca cola and other mixes. Heathens they all are. Similar to the people that take a perfectly well seasoned coffee pot and scrub it out, or give my 15 year old cast iron frypan a wash with soap or detergent, or cleaning powder, then wonder why everything sticks to it. There should be a Hell reserved for people like that. I have some thoughts, but not bad enough yet.
The little truck is back, with the back brake shoes adjusted so they actually touch the brake drums. I’m not holding my breath over it. Still no pedal pressure, just straight to the floor then the brakes hit, but at least it isn’t nose diving again. They still haven’t found our original battery. I’ll have to send another email about it I think.
Rose said Mum is fading noticeably now, she is down to jigsaws, and is sleeping a lot more, and has no energy for much. I’m at the most 4 days away from there, depending on when I need to go. I can get direct flights Tuesdays or Thursdays, the other days depend on transfer flights, and nothing on weekends.
My cousin John took his Dad (mums younger brother) to see her on his 82nd birthday, and got some really nice photos of Mum and Des, thanks John. One of the good things about Facebook. I hate Farmville. I have to block people off my list that fill the pages with Farmville. Given the crap internet connection we have here, I’d rather catch up with people than wade through page after page of junk games on facebook.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Monday 3rd May
I need an air pistol, about a .22 would be nice. My “pet” rat is getting annoying, it bit my foot the other night in bed, woke me up, as it would. I’ve been bathing it (my foot, not the rat) in disinfectant, and putting anti-bacterial cream on. Small bite, barely worth seeing, but it looked a bit red and angry during the day after. I would have gone to the Health Clinic if the bloody truck had started, but that wasn’t going to happen, again.
We’re putting the truck back into the garage again this week. The brakes, which have now been fully renewed from the brake shoes to the master cylinder, are still grabbing and pulling to the right quite viciously, and there is no feel to the pedal, it is nothing then suddenly you are banging your head on the windscreen. I’m past caring about it, I’d like to take it to a proper garage, but we have to use the company one.
I keep trying to stay enthused about the nursery, but after a year so far, and all we have is a drawing and a tentative lease, until we get the building permit we are stuck again. It is going to be another month of waiting now till the Planning Dept decide. Still it gives me time to mark out on the site, and we should have everything from Brisbane arriving by the end of this month as well.
We (Tiff mostly) have rearranged the office to make room for Kim to fit in, she’s Tiffs assistant for a while till things settle down. I was in at work yesterday emptying the cartons of folders, files etc, sorting stuff out. Today we moved the drop file cabinet in, I sort of put the files back in order, more along the lines of “Oh look an empty drawer, now it’s full” style of sorting. We need a better aircon, or two. I’m sure we could cook lunch on the container roof by midafternoon. I may paint them white, or get a hose spraying on them all day.
Pineapple, banana and pawpaw with fresh chillies chopped in is nice! Well, it’s sweet, spicy and nice, if you like chilli, I may go overboard with them. 1 pineapple, 1 pawpaw, 8 small bananas, the little round sweet ones, and about 30 little chillies. The juice is enough to peel the skin off your tongue, but it still has the sweetness from the pineapple. Good for breakfast, or so I’ve found this week so far.
Tony gave me a tin of Rat Glue to try, as they won’t eat the $500 poison. It looks like grey bondafil/bodyfiller and stays sticky forever. It is spread on a piece of cardboard at the moment, with the bench oven on one side, the wall the other, and a banana placed in the corner as bait. Joel tried it at his place opposite me on Saturday, and caught 2 rats Saturday night, and another on Sunday night. They get stuck, and can’t get off it. I wonder if I could do Rat onna Stick with Sauce barbque? They are plump bloody things, similar to the NZ Kiorie. Pale brown fur, not like the Norwegian ship rats.
If the glue doesn’t work, I know the poison doesn’t, I’ll get the crew to keep a look out for a smallish boa to put loose in the house for a while. With the bedroom door well closed at night.
The RCDF (Rural Constituency Development Fund) has been put on hold till after the election now. While it has been allocated, it is now being held so the MPs can’t spend it till the new parliament is formed in August. I think the outcry in the Solomon Star may have had something to do with Sikua making the decision over the weekend, and announcing it in this mornings Sol Star. I can’t see most of the current lot of MPs being voted back in, but this is the Solomons, and bribery is a way of life here. Buying votes seems to be the only way to get elected, if you don’t throw money around the wantok, you’ll never get a single vote. They receive a huge amount of money for development in each constituency, but it all seems to get wasted in dribs and drabs, instead of one or two major developments, it goes on small stuff scattered all over the provinces. It may keep the people happy in the short term, but there is never anything permanent done with it, vote buying seems to be the main use. $10 million a year from Taiwan just vanishes. Like the $8 million Cattle fund. I could go on, but it gets too depressing when you consider what all that money could have done.
We’re putting the truck back into the garage again this week. The brakes, which have now been fully renewed from the brake shoes to the master cylinder, are still grabbing and pulling to the right quite viciously, and there is no feel to the pedal, it is nothing then suddenly you are banging your head on the windscreen. I’m past caring about it, I’d like to take it to a proper garage, but we have to use the company one.
I keep trying to stay enthused about the nursery, but after a year so far, and all we have is a drawing and a tentative lease, until we get the building permit we are stuck again. It is going to be another month of waiting now till the Planning Dept decide. Still it gives me time to mark out on the site, and we should have everything from Brisbane arriving by the end of this month as well.
We (Tiff mostly) have rearranged the office to make room for Kim to fit in, she’s Tiffs assistant for a while till things settle down. I was in at work yesterday emptying the cartons of folders, files etc, sorting stuff out. Today we moved the drop file cabinet in, I sort of put the files back in order, more along the lines of “Oh look an empty drawer, now it’s full” style of sorting. We need a better aircon, or two. I’m sure we could cook lunch on the container roof by midafternoon. I may paint them white, or get a hose spraying on them all day.
Pineapple, banana and pawpaw with fresh chillies chopped in is nice! Well, it’s sweet, spicy and nice, if you like chilli, I may go overboard with them. 1 pineapple, 1 pawpaw, 8 small bananas, the little round sweet ones, and about 30 little chillies. The juice is enough to peel the skin off your tongue, but it still has the sweetness from the pineapple. Good for breakfast, or so I’ve found this week so far.
Tony gave me a tin of Rat Glue to try, as they won’t eat the $500 poison. It looks like grey bondafil/bodyfiller and stays sticky forever. It is spread on a piece of cardboard at the moment, with the bench oven on one side, the wall the other, and a banana placed in the corner as bait. Joel tried it at his place opposite me on Saturday, and caught 2 rats Saturday night, and another on Sunday night. They get stuck, and can’t get off it. I wonder if I could do Rat onna Stick with Sauce barbque? They are plump bloody things, similar to the NZ Kiorie. Pale brown fur, not like the Norwegian ship rats.
If the glue doesn’t work, I know the poison doesn’t, I’ll get the crew to keep a look out for a smallish boa to put loose in the house for a while. With the bedroom door well closed at night.
The RCDF (Rural Constituency Development Fund) has been put on hold till after the election now. While it has been allocated, it is now being held so the MPs can’t spend it till the new parliament is formed in August. I think the outcry in the Solomon Star may have had something to do with Sikua making the decision over the weekend, and announcing it in this mornings Sol Star. I can’t see most of the current lot of MPs being voted back in, but this is the Solomons, and bribery is a way of life here. Buying votes seems to be the only way to get elected, if you don’t throw money around the wantok, you’ll never get a single vote. They receive a huge amount of money for development in each constituency, but it all seems to get wasted in dribs and drabs, instead of one or two major developments, it goes on small stuff scattered all over the provinces. It may keep the people happy in the short term, but there is never anything permanent done with it, vote buying seems to be the main use. $10 million a year from Taiwan just vanishes. Like the $8 million Cattle fund. I could go on, but it gets too depressing when you consider what all that money could have done.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
