Dumpster diving Flinders island style

It's been an... odiferous pongwifforous day. With part happy endings... I was rather down in the dumps yesterday. Today I was deeper in the dumps, or rather the tip. My bread-maker's paddle was AWOL, and we figured it had to have ended up in the rubbish -Barbs took that to the tip along with a load of cardboard just before the tip closed (this is Alice's restaurant country. The dump is closed on thanksgivin' - well all public holidays, and open at specific hours about 4 days a week. We're going to be reliant on that piece of machinery, so we went int to the council office, got hold of the works foreman, and got the key (I don't think they could believe these crazy South Africans. But our bin-bag was right on top, and was mostly (we thought) full of paper and cardboard scraps. It was fairly gross, but the fly hitch-hikers we'd picked up at the gate thanked us for taking them all the way to fly Shangri La. Thank heaven for big rubber boots and having worked in a hospital (you learn to turn your mind off revolting smells and sights.)

I was quite glad not to have found it though, as the environment was not salubrious. On getting home, washing boots and hands outside, and then inside scrub down - I thought of checking behind the stove... and then just for thorough the new bin bag, which had nothing more in it than a bag of carrots that I had had a jelly (dessert not jam) accident with and had put in the sink to wash, and B had thought was for throwing and had tossed. Two electrical SA plugs... and the errant paddle. B must have picked it up with the carrots. That jelly mold has some explaining to do! (it leaked in bottom of the fridge)I think all it needs is a good wash. So we had no need to Dumpster dive but ended well. Still a smelly day... and it didn't stop. B -brave girl had had it worse than I had as she had bucked grey water out of the sludge trap to try and find what was blocking it this morning. No joy so we called our landlord who came just after we'd found the paddle. So we had a team go at it with a hose, and wire and going in from the septic tank.

No joy there. John-boy is calling the island plumber. Anyway we had a few laughs doing it. It's only shower and washing machine water (not even sink) so not too gross. On a final mission for the day I had another go at B's computer (another at mine this morning -no luck) and... we have that working.

So win some, lose some.

One of those days

Yeah, bleah. An I should have stayed in bed day - we figure we're a drawer from the kitchen and all the dishcloths(from a second cupboard) missing - not the worst disaster that ever was. Just irritating - anyway, most of it can be replaced (two things are bits of other things, which therefore need replacing in entirety or not all.) The chief task for today was however getting the computers up and running, my work transferred from the eee and me writing as if my tail was afire - which it will be if I don't get a move on. And this did not come to pass. Both hard drives test as fine in the external, I have replaced both fans, the hard drives and... the computers don't work. My geek-enabled sons were supposedly going to do this for me, and then they were going to advise via skype... and I can't raise either of them. Not a happy camper, this side. Added to this our new Vacuum cleaner (as we couldn't bring our old one with us) has died. it's still under warranty - in Launceston. The customer care number is not a working number. Oh and the water tap to the washing machine leaks bigtime - not the joint but the tap itself. I have no idea where to turn off the water to fix it. And to add final insult the soak-away seems to be blocked and flooded out of its manhole - noxious puddle at the front door...

So I made us a seafood pizza for supper. We have our pictures on the walls and carpets down. My Kids have visas and are safe back uni. We're here, and dogs and cats are coming. There's a bowl of apples on the table, a few meals in the deep-freeze -- and things will get sorted...
No worries.

In which we have along day and I need glasses

A 5.20 AM start took us to our dentist - now nearly 3 hours away - for a final checkup. He patched a couple of fillings, told B not to ea until supper - no breakfast yet! and sent us on our merry way, to Mooi, where I was due to get an anti-tet shot they owe me, and collect the post and pick up Pads meds from our old pharmacy. 1 out of 3 is not a great success rate - we didn't have our box key any more (it's er, still on a key-ring) and the sister I had arranged to get the anti-tet from was missing. Anyway, so if you posted us anything... try post restant Whitemark, Flinders Island, Tasmania 7255...

The haircuts were as haircuttish as haircuts can be. My new name is shorn. Matrix did case my hard-drive for me - but as this is a linux machine without outlook - I can't get all the addresses I need off it. Still nice to have it. If you were expecting mail from me... mail me. I can still get mail just not the address book.

James successfully caught his bus off to join mates in Kruger Park.

We got coffee - a success. Then the eye stuff. My vision is great long and even medium -for reading but I can't tie size 22 flies any more - heaven knows if he glasses will be any use as she kept asking me daft questions - is this better or that - they were mostly pretty much the same -rotten or otherwise. Drove the optometrist (and me) up the wall I think. Anyway, eventually I was guessing what was better. I am afraid this will be another buy Dave a cellphone good idea. (cell phones are wonderful for other people. For me they are something 1)off 2) out of airtime 3)in my other trousers - I have some, really. just wouldn't want to spoil them wearing them.4)With flat batteries. Anyway, we'll see.

Frames...I have a very skew nose and broad head and the frames are designed for other things... like looking good. The poor little lady was fluttering around frantically offering me mirrors. If I wanted to like my reflection I'd want something to make my vision worse, not better!