Scandal

Man exchanges mutually and very sexually explicit phone texts with a woman. Man sends said woman a dick pic. Woman complains to his employer about the dick pic being sent. 

Why? She was being sexually and explicitly flirtatious with him, then she dobs him in to his employer for sending her a dick pic. 

Man loses his boss job. 

This is the simple story. Some of you will know who I am talking about. Men and women being sexually flirtatious has been happening for centuries. In this 21st century they are doing so using phones and the internet. 

There is further detail you might find of use to judge, but on the face of it, I just don't get why he was sacked from his boss job for something that occurred years ago and is happening thousands of times around the world as I type. I may be old but I haven't forgotten what sex drive is like. 

For every stupid allegation such as the aforementioned woman made, it makes it all the harder for genuine complaints to be heard and dealt with appropriately. I do however keep in mind that this is written from what I read in the media. 

Blog post...

 or look at hot 70s male pop stars. Wallowing in nostalgia won.

Masterbaking in the Kitchen

It was our Hairdresser Friend who suggested we make Christmas cakes together. A few discussions about masterbaking in our kitchen ensued. A day and time was arranged. HDF would take her cake mix home to bake it in her own oven. They were going to be single mixes but at the last minute it was agreed to double the ingredients and then divide the mix. 

It was a really nice afternoon and R prepared and served a dip with savoury biscuits, cheese. He also made some rather pretty drinks, Ginsecco, that is pink gin, pink prosecco wine, ice and pink lemonade, decorated with strawberries and a slice of lemon. I am not much of one for cocktails but I had a second one. HDF loved the drink. 

I cut up the glace cherries and manged the pot of fruit and other ingredients on the stove. I helped with measurements, as the recipe was taken from various sources. A shot of brandy is an ounce, nay 30 ml. A pound of butter is a bit under half a kilo. No R, 400 g of brown sugar will not fit into a cup sitting on the scales. No R, 300 ml of brandy won't fit into that measuring jug. I was so terribly helpful. They couldn't have done it without my knowledgeable advice.

I left the masterbakers to their masterbaking and went to my bedroom to my own device as Master Bruno in Bratislava wanted to tell me what terrible things he would like to do to me. You know, he wanted to ....!!! Oh dear. I am an innocent young boy.

HDF was prepared to leave a bit before six, leaving us to watch the old person's six o'clock commercial tv news. I was supposed to go down with her but the single working lift was not working. She walked down the stairs carrying her left over ingredients and cake batter. She came back into the building and left the visitor parking permit in our mail box. 

It is many many months since someone else has been in our apartment. We will give it a good airing tomorrow. 

Chin chin.

No royal icing or marzipan this year, just almonds and glace cherries.

Unfit for purpose

Electric trams and trains have been around for more than 100 years. Non electric even longer. They have been proved reliable over many years.

So what is happening around the world with trams (light rail vehicles) and trains?

CAF is a Spanish train and tram manufacturer but its tram product seems to unfit for purpose with frame cracking leading to the trams being pulled from service in various cities.

Sydney: Inner West Light Rail, aka L1 and Dulwich Hill tram. Service suspended and replaced by buses for up to 18 months. The trams have been in service for only 8 years. Life expectancy for a tram is 30 years.

Birmingham, England, the same fleet of trams taken out of service.

Similar problems in Belgrade in Serbia and in Besancon in France.

Budapest has bought new CAF trams but refuses to allow them to enter service until faults are rectified. It seems CAF of Spain has ruined its tram production reputation. 

Toronto, the delivery of Bombardier street cars built in Mexico was way behind the delivery schedule as wires were found to be squashed and the vehicles with many faulty welds. Bombardier is no more, having been bought by train and tram company Alstom of France.

Ottawa, Canada, Alstom built light rail vehicles can't seem to stay on their tracks. They are suspended.

But in the early 2000s, Alstom delivered delivered 36 built trams to Melbourne and then a further four longer trams. They are the second most hated trams in Melbourne.

The honour of the most hated trams in Melbourne goes to Melbourne's Siemens of Germany fully imported trams. They truly are shockers. 

Queensland bought new trains made in India. They have had to be retro fitted to make them legally operational.

New South Wales bought trains that would not fit through existing train tunnels, leading to tracks having to moved and clearances adapted. From South Korea was it?

In Washington DC trains built by Kawasaki of Japan keep running off the tracks, leading to the model being removed from use and a reduced service. 

What the eff is going on?

As I began electric trains and trams have been around for a long time and were a very reliable means of transport all over the early twentieth century world. 

They are now very complex beasts, with a lot of electronics, but it is not the electronics that are failing. It is the absolute basic train and tram matters, the frame of the vehicle, the bogies or trucks if you are in the US and the wheels. This is non tech stuff that was perfected many many decades ago. 

Meanwhile Melbourne's newest numbering 100 E Class run around our tracks with no problems and offer good comfort, made to a Bombardier design and adapted for Melbourne and made in Melbourne from local and imported ingredients. Victoria could have bought cheaper overseas trams, but decided not to and we are benefitting from that now.

We have also built a huge number of regional trains here known as VLocity. They are very comfortable. 

Now we have a new suburban train built here known as HCMT, High Capacity Metro Train. I had the pleasure of catching one a couple of days ago and it is just brilliant. 

Make locally using well tested world technology is my conclusion. 

This post has not been checked and probably has some errors, but I don't think my conclusion is wrong.

Queenscliff Day 1

We booked Carisbrooke Cottage for a few nights. At just over $100 per night, it is a bit of a bargain. We stayed there a few years ago with Step Mother for Sister's wedding to her Bone Doctor wife. For something like $130 per night the two bedroom cottage could sleep four in beds, one more on the couch. While a long way from being flash, it is self contained with a full kitchen and everything you would need for a daddy to cook the evening meal, including a barbeque. Being able to cook rather than eat out would make it a cheap holiday for a a small family. It is in a great location and car parking is not a problem. 

Our friend from rural Victoria had taken his caravan to his favourite caravan park in Geelong and this time booked an adjacent ensuite for himself as well. After stopping off for cheapish petrol and some lunch, we called in to see him on our way past. We went for coffee and very expensive cake in the village of Highton.

We arrived at the cottage at three o'clock and the key was in the door. The owner had asked us what we needed food wise for our stay and we replied, nothing. Nevertheless there was plenty of tea and coffee and fresh milk in the 'fridge. 

We relaxed for a while before driving to Sister's for dinner. A local cooking school had offered medical workers a free three course meal, so Sister who always looks for a freebie, via Bone Doctor asked for four meals for myself, R, herself and Jo. The soup was edible although overloaded with lemongrass. The main was stuffed capsicum, very nice, and the dessert of sticky date pudding was to die for. Bone Doctor was busy with Sea Scouts. 

Here are photos of the interior and exterior of the cottage. They aren't great and we made it a bit untidy. It is very different to our modern apartment but not so different to the farm house where I grew up.

We didn't use this bedroom except to store our suitcase. It would have cost more. R was nanna napping when I took the photos and later I forgot to take a photo of our twin bedroom, but it was much the same.

Same bedroom with our a peek of our suitcase  and the window.

Lounge looking towards our bedroom and the kitchen.

Lounge looking out towards the window with the unused bedroom door. 

In the other direction in the lounge room. 

The air con gave us adequate heat. The gas fire did not work and would have been a nice cosy bonus. 

Bathroom and laundry.

 

During some brief moments of sunshine I sat outside and read my e-book. 

The garden is so well cared for. This is looking towards the cottage owner's house.

Unused bedroom to the left, lounge centre and kitchen window on the right. 

Nature or nurture make a gay

My grandmother had a set of famous art work dinner place mats. They must have been used for 40 years or more.  High quality I guess. They were very nice.

Under the age of ten I always demanded the The Blue Boy place mat, and got it. The work is by Thomas Gainsborough and is owned by the Huntington Library in California. Next year after a century of absence from its English origins, it will be on show in the National Gallery, Trafalgar Square. Dere'll  be queues. 

Long before I ever thought about men in that very special way, I really liked Blue Boy and his slightly effeminate stance. The jury of why some men prefer men is probably still out, but I think in my case, it was how I was born. If you are gay, nature or nurture? 

Mahatma Monday

A statue of Mahatma Gandhi was unveiled here by Prime Minister Morrison last week. Someone has taken to it with a power tool in a failed attempt to behead the statue. 

Gandhi was Hindu born and there is no speculation that it could have been a Muslim wot did it. But I will speculate so, and hope I am wrong. Just lads having a laugh, hey.