The Waiting Man

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Not that I would expect any of my limited audience to be avid listeners, fans, or supporters of Joe Rogan, but a little fact-checking of his latest podcast about Australia's Delta variant experience...

“There’s some crazy shit going on right now where the army is trying to keep people inside in Australia. They have full on government lockdowns where the government is flying helicopters over streets saying ‘go back indoors, you’re not allowed outside’.”

No - helicopters with loudspeakers are not overhead as I type this. And you are allowed outside for a number of reasons - food & essentials shopping, exercise, home-schooling sanity breaks... & essential workers, which kind of includes me, in a limited capacity. We're certainly not talking about a Chinese-style operation where people were literally shut inside. The helicopters have been used over some beach areas to encourage those not in any of the above categories to go home, but it's not a constant thing, nor a Sydney-wide, nor indeed a nation-wide practice

As to the army forcing people to stay at home, well... only if you're supposed to be there...

From Monday, some 300 army personnel will help police go door to door to ensure people who have tested positive are isolating, New South Wales police commissioner Mick Fuller told a news conference.

The military personnel will not be armed and will be under police command, he said.

In summary: No, we have not become a heavy-handed, authoritarian police state, nor is there any danger of a military coup. The people who have complained loudest about these restrictions, are the first ones to break them, resulting in necessarily stricter enforcement measures, which, of course, they complain about as well. It's a looooong way from storming government buildings in 2nd-hand combat fatigues, armed with assault rifles, just because you can't get a haircut... & more of a storm in a takeaway teacup - oolong, with almond milk & a dash of manuka honey
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The Federal government paid me some money! All those hours on hold, on the phone, trying really hard & only twice failing to keep a level tone in my voice seem to have paid off with... not as much as I'd normally earn in a week, but more than I sometimes have in recent months, so I'll declare it satisfactory. Whether the payment is an ongoing thing, or something I have to re-apply for every week or so, remains to be seen but it should be easier now that I've finally solved the mystery of the recalcitrant MyGov account & linked all the departments I need to be in contact with

So that's actually a weight off my shoulders I'd been very conscious of bearing...

There is some talk of trades & construction being allowed to resume in a controlled capacity from next week, but I'm not sure what that means for my work in particular. I await some kind of update from the CEO of the company I contract to, as do all his installers, salespeople, warehouse & admin staff, I'm sure

Never let it be said I won't criticise my own country...



This is the face... okay faces of wilful stupidity. Ignorant obstinacy. Misinformed belligerence - insert your own adjective & noun combination here...

Whose human rights are being 'attacked'? Easy - the vast majority doing the sensible thing & minimising their travel & contact with others, to deny the Delta variant's opportunity to spread. Whose job is under threat? Also easy - the medical & emergency service workers who have seen & know first-hand what this virus can do & will have to deal with the results of your stupidity when the case numbers go up again in a few days, thanks to this...

Who's being 'controlled' by 'communism'? Easy - the under-educated mass who blindly follow what they're told by people who have no qualifications in medicine, sociology, logistics & apparently political science, let alone history. A communist state would never allow such a protest to take place for starters...

Scenes like this do make me think we need a kind of purge though. But Stalin & Pol Pot had it wrong - instead of weeding out the educated & intelligentsia & executing them, I think we need to go the opposite way

Unmasked, Untested, Unvaxxed & Unafraid? Okay, you're also completely Unnecessary for the progress & betterment of society...

Thursday... a day with a couple of things to actually do

We're off shortly to pick up my Grandmother's ashes. She died last year, after a fall in the nursing home she was in & never woke up. Not the home's, nor the staff's fault & no blame is attached - these things happen. But I hadn't seen her for a few months leading up to her death, as Covid19 had restricted access to aged care homes. Given how many elderly people died from it last year, you can't argue with the precaution, but I can lament its consequence

Anyway, my Mother has steadfastly refused to have anything to do with the funeral, or its long aftermath & an e-mail from the funeral directors earlier this year went unanswered, until I found it & answered it myself, with the result that L-SP & I are off to collect Grandmother today & keep her... somewhere... I haven't actually given a great deal of thought to that bit yet & I haven't mentioned it to my Mother or sister at all... & have no plans to do so until they ask

Then, with the funeral parlour's proximity to Chatswood - a bit of an Asian enclave, we'll be hitting one of our preferred barbecue butcheries for some roast pork & duck. Dinner - sorted!

Afterwards, my battle to find some kind of financial relief from either Federal, or State government during this currently open-ended lockdown, will continue

Monday - the first 'official' day of my enforced holiday. I've spent it finalising my Business Activity Statement & sending it off to my accountant for perusal/approval, doing battle with the Australian 'MyGov' website, which wants me to link to a particular department's database in order to register for lockdown payments, but won't actually let me do it...

... & remembering how to play a guitar piece of mine that I wrote over 10 years ago & has been rattling 'round my head for the last couple of days. I have a recording of it, thank god, otherwise there were a few chords I couldn't remember how to play. It was also a great help to remember that I should have a capo on the first fret - made things a lot easier after that!!

Having scared a couple of people yesterday, with a photo of one of Australia's more nasty animals - & bolstering our reputation as a dangerous place to live, here are a couple of photos that reinforce the clichés about our more famous... & less deadly... marsupials


"So... about last night..."


The most common view of a koala

Stricter lockdown regulations mean that I'm having an enforced 2 weeks (at least!!) off from work. No 'non-essential' building works are allowed, which certainly means flooring installations & therefore means no measures, estimates or inspections for me. I've just spoken with the CEO of the company I contract to & he's closing all the stores 'til the end of July... or until this outbreak runs its course

I was out doing what's turned out to be my last measure for the month this morning & so was most of the Northern Beaches population. I have never seen so many people out walking, running, playing... even on a Saturday. It goes to show why gyms are such a growth industry - we're certainly seeing now just how many people usually do all their exercise indoors...

Sydney... for the foreseeable future:-

Sydney's lockdown has been extended to the end of July...

Never mind the toilet paper supply, do I have enough whiskey to make it through!!??!!



My Northern Beaches home... still a Covid19-free enclave... for now

Watching the storm roll in...

The only notable thing for today is I'll be getting my first dose of Microsoft trackers... 5G receivers... mind control serum Covid19 vaccine. Due to ever-changing medical advice, I'm currently up for the Pfizer, though who knows, by the time I get to the centre later today, I might only get saline solution & an aspirin

This is the Doctor I really want to go & see!!