Tuesday, September 2

 I've never understood the reason why dish washers have become so ubiquitous in Australian homes.  Maybe I should clarify that I'm looking at this situation from the point of view of an elderly pensioner who lives in a two-person household.  I understand that this is not the norm but I suspect that there are fewer large households than there used to be as I suspect that people are deciding to have fewer children than was once the case. Or maybe contraception is better.

But what has this to do with dishwashers?  Even though there are just two of us in this household; even though we eat simple meals, even though we have lived in this unit in Longford for five years and have never cooked a roast dinner here, even though our normal meal is pre-prepared in another kitchen and re-heated in ours, we still have a dishwasher.

I had my cereal this morning, put my slice off thick-cut fruit loaf in the toaster and reached for a knife to butter it.  The knife drawer was empty, because all the knives were in the dishwasher waiting for it to look full enough that we could switch it on.  Madness!  I extracted a single knife, rinsed it under the hot tap and buttered my toast ... and then put the knife back in dishwasher!

From a labour-intensive point of view, a dishwasher makes no sense.  A time and motion study would need to note that using a dishwasher involves loading it, unloading it and putting the washed items away.  All of that involves bending because the dishwasher sits on the floor.  Compare that with the energy needed to wash up today's breakfast dishes in the old-fashioned way.  Half a sink of hot water from the tap, a squirt of dishwashing liquid, swill around 2 teaspoons, 2 cornflake spoons, 2 bowls, a knife and a plate, and leave them to drain.  It's a no-brainer.

But, I'll never convince Marilyn.

Monday, September 1

 September already, and, as if to welcome Spring, the sun is shining and there is the appearance of warmth in the air.  Of course, that's the perspective from inside the house looking out through the window.  The reality is what I experienced when I had my walk at 8 o'clock: bright sunshine, certainly, but a real chill in the air.  However, it can only get better from here.

Jamie arrived ten minutes ago, realised he had left something at home and left again to collect. it. Marilyn has gone with him for a drive and a chat, leaving me to look after Archie.  I'm not surprised she has taken the chance; I don't have much to say and that must be frustrating for Marilyn,

We had news last night that a friend has died in Townsville. He was a few years older than me and we met when Marilyn and I arrived at Cathedral School in 1987.  Roy was the Property Manager and it was his job to get us settled in to our house on the school grounds.  H must have seen how shell-shocked we were after the long drive and invited us to have dinner with them that evening.  He and Marg became very close friends and we have kept in touch.

Sunday, August 31

 My computer was a bit reluctant to start this morning and, when I tried to open Blogger to record my 'thought of the day'. it downright refused to cooperate. It told me there was probably an internet cable unplugged, which was ludicrous as I have a wifi connection.

 Being a natural pessimist, I immediately sent my thoughts to having to buy a replacement.  But, should I go for another All-in-one desktop or would a decent-sized laptop be better?  Should I buy something from Officeworks or might I do better on Amazon or Kogan, on-line?

I spent an hour browsing on my tablet and came to the conclusion that, really, a local supplier like Officeworks would be better, but I would have to outlay several hundreds of dollars.  As Jamie often says, if something goes wrong, it's more satisfying to walk into the shop and throw it back at them.  You can't do that with Kogan.

I finally settled on a Lenovo all-in-one desktop.  It was white which would be a change and not too expensive.  Decision made, I went back to the old computer to have one more try at getting it to go.

Of course, it behaved itself and started without any bother.  Bugger!

Saturday, August 30

 Marilyn and I go to an exercise class every Friday at Toosey, the local Aged care facility.  It's part of our Care Plans.  There are about 10 participants altogether and the young woman who runs it has a very pleasant, professional manner.  We've had three or four sessions so far, and have focused on various activities.  Yesterday, we used rubber balls with knobs on.  We called in to Kmart and bought a couple of similar balls to practice at home. Youtube has lots of videos to keep us focused. 

It makes a change from watching videos of Donald Trump's lunacy, or Steve or Scott wandering around Europe.

Friday, August 29

 As I mentioned yesterday, Jamie and I had a visit to Officeworks.  I had in mind to buy a tablet for Marilyn as the one she has been using is a few years old and the screen is not as sharp as it once was.  In fact it was a Samsung Tab 8 which Jamie and Nera received as a freebie when they signed up for home internet.  It was passed on to me and I used it daily until I acquired my Lenovo, bought for $99 in a JB HiFi sale.

I love going to Officeworks.  Some men rhapsodise about visiting Bunnings but I just don't get it. I met a bloke once who told me the best Christmas present he received was a $100 Bunnings voucher.  I can visualise him now: running into the big shop, voucher in hand, to pick out a new shovel or punnet of seedlings.

On the other hand, Officeworks is like a fairy kingdom, with aisle after aisle of treasures.  I could spend hours there (and often do).  

Yesterday, we looked at the avalaible tablets and I selected a Lenovo Tab 10.  It's a beautiful machine with a very clear screen.  Marilyn has a number of favourite games that she likes to play, including jigsaws so a 10-inch screen gives her a big enough work space without being too ponderous.

I've already floated the idea that, if this purchase proves to be worthwhile, I might consider buying myself one too.  It doesn't hurt to lay the groundwork.

Thursday, August 28

 I got to the end of my book and there was no surprising denouement about the relationship of Alan and Dan.  I don't know how I feel about that; disappointed, I suppose, because it would have been nice to have my instincts proven right but also relieved that the author didn't give in to the temptation to play the gay card so blatantly.  Still, there are two more books in the series so there is time yet.  However, I've decided to move on to something else.

We're waiting for Jamie to arrive to take us into town.  Marilyn has a doctor's appointment and I plan to call into Officeworks to buy a 10-inch tablet for Marilyn.  We're finding that we are spending more time at home now and need to have more things to keep us occupied.  We can read or watch TV, of course, but Marilyn likes jigsaw puzzles and other various games and her 7-inch pad is just too small.  

Life does change when you get older and you have to make accommodations for that.

Wednesday, August 27

 I'm reading a book called A Study in Stone by Michael Campling.  It appeared on my ebook reader yesterday and I thought it might be about archaeology or something and I often enjoy books like that.  In fact, it's a fairly standard English village mystery with a local pub, a big house and a handful of typical local yokels.  The two main characters are Dan and Alan.  Alan has moved to the village because he has lost his job and Dan has befriended him.  They have coffee together and find themselves investigating the theft of some precious artifacts from the coffee shop.  There is a barista in the cafe who has 'an impressive set of whiskers'.

Perhaps my 'gaydar' is working overtime because I keep anticipating a development in the relationship between Dan and Alan. I'm on page 363 of 646 and I'm anticipating a development at any time.   Funny, I've never questioned the relationship between Captain Bigglesworth and Algernon Lacey or Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson but Dan and Alan seem to be heading in a particular direction.

Perhaps I'm reading my first LGBTQ  novel.