Dopey Daughter Graduates: Again!

I’ve been reliably informed by the War Office that Sarah has graduated again and we have to attend the graduation ceremony at Sydney University. So time to get out the collar and tie bit for me.

This time it seems she will receive her Masters Degree in Public Health, which is way beyond me but apparently along with her other degrees she is eligible to run a hospital or to teach at University which is all well and good except that we are talking about my ‘Dopey Daughter’ and I can see the pitfalls which lie ahead.

Imagine for example that she was running say the ‘Royal North Shore’ ; situated as the name implies on the Northern Shore of Sydney Harbour,  my phone rings and it’s Dopey and the conversation goes something like this;

‘ Hi  dad it’s me, have you seen the hospital anywhere? I didn’t leave it up there with you when I was there did I?’ ‘No Sarah” says I “have you checked your pockets?”  “Yes ”says she ”and it’s not there”

‘Have you reported it to the police?’ I ask “Yes dad and no ones handed it in what shall I do?’

‘Well perhaps the first thing you should do is notify the staff not to come into work as you’ve lost it and then ring around and stop all the delivery people from delivering whatever delivery people deliver”. “Okay dad thanks!”

Ten minutes later the phone rings again. Triumphantly “Hi dad I’ve found it!” “Good” says I “where was it?” “St Leonards” says she

” That’s where it’s always been” says I ” I know but it wasn’t there when I got home” says she again. “Bye Dopey” says I hanging up. She lives in Glebe on the south side of the harbour!

Perhaps Dopey would be better off with an academic career, at least it wouldn’t be dull for the students, there’d be a least one session of Bollywood Dancing or trapeze swinging to break the monotony of the classroom; or perhaps instructions in camel riding, (I believe she has extensive experience in all these pastimes) and at the end she’d have a load of happy students whether they’d learned anything or not is neither here nor there :)

Anyway on Friday the 10th May off we will trot to the Sydney University to see our daughter Sarah get another well  earned degree. I might even get a few pictures to liven up this post ;)

Graduation Day with m

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOaPwBvXE3YGraddayP3

Our Granddaughter has arrived!

The Apple of her eye

The Apple of her eye

She is a week late but what matter, she is alive and well our first grand child Ruby Alice born at 9.50 this morning and weighing in at 3.6 kgs (around 8 lbs for the unenlightened).

I shall get to see her tomorrow, today with all the excitement I was required to stay at home at look after the dogs somebody had to and it fell to my lot.

My daughter Emma is now well and no doubt looking forward to the joys of “Mothers Day” in a couple of weeks; Luke, as is befitting a first time father is a wreck.

Granny Smith

Granny Smith

You may be sure that I shall keep you posted on this happy event :)

I made it!

My father died aged 76 and a few months into his 77th year; Sonny, my brother, lived 77 years and 11 months and died in his 78th year. I have now completed my 78th year and moved into my 79th sounds pretty ominous doesn’t it?

My mother died aged 79 years and 10 months in her 80th year; am I to fill in the gap. What a cheerful way to spend the 50th celebration of my 29th birthday :)

It has always been my intention to pass the age my paternal grandparents were when they died. They were both in their 87th year having been born the year Abraham Lincoln died (1865).

I would like to emulate President John Adams feat, he lived 1735 – 1825; by living 1935 – 2025 but I wouldn’t place any bets on it.

And for my birthday cake? I’ve made a ‘Citrus Cream Cake with Pistachio Praline and Whipped my own cream” and Yes! I made it all.

 

Australia: Heading for the gurgler?

 Is disaster looming?

I believe that ‘heading for the gurgler‘ is a uniquely Australian expression, meaning ‘down the drain‘ and a damned sight more expressive to boot.

I have lived in Australia for more than 60 years, all my adult life in fact; and I recently tried to recall and/or remember some legislation that has improved the lot of Australians by the Liberal Country Party Coalition Governments ( I must admit that for many years I supported these people) and do you know I could think of absolutely nothing that they have done.

Our Medicare/Medibank system second to none in the world, our education and higher/university programs were instituted by the Australian Labor Party ( I must point out here that for the first 20 plus years of my time here, the country was governed by the Liberal Coalition and I never saw a Labor Govt ’til Gough Whitlam became leader of the government in 1972gough_whitlam

Australia at the moment is going along very well thank you very much. Our dollar is strong against the ‘greenback’ and has been for some time; as at the time of writing our dollar is worth $(US)1-052. It wasn’t all that long ago that our dollar was worth 0.95c US.

We have weathered the  ”International financial storm” better than most and our current Government net debt is to be envied as the graph below illustrates. And it looks like we are going to blow it all away come September.

Australia's Debt.

And who’s doing the blowing?

Big business, the mining industry and the media with their seemingly bottomless pit of money and eager and hungry for more are doing everything in their power to bring down Julia Gillard and the Australian Labor Party. And what is the catch phrase these hypocrites are using? Stop the Canberra’s greed!  The unmitigated gall of these people.

Three photographs. Murdoch[1]

We have Rupert Murdock who in my humble opinion is the vilest creature ever to have beenspawned   in Australia, he calls himself Australian, American or whatever else suits the moment;

then there is the richest woman in Australia, Gina Rhinehart; 277047-gina-rinehart-an-australian-mining-tycoon-has-leap-frogged-walmart-hei[1] a mining magnate, (the mining industry is the organization running the GREED campaign, take a close look at her, and she talks of greed).

This is Tony Abbott, ta_large_m1714183[1]

their dupe and the leader of the Liberals and the next Prime Minster of Australia if Murdock Rhinehart and Company have their way, and they are doing everything in their power to make sure he is. Rhinehart now has control of the Ten TV Network in Australia and has been made the CEO so we can imagine the direction that network will take in the lead up to the election.

What an unholy trinity are these three; they recently were the prime speakers at an unholy $500.00 a plate dinner; and what was discussed? I quote

“It was the most exclusive of events: a glittering $500 minimum per head gala fundraising dinner last week for a right-wing think tank. Tony Abbott, Gina Rinehart and Rupert Mudoch took turns sharing the stage. Andrew Bolt was MC. Tony praised his fellow key-note speakers, especially Rupert, and promised the crowd a “big yes” to many of the think tank’s list of 75 policies to radically transform Australia.

So what, exactly, is on this think tank’s wish list?

  • Public broadcasting – gone. The ABC to be broken up and sold off, SBS to be fully privatised.
  • Corporations to be allowed to make secret payments to political parties.
  • Medicare gone for most Australians.
  • A return to WorkChoices, just by another name.
  • The clean energy fund and the renewable energy target – scrapped.
  • Funding for sport and arts – including the Australian Institute of Sport – axed. Same for science, with the CSIRO to be privatised.

It goes on. Never before has the extreme conservative agenda been laid out so clearly:”

So, are we going down the gurgler or not?

At the moment there is a good chance that Abbott will succeed, The media Barons (and I suppose with Rhinehart now involved it’s the baroness too), the mining groups all spending big bucks and aiming at the most vulnerable are doing their damnedest to make sure he gains control.

Over the coming weeks I will endeavour to write more on the situation, hopefully next time some sense will start to prevail and things will be looking less gloomy.

Too I shall write my thoughts regarding Julia Gillard our Prime Minister.julia-gillard[1]

 

The Golden 29th

The countdown begins today. 

Before starting I suggest that scrolling through the right hand column will give those puzzled by my rambling some idea as to why I am wasting your time and mine by writing this drivel.

For the followers of my posts that aren’t aware; on  the 17th April  each year I celebrate the anniversary of my birth and this year is especial for it will be the 50th celebration. My Golden Jubilee :) .

I know my dear friends Lisa in Kentucky and Cynthia in  Pennsylvania will remember.  But I don’t think the brace of my other readers will know or care. Then again why should you? So there no need for me forgiving you so I wont!

I  had high hopes of one day celebrating my ‘Diamond Jubilee‘ and thereby being the longest lived male member of the family; but now I fear that I will not make it. And on that cheerful note I’ll tell you why.

Back in 2005, just before Christmas I went to see Doctor Mac to get the results of some tests and he greeted me cheerfully with “You’ve got prostate cancer” I said something stupid like “Really?” and he said yes as he was typing out a referral to an oncologist; Doc. Mac told me to get around to this other blokes rooms and get a appointment to see him as soon as possible. So I did as I was told.

After doing a big heap of tests which weren’t very comfortable he advised me that my cancer was too big, too aggressive and he couldn’t operate and that I had 12 months to 2 years before it killed me;( cheerful bugger).

He then offered me an option; he told me of a new procedure that was proving quite effective in the fight and that a colleague of his in an adjoining room was the man to see if I wanted to give it a go.  Not having the War Office with me I agreed straight away and went immediately into this other doctors rooms.

What a difference. Greeted with a happy smiling face and a big cheerful g’day he got straight to the nitty gritty.

Dr. Gerald Fogarty, the best doc I’ve ever come across, explained to me that there was this new procedure called ‘Brachytherapy‘  and that if I underwent it he would guarantee me another 6 to 8 years.

Told me all the possible and probable side effects and his only regret was that as it was such a new procedure in Australia the Government (John Howard’s consevative government) had not as yet evaluated the procedure so therefore it was not covered by our Medibank system and that I’d have to pay the cost myself; but I would get something back.

I am pleased to report that this procedure is now available on Medibank and is available to all men.

Anyway the upshot was I told him to go ahead and get the show on the road; at which invitation he took out the biggest damned syringe I have ever seen and am likely to see and he told me to lift my shirt and plunged this syringe into my stomach and with a big broad grin announced the treatment is started.

I wont bore you anymore with the details needless to say the operation was a resounding success and I’ve had the six years promised and have nearly completed the eighth so I have no complaints whatsoever. There is no sign of the cancer rearing it’s ugly head and my GP tells me that the odds of it coming back are now remote.

Forgetting the cancer for now; about 18 months ago I had a small stroke; I didn’t know, but the War Office picked up on it and I had two successful carotid artery operations over a period of 6 – 8 weeks; The vascular surgeon who attended me is quite delighted with the recovery I’ve made, so much so that he says he needs to see me only once a year for a check up.

So with all this good news you’d think I’d be feeling tip top ready to go. Well sorry to say I’m not, I think the end of the road is well within sight and the ‘Diamond Jubilee’ is now beyond me.

I’m getting very tired very easily now. I’m getting bored too easily which is the worse thing for someone like me. I have several posts started and in the draft form but never finished or likely to be. My mind feels as sharp as a tack but my energy deserts me and at times I despair that it will return.

Typical case of “the spirits willing but the flesh is week”.

Anyway the count is on for my ‘Golden’, whether there will be anymore is anybodies guess. :)