Our favorite bird

We have a lot a different birds around: cockatoos, magpies, galaws, green parakeets and others. But by far our favorite is the beautiful lorikeet. They sit on the power lines in front of our house, on the eves of the houses across the street, frequent nearby park trees and a pair even tried to get themselves killed by flying in front of CJ's bike.

Seriously? Posting About Trash Bins!

It has happened again. We return from shopping at the ACM to find the bins emptied and our red bin missing.  Who steals a bin with the address prominently displayed on four sides in huge white letters??

We call the city council and order a replacement. Apparently bin pinching is getting to be quite common. It does not appear they still charge for replacement. The fellow wasn't even phased when CJ told him that the bin was marked with the address on four sides. He said it happens all the time.

The green bin has arrived. We purchased paint but it didn't stick to plastic. Bronwyn provides white "china" paint and it appears to work.

CJ has the physical therapy session just after Jackie's. When he mentions the bin napping, Jackie tells him that they know the perpetrator. He is the fellow living behind us in Tony and Margarite's old home. He is apparently a notorious bid napper known to the entire neighborhood since at one time or another he has pinched everyone's bin. It seems he doesn't like putting his garbage in plastic bags and also doesn't like getting his own bin dirty, so he takes whatever bin he likes and messes it up leaving the owner to clean his mess. He is obviously a real class addition to the neighborhood.

It seems everyone has had a go at him, including the cop across the street, and our two nearest neighbors. He doesn't deny it and is shameless in stating he won't stop.

Later in the day, the tale takes a bizarre turn. CJ gets a phone call from our Polish neighbor. It appears Renata has our bin. CJ sets ours out on the corner by her house along with a lot of others. It is not clear where to put it on our side of the street. Renata and Peter's home is the one behind the corner of bins.

Renata went to retrieve her bin and the only one there was ours. She assumed that the guy took one and we took the wrong one. Since ours was the only one remaining she took it. While chatting with Jackie, she was horribly embarrassed and returns it.

Who would have thought trash bins could be a source of entertainment, such is life. The conversation even continues through a good part of our Saturday evening Father's Day dinner with James and Jackie.

Let us hear it for "Just In Time Management". With our bin returned and set on the street for pickup, we open the front door to find the council has delivered the new bin on the morning of pickup. We shall keep the spare.

COVID Testing in South Australia

We have been watching in horror at the management (or lack thereof) of the senseless virus crisis in the US. We have a front row seat to the comparison of how to and how not to manage the crisis. We are blessed to have been living in South Australia when the pandemic hit. Our Premier, Steven Marshal and his staff, particularly Dr. Nicole Spurrier (think our Anthony Fauci) have had it right from as early as possible.

Contrast that with Premier Daniel Andrews in Victoria whose incompetence and desire to open the Victorian economy early has driven Victoria into a horrific (for Australia) second wave and economy killing lockdown far worse than the first lockdown. His irresponsible actions, and inconsistent messaging, have not only dragged down the Victorian economy but the entire Australian national economy. As of this writing Victoria is the only state with multiple deaths per day and has accounted for 524 of 611 (86%) COVID deaths nationwide, most in the past six weeks; a period AFTER WHICH the virus had been essentially under control in Australia. With each new Victorian COVID death, that percentage increases. Since the original writing there have been 192 additional deaths in Australia, all in Victoria bringing them up to 89%.

In Victoria multiple people, mostly elderly, continue to die. South Australia has recorded four total deaths, less than 1% of the national count with the last death on April 11, nearly FIVE months ago. Victoria is in near total lockdown. They are a pariah state. Our border with them is closed and manned by the state police force 24/7.

Victorian's sneaking across the border are being heavily fined and going to jail. Those few active cases we've had, have come from Victoria.

At this writing, Australia had 661 deaths for a population of 25 million. The US had 183,000 deaths for a population of 331 million. Australia has 24.4 deaths per million population. The US has 552.9 deaths per million population. That is over 22 times as bad and it is even worse that that. Australia's population is far more concentrated than that of the US which means, all things being equal, Australia's death rate should be greater than that of the US. not over 22 times less.

What is the difference? Testing, tracking, and analysis. Since the first days of awareness, Australia has advocated a policy of Test Early/Test Often. Testing is provided at Government expense. Test facilities are readily available. The vast majority of test results have s been available in TWO DAYS OR LESS. The only exceptions are a few sporadic computer outages. When the Victorian second wave hit, what was South Australia's reaction? They opened more test facilities. I'm not talking about hospitals.

This is the facility in Victoria Park, less than two blocks from our house. When Victoria became a potential threat to SA, this new facility was erected overnight. They processed 6,000 tests the first DAY! They have been open seven days a week since opening nearly a month ago with no indications of closing until this is over. There are no longer long lines of cars but there continues a constant trickle. The South Australian population prefers to be informed rather than ignorant and irresponsible. CJ has been tested. Neil has been tested. James has been tested. We were tested not because we were symptomatic but because we had a cough or cold or mild flu or just were not quite feeling totally on.

One enters the new pop-up COVID  test center at what is normally Turn 3 of the race course. After Turn 1, one proceeds up what would be the pit row exit to the testing area located where the pit garages are normally located.  

The swab testing is conducted at the start of pit row.

 

Vehicles exit the test area along the race grandstand start/finish straightaway. The picture below is taken standing in Turn 16 looking toward what would be the main grandstand (where the tall tree is located), the start/finish line (on the left), pit row (center of screen), entry to pit row (right and above the final letter "e" in Adelaide), and the back straightaway and Turn 15 (far most right background).

And then there is contract tracking. Australian's are tracked. There are places we go where we must supply our name, phone number and email address. Why? Just in case someone who is also there while we are turns up positive. If that occurs, they can contact us and we can go for a test, or two or three. Are we in SA screaming about infringement on our personal freedoms like the fools in Victoria or elsewhere? We are willingly complying as part of our social responsibility to our fellow citizens.

And then there is analysis. Major teams at the state and national level are analyzing the data, the trends. They are attempting to identify the root source. They are identifying and isolating identified clusters. Our national and state governments are doing EVERYTHING within their powers (Victoria excepted) to flatten and end this thing.

The story in New Zealand is much the same. When New Zealand thought they had COVID eradicated, a family of four turned up positive. That city was immediately placed on lockdown. FOUR citizens caused a national response. How did those four get it? Where did it come from? The national policy was to not allow it to spread, to determine the source, to squash it before it could spread; and they did.

Once upon a time, months ago, the US with strong and knowledgeable leadership was in this position. New York came as close to our Southern Hemisphere templates as anyone but even they fell short. The US Government at all levels, in both parties failed our people. Most of all, we suffered from delay, denial and conspiracy theories spread by our President. COVID-19 is not a hoax. COVID-19 is not a Democratic conspiracy. COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic which the US has bungled royally and now tosses about as a political football rather than attempting to save the lives of its citizens. Shame on you Trump!!! Shame on you Republicans for enabling his incompetence and ego!! Shame on you Democrats for being too impotent to protect our scientists and public servants trying to do the right thing from retributions of a vane and vindictive President!!! Shame on the citizenry for being so gullible!!

As a nation we are so much better than you. We can be so much better than your jingles, slogans, and denial for the purpose of self-glorification and self-preservation.

No more trash chute

For the last three years while in the Oaks Embassy apartments, trash takeout was a short walk on our floor to the trash chute. For some twisted reason, I liked the sound of that small bag of garbage whooshing down the many floors to the bottom. It was easy. It was convenient.

Not that we're back in our house on Tomsey, we must get used to a new ritual, to say nothing about keeping track of the rhythm. Trash goes out in the red bin weekly on Tuesday. Recyclables go out fortnightly (every two weeks) in the larger yellow bin, also on Tuesday. Compostable material goes out in the green bin (which we must order) every fortnight but on Monday. At least it goes out on the same week as the yellow bin.

We live on the north edge of the purple zone.

The bins must be placed in particular places along the curb. If not in the correct location, they don't get emptied as we found during the first week trash pick-up.

We also had a problem with the yellow recycling bin the first few weeks. We were getting farther and farther behind with the removal of our moving and furniture boxes not to mention the wine and beer bottles. We had cardboard jam stuffed into the bin and still had piles of cardboard on the floor of the garage. Curiously, they still collect glass in Australia.

CJ had stuffed the yellow bin full of cardboard. We have trucks with robotic arms. The truck pulls up, the arm reaches out, grabs the bin, lifts it over the truck and dumps it. There must be some sort of weight sensor on the robotic arm because sometimes the arm gives the bin a shake or two and sometimes it does not. Because the cardboard was wedged in, the bin only got half emptied. 

We live at the edge of the purple and blue trash collection zones (see map above). James taught us a neat trick. If we need an extra pickup, we only need walk less than 200 feet to Carrington St. and we  get the bins emptied on Thursday during the blue zone trash removal.

Carol noticed something interesting. When last we lived here, someone pinched (stole for you Americans) one of our bins. We had to pay for replacement. Our bins are now conspicuously marked with our address. Carol realized the bins were marked in HER HANDWRITING. These are our original bins from 2008. Now she must get white paint good for plastic to mark the new green bin and touch up the others.

Atrium

Since we moved back in, the atrium tiles have been driving CJ nuts. They haven't been cleaned in forever. He's tried a number of approaches, most not working.

He has finally assembled an arsenal of weapons: scrub pads, scrub brush, four different cleaning agents. He is ready for war. The job is on hands and knees. It is made easier since the atrium has three sliders, one in the master bedroom, one in the hall and one in the TV room.

In the scrubbing picture, the two rows of tiles on the left have been cleaned and the three rows under CJ have not. In the second picture the task is complete.

The Advent of Adelaide Spring

As we approach our third season in Adelaide, signs of spring's arrival are upon us. Spring flowers are out at the entrance to Veale Gardens in the South Parklands.

 

 Japanese cherry trees are in blossom near the entrance to the Japanese garden.

 

A block from out house, a row of trees are in blossom. It is September 1, the Australian first day of spring. We've made it through winter having packed no winter clothing for this trip. Our three month trip is now at seven months.

 

Rooftop Deck Preparation for Spring

An inspection of the rooftop deck suggests a long period of neglect. The wet bar/BBQ/counter are soiled with months, if not years, of city dust. The flower bed is overgrown with tall weeds and clover.

This flower bed is set in a stainless steel planting box. Carol attacks this job. Eventually she must call for reinforcements.

 

 

Carol doesn't have the height to reach the weeds in the rear of the bed. With her recent fall, she also has minimal strength in one wrist so CJ must pull up or dig up the biggest weeds.

CJ's main task is to clean the stainless steel wet bar. It is covered with months, if not years of city dust. The outlet box is dirty. The refrigerator has spillage.

This is a before and after of the BBQ.

 

This is the before and after of the outlet box. It is also a better picture of the soiled stainless surface and the stainless surface after cleaning.

 

This is the fridge after cleaning.

There is an eight person outdoor dining table. Dirt and dust and moss have accumulated between the underside of the glass top and the frame. In order to keep from breaking the glass, cleaning is a multi-stage process.

 While CJ moves the glass and cleans the gook out of the frame, Carol uses the watering can to rinse.

Following the good days work, CJ enjoys his first rooftop beer of this occupancy. Carol is not about to make the climb for a photo op.