Crap, winter is here?

Whoa! Wish I wore some socks to bed last night, woke up with cold feet sometime around 4am and by then it was too cold to contemplate getting out of bed to find some. I don’t think it actually got that cold really, just me reacting to temperatures I’m not used to – in fact, it only got down to 10’C this morning at around 3am but compare that to the temperatures I experience in the north of the state while I’m away in the truck and you’ll start to understand what I mean.

So, gas heater on for the first time this winter and a cup of coffee and I think I’m starting to get some life back into my body this morning. I missed out on the storms of the last few days and after looking around my place last night when I got home from the Great Sandy Desert I am wondering what all the fuss was about! My fences are still standing, the roof is where the builders put it, the neighbours tree looks the same as it always has and my chest freezer in the garage isn’t full of rotting food. The rotary power point timer for my fish tank hasn’t lost any time at all so it looks like the power didn’t go out at all or if it did it was only briefly. What was all the fuss about?

I definitely came off better this year than I did in past storms – like the time a tree fell on my ute at work while I was away in the truck (not the sort of phone call you really want). Not much damage but, hey, she’s my ute.

Cheers, Mike.

Not gone and not forgotten

Just a quick note to the effect that “I am very sorry for neglecting my blog”. There are various good reasons for my lapse but the main one is the boss’s view that “you shouldn’t let having a life get in the way of work”.

Well, we seemed to have worked out a roster that gives some predictability to my comings and goings and I may be able to resume my life to a limited degree. Of course, the only way to truly get my life back is to give up driving but because I’ve been doing this for over twenty years I’m afraid I wouldn’t know what to do with myself anyway.

I have allowed my self one small indulgence that my new freedom will allow me – a fish tank, with real fish (well, they’re alive as I write this). With the level of automation available for home aquariums today my frequent absences aren’t really a problem. A dog would be a bit harder to maintain, and frankly – if can’t have my dog actually with me then I wouldn’t do something as cruel as locking it up in the backyard all day/week. But with an automatic feeder to take care of dinner time a fish is pretty much in fish heaven. The feeder works independently of mains power so as long as I keep an eye on the batteries all should be ok. The fish are the low maintenance type and tank maintenance once a week or fortnightly is all that is required. And aquariums have fascinated me since I was old enough to stand up and press my nose against the glass.

Got to go – I swear I just saw two of them having a naughty off in the corner of the tank. That behaviour will not be tolerated in my aquarium.

Cheers, Mike.