Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

In his popular song, Nat King Cole croons
"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer"

Our hazy, crazy days of summer are here, but they are anything but lazy. Commuter travel becomes especially trying in the heatwaves of summer. At the moment the roads are reasonably sane, but in just a few days the normal commute starts again for many, including 3 of my household. Libraries start their summer reading programs and the grandparents head to the library with hordes of bored kids, desperate for some shoot-em up game playing on computers!

"Just fill your basket full of sandwiches and weenies
Then lock the house up, now you're set
And on the beach you'll see the girls in their bikinis
As cute as ever but they never get 'em wet"

My days of wearing bikinis are fortunately past, but you only have to stroll down any of Melbourne's beaches to see plenty. We have often had late night suppers on the beach, trying to beat the plus 30 degree heat with sandwiches, pizza or fish -n-chips and a paddle/swim. I was never very keen on weenies - enough said!

"Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
You'll wish that summer could always be here"

So long as we don't have many searing +43 degree heatwaves, I should find my garden, sanity and energy levels surviving the summer. Otherwise, I give fair warning, watch out for temper boil overs when the thermometer maxes out!

Happy summer and Happy 2012 to all.

Christmas Day Diary

BOM forecast: 30 degrees C, humid with thunderstorms later
6:30 am - wake up after restless, hot night. Neighbours had party that kept me awake. Start tidying house after strong coffee.
7:00 am - Computer turned on and Skype video call to 2 lots of relatives overseas. London call a bit foggy and without colour. Perhaps the cold weather there. Lovely to actually see the relatives. Receive calls from local relatives.
8:20 am - Cook prawns (cheap and plentiful this year) and potato's for potato salad. Make potato salad and place in fridge to cool. Check Turkey is deftosted ok.
9:45 am- Start stuffing turkey - bread, apricots, fresh herbs from garden. Yum. Place in oven bag and put on BBQ tray. 10:00 am -Place in BBQ outside so heat doesn't become unbearable inside.
10:30 am - Youngsters manage to get up and gather around Christmas tree. Unwrapping of presents and photos taken. Then clean up waste! Fortunately not too much of the latter!
11:00 - 11:30am - Make green salad, move tables n chairs, set table with crackers, Christmas napkins, tablecloth etc.
11:30 am - Prepare tray of roast vegies including potatoes, sweet Potatoes, red capsicum and parsnips
12:00 noon - Prepare antipasto, dip and biscuit platter. Search unsuccessfully for mixed nuts I have hidden so they are not eaten before Christmas, but find previously hidden Cashew nuts so use them instead.
12:30 pm - change clothes, sit down and wait for friends to arrive. Steam peas and beans a bit later.
12:40 pm - Friends arrive and we start EATING, drinking Moet Champagne with fresh, home-grown strawberries, then enjoy our Christmas Dinner. Turn ceiling fans on.
2:00 pm - Put away left-overs, do the 4th set of dishes today and sit down again to have a post-prandial chat/snooze (dependant on age and tiredness). Approx 28 degrees, humid and ceiling fans giving welcome cooling.
4:00 pm - Kids tell us thunderstorm coming fast to our end of town and heavy rain is forecast. See a few lightning forks in the distance. Friends go home to rescue their washing and start preparing dessert to have at their house.
5:00 pm - Dessert of Christmas pudding, strawberries, pineapple, watermelon, cherries caramel tarts and mince pies.
7:00 pm - Heavy rain, kids play on computers, do jigsaw puzzle (or try to) and chat. Hear about thunderstorm, wind and hail damage in Melbourne!!! Nibble on Christmas cake.

What a wonderful, peaceful and plentiful Christmas (for us at least!)

Christmas Greetings

As Melbourne goes nuts in the lead up to a forecast hot and humid festive day, I will wish you all a very Merry Christmas and and prosperous New Year. 2012, in the Mayan Calendars is purported to be a year of disasters, but according to Wikipedia : The "Misinterpretation of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar is the basis for a New Age belief that a cataclysm will take place on December 21, 2012. December 21, 2012 is simply the day that the calendar will go to the next b'ak'tun."


To the poor, terrified people of Christchurch, Christmas 2011 is starting to seem almost as disastrous as February 22 with several very strong and sharp aftershocks happening today. My family are okay but the psychological effect of these shocks is becoming ingrained. One of the latest quakes is only a few km from their house in North New Brighton and threw them to the ground while out walking the dog.


Check out the Christchurch Earthquake Map website to get a good idea of the > 18 shakes today and the thousands they have had to endure since last year.


Whilst Gerry Harvey has forecast a disastrous retail environment, the experience of Christchurch shows how lucky we really are. He has now "seen the light" and opened up his site to purchases from his Irish stores.


As a librarian, my job has undergone a number of transformations since I started. We originally provided books  and reference services to people. I now provide training in Internet technologies, help with computer use, reference information using online databases and Google searches as well as information about eBook technology etc. As well as helping people to borrow DVD's, CD's, Talking Books, Daisy Players. RFID tagging will eventually bring about massive changes in employment for the library staff. We too need to change to survive and provide employment,


Sounds a bit like the challenges facing the retail industry. But fortunately, less confronting than the earthquakes and their consequences on Christchurch citizens and indeed the whole of New Zealand.


We have much to be thankful - so raise a glass or two and donate generously to those in need.

Retail Sorry

Sorry Aussie retailers. I just spent half of my Christmas present money overseas. Now that is largely because the family IS in other countries -several in fact.
I was shopping online on Tuesday and found a book which I would have liked. (Yes as a Librarian I still read physical books). Unfortunately by the time I got round to making up my mind, the damned book was now "unavailable". So I've put my details down to be advised when republished. I hope it is early next year then I can pick it up in person.
So far the online retailers have suggested my orders will arrive before Christmas, which is great as I'm quite disorganized at this time of year, every year!!
I went physically shopping yesterday, got a good parking spot, and then managed to find 1 present. The CD my other half wanted is not available physically (12 months on back order) but I just downloaded it from iTunes. So I'll burn it to CD and again the Aussie retailer misses out.
But what to buy the 2 "young adults" who share my house and importantly my internet connection (that I pay for!). What do they need ?
A car ?? Too expensive!
A computer game?? No way Jose!
A book?? Perhaps for one, but not the other.
Clothes?? Ditto
Shoes?? Ditto ( and need them available for that option)
Glory Box ( in hope they will move out?) - no room for that!
Chocolates?? Oh yes they would both like that as would all of us. But not a healthy Christmas present!
Thinking, thinking and still no inspiration.
Perhaps I can go shopping again on the weekend, brave the horrendous crowd, berserk drivers, road-rage and heat stress and get something. Click here for the Productivity Report on Online Shopping.
What is more environmentally friendly. Going online and buying presents in the country of residence of the receiver - or - buying something here and posting to the other side of the world ?

My Solar Power Stats: 2 years

Recently I reviewed my solar power generation stats as we passed the 2nd year anniversary of their installation

• Household size: 4 Adults
• System size: 1 kW
• E total: 2433 kWh
• H total : 8337 hrs
• Feed in to Grid: 684.5 kWh (meter was installed 1 month after the panels, due to various factors)
• Feed in Tariff (pFIT): 66c per kWh
• Total $$ Generated with FIT : $451.77
• Yearly Total : $225.88
• Yearly Total $$ Generated if FIT is .25c per kWh: = $171.25/2 = $85.5

So does this help with the power bills?
Yes but only at the higher FIT. I would need a much larger system to overcome the current >10% yearly rise in electricity bills. (Most of which is due to electricity network upgrades, not any carbon tax impost as yet).
At the time I bought my system, a further 1 kW would have cost another $10,000. Now this cost has plummeted due to the immense increase in world wide production of panels. Even the Germans use the Chinese production capabilities.
The Australian Consumer Association (Choice) along with help from the ATA,  has reviewed  solar power payback times again (sept 2011) and perhaps will do other reviews in years to come. The payback times have now increased to a level seen by many householders as not worth bothering with.

From Choice Website: http://www.choice.com.au

 Interestingly, I recently received a letter from my Electricity distributor, informing me that should I make any changes to my "Embedded Generator System" then I must inform them. So if I add any more panels I must inform both Retailer and Distributor. I hear also that the Victorian Smart Meter program roll-out is being reviewed. My dwelling was slated for a smart meter in October but that seemed to be put on hold once I informed them I had a Solar System with appropriate Feed-In meter.
Lets hope this summer the sun shines more than last summer (quite cloudy) but not so strongly to give us those 42-46 degrees C days of 2 years ago, leading to the inferno of Black Saturday!

Short Break

Last week, I took off to the Mornington Peninsula for a couple of days break with a friend. For those who haven't visited the Peninsula (as its known) it's a long curving piece of land in Melbourne's south east. The Port Philip bay side has almost endless, calm, sparkling clean beaches while the Bass Strait areas abound in sparkling surf beaches.
My friend has a new house, situated just one street back from a popular beach. As such their new house has double-glazing, solar hot-water and now a 3kW solar PV system. An ideal location, retired and active lifestyle (sailing, cycling, beach walks ) new and efficient house and wonderful views nearby. Just heaven.

Of course there must be a fly in the ointment. One can't have it all and indeed on a sunny Melbourne summer day, hordes descend upon said beaches in their tens of thousands. But the Peninsula's many beaches and other activity centers can absorb all those people. Strawberry Farms, Markets, dozens of Wineries, Olive Farms and loads of Restaurants, upmarket and takeaway, service this hungry population.

Lets hope today's reported increase in carbon pollution and possible sea-level rise doesn't make these beaches wild enough to swamp all those wonderful beach-side houses and facilities. Do you think the Durban talk fest will deliver any international agreement or will individuals, some state governments and other organisations do the hard yards while the politicians argue?

The ABC weather reports the temperatures and rainfall at the end of each month care of the Bureau of Meterology. This November had 110mm (approx) of rain, higher than average daytime temperatures and several degrees higher than average night-time temperatures. A temperature trend that continues month by month. If you want real figures try the RealClimate.org website.