My Electricity Bill

Global meltown in credit markets. The Bush administration is bailing out private enterprise and mortgaging American taxpayers for years to come. On ABC TV's Q and A last night we saw Peter Costello talk about how much better the prudential regulation is in Australia. I remember reading, in the Financial Review I think, that when politicians tell you that the banking system is safe, then thats the time to be very careful with your money.
Lets hope the financial credit squeeze will not totally derail various governments attempts to do something about the environment and global warming. The only hope I had of any decent change process was if the governments and people of Australia were wealthy enough to manage the cost of the changes necessary.
Having just seen my electricity bill for the winter months I have seen an increased cost, and this is happening without any cost input due to carbon emissions trading.
And yet we see in the September 2008 Choice Magazine article "Solar panels: counting the real cost" how much further the electricity price must rise to make photovoltaics a real option for the average housholder like me. My house is well sited to provide excellent solar gain for a PV system but I can't afford it just yet. I have been waiting for 14 years so will have to wait another 10 or more I would imagine.
By that time my current solar hot water system will definitely need replacing.

However, many consumers also have the ability to mange their costs a bit (say no the that new DVD for example) and spend more on their utilities. So perhaps this credit squeeze and the increasing burden of debt on households might make some people think a bit more about their spending . Perhaps pushing them into more sustainable patterns. Here's hoping.

Spring is here!

Yeah! finally the days are lengthening, bulbs are flowering and sadly the grass has risen enough to be mowed again. Though to call it grass is somewhat a misnomer as the weeds outnumber the real grass. The lack of watering over the last few summers, due to water restrictions has seen to that.
The Magnolia tree has bloomed and now is covered in new green leaves. The hyacinths are just about to finish, as are the daffodils. My lovely Camellia's are also nearly finished their flowering as are some of the Azalea's.

My Plum tree is flowering, though rather lopsidedly as the "other half" got carried away when pruning it in July. However, neither the Persimmon Tree or the Ginko tree are showing any signs of bud burst or leaf.
One of the joys of Spring in Melbourne is the antics of the swooping bird population. I haven't been attacked by a Magpie yet, though my son on bicycle has. The Masked Plover's have raised a chick and annoy us with frequent warning cries and constant dive bombing when anyone approaches.

And to top it off the water tanks are completely full. Summer here we come!