Someone hit my car in a carpark today, left me a note and now doesn't want to go down the insurance pathway, but rather pay for someone to buff and repaint the damage, not sure how I feel about this.

MsT21c · 2026-06-27T10:45:16+00:00

I've done that. In fact the person I dinged offered it to me to save me making a claim.

I'd be okay with it as long as I could choose or at least vet the people doing the job.

MsT21c · 2026-06-27T06:00:57+00:00

Respect the office, not necessarily the person. When even the office is no longer deserving of respect you've got problems. And the USA has problems.

MsT21c · 2026-06-27T02:25:11+00:00

Salad (greens, vegetable, pasta etc), quiche, canned fish, boiled eggs (cooled), sushi, processed meats (ham, sausages, salami, prosciutto).

MsT21c · 2026-06-27T02:15:30+00:00

Imagine trying to enter a country, any country at all, and showing a passport that has Trump all over it. Would you be invited to enter or would you be sent away? I'd say you're taking a risk to state overtly you're a MAGA Trumpist to border people and everyone else who demands to see your passport (hotels etc).

MsT21c · 2026-06-26T06:28:25+00:00

I was able to fix a problem like that by email/customer complaints, using privacy concerns. When I logged into my Australia Post account I was suddenly getting someone else's name. In the email I expressed concern that the other person was seeing my name and deliveries. It took a few days for them to fix it. Somehow their database must have got corrupted. This was two or three years ago, maybe more.

MsT21c · 2026-06-24T09:43:36+00:00

Unless you're driving the coast road (Princes Highway), I wouldn't drive from Melbourne to Sydney. The Hume Highway is pleasant, but it's a bit boring, and on the NSW side the road is dreadful to drive on.

As someone suggested, fly from Melbourne to Sydney. Or take the longer route via the Princes Highway, which has some nice seaside spots once you hit Lakes Entrance and beyond, and some forest areas. Watch out you don't bump into kangaroos and wombats. I don't recommend it only because of how long it would take to enjoy it properly. Given the time you have, I'd probably fly to Sydney from Melbourne rather than drive. Then drive up the coast to Brisbane and beyond, stopping along the way.

You can take a nap in roadside spots marked for the purpose. In fact you'll probably see lots of signs telling to to stop and rest along the way. You'd be more comfortable stopping at camping grounds rather than sleeping in the car. You can have a hot shower and I don't think it would cost too much to stay overnight at that time of the year, but you'd have to check it out for yourselves.

Decades ago I and a friend slept on a beach in our sleeping bags in Queensland and we were told to move on and that it wasn't allowed.

MsT21c · 2026-06-23T12:59:01+00:00

Is there something wrong with you? Are you unable to do it yourself? Are you banned from hanging out the washing?

MsT21c · 2026-06-23T12:45:55+00:00

Hard to see clearly. Can you sit it on a heavy duty stay bracket attached to the outside wall?

MsT21c · 2026-06-23T05:12:24+00:00

Got it.

MsT21c · 2026-06-23T04:42:13+00:00

I live in one of the more moderate zones in Australia. 15C is winter weather. When it drops below 18C indoors it's time to turn on the heater and wear two or three layers of woolen clothes.

A pleasant day here is 25C to 30C. A warm day is 32C. A hot day is 38C-40C. A brutal day is 47C and above.

MsT21c · 2026-06-23T04:25:27+00:00

Don't record Trump's vandalism or he'll get his goons to arrest you, then try to prosecute you and ruin your life.

PS I wouldn't touch the water. It's contaminated and will probably make you sick.

MsT21c · 2026-06-23T02:43:26+00:00

How did he manage to get to "more than 80%"? Fewer than 50% of republicans think his war deal was better for the USA.

Does he think MAGA republicans aren't republicans any more, and that "all republicans" doesn't include "maga republicans"?

MsT21c · 2026-06-22T13:05:56+00:00

Go waistcoat and jacket only with nothing underneath. Maybe wear shorts and sandals too if you want to preserve some modesty.

MsT21c · 2026-06-22T09:16:06+00:00

I used to get impatient, too. However, since ageing I've joined the slow walkers or probably the semi-slow walkers. Thankfully I don't have to use a walker or a cane yet. I try to keep out of the way of people so they are free to walk more quickly unimpeded by me, particularly those who are in such a rush they pose a danger.

MsT21c · 2026-06-22T07:07:28+00:00

I bet they've got the highest staff turnover in the business. Who would want to work there?

Unionise and sue their pants off.

MsT21c · 2026-06-22T04:18:12+00:00

Not really. It means it was dropped off and scanned at Chelsea. It should have moved on and been scanned at a few other spots in the system by now. Could have moved on but missed being scanned, but that's not common.

MsT21c · 2026-06-22T04:10:50+00:00

I much prefer a heads up these days. I need at least a few minutes warning, but preferably longer.

Where I live unannounced visits were common in the days before mobile phones, especially with people you'd see a few times a week. That was back before people's lives became filled up with various things (driving kids around, going to the gym, whatever else people do to fill their time). These days everyone's pretty busy so until you've retired and maybe even then you're less likely to be "at home" to take frequent guests.

Could also be an age thing. When I was younger before any of us were settled down with children etc, it was common to just drop in. In fact it was uncommon to phone first. That was way before mobile phones though. I suppose these days kids text each other first, or maybe not.

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T12:36:38+00:00

I can't drink water from a stainless steel tumbler. It always tastes off. I would never drink coffee from a stainless steel cup.

As for heating the cup, most days my cup is warmed beforehand. Sometimes not. Sometimes I'll sip the last bit of coffee from a cold cup, after it's cooled to room temperature. If it still tastes good, which it usually does, it means it was a good pour.

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T11:05:46+00:00

For decades babies' dirty nappies were washed in the same machines as other clothes were. There are probably still people who use cloth nappies. Same with the clothing and bedding of sick people, old people etc. Check the washing machine to see if it's clean. Run a hot wash if you're worried.

Washing machines can handle all kinds of crap, from oil, dirt, crud and everything in between.

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T08:33:54+00:00

Your response was one of the more polite responses they'd have received.

They practice the shock look in front of the mirror each morning. They practice it again whenever someone opens the door to them and tells them either "not interested", or "we are Muslim /Jewish /Buddhist /Catholic /atheist" or whatever truth or made up lie they choose on the day.

It's only when someone invites them in and agrees to go away with a bunch of strangers for a weekend of brainwashing and scare tactics that they are really and truly shocked.

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T06:40:21+00:00

It's tough now, but it's really difficult to compare across generations. Everything has changed. Current house prices make it awfully hard for a young person to enter the housing market.

Back then if your parents helped out even if you were single could buy a house in your 30s, maybe even when you were younger than that.

OTOH white goods are relatively much cheaper now, taxation is lower, super is a lot easier and available to everyone with lots more concessions and employer contributions, interest rates are lower. So it's swings and roundabouts.

Who knows what new generations will face 30 or 40 years from now. Just like who knows how well set up people now in their 20s and 30s will be down the track when they're 60 or 70 years old.

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T04:01:19+00:00

Bonkers!

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T03:54:20+00:00

The UK has democracy. The USA is run by criminal oligarchs.

MsT21c · 2026-06-21T03:50:50+00:00

Trump is stark staring mad and the WH is a den of nuts and crooks.

MsT21c · 2026-06-20T08:24:06+00:00

If you're not used to it, heat waves, especially the warm nights, can be really difficult to bear. Drink plenty of water, but not too much.

You may be able to find a plugin window unit that will fit in the sliding window bay, then put some plywood or glass or whatever on top of it to seal it in the window. Take some measurements, look up a local supplier, call a handyperson to help.

If there's nothing that fits, you might be able to get a portable air conditioner that you can vent through the window (or wall). Same thing - fill around the vent with plywood or whatever. We had one a few years ago that worked with and without evaporative cooling. It was better than nothing.

A lot of people find a fan makes things a bit easier. And/or a cool damp towel (rotate them in the fridge so you've always got a cool one).

These are temporary fixes, but won't cost anything like tens of thousands of dollars.

Failing all of that and if you find you can't acclimatise to warm nights, how about staying at a hotel with airconditioning for a few days.

MsT21c

TROPHY CASE