Well hello, it is only 8.30am and I am exhausted, and my knees are shocking pain wise.

This week I have some genuine instructions displayed for English speaking visitors from businesses around the world.

Car rental place in Tokyo: “When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigor”.

On a menu of a Polish hotel: “Salad a firm’s own make; limpid red beer soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people’s fashion”.

Japanese instructions on an air conditioner: “Cooles & Heates: If you want just condition of warm in your room, please control yourself”.

In Hong Kong dress shop: “Order your summers suit, because is big rush we will execute customers in strict rotation”.

In an East African newspaper: A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the bulk of their workers.

Another day of struggle is here, how exciting for me.

Managed to answer a couple of letters and decided to get out the Christmas cards so I can send them off as I answer letters.

However, when I went to get my Christmas stamps in order to decorate the envelopes I am unable to find them. They may be in the box of Christmas stuff in the shed. I will get Tim to check tomorrow.

Woke at 5.10 so a bit of a sleep in, I did sleep well.

Woke to rain, don’t think Tim will not be checking the shed.

Wet all day more or less.

Kathy and family will be moving to the new house this weekend coming.

Awake and up at 4.35 again, feeling better then I have the last few days.

Chrisco came 2 boxes for me, 2 boxes for Kathy and 10 boxes Kelli. So my loungeroom has boxes stacked around my front door.

Kelli & Jono are storing frozen stuff in a small freezer they are also storing in Leo’s room.

Another decent nights sleep, awake and up at 4.20am.

A much cooler day, with some rain.

Haven’t done much today answered a couple of letters that’s about all.

Damn I was wide awake early at 4am I laid there thinking what to do, I got up at 4.10am.

First thing I did was unpack the dishwasher, ok first thing was to empty my bladder, then unpack the dishwasher.

Leo sent home from school for being uncooperative this is a no medication day.

Answered another letter slowly getting through them.

Woke to the sound of rain and the need to pee, the sound of rain doesn’t help the need to pee

so I was up at 4.10, once up I stay up.

Had Daemon & Freya here for breakfast this maybe a regular thing now. We will see.

Another restless day for me.

Managed to answer another letter, but received 4 more.

 brilliant Aussie Passport Application

AUSTRALIAN LETTER – I think the sender might have been upset!
This is an actual letter sent to the DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade) Immigration Minister. The Government tried desperately to censure the author, but got nowhere because every legal person who read it couldn’t stop laughing !


Dear Mr Minister,
I’m in the process of renewing my passport, and still cannot believe this.

How is it that K-Mart has my address and telephone number, and knows that I bought a television set and golf clubs and condoms from them back in 1997, and yet the Federal Government is still asking me where I was born and on what date ?
For Christ’s sake, do you guys do this by hand ?

My birth date you have in my Medicare information, and it is on all the income tax forms I’ve filed for the past 40 years.
It is also on my driver’s licence, on the last eight passports I’ve ever had, on all those stupid customs declaration forms I’ve had to fill out before being allowed off planes over the past 30 years.
It’s also on all those insufferable census forms that I’ve filled out every 5 years since 1966.

Also… would somebody please take note, once and for all, that my mother’s name is Audrey, my father’s name is Jack, and I’d be absolutely bloody astounded if that ever changed between now and when I drop dead !!!
SHIT! What do you people do with all this information we keep having to provide?
I apologize, Mr. Minister. But I’m really pissed off this morning.
Between you and me, I’ve had enough of all this bullshit!

You send the application to my house, then you ask me for my bloody address!

What the hell is going on with your mob? Have you got a gang of mindless Neanderthal arseholes working there!

And another thing, look at my damn picture. Do I look like Bin Laden? I can’t even grow a beard for God’s sakes.

I just want to go to New Zealand and see my new granddaughter. (Yes, my son interbred with a Kiwi girl).

And would someone please tell me, why would you give a shit whether or not I plan on visiting a farm in the next 15 days? In the unlikely event I ever got the urge to do something weird to a sheep or a horse, believe you me, I’d sure as hell not want to tell anyone!

Well, I have to go now, ’cause I have to go to the other side of Sydney , and get another bloody copy of my birth certificate – and to part with another $80 for the privilege of accessing MY OWN INFORMATION!
Would it be so complicated to have all the services in the same spot, to assist in the issuance of a new passport on the same day?

Nooooo, that’d be too bloody easy and makes far too much sense.
You would much prefer to have us running all over the bloody place like chickens with our heads cut off, and then having to find some ‘high-society’ wanker to confirm that it’s really me in the goddamn photo! You know the photo… the one where we’re not allowed to smile?…you bloody morons.

Signed – An Irate Australian Citizen.

P.S. Remember what I said above about the picture, and getting someone in ‘high-society’ to confirm that it’s me?

Well, my family has been in this country since before 1820! In 1856, one of my forefathers took up arms with Peter Lalor. (You do remember the Eureka Stockade!)

I have also served in both the CMF and regular Army for something over 30 years (I went to Vietnam in 1967), and still have high security clearances. I’m also a personal friend of the president of the RSL…Lt General Peter Cosgrove sends me a Christmas card each year.
However, your rules require that I have to get someone “important” to verify who I am; you know…someone like my doctor – WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN BLOODY PAKISTAN!…a country where they either assassinate or hang their ex-Prime Ministers – and are suspended from
the Commonwealth and United Nations for not having the “right sort of government”.

You are all pen-pushing paper-shuffling bloody idiots!

Work

By Henry Van Dyke More Henry Van Dyke

Let me but do my work from day to day,
In field or forest, at the desk or loom,
In roaring market-place or tranquil room;
Let me but find it in my heart to say,
When vagrant wishes beckon me astray,
“This is my work; my blessing, not my doom;
“Of all who live, I am the one by whom
“This work can best be done in the right way.”

Then shall I see it not too great, nor small,
To suit my spirit and to prove my powers;
Then shall I cheerful greet the labouring hours,
And cheerful turn, when the long shadows fall
At eventide, to play and love and rest,
Because I know for me my work is best.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/work-by-henry-van-dyke

Good morning everyone here is this weeks extreme creature.

The Shield-Backed Katydid, know what a katydid is????????

If not it is a cricket, it is found in Australia throughout rain forests on the Cape York Peninsula. Why are they extreme, well they are 13cms long.

Katydids are very gentle creatures; if you find one and put together the right type of habitat, and feed it every day you can easily keep it as a pet!

Shield-backs do eat plants, and some are agricultural pests, but they are also scavengers on dead insects and are active predators, including on their brethren. They also eat fruit.

Good morning, also a wet morning so I wasn’t able to go with Leo to wait for his driver. Here are some facts………

The average human brain has about 100 billion nerve cells

Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel at 170 miles per hour

It took Michelangelo 17 months to sculpture the statue of David in 1504.

Once it was illegal for women in Florida to parachute on Sundays unless married.

The wind carries about 100 million tons of sand around the earth each year.

Awake at 5am up ten minutes later, Kathy & Summer here by 6am.

After my shower Kathy noticed her brake lights were on, she checked the car and yeah her battery was flat, Tim had to jump start her car so she could go home.

I needed a nap around midday as I was feeling drained.

30-10-21

Sunday and I was awake at 4am needing to pee managed to dose off again till 4.40 when I got up.

A warm day, no rain so good.

Saw Kelli and Freya and later Blain, when she brought Blain home.

Dave’s birthday he is 43 today, sent him a birthday message at 6am.

31-10-21

Woke at 4.30 after sleeping straight through the night got up had a wash and rang Tasha but she declined the call so I thought she was on her way.

However, when she hadn’t turned up after 10 minutes I rang her back turns out she was still asleep. When the phone rang she thought it was her alarm.

First day of cutting back Leo’s morning meds from 5 days a week to 3 days being Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We will see how that goes.

1-11-21

Slept well till midnight when Tim came to bed which disturbed me enough that the next 2hrs I was restless.

When I woke at 4.10 I thought give me another half hour and I will get up, I got up 15 minutes later.

Tim has ordered me a knee brace to see if it helps, should arrive in fortnight.

2-11-21

Slept well, woke at 4.45am and straight up of course.

A hot day, hot enough for me to be drenched in sweat but not hot enough for the A/C.

Saw Kelli and Jess they came over to look at something and stayed half an hour.

Looks like Kelli and the kids will be staying with Jess from next week as they still haven’t found a new house. Jono will go to his mothers.

3-11-21

Had a shit start to the day, had to get Tim to help me get out of bed. Things didn’t improve.

Kathy came and drove me to the doctors, so we could chat about my mental heath. He is changing my anti-depression medication. I have to go back in a fortnight. Kathy didn’t like him much, she wants to find me a different doctor.

4-11-21

Had a restless night, Tim came to bed in a mood. It takes me ages to change positions in bed now days, so when he came I had just managed to get comfortable and he wanted me to roll over and I said no that I had just got comfortable, this pissed him off.

Having a restless day and zero motivation.

5-11-21

Saturday and up at the usual time after a somewhat bad night. Had Kathy ring to tell me she can’t come this morning as she left her keys in Michael’s car and he was at work. She will come over this afternoon.

Tim is going to cut my hair this afternoon do that will work nicely with Kathy coming to shower me.

6-11-21

For All Those People

© Ella J. Phillips More By Ella J. Phillips

Published: May 2016

This is for all those people
Who hide in the dark,
For those who feel hopeless,
For those with a broken heart.

This is for every child and teen
Who is trying to flee from their fears,
For those who cry themselves to sleep,
For those who drown in their tears.

This is for people who hide their scars
Upon their wrists and their thighs.
I want to remind each of you
There is a reason you’re alive.

You are here for a purpose;
You are needed in this place.
You are special, you are beautiful.
It doesn’t matter what size, gender, or race.

You are perfect just the way you are.
You are priceless, a wonderful new.
You are dearly treasured by many.
There is no one more important than you.

Source: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/for-all-those-people