Oztalgian
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Posts posted by Oztalgian
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4 hours ago, nonnaB said:
in my mind we only have natural corks, but have seen plastic corks and heard the comments about them
Synthetic corks were the thing for a while here but have faded from use. Ultra premium wines still use natural cork but the use of Stelvin screw caps are slowly creeping up the cost chain and if you talk to many younger wine makers they say that the screw cap is the only way to ensure that the taste of the wine stays the way that they intended. It will however be a long while before Penfolds Grange or Henschke Hill of Grace comes with a screw cap.
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On 9/12/2020 at 12:23 AM, Jill Sparrow said:
Some of the wine's not bad but, given the option, I go for Aussie, Argentinean, Chilean or South African, in that order. Red, of course.
Absolutely agree Jill but forget about the last three. It's easy for us as we live twenty minutes away from the McLaren Vale wine region, home of some of Australia's best reds. Red of course, white wine is OK for sprinkling on your fish and chips. It is a waste of land that could be used for more red varieties.
13 hours ago, nonnaB said:About mediteraneans putting green stuff on top of steaks? I don't know what it is as I've never seen it here unless it's parsley. But then it's not necessary. Unless it's for decoration.
Putting a sprig of parsley garnish on almost every pub meal is seemingly obligatory here in Australia and it is invariably the first thing that gets put to the side of the plate. Why don't they ask if you want it? If you are serving a few hundred meals over the day, the cost must add up only for most of it to end up as waste. I happen to like it after the meal as i find it quite "cleansing" and it apparently aids digestion. But am very careful not lo leave any green bits stuck in my teeth.
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13 hours ago, nonnaB said:
This is his prestige cellar, all rare wines.
Does he turn them all regularly nonnaB?
It looks like they are all natural cork closures, I wonder how many will be spoiled by cork taint? I hope not too many.
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Question to Brew and DJ360.
Do you think the populace would have more interest in democracy and engaged in debate and policies if :-
Voting was made compulsory?
or
A form of proportional representation was used?
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10 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:
Well, I certainly wouldn't want to go back to being a teenager and do it all over again!
I'd do it all over again in a flash right up to where I am today and beyond I hope.
From the sixties, the best music, no shortage of jobs if you wanted one, reasonably safe out and about and I am not referring to Covid. Cheap package holidays and always seemed to have a few bob left over after board, petrol and entertainment.
The early seventies were years of uncertainty with the miners strike of 1972 and the three day week of 1974 were elements of my decision to emigrate in 1975 and fortunately I missed the winter of discontent at the end of the decade and the horrendous interest rates.
From 1975 on it was life in Australia, working and playing hard. The birth of our three kids, watching them grow up and creating lives of their own.
We now have grand kids who range from 6 to 18 and are enjoying it all over again.
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Interesting DJ360, a 6 bottle case would set you back 25 pound 61 pence equivalent here.
Quite often you can get Australian wine cheaper in the UK than we can get it here but not this one.
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Another part of the film reel of my youth gone.
Obviously best remembered as the leather cat suit clad Emma Peel alongside John Steed in the Avengers and the wife of a rather wooden James Bond in George Lazenby. She was so much more as her later work showed. RIP A fine Yorkshire lass.
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2 hours ago, denshaw said:
Are you a glass half empty or a glass half full person?
If the glass is either half full or half empty it is probably too big a glass
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Live as if you will die tomorrow but learn as if you will live forever - Mahatma Ghandhi
Live Long and Prosper - Ishmael Spock of Star Trek
Last but not least DJ360's tag line "The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of many things" - Lewis Carroll
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Breaking News
Malcolm Turnbull, the man that ousted Abbott has speculated that Tony Abbott may reclaim his British citizenship and stand as an MP in the UK.
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Brew,
He was born in Lambeth London, his parents were Ten Pound Poms and he came to Australia at the age of 2
Interestingly he only renounced his British citizenship in 1993 to become eligible to run for parliament and not fall foul of Section 44 of the constitution as so many others have done since.
Re Taxation When he came to power the take from income tax was 15.3% of GDP when he was unseated it was 16.5%
Individual tax take rose from 10.3% of GDP to 11.4% whilst company and indirect taxes remained pretty much the same.
Whilst he may not be being paid what expenses and perks will he be getting? I strongly suspect that he is not being paid is more about the fact that a former prime minister should not be claiming a very lucrative parliamentary pension whilst "advising" a foreign government.
Not to mention potential conflict of interest with on-going trade talks between the UK and Australia on a Free Trade Agreement.
Data from "The Conversation"
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On 9/6/2020 at 7:14 AM, katyjay said:
companion set
A companion set was one of the first things we made in metalwork at school, did scroll work on the stand and learned how to twist the square section steel for the poker, broom and shovel shafts, turned the handles on a lathe, brazed the shafts into the handles and rivetted the shaft to the shovel. The only bit that was not hand made was the broom head. Mum and dad had it for years, don't know what happened to it when they got gas.
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6 minutes ago, Stuart.C said:
So it shouldn't cost anything to get rid of him if he proves to be a problem
It may well cost nothing to get rid of him but it may cost dearly in the long run
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His party thought he was a dud, so they dumped him.
Fact Check
Based on available treasury data the tax to GDP ratio under Abbott was the highest since 2008/9
The main reason for the growth in taxation was personal income tax due to the government failing to index the tax brackets resulting in fiscal creep and the average Joe Public facing higher marginal income tax rates.
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Meanwhile back at UK politics, I see that BJ has appointed our failed PM Tony Abbott as a trade advisor.
I would just like to point out a little of his history and some of his past "successes".
He was Prime Minister of Australia from Sept 2013 until September 2015, not even a full term. Fond of the three word slogans "Axe the Tax" "Stop the Boats" and his first cabinet contained only one woman Foreign Affairs Minister, Julie Bishop.
Late Sept 2013 begins "Operation Sovereign Borders", his only real "success" but at a terrible price to genuine asylum seekers which continues to this day.
Late Sept 2013 Two key front benchers had to pay pack travel expenses falsely claimed and he had to pay back AU$1600 too.
Sept 2013 Appoints who is probably Australia's most incompetent and gaffe prone Treasurer
Dec 2013 The Federal Government refused to reinstate support for the Australian Motor Industry thus ultimately led to the demise of the industry in Australia.
March 2014 Loses his Assistant Treasurer to allegations of corruption.
March 2014 Fond of "Captains' Calls he brings back Knights and Dames for pre-eminent Australians 30 years after it was scrapped by the Hawke labor government.
April 2014 Signed a Free Trade agreement with Japan originally began discussions in 2007.
July 2014 Repeals Labor's Carbon Tax legislation.
Sept 2014 Repeals Labor's Mining Tax legislation and at the same time delays superannuation increases to Australian Workers.
Oct 2014 Threatens to "shirtfront" Russian President Vladimir Putin over the shooting down of MH17.
Nov 2014 Embarrasses Australia with his speech at the G20 summit.
Dec 2014 Australia's Free Trade agreement with South Korea takes effect.
Jan 2015 In another Captains Pick makes Prince Phillip a Knight.
Feb 2015 Dumps signature policy of paid parental leave and removes himself from selection of Order of Australia recipients.
Feb 2015 He survives a leadership spill after senior Liberals said he was doing damage to the government.
Jun 2015 Signs a free trade agreement with China. (given recent events this is not worth the paper it is written on)
Sept 2015 Immigration Minister and PM in major gaffe over fate of Pacific Islanders re rising sea levels due to climate change.
Sept 2105 Liberal Party ousts Tony Abbott and replaces him with Malcolm Turnbull.
Yes, he was the PM that signed 3 major trade agreements on behalf of Australia but not too many would say that they were of benefit to the average working Australian.
Is he a "Climate Change Denier'? Look at the actions of the government he led.
Is he a Mysogynist? (Hatred of women or entrenched prejudice against women) Julia Gillard was definitely targeted by members of a Tony Abbott led opposition on the basis of her gender.
Good luck UK you are welcome to him.
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Down-under, tomorrow is the first day of spring, only 22 days 'til the equinox. Then hopefully we will start to see the return of some warm weather. Having said that it was 25 on Saturday, not bad for the end of winter. Today was only 15 deg.
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My memories of package holidays start with travelling down the M1 to Luton Airport to fly to Ibiza, Majorca, Torremolinos with Dan Air, on their Comet 4's and BAC 111's.Court Line BAC 111's in bizzare colours, pink, purple, blue and green and Brittania Airways with their early 737's.
Fond? memories of last night parties, far to much Sangria, Bacardi and coke and Fundador and having to survive a bumpy flight home on a pink plane suffering a blinding hangover and not feeling altogether the best...... Great times and I'd do it all over again if I could.
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Ayup, there are six types of cockroaches in Australia 5 of which like you say have been introduced by commerce. The "black ones you saw in Oz are Oriental Cockroaches usually between 1" and 1 and a 1/4" long. The American Cockroach is by far the biggest of our visitors are reddish brown and can be up to 2" long
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I have had a day like DJ360 with his plumbing.
Mine was going to be a much easier task or so I thought.
A must have on all Australian homes are fly screens and fly screen doors so when the cylinder expired on one of our doors and started to let the door close with a bang that shook the house I thought it was time to replace it. Being the engineer that I am I thought if I could replace like for like it would be so much easier so I took the old cylinder off made a note of the manufacturer and model number and toddled of to a large hardware outlet.
Searching through the shelves I found what I wanted, unfortunately the only colours available were black, brown, white and primrose, who has primrose yellow trim on their house? none of which matched our trim colour. The packaging said replaces model no ***** which was the one I had so I paid my money and took the replacement door closer home. The first problem was the 9 staples that held the backing card to the clear plastic front, I couldn't just cut through the plastic as some bright packaging guy had put the staples through the dimensions that show the mounting positions of the brackets for the door and door frame and I wanted to check that everything was the same, it was and I thought I could just replace the old cylinder with the new one.
First problem the lug on the end of the new cylinder was wider than the old one so I thought OK just put the new bracket on the door, oops, the hole spacings were not the same, about 1 hole diameter out. Fix, down to the workshop and file the lug on the new cylinder until it fits the old bracket. Next job mount the cylinder and put the rod through the bracket on the door, oops rod bigger than hole in old bracket. Fix, use new bracket, oops hole pattern again one hole out from old bracket. Fix, down to the workshop to drill larger hole in door frame bracket, refit bracket, fit cylinder rod and adjust closing speed. Job done, replaces yes, interchangeable certainly not, a ten minute job took an hour. Will take it off another day and spray to match the existing paintwork.
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DJ360I know what the plumbing problem was cased by. You used Yorkshire fittings in Lancashire of course they would not work!
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Allison, Don't get washed away by the big surf and frozen in the cold snap.
Talking of snap I only have one word to say about eating any of the offal you listed,
YUK
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That's cool even got seagulls and pigeons!
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As we prepare to further tighten the border closures between South Australia and Victoria, spare a thought for those that live near the border and the disruption to their lives as they can no longer access services in their nearest town without a special permit, issuing of which is strictly limited.
There is one part of the SA/Vic border that has been a problem since a cartographers error way back when the border lines were incorrectly drawn. The Covid 19 restrictions have caused this anomaly to rear its head again. If you look at the picture below you will see the error. (image from ABC website)
The two straight lines running up and down the map should have met but someone stuffed up, the white wiggly line that is the border between NSW and VIC is the River Murray and this can be seen in green in SA. There is a community called Lindsay Point which if the border was drawn correctly would have been in SA but is in Victoria. They get their power from SA have SA prefixes for their phones and get their mail from SA up until a few years ago they even registered their cars in SA. In the midst of this the clowns that run this state are planning to bring in 300 overseas students which somewhat makes a mockery of these "border closures". The great God money wins out again!
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Often used to fish near the weir on Hazelford Island it was very quiet over there and none of Harker's? barges to disturb you. it was quite a hike from Fiskerton along the river bank. I also liked fishing near the church and the Robin Hood Theatre at Averham.
All going wrong
in NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Posted
The new season hasn't started well either losing 2-0 away at Dark Strangers and to Barnsley away in the Carabao Cup, yet again the ability to convert chances let them down.