The Lounge 2
- Thread starter Richie
- Start date
Grier
Well-Known Member
Hi Craig,
I've been busy rediscovering my motor bike. I ran it idling once a week but otherwise neglected it since my accident.
Tyre pressures and fuel low and body dirty. Chain needed a lube too.
With some mild winter days I went for a ride to check tyres and fuel.
I really enjoyed it and felt fine back in the saddle.
It's actually great in traffic, city, metro and outer metro.
It's no good for fast freeways and highways Worst I know now is gravel. It's a bitumen bike.
That prompted me to give it a really good clean and polish, even buying stuff to get rid of some rust spots on its crome and steel.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and licensed it for another year. It's a passion and riding it gives me a great feeling of being alive and living in the moment.
I've been busy rediscovering my motor bike. I ran it idling once a week but otherwise neglected it since my accident.
Tyre pressures and fuel low and body dirty. Chain needed a lube too.
With some mild winter days I went for a ride to check tyres and fuel.
I really enjoyed it and felt fine back in the saddle.
It's actually great in traffic, city, metro and outer metro.
It's no good for fast freeways and highways Worst I know now is gravel. It's a bitumen bike.
That prompted me to give it a really good clean and polish, even buying stuff to get rid of some rust spots on its crome and steel.
I'm leaning towards keeping it and licensed it for another year. It's a passion and riding it gives me a great feeling of being alive and living in the moment.
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In addition to Austal building the Japanese frigates it will also be building these Aussie ships.
Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia, a newly created subsidiary, will become prime contractor for the LAND8710 programs including 18 Landing Craft Medium vessels and eight Landing Craft Heavy vessels to be built over the next decade. The Tier 2 surface combatants will be constructed at Henderson, Western Australia.
Austal Defence Shipbuilding Australia, a newly created subsidiary, will become prime contractor for the LAND8710 programs including 18 Landing Craft Medium vessels and eight Landing Craft Heavy vessels to be built over the next decade. The Tier 2 surface combatants will be constructed at Henderson, Western Australia.
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looker-on
aka Thomas the Kraut
Really?
Well, here's something to read. I asked my daughter to outline her experiences gained in AUS so that we could compare them with Germany. What she wrote is in stark contrast with what that guy on the vid about your country that I posted in the "Serious Discussion " thread had to say. It's a macro-level (video) vs micro-level comparison as you know but it turns out you can be proud of your country and its people.
This is what she wrote while being in Vancouver right now.
"July is definitely the perfect time to travel, as it would be unbearable here in summer. It can be a little “chilly” at times, but when the sun comes out, it is very intense and almost uncomfortable. Towards the north, of course, it is now increasingly tropical and consistently warm. It's a funny mix of landscapes, alternating between Austrian alpine pastures, wide beaches, and rainforest. The days are short, with darkness falling at around 5 p.m.
It became clear to me once again why Australia is such a popular travel destination: it's very easy to explore, especially with a camper van and countless cute campsites; everywhere you go, there are EXTREMELY helpful and nice people who approach you in a friendly manner without being pushy. You don't see that in Germany...: always wearing blinders, avoiding people, looking grim and eyeing them suspiciously, and better not to talk to them. That doesn't happen here. People enjoy an extremely high standard of living: infrastructure, jobs, nature, recreation, relaxation, friendliness, sociability, and helpfulness—these are values that one (I) is not used to in Germany, and if so, exceptions prove the rule. What they do here for accessibility is incredible.
Just a few examples that would be unthinkable in Germany:
- Driving past a banana plantation, 6 bananas for $2. We didn't have any cash and wanted to leave. But the workers said we could just take some.
- Being approached on the street by people who had just started barbecuing and asked if we would like a sausage or something else
- We were also given half-price admission to a park because we didn't have much time
- Countless offers of help, e.g., free public phone calls in the phone booth for domestic calls
There is a concept of trust. When you arrive at a campsite, it is customary (among Australians) to invite your new neighbours over for dinner. What do you have to lose? You get to know new people and their stories, and you immediately have someone to talk to and feel comfortable and safe with, allowing you to sleep soundly. In our culture, we are used to not assuming the best of others at first, unless they prove it, and when in doubt, we prefer to do our own thing alone."
... make a traditional Aussie damper then boil a pot of billy tea too as the BTM would do Jessica.
Ask Terry how as betting hed have done that many times during his days working in remote WA.Haha!
Oh I just love and admire BTM!
Grier
I'd love to hear about your time working in WA! 
And is it as remote as BTM says?
I'm back! Just been struggling with our heatwave, unfortunately I have to work in it and I'm exhausted of an evening by it.
Richie
How are your birthday plans going? It's your big day tomorrow
hope you have a nice time on your canoe trip 
Very impressive Richie
Grier
Well-Known Member
30C. 33C, .... That's just warm weather for me after 55 years of acclimatising since I left cold, bleak and snowy Ulster.
Our bodies adjust and now I hate the cold.
I suffer when the humidity is high so usually hot and dry WA is good for me. A Mediterranean Climate deserves a Mediterranean diet.
I did some Surveying jobs years ago in the far outback, and the contrast between daytime and night temperatures was often very notable, like very cold at night and low thirties during the day, and that was winter time in those vast scrub lands. Mid forties plus in Summer.
We cooked over a campfire but no damper, just steaks and some veggies, and beer of course.
Visiting the hot and/or humid regions of remote Australia is best done in our Winter.
Our bodies adjust and now I hate the cold.
I suffer when the humidity is high so usually hot and dry WA is good for me. A Mediterranean Climate deserves a Mediterranean diet.
I did some Surveying jobs years ago in the far outback, and the contrast between daytime and night temperatures was often very notable, like very cold at night and low thirties during the day, and that was winter time in those vast scrub lands. Mid forties plus in Summer.
We cooked over a campfire but no damper, just steaks and some veggies, and beer of course.
Visiting the hot and/or humid regions of remote Australia is best done in our Winter.
Grier
Well-Known Member
That's a lovely endorsement of Australia from your daughter Thomas. I'm glad she's enjoying her Australian adventure.Really?
Well, here's something to read. I asked my daughter to outline her experiences gained in AUS so that we could compare them with Germany. What she wrote is in stark contrast with what that guy on the vid about your country that I posted in the "Serious Discussion " thread had to say. It's a macro-level (video) vs micro-level comparison as you know but it turns out you can be proud of your country and its people.
This is what she wrote while being in Vancouver right now.
"July is definitely the perfect time to travel, as it would be unbearable here in summer. It can be a little “chilly” at times, but when the sun comes out, it is very intense and almost uncomfortable. Towards the north, of course, it is now increasingly tropical and consistently warm. It's a funny mix of landscapes, alternating between Austrian alpine pastures, wide beaches, and rainforest. The days are short, with darkness falling at around 5 p.m.
It became clear to me once again why Australia is such a popular travel destination: it's very easy to explore, especially with a camper van and countless cute campsites; everywhere you go, there are EXTREMELY helpful and nice people who approach you in a friendly manner without being pushy. You don't see that in Germany...: always wearing blinders, avoiding people, looking grim and eyeing them suspiciously, and better not to talk to them. That doesn't happen here. People enjoy an extremely high standard of living: infrastructure, jobs, nature, recreation, relaxation, friendliness, sociability, and helpfulness—these are values that one (I) is not used to in Germany, and if so, exceptions prove the rule. What they do here for accessibility is incredible.
Just a few examples that would be unthinkable in Germany:
- Driving past a banana plantation, 6 bananas for $2. We didn't have any cash and wanted to leave. But the workers said we could just take some.
- Being approached on the street by people who had just started barbecuing and asked if we would like a sausage or something else
- We were also given half-price admission to a park because we didn't have much time
- Countless offers of help, e.g., free public phone calls in the phone booth for domestic calls
There is a concept of trust. When you arrive at a campsite, it is customary (among Australians) to invite your new neighbours over for dinner. What do you have to lose? You get to know That's a lovely endorsementnew people and their stories, and you immediately have someone to talk to and feel comfortable and safe with, allowing you to sleep soundly. In our culture, we are used to not assuming the best of others at first, unless they prove it, and when in doubt, we prefer to do our own thing alone."
Most Aussies are open and welcoming, especially in remote regions and most caravan parks. Not so much in the cities tho but still good.
Several times I've helped stranded outback motorists and several times I've been helped when stuck myself. That's the norm I've experienced with my own travels in Australia. It's a very big island continent.