Here I am

Here I am in Los Angeles - opposite Disneyland - on my own.

Kezza and the kids were supposed to be here yesterday but they got a few hours out of Sydney and some inconsiderate bastard died - so the plane returned. It was not the pilot. So they had to go back and did not fly out until the following afternoon - and should arrive in the next few hours.

Now if I was going to die I would do it before security because what is the point of taking off your shoes and belt and go thru that mess if you are just going to get on the plane and pop your clogs. Of course he might have been OK until he took the foil off the top of his 'meal' and then he saw it and his body just threw in the towel.

I had a spare day built in because I thought someone might die on their plane so our Disneyland tickets are still good.

I am cooling my heels in the Howard Johnson at Anaheim and watching Gunsmoke. There was a message on my phone from the manager wishing me a pleasant stay and asking me to report any problems. I am thinking about telling him that over a period of an hour successive sets of door keys did not work and eventually I had to be let into my room by the reception staff. But I am waiting to see what else happens.

The smallest Latte you can get over the road at Mimi's Cafe is a gallon and the cup has to be lifted with both hands. But it does occupy an enormous amount of time - the drinking of the coffee and the bathroom.

Soon the adventure begins.

 

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We are just lucky

I have a whole new view of Miley Cyrus. Our governor signed the discrimination legislation yesterday – and Miley called him an asshole. I think she might have even thrown a twerk in his general direction.

The legislation has made news headlines across this great nation and has made many people unhappy – including me. But – there is similar legislation in other States – and given that Indiana is in the mid-west and is part of the bible belt one cannot expect too much in the way of liberal thinking.

We are just lucky they do not stone atheists to death.

There is a backlash and many business are putting stickers on their windows. The signs say ‘This business serves everyone’. I will protest – as will many others – by not entering premises that do not have this sign. That will teach them a lesson.

As I am going away for a week or so I have to prepare some meals in advance for Cate. Unless I do this she will live on sports bars and toast and vegemite. So I am in the process of making a bucket of Chili and a pot of sausage and bean stew.

I let Robbie loose on the first floor on Wednesday. Monika was both startled and intrigued and followed him round for a while as he beat and whisked and sucked.

I had to rescue him once when he got stuck between the three legs of a hat stand in Cate’s dressing room and could not get out. Other than that he is quite brilliant and I am astonished at the amount of stuff – mainly cat hair – that he collects.

My next report will be from Los Angeles where I will be immersed in the wonders of Disneyland. I am hoping that Mickey and Donald are there because I have always wanted to see them close up. With luck I will get some photos.

What is the matter with these people?

Chapel in Brittany with bullet holes

So I started messing about with the comments section on the blog because I was getting lots of spam. Suddenly and for no particular reason that I can see.

In the process I turned off comments altogether – but now it is fixed – but I have to confirm each comment before it is posted.

I really don’t like doing this but I am sick of these sniveling chicken shit little toe rags who infest the blogosphere.

May their turds be pineapples.

Indiana has just proposed – and the legislation has passed – a bill that allows people to actively discriminate against gays and lesbians and those other ghastly people who are not like ‘us’.

The proposal was approved with a vote of 40-10. Oh surprise – the Republicans are the 40 – and can do anything they damn well please.

The law means that – because of  a person’s religious views – they can refuse to bake a cake for a gay couple. They can refuse a gay couple a room – they can refuse them service at a state government counter – they can ostracize them from any and all activities that they like.

There was a proposal by the Democrats that anyone who used this privilege would have to put up a sign saying something like ‘Gays not welcome here’ but I don’t think this got up. The bigots who discriminate do not want to be identified.

This in 2015.

Actually there is a time zone difference. In Indiana it is 1915.

However – there is a new wrinkle. There has been a great hue and cry and the Indy Star said today

“The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has sent a letter to Gov. Mike Pence threatening to cancel its 2017 convention in Indianapolis if he signs controversial legislation that could allow business owners to refuse services to same-sex couples.

"Our perspective is that hate and bigotry wrapped in religious freedom is still hate and bigotry," Todd Adams, the associate general minister and vice president of the Indianapolis-based denomination, told The Indianapolis Star.”

How refreshing.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

There is just so much to do with spring arriving.

I have painted the new dog fence. It is the same color as the deck so now I have to paint the old fence the same color. Then I will have to give the deck a new coat of stain because it is getting faded. This will take all season.

Everything now is ready for the dog. Everything that is except me and the cats.

Next week I am going to LA to meet my daughter Kezza and her children. Then we are spending three days in Disneyland. Yes – three days. After that we are going to San Francisco for a few days and then to Indianapolis. Then to New York and back to Indianapolis.

Holy Toledo. I hope there are lots of Sad Bastard’s Chairs in Disneyland.

On 25 April – Anzac Day – there are functions here being organized by Indiana University. All the Australians and Kiwis in Indy have been hunted down and it seems there may be as many of 30 of us. This will be a special occasion as it is the 100^th anniversary of Anzac day.

It will be nearly 98 years since my uncle – my father’s brother – after who I am named – was killed in the Somme.

Many Americans are surprised to learn that Australia was in the First World War – and the Second World War – and Korea – and Vietnam.

I point out that Australians have had an endless succession of governments which are always prepared to send Australians to be slaughtered in every place to which their allies venture – no matter how stupid and pointless the quest.

The election season has started here with that arch nincompoop Ted Cruz announcing that he is running for President. I could tell Ted that he has less chance of being President than I have. I am a bit mad but not barking like Ted – who John McCain described as a ‘Whacko bird’. Love it.

 He will  certainly add to the spectacle and it will be such fun.

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

Yes it is Arf frame

Victorian Cottage Kennel

My Czech spam has doubled in the last couple of months. They have probably seen that I have not bought anything and are redoubling their efforts for me to buy washing powder and pay $300 shipping charges.

Fortunately the usual spam – which disappeared for a while – is back.

If I want to I can earn $1,000 a day using my computer, learn how to win the lottery (there is apparently a trick to this) – make my fortune trading futures or hook up with a blonde Russian girl. All I have to do is click on the link . Oh I wonder what would happen?

In a moment of  absolute madness I downloaded a beta version of Photos for Mac. This is the replacement for Aperture. Amongst many other things it is supposed to upload all of my photos into iCloud. It pegged out at 2,264 – leaving 22,000 not uploaded. I have spent some hours trying to fix this – and imagine a lot more time will be needed. In the process so far I have managed to delete and recover my entire photo library.

I love the adrenaline rush which comes from discovering that your photo library is empty.

I am looking at dog houses on Amazon. We will need something for the rare occasions when Rover is in the back garden and needs a lie down.

Petsqueak Arf frame

I really like the look of the Victorian Cottage Kennel Dog House which comes in at $4,200 plus tax. I think this comes with air conditioning, Miele appliances and a Samsung 70” TV hooked up to cable.

I am thinking we will go for the Petsqueak Arf Frame Dog House for $150 – but this is one of the many decisions which Cate will have to make – along with what color bean bag Rover will need for his bed inside the house. Yes it is Arf frame.

All I can do is prepare

Our house in Brittany

We just loved Brittany. Gaston’s father has a house near Tregastel and it is very close to the sea so we were able to go for walks and admire the stunning scenery – which consists mainly of giant rocks. This place is a geologist’s dream.

I had forgotten what traveling with a small child is like and rediscovered this experience on our 5 hour trip from Paris to Brittany with Biggles – who is now 15 months old. 

He is never happy when strapped into a car seat – and especially not for five hours. But he is gorgeous boy and we love him dearly. He is especially gorgeous because he is a grandson and can be handed back to his parents whenever necessary.

15 month old babies attempt to eat a lot but not much ends up in their mouths. I am not sure if Hertz will try to clean the inside of the car or just decide to turn it into scrap.

We explored and ate French food and drank French wine. What could be better than that.

There are Puffins in Brittany but they are on the outer islands – and the boats were not running.

We picked up the car at Gare du Nord – which is next to where Molly and Gaston live. This proved to be a mistake and Cate has advised me that she is NEVER driving in Paris again.

It was a horrendous, hair-raising and excruciatingly slow trip to get out of Paris – and it was almost as bad getting back in. I don’t know what I was thinking of because every other time we have done something like this we have picked up the car outside Paris.

We spent a couple of days in Paris but we did not have time to do much except get Cate to the Eric Bompard shop on the Champs Elysees so that she could buy things.

The men are today installing the dog fence in anticipation of the arrival of a dog. I understand and agree fully with everything you have said about dogs but this is now out of my hands.

All I can do is prepare for the impending catastrophe.