General Chat

Hi ho, Hi ho It's off to vote we go.
Since I am outside my electorate and did not have time to organise a pre-poll or postal vote, I will go to the local polling place here to vote absentee.
It puts them to some inconvenience, but I live in a marginal electorate and want to have my say.
If you do not vote and do not have a good excuse (like being interstate or unconscious) you may be fined, but I think the fine is only 20 dollars. It hasn't changed since the sixties or earlier when it was 10 pounds Aust.
I don't know whether compulsory voting is a good idea or not either, but I do know this:
the conservative parties would love to make it optional, but would never get it through the Senate. Unlike most of our state elections, they also are the ones who hold out for the exhaustive preferential system, which means you must number (no crosses!!!) every square. In my case, 1 to 11. Any mistakes and your vote doesn’t count. Bah humbug. Whereas Labor would abolish the Senate. One former prime minister called it unrepresentative swill. It is elected by proportional representation for each state, but NSW (population 5 million) gets 12 senators and so does Tasmania (population 600,000).

At least it’s a nice sunny day and although it was cold at 7 am there was no frost which is always a plus in this part of the country.

Looks like I have missed most of the topside people but Berona may be along soon. Hello Berona. Or, perhaps she is out and about. I should be off as well.

Bye all, Colin

No, not out and about as yet - just got here. I'm trying to get motivated to go and have my say too. I only hope there isn't a queue when I get there. I can drive the car (only two blocks away) and I can walk to the church hall where the voting is - but I can't stand for long without wanting a chair - so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there will only be a few voters there when I go.
Looks like I'll have to come back later. Everyone has gone. I sometimes have a good conversation in the early evening specially at weekends, so I'll try then.

I hope you managed to vote without a queue Berona, there never seems to be any queue at all here and I always vote in all the local elections as well as the national ones. When I lived in a large town, it was different and we always had to queue up.
I am waiting to hear what Sue bought at the garden expo, some exotic pagoda to build in the garden maybe?

OH is itching to go down to the market,so I had better shake a leg.

Yes, I got there OK and did my 'bit' for my country. At the moment, votes have been counted for little over three hours and at this stage, it seems like we might have a hung parliament.
Well, there's nothing more I can do, so I'm going to retire early and read a good book while they go on counting. Perhaps there will be some news in the morning.
Have a good day, all you Poms. Sleep well, Downunders.

Oh well, we had a woman Prime Minister. A long time after the U.K., and New Zealand has had two.
Julia Gillard is not the shortest reigning PM. That honour is shared by Frank Forde (9 days in 1945) and John McEwen in 1967-8 (about 3 weeks). The pundits are saying a hung parliament, but with three of the ïndependents being former members of the Coalition, I think Ms Gillard is sunk.
So we get the Coalition (again). God help us- an education minister who thinks creationism should be taught alongside evolution, a workplace relations minister who thinks unfair dismissal laws are a drag on business, a treasurer who is ignorant of basic economics and a prime minister who is an ignoramus in economics, computer technology and to boot is a climate change sceptic (at best). Half the new government including most of the National Party think climate change is c**p.
And I have a new local member, a "businessman" who was once a professional tennis player of some rank. Not particularly well ranked.
I shall try not to slit my throat.

There is a convoy of trucks outside Sue's place waiting to deliver purchases from the garden expo. That gazebo is nice, those marble statues are impressive. The fountain is a little ostentacious - there's one identical in Rome. Looks like Sue enjoyed herself.

Tec.

I knew she would never resist all those bargains

It was the "Sale" sign, and 10% off everything that did it - I wonder how big her garden is?

Well it is going to be a lot smaller once she gets that lot in

There's another truck pulled up with a revolving gas fired BBQ, flashing fairy lights, built-in bar, disco deck, very smart.

She did say she was contemplating building more decking at the back

I think she's showing off.................

as ever

Psssttttt .... Tec and Linda ....have you not spotted any plants being unloaded then ?? Mind you with all those BBq and diso deck stuff I don't suppose Sue will have any ground space left for planting anything .

Well there were lots of garish plastic flowers, she is probably just going to stick them in the ground

The plants, trees, and shrubs are coming tomorrow - all those lovely exotic things we can't grow here - just to make us green with envy.

Oi....have you lot finished discussing me? Showing off - how very dare you.

We had a great day yesterday. I bought a very nice pair of gardening gloves that fit like ....well a glove. I also bought some very nice lime and lemon mayonnaise. Oh and a few plants. Well quite a few plants.

Sue xx

Is that all sue, surely you could have been more adventurous

Hello Sue .....what no garish plastic flowers then ? ..lol

The mayonnaise sounds different ....lol

I like the sound of lots of plants : )) Glad to hear you had a lovely day .

Good Morning Sue,

Glad you had a nice time - but lime & lemon mayonnaisse?

What kind of plants did you buy then?