Around The House

• Remove dry ink strains by covering strain with a paste of Bicarb and water.  Allow paste to dry and then rub off.
• Brighten dull silver by dipping it into a boiling solution of water and two teaspoons of Bicarb.
• Remove unpleasant or musty odours from rooms by placing a container of charcoal sprinkled liberally with Bicarb in the room.
• One tablespoon of Bicarb and half a cup of vinegar helps clear blocked drains.  Allow the mixture to effervesce and then pour down the sink along with a kettle of boiling water.  Put plug in quickly and leave for two hours.
• One cup of Bicarb tipped down the toilet each week will improve a septic system by creating a favourable pH level for better sewage digestion.  Also helps reduce odours.
• To remove coffee or other liquids spilt on carpet, just pour Bicarb onto the affected area and vacuum/brush when dry.  Also works for fabric upholstery.

In The Laundry Continue reading →

So the two major Australian food supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, will no longer provide disposable shopping bags by 1st July 2018.

Yay!

What are you going to do for an alternative though?

Might I suggest the Ikea Knalla bag?

It’s cheap, washable and folds up to a convenient size.

Know this, I dislike light colours as they make me look fat(ter).

I know some talented people, and one of them is a colour consultant.  Friend of my friend.

My friend, bless her, made me realise that there are things I have poor judgement in.  Choice is clothing colours is one of those.  She has good taste in clothing.  The colour consultant agrees.

So now, I’m dressing lighter.

as seen in Ride On Magazine:

Ask ten cyclists the best way to fold a business shirt, and you will get ten different answers. Ride On went undercover and discovered the technique for shirt folding used by the Royal Australian Air Force.

Illustration by Genna Campton

1. Lay the shirt face-down on the folding surface. Smooth out any wrinkles so the shirt is completely flat.

2. From the right side of the shirt, fold about one-third of the body in toward the centre of the shirt. The fold line starts at the centre of the shoulder and ends at the tail. You should see the back of your shirt with about one-third of the front folded to the back.

3. Neatly fold the sleeve forward, creating an angled fold at the shoulder. The sleeve should line up with the edge of the first body fold.

4. Fold the left side in the same manner.

5. Fold the shirt tail up several inches and then fold again, moving the bottom edge to just behind the collar of the shirt. Turn the entire shirt over. Ta-dah!

6. Many riders use the fold and roll technique; once folded, the shirt is rolled up to form a tube.

Shirt folding boards that help ensure a consistent fold can be purchased, or made out of stiff cardboard.

Some advise limiting the amount of friction between fabric layers to lessen the amount of creases. This can be done by layering the shirt between two big pieces of plastic, such as a dry-cleaning or garbage bag, and folding the shirt as normal, but with the plastic between the folds. This will prevent creases ‘sticking’ as the fabric is not rubbing against itself.

Spacious panniers or a big bag minimise crushing or you might also stash a few days’ worth of clothing at work on a non-riding day. Many people use a combination of options, depending on weather, storage and change facilities at their workplace.

It was a chaplain who introduced me to this pen.  She uses it to write chaplainly things, sermons and such.

If you are writing plenty, you might want something which is pleasurable to use.  Plus anything which can improve my “is that scribbling Dale?” handwritting, is a blessing.

So the Pilot BL-G21-7M G-2ex is a large barrelled pen with a rubberised grip.  The ink is an acid free gel which is delivered via a 0.7mm ball.

Back in June, the chaplain mentioned that the pens were no longer available.

I do love a challenge.

So some Googling later, I found PilotOnline.com.au sell these G-2ex pens over the internet.  For good measure I ordered a box of Pilot BLS-G2 Refills.  So a short time later we each had a supply of pens and refills.

Now if I could only stop losing my pens.

Updated 12 JAN 2018:
Pilotonline has closed down.
Mega Office Supplies is my new source.

10 years ago, I wrote one of these “look at me / self-indulgent wankery” articles, because everyone else in the blogosphere was writing them.

Yes, this blog has been around 10 years.

So here’s a new list of 20 things about me.

1. Completed a “Spontaneity” course at Impro Melbourne.
   Many benefits to doing Improv, it’s FUN, is the main reason.
2. Enjoy traveling on “C” Roads.
3. Grief? Yes, I could tell you some stories.
4. Loath reviews, especially comedy reviews.
5. Text messaging? Not healthy for close relationships.
6. Fine stationary is a passion.
7. Volunteering is a big part of my life.
8. Didn’t take up opportunities when they were offered.
   which meant I missed out on some great things ….
   I need to say “Yes” more often.
9. Favorite TV series: Life On Mars.
10. Health and Safety will be something I’ll be doing much more of in 2016.
11. In 2015, I saw 1 comedy/theatre show per week.
12. Met some of my idols.
    Rod Quantock was a pleasure to meet.
13. “As a goal in life, you could do worse in life than try to be kinder”.
14. Writing. Looking forward to the Creative Writing course (Jan 2016).
15. Made, and lost, a couple of good friends.
16. Karma, I believe in it.
17. Single.
18. SAMBA. Simple application, never updated, causes issues. Loath it.
19. Moved back to Melbourne from Darwin.
20. People I work with? The Best! The employer, not so much.

The original list, with updates is below the <more> line

Continue reading →

The Nikki Car went to auction on the 6th August, and raised $375 for Kids Under Cover.  Would have liked it to have been more but at least it was something.  One thing I did learn from the process is that 100% of the $375 will go to Kids Under Cover.  Manheim provide the vehicle pickup and auction services free of charge.