Clubhouse Grille (*** NO LIV DISCUSSIONS ***) (*** NO POLITICS/RELIGION ***)

[scomac2002]

Ah yes, preparing for winter. I've been doing a bit of the same as I had our gas well serviced for the first time in years. Turns out it didn't really need much in the way of service as there was only 35' of water in it. Drips blown out and refilled with methyl hydrate and shortened up a frost joint so that it won't collect ice as badly as it used to. Hopefully I will have an uneventful heating season as a result.

 

Next on the docket will be getting the septic tank pumped as it is past due as well. All these little jobs in preparation for the new owner whomever and whenever that maybe. There is a small, but steady interest in our property having had another viewing yesterday. Truth be told, I'd just as soon not move until spring. Once you get prepared for winter there doesn't seem to be much incentive to run from it. Having said that, I doubt I'll be the master of that decision.

 

So, we continue to work away at the job list checking things off and adding new ones as they come to mind. I doubt that we'll be really ready for when the day comes, but it seems a whole lot more feasible today then it did a month ago when the property first went on the market.

[tolmij]

Ah yes, preparing for winter. I've been doing a bit of the same as I had our gas well serviced for the first time in years. Turns out it didn't really need much in the way of service as there was only 35' of water in it. Drips blown out and refilled with methyl hydrate and shortened up a frost joint so that it won't collect ice as badly as it used to. Hopefully I will have an uneventful heating season as a result.

 

Next on the docket will be getting the septic tank pumped as it is past due as well. All these little jobs in preparation for the new owner whomever and whenever that maybe. There is a small, but steady interest in our property having had another viewing yesterday. Truth be told, I'd just as soon not move until spring. Once you get prepared for winter there doesn't seem to be much incentive to run from it. Having said that, I doubt I'll be the master of that decision.

 

So, we continue to work away at the job list checking things off and adding new ones as they come to mind. I doubt that we'll be really ready for when the day comes, but it seems a whole lot more feasible today then it did a month ago when the property first went on the market.

 

 

This is the bit the gets to you, waiting for someone to like it enough to buy it and then hoping the price is right. Seems to me you are the way as you are having views, we went months trying to sell one house without anyone going round.

[billh17]

Selling houses and moving is no fun. Been thru that several times. If We do so again,it will be a move to warmer climate to spend what time i have left.

My brother lived in Canal Winchester, a suburb of Columbus. Sixty will know where that is. He retired in Feburary,and put his house on the market in August.

It was posted on a Friday afternoon,and sold for the asking price on Sunday. I told him he has no idea how lucky he is ! I expect ours to take

a while. We have 9 acres of which 7.5 are trees. We have done a lot of work over the years and hopefully will come out ok. Hell, i may just end up

staying here,even tho i am getting tired of the winters !

[Hankshank]

Selling houses and moving is no fun. Been thru that several times. If We do so again,it will be a move to warmer climate to spend what time i have left.

My brother lived in Canal Winchester, a suburb of Columbus. Sixty will know where that is. He retired in Feburary,and put his house on the market in August.

It was posted on a Friday afternoon,and sold for the asking price on Sunday. I told him he has no idea how lucky he is ! I expect ours to take

a while. We have 9 acres of which 7.5 are trees. We have done a lot of work over the years and hopefully will come out ok. Hell, i may just end up

staying here,even tho i am getting tired of the winters !

 

Sounds easier to do the southern move when you can do it within your own country. I live in scandinavia, quite a few people here of some means do make that southern move at retirement. But that means to move to another country, having people around you speaking foreign languages (mostly spanish or thai). I hesitate to do that move, I dont want to call myselt a foreigner.

[scomac2002]

I suspect that we will be moving more than this one time. DW is still working and will be for 2 1/2 more years or near enough to it, so location is being determined by driving distance at the moment. After that we will have more options, but this will be the big move as we have so much stuff to dispose of downsizing from a farm to a city lot. We're going to be patient because we really do have to time to be that way.

 

I too am growing tired of the winters. I said three years ago that it wouldn't take much to turn me into a snowbird, but that may not be as appealing as it once was due to costs continuing to escalate. We were talking about that at lunch yesterday about the number of folks who aren't rebooking their accommodations from previous winters as prices were getting beyond onerous!

 

I wouldn't rule out a long distance move to the west coast if #2 son stays out there. I'm really quite fond of the climate where he lives and it is one of the most favourable in that regard within all of Canada and has yet to be priced out of reach. That's more than my wife is willing to consider at this time, but her POV may change. Mind you, that's not likely as #1 son and DIL are talking about having a baby, so I imagine we are here.

[SixtySomePing]

Selling houses and moving is no fun. Been thru that several times. If We do so again,it will be a move to warmer climate to spend what time i have left.

My brother lived in Canal Winchester, a suburb of Columbus. Sixty will know where that is. He retired in Feburary,and put his house on the market in August.

It was posted on a Friday afternoon,and sold for the asking price on Sunday. I told him he has no idea how lucky he is ! I expect ours to take

a while. We have 9 acres of which 7.5 are trees. We have done a lot of work over the years and hopefully will come out ok. Hell, i may just end up

staying here,even tho i am getting tired of the winters !

Yes my aunt (Mom's sister) and uncle lived there for 50 years before they passed away. My cousin still does.

 

Yeah I remember flying over your general area to that airport in Portsmouth. Lots of trees everywhere on the way. I'll bet that would be a pretty flight this time of year when the trees change color...

[billh17]

the colors are starting to come out now...My sugar maples are getting their bright reds and orange color,and my sweet gum trees are

a bright red....last couple days of low 30's at night have turned the change on.

Bur the funny thing,we are in the last week of October,and i still see a large number of trees that are still green...weird.

[scomac2002]

the colors are starting to come out now...My sugar maples are getting their bright reds and orange color,and my sweet gum trees are

a bright red....last couple days of low 30's at night have turned the change on.

Bur the funny thing,we are in the last week of October,and i still see a large number of trees that are still green...weird.

 

My locust trees are still green and we are well north of you. We have only had two frosty mornings this fall, both coming in the past week.

 

The harvest has progressed very nicely this fall. The soya are pretty much all off and I know that the Niagara wineries are finishing up their harvest as we speak. My son out in BC will have another month worth of picking before all the fruit is in as the growing season is considerably longer there.

 

Pretty nice fall by all accounts! :)

[SixtySomePing]

the colors are starting to come out now...My sugar maples are getting their bright reds and orange color,and my sweet gum trees are

a bright red....last couple days of low 30's at night have turned the change on.

Bur the funny thing,we are in the last week of October,and i still see a large number of trees that are still green...weird.

Yes, it's been unusually green late in the year, my DW and I have said that this year more than any we can remember, and we've been married since 73 seems to be green for the longest... chlorophyll just hanging in there doing its job I guess

[billh17]

Got 9 in this afternoon....shot 39.....irons were good,driver was ok...6GIR...putting was like i was using the knob on the grip end of a ball bat.

stopped after 9,...it was nice out ,but the wind started to get above the 10 mph mark,and it put a big chill in the air.

My weakened immune system doesn't need any problems,so i came home..hot shower, all good !

[bscinstnct]

Oh, "DW".

 

I finally get it!

 

I just say, "the Boss" ; )

 

Fall is an amazing time. The transition is gorgeous to the eye. More fascinating still are the urgent and widespread movements of all the "critters" as they make their adjustments for the coming changes.

 

I still, to this day, marvel at geese and ducks, for example. Not just their social intricacies but...

 

Are the chilly? Lol. I mean, I know they have some nice layers of fat but when they are floating around in a 33* lake, are they like,

 

My butt is freezing! ; )

 

Its a blessing to experience fall for those of us who dont get to have warm weather year around.

 

Beautiful time of the year.

[Conrad1953]

Got 9 in this afternoon....shot 39.....irons were good,driver was ok...6GIR...putting was like i was using the knob on the grip end of a ball bat.

stopped after 9,...it was nice out ,but the wind started to get above the 10 mph mark,and it put a big chill in the air.

My weakened immune system doesn't need any problems,so i came home..hot shower, all good !

 

Sounds like you have those One Lengths dialed in pretty good Bill. BTW, if it's cold and windy I

go home too..........and I'm only half your age.........well, more than half...,,maybe 65/73rds your age. :D

[Conrad1953]

Fall is nice...................until we set the clocks back. That just seems to change everything mentally.

[Wriggles]

Too windy the last two days for golf. Maybe, golf today if not windy. Other than that, just taking it easy.

 

Been working on my Harvard "Contract" law course. The bulk of the course are short videos outlining a point of law, and questions and essays following, as well as periodic tests. I seem to be passing, according to the progress pie charts.

 

Don't want or need another worthless certificate, especially at $125.

 

This type of course is the modern version of the community college non credit courses of the past. I think attending classes with other students is much more beneficial, than just taking something online. For me, the online class is just fine. At my age, all I want to do is kill time with an inexpensive hobby. But for maximum benefit, a structured environment with other people is essential.

 

Keep warm, guys.

[scomac2002]

Too windy the last two days for golf. Maybe, golf today if not windy. Other than that, just taking it easy.

 

Been working on my Harvard "Contract" law course. The bulk of the course are short videos outlining a point of law, and questions and essays following, as well as periodic tests. I seem to be passing, according to the progress pie charts.

 

Don't want or need another worthless certificate, especially at $125.

 

This type of course is the modern version of the community college non credit courses of the past. I think attending classes with other students is much more beneficial, than just taking something online. For me, the online class is just fine. At my age, all I want to do is kill time with an inexpensive hobby. But for maximum benefit, a structured environment with other people is essential.

 

Keep warm, guys.

 

I agree. It has been a while since i've taken any schooling other than the mandatory WHMIS training and ancillary stuff at the golf course. When I was attending community college (2005-2007) taking my certified financial planning accreditation courses the classroom setting was very beneficial with the discussions and feedback that provided. Conversely, the Canadian Securities Course was totally on-line. The dry nature of the topic made getting that done a bit of a slog despite having an interest in the subject matter and already being ahead of the curve with the course material previously covered in the financial planning courses.

[scomac2002]

Yesterday was municipal election day here in the Great White North. The big issue for this city is whether or not to proceed with a $1B light rail transit system with an eye towards urban renewal rather than continuing on this path of greenfield sprawl into the surrounding areas. Most of the incumbents were re-elected and it would appear that the transit agenda will proceed as planned. That was anything but a certainty with the strong campaigns run by the anti-train candidates. Not surprisingly, opinion splits along urban/ suburban lines as might be expected based on likely usage versus paying for it.

 

--------------------------

 

So much for best laid plans. With my men's league wind-up and luncheon being last week and a rainy day at that, I guess it's par for the course that a week later would see a sunny, reasonably mild day, ideal for fall golf. I spent the afternoon walking my fields looking for any golf balls that the tillage equipment turned up after working the fields. I think I picked up 8! What a difference a year makes as there would have been 40-50 out there a year ago not counting the ones that would be too cut up to use again.

 

-------------------------

 

I suppose I should mention that we received a verbal offer for our property yesterday. I think it was more of a feeling out process than anything to see if a deal could be negotiated. I told my agent that the deal was so deficient as to not warrant a response beyond no. I think that my agent was disappointed I wouldn't make a counter proposal.

 

I can see why having an agent is a valuable resource. At least you have a go-between to deliver the message in a diplomatic way rather than like this...

 

[Conrad1953]

The last time the Dodgers won a world series was 1988. 1988, the year of the pop gun Dodgers;

Orel Hershiser, Kirk Gibson, Mickey Hatcher; an improbable victory. I was still a big fan then; before

the O'Malleys sold the team; before Tommy Lasorda retired.

 

Perhaps this year they will get it done against the Bosox; on the 30th anniversary of their last win.

I'm far removed from the Dodgers these days; geographically and emotionally, yet deep down that

old fan is still in there somewhere....and I'm pulling for them to get it done.

 

It used to be whenever someone would ask me a question about anything or any subject....and I

didn't have an answer I would say "I don't know, all I've got is......... Go Dodgers!"

 

I was 5 years old when the Dodgers opened up the 1958 season after moving from Brooklyn, NY.

My dad was a big fan and I, in turn, became a big fan. The Dodger franchise was beloved all through

SoCal by so many.

[scomac2002]

Fitting you should bring this up, Rad. That Kirk Gibson homerun in game 1 is the thing of legend. I still remember that series and many of the details what with the performances of Hershiser, Hatcher et al. It was like they became America's team facing off against the evil Athletics and the Bash Brothers. Right up there with the 10 inning 1-0 shutout that Jack Morris pitched in game 7 a couple of years later. You have to love when the underdog prevails and that most assuredly will be the Dodgers in this iteration even though I don't see them as being outclassed in particular. They match up pretty darned good I would think.

[billh17]

Got 9 in this afternoon....shot 39.....irons were good,driver was ok...6GIR...putting was like i was using the knob on the grip end of a ball bat.

stopped after 9,...it was nice out ,but the wind started to get above the 10 mph mark,and it put a big chill in the air.

My weakened immune system doesn't need any problems,so i came home..hot shower, all good !

 

Sounds like you have those One Lengths dialed in pretty good Bill. BTW, if it's cold and windy I

go home too..........and I'm only half your age.........well, more than half...,,maybe 65/73rds your age. :D

 

I dont know if they're dialed in or not...still hit a chunck/thin/flub at times. We have not bonded....but at least we're cordial

[SixtySomePing]

Trick or Treat here Thursday night...

[tolmij]

Yesterday was municipal election day here in the Great White North. The big issue for this city is whether or not to proceed with a $1B light rail transit system with an eye towards urban renewal rather than continuing on this path of greenfield sprawl into the surrounding areas. Most of the incumbents were re-elected and it would appear that the transit agenda will proceed as planned. That was anything but a certainty with the strong campaigns run by the anti-train candidates. Not surprisingly, opinion splits along urban/ suburban lines as might be expected based on likely usage versus paying for it.

 

--------------------------

 

So much for best laid plans. With my men's league wind-up and luncheon being last week and a rainy day at that, I guess it's par for the course that a week later would see a sunny, reasonably mild day, ideal for fall golf. I spent the afternoon walking my fields looking for any golf balls that the tillage equipment turned up after working the fields. I think I picked up 8! What a difference a year makes as there would have been 40-50 out there a year ago not counting the ones that would be too cut up to use again.

 

-------------------------

 

I suppose I should mention that we received a verbal offer for our property yesterday. I think it was more of a feeling out process than anything to see if a deal could be negotiated. I told my agent that the deal was so deficient as to not warrant a response beyond no. I think that my agent was disappointed I wouldn't make a counter proposal.

 

I can see why having an agent is a valuable resource. At least you have a go-between to deliver the message in a diplomatic way rather than like this...

 

 

 

Exactly the correct decision, the counter offer then ties you down with no room for final negotiation, I know myself when buying the counter offer is what you need to give leverage. When we were selling our last property some of the offers were insulting and our agent refused to pass them on, all he said to us was waste of time bothering you, the only offer he brought to us was the one he negotiated on our behalf. Without exception he was the best agent we have ever had, he paired our property with another one and did open viewing on the same day so we had dozens of buyers walking through.

[SixtySomePing]

Yesterday was municipal election day here in the Great White North. The big issue for this city is whether or not to proceed with a $1B light rail transit system with an eye towards urban renewal rather than continuing on this path of greenfield sprawl into the surrounding areas. Most of the incumbents were re-elected and it would appear that the transit agenda will proceed as planned. That was anything but a certainty with the strong campaigns run by the anti-train candidates. Not surprisingly, opinion splits along urban/ suburban lines as might be expected based on likely usage versus paying for it.

 

--------------------------

 

So much for best laid plans. With my men's league wind-up and luncheon being last week and a rainy day at that, I guess it's par for the course that a week later would see a sunny, reasonably mild day, ideal for fall golf. I spent the afternoon walking my fields looking for any golf balls that the tillage equipment turned up after working the fields. I think I picked up 8! What a difference a year makes as there would have been 40-50 out there a year ago not counting the ones that would be too cut up to use again.

 

-------------------------

 

I suppose I should mention that we received a verbal offer for our property yesterday. I think it was more of a feeling out process than anything to see if a deal could be negotiated. I told my agent that the deal was so deficient as to not warrant a response beyond no. I think that my agent was disappointed I wouldn't make a counter proposal.

 

I can see why having an agent is a valuable resource. At least you have a go-between to deliver the message in a diplomatic way rather than like this...

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

 

Exactly the correct decision, the counter offer then ties you down with no room for final negotiation, I know myself when buying the counter offer is what you need to give leverage. When we were selling our last property some of the offers were insulting and our agent refused to pass them on, all he said to us was waste of time bothering you, the only offer he brought to us was the one he negotiated on our behalf. Without exception he was the best agent we have ever had, he paired our property with another one and did open viewing on the same day so we had dozens of buyers walking through.

Yesterday was municipal election day here in the Great White North. The big issue for this city is whether or not to proceed with a $1B light rail transit system with an eye towards urban renewal rather than continuing on this path of greenfield sprawl into the surrounding areas. Most of the incumbents were re-elected and it would appear that the transit agenda will proceed as planned. That was anything but a certainty with the strong campaigns run by the anti-train candidates. Not surprisingly, opinion splits along urban/ suburban lines as might be expected based on likely usage versus paying for it.

 

--------------------------

 

So much for best laid plans. With my men's league wind-up and luncheon being last week and a rainy day at that, I guess it's par for the course that a week later would see a sunny, reasonably mild day, ideal for fall golf. I spent the afternoon walking my fields looking for any golf balls that the tillage equipment turned up after working the fields. I think I picked up 8! What a difference a year makes as there would have been 40-50 out there a year ago not counting the ones that would be too cut up to use again.

 

-------------------------

 

I suppose I should mention that we received a verbal offer for our property yesterday. I think it was more of a feeling out process than anything to see if a deal could be negotiated. I told my agent that the deal was so deficient as to not warrant a response beyond no. I think that my agent was disappointed I wouldn't make a counter proposal.

 

I can see why having an agent is a valuable resource. At least you have a go-between to deliver the message in a diplomatic way rather than like this...

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

 

Exactly the correct decision, the counter offer then ties you down with no room for final negotiation, I know myself when buying the counter offer is what you need to give leverage. When we were selling our last property some of the offers were insulting and our agent refused to pass them on, all he said to us was waste of time bothering you, the only offer he brought to us was the one he negotiated on our behalf. Without exception he was the best agent we have ever had, he paired our property with another one and did open viewing on the same day so we had dozens of buyers walking through.

Do they work by a certain % of the total sale in Australia? Here it's pretty much 7%, or possibly 6% if you're friends with the realtor. The whole process can take a while and at the closing there are gobs of papers to sign of course. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall to see how it works there.

[tolmij]

Yesterday was municipal election day here in the Great White North. The big issue for this city is whether or not to proceed with a $1B light rail transit system with an eye towards urban renewal rather than continuing on this path of greenfield sprawl into the surrounding areas. Most of the incumbents were re-elected and it would appear that the transit agenda will proceed as planned. That was anything but a certainty with the strong campaigns run by the anti-train candidates. Not surprisingly, opinion splits along urban/ suburban lines as might be expected based on likely usage versus paying for it.

 

--------------------------

 

So much for best laid plans. With my men's league wind-up and luncheon being last week and a rainy day at that, I guess it's par for the course that a week later would see a sunny, reasonably mild day, ideal for fall golf. I spent the afternoon walking my fields looking for any golf balls that the tillage equipment turned up after working the fields. I think I picked up 8! What a difference a year makes as there would have been 40-50 out there a year ago not counting the ones that would be too cut up to use again.

 

-------------------------

 

I suppose I should mention that we received a verbal offer for our property yesterday. I think it was more of a feeling out process than anything to see if a deal could be negotiated. I told my agent that the deal was so deficient as to not warrant a response beyond no. I think that my agent was disappointed I wouldn't make a counter proposal.

 

I can see why having an agent is a valuable resource. At least you have a go-between to deliver the message in a diplomatic way rather than like this...

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

 

Exactly the correct decision, the counter offer then ties you down with no room for final negotiation, I know myself when buying the counter offer is what you need to give leverage. When we were selling our last property some of the offers were insulting and our agent refused to pass them on, all he said to us was waste of time bothering you, the only offer he brought to us was the one he negotiated on our behalf. Without exception he was the best agent we have ever had, he paired our property with another one and did open viewing on the same day so we had dozens of buyers walking through.

Yesterday was municipal election day here in the Great White North. The big issue for this city is whether or not to proceed with a $1B light rail transit system with an eye towards urban renewal rather than continuing on this path of greenfield sprawl into the surrounding areas. Most of the incumbents were re-elected and it would appear that the transit agenda will proceed as planned. That was anything but a certainty with the strong campaigns run by the anti-train candidates. Not surprisingly, opinion splits along urban/ suburban lines as might be expected based on likely usage versus paying for it.

 

--------------------------

 

So much for best laid plans. With my men's league wind-up and luncheon being last week and a rainy day at that, I guess it's par for the course that a week later would see a sunny, reasonably mild day, ideal for fall golf. I spent the afternoon walking my fields looking for any golf balls that the tillage equipment turned up after working the fields. I think I picked up 8! What a difference a year makes as there would have been 40-50 out there a year ago not counting the ones that would be too cut up to use again.

 

-------------------------

 

I suppose I should mention that we received a verbal offer for our property yesterday. I think it was more of a feeling out process than anything to see if a deal could be negotiated. I told my agent that the deal was so deficient as to not warrant a response beyond no. I think that my agent was disappointed I wouldn't make a counter proposal.

 

I can see why having an agent is a valuable resource. At least you have a go-between to deliver the message in a diplomatic way rather than like this...

 

[media=]

[/media]

 

 

Exactly the correct decision, the counter offer then ties you down with no room for final negotiation, I know myself when buying the counter offer is what you need to give leverage. When we were selling our last property some of the offers were insulting and our agent refused to pass them on, all he said to us was waste of time bothering you, the only offer he brought to us was the one he negotiated on our behalf. Without exception he was the best agent we have ever had, he paired our property with another one and did open viewing on the same day so we had dozens of buyers walking through.

Do they work by a certain % of the total sale in Australia? Here it's pretty much 7%, or possibly 6% if you're friends with the realtor. The whole process can take a while and at the closing there are gobs of papers to sign of course. It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall to see how it works there.

 

In Australia when a price is accepted the buyer has ten days to withdraw the offer, the seller cannot withdraw his acceptance as far as he is concerned the sale is fixed. From the signing of the contract which is usually the same day the offer was accepted the sale with all the legals and finance only takes four weeks so the move is very quick, we were surprised when we purchased our first home in Australia because in the UK there was no fixed time but it took at least three months.

 

The agents fees vary with the company and can be between 5%-7%, some companies are now working for a pre determined fixed fee and there are web sites that now allow you to sell your own home without an agent so it’s only legal fees. If you employ an agent then make the sale through your own efforts, you still have to pay the agent, in the UK you don’t pay the agent if you are advertising privately at the same time and your ad sells the property.

 

In reality the agents do very little for their money, the sale of your house is a lottery and happens because they happen to think of you sometimes and realise this might suit an applicant, Australian agents are lazy and do absolute minimum for their money, we were lucky with the purchase of our present home and the subsequent sale of our previous home, the bank advised us to use the selling property as collateral and as it was owned outright and our son was paying the other half it reduced the amount of insurance we had to pay on the mortgage. The seller upset the agent big time so he was on our side all through the sale and we then asked him to sell the other property he got us a much better price than we expected. All in all we were very lucky, selling and buying are a huge lottery with the customer always being ripped off.

[tolmij]

Two things amongst many we love about Australia.

 

The trees are mainly evergreen, so we have foliage all year round, some imported trees lose their leaves but they are in a very small minority. Their are two deciduous trees that are spectacular in the spring the flame tree has bright red leaves and the jacaranda tree which has a spectacular blue flower. The jacarandas in particular used to be planted all along back streets so as you drove or walked along the area was bathed in blue with the pavement and road being carpeted in colour.

 

It is now mango season, this is without any dispute the best ever tasting fruit and as we are in the top half of Australia and close to the mango farms we can purchase them at really good prices. The photo below is a some of our fruit purchased today, the mangoes in particular are very large this year, the ones in the dish weighing 2 1/2 lbs each and only cost $3.50 each. Breakfast for the next few months will be mango, red papaya and cereal. We may be able to arrange for it to be a special in the Grille.

 

 

 

 

[scotee]

Two things amongst many we love about Australia.

 

The trees are mainly evergreen, so we have foliage all year round, some imported trees lose their leaves but they are in a very small minority. Their are two deciduous trees that are spectacular in the spring the flame tree has bright red leaves and the jacaranda tree which has a spectacular blue flower. The jacarandas in particular used to be planted all along back streets so as you drove or walked along the area was bathed in blue with the pavement and road being carpeted in colour.

 

It is now mango season, this is without any dispute the best ever tasting fruit and as we are in the top half of Australia and close to the mango farms we can purchase them at really good prices. The photo below is a some of our fruit purchased today, the mangoes in particular are very large this year, the ones in the dish weighing 2 1/2 lbs each and only cost $3.50 each. Breakfast for the next few months will be mango, red papaya and cereal. We may be able to arrange for it to be a special in the Grille.

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Tol! I love mangoes. The year I spent in Thailand I got to eat really good ones. I have had good ones in Mexico too. Sadly many of the ones we get here are stringy and not good. We do get some good small yellow ones at Costco once in a while.

[Conrad1953]

One of the many things I like about the south is that 80% of the trees down here are southern pines

and it stays pretty green here for the most part in winter. The grasses do go dormant but I actually

like the winter contrast of green and brown outside.

 

The golf courses overseed the fairways and so on the golf courses you have green fairways surrounded

by dormant beige bermuda against the backdrop of dark green pine trees. To me it looks very cool

 

[scomac2002]

I'm a big fan of mangoes myself. One of the things I like best about travelling to the Caribbean in winter is all the fresh fruit that is available; far better than the fruit that typically gets trucked up here.

 

---------------------

 

I've often wondered why owning real estate is such a popular choice when you consider the hassles associated with buying and selling and the sheer cost compared to renting not to mention the lack of flexibility.

 

I get that the lack of choice and options, at least on this side of the pond, is a key driver to propping up the ownership market as is the general mindset that renting is a waste of money, but it is almost always more expensive to own than to rent if one is honest about the total cost.

 

I remember my Aunt's apartment in an old part of town above a store front. You accessed from the street in one of those nondescript doorways that had 31 1/2 on the glass. She was on the second floor in a roomy two bedroom apartment that featured high ceilings and skylights in the kitchen and bathroom. She grew her vegetables and herbs in pots up on the roof. It was quiet and comfortable, no need for a car with everything within easy walking distance summer or winter. She wasn't destitute either as she had amassed a small fortune in telecom shares that she had quietly been purchasing for over 40 years. The dividends were her pension. Not bad for a woman who spent her working life as a milner and caring for others.

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pl

 

pluripotent

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Dropping a quarter in the Jukebox.

 

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Aging nicely.