I propose there should a Knight of the Order of the Cane Toad. That’s the Aussie way. (My photo)

What a joke.  Sir Les Paterson and Dame Edna Everage will be recognised at last. How about Sir Alan Bond?  Dame Gina?  These parodies will become official. Abbott didn’t even consult his own members before announcing his Ocker knighthoods and dameships.  I raise these points:

1.  He has just devalued all the existing Australian honours, the ACs and AOs and AMs, by putting a new level above them. No wonder he didn’t consult.  I think there would be some very annoyed people at the moment, although they are far too polite to say it out loud.

2.  This will be payoff, payment for big Liberal Party donors, mates of Abbott and his cronies, big businessmen and so on.  Money will be involved even though it will be deeply hidden.  Peerages in Britain were able to be bought and sold.  There will always be suspicion, especially from me.  Abbott has opened himself up to ridicule forever more.  Hah!  What a sick joke.

3.  Personally, I will refuse to acknowledge these titles, although the chance of me ever having to address these people is extremely remote.  I think Peter Cosgrove will show a lack of principle if he accepts this “pseudo knighthood”.  He should refuse it.  He’s a prototypical Aussie – surely he’d be embarrassed to have to be called Sir Peter.

4.  So Australia joins PNG and the tiny Pacific and Carribean countries who cling to these honours for their ribbons, top hats, morning suits, titles and knee bending “prestige”.  It’s utterly embarrassing.  The word tinpot comes to mind.

I’ve long noticed that The Australian never uses “Sir” Fred Nerk in its opening sentences of an article, even if the guy or lady does have the title.  Its been their protest for years.  Mine too.

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This one had grown enormous – at least five times this size, and was threatening the wall. It had to go.

All my Yuccas are gone, thank goodness, except one, which is a burglar deterrent under a window that I like to leave a bit open to let some air in.  The guys removed the roller shutter for which I had no key, so now I have access from the garage to the “drying court”, the western side of the house.

Yucky Yuccas, begone!

Now I can start planning to build my model railway, with the main part in the garage, but a long run outside in the open.There will need to be a lift-out section of track to allow a door in the opening, for security, although I don’t think anything will deter a determined housebreaker.

I’m reluctant to start drilling holes in the rendered dividing wall, so I may use trestles, but water proofing and weather resistance matter.  Wall brackets would be much easier.

I want to use this outside area because loooong runs are vital for model trains, in my opinion.  I’m not interested in just watching trains racing around an oval track on a 6′ x 4′ baseboard.  Anyway, all this is a long way off.  I’ve got to get my stomach removed first 😉

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Hmm.  The HBF nurse has just been and says my legs are bad enough (redness and swelling, stinging pain, weeping skin breaks, incipient cellulitis) that I should go to Joondalup Hospital Emergency Dept tomorrow and get intravenous antibiotic administered.  Don’t wait for a doctor’s appointment, just go.  It may need an overnight stay with an i/v drip. Wow.