I’ve said before that I’m an Aussie through and through, a committed supporter of a plan for a republic for Australia, but I have to admit to admiring the UK in this time of changeover of monarchs. I’m boggled by the pageantry and colour, the military precision, the tradition, the history, the uniforms. I admit, I love it.

I’d be interested to know why and how the uniforms are chosen for these ceremonies. Chas and William were dressed as RAF Air Marshalls for the march, whereas Princess Anne was dressed as a Navy Admiral. Why? Why was Anne dressed in a naval uniform? Strange.

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There’s a radio quiz going at the moment, asking what we think of the ABC’s coverage. I admit I was a bit irritated by the 24hr blanket coverage in the first few days, to the exclusion of all else including news and weather. But now it’s eased off, I’m glad I watched some of it.

My only serious complaint is not to the ABC but to the BBC: in last night’s coverage of the coffin walk from the palace to Westminster Hall, why oh why do we have to put up with a BBC lower screen banner with supposed news headlines, but the same headlines, repeated over and over for six hours! This is the same as they did on the Thames Pageant in 2012. For goodness sakes, we know it’s the BBC, why do you have to slap us in the face with it?

Anyway, I admit to a deep envy of Britain’ history. With the surname Croft and ancestry going back to the 13C, I feel I should be able to claim a small part. But I’m also aware that the UK regards me as an alien. I get no special treatment, no right of residence, no acknowledgement of my history. Not happy.

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My new mattress arrived right on time this morning, about 9.30am, and it all went smoothly. Boy, it’s soft. I think if I’d been able to test it in a shop beforehand, I would have immediately walked on. I’ve chosen a medium hardness, but I’m wondering if it’s too soft for me. I admit, I am a big boy so I sag a fair way into it. OTOH, I had a nap this afternoon and I dropped off without even being aware of it.

I’d say it’s like sleeping on marshmallows.

I’m looking at the website of the manufacturer (A.H.Beard) to see if there’s a return policy in a case like this. Haven’t found it yet.

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My good mate Keith came out here today to give me a hand, but I didn’t actually need him after all. However, ever helpful, he got up on my stepladder and changed a couple of ceiling lamps for me. I needed six changed, but I wasn’t ready with new replacements so we only got two done.

However, one of them was the one that has been turning itself off after about five minutes ever since it was renewed last year. We fitted a brand new illuminant and I was mentally rubbing my hands, thinking “At last”. But dammit, the new illuminant is doing the same thing! What the … ? Does it mean there’s a faulty transformer in the ceiling? Do I have to pay an electrician to fix it? Dang!

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Good interview on ABC Radio just now (Friday afternoon) with Greg Mullins, leader of the group of 34 retired fire chiefs who tried to get Morrison and the Liberal-National government to listen before the catastrophic fires of 2019-20. He tried to warn Morrison, but Morrison refused to take his calls! He tried to get $10m for fire fighting aircraft, but was stonewalled. The cost of this inaction was $billions in damage, billions of native animals lost, thousands of homes destroyed and thousands of lives ruined.

He said the difference between the previous government and now is “chalk and cheese”. One of the first acts of the new Labor minister Murray Watt was to pick up the phone, call Mr Mullins and ask what needs to be done.

So why did the previous government refuse to listen or take action? To me, the answer is clear – the problems were too big for the brains of these incompetent L-NP people to cope with. They can’t grasp the complexity, or the science, so they close their minds and shove the problem to their out tray. (Or there is a more sinister reason, involving money, of course.)

I accuse these criminally stupid L-NP people of incompetence and negligence. I say they should be held to account for the costs of their inaction in a legal class action. They should be made to pay for their inaction.

As Mr Mullins said, the fire experts foresaw the changes in the weather patterns and fire conditions as far back as the ’90s and tried to sound the warnings, but the L-NP government refused to listen. We lost nearly a decade before action is finally being taken now. These former L-NP politicians must be made to pay!!