My worm farm.

Inside my worm farm.   They like their sweets!

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Australian Citizenship

Australia seems like it is having a purge of non citizens from Parliament where quite a few members of Federal Parliament have dual citizenship and have neglected to declare themselves as Australian.   

Our son Martin encountered this problem in 2011 when he was in Melbourne working for a Coles Supermarket.  The management suspended him when he could not prove his Australian citizenship. Martin Was born in Wewak, New Guinea in 1972.   The northern half of Papua New Guinea, was deemed to be a U.N. Trust Territory and at the time of leaving PNG we were required to declare Martin to be an Australian citizen.

At the time of Martin’s suspension, my late wife Joan was deceased and I could not remember if we did indeed declare him to be an Australian.   After some months of dealings with the bureaucracy in Canberra, we finally received notice that Martin was indeed Australian.  Too bad Coles couldn’t keep his job safe.

Most of the politicians caught up in the dual citizen debacle were either born in Australia to parents from overseas or arrived in Australia at a very young age.  Martin was nearly declared an alien with the possibility of being deported to his home country, Papua New Guinea.

Martin and Helen Lock

Our kids; Helen and Martin, 45 years ago in Papua New Guinea

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Anti Vaccinators

In the news here in Western Australia, is a story about a young man who attends a private alternative school quite close to my house.   The school has a clientele of  kids who,  it has been shown, have parents who are doubtful of the efficacy of  vaccination against such diseases and many claim vaccination to be dangerous.

This lad went to Italy with the family for a holiday and upon returning to Australia has presented with a case of measles at his school.  As there is an estimated 40-50% non-vaccinated student population at the school  there is a worry that it could spread rapidly amongst the general school population.

Have they not heard about Polio?

Sleep Apnoea

I attended the specialist monitoring my Sleep Study.  He outlined the various treatments which are standard for Sleep Apnoea management and their % effectivity.

The treatment which suits my case includes Posture Modification; CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure), MAS...virtually an expensive mouth guard to extend the lower jaw and Nasal Resistive Patches. He ruled out surgery of the throat.  Thanks for that Doc.

The Dr also reminded me that during the overnight study I spent 3.5 hours sleeping on my back which is where I had the 27 non-breathing episodes. When I slept on either side of my body I had almost no breathing interruption.

So, we decided to give a two-month trial of the Posture Modification method and at his suggestion I purchased a plastic block which when fastened onto my back is to make it so uncomfortable that my brain tells me to sleep on my side. I stopped off at a $2.00 shop and bought a dogs toy which has hard lumps all over it.  Last night I placed that inside a tight T Shirt on my back and I did not wake once during the night.  

After two months I will have another overnight study done to assess the results.

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Mazda 929 1993

I bought myself a present.....a 1993 Mazda 929. It was just $3,000 and runs quite well for its 24 years. Done just 145,000 kilometres. There are a couple of things to get it back to original condition.  One is a driver's door window motor.  I have sourced one and will buy it during the week.

I have previously owned three 929s so know my way around them.  The body and paint is in good condition and the interior is good for its age. 

I like it!

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The State Engineering Works

This last Friday I had a meeting with a lady who was documenting memories of the long-gone industrial strip at Leighton, near north Fremantle.  I was an apprentice Turner Machinist starting my 5 year apprenticeship in 1953 at the State Engineering Works. The SEW was a large state government owned establishment.  When I worked and trained there it had around 600 employees in carpentry/joinery, metal machinery, foundry, pattern making, boilermaker, draughting, meter shop departments.

During WW2 the SEW gained some large machinery from the USN to service U.S. Submarines homed in Fremantle Harbour.  Bren Gun Carriers were also built at the SEW during the war.

I was asked a number of questions about how I selected the SEW to commence my apprenticeship and the background of my family and about the many projects I had either worked on or observed.  The information gathered is to be collated and some sort of report is to be made.  The SEW was situated on prime elevated land in Rocky Bay, probably the nicest part of the Swan River and at the time of me working there, there were rumours that the Liberal State Government would close the SEW and sell the land off to developers.  Much consternation by labour unions and the Labor Party in opposition.  As it happened, it was the Labor Government who eventually sold the State Engineering Works.

I guess it was no longer an era of government in competition with other engineering companies.  

In the last couple of years of the SEW, one of the projects was the casting of the winged keel for Australia 2, the winner of the America’s Cup in 1983.  The U.S. had successfully defended the cup for the previous 132 years.

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from Google Earth

Sleep assessment

I have just returned from St John’s hospital after an overnight sleep assessment.  I arrived at around 8.45pm and descended into the bowels of the hospital to try and find the Sleep Unit.  After being redirected several times, I found it and was allocated my room and told to get into pyjamas ready to have all the electrodes attached all over my body.  For info about all those wires see here.

The sleep technician, Marikah, attached all the electrodes and went to the control console to test the connections.  There were a couple of electrodes that had to be replaced and then the function test began.  Blinking of eyes; eye movements, pointing toes etc, all passed the test.  I found the tangle of wires a bit constrictive of my usual tossing and turning during sleep and the duty technician had to visit several times during the night to change or reset electrodes.

Both young lady technicians were pleasant especially Marikah who had around 50 minutes with me setting up and testing all the wiring.  We covered a few stories (admittedly, mostly mine) whilst she was with me.  At one stage she took my blood pressure and it was 166 over 85....a bit high!     I attributed it to having a very attractive technician fussing over me.

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Memories of a wild land

Yesterday had a visit from a friend Greg, who recently returned from one of his regular business trips to Papua New Guinea.  He brought me a most welcome gift package of two PNG coffee mugs featuring the names of 20 provinces of PNG and a collection of PNG newspapers all in a ‘Steamies’ shopping bag.  Steamies is a large department store which as well as supplying townspeople in Port Moresby with their goods, ran a small shipping line supplying goods to coastal government stations around the coast of Papua when I first taught in PNG starting in 1962.

In the 10 years I taught in PNG, I taught in six of those provinces.

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Inside the cups...'it's finished'

Pidgin English

Visiting Ralph in care

My friend Dennis and I visited another oldie in a nursing home Wednesday.  We try to make a weekly visit and also catch up with him (Ralph) when his wife collects him to get together for our weekly gathering of oldies.  

Ralph’s residential is quite nice.  It houses and cares for, around 100+ clients.    The building is largely powered by massive banks of solar panels. Ralph has his own room and the carers seem to be nice people mainly it would seem, from the Philippines and Southern Africa.  Ralph can no longer walk and has only around 10% sight.  He has been in care for approximately six months and seems to be coping reasonably well.   In the home is an elderly woman who hovers near the front door and attempts to escape when visitors are entering and leaving.  The main office is near the door and a call for a carer is made to thwart the escape.

Another friend’s father was in a similar situation and that establishment had built a replica of a bus stop and shelter within the grounds.  Most would-be escapees just sat waiting for the bus to Fremantle.

Conversing with Siri

Yesterday we had our weekly oldies gathering at Joy’s house. I enjoy them immensely. It is very comforting to see that the other 5 in our group are also losing words and names of things.
One of the ladies told us of using her iPad with her grandson where Siri suddenly said...... ‘I didn’t understand what you wanted’. She quickly entered into a somewhat mixed up conversation with Siri and her grandson loudly told Siri to “F-Off”. Grandma gave him a clip around the ears and apologised to Siri for his rudeness. She didn’t tell us what Siri’s reply was. Laughter all round at that one.
I imagine that Siri’s programmers have thought up a range of answers to that sort of question. When I have asked Siri if she loves me, there have been a few varied answers, none of which have been ....’Yes’.

Being old aint no picnic!

Yesterday my GP read me the results of the overnight Holter test.  It seems that there were frequent intermittent periods of atrial bigeminy. Another discovery was that I may have Sleep Apnoea found in the SBD (sleep disordered breathing) screening process.
I now have to visit a specialist for further advice.  Damn!

DNA Ancestry test

Today  I received the results of my Ancestry DNA test.  It is nothing too exciting.  I figured that as both sides of my family; the Locks and the Lees emigrated to Australia from England around 1900 the results would show a Western European/Irish connection.  The lower part of Britain including Somerset is highlighted and that is where the my Locks originated.   Before that no clues.

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The possible relatives shown are contactable

but mine are rated as possible/probable relatives (40% at best)

Both of my families emigrated to the Australian

east coast and then moved to Western Australia.

Of interest was a list of approximately 8,800

probable distant cousins with an email portal

to contact any one, or all of those named. I have

already mailed one person with a familiar name.

A few of the many.

Holter Monitor

This morning I had a Holter Monitor attached to areas near my heart to record heart rate and rhythm over 24 hours.  I had previously had an ECG (electrocardiograph) which showed some abnormalities.

I am having this test to get answers as to whether my heart beat/rhythm is likely to put me in Stroke country.      Results tomorrow.

Gopher repair

A friend has had a small accident on her Gopher (Go For).  A plastic shroud has been broken and I am doing a rough repair job on it.  Should be back in action in a couple of days.

I am not sure what these things are called in other places, but I believe Gopher is an Australian description/name.

This is the first time I have driven a Gopher and I am looking forward to owning one in the not too distant future; not!!

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A few more old pics

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HMS Adamant and subs

Fremantle Harbour 1945

                                         

US subs and mothership

Fremantle 1945

                                   

British migrants disembarking

at Fremantle 1947

HMS Victorious departing with Australian

war brides

  

                               

Citrus

My lemon tree is producing hundreds of juicy fruit and I have been giving them away to friends.  Last year it bore so much fruit a branch broke off.   I guess I should prune it back sometime.

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I also had a Tahitian Lime tree in a pot and of course, it eventually became root bound.  So, I dug a hole near the lemon tree, prepared the ground and transplanted it.  I was worried that it might not like that treatment, but with constant heavy watering it has survived well and is showing new flowers and small fruit.

Just a few photos

Just a few photos...Click to enlarge

My father with Helen

and Martin at a Haus Tambaran

1973 Sepik District, PNG.

1923 Bugatti at Molsheim  Auto Museum France

Fred C Ainsworth USN supply ship

Fremantle Harbour 1945

Kalgoorlie goldfields.

Exchange Hotel Kalgoorlie

Western Australia

Personal Effects

I have for some years subscribed to a daily edition of The Writer’s Almanac.   It is a quite wonderful birthday call on writers and poets.    It is a free subscription and I recommend it to you.

I am not big on poetry, but the following is my all time favourite.

Personal Effects

By Frannie Lindsay

For once not arguing,

we divide among ourselves

the things she left; her mother’s mothers’s

swan brooch, her pilled and odorless

brown coat, sturdy Timex,

the night shirt she mended

with clashing thread.

The morning before, I sat

by my mother’s bed

to ask her what she would like

the paper to say about her

life. It was like bring read a story 

backwards, the reader becoming 

the child afraid to fall asleep.

With the shift nurse helping 

and some baby oil, and trembling

the way he did the day he slipped it on,

my father bends over 

the quieted body I thought I saw breathe,

and slides off her wedding ring.

Styptic Pencil

A few days ago I cut my face shaving.   Even resorting to the Norman Gunston method, I could not stop the blood flow.

Norman Gunston

So I patched the cut up with tissue paper and went to a pharmacy to buy a Styptic Pencil, which as I remember from years ago,  could stop an arterial haemorrhage. 

It worked immediately and I was reminded of the generic name for a Styptic Pencil; a jesus stick.  Even though I am losing some words at my age, the sudden very sharp pain of the JS being applied brought back a loud JEEESUS!