TIP(S) OF THE MORNIN' TO YOU

 Morning all!

Well, Richard anyway seeing that Robert is laying low (whoever low is).

I'm back in the study (The Old Girl's office) today so it's more comfortable to write a blog post having a decent desk to work on, the larger computer to use and a nice view out to Mount Manaia.

Mount Manaia from the opposite side

All this makes for an interesting post that I know some, if not all of the readers are looking forward to reading. Here's a few tips on some weekend activities for you.

Did you know that nowadays, many drivers don't know how to change a car tyre? This along with other aspects of car maintenance seems to be a thing of the past with now, metrosexual males joining most females in not knowing how, or not being bothered to do the job. Someone I knew used to say about car maintenance - "If you don't look after it it will only let you down later." Changing a flat tyre yourself is a practical skill that every driver should have.  It's easy really. To change a tyre safely, you need to find a flat, level surface in a safe location, apply the handbrake and use wheel chocks if available. Next you loosen the wheel nuts, jack up the vehicle, remove the flat tyre, mount the spare, lower the vehicle, and tighten the nuts.

When crouching down in the dirt or gravel, watch out for ants. You don't want ants. Ants can be a nuisance, especially if they invade your home or garden. You don't want to carry any home with you in your shoes, socks or trouser cuffs. 

Ant infestations are a problem not only for you but also with your neighbours. Infesting your neighbour's home and property with ants can end up with you fighting with your neighbour. If he's bigger than you or armed this can be a big problem. It's better to circumvent this and watch out for ants.

"Move over buddy"

When back home - hopefully ant-free and now with a replaced tyre and a car in good mechanical condition you can, if you live where I do,  look out the front windows to check out if there are any whales in the harbour. It's not unusual to see orca here when they are hunting stingray and they come in quite close to the shore while navigating the deeper channels. I've never seen other whales in our bay though. These rarely come right in to the harbour but I have seen humpback whales and Southern right whales at the entrance to Whangarei Heads out by the Hen and Chicken islands.

If you don't spot any whales or even dolphins and are not going to waste your time gazing out the windows then I recommend a bit of home and property maintenance. Are you having trouble with horses, cows, dogs or nosy neighbours sneaking into your back garden? If so then putting up a wire fence is a good idea. Don't go overboard though and, even if you do have some wire left over there's no need to put a wire fence around the bath. That would be silly.

"What's going on over there?"

After your chores are done you can relax and catch up on the news and what that old fool Donald Trump has been doing. Did you know that he plays a lot of golf? I've seen him on TV hitting some pretty appalling shots but, like Kim Jong Un's enslaved entourage, Trump's sycophantic cronies congratulate him on playing great golf, pretend to not see when he cheats and accept the bogus scores he announces. They even award him undeserved trophies. Trump played basketball at college and no doubt his followers did the same thing then. I don't know if he's ever played rugby or would make a good rugby player. If he did he would no doubt cheat somehow and make up stories about how many tightheads he took in a game. If he did I bet he wouldn't give them back. Maybe my pal David Seymour would know.

If you go for a walk afterwards, watch out for dogs. Like those pesky ants, dogs can be a bloody nuisance. There are just too many of them and most are owned by irresponsible owners who don't feed them properly, don't bother registering them, allow them to run around off-leash, take them on tracks where dogs are expressly forbidden and don't pick up their shit after them. Sheesh! Some people. Many of them want to take their mutts into shops, on buses and even on planes. There is starting to be some pushback though and it's great that the government have banned dogs in barber shops.

"Sorry Fido. This is the last time"

Well, that's all for me at the moment. I hope that this has been helpful. I've got to plan my dinner - probably bacon and egg pie tonight. Bye!