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Thread: Sundowner musing......

  1. #41
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    Cats

    Hello again from Sherwood - Friday afternoon and almost sundowners time.

    Back last year around July-August I took Mrs S3ute and a family friend across to Africa and had an extensive roam across my old stamping grounds in Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa. I did post a few snippets from that trip at the time but promised to add a bit more at a later date. But circumstances subsequently construed to make doing that less of an imperative and it went by the wayside.

    Well, I suppose a good bit of the previous musings covered lions, their victims (esp. the half chewed Andre) and whatnot. This topic came to the fore again at last week's sundowners when during some polite discourse a colleague threw down the challenge of "where's yer fekking lions then"?

    Thinking it over for a minute or so I handed over my iPhone and said "here I guess":



    Caught in the act on the edge of Kruger at the Sabie Sands, these two cavortees had been at it for several hours and looked to be prepared to give it a few more goes before going off to kill something or other.



    I've seen the S3cat do something like this bit on many occasions but had put it down to simply lazing about - but never one to let a learning experience go begging I was informed that this particular manoeuvre is intended to help the wayward seeds find their target.

    And I guess this is the leonate equivalent of having a cigarette:



    Isn't nature grand!

    Now, back to the fridge......

    Cheers,

    Neil
    1975 S3 88" - Ratel

  2. #42
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    Give me a home among the Gum trees....

    Well not really.

    Here's me musing over what a strange animal old Gumtree is - not the billy tea and smoke variety, but rather the e-site which seems to operate like eBay for stolen goods. Perhaps not stolen in a literal sense but treated like they were in any given discourse leading up to a possible transaction.

    What got me here? I will disclose that later but for now I can tell you that my Gumtree experiences have bordered on the truly whacky.

    Starting off in all innocence a couple of years ago I made the mistake of advertising a complete set of Series seats (6 bits) for $90 - as background this contained one cushion that I had previously purchased from an AULRO-SLOW native for $45, and they were not torn or worn out. So, I thought this might be on the conservative side of things. Well after some time and several hints that I was being a bit greedy I let them go for $40...

    Next off the rank was an unused digital SLR camera body that originally cost around $750. Asking $300 for it plus the chargers etc I was accosted by young Sanjay from Canberra who gave me what for as a racist for not selling it to him for $100 plus a lens. Needless to say I didn't, but it was instructive.

    Well I'll move on past the heavy duty brush cutter etc that received a few sight unseen $10 offers - given to a best mate out of pique there were a few more run ins - but none more challenging than my encounter with young Russell from Woy Woy.

    This one is a killer and needs some explaining because out of a thousand or so transactions on the internet this came the closest to a complete failure. It goes like this - having sold the S3 boat I decided to sell off some boxed and unused parts that had never been fitted to it, including LED navigation lights, a NZ built switch panel and a GME CD MP3 player face value in excess of $600. Put the navigation lights on Gumtree at $45 (half price) and the usual chorus of bottom feeders turned up offering the usual $5-$10. But amongst these appeared Russell who spoke very politely and wanted them for his yacht building project - no quibble as he recognised the brand and the good deal. Now fool as I am I happened to mention the other bits and sent photos etc to which I got an affirmative will buy the lot for $260 - too good to be true. Well, I boxed them up and took them to the post office ready for shipment once the funds had been transferred to my account. Now, bring on the milk of human kindness but I recalled that Russell had mentioned that his boatbuilder was keen to fit the kit that week and receiving an email that the funds had just been transferred I told the postmaster to speed it on its way..... I suspect you know what's coming but after three weeks there was nary a sign of the funds. So, a message or two were sent of increasing stridency hinting at an expectation of being paid - falling on deaf ears as it happens. So, a late night phone call revealed that it was all a mix up and the funds would soon be forthcoming - good intent possibly but nothing came of it. So, a threat of taking action to recover the parts or funds winged its way to Woy Woy and after another two weeks a deposit for 50% of the funds appeared. Some time passed including a note of bemusement as to how and when 50% of the debt had been agreed to without apparent action - so another threat (hollow of course since the small claims fee was a multiple of the debt - in NSW the odds favour the con) and, at last after nearly 5 months, the balance appeared.

    OK, but why muse over Gumtree now?

    Well this morning I decided to relist a good condition catcher for a Victa mower for $35 - recalling that pricing on Gumtree is not unlike the haggling scene from Life of Brian. Mid-stubby up pops a message from Les and Irene telling me that these can be bought at the tip for $2 - in fact, they had done so. Now, assuming that the well meaning Les or Irene were in all likelihood suggesting that I try the anatomically impossible, I responded to the effect that they should have bought two of them. Well, this didn't go down well with the self-appointed consumer watchdogs and the subsequent responses from L&I did little to dispel the suspicion that I was a rum sort of fellow taken to ripping off ill-informed lawnmower persons. Possibly true, but what the heck?

    So there you have it - Gumtree has outlived its usefulness for at least one more citizen of the planet.

    Skol.

    Cheers,

    Neil
    1975 S3 88" - Ratel

  3. #43
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    Ransom

    Hello again from Brisbane.

    Well, the time has come.

    Just got the infamous ransom message from Photobucket that has created a bit of excitement up and down the various AULRO sites. Basically, it says the terms and conditions of using PB preclude using the site to post your images on 3rd party sites - AULRO is basically one such site. While the tone of the message is of the "tut tut you've been a naughty boy breaking our usage rules" nature, what is less well known is that PB only recently changed those terms of use conditions and then only via a link rather than a specific warning of what they were going to do.

    Now, the ransom component is that the recalcitrant user can save their collection and avoid having all previous posted images deleted (basically each picture is replaced by a warning that the space was previously occupied by an image that contravened the PB terms of use) if they take out a $400 per year plan......

    Well my response was to mutter something phoenetically like "Photobucket" and I won't be passing over the demanded dosh. So, by the time you might be reading this the many previous posts will very likely have been already vandalised and barely worth accessing. Being the case, there really isn't much point in keeping the threads going.

    So, it's a final toast from sundowner land.

    Cheers,

    Neil
    1975 S3 88" - Ratel

  4. #44
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    Adieu

    Hello again.

    Saturday arvo and sundowners time here at the S3 yurt.

    Following on from the last post I can see that Photobucket has carried through with its ransom hijack and deleted all of the photos in my threads.

    Well, at risk of incurring a fine from the moderators I don't propose to hide the following smut words with euphemistic dots or dashes (e.g. Photobucket can go f--k itself or sc..w Photobucket).

    Rather, (and here is an apology to the wimmen n'kids in the room) I am more than happy to suggest that Photobucket (or more precisely the venal trolls that own it) can go screw itself(themselves). Interesting aside, my attempt at including the f word got the euphemistic four dashes anyway - hence the rivet word as a proxy.

    It's the thought that counts I suppose.

    So, there you go.

    Salut!

    Now where is that bottle opener.....

    Cheers,

    Neil

  5. #45
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    It would be a terrible thing to lose this thread Neil.. makes me smile every time I come in here and read your ramblings.

    Perhaps you could start a MK2 version; up to now Smugmug has treated me well for photo storage and (as yet) has not alluded to ransom of any kind. It is owned, or at least used to be, by the same entity who owns ADVRider forum. With a high percentage of those inmates using it, I'm sure there would be hell to pay if there were any ransom attempts of that same sort.

    Do keep it up.

    Peter.

  6. #46
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    Hard to know....

    Quote Originally Posted by OneOff View Post

    Do keep it up.

    Peter.
    Peter,

    Hello from Brisbane - thanks for the kind words.

    Really not sure what or where the musings might go. To be honest my African and Asian wanderings which primarily spurred the thread are now largely behind me - may be some future engagement in Malawi and Zimbabwe, but I wouldn't bet the S3 yurt on it - and the cast that helped it along including the half-chewed Andre and dusky companion Godfrey have also largely moved on. So, the Photobucket debacle, a recent retirement and a year coping with a major health challenge for one of the S3 juniors were probably a timely prod for a bit of reflection.

    On the odd occasion that Mrs S3ute might bless my absence the thoughts have drifted to doing a series of pub crawls around the region - 40 years of local field travel uncovered more than a few. Whether or not this morphs into a series of posted SLOW trips with some sort of dedicated thread remains something to be pondered over.

    Being Friday, traditional sundowners day at the S3 yurt, that is something to muse over I suppose.

    Cheers

    Neil

  7. #47
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    Sometimes,,
    Pubcrawls are better with friends,,
    "How long since you've visited The Good Oil?"

    '93 V8 Rossi
    '97 to '07. sold.
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    '10 to '21
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    '21 to Infinity and Beyond!


    1988 Isuzu Bus. V10 15L NA Diesel
    Home is where you park it..

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  8. #48
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    Wise truth there

    Quote Originally Posted by Pedro_The_Swift View Post
    Sometimes,,
    Pubcrawls are better with friends,,
    Agreed.

    Hence the thought to leave Africa behind for a while and strive to reconnect with the local landscape.......... musing over life's snakes and ladders is always helped if there is an iconic waterhole nearby.

    Had a quiet but reflective one or two at the Maryvale pub a week or so ago, followed by a generous counter meal courtesy of Rudd's at Nobby and an overnight at the Bull & Barley in Cambooya (chewed and imbibed both respectively). Most have a cheap camping option within musing and staggering distance which is an important part of the check list.

    Plenty of others populating the landscape with the welcome mat out.

    Cheers,

    Neil
    Last edited by S3ute; 22nd August 2017 at 08:06 AM. Reason: Embellishment

  9. #49
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    Short lived resolution

    Hello again from Brisbane.

    Well, the threat to go local partly came off with two excellent forays to the extremities of the Great South Land.

    First off was the Top End and Arnhem Land with Mrs S3ute where the S3 junior is presently barnstorming with one of the larger regional airlines. Had a great (ie. free) flight over the Tiwis, chomped at Mindel Beach, won a pub quiz prize and filled in a few very enjoyable days in Kakadu doing the sorts of things that tourists do in Kakadu. The Humpty Doo tavern on the Sunday afternoon with its various cultural sub-groups didn’t disappoint either.

    The second foray was something of an odyssey to the Southern Ocean shoreline via a fairly convoluted route taking in mountains, plains and all sorts of geographical landforms between these extremes. In all, about 6500km in a little over a week and the XC70’s replacement didn’t disappoint. Again, and in keeping with an earlier post, a few of the many once proud country pubs offered a diversion for the salary unburdened nomad. The Delatite Hotel at Mansfield, Imperial in Bingara and Jingellic Hotel on the Upper Murray drew favourable impressions, whereas the relatively down at heel hostels in Trundle and Dunedoo could best be thought of as easily forgettable despite any former glories either might lay claim to. But, as the promotion once said - “you will never never know if you never never go”. And to be fair the bar persons in both were pretty nice in the ankle glimpsing sense and the beer was cold - for many folks that would probably be enough.

    Actually, my cosy base camp in Ballarat of a few days was sited in Lydiard St which to my mind remains one of the finest colonial streetscapes that you will find in this wide brown land, if not a lot of other lands be they brown or green. Try a beer or two in Craig’s Royal Hotel if you want to know where the rich folks used to hang about.

    Well, that pretty much exhausts local travels with plenty of sundowner material thrown in. For something of a free plug, the great service that I received from the folks at (the formerly known) Roverparts in Bonshaw (the Victorian one) needs to be mentioned.

    Back to the heading of this post - Southern Africa seems to have called a little sooner than I had thought. Offered a free trip back to Matabeleland courtesy of the half-chewed Andre with much promise of evenings mis-spent twixt beer fridge and braai. To cut the cost, I have agreed to spend the bulk of the trip in a modest bungalow inside the Matopos National Park and/or Hwange. Won’t be too hard to take.....

    Once I get the hang of posting photos from one of the non-Photobucket sites I might finally get around to posting an illustrated report.

    Cheers,

    Neil

  10. #50
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    Two more sleeps....

    Hello again from Brisbane.

    As noted in the last post, Africa looms and the lounge room in Mrs S3ute’s convenient absence (temporary with work) is starting to look like those grainy photos of the Mombassa docks in days of yore.

    Dusting off the binocs and sun helmet, torch, pocket knife and flask, passport and club introductions and getting the old Melvill and Moons ready for packing. The Maui Jim’s are a concession to modernity, but in the main packing follows a well established routine of amassing a pile of useful what-not, placing an empty valise beside it and up-ending one into t’other - easy peasey. After that it is all up up and away and leering at the hosties. That or a good book and plenty of glazed sedatives.

    The half-chewed Andre finally came good with securing a booking for the week of a modest lodge on a rock overlooking Maleme Dam in the Matopos National Park - Cecil Rhodes of African colonial infamy had the good sense to be buried in a similar rock just up the hill. In another age I might have thought to do similar, the view being (were you not dead) quite stunning. Actually, on the topic of the great tycoon - the Bill Gates of his age - I discovered once that we share/d a common simple pleasure. Apparently despite his immense wealth (and my lack of the same) his favourite meal was gravy mince on toast topped with sprinkled cheddar cheese and a poached egg - accompanied with a dash of Worcestershire sauce and morning paper and not a smashed avo or jus in sight. Makes you hungry just contemplating it.

    The second week might involve a short safari in Hwange - hopefully in a little deeper than the previous excursions with either Sinamatella or Robins camps as the evening braai and beer base. Again, planning has been left to the natives which means that it could turn out to be seeking out a homeless shelter around Bulawayo - hopefully not.

    To take advantage of Mr Joyce’s episodic fits of largesse I have to fill in a third week to get the flight discount to and from Johannesburg. Not altogether an unappreciated inconvenience - retirement and lack of an office diary are both useful things to respectively have and not have these days. Decided to take the now well worn track across the highveld and down to Kruger for 5 days mixing it a bit between bush tents, rondavels and cottages. Usual digs at the Dullstroom Inn both ways should cap off a balanced mix of pub crawling, star gazing and animal gawping - hope so anyway.

    Reports in due course.

    Cheers,

    Neil
    1975 S3 88" - Ratel

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