Monday 28 July 2014

Not just a pretty face.












Nefertiti of Amarna
Ancient world of glory.
Akhenaten, Royal partner,
Oldest known love story.

Take a look at what others created from this prompt at Magpie Tales

Tuesday 22 July 2014

Progression-regression.














Discombobulation;
Confusion of the nation,
Retail computation;
Food-miles consternation.

Traded our simplicity
For triple wrapped duplicity,
In corporate multiplicity.
Lost our village, more’s the pity!

Thanks again Tess for a thought provoking prompt... takes me back.

Monday 14 July 2014

It's not the rush down, it's the slow drag back.



















When two singles become a pair,
And coitus continuum share,
Make sure the bedroom
Can sleep two, or quite soon,
You’ll wear out the carpeted stair!

 Thank you Tess for yet another peep into your house.
 Still waiting for a release date for the BOOK! I'm chuffed that it got a 9/10 from the evaluation team at JoJo. Yeehaaa!

Friday 11 July 2014

Don't know whether to laugh or cry!

When one writes a book that depends on a reader having some idea of the state of current political intrigue, there is always the risk that events will take a sudden turn that makes a key premise obsolete.

So even before my new novel hits the bookshelves, it has happened to me. I will tell my friends when the big release happens, but today I read in the Guardian, two articles that, although they might make the discerning reader wonder, they are nevertheless very welcome.

The first is the announcement that China is offering new buyers of Electric cars a subsidy of about $7,000 average, but will also waive 10% sales tax.
The second is the signing of a Clean Energy pact by China and the US, the two biggest emitters and the two biggest manufacturers of Clean Energy infrastructure.

Of course the book is still fun to read, and when Obama goes, it is a new ball game. If certain leaders are elected, I could still be on track for the story to unfold as written. I hope not!

Don't know whether to laugh or cry!

Pic :The Guardian.

Monday 7 July 2014

Moggy Mischief.



















My cat purrs and gently preens
Twitches whiskers, so serene.
‘Til I tried
To wash her hide…
Tore my shirt to smithereens!

 Find stories and poetry about Tess's cat at Willow Manor.

Coal: Nature's Hazardous Waste Dump.

Thursday 3 July 2014

Poles and wires, Cheats and liars.



1.  At Wally’s house, there is a septic system that treats sewage and sprays the treated water onto his grass. Even when nobody is home, the system needs to be powered, but uses only a tiny amount of electricity from the grid. The bill has remained at about $24 per quarter for almost two years, while the house has been empty. But suddenly, the bill jumped to $78 for the quarter.

2. Recently, Jo’s house has been adorned with a 1.5 Kw set of solar panels, enough to generate more than her total electricity use. Her bill should have come down to almost zero. It would have been about zero, except for a new charge that appeared on both Jo’s and Wally’s bill. A service fee, apparently for rent of posts and wires.

Up until now, that has been included, but is now added on top of the usual payment for electricity used. Fact is, Australians have been cutting their household electricity use for years, so demand has dropped. We thought that was a good thing, so many people doing their bit for Global Warming, but suddenly, less used poles and wires need to be paid for, so in goes the charge.
Meanwhile, politics reared its head and most of the rise in power charges was blamed on the Carbon tax by our current government when in opposition. That was an outright lie. If it was not, when they scrap the Carbon Tax, we should see prices plummet. I don’t think we will and here’s why.

Because the Carbon Tax added under 10% to the cost of electricity, while prices went up over 50%, we know Abbott lied to get into Government. But power is largely a State responsibility. It seems that' under a smoke screen of ranting over the Carbon Tax, the states were Gold Plating their distribution systems. So, now we get to see who was lying, or do we?
NSW is now about to sell off its posts and wires to Private Capital. OK, so I think we now know why Gold Plating the system happened at our expense, when it did.
Being in such great shape, it will attract a higher price, and the new owner, being a monopoly, will continue to push up prices.

 Jo is thinking of buying a battery bank, an inverter and snipping the wires. I can’t see how they can charge for posts and wires we do not use, but I’m willing to bet they’ll think of something! 

Coal: Nature's Hazardous Waste Dump.

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Anyone for Poker



















You want to keep playing, Ron?
I warn you, this card is tres bon.
If you insist,
And continue this tryst,
You will not have a single stitch on!

...........

She took both his apples
And his wild grass.
If she has her way
She’ll soon have his arse!

 If you like this, pop over to visit Tess Kincaid.

Coal: Nature’s Hazardous Waste Dump.